Maltreatment of women in the Middle East
Mona Eltahawy writes inForeign Policy: In “Distant View of a Minaret,” the late and much-neglected Egyptian writer Alifa Rifaat begins her short story with a woman so unmoved by sex with her husband...
View ArticleBenanke knows how to attack the problem the US faces, but only if it’s in...
Very interesting article by Paul Krugman in the NY Times Magazine: When the financial crisis struck in 2008, many economists took comfort in at least one aspect of the situation: the best possible...
View ArticleBullying the Nuns
Very nice post on the NY Review of Books Blog by Garry Wills: The Vatican has issued a harsh statement claiming that American nuns do not follow their bishops’ thinking. That statement is profoundly...
View ArticleWhen we create a poisonous environment
I don’t know how many tons of toxins—that is, items specifically created to be toxins—humans push into the environment each year: beyond the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides industry agriculture...
View ArticleWhy Muslims are so touchy about the Q’uran
Very interesting article in History Today by Tom Holland: Midway through the eighth century a monk living in the monastery of Beth Hale in Iraq recorded the arrival there of an eminent visitor. A ‘Son...
View ArticleInformation in human culture
A very interesting article (and discussion of books) in an interview by Eve Garber of history professor Ann Blair as part of The Browser’s ‘Five Books’ series. It begins: Our topic is the history of...
View ArticleSecond eye surgery scheduled for tomorrow at 5:30
P.M., thank God, not A.M. (We were worried.) We have to be at the hospital in San Jose at 3:30 p.m. (all the admissions procedure, which is lengthy), and then the surgery is expected to take 2.5 hours...
View ArticleCulture shock
A friend who once helped train Peace Corps volunteers was trying to explain to me about culture shock. Culture shock is not that they eat odd foods. Culture shock is when they say or do something that...
View ArticleGood thing we went to doc yesterday
When I called the office the very first thing yesterday morning, the initial response was that the doctor would see me on Monday. I wasn’t having any of that, based on what I had learned from my first...
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Extremely nice shave
I took a break from the non-lathering shaving creams for today—though I just had to use one of the Mystic Water soaps I ordered, so picked the Sandalwood Rose, an interesting and pleasant fragrance....
View ArticleAnalytical thinking undermines religious belief
A very interesting case of bending the needle: trying to prevent analytical thinking in order to prop up religious belief, which I think is the mission of many of the conservative Christian colleges...
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Travelers: Avoid air travel in and from the US
The TSA is not worth it because they don’t understand the requirements of working in a free, democratic society in which citizens are to be treated with respect, not as criminal terrorist suspects....
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Temporarily inactive. Here’s why.
Photoboth, via screen shot. Not so painful, in fact, but vision in my left eye (Photobooth apparently does mirror image rather than actual orientation: the bad is on my left in fact) is compromised....
View ArticleMovie & progress notes
Movie note: Rango is surprisingly excellent. (Watching movies is okay with my eye.) Eye note: Terribly swollen this morning, but ice pack took it right down. No pain, just sort of not able to do fun...
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Fine shave
Fine shave. Eye still quite swollen but ice-packs help. Will see retina surgeon at 11:00 today for follow-up visit. Still no reading. Good Krugman column in NY Times this morning.
View ArticleRegular blogging will resume tomorrow
Just back from the doctor, who said that I may read. Apparently the scleral buckle makes a big difference—that’s also why I don’t have to lie in bed on my side for 5 days straight. But today I’m going...
View ArticleWatching Rango again
Brilliant movie. And the “making of” feature isn’t bad. But the movie’s really something.
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