Does it seem as though five years have passed since that dreadful day of the stunningly blue sky, the orange flames, the plumes of grey-black smoke? In some ways it seems a lifetime; one looks back at before-9/11 and thinks … Continue reading →
Two days ago I got a flat tire. I was in a hurry, as usual, racing to meet a friend for dinner, and as I pulled out of my driveway I immediately heard the sickening “flub” and felt that pulling … Continue reading →
Victor Davis Hanson has written a compelling piece on the current moral malaise in the West and its pernicious effects. It’s a topic many of us have been hammering home lately, although Hanson–as usual–says it especially well. Hanson makes a … Continue reading →
Yesterday I went to the town dump. I live in a town where–despite fairly hefty property taxes–we don’t have garbage collection. I’m not sure why, but my guess is that there’s some sort of ethos here that garbage isn’t esthetically … Continue reading →
I’ve written before (here and here) about the park near my house, where I so often walk. Fourth of July weekend is a big holiday there, especially when the weather is lovely, as it has been this year (and, after … Continue reading →
I try to do about three miles of brisk walking every day for exercise. On rainy or snowy days, I’m off to the gym and its treadmill, which feels like–well, like being on a treadmill. But on beautiful days or … Continue reading →
In the Atlantic article I discussed yesterday, a name on the first page caught my eye: Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, the Iranian foreign minister at the time of the hostage crisis. Suddenly, although I hadn’t thought of him in decades, the memory … Continue reading →
[This is the first installment of a two-, three-, or possibly even four-part series. I plan to publish the posts in the series on consecutive days.] The story of the CIA detention centers leak raises issues far bigger than the … Continue reading →
Dr. Sanity has written here about our current desire for a perfect, error-free war. No, not our desire; our demand. It often does seem as though the prosecution of this war is being held to an impossible standard, quite unlike … Continue reading →
Much of what I write on this blog refers back to history, with the goal of trying to make connections between then and now. Many times after I’ve written a post of that sort (or any sort, actually), I read … Continue reading →
Part of an interesting piece by Dr. Horsefeathers on the subject of Kipling, posted some time ago (ignore the spambot dump that the comments section of that post has managed to become) , is the following observation on Kipling and … Continue reading →
While I was researching something or other a while back (I think it may have been this post about the causes of war), I came across a brief reference to dueling. It struck me that dueling seems related to the … Continue reading →