The Birth of Venus and Other Beauties Podcast

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In this nutshell podcast:

* The mortification that makes the goals of the liberal education objectionable to many. Courage is required.

* The boon of the liberal education, restated, briefly, which, in time, turns mortification into contented knowledge.

Previously published as an essay on July 23, 2026.

Please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

In this nutshell podcast:

* The historical basis of the modern American liberal education and its intended civilizational, pedagogical goals.

* The diamond worth of the liberal education towards the preservation of our natural rights granted us by God and, under the Constitution, safeguarded for all citizens.

An incredible exhibit of “modern art” discovered at the Glasell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas!

I am writing a longer essay on a certain exhibit, but until then, I thought you’d enjoy REAL MODERN ART!

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Read along with this podcast here: https://birthofvenus.substack.com/p/have-certificate-are-literate-so

The subtle lighting at this dealer’s shop and museum feature these glass lamps marvelously, demonstrating an exquisite taste.

The camera captures the color very well, but not the hushed atmosphere of the darkened room, illuminated only by the light that travels through Tiffany's glass.

M.S. Rau & Co., New Orleans

https://rauantiques.com/

Episode 19 (January 23, 1950. Starring Bob Bailey’s best friend. Distributed by the Mutual Universal American Radio Relay Network.

I find this fascinating. I have discovered an early post-War paper tape (!) - pre-dating magnetic plastic tape — on which is preserved a rare specimen of the East Ruritanian State Radio Overseas Service. As you can plainly hear from the sample, The Great Leader’s Happiness Corps leads the villagers and factory workers in a “Song of Utter Contentment,” in praise of the prune rations distributed to all party members. Certainly historical and perhaps meant to be hysterical. We have no written records, sadly, to indicate the names of the speakers or if they survived the program.

This is the audio version of the essay, first published on The Birth of Venus (birthofvenus.substack.com).

Gellette Burgess and his Purple Cow poem.

Poetry requires musicality.  What many pass off as poetry is not poetry, but something else, because its writer has evaded his poetic duty by eliding at least one of its requirements -- form, meter and rhyme; but every example lacks musicality.