Stormfields

Scrivener for iOS!

Well, I realize it might be a bit silly to love a piece of software, but I do love this one.  Great news–not only an update to the MacOS version but only a week away from an iOS version.  I’ll be making my purchase immediately.  Scrivener is, to my mind, the single best piece of software for any writer.

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Hello Scrivener Users,

Exciting times! Our iOS version is finally ready and will be released next week. Ahead of that, we have a 2.8 update to Scrivener for macOS ready, which you will need to download if you plan to buy and use our iOS version. Please read on for more details.

(Please do not reply directly to this e-mail address as it is only sporadically monitored – use mac.support@literatureandlatte.com or contact@literatureandlatte.com instead – thanks!)

Note: you are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to the Scrivener newsletter or because, when you purchased Scrivener, you ticked the box saying that you were happy to receive Scrivener-related news.

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Hunter Baker for Congress

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A truly great man.

Dear Readers of Stormfields,

First, as always, thank you!  I’m deeply honored (and more than a bit surprised) there are so many of you!

Second, as I hope you know, as much as I love talking about current events and political philosophy, I rarely if ever get involved in practical politics.  Not just because I’m not good at it (I’m not!), but because I might actually be a curse!  I’m 48, and I’ve yet to vote for a winning presidential candidate.  This year, I publically (well, maybe “openly” is a better description), endorsed Rand Paul and then Ted Cruz.  Within days of me speaking in their favor, they each dropped out of the race.

So, Dear Lord!, please do not let this curse fall upon this great man, Hunter Baker.  I’ve known Hunter for many years now, and I think the absolute world of him.  Let me briefly list his qualities:

  • he’s his own man
  • he’s hilarious
  • he’s brilliant
  • he’s tough
  • he knows exactly who he is

And, I’m only scratching the surface and stating what is absolutely obvious to any person who has had the blessing of meeting and knowing Hunter.

Honestly, I can’t imagine a better person to serve in the House.  I’ve begun as many crazy long prayers as I can on Hunter’s behalf.  I would ask that you lend your support to him in any way possible–whether through your own treasure, your talents, or your prayers.

He is truly a man who understands the American Founding and the truths of a republic.

Yours, Brad

[P.S.  This endorsement is completely spontaneous, and it is NOT–in any way, shape, or form–approved or instigated by the Hunter Baker for Congress campaign]

X or MLK: Some Hesitant Reflections on Race

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One of the most powerful leaders of the 20th century, Malcolm X.

Over at The American Conservative (edited by the brilliant Dan McCarthy), I had the chance to offer some thoughts on the recent and exceedingly unpleasant re-arising of racial tensions in the United States.

If one believes in the superiority or inferiority of a person based on accidents of birth, one is simply not a conservative. A conservative, going back to Socrates, understands the individual dignity of every person, regardless of skin color or gender. Socrates might have spoken for the Athenians, but he also spoke for all of humanity when he stressed the need always to do good, never evil, and certainly never to do evil for the sake (as it seemed) of good. The true conservative, with St. Paul, believes that the divine image in which we’re made transcends Greek and Jew, male and female. The true conservative, with Martin Luther King Jr., recognizes that we must judge another by the content of his character, not the color of his skin. The true conservative, with Robert Nisbet, recognizes that racism is entirely a modern construct, the result of perversions of science.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/x-or-king/

Please support THE IMAGINATIVE CONSERVATIVE

The Imaginative Conservative is about to start its seventh year of existence. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in just a mere six years. Every time I go to a conference (whether ISI or IHS or Liberty Fund), I have folks tell me how much they admire Winston Elliott III, the founder, and Stephen M. Klugewicz, editor.
When Winston and I founded TIC in 2010, we never really imagined it would grow as quickly as it did. Now, there’s a whole non-dogmatic school of thought that centers around the site, its editors, and its writers.

We believe in discussion, not sound bytes, and we absolutely reject any form of ideology: left, right, above, below, next to.

I think I can also state without a lot of ego and bravado that it is one of the one or two best sites anywhere on the Internet in terms of writing and style.

As we approach not only the sixth birthday of TIC but also the Fourth of July, please consider donating to our cause. It is, after all, the cause of Socrates, Cicero, and Washington. It is the cause of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.

To support TIC, please go here: http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2013/12/help-us-the-imaginative-conservative.html

Our Hero: Socrates in the Underworld — The Imaginative Conservative

Today’s offering in our Timeless Essay series affords readers the opportunity to join Peter Augustine Lawler as he reflects on how Socrates models The post Our Hero: Socrates in the Underworld appeared first on The Imaginative Conservative.

via Our Hero: Socrates in the Underworld — The Imaginative Conservative

Mythology and Western Civilization: 17 Lectures

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Tolkien, the artist at his best.

A glorious thanks to my great friend, Tom Woods, a man of intense and abiding virtue. I’ve just completed my second set of courses for his Liberty Classroom.

The course is on Mythology and the Western Tradition. The first 10 lectures go from the ancient to the medieval. The second set focus on J.R.R. Tolkien.
Here’s the list:
With this set of lectures, Birzer considers the libertarian and humane essence of western civilization and mythology. That is, he asks exactly how human freedom is related to the stories we tell ourselves. In doing so, he considers the role of free will, the nature of man, the nature of man in community, and the relationship of the free individual with the divine (whether gods or God). A mini course in the great ideas of western civilization—in its Ancient and Medieval history and cultures—Birzer happily glides through the thoughts of the first Greek philosophers, Socrates, Homer, Cicero, Virgil, Sts. John, Paul, and Augustine, and Dante.

Why Mythology Matters

Logos and Mythos
Heraclitus and Stoicism
Zeno and Stoicism
Virgil and George Washington
Virgil and Livy
Cicero and the Natural Law
Cicero and the Natural Law, Part II
Sanctifying the Pagan
The City of God and the Divine Comedy
Why Tolkien Despised Democracy
Tolkien and Imagination
Tolkien and World War I
Tolkien and Mythology I
Tolkien and Mythology II
Tolkien and Free Will
Tolkien and Heroism
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The Ideal Friend of the Honest Historian — The Imaginative Conservative

Don’t let us utter too much evil of party writers, for we owe them much. If not honest, they are helpful, as The post The Ideal Friend of the Honest Historian appeared first on The Imaginative Conservative.

via The Ideal Friend of the Honest Historian — The Imaginative Conservative

T.S. Eliot on Good and Evil

tse time

T.S.E.

The world turns and the world changes,
But one thing does not change.
In all of my years, one thing does not change,
However you disguise it, this thing does not change:
The perpetual struggle of Good and Evil.
Forgetful, you neglect your shrines and churches;
The men you are in these times deride
What has been done of good, you find explanations
To satisfy the rational and enlightened mind.
Second, you neglect and belittle the desert.
The desert is not remote in southern tropics
The desert is not only around the corner,
The desert is squeezed in the tube-train next to you,
The desert is in the heart of your brother.
The good man is the builder, if he build what is good.
I will show you the things that are not being done,
And some of the things that were long ago done,
That you may take heart, Make perfect your will.
Let me show you the work of the humble. Listen.

–T.S. Eliot, Choruses from THE ROCK.

The Last of the Romans: Charles Carroll of Carrollton — The Imaginative Conservative

The last of the American signers of the Declaration of Independence to pass from this world, Charles Carroll of Carroll was also The post The Last of the Romans: Charles Carroll of Carrollton appeared first on The Imaginative Conservative.

via The Last of the Romans: Charles Carroll of Carrollton — The Imaginative Conservative

Meditation on a glacier — elizabeth hamilton

Over the past few weeks, since returning from a long-anticipated trip to Iceland, many of my friends and family have asked how it was and what was my favorite part. To which I usually reply by sharing the story of the glacier. Funny enough, when I think about the most enjoyable parts of the trip, my encounter with the glacier […]

via Meditation on a glacier — elizabeth hamilton

JPII: Incarnation Inspires Genius

JPIII’m not sure exactly why I needed to look this up today, but the horrific events in Florida this week made me think of JPII’s extremely Catholic teaching that every individual matters.  The following, which Pope John Paul II delivered in late 1996, is possibly the greatest explanation of Christian Humanism I’ve ever encountered.  Gleaves Whitney first introduced this piece to me when we met in the late 1990s.  While I’ve never never been worthy of what this piece argues, I can state with utter sincerity that every course I’ve taught and every book I’ve written has always had this piece at the back of my mind.

I’m taking this from the EWTN website.

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John Barron and I discuss Russell Kirk: C-Span Book TV

Russell-Kirk-at-typewriter-231x300Yesterday, I had the grand privilege of speaking with John Barron (Chicago Tribune) about Russell Kirk on live tv, C-Span’s Book TV.

It was wonderful, and John, not surprisingly, was a brilliant gentleman.  In fact, everyone at the Printer’s Row festival was simply fantastic.

I was truly honored to speak with John for 45 minutes.  A thanks (a huge thanks!) to all involved.

Enjoy!

http://www.c-span.org/video/?410275-2/bradley-birzer-discusses-russell-kirk