Category: cultural analysis

During my recent discussions on the sad state of affairs when it comes to literature written for discerning boys somebody recommended a useful corrective called The Paul Street Boys. It’s always great when a bitch-fest against modernity turns into a praise-fest for a book written before 1940, and so...

Like all American boys, I was reliably informed by people who should have known better that The Lord of the Flies was an important book that had important things to day and that asked important questions.  Like all normal American boys, after reading it, the only question that I...

Alexandru over at The Dacian has a cunning plan.  Every two weeks he will pick a short story worthy of discussion and give the stalwart Old Guard fans a chance to read and discuss across blogs.  In his own words, he hopes to: foster an environment rich in community...

In the next week or two we can expect to enjoy a glut of governors racing to get ahead of the population. In some states, the populace has openly and loudly rebelled against government overreach related to the Big Wuhan Hoopty.  In nearly all states, the populace has quietly...

The Amish are great people.  Growing up close enough to a large community of Old Order Amish was a blessing, and among my most treasured purchases – a comfort at a time of great sorrow – was a small and simple… let us call it a treasure chest… crafted...

We’re not talking about the 2005 Michael Bay clone escape film of the same name, we’re talking about a quiet little Russian flick that is pretty much the exact opposite. Although, this The Island isn’t without a good explosion and gunfight. Apparently I’m not the only one fleeing the...

One of the nice things about life in Hawaii – when not suffering under the jackbooted heel of a governor licking his chops at the excuse to ratchet up control of the plebs in his state – is that May First is a celebration of the unique and ephemeral...

They think we are stupid.  Too stupid to notice what they think of us. Being an expert these days requires an unshakable confidence that you absolutely have the right answers.  Even if your answers change from day to day, just power on through the obvious contradictions as you adamantly...

Models. Don’t talk to me about models. When the world doesn’t quite work the way you want it to work, you can always rely on the models to tell you what you wanted to hear. The thing about mathematical models is that they are tools.  Not sacred writ, and...