These guys are good. Here are their recent discussions on the impeachment “trial” and the rule of law (the entire thing is a two-hour video, but I’ve cued up two rather short segments I think are especially fine): If you … Continue reading →
Commenter “Philip Sells” asks a good question: Does not Orwell’s concept of Newspeak presuppose something like Sapir-Whorf? And commenter “Frederick” responds this way: Yeah, it did, which lessened the book a bit for me…Reading it now is a little jarring… … Continue reading →
I’ve been writing about the problems with the story about Capitol Police Officer Sicknick’s cause of death since just a few days after it happened. It was clear even then that the report that Officer Sicknick had been hit in … Continue reading →
I’m not that old, but pedagogical practices in my youth seem absolutely archaic compared to whatever passes for education these days. For starters, we had Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday, and they were on their actual real birthdays: Lincoln on … Continue reading →
Here’s a little residual post-Valentine’s Day angst. I am struck by the similarity of the theme of both of these songs. I guess there are only a finite number of things you can say about heartbreak: Neil Young’s voice shouldn’t … Continue reading →
But the US Congress has covered itself with shame, as far as I’m concerned. A friend of mine likes to say, “No matter how cynical I get, it never seems to be cynical enough.” That’s the way I often feel, … Continue reading →
About six weeks ago, I wrote a post about walking songs, and in it I included a clip of Whitesnake singing “Here I Go Again.” A discussion – let’s just call it “lively” – ensued as to the pros and … Continue reading →
Several people have recommended that I read this extraordinarily powerful article by Natan Sharansky on the mental doubling that a person had to do in order to survive in the Soviet Union in which his father lived for most of … Continue reading →
[UPDATE 1:26 PM: Well, that was quick. I’d no sooner published this post than it was announced that the Democrats have done an Emily Litella and said “never mind.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Saturday that a deal has … Continue reading →
ADDENDUM: Here’s a description of the premiere of Beethoven’s 9th: …[T]he Ninth Symphony was premiered on 7 May 1824 in the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna…This was the composer’s first onstage appearance in 12 years; the hall was packed with … Continue reading →
Or perhaps this sort of thing is just peachy keen with them: Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide privately apologized to Democratic lawmakers for withholding the state’s nursing home death toll from COVID-19 — telling them “we froze” out of fear … Continue reading →
It looks like the vote will probably happen: Petitions to force a vote on whether to recall Newsom look likely to succeed — despite the obstacles to collecting signatures during a pandemic. Instead of relying on paid canvassers outside supermarkets, … Continue reading →