Dear History 110E and Politics 117 students:
I have restored my full blog site. Hopefully it won’t crash again. Information about your courses can be found just to the left of this post.
thanks for your patience, Matthew Lasar
Rest in Peace - South of Market, San Francisco
An interesting mural in the SOMA area of San Francisco. Not sure who is being commemorated here.
Buddhism scholar and critic Bob Mason takes on the difficult question of whether Buddhism makes you feel better. In fact, wonders Bob, does anything make you feel better?
Podcast part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
That Wittgenstein guy. Source: uncyclopedia
Why do we Americans dig this Zen Buddhism stuff? Are we superficial? Profound? And what does this have to do with that Wittgenstein philosopher guy? Bob has the answers, but they’re not pretty.
Previous Bob Mason on Buddhism podcasts here and here. You can comment on this site, of course, or contact Bob with questions here.
Alas, a part of my life f
rom which I have drifted away, playing the accordion.
Attended a rally for health care reform in San Francisco today, at which this poster appeared.
That Bob Mason guy explains why all that contradictory stuff in Buddhism is actually pretty cool.
The Clarion Alley mural collection resides on said side-passage off Valencia near 17th street. Aaron Noble played an important role in putting this remarkable ensemble together. The murals on the first floor have changed over the years, but this one seems to stay put, and is my favorite.
Some genius posted this mural of Jimi Hendrix up on a wall next to a grocery store in the Lower Haight area. I took this photograph about three years ago. The artwork is gone now.
In this premier edition of Bob Mason on Buddhism, my Saturday morning breakfast pal and truly good philosopher Bob Mason explains why Buddhism is a pretty complicated thing and you shouldn’t get any ideas that it’s going to save you just like that.
