Assistant Village Idiot

I put The Historical Atlas of the United State s on my wish list over a decade ago, when it was newish and $70 or so.  I included a note not...

The prevailing narrative about gender pay inequality is misleading. I admit I liked Megan McArdle's better, but this one is good. June,...

I'm sure the points of discussion are deep and interesting, but I am currently considering them an introduced distraction, with no basis...

I don't know anything about the internal culture in NYC education. Also, the New York Post does carve out its niche by being an alternat...

I have learned much from a few of the psychologists I have known.  don't ask me about the others. I will call this one John and tell you...

I notice in art galleries that painters, and perhaps photographers, like to show city intersections at an angle.  So do you think this is to...

Someone in a comment section claimed that one of older people's greatest regrets is not having had more children.  She didn't give a...

Upon Further Review: It's ridiculous, of course, absent any scientific evidence that adversity affects raw scores. But at least they are...

Quillette is its usual excellent self.

  Burning Down the House . Love the Poor, They Can Make You Rich. I originally saved this George Will opinion piece where it was published a...

Likely spurred by reading the Tolkien criticism, then hearing a few people who are quite sure they are (collectively) very nice saying some ...

I saw these titles on a CD in an Appalachian folk museum and resolved to looked them up when I got home.  There are several versions of the...

What was I just saying about smart people with bad assumptions? Dr. Joy Bliss over at Maggie's passed along Scott Alexander's essa...

Those who are passionate about causes have an especially hard time even considering the possibility they might have bad motives. Notice that...

I have emailed Bird Dog about the problem on Maggie's Farm.  I had the same thing this morning.  MF shows up briefly, then switches to a...

We are headed for Asheville via Charlotte in the morning, returning in the wee hours of Monday. It's the wedding of Tim King, who I rece...

James reminded me in the comments under The Behavior Of People in Past Eras (a few posts below) that he had gone to Little Rock Central High...

Those of us who read literature, including myth and folktale, have been irritated with Disney for changing the stories, draining out some of...

In light of the divisive gestures of Obama as he took office in 2009, Villainous Company posted a news report about Bush from early 2001 . ...

I have liked Patrick Wyman's (no relation) history podcasts, The Tides of History but kept avoiding listening to the one about inquisit...