“Cappucino?” bellows the waiter. Happy bustle is the norm and cool fog surrounds everything with a gentle ambience. Spoons rattle softly and a delicate aroma of flowers fills in the sensory cracks. It is a Saturday morning utopia, almost. There is only one encroachment to my ...

Have you heard about all the Muslim uproar about something the Pope said? The Pope's words were not even his own. He made it very clear that he was quoting from a book recounting a dialogue on the truths of Christianity and Islam between Manuel Paleologos II, a ...

I’ve been reading Nobel Banquet speeches by those who have won such an award in the field of Literature. I’ve only read three of the speeches so far (Solzhenitsyn, Camus and Eliot), but I have found that each speech provides a concise glimpse into the artistic philosophy of the ...

Saturday morning of last week was spent in Millenium Park, here is some of what I saw.

I was probably divinely called to complete this, as I've seen it in two places at about the same time (Listless Lawyer and BittersweetLife).1. One book that changed your life:The Republic, Plato.I first read this book in high school and have read it since as well; I’m not a hardcore ...

Saw this and couldn't resist (HT: noel):Longtime readers will undoubtedly instantly recognize the inspiration behind my grammy-chasing side-career. Yes, the Cartographers for Social Equality will have a sonic face; the ultimate musical line of demarcation is about to be drawn and Latitudinal Anarchy will reign. Added bonus: Informal Poll. ...

We're off to Chicago this weekend (leaving in 2 hours). This should be one of last weekends of crazy busyness (crossing fingers) for a while.I will have narrative and pictures from our epic backpacking trek up soon; really I'm just waiting to get the pictures. You ought to ...

For one reason or another the idea of Martyrdom and martyrs has been on my mind recently. I’ve been comparing the classical idea of a martyr with a typical current rendition, and I must say that there are certain types of martyrs I absolutely loathe. Really, Martyrdom can ...

Looks like we'll be slogging through the mud this weekend (the one thing we didn't invest in was Gore-Tex Boots).Expect pictures (not sure how good, I'm not bringing my camera as it is too heavy) and hopefully a good story or two.Hope you all have a good Labor Day weekend.