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Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
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3:09 pm - Courage
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I don't have the books I need!
I'm sitting down a write a short letter on the topic of medieval courage ... and I'm drawing a blank. The words "knight" and "courage" seem to go together like the words "bread" and "butter", but a quote search seems to be turning up a great big blank over several centuries. I've got quotes from Plato, Aristole, and Cicero, then there's this big jump to Edmund Burke. A more focused search (on an academic help website) turned all sorts of things about Beowulf, but that somehow seems to limited in scope.
I have come accross a reference to Fortitude (Courage) being one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and that frame of reference seems to date back to the middle ages. I'll need to try to investigate that further. One of Ramon Llull's books was on that topic, but I don't know where to find it. A little more directly on topic, Llull also wrote a book of Knighthood and Chivalry. I'm told he discusses courage quite a bit in it, but seems to use the word more in the sense of "spirit" or "will" than "bravery." I'm intrigued. Anyone have either one of those books?
Oh, and this little missive is only supposed to be about 3 or 4 paragraphs long. This shouldn't take this long!
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, April 26th, 2012
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11:20 am - Elton Trueblood on Philosophy
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"[P]hilosophy is the effort to engage in rational and consistent inquiry concerning the fundamentals of any question. It is the effort to solve problems by disciplined thought. As everybody knows, there are terrible conflicts in the world, with diametrically opposite positions espoused. How are these conflicts to be overcome? The truth of an issue cannot be determined by killing one another, for then the outcome merely indicates who is stronger, not who is right. But if violence is no solution, neither is voting, because the majority may be wrong and often has been wrong. The only satisfactory solution is for us to engage in thought, both separately and together, until a viewpoint is reached that is intellectually satisfactory. In so far as we think truly we think together, for dissension is a symptom of our finite ignorance, pride, or willful error. We may not, so long as we are in the finite predicament, ever come to full agreement on any important questions, but we can often approach agreement, and this, in any case, is our best hope of solving our present problems."
~ D. Elton Trueblood, 1957
The Philosophy of Religion, pg. 6
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| Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
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10:09 am - Stymied
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Here's the thing: I'm wanting to write. I have a few things on my mind, but I'm having trouble actually getting them out. I came across a quote today from John Dewey that I think addresses why I've had trouble sitting down at the keyboard: "A problem well put is half-solved." I think I doubt my ability to actually frame and phrase the problem(s) well. So I hem and I haw and I doubt. I wrote a few thing last year that prompted a couple friends of mine to suggest I try submitting my essays to a couple websites. I fear this has created an additional layer of self-doubt: I don't think I'm that good, but now I have that expectation riding in the back of my brain and it's also keeping me from putting new thoughts down. I fear not meeting the expectation.
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| Monday, April 9th, 2012
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9:16 am - 100 Foods to Eat Before You Die
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This list is taken from a "Facebook Challenge". I don't like Facebook Apps these days. Most of them want to switch you to the new "Timeline" before they'll work. So I found the list from another blogger who copied it:( Read more... )
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
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3:32 pm - Constructively Accepting Toddler Help
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Any moms* left in LJ land?** I have a parenting question I'm struggling with.
My son is two. He wants to "help" and I want to involve him in family life, including upkeep of the home -- and I know this is encouraged in the Montessori approach education. However, I have trouble getting myself past the "but you'll mess it up!" reaction. Part of my issue is that I'm not a good housekeeper to begin with and I always feel like I'm a day late and a dollar short and the spectre of More Mess created by "help" kinda scares me.
So ... does anybody have advice, suggestions, funny stories, or anything that might help?
** (Don't worry, I'll cross post this to FB - everybody lives there, it seems)
* (And no, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.7) duir_sidhe, please don't construe that as a slight against dads. I'm grateful for your imput too, it's just we all know that you and professormass are exceptions to the status quo. Welcome exceptions!)
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| Friday, March 23rd, 2012
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2:47 pm - The Virginia Abortion Law
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The recent highly publicized Virigina bill regarding abortion has been causing quite a bit of stir. OK, that's an understatement. However, in most of the stories and essays I've read there seems to be quite a bit of missing information. ( Read more... )
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| Friday, March 9th, 2012
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1:19 pm - This is not a post.
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This is a placeholder. Maybe it will grow up to be a post.
I want to write about thinking and the fear of not being able to think (it came up in a discussion with friend yesterday). Does fear of not understanding excuse one from even trying?
What about communication? Is effective communication in social media even possible?
How does one deal with the crushing negativity of spiteful and hateful "comics" posted on Facebook? Especially when one does not have the time or the energy to investigate all intricacies of the current political climate in one's own country, let alone others (this from a conversation with my sister).
And then there's the matter of "pew sitters" (a phrase my friend Rick has been using semi-frequently lately).
Like I said, this is not a post.
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1:08 pm - Kony and the Internet
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This Joseph Kony thing that's been going around Facebook (haven't seen anyone share the video or the poster in the semi-ghost town we call LiveJournal) got me thinking. On one hand, raising awareness is not in and of itself a bad thing. If he's a war criminal, if he's exploiting child soldiers, he needs to be brought to justice. However, as a lot of people have pointed out, "liking" a Facebook status doesn't really do anything. It doesn't require you get up off the couch. Frankly it takes less effort that changing the channel with a remote. Some have argued that it's a matter of political pressure ... oh! and that's where it hits home.
Kony is safe. I don't mean the man personally (he may well be for all I know); I mean that clicking "like" on the Kony video has very, very few political ramifications here in comfortable suburban North America (or Europe for that matter, but I haven't seen many, if any, of my European friends sharing the video). If you're conservative, your liberal friends won't get mad at you for posting the Kony video. If you're liberal, your conservative friends won't get mad at you for posting the Kony video. If you're moderate, you won't be accused of "compromise" for posting the Kony video. There's no danger in "liking" it. It's not like you're suggesting that Park 51 has a Constitutional right to exist in New York. It's not like you're suggesting ADHD is over-diagnosed. It's not like you're suggesting all Mexicans attempting to cross the Rio Grande be shot on sight. It's not like you're making any suggestion at all that concerns abortion in any way, shape, or form. While Kony himself and his actions may be awful, the "awareness" raised on Facebook means little. A line from Hotel Rwanda comes back to me: "I think that when people turn on their TVs and see this footage, they'll say, "Oh my God, that's horrible," and then they'll go back to eating their dinners."
I was accused yesterday of being cynical when I "shared" a picture that said as much in a pithy way. Maybe. I do believe that international pressure can support efforts to make changes in intransigent situations, but this is not the Arab Spring. Facebook (and Twitter) is not being used to help mobilize resistance to an oppressive regime. No, a filmmaker is asking folks to allow themselves to be used to make his work go "viral." Perhaps making Joseph Kony famous in order to shame him will work, but there is a large part of me that doubts it. I'm temped to quote another line Hotel Rwanda, the one where Col. Oliver explains to Paul why help is not coming and will never come, but that will probably brand me as doubly cynical. Some of you have heard me grouse about my husband's doctor who left his practice in Waterloo to go do medical missions in Africa. Please understand: that decision was inconvient for us, sure, but I have a lot of respect for him and his choice to go and help where his skills are more greatly needed. There is no cynicism in that statement.
As it stands, the "Stop Kony 2012" campaign I fear is serving as a kind of morbid distraction for insulated, isolated westerners. That, in itself, is very, very sad.
EDIT: There is also the issue that Uganda may not want our help. That leads to more thoughts about White Guilt and White Indifference in part informed by a discussion last week with a friend about aboriginal issues in northern Canada. But that will need to be another post. Maybe. I'm tired.
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| Monday, March 5th, 2012
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2:16 pm - Productive
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Well, I didn't quite Clean All The Things as cortejo would put it, but I have been rather busy this morning. Six loads of laundry (four folded), furnace tech called, dishes done, sink deep cleaned (left side, anyway, the "Fly Lady" way), coffee maker cleaned, furnace filter cleaned (it's drying now) ... I think there's more, but I can't remember. Unfortunately, the living room and the kitchen table still look like they've been stirred and I have to leave for a dentist appointment. Hopefully, I'll be back in time that I can do a little more before I have to go pick the little boy up.
current mood:  busy
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| Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
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8:54 am - Books and Writing
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Do I need another book? I have plenty of books - plenty of unread books - on my shelf. The year I was 16 I plowed through books at an average rate of 1.5/week. I don't think I've read at the same rate since, even in university (although, to be fair, that year I only recorded books I actually completed, cover to cover, and in school more often than not we were assigned portions of books, and I read a whole lot of other portions on my own). Yet, I still hold out the perhaps vain hope of reading more. I hold out that hope even as I try to type this post with my toddler sitting behind me poking my elbow with his toes.
Books are on my mind this morning because I have a friend on Facebook who posted a reveiw of a book last night. I'd like to comment, but of course I really need to read the book first. It's not likely to be a book I'll find in the local library, although perhaps calling around to a few churches might turn up a copy in one of their libraries. Hence, the question as to whether to buy it. I buy books more than I borrow them out of necessity: my interests tend to be more specialized (theology, medieval history, costume reference) than the public library caters to.
My friend also has me thinking because while he is very well read and tends to be very opinionated, he's not a terribly good writer. I find myself often critical of his missives because he does not take the time to express himself as well as he could. He uses sentence fragments, misplaced ellipses, one sentence paragraphs, etc. I think I write less and less because I fear not writing well. And yet, there is something to be admired about his willingness to put himself and his ideas out there (as much as Facebook is "out there").
current mood:  contemplative
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| Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
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2:13 pm - Chivalry
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Questions - slightly expanded from my Facebook version:
What do you think when you hear the word "chivalry"?
Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
What are key elements (or virtues) of chivalry in your mind?
current mood:  curious
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| Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
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8:54 am - UFOs
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Like many (most?) other crafters, I have a fair number of UFOs - UnFinished Objects - in my house. I've noted a few other friends included among their New Years' Resolutions a plan to clean out their UFOs. I didn't make any resolutions this year (I'm raising a toddler ... that's my story and I'm sticking to it!), but a plan to clear the UFOs seems like a good one. To that end, I've been working on a tea cozy this past week or so. I bought the yarn and printed out the pattern ages ago (March 2010 from the printer date on the bottom of the pattern). Why do I always pick "unique" crochet patterns? I guess I must love the challenge ... and "standard" crochet designs tend to bore me.
Next up, clearing the SCA UFOs ... or the afghan I started while Grandma was still alive, right after my uncle passed away.
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| Friday, January 20th, 2012
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3:25 pm - 12th century England
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Every time I start to think seriously about dress in 12th century England/British Isles I immediately get bogged down by what I don't know. I'm going to start writing it down so I can focus on what I feel I need to research.( Read more... )
current mood: curious
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| Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
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7:18 pm - Because I miss the Silly in LJ-land
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In 2012,  eliskimo resolves to... Get back in contact with some old cats. Ask my boss for a yoga. Eat more herbs. Become a better u2. Cut down on my camping. Stop crocheting with mahault.
current mood:  silly
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| Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
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3:27 pm - Soup's On!
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For future reference, here's a bean & vegetable soup receipe - sort of a mash-up of a couple different ones I found - without tomatos* that I'm trying today:
1 package (2 cups) of multi-bean mix with barley
Soak over night, drain and rinse, set aside.
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
Carmalize with a bit of olive oil.
3 carrots - matchstick chopped
2 stalks of celery - chopped
Add to onions and cook until they start to soften and smell good.
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 smallish sweet potato, diced
Add to other veggies and saute for a couple minutes
1 tsp each dried basil, oregano & thyme
Splash of lemon juice
Splash of rice vinegar
Add to veggies, stir to mix and transfer to a stock pot (I started the onions in a skillet).
Add beans and enough beef stock to cover.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check liquid level occasionally and add water if needed.
I was trying to avoid using salt, but I just tasted it and it may need a little.
[*theagentx is doing a detox/elimination diet and among other things is not supposed to eat any members of the nightshade family for the next three weeks. I'm also concerned about reports I've read recently that the resin linings of canned soups and veggies contain BPA (which has been linked to a lot of things, including infertility) and that the acidity of tomatoes leaches it into the food. I usually cook with canned tomatoes two or three times a week.]
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3:15 pm - Today's To-Do
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* Laundry started.
* Wool rug dropped off to be dry cleaned.
* Child care arrangements made for tomorrow.
* New Tag Junior books acquired for Alexander.
* Alexander down for a nap.
* Green shake made for lunch.
* Audio for new books downloaded from LeapFrog.
* Yummy-smelling bean & vegetable stew prepared and simmering on the stove.
Now to do MORE laundry and hopefully finish packing up the Christmas ornaments before the nap is finished. Wheee!
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| Thursday, January 5th, 2012
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2:30 pm - Waste Not, Want Not ... or so they used to say
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I have a game I fear has been outdated in the 10+ years that I have owned it: Outburst.
Alexander had it out (he can't read, but he like the dice, timer and playing pieces) and as I putting it away I read one of the answer cards: To the question of "Things You Have Repaired" answer #1 was "Telephone."
Really? People used to have those repaired? I don't even know where you would go to find a telephone repairman these days. We had a set that stopped working last fall and the only thing we could do was take them to the electronic waste section of the dump. Such a waste. It's actually rather sad.
For those who are curious, the rest of the list is also telling:
2. Refrigerator
3. Washer & Dryer
4. Air Conditioner
5. Electrical Items
6. Car
7. Vacuum Cleaner
8. Dishwasher
9. Garbage Disposal
10. Plumbing
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11:38 am - Chicken Pox
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So ... I have chicken pox. I didn't think you were supposed to get them twice, especially three decades after your first bout, but there you have it. Alexander has them, too, and he had the vaccine. Apparently what we have are called "breakthrough" cases. They are very mild, with only a few spots each, but mine are driving me crazy with itchy! We'll be skipping Twelfth Night this Saturday, but hopefully we'll be over them by the start of next week.
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| Saturday, December 31st, 2011
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3:49 pm - Happy New Year!
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| Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
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8:41 am - Alfred Edersheim: "Christmas - A Festival of Jewish Origin"
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[The following is an article from an old British magazine. I used to have a copy on my website, but it died years ago. My dad asked it I could re-post it to Facebook for him, but I wasn't sure it would be too large (3 1/2 typewritten pages). So I'm posting it here for reference.]
( Read more... )
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| Saturday, December 10th, 2011
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12:54 pm
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| Friday, December 9th, 2011
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8:03 am - Delightful Bulbous Heads
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"The fascination of children lies in this: that with each of them all things are remade, and the universe is put again upon its trial. As we walk the streets and see below us those delightful bulbous heads, three times too big for the body ... we ought always primarily remember that within every one of those heads there is a new universe, as new as it was on the seventh day of creation. In each of those orbs there is a new system of stars, new grass, new cities, a new sea."
~ G.K. Chesterton ~
(from "The Defendant")
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| Thursday, December 8th, 2011
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9:38 am - Dear Santa
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| Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
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2:54 pm - Pearl Harbor and Occupy Wall Street
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Today is the 70th anniversary of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor that forced the United States into World War II. So far (at 1:45pm) it looks like I'm the only person among my Facebook friends to note the date. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it was 70 years ago. The aggressor (Japan) is now our friend and ally. On the other hand, it was the galvanizing event of the so-called "Greatest Generation." In an era of seemingly endless war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the controversy of the Occupy movement, and the apparent rise in bullying in our culture, I think it's worth taking a look at what made our grandparents' generation what it was.
( Cut for Length )
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| Monday, December 5th, 2011
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9:49 am - To Do
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cortejo's To Do lists have me inspired (if that's the right word), so here's mine for today:
- Mega housecleaning ... must not get distracted (it's these kind of days I really need help)
- Send a variety of emails ... and not get distracted while I'm doing it
- Work on apartment warming gift for fox_sejant (I can safely write that here because he NEVER checks his LJ - LOL!)
- Write Christmas cards
- go to gym (not likely at this point)
- take Lex outside for some fresh air (yes, it's raining, but we have clothing for that!)
Wheee! Here I go!
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