Categories
Archives
Recent Comments
- ADAPTING GATSBY. (1)
- Mary Jane Schaefer: I think these are crucial, important decisions, what to leave out of any literary work, maybe any...
- DAMIEN HIRST—AN ART MARKET BUBBLE?. (1)
- Kate Bush: I hope you enjoy my visit to the Damien Hirst show as much as I did The Technical Impossibility of...
- THE MOST IMPORTANT EPISODE OF THE SIMPSONS ? (COMMENT). (1)
- Nick: Homer does has success as the team’s best hitter until Mr. Burns places a bet with a rival factory owner...
- THE “RIGHT TO EDIT”. (1)
- Lee: A relevant Simpsons clip.
- ULYSSES—VIRGINIA WOOLF LIKED THE BOOK, DESPISED THE AUTHOR. (3)
- A DEFENSE OF INVASIVE SPECIES. (3)
- Dick Weisfelder: Today’s Toledo Blade has an article on the importation of live Asian carp to Canada to serve...
- Lee: The downside is that red squirrels are way cuter than their gray cousins. Hitchens on the subject.
- THE OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE STARTS ITS 32ND SEASON. (COMMENT). (5)
- frank martin: Have been in a an Al only Roto league since 91… started at Ohio University were we all went to...
- DEATH OF A BUMBLEBEE. (1)
- Nick: By contrast, I remember witnessing the entire thing. I was surprised by Annalisa’s reaction and...
- ANOTHER VOTE ON UMBRIDGE. (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: When I look back at one of the Potter books, it’s usually this one. There are just a lot of...
- THE SCARIEST VILLAIN IN HARRY POTTER? (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: Didn’t we all meet her somewhere in grade or high school?
- ADAPTING GATSBY. (1)
Meta
Monthly Archives: June 2009
A NOVEL ABOUT AQUEDUCTS.
A NOVEL ABOUT AQUEDUCTS. There is a good novel about aqueducts: POMPEII by Robert Harris. (It is also a good novel about volcanic eruptions). In it, Harris says: “The great Roman roads went crashing through nature in a straight line, … Continue reading
Posted in History, Literature
Leave a comment
HOW THE ROMANS BROUGHT WATER TO THE DESERT.
HOW THE ROMANS BROUGHT WATER TO THE DESERT. Lee Bryant sent me this article about German excavations of a 66 mile aqueduct built by the Romans to bring water to the province of “Syria” (located in present-day Jordan). Roman aqueducts, … Continue reading
“GREAT MEN ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BAD MEN….”
“GREAT MEN ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BAD MEN….” The Murray review uses Lord Acton’s language in explaining the badness of lords. Murray says: “power tended to corrupt, then as now, and it made the early 12th-century lord a paradigm of tyranny.” … Continue reading
Posted in History, Literature
2 Comments
BAD LORDS.
BAD LORDS. I learned —I don’t know quite how—to think of knights as exemplars of chivalry. Instead, knights in the twelfth century should be thought of as gangsters, according to Alexander Murray’s review in the April 30 London Review of … Continue reading
Posted in History
2 Comments
POLAR BEARS AND MARSHMALLOWS (REVISITED).
POLAR BEARS AND MARSHMALLOWS (REVISITED). I posted here about polar bears and marshmallows.
Posted in Science
Leave a comment
OTHER LESSONS FROM MARSHMALLOWS.
OTHER LESSONS FROM MARSHMALLOWS. I derived two other lessons from Jonah Lehrer’s article. First, as an identical twin, I am always interested in the twin studies done to attempt to isolate the role of nature (genetics) in human behavior. I … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Leave a comment
NOT THINKING ABOUT THE MARSHMALLOW.
NOT THINKING ABOUT THE MARSHMALLOW. Even four year olds can be taught techniques–tricks–that can improve their self control. The four year olds that have more will power already have some of those techniques. They know how to direct their attention … Continue reading
Posted in Science
2 Comments
CHILDREN WITH WILL POWER.
CHILDREN WITH WILL POWER. I posted here about psychological research that supported the view that each of us has a fixed budget of will power. If we use our will power for some purposes there will be less will power … Continue reading
Posted in Science
7 Comments
ESCAPING WITH THE CONFEDERATE TREASURY (COMMENT).
ESCAPING WITH THE CONFEDERATE TREASURY (COMMENT). I posted here about this wikipedia article which argues that John Trenholm, who made a fortune during the Civil War as a blockade-runner, was the model for Rhett Butler. My sister-in-law Margo points out … Continue reading
Posted in History, Literature
Leave a comment
WOULD YOU LIKE BEING A CELEBRITY?
WOULD YOU LIKE BEING A CELEBRITY? I have never had regrets that when I made my career choices, I rejected being a star of stage and screen. I enjoy being the center of attention for short periods of time, but … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment