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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: June 2009
CUTE CATS AND REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES.
CUTE CATS AND REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES. Annalisa and Lee Bryant claim to be followers of web sites that show cute cats. I posted here about Lolcat, which is a web site devoted to cute cats and novel grammar. This article explains … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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BIRDS AND JOURNALISTS AND TELEPHONE WIRES.
BIRDS AND JOURNALISTS AND TELEPHONE WIRES. Senator Eugene McCarthy said that nobody can explain why journalists focus on one news story for a while and suddenly shift to another story. He compared the journalists to a flock of birds that … Continue reading
Posted in Journalism
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THOUSANDS OF PURPLE MARTINS.
THOUSANDS OF PURPLE MARTINS. Lee Bryant sent me this report about how thousands of purple martins have returned to Shockoe Bottom in Richmond. The martins “swarm the skies” at sunset, spend the night in trees, and take off at dawn. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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CHILDREN SHOWING PARENTS HOW TO DO THINGS.
CHILDREN SHOWING PARENTS HOW TO DO THINGS. My father, who was born in 1903, adjusted reasonably well to the technological changes in his lifetime. An exception was in tuning a radio (or, later, a television set). Many a time he … Continue reading
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“DON’T WORRY. I CAN SEE.”
“DON’T WORRY. I CAN SEE.” My mother’s father also wanted my mother behind the wheel, but he still wanted a say in the driving. My mother used to laugh about the time when her family had packed for their weekly … Continue reading
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THREE RIGHT TURNS EQUALS A LEFT.
THREE RIGHT TURNS EQUALS A LEFT. Our friend Bruce Cayard sent me a link to Michael Gartner’s charming memoir of his mother and father. Gartner tells how his mother did all the driving in his family. When she got into … Continue reading
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LIVING IN CAVES.
LIVING IN CAVES. Kids, you should know (and I think you do) that as late as the 1970″s your mother had a great uncle who was living a house carved out of rock in Agri in Calabria. The Smithsonian article … Continue reading
Posted in History, Uncategorized
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THE VIA AURELIA.
THE VIA AURELIA. When I began this blog, I hadn’t realized how interested I am in Roman roads (here are posts on Roman roads). This Smithsonian article deals with the efforts of Bruno Tassan to preserve what remains of a … Continue reading
Posted in History
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“YOU WAS.”
“YOU WAS.” According to a column by Michael Skapinker in the June 16 Financial Times, there is controversy in Britain about Sir Allan Sugar being appointed to a position despite his East London accent and poor grammar. One point against … Continue reading
Posted in History, Uncategorized
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USEFUL PHRASES–“MISERY POKER.”
USEFUL PHRASES–“MISERY POKER.” There were control freaks back when I was growing up, but we didn’t have a name for them. Now, calling them “control freaks” helps us recognize them. I was engaged in an e mail discussion today with … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Sports, Uncategorized
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