Russellarbenfox

LATEST ARTICLES ( 622 )

• 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

• Scenes from a Friendship

  

  Note: the following dates and events are approximate, subjective, and possibly in part imaginary. The feelings behind them, though, are not. Read more

  Posted on 15 June 2016 SOCIETY

• Ten Theses on Our Populist Moment

  

  [Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Tomorrow, with the California Democratic primary, the populist developments that so many have observed in this electoral... Read more

  Posted on 06 June 2016 SOCIETY

• Dear Mormon Voters of the American West: Maybe You're the White Horse We've...

  

  [Cross-posted to By Common Consent]Just forget about the White Horse Prophecy. It's a fun bit of Mormon folklore, but like most folklore it's fictitious... Read more

  Posted on 05 June 2016 SOCIETY

• Mid-Sized Meditations #12: Regional Cities and the Curse of "Glocality"

  

  [Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]One of the essential themes in my continuing study of and reflection upon the character and dilemmas of mid-sized cities i... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2016 SOCIETY

• Saturday Night Live Music: "Rainbow's Cadillac"

  

  Melissa saw these guys just this past Tuesday. They didn't perform this song (probably my favorite Bruce Hornsby composition), but that didn't matter to me: the... Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2016 SOCIETY

• All Right, So Maybe Terry Gilliam is Actually My Favorite Python. (Or Maybe Not.)

  

  I suppose this is becoming a bit of a series. When I read the first volume of Michael Palin's diaries, I ended up thinking for a while why I liked the man's wor... Read more

  Posted on 18 May 2016 SOCIETY