When Virtue Pays II: The Right Thing and the Wrong Reason

If it is an acknowledged truth that virtue does pay, it is equally true that to become virtuous for the sake of the payment is practically speaking impossible. Indeed, it is worse than impossible: it is dangerous.

When Virtue Pays I

N.B. This is the first of three posts that deal vaguely with that very Aristotelian concept of eudaimonic virtue.  If that bores you, apologies!  Come back next week.  

A week or two ago I wrote a piece for the Catholic woman’s blog Altcatholicah.  I had been supposed to write something for Altcatholicah for a while, but I was running short on time and inspiration both … until I saw a certain exchange in the comment box of a previous piece on Altcatholicah.

Allies in an Axis Land

I was most terribly torn over this week's MWM.  I wanted to do Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola.  E voilà.  But I wanted to find Yehudi Menuhin doing it.  No such luck; the only video out there with him clips off the intro to the first movement—which, in the case of a Mozart concerto, is semi-blasphemous.  Then I found this entertaining video.  Cute dance that the couple up front are doing, but the innovative frames were too many for me.

"La Vie N'est Pas Juste"

In which Donna Camilla waxes poetical, and channels Dr. Seuss.

Those Who Stay, Cross Over the Line

Once upon a time yours truly was a heretic. If that word conjures up images of stakes and spiked iron chairs and empire-chinned prelates of dubious heart and Pricean voice, you can stop reading now. I am not the reincarnation of a Spanish dissenter. Nor am I that only slightly less interesting thing, a convert from Protestantism. No, I came by my heresy honestly, being baptized a Catholic and having every intention of dying one.

Your Monday Morning Jolt

What, you're saying it's not the middle of the week yet?  And that I forgot to put up one of these last Wednesday?  Be quiet!  'Tis the middle when I say-i-'tis.

In Which Atheists Are Unbeleivably Funny

So much for Guffy's angels:

When Life Sneaks Up on You Unawares ...

(Hint: This ↑ is not me.)

Move Over, "Fantasia"

Good performance of Haydn's Creation + much more creative video than one generally sees for a classical music concert = your inspiration for this week's hump day.

Hope DID Die Thursday; Long Live Hope!

"tax n 1a: a charge usu. of money imposed by authority upon persons or property for public purposes" (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977)

We, being Christians with a decent respect for individual prudential judgement and conscience, ought not be absolute in our assertions that Roberts was placing his own reputation, or even the Court's, above the law.  It's one thing to say "Sure looks to me like ..." and another to subscribe to the internet meme of Roberts=Traitor by reposting that pic on Facebook.

Writing "Charmed"

Many apologies to anyone who, observing the tempo of this blog, was expecting a post on Friday or, at the very latest, Saturday morning.  I was working on another writing project—actually, a couple other writing projects, one of which will not see the light of day for some time yet.  But the other one is ready to be read Now.

"Charmed"

For the Fourth

A bit of Leroy Anderson.  It's not as traditional as Sousa, but everyone will be playing Sousa today.  (If they're not, they should be ...)  Besides, the gentlemen are in the armed services.  And there are trumpets.  Three of them.  Playing fast.  What's not to like?

Goodbye, Sheriff Taylor

My second-ever post—the first real post of any substance, which defined the mission of this blog—used pictures from the Andy Griffith show to make its points. The picture posts have been some of the best posts on this blog (imho) and certainly the most fun to write, and I feel I owe some of that fun to Sheriff Taylor and his friend Barney Fife.