To ponder
Some time ago I took note of the following offering in a comment thread. It’s a Talmudic saying that goes like this: The truth is a heavy burden; only a few can carry it. Yes, indeed. When I did a … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Getting philosophical: life, love, the universe
Political fools for love—or sex
Mark Sanford is the latest politician confessing to cheating on his wife. You might say it goes with the territory. Politicians tend to be egotistical and aggressive. They also encounter a great deal of opportunity to stray; as Henry Kissinger … Continue reading →
Mt. Auburn cemetery on Memorial Day weekend
Yesterday I found myself in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the extraordinarily beautiful Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Mt. Auburn is one of the first “garden” cemeteries in the United States. It was begun in 1831 and designed mostly by Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn, … Continue reading →
Madoff and his sons: walking the perp walk alone?
Bernie Madoff ran quite the little family business. Back in the happier, headier days of 2000, son Mark is quoted as saying: All of his family members grew up with this being our lives. When it is a family operated … Continue reading →
Obamaphiles: it’s only love, and that is all
Here’s a rapturous account of Obama’s inauguration from ex-uber-editor Tina Brown (hat tip: Ann Althouse.) Remember, as you read it, that the author was once at the helm of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, among other credits. Brown’s fulsome … Continue reading →
The science of love: what fools these mortals be
The NY Times reports on researchers’ attempts to discover the chemical mediators of that complex emotion we call love. Some of this research has been done with prairie voles, who seem to share humans’ ability to be monogamous—although I doubt … Continue reading →
What did Mrs. Madoff know and when did she know it?
You might ask: who cares about Mrs. Madoff? After all, it’s her husband who’s the culprit. There’s little doubt that this is true. But a rather intriguing article appeared in today’s NY Times on the subject of the involvement (or … Continue reading →
Making predictions about the economy—or much of anything else
Are these guys correct, and is the worst of the recession behind us? I certainly don’t know—but neither does anyone else. It would, however, be a wonderful thing to have the answer, because we are being asked to act in … Continue reading →
Less news is good news—for now
Have you noticed a certain flatness in the news lately? The election is over. Bush-bashing is no longer so much fun—nor so necessary—because he’s on the way out. Very very soon, they won’t have him to kick around anymore— although … Continue reading →
No room at the inn—or on the airplane?
Is anyone else trying to travel over the holidays? Anyone else having trouble? My already-rescheduled flight, due to leave this evening, was unceremoniously (and unapologetically) canceled last night by the airline, which informed me via a terse email with the … Continue reading →
The night without artificial light
The ice storm that hit most of New England and some of New York last week is long gone. In most places, the shimmering coat that covered everything for a day has melted, and the downed branches and power lines … Continue reading →
Voting day
When I was a child my grade school would close on Election Day because it was used as a polling place. A day or two earlier, the booths would arrive and were set up in the gym, so we got … Continue reading →