TECHNICAL PROBLEM: We have not been able to fix our RSS Feed problem. The Tech Support department at Pair.com, which hosts our Web site, refused to help. Sean M. Burke, who created the RSS Feed, is behaving so erratically that he cannot be trusted to take control of our Web site. No one else has volunteered to help. Gilles d'Aymery is a publisher, a co-editor, a writer, and a (clean) HTML formatter, but unfortunately, he is not a UNIX programmer. Accordingly, all links to the non-functioning RSS Feed have been deleted on the front page. We apologize for the inconvenience. Anyone who used the RSS Feed (some 2,000 of you) can send us an e-mail and we will add your address to our bi-weekly distribution list. We hope we can find a way to create a new RSS Feed, but it will take some time. Sorry again.

 

Note from the Editors

A recent study on children in the U.K. showed that those with low intelligence were more likely to become social conservatives and racists. Perhaps that answers Jan Baughman's question as to how we can allow an entire generation to languish when our future is in their hands: so they'll grow up to vote Republican! With childhood obesity on the rise, they are being groomed as an emerging market in chronic disease to replace the aging and soon-to-disappear baby boomers as consumers of our high-priced health care system. More on political agendas and consumers comes from Glenn Reed, who demonstrates how non-profits are rapidly adopting the language of free-market capitalism and abandoning their role in society. Yet despite the destructiveness of free markets, our current leaders and their would-be replacements continue to tout laissez-faire economics as the answer to all the world's problems, as Harvey Whitney, Jr. observes. Manuel García, Jr. applies the Prisoner's Dilemma -- a zero sum game -- to shopping, debt, and voting, if you're looking for some guidance on the next election or financial decision. Is all this -- the neglect of our children, unbridled capitalism where winner takes all -- not a form of eugenics? Michael Barker continues his exploration of the practice with Part II of his series on Konrad Lorenz and the evolution of eugenic-inspired thinking that flourished in the wake of World War II. And speaking of economics and the world's problems, Gilles d'Aymery's Martian Blips provide further evidence of the deliberate and coordinated attack on the euro, and more.

Turning the page to culture, Peter Byrne offers a look inside the Neapolitan Mafia-like organization, the Camorra, through a review of two books, while Raju Peddada considers what actually makes for a good historian -- an academic appointment or a lifetime of personal observation. In the Coin français, Christian Cottard's story shows that a life of little can often be very rich. Marie Rennard translates a biography of Mary Anning, "the greatest fossilist the world ever knew." Francesca Saieva revisits the writer Claudio Magris and indifference to the other, and Simone Alié-Daram's poem speaks to the chagrin of a day. Ricardo Gonsalves's experimental poem reaches for the book, and Guido Monte's multilingual poem blends together some thoughts before sleeping. We close without your letters -- please keep them coming, and if anyone out there knows how to program an RSS Feed, we'd sure appreciate some help...



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America: Myths & Realities

Jan Baughman:  What About The Children?

If we don't even care about protecting our children, how can we envision creating a better world?   More...

 

Glenn Reed:  Capitalistic Language & The Non-Profit World

Non-profits are rapidly adopting the language of the corporate world and abandoning their role in our society.   More...

 

Harvey E. Whitney, Jr.:  Peddling The Ideal Of Free Markets

Rather than re-evaluating and correcting exuberant government favoritism toward corporations, our leaders respond to the ongoing recession with more laissez-faire economics.   More...

 

Manuel García, Jr.:  Bayesian Bargains: Jail, Shopping, Debt, And Voting

An application of Bayesian bargains, otherwise known as the Prisoner's Dilemma, to shopping, debt, and voting.   More...

 

 
Patterns Which Connect

Michael Barker:  On Konrad Lorenz (Part II of II)

Part II of a study of the relation between Konrad Lorenz and eugenics.   More...

 

 
Tidbits Flying Across the Martian Desk

Gilles d'Aymery:  Blips #122

A few selected issues that landed on the Editor's desk, from Swans problematic RSS feed; an upcoming reunion in France and the quest for meaningful gifts and deciding to give away whatever; to the most recent calibrated attack on the eurozone, and more.   More...

 

 
Hungry Man, Reach For The Book

Peter Byrne:  Naples: Greeks, Romans, And Hitmen

A look inside the Neapolitan Mafia-like organization, the Camorra, through a review of two books.   More...

 

 
Arts & Culture

Raju Peddada:  History: Sired By Literary Nomads (Part I of II)

An historical consideration of what actually makes for a good historian -- an academic appointment or personal observation.   More...

 

 
Le coin français

Christian Cottard:  Lucie

Nouvelle: une vie de peu, c'est quelquefois beaucoup.   More...

 

Hugh Torrens, traduit par Marie Rennard:  Mary Anning (1799-1847)

Traduction d'un article par Dr. Hugh Torrens sur la paléontongiste Mary Anning.   More...

 

Francesca Saieva:  Claudio Magris, écrivain de frontière contre l'indifférence

On se pose souvent la question du rôle social et politique de la littérature. Francesca Saieva revient sur les vues de Magris et commente son engagement humaniste.   More...

 

Simone Alié-Daram:  Chagrin

Poème sur le chagrin d'un jour.Nouvelle: une vie de peu, c'est quelquefois beaucoup.   More...

 

 
Poetry

Ricardo E. Gonsalves:  Reach For The Book

A poem about a riff on the quote by Bertolt Brecht.   More...

 

 
Multilingual Poetry

Guido Monte:  Thoughts before sleeping n.2

Guido Monte describes his different poetic way, collecting thoughts and verses of other people.   More...

 

 
Letters to the Editor

Oops, no letters this time around.

 

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THE COMPANION OF THINKING PEOPLE

SWANS - ISSN: 1554-4915
URL: http://www.swans.com/library/past_issues/2012/120130.html
Created: January 30, 2012