Links to articles that I’ve found compelling, convicting, or convivial, favorite quotes, a little food, a little music, a beautiful painting; here are just a few rabbit trails to follow for the weekend.
the “…self-idolizing idea that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for?”
First – We were not planning to see Tomorrowland and we still aren’t, but with movies like this I read the reviews because sometimes my initial (cynical) assessment has a knee-jerk quality and could benefit from a more informed view. I found a lot to ponder in this review by Megan Basham at World Magazine, especially this paragraph:
“Twenty-first-century America is hardly the first society to look to science, technology, and human reason as a basis for cultural advancement and collective happiness. For a time, the confident rationalism of a Voltaire or a Condorcet or a Steve Jobs or a Brad Bird feels good. And why wouldn’t it, with its self-idolizing idea that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for? And then the Age of Reason gives way to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.”
…put forward obvious stupidity as if it were compelling argumentation.
Second – Usually, romanticized infidelity is shored up by evidence of unmet expectations, unfulfilled desires, obsessive memories, long separations and occasionally the vagaries of war; Doctor Zhivago anyone? It took 592 pages of compellingly poetic prose, or alternatively, beautifully filmed (David Lean) scenes of snowflake dotted eyelashes in the Russian countryside to seduce the principled to compromise. So, setting journalistic standards aside (ahem), one hardly expects a reputable newspaper with limited word count to attempt to promote or facilitate marital cheating on the comparatively crass basis of boredom, and yet an article in The Washington Post attempted to do just that.
The “ick” factor of the article leapt off the page at me. Clearly Caitlin Dewy and her no-name cheater pants friend need to read up on the biology of sex. I had to chuckle at the anthropologist’s affirming comments that extra-marital sex is “returning to the way we were millions of years ago.” Because don’t all women want to go back to the cave?
Responding via First Things, in his article Freedom is…a Ponzi Scheme? Carl Trueman provides analysis and makes this observation about the journalistic merit of Washington Post:
“…the article is still instructive for what the author’s analysis (or lack thereof) tells us about contemporary culture. Indeed, it is a classic example of what happens when your side in the debate is utterly dominant: You become lazy and put forward obvious stupidity as if it were compelling argumentation….A vision of personhood and freedom reduced to a series of sexual encounters designed to stave off boredom represents a somewhat childish and vacuous philosophy of life. Indeed, this is what now passes for thoughtful and provocative journalism in a quality newspaper and yet I hardly needed to break sweat in picking apart such nonsense.”
Do you have a need for steed?
Third – The weather has warmed up and the morning and evening neighborhood bicyclers are out in full force. Wouldn’t it be fun to hear them before you see them? Coconuts are not provided…Trotify
Many have rediscovered the beauty of Anglican worship.
Fourth – The Garners have been looking for a church. Most recently we have been visiting an Anglican Church and really like what we have found. This article, Who Are These Anglicans in TGC? addresses some of what has been our experience:
“While many are former Episcopalians, believers from various other traditions have been drawn down the Canterbury Trail. Many have rediscovered the beauty of Anglican worship and been surprised by the strong Reformation doctrines that permeate the Book of Common Prayer and its Thirty-Nine Articles. The Anglican Reformers of the 16th century were closely linked with the continental Reformers, and Thomas Cranmer—martyr and author of the first Anglican prayer book—was not only greatly influenced by Calvin and Bucer, but also married the niece of Luther’s disciple Osiander.”
This is not a cafeteria where you can pick and choose what you want. You’re either in, or you’re out.
Fifth – The cafeteria metaphor employed in this statement, by clueless Virginia Governor Terry MacAuliffe accompanied his partisan veto of a long fought bill that would have required the private entity Virginia High School League to include high school homeschooled students in Virginia’s school sports program. Jeanne Faulconer handed him his lunch as she proceeded down the line correcting him point for point in her rebuttal, Homeschoolers Are In, published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. My favorite point was this one:
“The governor also said, “. . . this bill would create a double standard, as students who are not subject to academic or attendance requirements of public schools would now compete with students on public school athletic teams.”
I guess the governor doesn’t know students are already meeting academic and attendance requirements in different ways, including virtual school students, dual enrolled community college students, international students and students with accommodations. Maybe he also doesn’t know that athletes enrolled in Virginia’s public schools can play with an academic record of five D-minuses during the previous semester at most school divisions in the state, while other divisions have different grade requirements. Does he know students attending schools that have failed accreditation can still play — which, if accreditation is meaningful, creates a double standard? It is disingenuous to have different ways of meeting standards for so many students and pretend homeschooled students, who would have been required to meet the state’s academic requirements for them for two previous years before trying out, are the only ones who would not have identical requirements.
But maybe he doesn’t know.”
She sails like a bird…
Sixth – We will be studying both the American Revolution and the French Revolution next year, so we were delighted to discover the Hermione Project and the Hermione Voyage! Painstakingly reconstructed over 19 years at a cost of $3o million dollars this replica of Lafayette’s frigate Hermione will be visiting Yorktown VA this weekend.
Here is a link to a “live feed” if you can’t make it yourself!
Here is a pretty good news interview from CBS Sunday Morning. Except I have to take issue that people have forgotten the importance of the Marquis Lafayette. I live on the Lafayette River, in a neighborhood called Lafayette-Winona and off of a street called Lafayette Blvd. In Virginia, there is a school, a park, a gun club, and an inn named for the great French general, as well as four Lafayette Streets, three Lafayette Avenues, and three Lafayette Boulevards.
Here is an interview with Laura Auricchio who recently authored The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered, a biography of the French Founding Father.
Seventh – We have six weeks left of our third term of our Y8 Homeschool. We pull largely, but not exclusively from Ambleside Online. The AO scheduled composer for third term is Romantic Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and I have thoroughly enjoyed it! This is one of my favorite of his grand collection of piano preludes, Prelude in C-sharp minor, which he composed at the age of 19.
Eighth – The Painting is The Ninth Wave by consummate Russian romantic painter of the sea Ivan Aivazovsky. Our Picture Study artist for this term was to be Degas. But his art work didn’t seem to pair well for me with our Composer Study Rachmaninoff. So I went off the reservation and researched Russian painters for this term.
Ninth – The Daughter’s favorite appetizer is Spanokopita. I don’t really remember how it happened that she was ever introduced to spinach and feta and filo, but she was. We usually buy the frozen ones for an occasional treat, and she has taken them to AHG parties and co-op parties. After encountering our Greek Orthodox Church’s homemade Spanokopita she decided to make her own. Here’s the recipe she used.
Finally – I used to post links on a more or less monthly schedule under the heading of Nunc Cognosco Ex Parte, with this explanation:
The post title I’ve chosen for these sorts of posts is obscure on purpose. Meaning “now I know in part,” the phrase is found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians towards the end of chapter 13. It refers to the fact that our knowledge of God and His mysteries unfolds only in part during our human existence. We must wait for full disclosure. This should instill a great deal of humility in our thinking…
What can I say? I like Latin phrases. (I collect them in a Composition Book.) Others, not so much. So, after reflection, Rabbit Trails… 🙂
Rabbit Trails 
LOVE the painting! Thanks for researching Russian painters. I benefit!
I will be posting more – there are so many beautiful paintings!
Hi Mom!
Nice post! I’m going to look at the “Homeschoolers Are In” link for definite! Love you!
The Daughter
I love the painting of the cross on the high seas. I have never seen it before. It is gorgeous. Love your posts too. Rabbit trails are interesting little travels. I used to take them often, when I was a kid, and my curly hair would get caught in the briars. These are nicer trails. Very enlightening.
Anglican worship – this is very satisfying, I am sure. I have never experienced it, but the liturgy of the old fashioned Meth. church is something I miss. The Church of God, where I have friends and am currently attending, is short on liturgy – they don’t like it very much. I love it and took full advantage of it for our worship time as a pastor in the UMC. I am seriously considering starting a church to harbor the possible UM’S fleeing from the storm. I was just thinking today that the old liturgy and worship style would be part of the service, if I am to do this (Not here in South Jersey, but in the place where I am hoping to relocate). More enlightenment – Thank you.
The recipe looks good and will share with my daughter! Everything else looks good too!
Thank you for stopping by the blog and leaving such an kind comment Melanie!
I enjoyed studying Rachmaninoff, too. I decided he is my new favorite composer. I have a library CD of his music in the car right now:)
Do you have his Vespers? They are quite beautiful…I sang them with a choral group, and have kept them on hand for those nights when I can’t sleep.
No I don’t. Thanks for the recommendation.