I’ve had these stones for six years. I found them on the beach in Israel after swimming in the deep green Mediterranean. I like the way they fit together, almost like a yin and yang. They remind me daily that… more ›

Started a conversation a few days ago about the pathological (mis)understanding of metaphor by fundamentalists. It’s what I tend to do out of the blue as a sign (or a symbol?!?!) that I usually tend to think really deep thoughts.… more ›

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It’s November 4th, and I’ve had to open all the windows this afternoon because the heat of the apartment was stifling. Working on some old photographs, I came across this one of a sanatorium in the Transcarpathian Mountains of southern… more ›

In conclusion, my humanities course came to an end yesterday. What a great bunch of people . . . well, for the most part. On the first evening (just 3 weeks ago), I expressed my view that “literal interpretation” was… more ›

If I were forced to evaluate my Latin professor, it would read something like this: “Inarticulate exasperation does not a pedagogy make.” To prove what a great student (as well as a great teacher) I am all by myself, my… more ›

Don’t expect too much brilliance (if ever such a thing had been expected here prior to this post) over the course of the next couple of weeks as I spend almost 20 hours each weekend on my feet teaching a… more ›

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First things first: congratulations to the IAEA and its chief Mohamed ElBaradei for the Noble Peace Prize. I think Mr. ElBaradei now needs a Congressional Medal of Honor (not that that’s worth its gold veneer any more) for “speaking truth… more ›

Python vs. Gator more ›