In the Utopian Internet Future, Journalists Won’t Have to Worry About Pesky, Outdated Concepts Like Sexual Harassment
Say what you want about old-model journalism…
Author: Tod Kelly
We All Make Our Own Paper Tigers: Amy Chua and Why ‘Culture’ Doesn’t Displace ‘Race’ the Way You Think It Does
Too often when we talk about ethnic “culture” in America, we’re really just talking about race and pretending we’re not.
Young People of the Internet: You Should Go to College, and You Should Really Stop Telling Other People Not To
More an more, people on the Internet are arguing that young people are better off in the long run by skipping college. They’re wrong.
America’s Tiger Mom and the Totally Valid, Not At All Biased, Really Scientific Practice of Ranking America’s Cultures and Races
Famed Tiger-Mom Amy Chua’s new book helpfully lets its readers know which cultures and races in America are superior, and which are inferior.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 26: St. Stephen’s Day Murders
At last we come to the end, with a song for all those that need an antidote to a month of forced merriment.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 25: The Rebel Jesus/Skyline Jig
There may not be a more Ordinary Times-esque Holiday song.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 24: Silent Night
My favorite rendition of Silent Night is the one sung by my mother.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 23: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Our last three days of this Advent Calendar will be closing out over the next three days, as we celebrate Christmas Eve, Christmas and St. Stephens Day in quick succession. This is therefore our last “regular day,” and I thought I’d post a few songs that I associate with the Episcopal church my parents, wife, and son have called home.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 22: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Has there ever been a more ironically titled Christmas song than Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas? So saccharine is the promise of the phrase “merry little Christmas” that it was not until I was an adult that I realized how achingly sad its message truly is.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 20: Good King Wenceslas
More than any other Christmas song, Good King Wenceslas is a mutt of an endeavor. Unlike other carols of more straightforward lineage, John Mason Neale’s classic is practically duct taped together.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 20: Angels We Have Heard on High
Three very different versions of the classic French carol.
More from the War On Christmas front…
Over in the threads of my Real War on Christmas post, North wondered about the “secular bugaboos that the WOC crusaders do battle against.” Who exactly are these lawsuit Grinches? It’s a good question.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 19: Wynton Marsalis and Clement C. Moore’s Twas The Night Before Christmas
The greatest Christmas recording of all time, bar none. Also, a great companion piece to today’s post on the real War on Christmas.
Sarah Palin, Clement Clarke Moore, and the Villainous Hordes of Thuggish Carolers: The Story of the Real War on Christmas
The War on Christmas in American was very real, and was won decisively in the 19th century. Tod Kelly explains why everything you think you know about Christmas is wrong.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 18: The Holly & The Ivy
Traditional carols which blended the imagery of bloody pagan sacrifices and the coming of Christ on the solstice are making a comeback.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 17: Blue Christmas
A look at the Country Western Holiday hit that morphed into a Rock & Roll classic.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 16: White Christmas
It’s one of those not so well known facts that Bing Crosby’s recording of White Christmas is the top single record of all time.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 15: Donde Esta Santa Claus?
Guster somehow managed to take one of the most annoying songs ever recorded and turn it into a holiday staple.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 14: 2000 Miles
The greatest cover of the Pretenders Christmas classic is the one by the Pretenders themselves. And the title doesn’t mean what you think it does.
The Virtual Musical Advent Calendar, December 13: The Smile of Rachael Ray
The Smile of Rachel Ray is the best Christmas song you’ve never heard of.
