Monthly Archives: March 2007

THE LUCK OF RONALD REAGAN.

THE LUCK OF RONALD REAGAN. I acknowledged earlier how much I marvel that the Romans relied on the innards of birds in making important decisions. I used to say that one good thing about having Ronald Reagan as President was … Continue reading

Posted in History | 5 Comments

WAS LE BULLDOZER INEFFECTUAL?

WAS LE BULLDOZER INEFFECTUAL? Jacques Chirac was nicknamed “le bulldozer” by an early mentor. Georges Pompidou. Now Chirac has confirmed that he is not running for a third term as President of France. There was a good article in the … Continue reading

Posted in History, Politics | 1 Comment

EARMARKING REVISITED.

EARMARKING REVISITED. Another article on earmarking, which includes a Congressional reaction to the Office of Management and Budget directive that “While the administration welcomes input to help make informed decisions, no oral or written communication concerning earmarks shall supersede statutory … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

PICKWICK, THE ATHLETE

PICKWICK, THE ATHLETE. I have been reading THE PICKWICK PAPERS and have just read the part where Mr. Pickwick and his friends go to a wedding in the morning and then take a 25 mile walk (!) to get rid … Continue reading

Posted in Literature | 1 Comment

SIGHT SEEING IN FRANCE.

SIGHT SEEING IN FRANCE. Because the underlying events took place in and around Argentan in Normandy, THE LAST DUEL (the last Medieval duel) had special interest for me. We once had a quick lunch in Argentan and found it enormously … Continue reading

Posted in History | 2 Comments

A MEDIEVAL DUEL TO THE DEATH.

A MEDIEVAL DUEL TO THE DEATH. I have just finished THE LAST DUEL: A TRUE STORY OF CRIME, SCANDAL, AND TRIAL BY COMBAT IN MEDIEVAL FRANCE by Eric Jager (same title as the book in the previous post, different subtitle) … Continue reading

Posted in History | 1 Comment

A REGENCY DUEL TO THE DEATH.

A REGENCY DUEL TO THE DEATH. The New Yorker for March 12 has an interesting review by Arthur Krystal of THE LAST DUEL: A TRUE STORY OF DEATH AND HONOR by James Lansdale, which is about the last fatal duel … Continue reading

Posted in History | 1 Comment

GREENSPAN’S PREDICTION.

GREENSPAN’S PREDICTION. Alan Greenspan is reported to have said that there is a 33% chance of a recession this year. People have noted that Greenspan when he was Chairman of the Federal Reserve had been famous for cryptic utterances that … Continue reading

Posted in Economics | Leave a comment

COUNTERFACTUAL QUESTION: WHAT IF NIXON HAD NOT GONE TO CHINA?

COUNTERFACTUAL QUESTION: WHAT IF NIXON HAD NOT GONE TO CHINA? Louis Menand has a review in the New Yorker for March 12 of NIXON AND MAO: THE WEEK THAT CHANGED THE WORLD by Margaret MacMillan. The subtitle comes from Nixon’s … Continue reading

Posted in History | 2 Comments

WHY DOES THE FDA REFUSE TO USE MULTIPLE REGRESSION?

WHY DOES THE FDA REFUSE TO USE MULTIPLE REGRESSION? Patti Waldmeir has an article in the Financial Times (March 7 on internet. March 8 in the American printing) with the snappy headline, “Why the FDA must do a deal with … Continue reading

Posted in Science | 3 Comments