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- ARE PEOPLE LESS VIOLENT? (COMMENT). (2)
- Dick Weisfelder: My prior comment was just in the context of sports. Whether or not from Pinker, I have seen the...
- erik: It seems doubtful that human nature has changed. The most likely explanation would be that modern culture gives...
- HOW BANKS PREPARED FOR A U.S. DEFAULT. (2)
- GREECE’S ADVANTAGE IN THE CHICKEN GAME. (2)
- Nick: That makes sense. It reminds me of the stories Pater Familias would tell me about how in Boston the person with...
- Dick Weisfelder: Greece seems to me to be playing a game that Karl Deutsch called “underdog.” While one...
- FOOTBALL PLAYERS DELIBERATELY CAUSING CONCUSSIONS? (3)
- Nick: It was my understanding that boxing gloves were to protect the puncher’s hands and not the...
- Dick Weisfelder: Remember the Roman arenas? Bare knuckled boxing? Such injuries were taken as natural and accepted in...
- Mary Jane Schaefer: This isn’t about football. Or even sportsmanship. Well, it is about sportsmanship. But what...
- A 25 % CHANCE OF A EURO DEFAULT? (1)
- Nick: The fact that this has gone on for so long is pretty perplexing. The Economist is referring back to articles it...
- DECIDING WHAT KIND OF PATIENT YOU ARE. (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: One can be very open to new technology, but also risk averse. The recent debates about how to...
- THE EUROZONE—A CHICKEN GAME WHERE EVERY MEMBER CAN BLOW IT UP? (1)
- Mary Jane Schaefer: This is not a matter of chicken. These are all turkeys.
- ARE PEOPLE LESS VIOLENT? (COMMENT). (2)
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Monthly Archives: September 2007
COWBELLS AND TRUCKS.
COWBELLS AND TRUCKS. Kids, here comes another “back in the day” post. Over forty years ago, I was playing tennis on courts south of the Charles River in Cambridge. I heard an impressive crash and after the tennis I saw … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
SHAKESPEARE WAS A BLACK SWAN (COMMENT).
SHAKESPEARE WAS A BLACK SWAN (COMMENT). Nick commented on the suggestion by Derek Jacobi (that Shakespeare’s work was probably written by a committee) that people have trouble accepting that there can be somebody who is four or five standard deviations … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Literature, Shakespeare
7 Comments
THE LAURENTIAN LIBRARY.
THE LAURENTIAN LIBRARY. The comments to the link to beautiful libraries nominated for inclusion the Laurentian Library in Florence, which was designed by Michelangelo. These photos do not fully convey the powerful effect of the library. Notice in particular the … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture
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BEAUTIFUL LIBRARIES.
BEAUTIFUL LIBRARIES. Books do furnish a room. That is the title of an Anthony Powell novel. Lee Bryant sent me this link, which has pictures of many of the world’s most beautiful libraries. I had a momentary second thought about … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture
1 Comment
BIRTHDAY POEM.
BIRTHDAY POEM. A Lady who Thinks She Is Thirty by Ogden Nash Unwillingly Miranda wakes, Feels the sun with terror, One unwilling step she takes, Shuddering to the mirror. Miranda in Miranda’s sight Is old and gray and dirty; Twenty-nine … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
1 Comment
FORMULA ONE SHENANIGANS AND NFL SHENANIGANS.
FORMULA ONE SHENANIGANS AND NFL SHENANIGANS. The National Football League Commisioner is reported by ESPN to be considering penalties on the New England Patriots for using TV cameras to steal defensive signals of opponents. The Yahoo! Sports article says, “According … Continue reading
THE UPPER PENINSULA WAR.
THE UPPER PENINSULA WAR. I have wanted to post on The Upper Peninsula war (1843-1844, also known as the Canadian-Michigan War) for some time, but the link to the Wikipedia article has been down. I hope this link works.
Posted in History, Uncategorized
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THE WISDOM THAT CONTESTED CONVENTIONS ARE BAD.
THE WISDOM THAT CONTESTED CONVENTIONS ARE BAD. I have argued that a contested convention could help a political party. Here is the opposite view in an article (link via realclearpolitics ) which reflects the assumption among the politically savvy that … Continue reading
“MICROACCENTS” IN FRANCE.
“MICROACCENTS” IN FRANCE. I posted recently about “microaccents.” I tend to think of France as one of the first nation states and therefore one that has been highly centralized for a long time. I shouldn’t. Fernand Braudel wrote in THE … Continue reading
Posted in History
5 Comments
POURING HONEY INTO A FINE SWISS WATCH (COMMENT).
POURING HONEY INTO A FINE SWISS WATCH (COMMENT). Lee Bryant in his comment recalls an unfortunate event from my past. Years ago, I saw Kurt Vonnegut’s play, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE. If you like Vonnegut’s novels and short stories, see … Continue reading
Posted in Theater
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