Recent Comments

1. about 2 years ago on Baldo

   A politician comment, but gentle and subtle, rather than vindictive — I like it.

2. over 2 years ago on Pearls Before Swine

   The philosopher Epictetus taught that you should avoid troubling yourself about matters not within your control, and exert yourself toward things that are. (The book of Ecclesiastes has the same advice, BTW.) Maybe that’s only “dumb” with a college education, but it’s still excellent advice.

3. over 2 years ago on Pickles

   If you still get to do what you want to do, who cares?

4. about 3 years ago on Doonesbury

   He still has learned nothing about himself, almost thirty years on. And sadly, nether have those who still support him.

5. over 4 years ago on Doonesbury

   Nice! I was waiting for that one.

6. over 4 years ago on Francis

7. over 4 years ago on Baldo

   Cold leftover pizza…mmm…!

8. over 4 years ago on Baldo

   It is true, however. A recent book, “The Shallows”, reviews the history of how the human brain has evolved to receive and process information, from the invention of writing and the earliest alphabets to the present day. In the context of what we’ve learned about neuroscence, each new invention has physically rewired the human brain, so that areas of the brain supporting older skills that are no longer used regularly — the verbal memory needed in a preliterate society, for instance — actually atrophy. They may not be unable to be regained, but the loss is real enough. (The book is readable and compelling; check it out.)

   Whether this is enough to qualify as “stupider”, well….

9. almost 5 years ago on Non Sequitur

   Why is this surprising? The whole point of religion — any decent religion — is to help you get there, by showing you the truth about yourself, and how you relate to those around you and to God. But religion is like training wheels: once you get it right, it’s no longer necessary. (St. Paul said something much like that in Galatians, IIRC.)

10. almost 5 years ago on Baldo

    It’s easy to assume that anime (or its printed counterpart, manga) is all about fantasy and martial arts, aimed at adolescents. Those are very popular and lucrative genres, but in Japan they’re also used for education and business applications. Even as entertainment, there are slice-of-life stories about sports, romance, school, business, and history..As for their status as art, I suggest the animated film “Grave of the Fireflies”, a harrowing and beautiful story about two Japanese orphans at the end of World War II. The story is set in a desperate time for Japanese civilians, especially two young children alone in a place where no one could afford to care for them, or even notice them. It is one of the greatest films you’ll ever have seen, animated or live action.