June, 2022 archive
“A Republic, If You Keep It” 0
Michael in Norfolk points out that that seems to have become very big if.
And I share his qualms.
I can’t shake the feeling that we are in the midst of a slow-motion cour d’etat.
Lies and Lying Liars 0
The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini parses the perfidy.
All the News that Fits 0
As someone who smoked cigarettes for a number of years, I can attest that cigarettes are not a positive factor and that nicotine is not a good thing.
Freedom of Screech 0
Shorter Elon Musk: Freedom of speech for me, but not for thee.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yes, correlation can sometimes indeed show causation.
Originalist Sin 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Ira Hyman explores what he refers to as the “The Cognitive Illusion of Constitutional Originalism.” Here’s a tiny little bit of his article (emphasis added):
I commend his article to your attention as a valuable and timely–especially timely–read.
Recommended Listening 0
If you are a mystery buff, as I am, you might want to check these out:
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 2
The American Rivals of Sherlock Holmes.
They are anthologies of short stories, mostly from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, by authors contemporaneous with Arthur Conan Doyle. Some of the stories are, shall we say, better than others. Also, do not be surprised when some of the stories perpetuate the prejudices of their times (I’m thinking specifically of “The Affair of the Tortoise,” chapter 17 of The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1).
Me, I’m currently (re-)reading the first Ellery Queen novel, The Roman Hat Mystery. I realize on rereading it what I did not remember from my first reading lo! those many years ago! It’s actually rather slow-moving and pedantic (but, then, so am I). I think the secret of its success, beyond the well-crafted mystery (and it is a well-crafted mystery) is the characterization, particularly the relationship between Ellery and his father, Inspector Queen.
In a way, that fits a theory of mine. I’ve long thought that the secret of a successful television series is the characters and their relationship. If the series pulls that off, fans will overlook the occasional lousy episode, because they like the characters. But I digress.
The Rule of Flaw 0
Badtux has a theory about the Supreme Court’s radical disregard of precedent in the two big decisions rendered last week.
Frankly, I don’t think that much planning went into those decisions. I think the conservatives right-wing radicals on the Court were taking advantage of opportunities as they came along. But, as regard the long-term results, I think that Badtux may well be onto something.
We are a failing state.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Sometimes the Freudian slips . . . .
Twits on Twitter 0
Twits who rain on the parade.
Yes, indeedy-do. “social” media does contribute to dis coarse discourse, of coarse it does.
![[Panel 1: Elvie is talking to Bob, who suddenly breaks off, mid-word] Elvie: I hear you've got a new job at Alphabet. Bob: Yeah, I'm working for *YouTube*, helping to train the algo-- [Panel 2: Close-up of Bob, who has switched into an alter-ego. His speech bubble is a different colour and there are speed lines in the background to indicate him flipping into another](https://peppertop.com/elvie/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Elvie_090_en_GB.jpg)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Florida Man had his politeness in the bag.
