Monthly Archives: October 2008

Plowing Through

Posted on 2008/10/31 by ngilmour

I’m down to the last ten papers in this round of freshman comp grading.? I’ve been grading instead of blogging.? I’m very much tired.

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Respecting the Office

Posted on 2008/10/30 by ngilmour

This was the perfect time for book three of Consolation to come along.? We all know that, five days and change from now, when the federal election commission declares the votes tallied and one of two men president-elect, the nastiness … Continue reading →

Posted in Boethius, teaching | 2 Comments

Sick and Tired

Posted on 2008/10/29 by ngilmour

That about sums it up.? I’m battling a cold, and Mary’s home sick with a stomach virus.? Micah for the moment is healthy, but I know full well that can change.? And neither Mary nor I slept much at all … Continue reading →

Posted in Family | 2 Comments

Negating the World with Boethius

Posted on 2008/10/28 by ngilmour

It’s fun, really, if one throws one’s self into it.? Money has no value at all when hoarded, and it has no staying power when spent.? Political and military power are illusions: they rely on chains of command that become … Continue reading →

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A New Assay Regarding College Teachers’ Conduct

Posted on 2008/10/27 by ngilmour

I have to give credit where credit is due first–in the course of a conversation after Thursday’s Boethius class with a student of mine, I found myself articulating the beginnings of this post as an answer to a good question … Continue reading →

Posted in teaching | 2 Comments

Advertising and Evangelism

Posted on 2008/10/27 by ngilmour

Why the Devil Takes Visa First of all, thanks to Robert, one of this blog’s best readers and a friend of mine, for tracking this essay down and linking to it on his own blog.? It’s a classic in my … Continue reading →

Posted in pop culture | 1 Comment

Good Day with the Boy

Posted on 2008/10/26 by ngilmour

When we left the house yesterday morning I forgot the camera, or this would be a Micah pics post. We started out the day with a trip to Washington Farms in Watkinsville, where we enjoyed a petting zoo, a hay … Continue reading →

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One Last (I hope) Post on the 2008 Presidential Race

Posted on 2008/10/25 by ngilmour

I’m usually reticent to link to my own posts, but I do feel the need to note that, six months ago, I noted that the GOP only gives two farts about abortion in the months leading up to a presidential … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Entertainment | Leave a comment

10K

Posted on 2008/10/24 by ngilmour

Some time between my turning the laptop off this morning to get Micah ready for school and my sitting down at Panera to grade a couple papers before going to work at Bogart Library, the site’s hit counter went over … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-promotion | 2 Comments

A Pattern of Intimidation?

Posted on 2008/10/24 by ngilmour

David Iglesias on Attorney Firings I hadn’t heard much about this since the SCLM gave it a cursory treatment and dropped it (compare, if you will, Bush’s firing attorneys to Clinton’s receiving sexual favors), but this interview was fascinating, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Heard it on NPR, Political Entertainment | Leave a comment

The Nature of Humanity

Posted on 2008/10/23 by ngilmour

It’s interesting how different classes take the same questions in entirely different directions.? In today’s comp classes we discussed book one of Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy, and along with the text I wrapped up the session with a fairly straightforward … Continue reading →

Posted in Boethius, teaching | 2 Comments

Two Cases in which I Should have Noticed This

Posted on 2008/10/22 by ngilmour

The Media’s Enduring Pro-McCain Double-Standard The Class War Before Sarah Palin I know these stories are old news, but I prefer to comment on news a bit after the sizzle has subsided–it keeps my entirely stupid statements contained somewhat.? (That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Entertainment | 15 Comments

Educating to Repair the Fall

Posted on 2008/10/21 by ngilmour

We took on Milton’s “On Education” today, and although it took some prodding, eventually both classes were impressed with the sheer audacity of Milton’s claims (even before he gets to the 41 or so practices, languages, and bodies of knowledge … Continue reading →

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I’d Never Win a Presidential Election 10: No Money

Posted on 2008/10/20 by ngilmour

As it turns out, I’m a college English teacher.? Now while David Horowitz might try to lead folks to believe that college humanities professors live lavish and luxurious lives living on the labors of the populace and doing no work … Continue reading →

Posted in Never Be President | 4 Comments

I’d Never Win a Presidential Election 9: I Like Politics

Posted on 2008/10/19 by ngilmour

If the title of this one surprises you, you haven’t been paying enough attention to the ways politicians speak to crowds.? Even if a candidate’s own party has controlled most of the branches of government for most of the last … Continue reading →

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I’d Never Win a Presidential Election 8: I Don’t Like Ugly Talk

Posted on 2008/10/18 by ngilmour

I won’t make the (blatantly false) claim that I’ve never talked ugly about people, but as a rule I don’t like it.? That goes for talk about myself, talk about my friends, and even talk about folks who compete against … Continue reading →

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I’d Never Win a Presidential Election 7: I Have Leftist Tendencies

Posted on 2008/10/17 by ngilmour

When I play softball, I bat left-handed. When I shadowbox, I do so southpaw. My lesson plans start with the left margin, and when I write a paper, I left-justify. Stupid reason? Yes. Am I running out of material? Yes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Never Be President | 2 Comments

I’d Never Win a Presidential Election 6: I Never Start a Campaign Year Knowing Everything

Posted on 2008/10/16 by ngilmour

As a teacher, I know full well that I don’t know everything important, and the logical implications of that are that I should listen to people who find my ideas inadequate and, if they can provide alternatives that are more … Continue reading →

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I’d Never Win a Presidential Election 5: I Assume People Are Smarter than That (Or Should Be)

Posted on 2008/10/15 by ngilmour

Frankly, I think that’s why I’m a teacher: I believe, deep down, that people are capable of more than they are at the moment, and I think that a proper course of education can realize potential for thought and discernment.? … Continue reading →

Posted in Never Be President | 3 Comments

The End of Republic 2008

Posted on 2008/10/14 by ngilmour

I hate to be the latest person to complain about fall break’s disappearing, but it really did throw off my Plato syllabus.? I packed entirely too much of the ending into the last day–in one session we attempted to discuss … Continue reading →

Posted in Plato, teaching | 2 Comments