In The Passionate State of Mind, Eric Hoffer describes people who irrationally commit to an ideology. The ideologies vary – religious, political, economic… it doesn’t matter. The members all fall victim to the same pathological psychological forces. A Contemporary Interpretation Although written almost three quarters of a century ago, it is just as true today. […]
Category: Book Club
I periodically resort the books on my bookshelf. Previously, they were sorted by how useful they’d be during a Zombie Apocalypse. But today, my new sorting algorithm is this: How likely would I be able to defeat the author at arm wrestling? On the easy side (left), we have Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, and […]
As news of WLBOTT’s LOX of L.O.V.E. (Lunar Oxygen Viability Experiment) initiative made the news, the public support was overwhelming. Today, we will look at just one aspect of this enthusiasm: LOX of L.O.V.E. fan fiction. Breathless in the Sea of Tranquility Breathless in the Sea of Tranquility A dashing air engineer and a sultry […]
“The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne: This 1836 short story explores themes of secret sin and the nature of humanity. It tells the tale of Reverend Mr. Hooper, who suddenly begins wearing a black veil over his face, causing unease among his congregation. The veil symbolizes the hidden sins that individuals carry, prompting readers […]
Moral Musings and Iguanas The Moral Dilemma It’s so easy to look down from our throne of bounty, our luxury WLBOTT world, and ask these questions. The WLBOTT world, where we have unlimited ramen noodles and health care in the form of Vick’s Vap-o-rub and generic Tylenol. It’s hard to imagine anyone in America as […]
References Jennifer Clement (author of Prayers for the Stolen) Guerrero, Mexico Chilpancingo The movie and part I of the book are set on the outskirts of Chilpancingo, a city about an hour northeast of Acapulco. Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo) is the capital and second-largest city of the Mexican state of Guerrero. […]
Book .vs. Movie Similar vignettes propel the story in both the movie and the book – hiding in makeshift foxholes, the classroom antics, the operation to transform Maria’s cleft pallet…. The book is divided into three parts. The movie roughly corresponds to the first part. In the second part of the book, a teen-aged Ladydi […]
The Movie Prayers for the Stolen follows a group of young girls, their families, and their community, as they struggle against poverty and oppressive evil. The movie takes place almost exclusively in a rural village in the mountainous jungles an hour’s drive from Acapulco. The movie focuses on a poor rural Mexican Indian girl, Ana […]
Dear Tess, I feel like the country is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The 2024 election cycle seems like a long, drawn-out, slow-motion colonoscopy prep. Can you help us get through this? Also, my body tractor starts hard, has horrible fuel consumption, and has overall low performance. Your friend in twine, – Live […]
All these years, I thought the phrase “the gaping maw of hell” was a line from Moby Dick. But no. Let’s break this down (from the full text archive at https://cdn.fulltextarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-advanced-pdf/1/Moby-Dick-or-The-Whalex8185.pdf). Gaping Maw Hell Twenty-six occurrences? Oh, hell no. Too much work. Too much hell. Let’s just pick one. Let’s return to the sermon…. Elder […]