Remarks
"The only reliable lesson the past teaches us is how locked we are in the present. People ask, Where are the great Hollywood movies, the great pop songs, the great television newsmen, the great Democratic presidents, the great public intellectuals, the Great Books?, as though these were all eternally
Intellect
In his recent book, Fooled by Randomness, hedge-fund operator Nassim Taleb twists a familiar saying to provide an analogy for people (such as, say, some mutual fund investors) who make investments based solely on past performance: IliadOdyssey Iliad
History
An odd quirk of history: A Churchill led England in 1704 at the beginning of her days of glory, and a Churchill led her in 1945 at their end. (G. K. Chesterton once made a similar remark, though he meant it disparagingly, about the Cecil family.
Politics
A headline writer for The Nation asserts the patriotism of Gore Vidal, a man who has deliberately and ostentatiously lived outside his patria for decades.
Money
Ben Stein's new book, You Can Time the Market (No, Ben, you can't.)
Education
Seen on a car in Houston today: [bumpersticker] They can send me to college, but they can't make me think! [window decal] Texas A&M Engineering
Sports
A book review from the April 15, 2003 issue of Library Journal (pg. 156): The Bowden Way: 50 Years of Leadership Wisdom From an April 29, 2003 article by the Associated Press: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A son of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden pleaded guilty Tuesday to swindling millions from
Politics
Patrick Ruffini's blog is one of the more thought-provoking political blogs out there. I often disagree with Patrick, but his writing demonstrates a literacy and his research a numeracy that I appreciate and learn from, and I often forward his entries to friends. I was surprised, then,
Sports
The year is at about its halfway point -- six months since Ohio State beat Michigan, and six months until the Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor to play again -- so today, near the nadir of the year, seems like a good time to note that University of Michigan graduates have been
Remarks
The headline from an article about the Notre Dame football team in the Washington Post edition for November 23, 1963 (note that date): Irish Shooting for Atonement (I wonder if someone got fired over that...)
History
At first glance, it is puzzling that Jacques Chirac, the major French conservative of our time, led the effort (and went to such an extreme) to oppose the American government's decision to occupy Iraq. But as the founder of the Rassemblement Pour la République, Chirac is, above all,
History
In my heart, I hope that today's celebration in Baghdad is justified by future events, and that Iraqis will soon enjoy a stable government that presides peacefully over a free people. In my mind, I doubt as Edmund Burke did: [...] I cannot stand forward and give praise or