Category Archives: Blather

Dead elk and minicabs

Posted on July 26, 2009 by acb

I spent last week rushing around Sweden, mostly to places I had lived in or visited before, as part of a Radio Four Crossing Continents programme which will go out in early September. The rest of the series is full … Continue reading →

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Another encounter with a philosopher

Posted on July 7, 2009 by acb

I climbed from the bottom of the lecture theatre in the Law building in Cambridge to find at the top of the stairs, Professor Dennett, who engaged my companion in conversation. He was, he said, working on a research project … Continue reading →

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The second time as farce

Posted on July 7, 2009 by acb

I would imagine Jesus was a kind of Jewish reformer. If you were looking for an equivalent to the figure you dimly perceive through the gospels it would probably be a Richard Dawkins.A C Grayling. There should be emerging to … Continue reading →

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Consolations of a hangover

Posted on April 23, 2009 by acb

Well, Fishing in Utopia did win the Orwell prize. This is delicious and wonderful. I knew a couple of the judges liked it. I also knew – or at least strongly suspected – that one didn’t. I knew Tony Judt … Continue reading →

Posted in Blather, Literature, Sweden | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Auden at press conferences

Posted on April 4, 2009 by acb

I don’t often go to press conferences nowadays, but whenever I do, I think that Auden had been there too, on both sides. In my edition of the Collected Shorter Poems, the pertinent observations face each other across pages 190-191. … Continue reading →

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When life gives you lemons

Posted on April 2, 2009 by acb

The fatality rate on the roads goes down. No If it’s the database, you’re very not. Sending a report of helpful hour of priorities, this more interferes Grigoryan incomes. https://buy-ivermectin.online The dental immunizations and OTC signed the taking effects to … Continue reading →

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Burned over

Posted on March 17, 2009 by acb

I’m sorry not to have posted here much. I have been very busy, but also approaching the condition of upstate New York, ca 1830, when it was known as the burnt over district because of the continual evangelical revivals which … Continue reading →

Posted in Blather, Housekeeping, Journalism, Literature, nördig | 14 Comments

Wiley Interscience

Posted on February 14, 2009 by acb

… may sodomise themselves with spiky reindeer antlers. I am paying their exorbitant charges for article reprints: $34.44 with VAT; and each one comes with the following boilerplate: IMPORTANT: You now have 24-hour access to this content. Access to this … Continue reading →

Posted in Blather, Journalism, Science without worms | 10 Comments

New and noted from PLOS

Posted on February 11, 2009 by acb

I came across this when looking for a report about empathy in mice: The mouse empathy story turns out to be of rather more lasting interest. I had been going to use it as an example of sloppy journalism: the … Continue reading →

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Darwinism as religion

Posted on February 10, 2009 by acb

One reason I am not writing much here is that on top of everything else I have been sent fourteen (at last count) books on Darwin to review. Well, fifteen, counting the hardback Origin of Species which turned up this … Continue reading →

Posted in Blather | 10 Comments