On batteries
I have never striven to be one of those parents. You know the ones I mean. The ones who would rather commit seppuku than allow their children to consume high fructose corn syrup. Whose children will only set foot in… Continue Reading
Month: December 2012
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
… an infant daughter sick with RSV. Yes, gentle readers, it was a more eventful Yule than the Better Half and I were hoping for. The Squirrel woke at 3 AM on Christmas Day for a feeding, which is not… Continue Reading
Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?
I’m currently on the philosophy job market. And, boy, does it suck. And I am shocked, shocked! For what do you go into philosophy, after all, besides the fame, the money, the table dances, the sheer respect accorded to you… Continue Reading
Comedy as Poetry
Here’s a fascinating discussion by Jerry Seinfeld about how he writes a joke. A couple of things are very striking. First, if you take out the fact that he’s talking about pop-tarts, and that his expected reaction from his audience… Continue Reading
Yes. He Went There.
Okay, Peter Singer. You have your outrageousness work cut out for you. Geoffrey Clarke, recently kicked out of the UK Independence Party, will see your views on the permissibility of killing disabled infants and raise you. He will change permissible… Continue Reading
Why Is Food the Only Product with a Carbon Footprint?
My favorite In-Defense-of-Slow-Food-Inc type food — i.e., locally grown or raised by small farmers with nothing artificial using only wind-powered barns that houses cows that live in the bovine version of Canyon Ranch spa — is Natural by Nature milk.… Continue Reading
Millicent Tuesday questions, lobule edition
First of all, an introduction. At various points in different comment threads, I have referred to a part of my soul that is occupied by an aged British spinster librarian. She wields an umbrella. She would fit right in with… Continue Reading
Resolve
We must cultivate our garden. — Voltaire, “Candide” What do we do now? After all, don’t we want to do something? Isn’t it one of those straws we are all frantically grasping at, hoping against hope to find some tiny… Continue Reading
Anguish
My son is napping right now. I usually want him to sleep as long as he can. It not only means he’s a little less prone to be grouchy later in the evening, it also means I get a few… Continue Reading
It’s time to give James Franco another chance
On Opposite Day, we do our best* to argue in service of a position that, under normal circumstances, we argue against. Coke people might sing the praises of Pepsi, Cat people might talk about why Dogs make for superior pets, Political… Continue Reading