I was dismayed to learn that the Trade Lake Township board appears (at least temporarily) to be backtracking on its promise—voted under strong public pressure on June 13—to work vigorously to stop the proposed hog CAFO near Trade Lake. But I assume it is not too late to follow through. It is extremely likely that any … Continue reading Hip-Hop Music, 24-Hour Gun Ranges, and Hog Shit
Seven Shades of Green
Possibly my best song, and certainly a song that is close to my heart, includes these lines: The rain has turned the yellow grass Seven shades of green. . . . It’s only a moment that we can smell the rain, And taste the salt on each other’s skins. It’s only a moment and then … Continue reading Seven Shades of Green
Corporate Logic Vs. the Environment, Quality of Life, and Even Its Own Self-Interest….Please Let’s Stop It!
In few days I head for my summer writing retreat, a log cabin in the Wisconsin north woods where my mom grew up. It is halfway between Minneapolis and Duluth as the crow flies. This is where I go to detoxify from the toxic parts of working at a giant corporate university, to focus on … Continue reading Corporate Logic Vs. the Environment, Quality of Life, and Even Its Own Self-Interest….Please Let’s Stop It!
We Do Not Have to Live Like Rats Fighting for Scraps
When I started this blog, I imagined it as a place where I might gather and repost—when timely and appropriate—some of my earlier pieces that are “blog-friendly” in form, but scattered to the winds. I happened across one of these today, when I sent one of my students to a special issue of Dharma World … Continue reading We Do Not Have to Live Like Rats Fighting for Scraps
Against the Stereotype of Assuming That End-Times Believers Are Fatalistic
In both of the classes I am teaching this term, I have heard classroom comments about how end-times theologies correlate with "fatalism”—which in turn seems to correlate with some flavor of politics that is Trumpian and/or Republican and/or shading off toward wherever (if anywhere) the alt-right becomes so extreme that our resident criminal in the … Continue reading Against the Stereotype of Assuming That End-Times Believers Are Fatalistic
Ashamed…in a Land Where Justice is a Game
I don’t want to use this blog for running comments on the news. But I want to note three things today. As everyone knows, Paul Manafort received a 47 month sentence for multiple serious crimes, a slap on the wrist from a judge who was appointed by Ronald Reagan and gave an impression of bias … Continue reading Ashamed…in a Land Where Justice is a Game
Dog Park Sex and the Bankruptcy of “Refereed versus Non-Refereed” for Measuring Value
In my last post, I argued that “refereed” does not equal good, nor “non-refereed” bad—but rather “refereed or not” and “quality scholarship or not” (alongside other factors) are independent variables with approximately random correlation, at least in the intellectual networks where I do my work. I did not expect slam dunk support for my … Continue reading Dog Park Sex and the Bankruptcy of “Refereed versus Non-Refereed” for Measuring Value
