If you haven’t yet read my first post in this series of posts about a special mood of ethereal longing that occasionally overcomes me, then please read that one before this one, since it lays the groundwork to explain what I’m getting at here. H.P. Lovecraft was an early 20th century American horror author who…
Adventures in nocturnal assault
In the early and mid-1990s, beginning immediately after my graduation from college, I began to suffer from a recurring experience of sleep paralysis. If you’re not familiar with this phenomenon, click the link just given or do a Web search. There’s plenty of detailed information available. The link above will take you to an article…
Autumn longing: C.S. Lewis
The autumn season has always carried a special emotional potency for me. When the weather turns crisp and the colors of nature change first to vibrant reds, oranges, and golds, and then progress onward toward deep russet browns, tending toward the death-sleep of winter, I’m struck with feelings of poignancy and melancholy that burn more…
War, torture, and the failure of the American experiment
Once again, an online conversation has elicited enough words from me that I’ve realized they would make for a good blog post. A word of warning, though: I’m afraid it reads like a sermon or lecture. And a rambling one at that. Or worse, it may read like a one-sided conversation — which indeed it…
Jihad vs. McWorld: The trouble with radical Islam
To begin with, a proviso: I probably don’t know what I’m talking about here. I’m certainly not a political scientist. I may not even qualify as a reasonably informed citizen. But anyway… A little over a week ago, back on September 10th, the online arm of The Guardian published a long essay by Martin Amis…
More on anti-intellectualism
I hope you all had a good week. As for me, I’m safely back from a brief doctor-oriented jaunt to Texas — specifically, to Austin and San Antonio — and can report that yes, it’s hot down there. And humid, at least in the two cities where my wife and I went. Imagine Dante’s Inferno…
High tide for anti-intellectualism
This post is in response to a query somebody made at the Shocklines forum. In various conversations at that board, people have recently been mentioning a supposed surge of anti-intellectualism in America today. One person responded with the following: I’ve been hearing a lot about this ‘wave of anti-intellectualism’. I’m curious about it. All artistic…
Return of the nightmare angel
Sorry to all for having missed my normal Saturday update. Naturally I would never willingly fail to meet a self-imposed deadline. Naturally. In case you haven’t heard, one week from today the ABC television network will premier a limited series titled Fallen, which is based on a series of young-adult books about angelic warfare. A…
Superman Returns — as a Christ figure
Last night I spent an enjoyable two-and-a-half hours watching Superman Returns at a nearby movie theatre. I’ve seen some fellow filmgoers complaining at online message boards about the uneven pacing that mars the movie, its lackluster portrayal of Lois Lane, and a few other perceived weaknesses. I happen to agree with most if not all…
The Passion of Rob Zombie
EDIT NOTICE – Sunday, June 25th: If you read this piece on Friday the 23rd or Saturday the 24th, please be aware I've just gone and made significant revisions to the final five paragraphs. As if the thing needed to be any longer. . . . * * * * * WARNING: Brace yourself for…