I have often come across an alarming and unfortunate sentiment in the course of various conversations with my peers. The topic of history, with all its apparent tediousness and bland factual rigidity, is commonly dismissed on those very grounds. Perhaps a noncommittal acknowledgement of the occasional value of studying it is briefly conceded, but this…
Although the address at Gettysburg given by Lincoln in November of 1863 was crafted for the singular purpose of dedicating the cemetery at that battlefield, its reach far exceeds anything he could have envisioned. The words he uttered in such a brief span of time defy the very brevity with which they were spoken, and…
Picture with me a dreadful scene. Not the one represented above, I will discuss that further in. Rather, envision the lone figure of a diner sitting in a stereotypical restaurant - a favorite lunch haunt of the midday crowds. He is surrounded by a sea of humanity dutifully captivated by the glowing screen a foot…
On one of the recent occasions when I found myself wandering through a Barnes and Noble store, I came across the Iliad. The story of the Trojan war was one that greatly captivated my imagination as a young boy, so naturally I jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on it and actually read…
Anyone who has accompanied me within the last few years to watch a movie in the theaters has most likely observed one of my (many) quirks. Surprisingly, it doesn't manifest itself until towards the tail end of the production. Some might even say I'm perfectly normal the entire duration of the film, although this is…
Recently, I went on a short trip through the Adirondack Mountains. New York is full of spectacular places, but this park is without a doubt near the top of that list. If you are lucky enough to visit, you will not be disappointed. Each visitor is confronted with beauty at every turn. While the park…
In my previous post, I briefly discussed the concept of expression through various means, and the difficulties and rewards associated with it. Within that discussion, I included a statement which is representative of my outlook on the goal of any conversation that engages with controversial topics; that I hoped to "generate much productive disagreement." I…
My dear reader, Were it not for the prompting of the automatically generated template I received when launching this blog, I may have skipped over an introduction altogether. After all, I'm usually pretty direct in general; why not just cut to the chase? Apparently though, WordPress is concerned (how kind of them) for the well being of my blog and its readers, and it would seem a proper introduction is a necessary ingredient in that recipe. So perhaps a brief explanation isn't a bad idea after all.
