Every now and then, some small fact grabs my attention and piques my curiosity. Last night, it was the rules for selecting the next pope. I had always perceived the Vatican to be one of the last and greatest strongholds … Continue reading →
I’ve been trying to write Part 4 of the “mind is a difficult thing to change” series (see right sidebar for links to the earlier parts), and it’s been slow going, much slower than the others. I’m pretty sure it’s … Continue reading →
Well, here it is, the invention I’ve been waiting my whole life for: Clocky, a clock that rolls away after you hit the snooze alarm, forcing you to get out of bed to turn it off when the alarm sounds … Continue reading →
When I was in college we were required to dress for dinner. “Dress,” that is, as in “wear a skirt or a dress,” not as in “put clothes on.” All meals had to be taken in our dorm, and anyone … Continue reading →
Ann Althouse points out that, in today’s Guardian, Saddam is reported as having been “upset” by watching the news that Talabani was selected as the new President of Iraq. The Iraqi human rights minister is quoted as having told Reuters: … Continue reading →
I was reading a thread at LGF about Talabani’s selection as interim President of Iraq, when I saw this remark by a commenter named sandspur: Just saw a little clip of Talabani on FNC. Sorry I can’t quote him verbatim, … Continue reading →
It’s very close to the second anniversary of the fall of Saddam, and the news is good. Very very good. For this anniversary season, I think it only fitting that Iraq has just elected Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani to be … Continue reading →
My 91-year old mother is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, formed in the crucible of the Great Depression and not to be swayed. Not that I’d want to sway her; it’s perfectly OK with me at this point. I’m just happy she’s … Continue reading →
Dr. Sanity is not pleased with today’s Paul Krugman column in the NY Times, in which Krugman attempts to deal with the question of why there are relatively few Republicans in academia–not only in the humanities, but in the sciences, … Continue reading →
I hope you’ve had a chance to look at this magnificent profile of Hirsi Ali in last Sunday’s NY Times Magazine. It is certainly “riveting,” as the Big Trunk at Powerline writes. I’m not quite sure why he calls it … Continue reading →
I join so many others in saying: Pope John Paul II, rest in peace. I wanted to write something about Pope John Paul II, although I’m not a Catholic. The picture that keeps coming to my mind is what he … Continue reading →
Today a gloomy story in the Globe caught my eye, indicating that a disfiguring lobster shell disease may be heading northward. This isn’t good news at all. New England lobstering is a lucrative and important industry, with its own rather … Continue reading →