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- 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.
- PLAYING WITH MATCHES NEAR A GASOLINE TANK. (1)
- Mary Jane Schaefer: Why would the French care? As long as they take down Britain?
- NORWAY’S CHRISTMAS BUTTER SHORTAGE. (1)
- Mary Jane Schaefer: Christmas with a butter cookie shortage–in Scandinavia. This isn’t even Scrooge. This...
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Monthly Archives: August 2008
NOSTALGIA FOR THE IRON CURTAIN.
NOSTALGIA FOR THE IRON CURTAIN. My other reaction to the Russian invasion of Georgia is disappointment—no, revulsion—at the casual reaction of so many commentators to the threat to all the former Russian satellites. A large body of opinion says that … Continue reading
Posted in History, Literature, Politics, Theater
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THE “POWER GUYS” EXTEND THEIR RULE.
THE “POWER GUYS” EXTEND THEIR RULE. I think that the Russian invasion of Georgia is one of the most significant events of the last twenty years. I find that my reaction is pretty much covered by previous posts. I pointed … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics
3 Comments
A TARANTULA ON A PIECE OF ANGEL FOOD CAKE.
A TARANTULA ON A PIECE OF ANGEL FOOD CAKE. Raymond Chandler’s figures of speech are not for everybody. I remember a friend reading to me from FAREWELL MY LOVELY the evening after I had had my wisdom teeth out. She … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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RATS BEHIND THE WAINSCOTING.
RATS BEHIND THE WAINSCOTING. A difficulty in capturing the book THE BIG SLEEP in a screenplay is the vivid excess of Chandler’s narration. In one scene the narrator (Marlowe) says that Carmen Sternwood has eyes as “shallow as enamel on … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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FAULKNER AND RAYMOND CHANDLER.
FAULKNER AND RAYMOND CHANDLER. William Faulkner was one of the script writers for the movie of THE BIG SLEEP. The book reads like a screenplay, with many of the big scenes in the movie coming straight out of the book. … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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THE BIG SLEEP—NO CLARITY IN THE DARKNESS.
THE BIG SLEEP—NO CLARITY IN THE DARKNESS. How can a movie of a detective story be successful without making clear who did it? Great acting, vivid scenes, a problematic love story—but still….I think the movie gains power from going against … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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UNKNOWN PUNISHMENTS (COMMENT).
UNKNOWN PUNISHMENTS (COMMENT). I posted here on how effective the threat of a nonexistent spanking machine was when I was a boy. Unknown punishments can be very effective. A lady I knew had a threat that always worked with her … Continue reading
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UNRESOLVED MYSTERIES.
UNRESOLVED MYSTERIES. Because of the expectations of readers, the deliberate refusal of an author to provide a solution for a mystery can be very powerful. I can think of two novels that do that. THE BIG SLEEP is not one … Continue reading
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THE BIG SLEEP–DOES CRAFTMANSHIP MATTER?
THE BIG SLEEP–DOES CRAFTSMANSHIP MATTER? The Financial Times article about THE BIG SLEEP that I posted on yesterday draws the lesson that “in classic crime fiction the character of the detective is more important than any mystery he or she … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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POLITICAL CONVENTIONS ARE NEWS.
POLITICAL CONVENTIONS ARE NEWS. At the beginning of the year, I expressed my frustration here with the refusal of the networks to show the political conventions directly. I have resolved to post only once on the subject during the conventions, … Continue reading
Posted in History, Journalism
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