You think babies are just selfish slugs? Think again. According to researcher Paul Bloom (the article is long, but worth reading in its entirety), they have a capacity for empathy, however rudimentary: Human babies, notably, cry more to the cries … Continue reading →
Obama and Kagan, whispering in the faculty lounge. Does Kagan have that common touch? Kagan was no pushover as a prof. And Kagan is not gay, say friends. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The following qualifies as the … Continue reading →
This interview, in which Michael Totten interviews author Paul Berman about his new book, The Flight of the Intellectuals, is well worth reading. Here’s an excerpt from the description of the book at Amazon: Twenty years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini called … Continue reading →
Do we yet have any idea what actually happened that day the market fell so precipitously? [NOTE: This guy says he knows why it happened. But to me, his explanation sounds like “it happened because it happened.” Why did it … Continue reading →
…and then there’s Yale and Harvard. David Bernstein at Volokh wonders whether this Harvard-Yale thingee isn’t a bit much: The president went to Harvard, and barely defeated a primary opponent who went to Yale. His predecessor went to Yale and … Continue reading →
Covering-all-bases spambot: Excuse, the phrase is removed Very good idea In my opinion you are mistaken. I can prove it. Write to me in PM, we will discuss. In my opinion you are not right. I am assured. I suggest … Continue reading →
President Obama has announced the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. I can’t say it surprises me in any way, nor should it—this was telegraphed for quite some time—and I don’t think that this nominaton (or any other … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post.] Okay, who are these three dark beauties? A hint: one of them is the very first picture you’ve ever seen on this blog of neo-neocon, sans apple. Not that you’d recognize … Continue reading →
According to Gail Collins, tomorrow—Mother’s Day, May 9—could be considered the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, although there are several days contending for that honor. By the time I was growing up the Pill was already a fact … Continue reading →
The inimitable Cristopher Hitchens relates an early anecdote about Margaret Thatcher that gives a somewhat different perspective than we usually get on the Iron Lady: …[T]he Tories were having a reception in the House of Lords in order to launch … Continue reading →
Seems like a oxymoron, no? But not really: Beyond government jobs, the report showed that the private sector created 231,000 jobs. Manufacturing continued to trend up, rising by 44,000. The industry, which is leading the economy’s recovery, has added 101,000 … Continue reading →
Remember that ozone hole and all the brouhaha it engendered? Here’s a piece about the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the hole’s opening, and the circumstances of its more-or-less closing. The cause of the thing appeared to be the … Continue reading →