Monthly Archives: December 2007

UPDATE–WAS PROUST A NEUROSCIENTIST?

UPDATE–WAS PROUST A NEUROSCIENTIST?Daniel Engbar has a harsh review in Slate of Jonathan Lehrer’s new book PROUST WAS A NEUROSCIENTIST (which I posted on here). Engbar argues that Lehrer overstates his case by saying that the artists and writers that … Continue reading

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UPDATE–ANIMALS TALKING.

UPDATE–ANIMALS TALKING. I posted here about the death of Alex the parrot, who had learned 150 words. Here is a skeptical account of the language abilities of animals from Professor Clive Wynne of the University of Florida (link via artsandlettersdaily). … Continue reading

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IS FREE TRADE HARMFUL?

IS FREE TRADE HARMFUL? Kids, this is probably an important development. Two eminent economists—a Nobel Prize winner and a former Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve—have changed their minds about whether free trade is a good thing. Since Adam Smith … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, History, Politics | 1 Comment

DISENFRANCHISING THE DISENFRANCHISED.

DISENFRANCHISING THE DISENFRANCHISED. Tim Noah in this article in Slate says authoritatively many of the things I said here and here. “By pushing to move their primaries to an earlier date, Florida and Michigan are essentially swapping de facto disenfranchisement … Continue reading

Posted in Journalism, Politics | 1 Comment

UPDATE—LIVING ON ALMOST FIVE DOLLARS A DAY.

UPDATE—LIVING ON ALMOST FIVE DOLLARS A DAY. This article, which I found moving, is a detailed account of the lives of three young men in Mumbai who are making a step up in the world from extreme poverty (defined as … Continue reading

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THE GREAT SPEECH OF 1948.

THE GREAT SPEECH OF 1948. Norman Mailer wrote in 1960 that one had not heard a speech as good as Eugene McCarthy’s speech nominating Adlai Stevenson since a Vito Marcontonio speech at Yankee Stadium in 1948. He did not mention … Continue reading

Posted in History, Politics | 1 Comment

PATER FAMILIAS IN FRENCH.

PATER FAMILIAS IN FRENCH. Nick has used the Google translation feature to translate some Pater Familias posts into French. Here is the link.

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NORTHWESTERN’S MOTTO.

NORTHWESTERN’S MOTTO. Here is an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education (link via artsandlettersdaily) about how colleges and universities in their efforts to improve their brands are seeking to come up with better slogans (or “mottos”). I like the … Continue reading

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THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE (COMMENT).

THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE (COMMENT). Nick and Dick Weisfelder expressed some skepticism about American voters here. I have a much more favorable opinion of the American electorate. Nevertheless, reading about Adlai Stevenson in 1960 brings to mind the story about the … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | 3 Comments

POLITICAL CONVENTIONS AS SPORTING EVENTS.

POLITICAL CONVENTIONS AS SPORTING EVENTS. I argued here that a contested convention could help a political party by creating excitement. Norman Mailer expressed the thought eloquently back in 1960: “A convention out of control would be a spectacle as extraordinary … Continue reading

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