Edgar Allan Poe and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”

December 8, 2009 1 Comment


Occasionally I dip into my copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination, a compact and inexpensive, but moderately elegant, hard copy edition in the Barnes and Noble “Collector’s Library.” It measures 4 inches by 6 inches, is not quite an inch thick, has gilt edges, and a wine-colored ribbon.

The collection includes Poe’s story “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” a story ostensibly about the effects of mesmerism (the precursor to hypnotism) on an individual who is about to die.

Though not obvious to everyone when first published 20 December 1845, the story is pure fabrication. Read more of this post

Filed under Literature, Reading Jags, Speculative Fiction Tagged with , , ,

Thought for the Day—December 7, 2009

December 8, 2009 1 Comment


It already looks like we’ll be commiserating about the good ole’ days in the future. —RDG

Filed under Quotations, Thought for the Day Tagged with

No Surprise that Post-War Iraq Was Not Planned During Run-Up

December 7, 2009 1 Comment


Today the BBC reports that a senior British officer, Major General Tim Cross, had urged the UK and the U.S. to plan more thoroughly for post-war Iraq before entering the war. Cross is quoted as saying to then Prime Minister, Tony Blair:

“I do remember saying, in so many words, I have no doubt at all that we will win this military campaign. I do not believe that we are ready for post-war Iraq.”

Who can deny that he was right, and that we should have been better prepared? Read more of this post

Filed under Iraq War, Politics Tagged with , ,

Best Books in Systematic Theology

December 7, 2009 8 Comments


Everyone should read some Christian theology. And the first thing to read is a systematic theology, that is, a work that treats all the major doctrines of Christian theology in systematic fashion. (This used to be called “Dogmatic Theology.”)

Recently I’ve been reading E. A. Litton’s 19th-century volume Introduction to Dogmatic Theology. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Litton to any serious reader who has time or shelf space for only one volume of systematic theology.

Here are my recommendations for different categories. Read more of this post

Filed under Books, Christianity, Theology Tagged with , ,

Heads Up Film Fans for Christmas Deals at Amazon

December 6, 2009 Leave a comment


Because of the film commentary often posted here, I know many readers have an interest in film. So here’s something you might like to know. Now until December 22, Amazon is offering deep discounts on movie and TV DVDs and Blu-ray. Click here if you want to go directly to their Christmas discount pages. Boxed sets are especially well-priced.

Filed under Christmas, Entertainment, Film Tagged with , , ,

The Apologetics of Jesus

December 4, 2009 3 Comments


What would Jesus do if he was alive on the earth now and facing the skeptics of our day? The same thing he did in the first century. And what was that?

This question is answered with great clarity in the new book by Norman Geisler and Patrick Zukeran—The Apologetics of Jesus: A Caring Approach to Dealing with Doubters.

I want to recommend this book for several reasons: Read more of this post

Filed under Books, Christian Apologetics, Christianity, Communication, Critical Thinking, For the Love of Books, Jesus Christ, Reading, Reading Jags Tagged with , , , , , ,

USC Injects Excitement to End Blasé Contest with UCLA

November 29, 2009 Leave a comment


USC 28, UCLA 7

Malcolm Smith scores on an interception against UCLA

I’m happy with the score . . . and the final play. But that last play, with Matt Barkley throwing long into the end-zone to extend the score, has tongues wagging. Some seem to think that the highly competitive and generally brutal arena of college football should be tempered by sensitivity to opponents when time is running out and the play has been close—especially in a cross-town rivalry as hoary as the one here in Southern California.

Pete Carroll called the right play and Barkley made it happen. The decision needs no defense, but here goes anyway. Read more of this post

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Writing Tips: The Moleskine Method, Part 3

November 27, 2009 7 Comments


This part of the series describes a way of setting up your new Moleskine for writing, keeping it organized as you write, and preparing it for future reference after it’s been filled.

There’s not much to setting up your Moleskine. Read more of this post

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Writing Tips: The Moleskine Method, Part 2

November 16, 2009 7 Comments


In the previous entry, I introduced the Moleskine, describing its features and plugging it to writers who are on the go or need help with organization. In this entry I explain why I think writers should get comfortable with writing in longhand—a skill that’s required if you’re to make use of what I will now call “The Moleskine method.” Read more of this post

Filed under Favorite Things, Moleskines, Technology, The Academic Life, Writing Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

The Stimulus of Teaching

November 14, 2009 Leave a comment


karl-barth_with-pipeWhy did Karl Barth’s productivity as a writing scholar diminish following his retirement from teaching? Some say it’s because the pressure to produce had run out [see here].

What T. H. L. Parker wrote is that Barth “lost the stimulus provided by the need to give lectures.” The key word here is “stimulus,” not “pressure.” Teaching is the ideal stimulus for scholars who write, especially if they teach graduate courses to gifted students. The stimulus of teaching can be likened to the frequent re-lighting of tobacco in a well-used pipe.

Filed under Academia, The Academic Life, Writing Tagged with , , ,

Who Is the Commander in Chief?

November 10, 2009 5 Comments


So it’s official . . . kind of. Major Hasan is a zealot for “radical Islam,” and people knew it. Doesn’t give you too much faith in the system, does it?

In an earlier post about the Fort Hood incident, I suggested that the question is: How could this happen? Though I suspected it then, it’s obvious now that part of the answer is our faith in political correctness. Yes, PC is an abstract concept, not a person. So having faith in it sounds preposterous. So what I should say is that because of the insidious influence of PC, we have faith in people we never should trust. PC blinds us to the importance of knowing whom we trust.

I did not knowingly trust Maj. Hasan. But I surely did indirectly. More important, the people he gunned down trusted him. That trust has always seemed warranted and invulnerable to suspicion. Not any more. Read more of this post

Filed under Barack Obama, Cultural Issues, Islam, Military, Political Correctness, Politics, Public Opinion Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Writing Tips: The Moleskine Method, Part 1

November 7, 2009 2 Comments


I always have an unwieldy number of writing projects doubtfully spinning into existence at the same time. One tool that has proven its value is the Moleskine. Read more of this post

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What Made Him Do It?

November 6, 2009 7 Comments


Yesterday, United States Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 12 people and wounded 31 others at the Fort Hood Army base. He survived four shots and is now hospitalized.

Wild speculation began immediately. Fueling speculation are reports that Maj. Hasan is a Muslim Read more of this post

Filed under Cultural Issues, Current Events, Politics Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Chris Matthews an Authority on Negative Campaigning and Wing-Nuts

November 5, 2009 Leave a comment


WingnutsTonight, on MSNBC’s “Hardball” show, Chris Matthews says he “can’t stand” negative campaigning, from Republicans or Democrats. But earlier in the same segment he repeatedly calls right-wing conservatives “wing-nuts.” His Democrat strategist guest was more honorable. Even he couldn’t  call them wing-nuts, after being pressed to do so by Matthews.

Who’s the real wing-nut here?

Filed under Media, Politics Tagged with , , , ,

Sixteen Works of Creative Nonfiction

November 2, 2009 Leave a comment


Here are sixteen works classified as “creative nonfiction” and called “superlatively entertaining and artful” by Michael Dirda, in loose chronological order: Read more of this post

Filed under Books, For the Love of Books, Literature, Reading, Reading Jags Tagged with , , ,

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