Russellarbenfox
MY BLOGS
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In Medias Res
http://inmedias.blogspot.com/
Essays, notes, and fragments--personal, political, and philosophical--from the midst of things
LATEST ARTICLES ( 588 )
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30 on the 30th: Sign o' the Times and "Strange Relationship"
Following up on last month, April's entry into the class of 1987: Prince's stupendous Sign o' the Times.Did I buy this album as soon as it hit the stores? Read more
Posted on 30 April 2017 SOCIETY -
30 on the 30th: The Joshua Tree and "Running to Stand Still"
A few days ago, while listening to a local radio station, a series of songs, all from the year 1987--my senior year and my first year of college, a year fully... Read more
Posted on 30 March 2017 SOCIETY -
On Dreher's Benedict Option, the Christians and Localists Who Can Live It, and...
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Rod Dreher and I aren't close friends, but I've been blessed with the opportunity to associate with and learn from him a... Read more
Posted on 07 March 2017 SOCIETY -
Mid-Sized Meditations #13: How Big Does a City Need to Be to Go Blue?
(It's been a while since I wrote one of these; nearly 2 1/2 years since I started the series, and I don't know how well the current topic fits with where my... Read more
Posted on 02 March 2017 SOCIETY -
The Five Best Books I Read in 2016
As I said in my previous post, this wasn't the best of years for my book reading. I read a lot, though not as much as usual, and not a whole lot of that which... Read more
Posted on 31 December 2016 SOCIETY -
The Five Best Movies I Saw in 2016
As I've said over and over, 2016 wasn't my best years. Lots of stress and sad news, and one of the consequences of all that is my viewing time (and, perhaps,... Read more
Posted on 31 December 2016 SOCIETY -
After Trump #2: Getting Populism Right
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Coming to grips with what the 2016 election means many things, especially for those of us who are hoping to find in Trump'... Read more
Posted on 28 December 2016 SOCIETY -
After Trump #1: Getting Urbanists and Localists Together
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]So at the beginning of the month, when I finally got my election reflections out of my system, I concluded by... Read more
Posted on 26 December 2016 SOCIETY -
What Christmases with Dad Taught Us (Occasionally Even on Purpose)
For us kids, it’s our first Christmas ever without our father, Jim Fox, around–because he really was always around, even if we were far away from him. Read more
Posted on 24 December 2016 SOCIETY -
What I Learned from the Old Testament
[Cross-posted to By Common Consent]Recently a friend of mine shared a story with several of us about how he, while on vacation and with some spare time on his... Read more
Posted on 13 December 2016 SPIRITUALITY -
Election Reflections, 2016 (Part 2)
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Yes, I know the election was a month ago. What can I say; I needed time to recover from getting everything entirely... Read more
Posted on 06 December 2016 SOCIETY -
"For We Are Here, But Little Time to Stay"
Yes, it's been an awful year for many of us, my own family at least partly included. But, thankfully, only partly. We still have many blessings. Read more
Posted on 24 November 2016 SOCIETY -
Election Reflections, 2016 (Part 1)
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]With the exception of one big think piece on our almost-certainly-soon-to-be-POTUS, Hillary Clinton, I've been quiet this... Read more
Posted on 07 November 2016 SOCIETY -
Spare the Rod
Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. Read more
Posted on 17 October 2016 SOCIETY -
Hillary’s Communitarian Moment, and Ours
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Thirteen months ago, I wrote a blog post that provided a retrospective on a body of ideas on the 20th anniversary of the... Read more
Posted on 11 October 2016 SOCIETY -
Greg Orman's Declaration of Independents
Greg Orman is gone but not forgotten--and given the political rumors which abounded during the early part of this year's election cycle here in Kansas, he's... Read more
Posted on 13 September 2016 SOCIETY -
Five Moments out of Fifty
I'm 47, not 50, so Star Trek--the television show, the film franchise, the pop culture property, the fan phenomenon--is older than me. Read more
Posted on 08 September 2016 SOCIETY -
10 Years and Change(s)
So, I've spent a surprising amount of time over the past couple of months planning on getting back to the blog--and then not doing it. Sorry, everybody. Read more
Posted on 06 September 2016 SOCIETY -
Saturday Night Live Music: "Free Swinging Soul"
Michael Hedges was a tremendous performer, whose death nearly 20 years ago is one I still mourn on occasion. This was his last great song, which this unpolished... Read more
Posted on 03 July 2016 SOCIETY -
This is One Way (Necessarily Incomplete, By No Means Entirely Coherent, But...
So, Bernie Sanders gave a big speech to his supporters tonight. It wasn't a concession speech--but then again, from his point of view, his candidacy was about... Read more
Posted on 17 June 2016 SOCIETY