Monthly Archives: March 2009

‘THE WORLD IS SO FULL OF A NUMBER OF THINGS….”

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Philip

“THE WORLD IS SO FULL OF A NUMBER OF THINGS….” The opposite of Beckett’s world view is the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson that my father used to recite often at the dinner table: “The world is so full of … Continue reading →

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CRICKET WASN’T ENOUGH TO MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING.

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Philip

CRICKET WASN’T ENOUGH TO MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING. Last year, I submitted a play about Samuel Beckett (Samuel Becket Looks at the Stars) to the Chicago Irishfest festival of one act plays. It didn’t win, but I posted the script … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 1 Comment

WHEN EACH UMPIRE MADE HIS OWN RULES.

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Philip

WHEN EACH UMPIRE MADE HIS OWN RULES. It’s not so long ago that each major league umpire had his own strike zone–and was proud of it. These strike zones were often lower and wider than what the rule book specified. … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Leave a comment

IMPROVING UMPIRE PERFORMANCE.

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Philip

IMPROVING UMPIRE PERFORMANCE. I posted here in 2007 on umpire ratings for balls and strikes. An article in Baseball America (March 23 to April 5) says that major league baseball is going to install a new computerized camera system to … Continue reading →

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SCAMS: FLOOD PREPARATION.

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Philip

SCAMS: FLOOD PREPARATION. The article by Pablo Torres tells about an athlete ” who invested almost $70,000 in an invention: an inflatable raft that would sit under furniture. The pitch was that when high-rainfall areas were flooded, consumers could pump … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Economics, Football, Literature, Sports | Leave a comment

IT’S NOT ONLY MADOFF: ATHLETES AND INVESTMENT SCAMS.

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Philip

IT’S NOT ONLY MADOFF: ATHLETES AND INVESTMENT SCAMS. This article from Sports Illustrated by Pablo Torre says that 78% of National Football League players have either gone bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement. For National … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Economics, Football, Sports | 1 Comment

THINGS LAWYERS DO: PUTTING FEATHERS ON THE DOG.

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Philip

THINGS LAWYERS DO: PUTTING FEATHERS ON THE DOG. A wonderful draftsman I knew used to say from time to time about trying to draft so that an entity was—as an example– one thing for tax purposes and another for regulatory … Continue reading →

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DRAFTING TO DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE.

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Philip

DRAFTING TO DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE. FNMA and Freddie Mac were supposed to provide the best of two worlds–part private companies and part public. The government got a say in their policies, but they were not on the government … Continue reading →

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LESSONS LEARNED: WINKS AND GUARANTIES.

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Philip

LESSONS LEARNED: WINKS AND GUARANTIES. Kids, I think one of the lessons to be learned from the financial crisis is to extra cautious with assurances that are not guaranties. Annalisa saw a draft of a post on this subject a … Continue reading →

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SCORN FOR LANDSCAPES IN OTHER CENTURIES.

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Philip

SCORN FOR LANDSCAPES IN OTHER CENTURIES. I posted here on Jackie Wullschlager’s observation that “Landscape in 20th and 21st century art is less than unfashionable – it has dropped off the radar screen.” Landscape was also held in low regard … Continue reading →

Posted in art, History, Uncategorized | 1 Comment