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Off to the Galapagos
ByadminHappy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, and a great week to the rest of you. I will not be blogging for a bit, because I’ll be vacationing in the Galapagos, with my favorite evolutionary biology books no doubt at my side.
Offensive Statements about Progressives from David Brooks of the New York Times
ByadminDavid Brooks is a pretty solidly moderate conservative, and one who is a big fan of behavioral science. But that doesn’t mean he can see beyond his own biases, especially when describing the differences between conservatives and liberals. He was particularly offensive on May 7, in an article titled “Beyond the Fence,” in which he discusses…
Why I'm Bananas Over The Fish That Ate the Whale
ByadminRecently I had the pleasure of reading Rich Cohen’s wonderful book: The Fish That Ate the Whale – the Life and Times of America’s Banana King. The book tells the story of Samuel Zemurray, a true rags to riches story, a man who started by spending his entire life savings – all $150 – to…
More Cause-and-Effect Hilarity
ByadminRecently I have posted several entertaining pictures revealing the dangers of assuming that correlation implies causation. A lot of these pictures are housed on this fascinating website. Meanwhile, here’s another one I had to pass along: This can’t be coincidence, right? With all the strange movie choices Nicholas Cage makes, I always knew he was…
Rational Thinking in Wartime
ByadminDuring a particularly miserable World War II battle, a military analyst estimated that it cost $25,000 in artillery shells for each enemy soldier killed. That caused one soldier to ask: “Why wouldn’t it be better to just offer the Germans $25,000 to surrender?” If only the world were so rational! (Click here to view comments)
Writing So Good It Makes Me Think About Giving Up
ByadminIn his new book, Detroit City is the Place to Be, Mark Binelli describes the scene outside his residence in language so wonderful I had to share it with you: “By 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning, when I’d step out to buy a newspaper, I’d spot the tailgaters bundled up like deer hunters, clutching copied…