May 2012
16 posts
Alain Badiou: a life in writing | Culture | The... →
The declaration of love marks the transition from chance to destiny and that’s why it is so perilous and so burdened with a kind of horrifying stage fright.” Love’s work consists in conquering that fright. Badiou cites Mallarmé, who saw poetry as “chance defeated word by word”. A loving relationship is similar. “In love, fidelity signifies this extended victory: the randomness of an encounter...
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On Mondays
by Marilyn Donnelly
On Mondays when the museums are closed and a handful of guards look the other way or read their newspapers all of the figures step out of golden frames to stroll the quiet halls or visit among old friends. Picasso’s twisted ladies rearrange themselves to trade secrets with the languid odalisques of Matisse while sturdy Rembrandt men shake the dust from...
OctopusME Designs from the Abyss on Etsy →
Being Poor →
Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new... →
A student blows up at a teacher, drops the F-bomb. The usual approach at Lincoln – and, safe to say, at most high schools in this country – is automatic suspension. Instead, Sporleder sits the kid down and says quietly:
“Wow. Are you OK? This doesn’t sound like you. What’s going on?” He gets even more specific: “You really looked stressed. On a scale of 1-10, where are you with your anger?”
...
(Nuns) were the first feminists, earning Ph.D.’s or working as surgeons long...
– New York Times columnist NICK KRISTOF, “We Are All Nuns” (via inothernews)
I signed this petition at change.org. Right now it has 31,031 signatures. The petition is organized by Nun Justice who are on tumblr.
Today another church approached me and asked how to get involved at the Lighthouse. Not...
April 2012
15 posts
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But...
– Kurt Vonnegut
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The TV Is On the TV Is On the TV Is On the TV
by Matt Hart
is always on, which is a lie, and it’s Sunday which is the truth, and there’s a thing in the corner blooming with colorful language, so I look at it for eleven seconds trying to imagine the most honest way to tell you an orange, but then I realize that the most honest way has nothing to do with the imagination, at which point I realize that honesty isn’t the best policy, but...
Six Rules For Dining Out →
It is especially common to see good ethnic restaurants grouped with mid-level or junky retail outlets. When it comes to a restaurant run by immigrants, look around at the street scene. Do you see something ugly? Poor construction? Broken plastic signage? A five-and-dime store? Maybe an abandoned car? If so, crack a quiet smile, walk through the door, and order. Welcome to the glamorous world of...
March 2012
15 posts
Poverty: Is the Church on the Wrong Side? →
Indeed, Wolterstorff, citing Abraham Kuyper, says the failure of our system to care for the poor means we as Christians have an obligation to reform that system – to work for social reforms, not simply do acts of charity. Wolterstorff, a Calvinist working in the tradition of Calvin himself, as well as Kuyper, argues all human beings have sustenance rights, which are on par with three others –...
Best to tackle FASD at its roots →
My co-worker wrote an article in Monday’s paper about a day I’d rather forget, when a client overdosed. And my general feelings were, at the time, if I had had this kid’s childhood I’d be using drugs too.
Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with...
– John Allen Paulos
Time for some bold moves. Let the pieces fall where they may.
What we really need is an app that pretends to be you on the phone, that gives...
– Phone Apps Someone Who Knows How to Make Phone Apps Ought to Make | The Hairpin
I hate talking on the phone. Consequently if my friends or relatives move away I barely ever talk to them. I need to get over that but it’s gotten almost worse as I get older. I need this app.
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We are our stories. We compress years of experience, view and emotion into a few...
– Dan Pink
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of...
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer (via azspot)
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Quite on accident I started as casual at The Lighthouse. I didn’t really need...
– —Wendy Cooper (from her blog)
Everyday this job tests me. I keep trying to rise to the challenge and sometimes the only reason I keep my head on straight is because I would be too embarrassed to lose it in front of someone else. Friday was one of those days and it was Wendy who was...
If I could have taken my clothes off after work & burnt them in the garage I...
– Tweets I shouldn’t tweet so I’ll put them here.
Grace is the face that love wears when it meets imperfection.
– Joseph R. Cooke (via myquotelibrary)
The Policing of Poverty →
Via rabble.ca
A new study has found that poor and street-involved people are the targets of increased levels of police attention. The authors argue that police are filling the gap left by underfunded social and health services. Mark Willson is a researcher with Vancouver Island Public Interest Group and one of the authors of the report.
This is definitely happening in Saskatoon, instead of...
Rush and Newt Gingrich can play the studs, marrying again and again until they...
– Maureen Dowd in today’s column.
For me, it’s simple. Why on earth would I continue to pay any attention to men —...
– Soraya Chemaly: I’m No Longer a Catholic. Why Are You?
February 2012
15 posts