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I know a couple people who had him as a high school teacher, pre-Angela's Ashes, and both said he was an excellent teacher and a very nice person.
Peter
Frank McCourt: Angela's Ashes
I am on record as saying I don't care much for stories of static, hopeless suffering. I didn't have to know much about this book to be pretty sure it was one of those, and I have recently learned that it is in fact honored as a classic of misery literature. I would never have read it if someone...
"Gibson left his plain pre-fame wife of 26 years for a younger, hotter trophy specimen, and that resulted in one of the most expensive divorces in Hollywood history. Most of his fortune and his entire reputation for 3 years of sex with a 40-something single mom.
If only Gibson had "learned" "Game" he would have left his average wife in the 1980s as soon as he was famous, and he could have shagged 1000 Oksanas by the time he was 50."
Or maybe he could have done something truly heretical and (gasp!) *stayed* with his first wife.
As for nailing 1,000 women, I'd strongly suspect it would become totally boring and repetitious after the first 100 or so.
Peter
Mel Gibson is a moron
I've been thinking of writing a post entitled "Mel Gibson is a moron" since I found out about him punching his ex-girlfriend in the face, but Lawrence Auster has done such a good job with this topic that I have nothing else to add.
[The group of young people most likely to obey the prohibition against pre-marital sex is Harvard Students. To quote the Harvard Crimson, “According to a Crimson survey of the class of 2009, in their four years at Harvard, 52 percent of the students had one or zero sexual partners.”]
Despite what popular culture would lead one to believe, most younger people are *not* running around Hiding the Salami with multiple partners. Agnostic and I think Inductivist have posted statistics about sexual behavior of young people. You'd be surprised at how little casual sex there really is.
Peter
Hypocrisy of the proles
In a comment to the previous post, toni writes: The Mexicans in CA are culturally Catholic, but no longer religiously Catholic insofar as paying attention to the moral teachings of the Church. Take a look at the birth announcements in any local paper in the state and you will see not only the...
An important question is the degree of risk faced by people in Ciudad Juarez who are not themselves involved in the drug trade. Of course there'll always be a danger of being caught in crossfire, or now bomb explosions, but if law-abiding residents are rarely targeted the city would be more livable than if everyone is at high risk.
Peter
How bad is it in Ciudad Juárez?
As some of you may remember, I recently completed a trip through northern Mexico. The amount of violence stunned me. I have travelled through the region many times; this was the first time that I felt its effect. How bad is it? The above video show yesterday’s car bomb attack. It starts ...
"How long can the liberal arts remain attractive to students who aren't going to a top 25 college when tuition is inflating faster than (pre-Obama) health insurance premiums?"
For as long as the government makes student loans freely available (though not *free*!) without regard to the marketability of the degrees being sought.
Peter
More praise for my old law school essay
An Anonymous commenter writes about my 2004 law school is a big lie essay: In 2005, I was in my first semester of law school. Thinking that maybe I had made a mistake, I google searched "law school" and "mistake" and found this essay. It was literally THE ONLY THING out there at the time that...
It's an excellent essay, more applicable than ever, but you do understand, don't you, that absolutely *no one* is going to decide against law school after reading it? Most prospective law students are in their early 20's and suffer from terminal cases of it-won't-happen-to-me syndrome.
And as I've said many times, law school has a tremendous attraction to liberal arts types because it's easy: no math, no science, no computers.
Peter
More praise for my old law school essay
An Anonymous commenter writes about my 2004 law school is a big lie essay: In 2005, I was in my first semester of law school. Thinking that maybe I had made a mistake, I google searched "law school" and "mistake" and found this essay. It was literally THE ONLY THING out there at the time that...
"You're still assuming, despite lacking evidence, that Kagan is a lesbian, ignoring the distinct possibility that she's simply single because she's unattractive and wonky.
Very smart overachieving women who are not physically attractive are severely limited to a pool of men that are almost entirely unacceptable for partnership. Very ugly but very smart/successful men aren't subjected to the same reality."
She could have had her pick of nerdy and/or introverted men. Plenty of these men are highly successful, often in STEM fields, and wouldn't be scared off by a successful woman.
I still don't think Kagan is a lesbian, however. She seems more like one of the never-married, childless, no-serious-boyfriends, indeed seemingly sexless women often found in positions of power. Heck, right on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor is mostly like that, albeit with a brief youthful marriage.
Peter
Kagan will bring sexual orientation diversity to the Court
This Kagan report, obviously produced by a far-right-wing Christian group, demonstrates that I was on target when I previously wrote that Obama nominated Elena Kagan to add gender and sexual orientation diversity to the Supreme Court. I’m not agreeing that this is a laudable goal, but many on ...
Stupidest.
Thread.
Ever.
Peter
Partitioning the United States
At Lawrence Auster’s blog, there’s a pseudonymous post explaining how to partition the United States into two countries. These kinds of ideas are always fun to read, but you need to go in with the attitude that this is just entertainment and not something that even has the remotest possibility...
Why did you do that?
Peter
No more kitten
I no longer have a kitten. I was able to return him.
[The half-your-age-plus-seven rule doesn't really apply unless the older partner is 16 or so. It also doesn't make much sense for people over 45 or 50.]
"I disagree. 13 year olds shouldn't be dating at all."
In that case the prohibition on dating should be expressed in terms of a minimum age rather than the half-your-age-plus-seven rule. Two 13-year-olds could date each other without violating the half-plus-seven rule.
Peter
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart
According to a CNN blog: Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart have tied the knot after 8 years together, Flockhart's rep confirmed to CNN. The couple wed in New Mexico on Tuesday, where Ford is filming "Cowboys and Aliens," according to People. The wedding was performed by New Mexico's Governo...
"if the equation to determine non-creepy dating range is x/2 + 7 harrison ford should be in the clear
67/2 + 7 = 40.5
[HS: So that means a 14-year old dating a 13-year old is creepy.]"
The half-your-age-plus-seven rule doesn't really apply unless the older partner is 16 or so. It also doesn't make much sense for people over 45 or 50.
Peter
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart
According to a CNN blog: Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart have tied the knot after 8 years together, Flockhart's rep confirmed to CNN. The couple wed in New Mexico on Tuesday, where Ford is filming "Cowboys and Aliens," according to People. The wedding was performed by New Mexico's Governo...
A few hours ago I turned on one of the stove burners. We have an electric stove with a flat glass surface. Some time earlier, probably last night, one of the cats must have relieved itself on top of the stove, a not-uncommon event if we don't keep the cat boxes spotlessly clean. Because the stovetop is black glass, it can be difficult to see liquids on it. As was the case today.
Suffice to say that the smell of cat urine steam is horrendous.
Peter
Kitten and HBD
He has definitely learned to stay off my bed. I sat in my bed last evening to see what would happen. So gingerly he stuck his head up on the bed to see if it might be safe. Then I sprayed the water. At about 5:30 in the morning, I saw him staring at me from my night table, but he was afraid to...
OT, but you'll appreciate this. Earlier today another agent and I went business canvassing in an upscale Nassau County downtown area. All of the business people we spoke to were polite, with one glaring exception: a personal injury lawyer's office. The receptionist treated us like we were a couple of lepers with Ebola virus.
Peter
New York: worst place to get a divorce
There’s a “Room for Debate” topic in the NY Times about New York State’s divorce laws. It seems pretty strange that New York, which we normally consider to be a liberal state, has the nation’s most conservative divorce laws. Yes, New York should reform this. I doubt that it prevents marriages ...
Be glad your kitten doesn't do what our cat Maggie does. On all-too-frequent occasions Maggie will start howling outside the bedroom door, at godawful times like 3:30 in the morning. I get up, let her in, and invariably within 30 to 45 minutes she'll start howling to be let out of the bedroom. A couple of times we tossed her down the basement to prevent this, but it caused too much of a guilt trip. We were worried that she'd be lonely.
Fortunately, none of the (many) other cats do anything similar, though of course they have plenty of other bad habits.
Peter
Kitten report 2
When I got home yesterday, I’ve never seen anything as happy to see me as that kitten. But it seemed to me like he was happy in a desperate and psychotic kind of way rather than an emotionally healthy way. Maybe he does love me, because a lot of human love also seems to be that way. This is the...
"Get a guinea pig. They squeal when you open the fridge (hoping for a piece of lettuce) but they don't jump on your keyboard or your head."
And if you get tired of keeping the guinea pig, well there are several Ecuadoran and Peruvian restaurants in Queens ....
Peter
Kitten report
I adopted a kitten this weekend. Yes, the post last week about pets and poop was written because I was thinking about cats. I am happy to say that the kitten has been successfully using its litter box. Unfortunately, the breeder spoiled him by giving him raw food, and now I can’t get him to eat...
One of our cats has an insatiable appetite for people food including all forms of raw meat. Trying to change his habits is totally impossible, and more to the point it doesn't seem to have any ill effects. For the most part, we give the cats dry cat food, with the moist food being an occasional treat. Giving it to them is a chore because they fight over it.
Peter
Kitten report
I adopted a kitten this weekend. Yes, the post last week about pets and poop was written because I was thinking about cats. I am happy to say that the kitten has been successfully using its litter box. Unfortunately, the breeder spoiled him by giving him raw food, and now I can’t get him to eat...
"I've also noticed cats are commonly found in "hoarder" households and in those cases large numbers of them are often found nesting and breeding in walls."
Well, I may be part of a, ahem, multiple cat household, but none of them are living in the walls. Yet.
Peter
Pets and poop
Dogs and cats are the two most popular pets. If you asked dog or cat owners why these pets are so popular, they’d probably say something like “my dog gives me lots of love.” But it occurred to me recently that there’s a more important reason why these two animals are the most popular house pet...
It's probably just some technical glitch that will be corrected soon. Donald surely wouldn't have shut the site down without announcing it first.
Peter
2Blowhards Exit Stage Left
The server doesn't respond over at 2Blowhards. Without fanfare, one of the original and most successful weblogs has gone out of business. For five years, 2Blowhards was the place for blowhards to vent about politics, art, movies, sex and what's the matter with kid's today. The comments sect...
"Plus, feeding snakes involves tossing live mice at them, which points to a dumb, vicious, cruel, and contemptible character."
It's more common to buy frozen mice. Some snakes are finicky and will only eat live ones, but that's not the usual practice.
Peter
Pets and poop
Dogs and cats are the two most popular pets. If you asked dog or cat owners why these pets are so popular, they’d probably say something like “my dog gives me lots of love.” But it occurred to me recently that there’s a more important reason why these two animals are the most popular house pet...
What's more, if you have a cat and a dog you may not have to clean the catbox too often, as dogs frequently eat cat grogans.
Peter
Pets and poop
Dogs and cats are the two most popular pets. If you asked dog or cat owners why these pets are so popular, they’d probably say something like “my dog gives me lots of love.” But it occurred to me recently that there’s a more important reason why these two animals are the most popular house pet...
Helpful article, thanks for the link.
Peter
John Derbyshire on education
John Derbyshire’s has a good article about education at National Review Online. It’s too bad he has to tip-toe around HBD issues, but even at NRO I suppose it’s politically incorrect to speak about this stuff. Maybe the article will help nudge some conservative readers towards a more correct u...
Kagan may not be a lesbian at all. What she is, instead, is part of an all-too-common stereotype, namely the never-married, childless, seemingly sexless high achieving woman. Other politically connected women in the category include Harriet Miers, Condoleeza Rice, Janet Napolitano, Sonia Sotomayor (albeit with a brief youthful marriage) and Susan Collins. There probably are many others I can't think of offhand.
Peter
Elena Kagan, again
I received a marketing email from the American Spectator about Elena Kagan. Back in Septemember, 2008, I wrote: Obama will appoint liberal justices to the Supreme Court. Most people seem to think that the Supreme Court does nothing except decide abortion cases, but the reality is that the S...
Gotta say, I agree with just about everything you wrote. Except for one minor quibble - many Manhattan residents travel to the Hamptons via luxury bus (Hampton Jitney or Hamptons Luxury Coach) or train.
Peter
The wonderful car
Some commenter was writing about how people don’t really want the hassle of having a car. What nonsense. The car is one of mankind’s greatest inventions ever. It gives each man (and woman) his (or her) own personal transportation which is both fast and easy to maintain. If you think it’s a has...
"I live 45 miles from the center of the major city that anchors my burb. I am the only person I know of in my neighborhood (defined as the cul-de-sac I live on, roughly 40 homes) who drives more than 10 miles to get to work."
I live on Long Island, which has long been stereotyped as commuter territory. One would be excused in thinking that the majority of working residents commute into Manhattan. In reality, it's just barely one-fifth.
--
"HS: I've been to Santa Monica and it was my favorite neighborhood in the LA area."
I never would've thought you'd like the Peoples' Republic of Santa Monica.
Peter
Suburbs – our new slums?
I found this year-old article entitled Suburbs – our new slums? While the article does contain some silly left-wing nonsense, I think there is mostly truth in there and thus it’s worth reading. The premise is that a crash in housing prices in suburbs, combined with Section 8, means poor tenant...
"Yes, a bunch of childless Swipples are moving back to the core city in areas where NAM's are priced out."
Not all core-city SWPL's are childless. What happens is that if they have children, they'll stay while the children are infants and toddlers but move out once the children reach school age - an example is the Disappearing White Children of Manhattan Syndrome.
Peter
Where the white people go
Steve Sailer’s recent blog post about the increasing whiteness of elite cities demonstrates the disconnect between the HBD-blogosphere and what’s happening in the real world. In my comment section, people keep making comments about how people will wise up and move the hell out of New York City...
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