Category Archives: Discursive Detours

A catch-all category

Pakistan: Blasphemy and Bombs, Death and Dalits; and History

I’ll be talking about today’s Pakistan: particularly what it’s like being a Pakistani Christian, Hindu or Sikh. Or, for that matter, the ‘wrong’ sort of Pakistani Muslim. The list of at-risk Pakistanis depends partly on who’s talking. A few weeks … Continue reading

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Independence Day: America and Acting Like Love Matters

(From Balon Greyjoy, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)(Prometheus sculpture for Rockefeller Center’s lower plaza. (Paul Manship, 1934)) It’s been 246 years since a bunch of disgruntled colonists decided that they’d had enough of transatlantic micromanagement. There’s more behind the … Continue reading

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Taking People, Pride and Dignity Seriously: June 2022

My news feed tells me it’s Pride Month. Or LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Wikipedia’s page implies that the correct term is LGBT pride. Decades of experience, spanning McCarthyism’s dying gasps and the efflorescence of political correctness, suggest that I’ll offend someone: … Continue reading

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Curiosity and Science, Intent and Wisdom 11:22

(From Bonhams auction house, used w/o permission.)(Louis William Wain’s “A curious cat.” (ca. 1930)) As a behavior, curiosity is part of being a rat, a cat, or a human. In humans, at least, it’s also an emotion. Whether the decline … Continue reading

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Death, Orders, and a War Crimes Trial in Ukraine

(From BBC News, used w/o permission.) I hadn’t planned on doing another “Ukraine” post for quite a while. But this news item caught my attention: “Russian soldier pleads guilty in first war crimes trial of Ukraine conflict” Sarah Rainsford, BBC … Continue reading

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