a new year? chapter ten. what seemed so clear fell apart before my eyes. its resurrection is most gratifying, if not a bit winded and overdue. ambition, i taste your bittersweetness. subject of this chapter: description of goals and strategies and testing descriptive hypotheses distinguishing new and old social movements ( Read more... )

so I gave it about a year of thought, off and on of course. My decision is not final, it never is, but I have decided to provisionally add a film to my favorite films list. Note carefully I said favorite films, not greatest films. I have not found the key to identifying which movie is objectively good or bad, if such a thing exists (I suspect it ( Read more... )

One of my more peaceful experiences. Living in Nashville. Late at night. Black sky. Several inches of snow. I walked into the wide alley behind my house. Blue lights under power lines. The snow fell slowly. No wind. I lost track of time wandering about in the blue snow ( Read more... )

One of the more interesting aspects of the now-concluded presidential race was the re-invigoration of the concept of the victim. This was particularly on display in the substance of Romney's 47% debacle and the resulting discussion regarding the question of whether those who tend to vote Democrat would be the victims of a Romney administration. ( Read more... )

here is a book begging to be written: Uncertainty in Contentious Politics ( Read more... )

As far back as I can remember, I wrestled with apparently competing motivations, two forces or drives, desires even. The first is the obvious, the practically mundane: to be remembered, to be special, distinct, respected, a bundle of unique qualities recognized by those around me that distinguishes me from all before and after, a being of obvious ( Read more... )

another morning. up and about. some errands for my grandmother. laundry. some reading ( Read more... )

Started 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell and 'The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement' by Aldon Morris. Good readings so far. Recently put some interesting sci-fi and other creative affair on the Wish List: some Christopher Priest (Inverted World; Affirmation), Alan Brown (Moravagine), John Batchelor (Birth of the People's Republic of Antarctica ( Read more... )

doing the little and big things, as I say ( Read more... )

Two trips on the U.S. tour completed: Toronto and New York City. Props to Sam and my cousin Denise for tolerating my presence. They were tremendous hosts. I got to know Toronto much better than NYC. In fact, I spent about 2.5 hours on Manhattan, most of it in a chair on Broadway a few blocks from Penn Station. No urban wandering = much money ( Read more... )