Miscellaneous

H.I.F. Billion dollar fines and settlements are increasing on Wall Street, Forbes trumpets [http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2013/10/17/billion-dollar-settlements-are-the-new-black-on-wall-street/] . I think stories like these are supposed to give the impression that Washington and Wall Street

BYCU A good economy is all about making creaturely comforts (including leisure) more accessible. I think a study of the craft beer craze would offer a salubrious scan of how an industry can grow, adapt, and prosper, while at the same time showing how government interference (state liquor laws) always

"[H]istorically anarchism has been far less violent than other political creeds." Peter Marshall.

H.I.F. Conan: Today John McCain said the shutdown was, quote, one of the most shameful things he's seen as a senator. That's from a guy who saw Lincoln get shot. In a new interview, the Dalai Lama endorsed medical marijuana. So now we know

H.I.F. As long as I'm mentioning podcasts, I should mention this recent episode of Econtalk: The Sports Gene [http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2013/09/david_epstein_o.html]. One of the best episodes of the year. Excerpt: At "6'10", you have

Mike Duncan has fired up his new podcast: Revolutions [http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/]. TDE readers know that I've long been a fan of his History of Rome. Based on what I've heard so far, Revolutions will be just as good if not better. Possibly the best

These words by Max Beerbohm kind of summarize my idea behind my quote-driven mini-essays: "How many charming talents have been spoiled by the instilled desire to do 'important' work! Some people are born to lift heavy weights. Some are born to juggle with golden balls.

"The real individual is face to face with a real God: that is the quite simple truth that Kierkegaard is never weary of repeating." de Lubac. I think that's the metaphysical angle to Philo's famous quote: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is

Today I Learned, from Reddit [http://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/]: "TIL in 2011 the city of Portland, Oregon discarded 7.8 million gallons of drinking water, not because of the dead animals 'regularly found in the drinking supply,' but because a drunk 21-year-old peed

"Theories, when they have gained credence, become vested interests. The prestige and livelihood of schools and teachers are bound up in them; they tend toward enclosed doctrine, not open to fresh information." Isabel Patterson.