Monthly Archives: January 2012

Makom (Place)

Posted on January 31, 2012 by zjb

Blue is “the spiritual in art” (Kandinsky). Religion is “the opiate of the masses” (Marx) In academic religious studies, it is the historical-political context that gives meaning to spiritual expression. But in this image, I like how (a part of) … Continue reading →

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Maps

Posted on January 30, 2012 by zjb

I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to post about Israel quite so soon, but I wanted to say something about the group of maps that appeared over at Juan Cole’s “Informed Comment” (http://www.juancole.com/) blog on Middle Eastern politics. The … Continue reading →

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Space, Speed, and Thought

Posted on January 29, 2012 by zjb

Is there a relation between space and speed, on the one hand, and thought, on the other? I think we have to posit such a relation if we want to take seriously the notion that  consciousness and intentional thought are … Continue reading →

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Inside-Outside

Posted on January 27, 2012 by zjb

  I took this picture from my office window at Syracuse. When I first looked at it, I thought those were toy cars that had been left somewhere inside my office. I then realized that they were cars in the … Continue reading →

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Road/Writing

Posted on January 26, 2012 by zjb

  I have always found the 4 hours it takes to drive my commute between New York and Syracuse an exhilarating platform upon which to think out projects. I think it’s because the motion and perspectival-shifts mimic and stimulate reflection. … Continue reading →

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Infinity Space

Posted on January 25, 2012 by zjb

[[at Doug Wheeler, SA MI 75 DZ NY 12 (1975/2012)]] Doug Wheeler is a “Light and Space” guy from California whose work goes back to the 1960s and 1970s.  His exhibit SA MI 75 DZ NY 12 (1975/2012) at David … Continue reading →

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Pharaoh

Posted on January 23, 2012 by zjb

I wanted to respond to the article about Apple in the New York Times. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hpw. ) 8000 workers in dormitories being woken up, fed biscuits and tea, and sent on a 12 hour shift in order to turn over new … Continue reading →

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Levantine

Posted on January 22, 2012 by zjb

This post’s really a coincidence. It’s not as if I have Egypt on the mind. It just looks that way, having now run two successive posts on…Egypt. But I just happened to finish Mongrels or Marvels: The Levantine Writings of … Continue reading →

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Political Theology

Posted on January 21, 2012 by zjb

In  synagogue today, the supplemental Scriptural reading (Haftorah) included: Ezekiel 29:3 O Pharaoh king of Egypt Might monster, crouching in you channels, Who said, “Mine is my Nile; I made it for myself.” Why is God so violent in the … Continue reading →

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The World

Posted on January 20, 2012 by zjb

I like these two images because of their everyday character. There’s the quotidian task of tending for the dead at the cremation ghats at the holy city of Varanasi on the Ganges. And there’s the view from my brother’s window … Continue reading →

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