Taibbi’s only halfway to getting it. But it’s the second half of the mountain, the part he hasn’t climbed yet, that’s the steepest and most difficult to traverse. Here’s Taibbi [emphasis mine]: One had to search far and wide to … Continue reading →
I know there’s other news today, too, besides the Flynn case. But it’s the Flynn case that’s on my mind. It seems to me it illustrates the fact that, step by slow step over the last couple of decades (maybe … Continue reading →
Memoir is a strange genre of writing. It’s not always good, but when it’s good, it’s very very good. Two examples of which I’m very fond are Nabokov’s magnificently written Speak, Memory and Updike’s remarkable Self-Conciousness. They may not be … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat (slightly edited) of a previous post. It seems timely, as I think you’ll see as you read it. Maybe it’s always timely.] I’ve quoted the following excerpt before, because it’s one of my very favorites. … Continue reading →
Modeling can analyze data about complex systems and make predictions. But the predictive value of modeling is hampered by the fact that models are only as good as the assumptions and statistics behind them. Models have become ubiquitous in government … Continue reading →
People used to take things in stride. I realize that by saying that, I sound like an old curmudgeon. But maybe I now understand better why old curmudgeons sound like old curmudgeons. I grew up, as the somewhat-older author of … Continue reading →
I’m not even going to include a link, because you know it’s happening, and you’re probably following it yourself. Some people are seeing this as a buying opportunity. I’m staying put, though – implementing a little social distancing from the … Continue reading →
When I was a child I liked to read. Actually, I still like to read – obviously. But as a child there was a limit to the books to which I had access. The library only let me into the … Continue reading →
This post at Legal Insurrection links to and quotes a Canadian doctor on the subject of the coronavirus panic. Although I’m not a doctor, it expresses my feelings and online research quite well. Here is the gist of it: I … Continue reading →
Ammo Grrrll of Powerline writes …I seem to be at a stage in my life where I find almost everything equally fascinating and equally urgent. I can relate – up to a point. Like Ammo Grrrll, I’m also at that … Continue reading →
I recently bit the bullet and finally sent out some reels of old home movies to be converted to video files. I was worried that the films would be lost or destroyed, or the lesser but still significant worry that … Continue reading →
Simone de Beauvoir and her even-more-famous lover Jean-Paul Sartre, darlings of feminists and the left, were loathsome characters in their personal lives as well in their politics, despite the heroic and self-aggrandizing legends they took great pains to establish. When … Continue reading →