The War over Words

Earlier this year the Departments of State and Homeland Security received wide criticism for politically correct memos prohibiting the use of certain language in referring to Islamic terrorists. The diplomatic and intelligence communities were urged to “never use the terms jihadist or . . . . Continue Reading »

Dollars and Sense of Global Warming

“Global warming was blamed for 35,000 deaths in Europe’s August 2003 heat wave,” reports George Will in Newsweek today. Never mind that cold causes seven times as many deaths in Europe each year. We must take up the eco-friendly, non-carbon-emitting torch, and fight to end global . . . . Continue Reading »

PowerPoint and Philosophy

I make the argument here that an increasing reliance upon Powerpoint among college professors in the humanities reveals much about the state of liberal education and the condition of professional philosophy today. A snippet: The hidden premise beneath the proliferation of PowerPoint in university . . . . Continue Reading »

Hooked on Dalrymple

In addition to being a compelling indictment of the “addiction bureaucracy,” Theodore Dalrymple’s Romancing Opiates is probably the most wryly funny book-length discussion of heroin addiction you’ll read all week. Here’s a characteristic digression: Cold turkey is so . . . . Continue Reading »

New Blog Blurb for SHS

Some more observant SHSers may notice that I changed the descriptive blurb of this blog from, “Your 24/7 bioethics seminar,” to “Your 24/7 seminar on bioethics and the importance of being human.” It’s not quite as pithy, but we do deal with issues that extend beyond the . . . . Continue Reading »

A View from Somewhere of This Month in Pomocon

Quick takes on the sparks flying off Helen’s latest: 1. Definitely Alex Massie is right as far as it goes when he heaps criticism on this notion that there is a "Red" America and a "Blue" America. True, this is fostered by all the sweet and pretty maps, but it’s . . . . Continue Reading »