Daily Archives: January 26, 2010

The Haitian Earthquake: The Pagan Wheel of Fortune or God’s Will and Grace?

In a recent New York Times essay, literary critic James Wood made the following observation on President Barack Obama’s selection of the language of Christian theodicy over that of the pagan Wheel of Fortune (in response to the Haitian earthquake): [T]heological language has … Continue reading

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Tea-Partiers in America Take Note: Marcel Theroux’s Creepy Tea Party in Japan

Marcel Theroux is a novelist and documentary film makers for BBC 4. He does some really interesting work. Here’s a clip from his documentary on Japan (In Search of Wabi Sabi ). I suppose that the clip below depicts some Blakean … Continue reading

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In Greek Mythology, Who is Peitho?

Peitho is the goddess of rhetoric, persuasion, and seduction, and in ancient depictions, she tends to accompany Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Why Aphrodite? Because it is by artful and pretty words that your rational defenses—especially against love—are overcome and conquered (as in Gorgias’s “Encomium for … Continue reading

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