Category Archives: humanities

the jolly old elf

My contemporary Jim Henley (alternate archive) reminisces: Dammit, when I was a boy we had to work at atheism and agnosticism. We walked uphill in the snow – both ways! – to doubt the cogito! Nobody handed us disbelief on … Continue reading

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arm’s length

Tyler Cowen (cited by Travis) quotes a NYT article: . . . participants [at a retreat for autistics] . . . can wear color-coded badges that indicate whether they are willing to be approached for conversation. and remarks: I will be very happy if … Continue reading

Posted in psychology | 1 Comment

how are cases named?

How did the medical marijuana case now before the Supreme Court come to be called Ashcroft v Raich? I gather that it began life as a criminal case, which would normally be titled US v Raich. Or it could be … Continue reading

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liens nus

Among the Bourgeoisophobes another Strange Bedfellows story about Ashcroft v Raich Assault Weapon Watch toward a Psychiatric State

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how soon the inevitable?

My One True Ex hears from her mother a rumor of an effort to “put the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress and the British Library on line”, and commands me to ask my Vast Network of Contacts … Continue reading

Posted in humanities, neep-neep | Leave a comment

Argentine dialect?

Mail through yahoo.com.ar yesterday carried the tag Ahora podés usar Yahoo! Messenger en tu Unifón . . . . Shouldn’t podés be puedes?

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QotD

Acton: Many men have compressed their entire wisdom into portable aphorisms. Others have had it done for them. Epigraph to — what else? — a collection of excerpts from the writings of Lord Acton. I became curious as to when … Continue reading

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