A quote for our times
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Philip K. Dick, quoted in the Penobscot Bay Pilot, Maine
Archive of entries posted by rhanrott
Militias and the law
The danger posed by America’s militia groups was brought home when the FBI revealed it had thwarted a plot by one to kidnap the Democratic governor of Michigan. These bands of armed vigilantes have become increasingly visible, staging protests and organising street patrols with the purported aim of protecting property. Alarmingly, they claim to have …
An apt quotation
“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.” (Harlan Ellison, quoted in the I newspaper). My comment: More than ever in history has there been less excuse for being ill-informed and spreading fabrications and lies. We are almost inundated with news and …
Couples don’t grow more alike
Scientists in the US have disproved an enduring theory in social science – that couples in long-term relationships come to look like one another. The “convergence in physical appearance hypothesis” dates back to a 1987 study based on an analysis of photographs of a small number of married couples. The idea attracted wide attention, and …
Interruptions: tips on how to stop them
May I report an effective way to counter interruptions while I am talking? In the 1980s, I sat on the council of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs trade union in the UK. Meetings were always attended by the extrovert and voluble general secretary, Clive Jenkins. He would frequently interrupt speakers during what …
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