A good story sets the scene as a supporting character, as much as a necessary backdrop. Few stories are good stories. Most stories—like many of our modern lives—could take place anywhere, anytime. There is no ‘there’ there. The Hunger Games, which reached the big screen in the U.S. this week, is a good story. Its […]
Keynes’ Revenge Best Served Cold
[v=Hrg1CArkuNc] Milton Friedman, in my book, can do no (economic) wrong. In Anatoly Kaletsky’s recent book—Capitalism 4.0: The Birth of a New Economy in the Aftermath of Crises (Public Affairs, 2010)—Friedman and the rest of us “market fundamentalists” can do nothing right. Following the spectacular collapse of the banking system in 2007-09, a gaggle of […]
Happy Birthday, Batman
Can Batman be 70? U.S. Census Bureau Profile America for May 7, 2009 You may Listen or download this story in .mp3 format. or as a .wav file Profile America — Thursday, May 7th. One of America’s favorite superheroes appeared for the first time this month 70 years ago — as “Detective Comics” introduced […]
The Missing Science of Global Warming
Dr. Ian Plimer’s new book Heaven and Earth debunks climate change fundamentalism.
Living too close to town
[v=_tmcUsSbmuo] Edward Abbey died 20 years ago today. The American Spectator has a nice essay that sums up my love-hate admiration for the Conservative Anarchist of the Desert Southwest: Cactus Ed was a prickly sort; a conservative anarchist, if you will, who on one hand could support eco-terrorism (a favorite motto was: “Keep America Beautiful […]
A River Runs… Through a Book
Friends don’t let friends see movies before they’ve read the book.