Welcome statement
”Parting Words from Moristotle” (07/31/2023)
tells how to access our archives
of art, poems, stories, serials, travelogues,
essays, reviews, interviews, correspondence….
tells how to access our archives
of art, poems, stories, serials, travelogues,
essays, reviews, interviews, correspondence….
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Correspondence: Refresher
Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Near and far in sestina
Piedmont eye chart
By Moristotle
[This poem was originally published on June 8, 2013.]
Questions have arisen about sunsets.
Why is one beautiful to me but plain
to the next person? Some want horizons
spread out under a big sky at a far
distance over vast space, but I want near
displays set against trees and local piedmont
By Moristotle
[This poem was originally published on June 8, 2013.]
Questions have arisen about sunsets.
Why is one beautiful to me but plain
to the next person? Some want horizons
spread out under a big sky at a far
distance over vast space, but I want near
displays set against trees and local piedmont
Saturday, February 25, 2017
The Loneliest Liberal: Mum’s the word
I’m going to be in a TV soap opera
By James Knudsen
It’s probably a safe bet to say, that among the contributors and consumers of Moristotle & Co., there aren’t a lot of soap-opera devotees. The genre is one of those things that elites on the coasts look down their noses at while they make high-minded jokes about the low-brow art form. Still, it does pay.
By James Knudsen
It’s probably a safe bet to say, that among the contributors and consumers of Moristotle & Co., there aren’t a lot of soap-opera devotees. The genre is one of those things that elites on the coasts look down their noses at while they make high-minded jokes about the low-brow art form. Still, it does pay.
Labels:
James Knudsen,
Loneliest Liberal,
soap opera,
television
Friday, February 24, 2017
Book Review: Olive Kitteridge
Life as we live it
By Moristotle
[In Wednesday’s post, “A curious case of apathy,” I mentioned a book club I had participated in. The book reviewed today was discussed in that club, and the review, “Life as we live it,” was originally published on August 14, 2012.]
By Moristotle
[In Wednesday’s post, “A curious case of apathy,” I mentioned a book club I had participated in. The book reviewed today was discussed in that club, and the review, “Life as we live it,” was originally published on August 14, 2012.]
Labels:
book review,
Elizabeth Strout,
Review open
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Correspondence: Donny Trumpp plays Johnny Depp
By Moristotle
Donald Trump’s affectless reading of “his” anti-anti-Semitism statement brings to mind Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s droll,tongue-in-cheek “apology” to Australia for illegally bringing her two dogs into the country: “Trump denounces anti-Semitic threats as ‘horrible’ after facing criticism” [ABC News, February 21]:
Labels:
correspondence,
Donald Trump,
HR McMaster,
Johnny Depp
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
A curious case of apathy
By Moristotle
Entering the offices of my cardiologist’s practice yesterday morning, I felt (or, rather, failed to feel) in a way that I could only think was apathy. Apathy in the basic sense of lack of enthusiasm, or impassivity, or ennui. Usually, whenever I approach a receptionist – whether in a doctor’s office, a Starbuck’s, Elliott’s Pet Spa, or wherever – I feel primed to banter, to joke, to say something I hope will sound witty.
Entering the offices of my cardiologist’s practice yesterday morning, I felt (or, rather, failed to feel) in a way that I could only think was apathy. Apathy in the basic sense of lack of enthusiasm, or impassivity, or ennui. Usually, whenever I approach a receptionist – whether in a doctor’s office, a Starbuck’s, Elliott’s Pet Spa, or wherever – I feel primed to banter, to joke, to say something I hope will sound witty.
Labels:
Agatha Christie,
apathy,
echocardiogram,
Harry Truman,
Hercule Poirot,
stress echocardiogram,
stress test
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
How do we choose to react to a joke?
By Victor L. Midyett
How do we choose to react to something we consider rude, politically incorrect, or demeaning to a situation or to ourselves? Do we first ask ourselves some questions? Or do we simply assume that what was said was intended to be demeaning? Was it said as a joke simply for a joke’s sake? Was it meant as a slam of “my kind” or of me in particular?
I think that if we don’t know the answers to these questions, we are doing ourselves a disservice. As I have said before, OTHERS cannot MAKE US feel. We CHOOSE how we react to others and everything.
How do we choose to react to something we consider rude, politically incorrect, or demeaning to a situation or to ourselves? Do we first ask ourselves some questions? Or do we simply assume that what was said was intended to be demeaning? Was it said as a joke simply for a joke’s sake? Was it meant as a slam of “my kind” or of me in particular?
I think that if we don’t know the answers to these questions, we are doing ourselves a disservice. As I have said before, OTHERS cannot MAKE US feel. We CHOOSE how we react to others and everything.
Labels:
action & reaction,
human relations,
humor,
jokes,
labeling,
labels,
political correctness,
stimulus & response,
Vic Midyett
Monday, February 20, 2017
Lost time reading Marcel Proust
Hawthorns in blossom
By Moristotle
As a direct result of visiting Paris last year with my wife, for our 50th wedding anniversary, I have finally been applying myself to reading Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past (A la Recherche du Temps Perdu [In Search of Lost Time]), which I had been meaning to read ever since my wife read it over 35 years ago, in the C. K. Scott Moncrieff translation (1920’s), before we moved from California to North Carolina.
By Moristotle
As a direct result of visiting Paris last year with my wife, for our 50th wedding anniversary, I have finally been applying myself to reading Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past (A la Recherche du Temps Perdu [In Search of Lost Time]), which I had been meaning to read ever since my wife read it over 35 years ago, in the C. K. Scott Moncrieff translation (1920’s), before we moved from California to North Carolina.
Labels:
C. K. Scott Moncrieff,
hawthorn,
Marcel Proust,
Paris,
reading,
Terence Kilmartin,
wedding anniversary
Sunday, February 19, 2017
West Coast Observer: An abhorrent admiration
Let’s not have a repeat
By William Silveira
I happened to view the PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff on February 15, and I came away shocked and frightened for the future of our country and the world.
I am sure that many of you have read about the glowing reports of the wonderful work Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party were doing in Germany in the 1930’s. Their false and fatuous view of what was going on helped cement Hitler’s grip on power in Germany during that era. Among the Americans who were taken in by Hitler and the Nazis were Charles Lindbergh and Joseph Kennedy. Now I see the same sort of line being taken by Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, and a consultant to the American oil industry.
By William Silveira
I happened to view the PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff on February 15, and I came away shocked and frightened for the future of our country and the world.
I am sure that many of you have read about the glowing reports of the wonderful work Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party were doing in Germany in the 1930’s. Their false and fatuous view of what was going on helped cement Hitler’s grip on power in Germany during that era. Among the Americans who were taken in by Hitler and the Nazis were Charles Lindbergh and Joseph Kennedy. Now I see the same sort of line being taken by Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, and a consultant to the American oil industry.
Labels:
Adolf Hitler,
Carter Page,
Donald Trump,
Nazis,
William Silveira
Saturday, February 18, 2017
A history not of God, but of the idea of God
By Moristotle
[Originally published on March 19, 2008]
Karen Armstrong’s 1993 book, subtitled “The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,” has the misleading but catchier title A History of God. She herself refers in the Introduction to “this history of the idea and experience of [emphasis mine] God in the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” [p. xix]. She admits that God might not really exist and that she wished, “when I was starting out in the religious life” [in the 1960’s], that she had been told to “deliberately create a sense of him for myself.”
[Originally published on March 19, 2008]
Karen Armstrong’s 1993 book, subtitled “The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,” has the misleading but catchier title A History of God. She herself refers in the Introduction to “this history of the idea and experience of [emphasis mine] God in the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” [p. xix]. She admits that God might not really exist and that she wished, “when I was starting out in the religious life” [in the 1960’s], that she had been told to “deliberately create a sense of him for myself.”
Labels:
atheism,
God,
Karen Armstrong,
religion
Friday, February 17, 2017
Blossoms in winter
Flowering apricot
By Moristotle
I took these photographs last month, in our yard (and inside our home), in Mebane, North Carolina.
By Moristotle
I took these photographs last month, in our yard (and inside our home), in Mebane, North Carolina.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Correspondence: Educational advice for Trump resisters
By Moristotle
Betsy DeVos has some advice for us Trump resisters (satire by Andy Borowitz, in his New Yorker column “DeVos Says Trump’s Forty-Per-Cent Approval Rating Means More Than Half of Country Supports Him”):
Betsy DeVos has some advice for us Trump resisters (satire by Andy Borowitz, in his New Yorker column “DeVos Says Trump’s Forty-Per-Cent Approval Rating Means More Than Half of Country Supports Him”):
Labels:
Andy Borowitz,
Betsy DeVos,
correspondence,
Donald Trump,
humor
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
To Valentine’s Day
By Moristotle
[A reader commented yesterday on this poem’s original post, on Valentine’s Day 2015, reminding me I had even written it (and might have republished it yesterday).]
[A reader commented yesterday on this poem’s original post, on Valentine’s Day 2015, reminding me I had even written it (and might have republished it yesterday).]
Labels:
sonnet,
Valentine's Day,
verse,
William Shakespeare
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Happier Valentine’s Day than this!
By Moristotle
“Unhappy Valentines: romantic holiday disasters” [various, Guardian, February 11]. Few things conjure up the idea of romance like an exotic trip with a partner, though the reality can be excruciatingly different, as these writers discovered....:
“Unhappy Valentines: romantic holiday disasters” [various, Guardian, February 11]. Few things conjure up the idea of romance like an exotic trip with a partner, though the reality can be excruciatingly different, as these writers discovered....:
Monday, February 13, 2017
Correspondence: Resisting Trumpery
Edited by Moristotle
Thanks for occasionally sharing a live “Resistance Report” from Robert Reich, which have been very informative and inspirational during these depressing times.
The reports seem to be a permanent archive on Professor Reich’s “Resistance Report” Facebook page, for anyone who would like to check them out.
Thanks for occasionally sharing a live “Resistance Report” from Robert Reich, which have been very informative and inspirational during these depressing times.
The reports seem to be a permanent archive on Professor Reich’s “Resistance Report” Facebook page, for anyone who would like to check them out.
Labels:
Alec Baldwin,
Andy Borowitz,
correspondence,
Donald Trump,
E.J. Dionne Jr,
Frank Bruni,
Gail Collins,
George Orwell,
Kellyanne Conway,
Maureen Dowd,
Robert Reich,
Stephen Colbert,
Steve Bannon
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Poetry & Portraits: Odysseus
Labels:
art,
Eric Meub,
poem,
Susan C. Price,
verse
Friday, February 10, 2017
Boldt Words & Images: Ham on Nye (a poem)
By Bob Boldt
Bill (the Science Guy) Nye runs into his old nemesis,
Ken Ham, waiting for the Senior Buffet to open at a Delicatessen
in an alternative universe, or Miami Beach (whichever is closer).
Both miscreants are under 65 and not entitled to hog the “Seniors Only” lane.
Bill (the Science Guy) Nye runs into his old nemesis,
Ken Ham, waiting for the Senior Buffet to open at a Delicatessen
in an alternative universe, or Miami Beach (whichever is closer).
Both miscreants are under 65 and not entitled to hog the “Seniors Only” lane.
Labels:
Bob Boldt,
Boldt Words,
humor,
poem
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Why so much sestina?
Psychiatry session in sestina
By Moristotle
[This poem was originally published on June 12, 2013, in a time during which I fairly frequently wrote sestinas. As I don’t seem to have written another, the question might now be, “Why no more sestinas?” – a question I intend to answer soon, in my first sestina in three and a half years. I miss writing them!]
By Moristotle
[This poem was originally published on June 12, 2013, in a time during which I fairly frequently wrote sestinas. As I don’t seem to have written another, the question might now be, “Why no more sestinas?” – a question I intend to answer soon, in my first sestina in three and a half years. I miss writing them!]
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Susan to the Moon
“Tree of Joe” (detail) |
Congratulations to our good friend Susan C. Price (see “Past Members of the Staff” in the sidebar), who has a painting on display in Women Painters West’s “Love in Deed” show, at Topanga Canyon Gallery, open now through February 19, with a reception this coming Sunday afternoon (February 12).
Monday, February 6, 2017
Correspondence: More Trumpery
Part of the “Evolution of Civilizations” mural in the dome of the main reading room at the Library of Congress |
Good points by the outstanding NY Times conservative commentator David Brooks: “A Return to National Greatness” [February 3].
We the People will have to “return to greatness” despite the Trumpestuous interference we are confronting. Excerpt:
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Labels
By Victor L. Midyett
My DNA heritage is Argentinean, German, French, English, and most proudly, Cherokee. I have predominantly olive skin and in the right circumstance could possibly pass as an Iranian or Middle-Eastern terrorist. What would my label be on sight? What would you call me? “Half-breed”? I have been called that, and so be it, even though it is biologically and mathematically impossible.
I recall that when I was younger than ten, adults in my father’s home state of Tennessee referred to all African Americans as “niggers.” In my early teenage years I was part of the government’s mandate to desegregate the schools. Suddenly my friendship world grew. My learning, acceptance, tolerance, being better informed, and fun times grew with it. During that time I do not recall ever labeling any of my African American friends by anything other than their given names. The white “adults” in the community, however, still labeled them the same way they always had. This habit gradually diminished, and the label survived mostly as hush-hush and in “safe” circles.
My DNA heritage is Argentinean, German, French, English, and most proudly, Cherokee. I have predominantly olive skin and in the right circumstance could possibly pass as an Iranian or Middle-Eastern terrorist. What would my label be on sight? What would you call me? “Half-breed”? I have been called that, and so be it, even though it is biologically and mathematically impossible.
I recall that when I was younger than ten, adults in my father’s home state of Tennessee referred to all African Americans as “niggers.” In my early teenage years I was part of the government’s mandate to desegregate the schools. Suddenly my friendship world grew. My learning, acceptance, tolerance, being better informed, and fun times grew with it. During that time I do not recall ever labeling any of my African American friends by anything other than their given names. The white “adults” in the community, however, still labeled them the same way they always had. This habit gradually diminished, and the label survived mostly as hush-hush and in “safe” circles.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
As the World Turns: Shit storm
By Ed Rogers
I keep waiting for the shit storm to settle down that was released the day Trump won the election. But it seems to get wilder each day – his team is even inventing words to explain the stink coming from the White House. How did Papa Bush— Or was it Reagan who called it a shining city upon a hill? We once knew it as the White House, but I believe it needs a new name now.
I have been wondering about the people who think the new President is a genius. It’s hard to believe, but there are a lot of them – many more than I would have thought possible. What is bothering me is I’m trying to ascertain if they are crazy or could it be me? Crazy people don’t think they are crazy, so I guess it could be me. After all, he was elected President of the United States. In a way it is easier to believe I am insane and everything is going along just fine.
If I lived on the West Coast, I could roll a fat one, turn on, and tune out – it worked for me during Nixon’s time in the White House. But now I live in the forward-thinking State of Mississippi. “Go Rebs!” “Hotty Totty!” (For those not in the know, those are cries of football fans at Old Miss.)
I keep waiting for the shit storm to settle down that was released the day Trump won the election. But it seems to get wilder each day – his team is even inventing words to explain the stink coming from the White House. How did Papa Bush— Or was it Reagan who called it a shining city upon a hill? We once knew it as the White House, but I believe it needs a new name now.
I have been wondering about the people who think the new President is a genius. It’s hard to believe, but there are a lot of them – many more than I would have thought possible. What is bothering me is I’m trying to ascertain if they are crazy or could it be me? Crazy people don’t think they are crazy, so I guess it could be me. After all, he was elected President of the United States. In a way it is easier to believe I am insane and everything is going along just fine.
If I lived on the West Coast, I could roll a fat one, turn on, and tune out – it worked for me during Nixon’s time in the White House. But now I live in the forward-thinking State of Mississippi. “Go Rebs!” “Hotty Totty!” (For those not in the know, those are cries of football fans at Old Miss.)
Labels:
As the World Turns,
Donald Trump,
Ed Rogers,
Mississippi,
politics,
White House
Friday, February 3, 2017
Boldt Words & Images: Dreaming a Hurricane (a poem)
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Outside the Box: I hate digital technology
Labels:
correspondence,
digital technology,
Donald Trump,
iPhone,
Outside the Box,
social media,
Steve Jobs
Correspondence: Trumpery
Labels:
correspondence,
Donald Trump,
Hasan Minhaj,
Jon Stewart,
Neal Brennan,
Stephen Colbert,
Trevor Noah
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Outside the Box: Robotics and the jobs paradox
Labels:
Chuck Smythe,
Outside the Box,
robotic manufacturing,
robotics
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