HNN, Best group blog: "Witty and insightful, the Edge of the American West puts the group in group blog, with frequent contributions from an irreverent band.... Always entertaining, often enlightening, the blog features snazzy visuals—graphs, photos, videos—and zippy writing...."
Except for the introduction it’s behind a pay-wall for me, too.
More importantly, though, Melina was one of my best friends in grad school and is a serious and very good philosopher, as well as a body-builder. She’s written on the subject here:
“Strength in Muscle and Beauty in Integrity: Building a Body for Her,” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 2008, 35, 43-62
Since I can’t read most of the article I can’t say if it’s any good, but she and her work (both philosophical and athletic) deserve to be taken seriously.
Bell comes off very well in the piece, and I personally think her hobby’s great — thanks for the info on her article. They try for the sensationalist angle, but it didn’t strike me as successful (perhaps because while it’s unusual for a professor to compete in body building, it’s not all that unusual for a young female academic type to be lifting weights so the whole “life of the mind! but in a body!” bit didn’t strike me as all that surprising…)
I think this line, “once courted her future husband by heaving a heavy log end over end”, deserves more attention. It certainly beats all the other academic log-rolling that goes on.
“The level of steroid use in the sport is definitely an issue. People become so immersed in this world they lose sight of reality, focusing on one activity to the exclusion of all else. It’s such an obsessive and small world that once you’re out of it you think, ‘What the hell was I doing?'”
Hm. Substitute caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for steroids, and it sounds like the world of dissertation writing.
13 comments
October 17, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Ahistoricality
Is this a “CHE has jumped the shark” moment? I don’t have access to paywalled CHE articles.
October 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Colin
CHE sharked long ago, though its earnestness is adorable.
October 18, 2009 at 6:13 am
dana
I don’t think this one is paywalled, at least, I can read the whole thing, and I don’t pay anything.
October 18, 2009 at 7:37 am
Ahistoricality
I can’t. You might have an institutional subscription.
October 18, 2009 at 7:47 am
dana
Huh. I shouldn’t (esp. on my home computer.)
October 18, 2009 at 8:26 am
Ahistoricality
Did someone email the article to you? I think that gives you access for a few days.
Anyway, after a few days, I can usually use Google’s cache to cheat my way in.
Is there a sensational angle that CHE won’t exploit? I’m waiting for my “Foucauldian Faculty Fetishists” calendar….
October 18, 2009 at 8:28 am
Matt
Except for the introduction it’s behind a pay-wall for me, too.
More importantly, though, Melina was one of my best friends in grad school and is a serious and very good philosopher, as well as a body-builder. She’s written on the subject here:
“Strength in Muscle and Beauty in Integrity: Building a Body for Her,” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 2008, 35, 43-62
Since I can’t read most of the article I can’t say if it’s any good, but she and her work (both philosophical and athletic) deserve to be taken seriously.
October 18, 2009 at 8:56 am
dana
Bell comes off very well in the piece, and I personally think her hobby’s great — thanks for the info on her article. They try for the sensationalist angle, but it didn’t strike me as successful (perhaps because while it’s unusual for a professor to compete in body building, it’s not all that unusual for a young female academic type to be lifting weights so the whole “life of the mind! but in a body!” bit didn’t strike me as all that surprising…)
October 18, 2009 at 9:04 am
kid bitzer
certainly shows why you need more than just a mens sauna in the corporate sauna.
October 18, 2009 at 9:24 am
William Berry
“certainly shows why you need more than just a mens sauna in the corporate sauna.”
Thread-killer!
October 18, 2009 at 9:29 am
dave
I think this line, “once courted her future husband by heaving a heavy log end over end”, deserves more attention. It certainly beats all the other academic log-rolling that goes on.
October 18, 2009 at 2:30 pm
kid bitzer
alas, that i should have such atropine effect.
October 19, 2009 at 8:54 am
James B.
“The level of steroid use in the sport is definitely an issue. People become so immersed in this world they lose sight of reality, focusing on one activity to the exclusion of all else. It’s such an obsessive and small world that once you’re out of it you think, ‘What the hell was I doing?'”
Hm. Substitute caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for steroids, and it sounds like the world of dissertation writing.