The Duke

The other day, driving down the freeway, I saw a billboard featuring John Wayne, quoted as saying something tough. It got me to thinking. The Duke was somewhat controversial during his lifetime, but whatever your opinion of his politics or lifestyle, you'd have to agree the man knew how to take a fake punch.     

Conservative Economics

Recently, I remarked to a conservative friend that I thought Paul Krugman’s writing was among the best I’d ever read. He replied that I should read the Wall Street Journal to get a more balanced perspective.

I let that pass, but if I’d been more assertive I’d have stated that I don’t want to pay a chunk of dollars every month to read people advocating antediluvian economic theories.

Cultural Dimensions

Decoding the Rules of Conversation

By Pamela Druckerman

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/opinion/decoding-the-rules-of-conversation.html

Ms. Druckerman’s essay resonates at two levels.

At the most basic, she is an unusually intelligent person, a gifted writer and, I would speculate, a very pleasant person to be around.

We’ve Already Granted Amnesty

The standard argument from those who oppose a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, is “they broke our laws.” Consequently, immigration reform of the kind now proposed is described as “amnesty.”

The Military Plan for Peace

By Garrison Walters and Patrick Marotta

One hundred years ago this month, people in Europe were starting to realize that the new war ravaging the sub-continent was going to be exceptionally violent and destructive.  

The nature of the unfolding struggle shocked many, but the fact of its appearance surprised few. The war had been widely expected for at least a decade.

Making France Competitive

Making France Competitive

There’s much debate in France right now about peeling back laws limiting the work week to 35 hours. Proponents say that a change is needed to make the country more competitive economically.