The Last Presbyterian Sermon

Posted on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 @ 12:50 pm
Filed Under Joel, Readings
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Great Britain was still reeling from religious wars, and it wasn't clear that they'd not resume.  One of the many fascinations of Pepys' Diary is the insight it shows into that turbulent time.

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Stopgap Solutions

Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 @ 9:57 am
Filed Under Michigan, Political Process, Readings
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While I really dislike the short term limits we've put on the legislature, I don't see this connection.  Methought one purpose of the term limits was to reduce the proportion of career politicians in office, thus reducing those officials' institutional commitments and freeing up the creative juices.  That objective was certainly worthwhile, and ought to still apply.

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Fabulous Ruins

Posted on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 @ 11:57 pm
Filed Under Baseball, Baseball Pix, Michigan, Readings
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Lowell's tribute to Tiger Stadium is a wonderful thing.  Read it, and read all the Detour panels about the stadium.  Read it even if you hate baseball, and despised the old ballyard.  This is love, and it's something beautiful.

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Pay it Forward

Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 @ 11:26 pm
Filed Under Dabbler, Readings
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Offered without comment.

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Pepys: of diaries and bureaucracies

Posted on Monday, December 1, 2003 @ 7:42 am
Filed Under Bureaucrats, Readings
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Pepys was a delightful diarist, and worth reading for all sorts of reasons. One which (naturally) appeals to me is that he was a professional bureaucrat in a time when bureaucracies were new to European government. Bureaus were small, too; they seem to have run the Royal Navy with just a handful of clerks. (I seem to be ignoring the admirals....) Part of the fun when I read Pepys is watching him feel his way around the organizational issues.

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