Joshua Gibbs

Thoughts On The National’s “First Two Pages of Frankenstein”

Over the National’s last five albums, Matt Berninger has come to rely more and more heavily on a specific lyrical formula. I was doing something random and specific/ You were doing something even more random (with too many syllables)/ Sardonic question? It practically writes itself. I was selling peacocks to priests in Berlin/ You wereContinue reading “Thoughts On The National’s “First Two Pages of Frankenstein””

How To Interpret A Rotten Tomatoes Score In 2023

91% Fresh = Definitely abysmal 92% Fresh = Definitely wretched 93% Fresh = Definitely terrible 94% Fresh = Definitely quite bad 95% Fresh = Definitely Bad 96% Fresh = Definitely Mediocre 97% Fresh = One funny scene 98% Fresh = Maybe okay 99% Fresh = Not bad 100% Fresh = Might be kind of goodContinue reading “How To Interpret A Rotten Tomatoes Score In 2023”

The Modern Voltaire

NPR’s Science Friday is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.

Interview On The Virtue Podcast

I’m grateful to Rob Jackson of Great Hearts for the invitation.

Episode 120: A Very Special Episode Of Proverbial

True story, I enjoyed recording this episode so much that I recorded it twice, and the second version is ten minutes longer than the first. There will likely be a corresponding post on the CiRCE blog about this proverb in the next couple weeks. The subject of the episode? Stupidity. More specifically, the word “stupid”Continue reading “Episode 120: A Very Special Episode Of Proverbial”

The Joy Of Praising Great Students

“As a teacher there is little which vexes me more than hearing students unjustly praised, but there is little which delights me more than hearing students justly praised. That’s why I love end of the year awards ceremonies.” -from my latest for CiRCE

Changing Values

In the 1980s, family portraits tended to be hierarchical and formal. Parents in the back, kids in the front, obviously posed. All faces were highly visible, there was little distance between the photographer and his subject. The emphasis was on the character of the subjects. Current family portraits are egalitarian and informal. They’re taken outsideContinue reading “Changing Values”

New Poetry

Requiem For a Failed Brothers Karamazov Book Club We met two and a half times. “I’ve always wanted to read this one,” we had all said, very thoughtfully. We will live to say it again.

On Reading Habits

Better to read a few good books and believe them all deeply than to read a great many decent books and tepidly accept no more than a quarter of what each one says.

Jules: I’m Going. That’s All There Is To It.

There aren’t many K-12 classroom teachers who have big platforms in CCE. Jonathan Councell deserves a big platform. He’s quite brilliant. I met him ten years ago on a cross-country drive and was absolutely floored by his intellect and common sense. This webinar is only ten dollars. I highly encourage you to attend! Sign upContinue reading “Jules: I’m Going. That’s All There Is To It.”