Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4650 )

• Creating English

  

  From Wikimedia CommonsAs with the text of the Bible, there is doubt about some of Shakespeare’s plays. Scholars scrutinize. (That’s what we’re supposed to do.)... Read more

  Posted on 14 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Defying Labels

  

  I don’t know much about the music industry, but I do know that as in publishing, labels make a difference. Who doesn’t conjure up a certain sound when they see... Read more

  Posted on 13 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Excuse Me, Mammon

  

  An article in the New York Times back in December explored the use of God in adverting. The piece, by Michael McCarthy, suggests that religious viewers are not... Read more

  Posted on 12 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Dead of Winter

  

  One of the commonalities of all religions, I used to tell my students, is the concern with death. Not that all religions react to it in nearly the same way,... Read more

  Posted on 11 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• First Stronghold

  

  FIRST Robotics has a way of getting into your blood. Like many people of my generation, I learned about FIRST Robotics through my daughter. Read more

  Posted on 10 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• And a Blessed New Year

  

  A new year is always a time for predictions and prognostications. Although the religious basis for New Year’s Day is often deeply sublimated, the changing of th... Read more

  Posted on 09 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• To Nature, and Beyond

  

  It might seem odd to differentiate the supernatural from an established world religion like Roman Catholicism. After all, be premise of traditional... Read more

  Posted on 08 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Thoughts in a Cemetery

  

  Being distinguished, indeed, getting noticed, is increasingly difficult to accomplish. When you read a lot of history, you realize that anyone who managed to... Read more

  Posted on 07 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Girl, Rising

  

  It is perhaps unusual to stop and think about who you are. From the moment consciousness kicks in, our lives are a non-stop progression of stimuli and response... Read more

  Posted on 06 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Who’s Driving?

  

  Technology has been kind to civilization. At least in some aspects. I often think how easy communication has become. When I was just starting out in the... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Local Lore

  

  One of the true joys of having more than a day off work at a time is the privilege to spend days reading. Although I read on the bus as a matter of course, it i... Read more

  Posted on 04 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Awakening Forces

  

  Star Wars: The Force Awakens does not disappoint. Many of us who saw the original installment recognized the archetypal image right away. Read more

  Posted on 03 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• And a Literate New Year

  

  One of the most common criticisms of religion, among its detractors, is that it is “uninformed.” I suspect that this is intended to critique the education of... Read more

  Posted on 02 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Riding a Cycle

  

  Spare-ribs and sauerkraut. My step-father always insisted on these for the turning of a new year. The old year was to end on something sour while the new was... Read more

  Posted on 01 January 2016 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Books of 2015

  

  It’s the end of 2015 and looking at my records on Goodreads it looks like I read 100 books this year. That tends to be my goal mark, but after twelve months of... Read more

  Posted on 31 December 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Simple Gifts

  

  Thing Explainer, a whimsical gift for my daughter at Christmas, is perhaps the trendiest present found here this year. Randall Munroe, who makes a living as a... Read more

  Posted on 30 December 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Top Predator

  

  The reboot of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, has been on my mind. Back in the early days of this century I hadn’t bothered to see either Jurassic Park II or III. Read more

  Posted on 29 December 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Mother Divine

  

  Religions, by nature, exercise a distribution of power. That power is perceived to be on several axes at once, the “vertical” is intended to represent the... Read more

  Posted on 28 December 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Social Security

  

  Security. If there’s one thing we can never get enough of, this is it. We look at the future with a mix of perspectives: it’s going to get better, or it’s... Read more

  Posted on 27 December 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Feasting

  In addition to music, Christmas has also been associated with seasonal foods. Unlike today, when we think of foods primarily in terms of either fast food or... Read more

  Posted on 26 December 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY