April 28, 2008

The Coolidge Effect

April 28, 2008 – 4:01 pm
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The Coolidge Effect

In short, animals do not choose their mates randomly. They identify
and reject those with whom they have already had sex. Scientists know
this reflex as the "Coolidge Effect." It earned its name many years ago
when President Coolidge and his wife were touring a farm. While the
President was elsewhere, the farmer proudly showed Mrs. Coolidge a
rooster that "could copulate with hens all day long, day after day."
Mrs. Coolidge coyly suggested that the farmer tell that to Mr.
Coolidge, which he did.

The President thought for a moment and then inquired, "With the same hen?"

"No, sir," replied the farmer.

"Tell that to Mrs. Coolidge," retorted the President.

[via kottke]

By Swad | Posted in Link | Comments (0)

April 26, 2008

The Purpose of a Driven Life

April 26, 2008 – 10:42 pm
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The Purpose of a Driven Life

Modern life has made it easier than ever before to live on the surface
of existence and apparently without the need for any deeper sense of
purpose. The pace of life for one thing gives us little time for
reflection, and this suits a lot of us very well. In developed
countries, we don’t have to worry about basic survival and we enjoy
greater and greater freedom to cut our own course in life. This is one
of the great achievements of Western culture, a genuine liberation –
for those who can enjoy it. But the down side is that it is easier than
ever before to avoid commitments and to evade dependence — both the
dependence of others on us and the dependence we have on others. The
worst thing you can be in personal relationships, so we are told, is
dependent. The second worst thing is to have a partner who is dependent
on you.

By Swad | Posted in Link | Comments (0)

April 8, 2008

1968

April 8, 2008 – 10:25 pm
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1968

To the present generation, the 1960s and all it represented seem like nostalgic snapshots from a bygone era. Yet despite the placidity of our own prosperous times, the radical assaults of the 1960s are not confined to the past. Its ideology has insinuated itself, disastrously, into the curricula of our schools and colleges; it has significantly altered the texture of sexual relations and family life; it has played havoc with the authority of churches and other repositories of moral wisdom; it has undermined the claims of civic virtue and our national self-understanding; it has degraded the media, the entertainment industry, and popular culture; it has helped to subvert museums and other institutions entrusted with preserving and transmitting high culture. It has even, most poignantly, addled our hearts and innermost assumptions about what counts as the good life: it has perverted our dreams as much as it has prevented us from attaining them.

Roger Kimball (who, oddly enough, looks like a grown Harry Potter) rebuts Tariq Ali on the value of the sixties.

The smartest thing Bill Clinton ever said: "If you look back on the Sixties
and think there was more good than bad, you’re probably a Democrat. If you think there was more harm than
good, you’re probably a Republican."

I’m not sure about the party split, but it says much about one’s general outlook.

By Swad | Posted in Link | Comments (0)