Daily Archives: August 26, 2008

“Nuns Fret Not”: A Sonnet by William Wordsworth (1807)

Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room; And hermits are contented with their cells; And students with their pensive citadels; Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom, Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom, High … Continue reading

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Zen Happy Frog

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“Appearances”: A Poem by Santi Tafarella

  The worst thing to tell your ex-lover is “I’m happy.”   And so he never told her that he was happy, but gave her   every appearance   that he was unhappy. Indeed, you could see her   light up … Continue reading

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Mercury in Profile (Los Angeles County Museum of Art 2008)

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Greek Antiquities Under Glass with Mercury Statue Across the Room (Los Angeles County Museum of Art 2008)

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Things Can Be Different: Philosopher Susan Neiman on Obama, Optimism, and Idealism

Philosopher Susan Neiman (most famously, the author of the highly acclaimed book, Evil in Modern Thought) has an insightful essay in the NY Times on Obama’s idealism, and how it played rather poorly in Germany in July of 2008. (Given their … Continue reading

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The Burden She Carries: What Michelle Obama’s Speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention Meant

On August 26, 2008, at Andrew Sullivan’s Atlantic blog, an African American woman wrote movingly of the import of Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic Convention: I am a 36 year old African American woman.  I have two girls ages … Continue reading

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