Well, as you may have noticed, I have finally posted Part 4C in the “Mind is a difficult thing to change” series. The experience was somewhat like a boa constricter swallowing a large elephant–at least, what I imagine that experience … Continue reading →
(NOTE: Links to previous posts in the series can be found on the right sidebar, under “A mind is a difficult thing to change.”) When I try to think of the psychological/political effects of Vietnam, two things come to mind … Continue reading →
Today, as on so many days in the past, the murderers of the Iraqi people set about to blow a bunch of them to bits, and have succeeded. Sixty is today’s number. The killers must be so very proud. And … Continue reading →
John Kerry, that most consistently inconsistent of politicians, is reinventing himself, according to a Boston Globe article entitled, “Kerry adopting the rhetoric of a DC outsider.” Now, even the Globe sees Kerry as a poseur; “adopting the rhetoric,” rather than … Continue reading →
Baron Bodissey at Gates of Vienna has thoughtfully and helpfully codified the 10 Commandments of PC. Here they are (please go to his post for further explanation): 1. America is uniquely evil. 2. America is never justified in defending itself. … Continue reading →
I missed this when it first came out. But I think it presents a highly credible thesis–heretofore unremarked upon– on the deep and powerful affinities between rappers and bloggers.
Continue reading →There’s a new drug for a syndrome that isn’t actually new, but that’s gotten a new name. The drug is Neurodex, and the syndrome is now known as pseudobulbar effect, or PDA. The unsettling and positively creepy-sounding symptoms are as … Continue reading →
By now you may have noticed that I like quotations. So far, I’ve done Orwell, Churchill, and war (hmmm, is there a theme emerging here?) So, in honor of Mother’s Day (and a break with that theme), I thought I’d … Continue reading →
I’ve learned through Brainster that there’s a newly-formed organization called the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation. Their website is a bit sparse as yet, but this looks as though it could be a fascinating project. A group of Vietnam Veterans, some … Continue reading →
British politics is another of the many topics on which my expertise is virtually non-existent. But I just wanted to say that, about a year ago, on the eve of the Australian elections, I was pretty pessimistic. The three major … Continue reading →
I know it’s not a real cheerer-upper, but I recently read Tolstoi’s The Death of Ivan Illych. Actually, you could say that I re-read it, since my first encounter with the novella was in a Russian literature course I took … Continue reading →
The weather report for this weekend–Mother’s Day weekend–for virtually all of New England: in the 40’s (that’s the daytime figure, by the way), heavy rain and wind. This isn’t funny. This is extreme, even for this part of the country. … Continue reading →