January 2005 – Page 2

Odds & Ends

13 February 200516 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

Odds & Ends from around the ‘net: Novel Additions: Fellow blogger and good friend Colby Willen has published his first novel, Dolor for Misdeeds, online at http://www.dolorformisdeeds.com. I read the novel some months ago, and I highly recommend it as an entertaining yarn with some thoughtful underpinnings. May the Spuds Be With You: Hasbro, the … Read more

The Academic Left, The Christian Right, and The “A” Word

13 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

If his initial idea of the academic left and the Christian right forming a political coalition was a misty but hopeful notion, William J. Stuntz’s latest elaboration of the idea is a pipe dream. A Harvard Law professor, Stuntz claims that having belonged to evangelical churches for the last twenty years gives him a unique … Read more

You Won’t Be Able to Get it Out of Your Head

13 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. When I first heard the song that is currently #1 in Germany, I thought that the Germans must have carried on at Oktoberfest a little too long. Then, for some unexplained reason, I played the song—written and sung by a 4-year-old about a crocodile—again. It was all over from … Read more

Photos for the Fans

03 May 200512 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

I’ll undoubtedly be lynched by the family if I don’t post some more photos of our newborn son, so I will oblige. I’m not showing off here—really. I’m doing this because the family wants to see the photos. I’m not showing off. I’m not…

America and Its “isms”

28 June 200511 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

David Gelertner’s Commentary article, “Americanism—and Its Enemies,” brings to light a number of elements that form the impetus for the American ideal of democracy for all mankind. Gelertner’s premise is that Americanism is a religion unto itself—the modern-day incarnation of Puritanism, as a matter of fact. Gelertner buttresses a pedigreed Americanism against the tide of … Read more

Wanna Be Lazy? Call It A Boycott

03 May 200511 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

Writer David Livingstone is organizing a “boycott from work” on Inauguration Day: David Livingstone says the idea behind the economic boycott he’s organizing is simple: If people don’t show up at work or buy things, companies lose money. As he sees it, that’s money the Bush administration can’t tax, and can’t use to run the … Read more

For The Cartophile In All Of Us…

10 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

The Library of Congress has released on the internet thousands of maps from the Civil War period. The website, located here, contains battle maps and other general maps from the time. If you live in a state where the Civil War raged, check it out to see what your area looked like 150 years ago.

The New Age of Adulthood

07 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

When does one become an adult? Is it 18? 21? How about 26? A Wall Street Journal article by Jeff Zaslow highlights the tendency of many young Americans to put off adulthood: Ages 18 and 21 are no longer the true entry points into American adult hood, as more young people today take soul-searching breaks … Read more

Booklists and Bookshelves

05 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

Although I read more in kindergarten than I have in the last month (having a child causes “adjustments” in one’s reading schedule…), I still consider myself a bit of a bibliophile. While my love of books is scrupulous (I never, ever write in my books–not even my Bible!), something I love almost as much are … Read more

The Church Apostate

03 January 2005 by Jared Bridges

Though I’m a confessing Baptist, I sometimes cringe at the actions of others who claim that denomination. Much like the way most Americans feel when Michael Moore or Barbara Streisand claim to speak for America, I want to dissociate from those who are only Baptists in name. One such church is the infamous Westboro Baptist … Read more