This first is something for all of us to contemplate when engaging each other in debate. Since logic and sensibility do not coincide, and since both have legitimate claims upon our decision, the great and recurring debate about century boundaries simply cannot be resolved. Some questions have answers because obtainable…
The Santa Claus we "know" has been tamed down from the earlier versions. Our Santa is not associated with anything unpleasant. Not true of the earlier version of Santa, St. Nicholas Consider this medieval story about St. Nicholas from a play by Henri Gheon called “The Sausage Maker’s Interlude.” A…
A note I jotted to myself sometime in the past. I don’t recall the circumstances, but the question posed feels universal. The spiritualists cringe and argue against any description of self-conscious life as mechanism, that any mere machine is necessarily only an accumulation of parts and processes that can never…
I have a quick tidbit to share- an observation made by a psychology professor I had this quarter. It gives me a refreshed and relaxed perspective on the topic of humanity's many mental foibles. It goes something like this: We use optical illusions to demonstrate how the visual system works,…
I spotted this ornamental cabbage poking out of the snow while walking through Manhattan two days ago. Is this a hint of Spring to come or the very end of the summer? Here are a couple of other cool things I saw while strolling through Manhattan. How can you fit…