Monthly Archives: October 2007

CAPITALISM AND FAILURE; DEMOCRACY AND FAILURE.

CAPITALISM AND FAILURE; DEMOCRACY AND FAILURE. Taleb in THE BLACK SWAN makes an original argument for free markets. He argues that capitalism is superior to other systems mainly because it encourages risk taking and failure. I have seen an analogous … Continue reading

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SMALL TOWN SOCIAL STATUS.

SMALL TOWN SOCIAL STATUS. Dick Weisfelder in his comment about General MacArthur refers to David McCullough’s biography of Truman. One of the things that struck me in that book was that Truman’s mother-in-law felt that her daughter, Bess, had married … Continue reading

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GENERAL MACARTHUR’S VISIT REVISITED (COMMENT).

GENERAL MACARTHUR’S VISIT REVISITED (COMMENT). I was surprised to see that Dick Weisfelder, who grew up in the Bronx, also experienced the return of MacArthur to the United States as of great importance. I had thought that much of my … Continue reading

Posted in History, Journalism | 1 Comment

WEDDING SONG.

WEDDING SONG. The bride, Catherine, sweetly sang “Feels Like Home,” by Randy Newman. Mary Jane and I thought of our wedding, thirty-four years ago. Thanks to Alan and Catherine Hayashi. An excerpt: Something in your eyes Makes me wanna lose … Continue reading

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OZZIE AND FREE PIZZA.

OZZIE AND FREE PIZZA. In the spring, Baseball Prospectus made a splash by predicting that the White Sox, who had won over 90 games the last two years, would win only 72. They won 72. I have always been happy … Continue reading

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“MICROACCENTS” IN ITALY.

“MICROACCENTS” IN ITALY. I posted here about how many local languages there were in France at the time of the French Revolution (only about 11% of the population spoke French). Tom Shippey in a review in the Times Literary Supplement … Continue reading

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LOU PINIELLA.

LOU PINIELLA. One of the things that good managers do is to get their best players on the field. Piniella got 750 good at bats in the middle of his infield from Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot, who were buried … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Sports | 1 Comment

MISTAKES IN ECONOMICS.

MISTAKES IN ECONOMICS. Kids, here is a useful guide to four major errors in popular thinking about economics from Bryan Caplan. Caplan is also the author of THE MYTH OF THE RATIONAL VOTER: WHY DEMOCRACIES CHOOSE BAD POLICIES. The book … Continue reading

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GO, CUBS!

GO, CUBS! The Cubs are in the playoffs! As I said here, like a lot of White Sox fans, I will be happy if the Cubs can go all the way. I sometimes say that I’m a fair weather Cubs … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Sports | 2 Comments