Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4649 )

• Matins

  

  At a certain time of year, around November after the time change, early morning immigrants to Manhattan see the light. As they stumble out of the Port... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Monsters, in Theory

  

  I want to understand monsters. I suppose that’s pretty common among Monster Boomers, but the thing is academics have been slow to give credence to our creatures. Read more

  Posted on 13 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Imagining Things

  

  Having a child in college is one way for me to stay attuned to popular culture. You can absorb quite a lot by simply paying attention while on campus. Read more

  Posted on 12 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Make Believer

  

  My brother is way cooler than I ever hope to be. While I was busy learning all a tween and teen could about the Bible, he was listening to Lou Reed and David... Read more

  Posted on 11 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Shipmates

  

  Ghosts have a way of persisting. I’ve had Valerie Martin’s The Ghost of the Mary Celeste on my reading list since I first saw it in hardcover on a bookstore... Read more

  Posted on 10 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Upgrade Downgrade

  

  I don’t have to have the latest toys. In fact, I am happy to stay with what I have as long as it works. I’ve been a frugal lad all my life. The increasing... Read more

  Posted on 09 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Burden of Democracy

  

  Speaking of revisionist history, I see that I’m negligent on updating my Egyptology. In a year when you need an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the sheer... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Revisionist History

  

  I recently came across a website with academic papers available on it.  Although the internet has yet to achieve its promise as a locus of solid academic... Read more

  Posted on 07 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Think Bigger

  

  I’ve spent a lot of time with academics. Having been one myself, I know something of their habits. Getting through a doctoral program involves, at least in... Read more

  Posted on 06 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Northern Ghosts

  

  It is the time of year when respectable publications can, in a half-serious way, address the unconventional. The New York Times, for example, recently ran a... Read more

  Posted on 05 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Loving It

  

  Given my remarks on occasion, some readers may conclude I dislike science. Nothing could be further from fact. Ever since I was a child I’ve been fascinated by... Read more

  Posted on 04 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Legend Quest

  

  ing is often considered a teenage pastime. Getting away from the mundane, or the oppressively normal, such road trips often lead to a place of spiritual... Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Supernatural Quest

  

  Two things we’re told about the supernatural: one, it doesn’t exist and two, it can’t be studied. Of course the vast majority of people in the world don’t buy... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Uisce Beatha

  

  The idea of a state church, I have to admit, sometimes seems not so bad. Before you click off this page in disgust, please let me explain. Once in a great while... Read more

  Posted on 01 November 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• To the Tower

  

  A recent article in The Independent shows once again how deep our human need of magic can be. The Tower of London, among the oldest buildings in the city, and... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Anything Free

  

  “Anything free is worth saving up for.” That’s a bit of wisdom I picked up some time ago. There’s another side to free, however. That other side is called the... Read more

  Posted on 30 October 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ordinary Magic

  

  The concept of grimoires, as well as being seasonal, has been on my mind as I finish up my paper for the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting next... Read more

  Posted on 29 October 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Yes, Virginia, There Are Ghosts

  

  Universities find themselves in a strange position vis-à-vis the supernatural. I suspect that many institutions of higher education are slightly embarrassed at... Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Still There?

  

  Keeping up with much of anything is hard to do, given work and commuting schedules. Often a horror movie will pass without even a notice until it’s on the sale... Read more

  Posted on 27 October 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• An Apple a Day

  

  Corporate logos are among the most instantly recognizable symbols in the world. Even in “developing” countries, kids know what the golden arches represent. Read more

  Posted on 26 October 2015 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY