Author Archives: Joshua Gibbs

Tom: You know what they say. “History is always written by the winners.” Harry: Who said that? A winner or a loser? Tom: Probably a loser. Harry: Then it seems losers get their say. Tom: Actually, it was probably a winner. Harry: Then it’s not actually true? Tom: Actually, it was neither. Harry: And yetContinue reading “History Piffle”

Beggars can be choosers if they are also willing to be martyrs.

Teacher: Most people like chocolate. That Kid: I don’t like chocolate. Teacher: And most people know what the word “most” means.

They’ve got more than one thing in common.

I highly recommend you read The Divine Comedy, though I don’t know that I would suggest you try to do so by yourself. If you start reading it, you really need to finish it. Dante himself issues this caution to readers in the middle of the poem. If you abandon the poem half way through,Continue reading “How to Read The Divine Comedy for the First Time”

There is always going to be room for a fresh round of cultural pundits who tell young men to “make their beds.” It strikes young ears as profound, invigorating. It’s simple. It’s doable. However, the make-your-bed people always marry that message with something else. It never stands entirely on its own. “Make your bed andContinue reading “The Make-Your-Bed People”

A skull tattoo A duck tattoo A dog urinating on a fire hydrant In the rain Inked images As invisible as words To the illiterate

“One of the reasons American Christians have lost any real concern for beauty is because they do not know how to connect beauty with salvation, and so they believe there is no connection. This belief is entirely quixotic, though, because very few Christians have ever heard a real proposal about what the connection might be.Continue reading “The Connection Between Good Taste And Salvation”

I’m slowly sampling Boise’s culinary scene. Yesterday, I went to The Basque Market and bought a bunch of conservas. The smoked sardines were quite good.

The Apotheosis of the Renaissance by Mihály Munkácsy (Hungarian, 1888) I find this astounding.