Monthly Archives: August 2013

Weighing the merits of conventional and organic gardening

Posted on August 23, 2013 by maradanto

http://onforb.es/WAdm7f It’s overlooking a lot of the other benefits of organic agriculture, for instance: less pollution in the waterways, healthier soil, and bigger harvests. Organic food is more labor-intensive (hence the higher costs) but studies show that organically run farms … Continue reading →

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‘Macbeth’

Posted on August 19, 2013 by maradanto

“Macbeth” is Shakespeare’s classic tale of human evil, best enjoyed in performance and not as a book read to oneself — though I read it, since I’m hoping to direct it in the next two months. Most people are familiar … Continue reading →

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Richard Nash: ‘The Rainmaker’

Posted on August 19, 2013 by maradanto

N. Richard Nash’s “The Rainmaker” is the story of a family, particularly the spinsterish Lizzie Curry, and the struggle between inspiring dreams and crushing reality. The year is unclear, but probably the 1950s, when it was written. Lizzie is growing … Continue reading →

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James Baldwin: ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’

Posted on August 19, 2013 by maradanto

This is an angry book. Told through a series of interconnected flashbacks at an overnight prayer service in post-WWI Harlem, “Go Tell it on the Mountain” peels back the veneer of righteousness of a deacon in a black holiness church, … Continue reading →

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On My Bookshelf: ‘The Complete Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe’

Posted on August 14, 2013 by maradanto

I started rediscovering Edgar Allan Poe last month on vacation with my family. Thanks to a Kindle I recently was given, I was able to take “The Complete Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe” with me. There are certain poems … Continue reading →

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Parable of the Lost Sheep, revisited

Posted on August 6, 2013 by maradanto

Jesus once told his followers about a sheep who got lost, so the shepherd went out looking for him; and then, when he had found him, invited all his neighbors to come celebrate with him because he had found the … Continue reading →

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Daniel’s failure at the fiery furnace

Posted on August 5, 2013 by maradanto

Did you ever notice, in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that they are the only three people in the gathering who did not bow down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzer had made? Why wasn’t Daniel mentioned? … Continue reading →

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Superheroes arise when their demons drive

Posted on August 1, 2013 by maradanto

Stop for a moment and consider what drives the superhero whose exploits you read. In the early golden days of comic books, it may have been purely heroic impulses, but that ever was true at one time, it is no … Continue reading →

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