Food for the Spirit and the Soul

The Travails Of Parenthood In Two Parts

Robert Neralich — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:05:27 +0000

Part The First: What Was I Thinking? “Before I was married, I had a hundred theories about raising children and no children. Now, I have three children and no theories.” John Wilmot, English writer born 1 April 1647, lamenting the consequences of wisdom achieved too late. Below – John Wilmot, a man who misses the [...]

An Artful Moment: Georges Seurat and Marc Chagall

Robert Neralich — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:58:28 +0000

For the sake of an aesthetically fruitful collaboration between eye and mind: “Under a blazing mid-afternoon summer sky, we see the Seine flooded with sunshine . . . people are strolling, others are sitting or stretched out lazily on the bluish grass.” – Georges Seurat, French Post-Impressionist painter who died on 29 March 1891. Though [...]

Political Math

Robert Neralich — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:33:49 +0000

“You cannot fashion a wit out of two half-wits.” – Neil Kinnock, English politician born on 28 March 1942. Americans have recently been forcibly reminded that Kinnock is manifestly correct in this matter, for while in most cases things add up, there are clearly occasions when they add down.

Ju-On in America

Robert Neralich — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:15:11 +0000

Behold The Haunted Restaurant! The mansion in the photograph below was once a thriving hotel and restaurant, but it is now completely deserted and sits menacingly on the sinister wastelands of the High Plains. It is outside a small town along the route I take to Colorado, but I will not reveal its exact location, [...]

Henry Adams, Bewildered Prophet

Robert Neralich — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:31:57 +0000

“Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.” – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and novelist, who died on 27 March 1918. Adams (born 16 February 1838) is the author of an autobiographical work with which more people should be acquainted – “The Education of Henry Adams.” In [...]

Heading Out

Robert Neralich — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 01:12:16 +0000

My friends: I will not be posting on articles for the next few days, since I will be in the Colorado Rockies, hiking and, hopefully, horseback riding. However, if I find the right horse, I will be gone for an indeterminate amount of time, because I will immediately “light out for the Territory,” as Huck [...]

The Wisdom Of Simon Cameron, In Two Parts

Robert Neralich — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:45:48 +0000

The Wisdom of Simon Cameron, Part I: “An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.” – Simon Cameron, American financier, Senator from Pennsylvania, and Secretary of War under Abraham Lincoln, who was born on 8 March 1799. The Wisdom of Simon Cameron, Part II: “I am tired of all this [...]

Thinking about Confucius on Super Tuesday

Robert Neralich — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:32:49 +0000

Confucius said: “In all matters, the first thing that a petty person thinks about is profit.” The Chinese ideogram that the translator has rendered as “profit” means “calculated self-interest.” Is that not an accurate description of most American politicians? And does it not perfectly capture the character of Mitt Romney? And by the way: For [...]

The Tabby As Sage

Robert Neralich — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:29:38 +0000

‎”I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.” – Hippolyte Taine, French historian and ailourophile, who died 5 March 1893.   I asked one of my cats about this claim, and he told me that, epistemologically speaking, it was “prima facie.” Then he dismissed me and went back to [...]

Penn Jillette: Separating Magic From Malarkey

Robert Neralich — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:41:34 +0000

Born 5 March 1955 – Penn Jillette, American magician, illusionist, atheist, libertarian, skeptic, and author, who, along with his partner Teller, has performed the invaluable service of championing reason and fact over belief and delusion on the “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!” television program. These courageous men have followed the enlightened path of other benevolent magicians [...]