During my lifespan I have adopted rather divergent standards of action, usually translated as athleticism — for in this day and age, it is the select few who find action as anything but luxury undertaken when workload and home life allow. It began with running around, (typically after I’d read plenty) climbing trees, swimming, gymnastics,Continue reading “Action figures”
Category Archives: Culture
Hell in a breadbasket
I had a dream about the scratch plow last night, the point of which was that agriculture had destroyed the world. I was watching the first man plow the first field, with a curious sense of foreboding, knowing all the evil that would befall the human race because of his ingenuity. Our entire way ofContinue reading “Hell in a breadbasket”
Legal theories and medical crises
The American medical system is suffering from two epistemological errors: the idea that to get any medical treatment you must get a certified doctor’s sign-off, and the idea that if you don’t, you can sue somebody for millions. You can talk all you want about evil insurance companies, but the cost of medical care inContinue reading “Legal theories and medical crises”
The triad of the self
Be honest, how many of those time-wasting quizzes have you taken in the quest to pigeonhole yourself? How many of the conflicting answers sound more or less like you? Have you ever thought (or heard someone else exclaim) “I wish someone would just tell me who I am so I know what to DO withContinue reading “The triad of the self”
Personality’s light touch
I’ve been on this personality kick, but something I haven’t really considered much is this: how do these different personality types fit into different cultures? Different microcultures? One person, for example, pointed out that although there are introverts and extroverts within his family, in the outside world, they would all be considered introverts. In aContinue reading “Personality’s light touch”
Glossy posse
There’s a stack of fashion magazines at my sister’s house, Glamour and Vogue. And, man, the headlines are all the same, blurring together from issue to issue: 3 flat belly secrets, 100 sexy looks you can afford, 50 things your man wishes you knew, 25 ways to wear this season’s clothes. The best jeans forContinue reading “Glossy posse”
Free trade starvation
I am sitting at a coffeeshop, a free-trade coffeeshop, drinking pomegranate green tea and soy milk. My hair, which was nicely bodified by a day of being twisted up and which I have not washed since, testifies to the fact that I belong. So, ironically, does my Mac laptop, the Canon camera at my feet,Continue reading “Free trade starvation”
Flour sacks
So here’s my question: what’s wrong with sliding into another Depression and recycling our flour sacks as underware, as our grandmothers did? The flour sacks are already emblazoned with helpful and ironic curve-enhancing phrases like “white flour,” “whole wheat,” and “cracked rye.” Juicy, watch out.
America, the Workable
A semi-recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Want More Growth in China? Have Faith,” reports that Peter Zhao, a Communist party member/advisor to the Chinese Central Committee, is arguing that Christianity is the key to the West’s prosperity. “He claims that Christianity produces greater wealth than other religions or no religion. His view isContinue reading “America, the Workable”
Melanin
The middle-aged woman, her skin the smooth darkness of equatorial Africa, beckons to the blonde-haired porcelain-tinted child of four. “Can you say ‘je m’appelle Esther’?” I ask the child. She smiles shyly and repeats to the woman: “shmpel Esther.” The woman laughs and bounces the child onto her lap. “Tu as peur des noirs?” sheContinue reading “Melanin”
Botkin Creative 