Adam Blatner
Words and Images from the Mind of Adam Blatner
Why My Mother Threw Out My Comic Books (Part 3 of 3 Webages: The Comics after 1955)
Posted 3/5/2010 (This is based on a talk given 6/12/09 to the summer session of the Senior University Georgetown.) In Part 1, the history of comics from 1890s through around 1949 is summarized briefly. In Part 2, the national pressure to reform the excesses of comic books and the adventures especially of the EC comics line in all […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
Ambiguities in Psychiatric Diagnosis
In the May 26, 2009 issue (page A-13) of the Los Angeles Times, there’s an article about new trends in psychiatric diagnosis by Shari Roan, reporting from the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco. Regarding the creation of a diagnostic manual, there have been four editions, and further minor revisions: The profession of […]
Posted in Psychotherapy and Psychiatry | 2 Comments
Critique of “The End of Philosophy”
A column titled “The End of Philosophy,” by David Brooks appeared originally in the New York Times, and was reprinted on April 11 on the editorial page (A-15) of the Austin American-Statesman Newspaper, in Texas. Here are my comments on that piece: The title is valid only if we imagine that philosophy requires a discussion […]
Posted in Spirituality and Philosophy | No Comments
Adding Photos to Blog
My son David is helping me learn how to add photos to my blog. The learning continues. Here is a picture of the area around Beijing, China, where, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, they did amazing gardens and topiary. For example: Okay, viewed it. Now will add another picture: Very fast photography of a […]
Posted in Foolin Around | No Comments
Gimme Gimme
(Give me, give me; buy my this, get my that.) Our Sun City community association just had a vendor faire and I went and saw what they had, partly out of a sense of community cooperation. It was a trying experience, passing through rows of salespeople wanting my attention, wanting me to sign up for […]
Posted in Psychological Literacy, Wisdom-ing | 1 Comment
AFGHANISTAN AND THE WAR AGAINST DRUGS
We need to get out of Afghanistan, because its prevalent culture is essentially corrupt and our efforts to change it only result in our pouring money into the pockets of local politicians—who then give kickbacks to opium-growing warlords. Related to this, we should legalize drugs—including opium products such as heroin—and re-channel funds away from trying […]
Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment
Who “Has” What? The Relationship of Self and Soul
Do I have a soul, or does my soul have me? The word “have” and the notion of possession may be misleading. When you were a young child you learned about what it means to have something by associating it with simple concepts: “I have my toy, I give it away, I don’t have it […]
Posted in Spirituality and Philosophy | No Comments
Magical Mandala, March 2009
This mandala is a semi-schematic hint at how the Divine desires to bring forth the entelechy, the innate potential, of each being at every level, each according to its structure, environment, and varying inclinations. It’s a valentine message pulsing through the cosmos: “I love you not only for what you are, but also for what […]
Posted in Art (Mandalas, Doodles, Scripts) | No Comments
Reconsidering Speculation
Speculation is a word that implies to some a less-worthy category than, say, knowing, or deducing. The latter have the aura of greater maturity, more certainty. However, I want to suggest a reversal of valuing here, at least in some arenas. There are a number of mysteries and domains about which we know very little. […]
Posted in Essays and Papers, Spirituality and Philosophy | No Comments
The New Sensitivity
Evolution requires periodic shifts in what we are sensitive to and what we need to learn to ignore. In the past, we had to ignore a variety of physical discomforts or psychological traumas because we simply didn’t know yet how to avoid them! Now that we do have many more ways of ensuring basic safety, […]
Posted in Essays and Papers, History, Psychological Literacy | No Comments