Romans, Oxford Debates, and More

 

The need to preserve toughness in a world of distractions.

[Photo by Veit Hammer at Unsplash]

The Re-Writer

Getting down to the final copy of the novel. 

Multiple drafts. Double-checking items. Avoiding duplications.

And, of course, scrawling down those "middle of the night" ideas. 

In this particular case, they have been surprisingly good.

Lex Fridman: State of the Art in A.I.

 

Two Videos Resembling A.I. Predictions

 

Nixon Gets a Closer Look

James Rosen's recent story in The New York Times about the recently released testimony of former President Richard Nixon deserves wide attention.

There was a "deep state" and there is no reason to believe it went away.

Richard P. Nathan's The Plot That Failed: Nixon and the Administrative Presidency is on my 2026 reading list along with Silent Coup: The Removal of a President by Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin.

Am also re-reading William Safire's Before the Fall: An Inside View of the Pre-Watergate White House.

Brutal

 

British Political Humor and Commentary

 

Yes, he's still out there.

Our Times: Universalists versus Particularists

The Universalists say that it is improper for teachers to take elementary and high school students out of class to participate in a political protest that is neither favored by many of the parents and students nor by the local school board. 

The Universalists also would not approve such activities for causes in which they believe because they support the equal application of the standards.

The Particularists say that exceptions are proper if the cause is one which the teachers and many others deem to be just.

The Particularists would not favor similar conduct if the cause were one that they opposed.

[Photo by Pixel Shot at Unsplash]

First Paragraph

The Raphaëls leave in the middle of the night, and they leave everything behind.

- From 33 Place Brugman by Alice Austen

Theme from "The Pacific"