The Useless Tree

Sam Crane

  • Another Good Death

         I don’t mean to be overly morbid here, but this little piece from tomorrow’s NYT, caught my eye.  It recounts a mother’s death, something I have recently experienced.  In this case the mother sensed that the end was… Continue reading

  • Measuring Failure in Iraq

        I have been thinking more about the previous post and have some more ideas on the question of how  we will know if Iraq is a "failure."   The more common approach is to analyze under what conditions Iraq… Continue reading

  • Iraq, Failure, and Learning

         An op-ed in today’s LA Times tells us that the American Democratic Party must define success in Iraq, if it wishes to pose a more effective opposition to President Bush’s foreign policy.  It is only by seizing control… Continue reading

  • “Modern Love” Blogging: Wandering Boundless and Free

        To anyone new to this blog: I am making a habit of blogging the NYT "Modern Love" column that runs in the Sunday edition.      In this week’s piece, Jessica Krasilovsky tells us about her continuing  habit… Continue reading

  • Brian Cashman: Taoist Sage

        Brian Cashman, the General Manager of the New York Yankees, contemplating a big loss earlier this week: If we can cleanse our minds and continue to realize that if we win our games, get the job done, we’re… Continue reading

  • Friday I Ching Blogging: Will China Blow Up?

         In the past several years, and most especially in 2005, more and more public demonstrations, some quite violent, have broken out across China.  People are angry about official corruption, environmental pollution, and a host of other problems; they… Continue reading

  • The I Ching Doesn’t Lie

         OK, let’s look back briefly and see how some of our recent I Ching readings have fared….      Last week, the oracle suggested that work on the Iraqi constitution would not produce significant political progress in that… Continue reading

  • Originalism: Confucius is Against It

         Here’s a post on how a Confucian-inspired jurisprudence would be against the ideal of "original intent." Continue reading

  • Compassion in Warfare: Redux

         Remember what Sun Tzu and his commentator Chang Yu say: Treat captives well, and care for them. Chang Yu: all the soldiers taken must be cared for with magnanimity and sincerity so that they may be used by… Continue reading

  • Singles and Mothers

         An article in today’s LA Times by Meghan Daum seems apt, following my last post.  She writes about new data from the US Census Bureau that shows that "single, childless households are now the largest segment of the… Continue reading