Monthly Archives: December 2006

BAD ROADS.

Posted on December 21, 2006 by Philip

BAD ROADS. When my sister Mary Hockin came back from India, I asked her what surprised her, and she spoke of poor infrastructure and especially poor roads. My cousin Judy Bennett sent me this post about Russia. Malcolm Gladwell described … Continue reading →

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AMERICA HAS BEEN BLESSED WITH UNPOPULAR PRESIDENTS.

Posted on December 20, 2006 by Philip

AMERICA HAS BEEN BLESSED WITH UNPOPULAR PRESIDENTS. A related proposition for discussion related to yesterday’s proposition. Once again, I am looking back in time for those who weren’t there. Almost fifty years ago there was concern that the American Constitutional … Continue reading →

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AMERICA’S GOOD GOVERNMENT IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE VOTERS.

Posted on December 19, 2006 by Philip

AMERICA’S GOOD GOVERNMENT IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE VOTERS. Second proposition: The success described in yesterday’s post is attributable to American voters and the system of government rather than to the brilliance of its leadership. My argument for this is simply … Continue reading →

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AMERICANS HAVE BEEN GOVERNED WELL

Posted on December 18, 2006 by Philip

AMERICANS HAVE BEEN GOVERNED WELL. First proposition for discussion: Americans have been successfully governed since World War II. This proposition is in direct contradiction to this posting which contends that “public deliberation takes us further away from the truth.” I … Continue reading →

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ROME FOR THE ELITE

Posted on December 17, 2006 by Philip

ROME FOR THE ELITE. I am tempted to make a cheap joke about how the readers of the Daily News or New York Post will never find out these secrets: “In order to do justice to the Eternal City in … Continue reading →

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ACTIVE CHARACTERS REVISITED

Posted on December 16, 2006 by Philip

ACTIVE CHARACTERS REVISITED. I have been continuing to think about Annalisa’s post about active characters. It’s a new concept for me. I certainly agree about ALICE IN WONDERLAND. I didn’t like it as a child, and I didn’t like it … Continue reading →

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MARY JANE’S DREAMS.

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Philip

MARY JANE’S DREAMS. Retirement should be as carefree as possible. At least that’s what I think. I aspire to do nothing and look forward to the day when I wake up with nothing on my “to do” list. The Wall … Continue reading →

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OVERWORKED INTERNS

Posted on December 15, 2006 by Philip

OVERWORKED INTERNS. There is now a Harvard Medical School study which confirms that overworked medical interns make more mistakes. Why did it take so long to confirm this? Will the overwork stop now?

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THE AUTOCRAT OF THE BREAKFAST TABLE

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Philip

THE AUTOCRAT OF THE BREAKFAST TABLE. Sometimes when my father was self conscious about holding forth at a family meal, he would refer to himself as “the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.” He had recommended to us the book by … Continue reading →

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BLESS BIG PHARMA.

Posted on December 14, 2006 by Philip

BLESS BIG PHARMA. Instapundit is noting people who are grateful for what Big Pharma does in developing new drugs. Count me in. Tamoxifen, Lipitor, Herceptin. God Bless Big Pharma. Doing something because it is profitable usually means that you are … Continue reading →

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