Film review: The Conspirator (no spoilers)

As an immigrant who never studied US history formally as part of a curriculum, my knowledge of it has large holes. So although I knew that Abraham Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth in a theater in 1865 at the beginning of his second term of office during the waning days of the Civil War, I was not aware of the precise motive or that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy that sought to also kill the vice-president and the Secretary of State. [Read more…]

Argument-stoppers in religion

Some time ago, I commented favorably on an essay by philosopher Richard Rorty titled Religion as Conversation-stopper. In his essay, he responds to another essay by Stephen Carter in which the latter said, “One good way to end a conversation — or to start an argument — is to tell a group of well-educated professionals that you hold a political position (preferably a controversial one, such as being against abortion or pornography) because it is required by your understanding of God’s will.” [Read more…]

Mr. Rogers sings The Garden of Your Mind

When they were young, my children were big fans of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and I would watch along with them. The show did not have the same entertainment value to adults as Sesame Street but you could not but help like his gentle character and his simple wholesome messages of tolerance and acceptance of diversity. The low production values and slow pace added to its quirky charm. [Read more…]