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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: January 2010
HOLDEN CAULFIELD RECONSIDERED.
HOLDEN CAULFIELD REVISITED. This obituary for J.D. Salinger says about THE CATCHER IN THE RYE: “Taken as portraying a thirst for authenticity by some, the work is seen by many young people these days as merely whiney.” We had a … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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“SAMUEL BECKETT LOOKS AT THE STARS”—NEW YORK CITY PRODUCTION.
“SAMUEL BECKETT LOOKS AT THE STARS”—NEW YORK CITY PRODUCTION. My play “Samuel Beckett Looks at the Stars” will be performed in New York City next Saturday and Sunday (February 6 and 7). It will be part of a program of … Continue reading
ZOMBIES.
ZOMBIES. Annalisa confirms for me that zombies are popular now. I asked her because of this article from the Economist and because I knew that she had been reading in the book described in the article: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Literature
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MY FATHER, THE CODGER.
MY FATHER, THE CODGER. On my father’s 70th birthday, we were able to assemble the whole extended family around the dining room table. As the cake was brought in, my brother Elmer asked: “Dad, does this mean that now you’re … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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KINGSLEY AMIS, CURMUDGEON.
KINGSLEY AMIS, CURMUDGEON. My father had a twinkle in his eye when he referred to himself as a curmudgeon. The Times Literary Supplement column has some quotes from Kingsley Amis that don’t seem to be said with a twinkle. About … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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WAS MY FATHER A CURMUDGEON?
WAS MY FATHER A CURMUDGEON? I have just sent a letter in defense of my father to the Times Literary Supplement. My father often happily referred to himself as “the Old Curmudgeon” when he was taking a contrarian position in … Continue reading
Posted in History
2 Comments
‘THE WOMAN WITHOUT A FACE.”
“THE WOMAN WITHOUT A FACE.” I am a devoted reader of mystery stories. Stories about serial killers are increasingly popular, probably because they provide a basis for a pattern that the reader has an opportunity to guess. Here is an … Continue reading
Posted in Science
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VIKINGS AND CELTS AND GERMANIC INVADERS LIVING TOGETHER (REVISITED).
VIKINGS AND CELTS AND GERMANIC INVADERS LIVING TOGETHER (REVISITED). You can see that Annalisa’s surprise present of John McWhorter’s book resonates with my interests, as revealed in earlier posts. McWhorter documents how the interaction of languages reflects people living together … Continue reading
WHEN LANGUAGES COLLIDE SLOWLY—THE CELTICS.
WHEN LANGUAGES COLLIDE SLOWLY—THE CELTICS. McWhorter contrasts the kind of changes to English that the Vikings brought about and the changes to English that arose from contacts with the Celtics. The difference arises because Welsh and Cornish were spoken in … Continue reading
Posted in History
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WHEN LANGUAGES COLLIDE RAPIDLY—THE VIKINGS.
WHEN LANGUAGES COLLIDE RAPIDLY—THE VIKINGS. I posted here on John McWhorter’s speculation that the process of adults learning a second language imperfectly led to the pronunciation shifts described by Grimm’s Law. McWhorter thinks that lessons drawn from language collisions all … Continue reading
Posted in History
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