Not too long after 9/11, I read an interview with Mohammad Atta’s father in which he said his son could not possibly have committed the attack. I would have written this off as the typical and understandable reaction of a … Continue reading →
The other day I happened to be catch part of the Powerball winners’ interview on TV. I missed the beginning, so I didn’t hear all them speak. But I thought those I did hear were very impressive. There were eight … Continue reading →
Dr. Sanity has a post that’s well worth reading, on the topic of identification with the aggressor–how it begins as a normal process in childhood, enabling a child to manage threats and anxiety, and how it sometimes morphs into the … Continue reading →
As promised, I’ve got more to say about Moby Dick. Just think of it as that essay I struggled with in high school, redux (and, by the way, I’m still struggling). I prefer to state the question about the symbolism … Continue reading →
In yesterday’s post about “The Road Not Taken,” the first commenter, “anonymous,” related the poem to the second-guessing of political and military decisions. Anonymous writes: Frost’s poem reminds me once again why I get so annoyed with those who demand … Continue reading →
I’ve been asked by Shrinkwrapped to come up with my suggestions for the “Top Ten Things New Yorkers Can Do to Stay Sane in ’06.” I’m not ordinarily one for giving advice (I don’t think people usually take it), nor … Continue reading →
No, it wasn’t technically the first snow. We’d had a few flurries earlier this fall. Once, a tiny bit had even remained on the ground for a few hours, before melting. But yesterday was the first true snowstorm, signalling the … Continue reading →
Wretchard of Belmont Club has written another of his signature, deeply thoughtful, posts. All I can say is “read the whole thing.” Well, no, actually; that’s not all I can say. Wretchard is writing about whether we can afford the … Continue reading →
A few years ago I saw the last few minutes of a TV documentary. Those moments made a deep impression on me, although I saw so little of it I didn’t really even know who or what it was about, … Continue reading →
Dean Esmay has a good post up about how the assumed failure of pre-war intelligence on WMDs is unlikely to have been the result of a conspiracy, but is very likely to have been an error. In it, he talks … Continue reading →
Varifrank posts a fine rant about those modern-day prognosticators who never seem to be called to account for the failure of their predictions of doom and gloom to come true (with, of course, the sole exception of Bush and the … Continue reading →
A while back I was complaining (me, complaining?) about the weather and the lousy fall we’ve had this year. Well, it’s still fall, although just the tail end of it. Most of the leaves are gone, and the rest have … Continue reading →