Even though I was a good student, economics was my nemesis. I passed it, but it was a slow slogging grind, and it didn’t quite stick. And, although I’ve made an effort to learn more about economics since then, every … Continue reading →
I’ve been visiting New York City, the place where I grew up. I decide to take a walk to the Promenade in Brooklyn Heights, never having been there before. When you approach the promenade you can’t really see what’s in … Continue reading →
[Previous posts in the series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Interlude Part 4A] There were two widely-circulated and iconographic photographs taken during the Vietnam War. If you were around then, I can almost guarantee that you saw them, and … Continue reading →
(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Interlude) PREFACE Part 4 has been a long time coming. The article itself is long, too–so long that I finally decided it would be best to divide it into segments, so readers might have … Continue reading →
The MSN headline did what it’s supposed to do–it certainly caught my eye: “Escapee elephants visit Seoul restaurant.” The article has a few wonderful details. There were six elephants in all; one elephant bolted during their daily parade outside a … Continue reading →
Just in–a new pope has been elected. He’s Benedict XVI (formerly Cardinal Ratzinger from Germany), considered a hard-line conservative. I think it’s interesting, in light of my previous post about cardinals over 80 not being allowed to vote for pope, … Continue reading →
I’m here in New York, with the unbelievably lovely weather and the daffodils all in bloom. It feels like the tropics to me. Big celebration tonight for a major birthday of my brother–which one? I’ll never tell. But last night … Continue reading →
George Orwell was certainly one for the pithy saying with a lot of punch, short and to the point. I came across a web page specializing in Orwelliana, and was struck by the number of comments that seemed to be … Continue reading →
Viewed at Roger Simon’s–the following headstone seems to have inspired me to poetry. Please forgive me; I must obey my muse. Technology gallops apace, Computers, hybrids, men in space. So, now there’s a headstone That’s shaped like a cellphone To … Continue reading →
What’s wrong with this picture (anti-Japan protests in China, via the NY Times)? It still seems strange to see mass protests in China at all, post-Tiananmen–even ones such as this, apparently organized by the government for its own murky purposes. … Continue reading →
There are few things more satisfying than finding something thought to be irretrievably lost. In my own life, this usually ends up being something as mundane as an earring or a glove. I seem to specialize in losing a singleton … Continue reading →
Well, I’m here in NY, at my brother’s. And I’m happy to report that Amtrak is much improved, despite the lack of fancy high-speed Acelas. The milk train doesn’t stop anywhere anymore; even the slower train wasn’t so very slow, … Continue reading →