I sometimes wondered if the Russian authors thought of all the myriad things for which Mr Saunders gives them credit, or if Saunders brilliance adds some of the luster. Either way, I loved this passage (Russian skaz: story has an unreliable first-person narrator): “If you’ve ever wondered, as I have, ‘Given how generally sweet people … Continue reading Review of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
Why We’re Polarized (book review)
Why We're Polarized by Ezra KleinMy rating: 5 of 5 starsCritical for understanding our politics. My wording of central thesis:The US went from our parties not being sorted by key issues before the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1965 to being sorted on most key issues. Evidence: Civil Rights Act was passed by a … Continue reading Why We’re Polarized (book review)
This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic
This is long, dense, and excellent article:https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/ Article author: "Zeynep Tufekci is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and an associate professor at the University of North Carolina. She studies the interaction between digital technology, artificial intelligence, and society." Here is my executive summary with a few observations of my own. Coronavirus spreads not linearly/deterministically … Continue reading This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic
Review of Moby Dick: Queequeg was George Washington canniballistically developed.
My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3447153622 Other poets have warbled the praises of the soft eye of the antelope, and the lovely plumage of the bird that never alights; less celestial, I celebrate a tail. ... In no living thing are the lines of beauty more exquisitely defined than in the crescentic borders of these flukes. At its utmost … Continue reading Review of Moby Dick: Queequeg was George Washington canniballistically developed.
Upside-down things about the US
(1) The 27 countries of the EU have had a more uniform and far more successful response to the coronavirus than the 50 states of the United States, despite all 50 being in one country. (2) The US President has built walls, banned travel, and stopped immigration to keep people out of our country, but … Continue reading Upside-down things about the US
A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues
A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life by André Comte-Sponville My rating: 4 of 5 stars Some of the virtues dragged on a bit, but there were so many gems. Here are a few quotes: It is better to be too honest to be polite than to be … Continue reading A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues
Plate Tectonics of Southern California
I recently moved to south Palm Springs (Indian Canyons). It turns out that within about a 2 hour drive, one can see almost every type of geological process, including most types of faults, and almost every age of rock. All because of the unique collision of 3 continental plates in what is now Coachella Valley.
The History of Fake News
The Soviets started attacking the Western Alliance with fake news (their term) more than 50 years ago. With some success (ever hear that maybe the CIA killed JFK? - that was fake news created by the KGB who had over 10,000 people doing this back then), especially since Facebook. Their well-funded operation is part of their military, … Continue reading The History of Fake News
GOP project of governing from the minority continues unchecked
The GOP project of governing from the minority continues unchecked by the majority. A president who came in second in the vote of citizens gets his historically unpopular judge approved by senators who represent 44% of our population, with senators representing 56% of our population finding Judge Kavanaugh unfit for the highest court. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/06/senators-representing-less-than-half-us-are-about-confirm-nominee-opposed-by-most-americans … Continue reading GOP project of governing from the minority continues unchecked
David Wilkins Musings 