Latest Posts
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Do Not Resuscitate
A long piece today in the NYT on end of life issues, specifically the questions that surround whether or not to establish "do not resuscitate" (DNR) orders for terminally ill patients. These are difficult issues, with… Continue reading
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Cut and Stay?
Bush family capo James Baker says that there are alternatives for US policy in Iraq between "cut and run" and "stay the course." Since the most likely middle course is a three-way partition, will the new policy therefore… Continue reading
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North Korean Nukes: The Results of a Failed Foreign Policy
As everyone has noticed by now, North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb yesterday. Here are some thoughts on the matter: 1) In general, this is simply the culmination of five years of bad Bush administration foreign… Continue reading
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Very Superstitious
In an op-ed in yesterday’s NYT, Simon Winchester tells us about a morning ritual he has followed for many years: Ever since I was 4 years old, I have said “White Rabbits” at the very moment of waking… Continue reading
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In the Zone
As a Taoist Yankee fan I am a bit blue today (the color of the marvelously clear and crisp October sky this morning). Even the most casual baseball fan is, by now, aware of the ignominious collapse this… Continue reading
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Social Roles and Personal Choices
I am a daily reader of the NYT – having grown up in the northern suburbs, it is a deeply ingrained habit – but I do not bother trying to get at the columnists who are hidden behind… Continue reading
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Branding Genghis
This BBC story jumped off the screen at me this morning: Mongolia has moved to register the name of its legendary conqueror Genghis Khan as a commercial brand. The parliament in Ulan Bator is debating a law that… Continue reading
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Marriage after Death
Here’s a story from today’s NYT: For many Chinese, an ancestor is someone to honor, but also someone whose needs must be maintained. Families burn offerings of fake money or paper models of luxury cars in case an… Continue reading
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Good Hu, Bad Hu
An informative and astute piece of reporting in the NYT today by Joseph Kahn on the political struggles behind the high-profile corruption arrests in China. He further develops the point, which I blogged on below, that the ultimate… Continue reading
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Way at 37,000 feet
One of the key ideas transmitted by the Taoist notion of "Way" (Tao) is that it is bigger than us. The totality of all things unfolding in a moment of time is beyond our comprehension, certainly beyond our… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 