Monthly Archives: November 2015

Advent Devotional — 30 November

Posted on November 30, 2015 by profmondo

For several years now, members of the Newberry College community have been invited to write brief devotionals for the days of Advent. The format is simple: We’re given a passage from Scripture, we write a little about it, and we … Continue reading →

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With Unfriends Like These…

Posted on November 27, 2015 by profmondo

“Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.” — Marx As I continue to work on my relocation to the sociopolitical desert, I find myself irritated? Saddened? Weary… of statements I find on social media … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics, Why I Do What I Do | 5 Comments

We Gather Together…

Posted on November 26, 2015 by profmondo

… in more ways than one today. I’m in my downstairs den, which is livable once more, after having been offline for a month after the deluge. I’m thankful for that. Mrs. M is upstairs, having her coffee before she … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Faith, Family, Literature, Why I Do What I Do | 4 Comments

The Show that Never Ends

Posted on November 21, 2015 by profmondo

The Newberry Opera House got jolted last night, when progressive rock drum legend Carl Palmer came to town with his power trio, ELP Legacy. I got to the Opera House about 45 minutes before showtime, and I checked out the merch … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Mottes, Baileys, and the Contemporary Scene

Posted on November 16, 2015 by profmondo

As the Yalies in the process of being educated beyond their intelligence have been throwing their recent tantrums, I’ve heard more than a few people argue that this is the sort of thing PC has wrought. Indeed, the sort of nonsense … Continue reading →

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Destination Unknown

Posted on November 13, 2015 by profmondo

Headline from today’s Chronicle of Higher Ed (Alas, behind a paywall): “When Pursuing Diversity, Victory Is Hard to Define.” Well, duh! If you actually have a definition, you might accidentally achieve your goal, and then people would have to quit complaining/find real … Continue reading →

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QotD: A Word from the Great Cham Edition

Posted on November 10, 2015 by profmondo

We’re heading into the home stretch of my 18th-C. course; we’ll spend the next two weeks reading Johnson, and finish the term with Boswell’s bio. Today, we talked about The Vanity of Human Wishes and a couple of essays from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Politics | 1 Comment

Laying Down Markers

Posted on November 9, 2015 by profmondo

Not long ago, I mentioned that the University of Chicago’s Statement on Free Expression had been adapted into a model statement by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. It seems that such statements are needed now more than ever, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Politics | 2 Comments

The Cheapest House on the Nicest Street

Posted on November 3, 2015 by profmondo

In my youth, I read the autobiography of a Jewish comic or humorist in the stacks of Reader’s Digest that I plowed through one summer. I don’t remember who it was — (Update: Sam Levenson, from the October 1973 issue! Thanks, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Literature | Leave a comment

Where Rhyming Slang Meets Instro Rock

Posted on November 1, 2015 by profmondo

Fans of instrumental rock are of course familiar with Britain’s The Shadows, and their legendary guitarist, the bespectacled Hank Marvin. Even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, you’ve likely heard these guys: Well, as sometimes happens, the guitar hero’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Music | 3 Comments