John Adams the mini-series came out last year, but I just began watching it yesterday. The first two episodes are excellent. What a great way to spend part of July 4.
Paul Giamatti’s performance hooked me: I have a renewed appreciation for John Adams’s brilliance, determination, and integrity. I also have an enlarged appreciation for Abigail Adams’s energy, devotion, and no-nonsense intelligence; Laura Linney plays Abigail in the series.
Coincidentally, I was in Boston late last month and took a day trip to Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts, where I enjoyed seeing Adams’s birthplace and the Old House, with its great garden and grounds.
Back to the mini-series: Stephen Dillane’s cerebral and understated performance as Thomas Jefferson was hypnotic—I found myself staring trying to figure out what he was thinking.
Not coincidentally, there have been two intriguing Jefferson items in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the first a journalist’s quirkily touching visit to Monticello and the second on Jefferson the musician. Well worth reading.
Also not too coincidentally, I recently interviewed two Adams and Jefferson scholars. Professors Brad Thompson and David Mayer visited Rockford College and the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship this spring, and videos of my interviews with Thompson on Adams and Mayer on Jefferson can be viewed at the Center’s site.
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago at 7:25 pm. 1 comment
11/30 Why were Enron’s Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling convicted? Professor Larry Ribstein argues that no one seems to know for sure.
11/29 Eyal Mozes investigates: Is there a rational basis for determinism? And in Spiked, Stuart Derbyshire surveys the state of brain science and free will and argues that we’re no slaves of our senses.
11/28 The New York Times reports on further progress for women in India. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)
Prospect magazine has this fascinating overview (statist assumptions aside) of India’s under-achieving middle class. Philosopher Stone has a post with links about India and Ayn Rand. And thanks to my friend Bill, I’ve been watching Bollywood movies this year—let me recommend Guru (“a villager, Gurukant Desai, arrives in Bombay 1958, and rises from its streets to become the GURU, the biggest tycoon in Indian history”), Lagaan (“the people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers”), and Veer-Zaara (“the story of the love between Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian, and Zaara Hayaat Khan, a Pakistani”).
11/27 A sad case study in far-left educational culture: Charlotte Allen explains Who killed Antioch College. (Thanks to Charles for the link.) On financial accountability in higher education: Ward Connerly looks at the factors. And Yale professor Anthony Kronman reminds those of us in higher education Why We Are Here.
11/26 A brief look at the social skills of the new generation of entrepreneurs. Here is an overview of Dietrich Doerner’s work on failure. The BusinessPundit on the one book every executive should read. And some useful advice to young entrepreneurs from a young entrepreneur.
11/20 Three interesting conferences coming up next April: Objectivity in the Law at the University of Texas, Liberty Studies at the College of New Jersey, and the annual conference of the Association of Private Enterprise Education in Las Vegas. Update: And in February a Students for Liberty conference at Columbia University, featuring speakers David Boaz of Cato, Alan Kors of the University of Pennsylvania, and Will Thomas of The Atlas Society.
11/19 It’s getting better all the time. Graphically-presented data on average income in the USA along with several other progress-related charts and graphs. Here is a website devoted to improvement indicators. (Thanks to Anja for the link.) And why even the optimistic Star Trek series underestimates future potential.
11/17 Professor Tara Smith investigates: Why Originalism Won’t Die—Common Mistakes in Competing Theories of Judicial Interpretation. (Thanks to Richard for the link.)
11/16 “In 1993, over a million saiga antelopes roamed the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan. Today, fewer than 30,000 remain, most of them females.” Unintended consequences meet the tragedy of the commons, as Tyler Cowen explains.
11/12 Sawse has twenty-five photographs taken at precisely the right time.
11/11 Reflecting on Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, Lester Hunt makes some shrewd observations about the moral psychology of cynicism, socialism, and nihilism. And John Palmer, the EclectEcon, has a datum on the European left’s deep crisis.
11/10 The bedbugs are back. Yet another thing to thank Rachel Carson for. Or not.
11/8 This Friday’s Free Kareem rallies. And while a relatively liberal young man languishes in jail, here is a classic piece explaining the attraction of intellectual-lightweight entertainment superstars to heavyweight-murderous political thugs: Humberto Fontova considers the case of Che.
11/7 In The New York Times, Harvard economist Greg Mankiw has a closer look at health care comparison numbers. Johan Norberg is also looking at the number of uninsured Americans. Philosopher Stone has a good round-up of links on the economics and politics of healthcare. Meanwhile, John Enright wonders what life-saving information we should suppress next. And Tom Kirkendell reminds us of an important anniversary: 30 years of angioplasty.
11/6 Overcoming the destructive eras in our history. An important history lesson by Shelby Steele on the legacy of Little Rock. Some pictorial evidence relevant to the question: to what extent were the Nazis Christian? And here’s an essay on the Regressives—or rather, the so-called Progressives in American history. Professor David Mayer has also written wisely on the reactionary progressives.
11/5 
Art historian Lynn Catterson speculates on the Laocoön scuplture: Hellenistic masterpiece or Michelangelo’s brilliant ploy? More on the hypothesis here—though would “forgery” be the right word? Meanwhile, classicist Mary Beard plays hooky to visit the Laocoön exhibition in Rome.
11/4 Cato’s David Boaz argues that on balance we are freer than at many points in our past (PDF format). Here is a stellar line-up of back issues of Cato’s Letter. By contrast, it’s election year in Saskatchewan, the resource-rich and socialism-poor Canadian province. The contrast to its neighbor Alberta is instructive. And even worse: Meghan Cox Gurdon puts some of our domestic rhetoric in perspective.
11/3 Where is Voltaire when you need him? John Leo wonders who will stand up for free speech on campus. Here is one university committed to brainwashing students with false and destructive messages. (Thanks to Johann for the link.) And David Thompson comments on the right not to be offended. Update: The FIRE reports that the University of Delaware has dropped its obnoxious indoctrination plans.
11/2 Ayn Rand in Latin America, with these follow-up interviews with Alex Chafuen, Giancarlo Ibargüen, and Juan Fernando Carpio. Harry Binswanger’s useful The Ayn Rand Lexicon is now free online. (Thanks to Anja for the link.) And YouTube user DJ Lorenzen has Ayn Rand on audio.
11/1 Trends of the times: A short interview in The Globe and Mail with the always-observant Grant McCracken, a summary look at IRS tax data, more data on badly misplaced priorities in the drug war and the fight against crime (thanks to Virginia for the link), and evidence that being a cop just keeps getting more difficult.
Posted 4 years, 2 months ago at 12:00 am. Add a comment
11/30 Brilliance! Eccentricity! Fudging the data! The saga of the discovery of Neptune. (Via Arts and Letters Daily.)
11/29 Economist Dwight Lee explains why we don’t say Take this job and shove it more often. (Via SCSUScholars.com.)
11/27 At the Institute for the Secularisation of Islam, Anwar Shaikh’s Autobiography of an Apostate. (Thanks to Karen for the link.)
11/25 The morality of Thanksgiving: Editor Roger Donway on whom we should thank. And history professor David Mayer on why we celebrate Thanksgiving.
11/24 Philosopher Tibor Machan on how and why libertarians are community-friendly.
11/23 Sculptor Sandra Shaw’s list and commentary on books on art and art history.
11/22 How to improve educational performance? Alex Tabarrok suggests that we pay students to learn. And where can we find more inspiring teachers like Sanderson of Oundle? Contrast these academic antics.
11/20 Worthy of The Onion. My alternative proposal: Extend I-69 to French Lick. (Thanks to Anja and Jules.)
11/19 Finally: Malcolm Gladwell gives us straight talk about the cost of prescription drugs. And Tyler Cowen’s thoughts on health insurance and costs.
11/18 In a dramatic break with the “Steve” theme, we shift to Vikramaditya Khanna on corporate fraud and legislation. (Via The Volokh Conspiracy.)
11/17 Our theme this week seems to be All Things Steve. (Via Dynamist.com.)
11/16 Stephen Budiansky on why we are saps when it comes to dogs.
11/15 Stephen Schwartz on John Calvin, Michael Servetus, and whether Islam needs a Reformation.
11/13 Smart thinking from Christopher Hitchens: The left apologizes for religious fanatics. The president fights them.
11/12 At the Chronicle, Literature professor Mark Bauerlein on why everybody loses from the lack of intellectual diversity on campuses. Update: Ann Althouse on The Democratic-Republican imbalance.
11/11 Daniel Ben-Ami takes on the anti-production environmentalists and argues that economic productivity and environmental health are win-win.
11/10 Fascinating: Brain scientist Norman M. Weinberger summarizes what we know about how music affects and alters the brain. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)
11/9 Columnist Virginia Postrel reports on pharmaceutical companies’ outsourcing drug testing to India. This will (a) lower the price of drugs and (b) get them to market sooner. But somehow I suspect that the Usual Wise Commentators will denounce pharmaceutical corporations for it. And while we’re on the subject of health – let’s take on the Nanny Statists: Radley Balko takes conservative David Frum to task for proposing a fat tax. But what about those evil McCorporations that manipulate us into eating fatty foods? (Thanks to Anja for the link.)
11/8 On effective rhetoric: Eugene Volokh, whom I too nominate to fill the next vacancy on the Supreme Court, says: Be in their face, but with a breath mint. And Tom Palmer’s thorough list of pointers for effective public speaking.
11/6 Tyler Cowen’s excellent recommendations for President Bush’s second term. Professor David Mayer on the Republicans’ mandate for progressive political reform.
11/5 Economist Alex Tabarrok on solving the donor organ problem.
11/4 Roll out the pork barrel: John Stossel on his success as a welfare queen. And here is Bill Kaufmann’s classic article on how welfare for artists cultivates mediocrity. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)
11/3 Sadik J. Al-Azm asks: Is the War on Terror almost over? (Thanks to Irfan for the link.) And the Strategy Page wonders, Does Al Qaeda still exist? Meanwhile, a filmmaker is murdered for expressing views that are critical of Islam. Update: The Dutch police have arrested a number of Islamic radicals. Update: The film that Theo van Gogh’s murderers did not like. Update: Screenwriter Bridget Johnson reports on what Hollywood stars have said about their fellow filmmaker’s murder.
11/2 Philosopher Jamie Whyte is going after Bad Thoughts.
11/1 The new issue of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies is out. And in honor of the 100th anniversary of Ayn Rand’s birth, the International Society for Individual Liberty announces the perfect location for its 2005 conference: St. Petersburg, Russia.
Posted 7 years, 2 months ago at 9:43 am. Add a comment
Coincidentally, I was in Boston late last month and took a day trip to Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts, where I enjoyed seeing Adams’s birthplace and the Old House, with its great garden and grounds.
