Book Review: Ethics for Beginners by Peter Kreeft

Ethics for Beginners: Big Ideas from 32 Great Minds by Peter Kreeft

Following his usual humorous and direct style, Kreeft presents the ethical stances of almost three dozen people from the history of human thought, running from ancient Asia to modern America. Most summaries are two to five pages long, outlining the main idea of the thinker, giving some critical assessment, and finishing with a short bibliography for further reading on that thinker. His explanations are clear and cover the basics.

The book shines in its extra parts. The introduction is broken into nine introductions, describing the audience of the book (open-minded beginners and teachers using the book), the value of the topic, and the variety of opinions about the topic. The tone is light but serious, giving a good grounding for what comes afterward.

The book also has several appendices, providing study questions or essay prompts for each thinker. Kreeft also provides some writing and discussing advice--how to have a Socratic debate, how to write a Socratic dialogue, how to write a logical essay, and how to write a Summa article. His long experience as an academic is in play and makes the book a useful tool in an educational setting.

Highly recommended. Even if you are an expert in ethics, there's probably something new or useful for you here.

TV Review: Mob Psycho 100 (2016)

Mob Psycho 100 (2016) written by Hiroshi Seko based on the manga by One

Shigeo Kageyama is a regular middle school student except he has psychic powers. He keeps a low profile at school and the rest of his life, keep his powers in check and never using them against other people. Sometimes he might show off but he is more worried about than impressed with his own abilities. He goes to a psychic consultant named Reigen to get advice. Reigen's business is a sham--he pretends to be a psychic and solve supernatural cases, though he just tosses salt around most of the time. When he realizes Shigeo (who is nicknamed "Mob") has authentic powers and can banish evil spirits, he takes him on as an assistant so he can "teach" Mob how to control his powers. They start having odd adventures battling local disturbances and larger, more organized psychic problems. Meanwhile, Mob tries to fit in at school. He joins the body-building club to get more exercise and a more impressive physique. The jocks are amiable fellows devoted to working out and take him under their care. He's also in a telekinesis club, though they mostly play games and eat snacks. They don't initially know about Mob's powers. And, being a school student, he has a girl he's interested in but too shy to talk to.

The show is a great blend of action and comedy, with occasionally very serious bits. Mob is good-natured and tries to help out people, often trying to talk them out of doing bad things before using his powers. Some situations escalate out of control and he has to use his powers. He also sometimes escalates out of control, with his emotions hitting "100" and resulting in a power outburst. Most of the rest of the cast are good-natured and helpful. Normally, in a situation like this the jocks would be bullies/antagonists but they are on Mob's side. Reigen is comically fraudulent and does give good advice and guidance to Mob. Mob is able to turn around some of the bad guys, including an impish spirit called Dimple. I was surprised how charming and inventive the show is, though I am definitely a fan of oddball things.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 32 by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo Volume 32: Mysteries by Stan Sakai, with additional contributions by Julie Fujii Sakai

More adventures from the rabbit ronin!

The Hatamoto's Daughter--Usagi heads to Inspector Ishida's village and discovers a dead man and his living daughter in the forest. Bringing the girl into town, Usagi does not realize the trouble he is getting himself into. This is another compassionate, well-crafted tale that I found very satisfying.

Death by Fugu--Fugu is a famous sushi made from puffer fish that can be deadly if not prepared correctly. In this story, Inspector Ishida investigates a death caused by eating fugu. Is it an attempted assassination or an accident caused by a less than skillful chef? Usagi joins in the search for answers. I thought this was just okay.

The Body in the Library--Kitsune, the master thief, gets more than she bargained for when she robs a supposedly empty house and comes across a dead body (but, intriguingly enough, not in a library). The police break in, accusing her of murder. Inspector Ishida and Usagi are on the job. They try to clear her as the situation gets more complicated (and a body is found in a library). It's another fun outing.

Mouse Trap--Nezumi is a popular thief in town who robs from the rich and gives half to the poor, making him the darling of the people. Ishida and Usagi have a hard time chasing him down. Nezumi witnesses the murder of a local merchant who wasn't paying protection money to local mafia. The bad guys saw him and pin the blame for the murder on Nezumi, though Usagi and Ishida are certain Nezumi is no killer. As they investigate further, the crime conspiracy grows larger. The story is exciting and has a nice climax tying in the previous stories.

Chibi Usagi and the Big Bad Jei--A bit of a joke tale with the young Usagi bringing breakfast from town for his master. In the woods, Jei takes the sack full of food by force and eats it himself, which works out well for him until the day Usagi brings two sacks. I laughed, so the story worked. The chibi art was fine.

Chibi Usagi and the Goblin of Adachi Plain--Another joke tale, this time reimagining a great battle as a great marble competition, with Usagi drawn into a second fight many years later. This was less funny than the last story but still entertaining.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Silverado (1985)

Silverado (1985) co-written, produced, and directed by Lawrence Kasden

Fresh-out-of-jail Emmett (Scott Glenn) is ambushed by a mysterious assassin in a remote cabin but turns the tables on his would-be killer. It's the late 19th century American Southwest, so he takes the guy's horse back to civilization, presumably to sell it or find out about who wants him dead. He picks up an eccentric cowboy named Paden (Kevin Kline) whose lost everything, including his boots and clothes. When they get to town, they find more trouble and help out another loner, Mal (Danny Glover), who is just passing through and wants a drink and a bed for the night, though the local racists make trouble. Emmett discovers his brother Jake (Kevin Kostner) has been jailed and will be hung the next day. Emmett breaks him out in the morning, forcing the four cowboys (Emmett, Jake, Mal, and Paden) to flee. Their next stop is Silverado, where Emmett and Jake have a sister they want to say goodbye to as they head off to California to seek their fortune. Mal's parents have a farm just outside of town. Paden is along for the ride. They discover more trouble when the get there...a lot more trouble.

This is an unabashed throwback to classic westerns, full of tropes and common images. The cowboys help out a wagon train, have a street fight with the bad guys, drink whiskey in saloons, ride all over the range, discover a box-canyon hideout, fight corrupt sheriffs, cause a cattle stampede, shoot guy who falls off the rooftop down to the street, etc. etc. The creators show no cynicism or revisionism, just a wholehearted enthusiasm for an exciting adventure in the Old West. It's such a delight with a cast that shines in their roles. The plot is a little convoluted but the film has so much energy and charm, it is easy to forgive.

Recommended, highly for Western fans.

Cute Kid Pix August 2026

More photos that didn't make their own post...

Our son played in his first chess tournament. He was nervous but excited. He wound up with three wins and one loss, so that was encouraging. Since it was his first tournament, he was in the "unranked" group for his age. He is interested in going to another one.

Contemplating his first move

At home, we introduced our godson and his brother to Gizmos, a fun tableau-building game where players are making a Rube Goldberg device to win a science fair. 

Contemplating my next move

We went out to lunch with some visiting friends but forgot to take a picture with them at the restaurant. We exchanged photos via cell phone.

Our half of the photo exchange

Our daughter went to visit her grandparents in Minnesota. They had her working on a deck out in the woods. With enough work, it will be a tree house, though that will require a few more trips.

Working in the projects

Our dance studio, That's Dancing, had a 1980s dance, so we dressed up a bit.

Not too dressed up

Our son had a birthday outing at Urban Air, an indoor trampoline and adventure park. One of their favorite things was the battle pit, with a narrow beam on which competitors fight it out. 

Ready to challenge the champ

Blocking

The climbing area was also very popular.

So many choices

He makes it to the top

A close up so you can see him

Going down is easier

High ropes action

Spider-time

Jump and duck activity

Back home, we had some more celebrating. One of his presents was a Super Mario Chess Set, which was fun to play with. Fortunately the pieces are labeled with which chess piece they are, so you don't accidentally play Peach as a queen. For some reason, Mario is the king and Luigi is the queen, not Peach. Peach is a bishop, which is also weird. At least Yoshi is the knight!

Contemplating his next move

I was running errands and ran in to the BWI Airport to get a virtual geocache. I've been meaning to get it done every time we go to the airport, but we are always in a rush to get through security or to get home. The blue crab is a Maryland mascot and the sculpture has been there for a long time.

Glass sculpture and me

Book Review: Voices of the Winds by M. Edmonds et al.

Voices of the Winds: Native American Legends by Margot Edmonds and Ella Elizabeth Clark

This book is a compilation of folk tales from Native American tribes in the United States and Canada. The sets are divided into regions like Northwest, Southwest, Central Plains, etc. Each story is identified by the tribe it came from, often with a brief historical description of the tribe. The tales range from creation myths and tribal origins to anthropomorphized animals and tribal legends. Many a chief has a beautiful daughter whom most of the young men want to marry; many a rabbit or coyote pulls a trick on a larger, tougher, but dumber animal (including human animals). There's a lot of charm and some repetition on display here but overall it's an entertaining lot. Most stories are a page or two with occasional illustrations of various Native American artifacts, from weapons to pipes to baskets. I enjoyed the book but there's nothing ground shaking here.

Mildly recommended--if you like folk tales, this provides a ton.

TV Review: Wonder Man (2026)

Wonder Man (2026) created for television by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest based on the Marvel Comics 

Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a hard-working actor who works too hard on his performances. He tries to dig into his characters' back stories, even on set when the rest of the production is ready to go, not to renegotiate the narrative. He gets fired from his current job. Desperate, he hears a childhood movie hero, Wonder Man, is being rebooted by a German auteur director, so he moves heaven and earth to get an audition. He happens to run into Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who is also down and out. Williams idolizes Slattery, who helps him out and is also trying out for Wonder Man, though in another role. Slattery has ulterior motives. The Department of Damage Control has taken him into custody and blackmails him into befriending Williams so he can get the dirt on Williams. Damage Control suspects Williams is dangerous, which viewers see at one point when Williams stresses out and causes a bit of destruction in his apartment through some sort of superpower. 

The show has more than a bit of Hollywood narcissism--a story about actors and their tough lives, with lots of name dropping and famous locales. I found that aspect disappointing though I am sure others would enjoy it. On the other hand, I liked the growth of Simon's character, away from a self-defeating perfectionism and self-centeredness. A lot of it is due to his friendship with Trevor, which is all a front at the beginning. Trevor learns to like Simon and hate that he is betraying him. They have good chemistry together and their misadventures are entertaining if not always sensible. The ending is especially satisfying.

Recommended, especially for Marvel fans.

As I write (September 2026), this is only available on Disney+.