Inaptonym watch

by liberal japonicus One thing I like is to note inaptonyms, like the hair salon named Tangles or the copy shop named Typos (the Philippine Roman Catholic cardinal Jaime Sin is often on the top of the list) and this story, about an investment fund called Situational Awareness, definitely deserves a place of honor. Any … Read more

A quick note

by liberal japonicus I’ve mentioned, from time to time, that I live in Kyushu and perhaps I mentioned that I live in Kumamoto, so this post is to let everyone know that me and mine are ok. It apparently wasn’t as bad as the one 10 years ago (I was presenting at a conference and … Read more

Adam Tooze and the Polycrisis

by liberal japonicus I’ve mentioned before that I’m taken with Adam Tooze, and I want to share this speech he made at Simon Fraser University about a month ago. It takes place at a particular moment in time, he mentions that he was flying into Vancouver as Trump was declaring that “A whole civilization will … Read more

The quiet grief of adult friendship

Something totally non-political (I think, though I’m sure someone will prove me wrong), but I thought this piece, an essay from someone I’ve never read, was insightful. Here is the final graf. Despite impossible schedules and emotional fatigue, some friends continue returning. They send memes during meetings. They remember your important dates. They call you … Read more

Imagining a mad king

by liberal japonicus This NYT article wasn’t behind a paywall and I’ll leave it to all of you to glean whatever kernals of grain and post in the comment. The article had me thinking about the movie The Madness of King George, which is from an Alan Bennett play and tells the story of the … Read more

Your choice: an open thread

by liberal japonicus The choices are 1) Thank God! or 2) About fukking time! This is an open thread about the election that we have all been hungry for. (that was my second choice for a title). I highly recommend this Foreign Policy podcast with Adam Tooz, about Hungary. I’ve cued it up to the … Read more