2020

2020 2,178

December 2020

1. 31 DecThursday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
3. 31 DecGlenn Greenwald’s attack on authoritarianism
4. 31 DecChristmas ducks
5. 31 DecNew Year’s Duck (from PCC[E])
6. 30 DecWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon and Kulka monologues)
7. 30 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
8. 30 DecDisinvitations and disinvitation attempts, 2019-2020: 70% of the censorship comes from the Left
9. 30 DecRobots get even more amazing
10. 30 DecMy birthday trip to the dentist
11. 29 DecTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
12. 29 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
13. 29 DecPrinciples of ethical investing
14. 29 DecIs Beethoven too “pale, male, and stale” for these times, oppressing more diverse composers?
15. 29 DecAstrology at the New York Times
16. 28 DecMonday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
17. 28 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
18. 28 DecYet another pro-astrology piece in the Guardian
19. 28 DecThe New York Times celebrates a cancellation
20. 28 DecWhat’s the order of vaccination?: A discussion featuring ethicists, scientists and epidemiologists
21. 27 DecSunday: Hili dialogue
22. 27 DecSunday’s Faux Duck o’ the Week
23. 27 DecThe mRNA coronavirus vaccine: a testament to human ingenuity and the power of science
24. 27 DecThe Guardian touts astrology
25. 27 DecThree brief movie reviews
26. 26 DecSaturday: Hili dialogue
27. 26 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
28. 26 DecCaturday felid trifecta: Spot the shop cats, cardboard forts for cats, and Taddy the snowboarding moggy
29. 26 DecAn absorbing discussion of cancel culture
30. 26 DecNYT op-ed: Jesus was not only real, but a radical social-justice warrior
31. 25 DecFriday: Hili dialogue (and a Kulka Christmas monologue)
32. 25 DecReader’s wildlife paintings
33. 25 DecReaders’ Christmas photos
34. 24 DecThursday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
35. 24 DecSend in your holiday photos
36. 24 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
37. 24 DecPhil Zuckerman on the rise and influence of the “nones”
38. 24 DecDid the CDC favor social-justice optics over American lives?
39. 24 DecSend in your holiday photos!
40. 23 DecWednesday: Hili dialogue
41. 23 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
42. 23 DecThe BBC nominates J. K. Rowling’s controversial essay for the Russell Prize (it didn’t win)
43. 23 DecWhy we shouldn’t be worried (yet) about the new strain of Covid-19
44. 23 DecWriter at The Nation suggests that, as reparations, each vote from a black person should be counted twice
45. 23 DecPeter Jackson’s new Beatles movie
46. 22 DecTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
47. 22 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
48. 22 DecJennifer A. Clack, 1947-2020
49. 22 DecDr. Lickerman on the Moderna vaccine
50. 22 DecA ritzy private secondary school in NYC melts down—with the usual causes and usual demands
51. 22 DecAn interview with ACLU great Ira Glasser
52. 21 DecMonday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
53. 21 DecReaders’ holiday wildlife photos
54. 21 DecMy heart is broken: Eric Clapton and Van Morrison release an anti-mask and anti-lockdown song
55. 21 DecNew England Journal of Medicine piece calls for removing sex designations from birth certificates
56. 21 DecHaverford publicly caves in to its entitled students
57. 21 DecWonky comments appearing
58. 20 DecSunday: Hili dialogue
59. 20 DecSunday Faux Duck o’ the Week
60. 20 DecNew York Times says prize-winning podcast contained “flawed reporting”, returns Peabody Award while another award is revoked
61. 20 DecOnce again we’re told we have free will, and once again it makes no sense.
62. 20 DecSwarthmore College’s president has the moxie to resist ridiculous student demands
63. 20 DecDivers save a baby octopus
64. 19 DecSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
65. 19 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
66. 19 DecCaturday felids trifecta: Laziest cat ever; wrapping your cat for the holidays; a firefighting kitty—and lagniappe
67. 19 DecRichard Dawkins on truth and “ways of knowing”
68. 19 DecAndrew Sullivan: party like it’s 1920! (and a word on Mayor Pete)
69. 18 DecFriday: Hili dialogue
70. 18 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
71. 18 DecKareem Abdul-Jabbar calls for censorship on the Internet: of celebrities whose opinions he dislikes
72. 18 DecIn search of lost time
73. 17 DecThursday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
74. 17 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
75. 17 DecGuest post: The New Yorker suggests that “other ways of knowing” can cure Covid-19
76. 17 DecTonight: The University of Chicago’s world famous Latke-Hamantash Debate
77. 17 DecCritical Theory and its Jewish dilemma
78. 17 DecTrue facts about army ants and their associates
79. 16 DecWednesday: Hili dialogue
80. 16 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
81. 16 DecYet another accommodationist writes in
82. 16 DecFruit Fly Central: the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center
83. 16 DecObama on The Daily Show
84. 15 DecTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
85. 15 DecMore improvements at this site
86. 15 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
87. 15 DecAnother critic writes in touting the scientific rationality of Islam and decrying the moral failures of atheism
88. 15 DecWhen, if ever, can you use the “n-word”?
89. 15 DecA tear-jerking Christmas video
90. 14 DecMonday: Hili dialogue
91. 14 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
92. 14 DecFeds execute two more prisoners
93. 14 DecMy doctor’s new post about the Pfizer vaccine: your questions answered (and you can ask the doc if you have others)
94. 14 DecNew website features
95. 14 DecA Vatican astronomer writes to me
96. 13 DecSunday: Hili dialogue
97. 13 DecSunday’s Faux Duck ‘o the Week
98. 13 DecFirst report of tool use in honeybees: a native species uses dung pellets to repel predatory wasps
99. 13 DecShould Ph.D.s call themselves “doctor” in everyday life?
100. 13 DecA new way of visualizing cells
101. 12 DecSaturday: Hili dialogue
102. 12 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
103. 12 DecCaturday felid trifecta: Stray cats inspire Vietnamese psychiatrist to resume writing poetry; presents for a giant cat; cat on the catwalk
104. 12 DecA note to those who follow this site with an RSS reader
105. 12 DecAndrew Sullivan implies that the Resurrection probably didn’t happen, and then describes “Christianism” as a big threat to America
106. 12 DecA gangsta Hanukkah
107. 11 DecFriday: Hili dialogue
108. 11 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
109. 11 DecA vestigial trait of birds that may have been functional in ancestors: remote-sensing of vibrations in the bill (still active in the kiwi)
110. 11 DecJoyce Carol Oates eulogizes her late husband in a science journal
111. 11 DecGlenn Loury and John McWhorter on Nikole Hannah-Jones
112. 11 DecMore houses from Kenwood and a possum
113. 11 DecThe Supremes give Trump a boot in the tuchas
114. 10 DecA tip from a reader on how to subscribe to threads, and a question
115. 10 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
116. 10 DecAmerican scientists are mostly Democrats, with almost no Republicans. Is this lack of diversity a problem?
117. 10 DecA victory for free speech at the University of Cambridge
118. 10 DecA walk through Kenwood
119. 10 DecThursday: Hili dialogue
120. 9 DecWednesday: Hili dialogue
121. 9 DecIt’s International Vet Day!
122. 9 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
123. 9 DecFIRE’s annual spotlight on college speech codes
124. 9 DecSale of fancy Faith Versus Fact book ends
125. 9 DecObama’s new book looks good
126. 9 DecJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ pronouns
127. 9 DecSpaceX to try again with the Starship rocket at 5:30 Eastern time today
128. 8 DecTuesday: Hili dialogue
129. 8 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
130. 8 DecPfizer vaccine deemed safe and effective by the FDA, and a question for readers
131. 8 DecEditors of Princeton student newspaper: dump the school’s policy of free speech when it protects hate speech
132. 8 DecSpaceX plans launch today of Starship rocket designed for long-distance space travel; watch live here
133. 8 DecBids for fancy “Faith versus Fact” copy near $3000
134. 8 DecRescued fox cub befriends his saviors
135. 7 DecMonday: Hili dialogue
136. 7 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
137. 7 DecThe NYT’s tedious article on cancel culture
138. 7 Dec“We’re located on Dakota land”
139. 7 DecSpot the leaf insects!
140. 7 DecHere are the leaf mimics!
141. 6 DecSunday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
142. 6 DecSunday’s Faux Duck o’ the Week
143. 6 DecOur auction is still running with three days to go: a multiply autographed and illustrated copy of Faith versus Fact
144. 6 DecFive movies about lesbians, with a brief review of “Ammonite”
145. 6 DecMcGill students demand end to free speech on their campus
146. 6 DecAndrew Sullivan immerses himself in hot water by saying “only some black lives matter”
147. 6 DecObama’s house (and a bit of news)
148. 5 DecSaturday: Hili dialogue
149. 5 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
150. 5 DecCaturday felids: “Got milk” ad with cats; cat toilet-paper steeplechase; cats being cats
151. 5 DecSocial-justice turbulence at Haverford, self-abasing administrators, and some lessons
152. 4 DecFriday: Hili dialogue
153. 4 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
154. 4 DecU.S. companies lobby against a policy forbidding use of Uyghur slave labor in their products
155. 4 DecIs publishing Jordan Peterson an act of bigotry?
156. 4 DecIvy League librarians call for an end to all policing
157. 4 DecFriday ducks (and starlings)
158. 3 DecThursday: Hili dialogue
159. 3 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
160. 3 DecPlant seeds evolve to mimic antelope droppings, and dupe dung beetles roll and bury the seeds
161. 3 DecRashida Tlaib calls for elimination of Israel, then backs off for appearance’s sake
162. 2 DecWednesday: Hili dialogue
163. 2 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
164. 2 DecJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ emotion-based argument
165. 2 DecIs Cancel Culture coming for you?
166. 2 DecBritain’s High Court restricts medical treatment of teenagers who identify as transsexual
167. 2 DecAre we “scientific fascists”?
168. 2 DecA 130-year-old old bird-call machine
169. 1 DecTuesday: Hili dialogue
170. 1 DecReaders’ wildlife photos
171. 1 DecTrump administration rushes to kill federal prisoners before Inauguration Day, now allowing firing squads, gas, and electrocution
172. 1 DecHas the problem of protein folding been solved?

November 2020

1. 30 NovMonday: Hili dialogue
2. 30 NovFaux Duck o’ the Week
3. 30 NovU of C President Robert Zimmer issues statement supporting faculty’s freedom of speech
4. 30 NovSpot the mallards!
5. 30 NovNick Cohen and Stephen Fry on Cambridge Uni’s weaselly free-speech policy
6. 30 NovHere are the mallards!
7. 30 NovOnce again: transgender women in women’s sports
8. 29 NovSunday: Hili dialogue
9. 29 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
10. 29 NovSpot the frog!
11. 29 NovA charity eBay auction for a fancy autographed and illuminated copy of “Faith Versus Fact”
12. 29 NovA kerfuffle about diversity and inclusion at the University of Chicago
13. 29 NovHere’s the frog!
14. 28 NovSaturday: Hili dialogue
15. 28 NovReaders’ wildlife photos (and video)
16. 28 NovCaturday felid trifecta: World’s saddest cat adopted; the tale of a diffident cat; cats that act like birds
17. 28 NovKatie Herzog and Andrew Sullivan on the extinction of lesbians (and Sully on the wokeness of the Biden administration)
18. 28 NovExcreting on the ISS
19. 27 NovFriday: Hili dialogue
20. 27 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
21. 27 NovThe “skunk rat” that chews toxic vegetation and spits the toxins onto its fur
22. 27 NovA recurrent dream
23. 27 NovYou can edit your comments, but it’s time-limited
24. 26 NovThursday: Hili dialogue
25. 26 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
26. 26 NovSupreme Court comes down on side of churches in New York’s pandemic restrictions on congregation size
27. 26 NovWhat’s for dinner?
28. 25 NovWednesday: Hili dialogue
29. 25 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
30. 25 NovPenguin Random House (Canada) employees rebel against their firm’s publication of Jordan Peterson
31. 25 NovJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ positivity
32. 25 NovA respected journalist is bullied out of the Guardian
33. 25 NovReligion infects everyone
34. 24 NovTuesday: Hili dialogue
35. 24 NovReaders’ wildlife photos and videos
36. 24 NovThread: On the “On the Origin of Species”
37. 24 NovA polite creationist writes in, explaining why evolution can’t work
38. 24 NovResidents continue to flee North Korea despite unbelievable dangers, and there’s now a movement to topple the regime
39. 23 NovMonday: Hili dialogue
40. 23 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
41. 23 NovIs the “Goldwater rule” a good ethical guide for therapists, and does it violate Americans’ freedom of speech?
42. 23 NovWords and phrases I detest
43. 23 NovOne-off: a melanistic emperor penguin! (+ leucistic lagniappe)
44. 22 NovSunday: Hili dialogue
45. 22 NovFaux Duck O’ the Week
46. 22 NovHeavy human harvesting of a valuable medicinal plant leads to evolution of new leaf and flower colors
47. 22 NovCornell’s student assembly votes against disarming campus police; outraged students vow to remove from office those who voted the wrong way
48. 22 NovThe dreaded shingles shot
49. 21 NovSaturday: Hili dialogue
50. 21 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
51. 21 NovCaturday felid trifecta: Felted kitties; holiday gifts for cat lovers; cat landscapes
52. 21 NovCrowdsourcing new web designs and site features
53. 21 NovEducational organizations urge Biden to get more woke about education, but many of their recommendations aren’t great
54. 21 NovBill Maher on Trumpism as a cult
55. 20 NovFriday: Hili dialogue
56. 20 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
57. 20 NovThanks to an American Catholic bishop, the pandemic gets a boost
58. 20 NovBret Stephens scolds the Left
59. 20 NovHow does altruism evolve?
60. 20 NovZeFrank on reptile tongues
61. 19 NovThursday: Hili dialogue
62. 19 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
63. 19 NovDueling petitions about banning “Irreversible Damage” by Abigail Shrier
64. 19 NovWhy “defunding the police” won’t work
65. 19 NovIs Biden going woke?
66. 19 NovIt’s the end of the world as we know it
67. 18 NovWednesday: Hili dialogue
68. 18 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
69. 18 NovAlexander Hamilton: slaveowner, slave trader, pro-slavery lawyer, and slave renter
70. 18 NovJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ a flawed but divine church
71. 17 NovTuesday: Hili dialogue
72. 17 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
73. 17 NovThe New York Times loses another columnist
74. 17 NovOne more post about WordPress glitches
75. 17 NovShould scientific journals strive for “diversity” of reviewers and authors?
76. 17 NovMoar photos from the proprietor
77. 16 NovMonday: Hili dialogue
78. 16 NovProblems with WordPress
79. 16 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
80. 16 NovWordPress problems
81. 16 Nov“We must add new guardrails”: Biden transition team official wrote op-ed asking for hate speech laws
82. 16 NovNew WordPress information about this site
83. 15 NovSunday: Hili dialogue
84. 15 NovSunday Faux Duck o’ the Week
85. 15 NovA philosopher infected with confirmation bias explains why evolution proves God
86. 15 NovA PBS Space Time video does an unconvincing job of discussing free will
87. 15 Nov“Who are these jellyfish?”: Bill Maher attributes Democratic losses to wokeness
88. 15 NovWine recommendations for the pandemic
89. 15 NovSpace-X launch at 7:27 p.m. Eastern time
90. 14 NovSaturday: Hili dialogue
91. 14 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
92. 14 NovAndrew Sullivan: There are bad people on both sides
93. 14 NovCaturday felids: Awesome cat mural; cat goes missing on adventure, returns home with note, parrots tormenting cats
94. 14 NovACLU staff attorney calls for censorship of Abigail Shrier’s book on gender dysphoria
95. 14 NovA farewell to ducks
96. 13 NovFriday: Hili dialogue
97. 13 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
98. 13 NovWhy are old white men so much worse than young white men?
99. 13 NovThe erasure of a book that describes problems with adolescent and teenage girls transitioning to males
100. 13 NovThe greatness of PCC(E)
101. 12 NovThursday: Hili dialogue
102. 12 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
103. 12 NovNorway criminalizes public and private “hate speech” about trans issues
104. 12 NovTrump presides over a spate of federal executions, including three in his lame-duck period
105. 12 Nov“Religions aren’t growing: they’re just growing louder”: Dennett on God and religiosity
106. 11 NovWednesday: Hili dialogue
107. 11 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
108. 11 NovJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ obstinacy
109. 11 NovThe election mess continues, but Biden and Harris remain the victors
110. 11 NovThe humane prisons of Finland
111. 10 NovTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
112. 10 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
113. 10 NovMy surgery bill, and the implications for American healthcare
114. 10 NovJodi Shaw, the Smith College employee shamed for whiteness, is interviewed at Quillette and issues a new video about discrimination
115. 10 NovThe crazy covid/geomagneticism/serpentinization paper is finally retracted
116. 9 NovMonday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
117. 9 NovWe interrupt our usual program for a pandemic update: Pfizer claims its coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective
118. 9 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
119. 9 NovReflections on the election
120. 9 NovNew paper claims that gentoo penguins are now four species, not one
121. 9 NovMiscellaneous photos
122. 8 NovSunday: Hili dialogue
123. 8 NovFaux Duck o’ the Week
124. 8 NovWaPo editor: religion is necessary for a strong American democracy
125. 8 NovAndrew Sullivan on Trump’s appeal, Trump’s legacy, and the electoral repudiation of Wokeism
126. 8 NovMan reunited with his beloved donkey
127. 7 NovSaturday: Hili dialogue
128. 7 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
129. 7 Nov“BAD THINGS HAPPENED!”: Your President tweets
130. 7 NovCaturday felid trifecta: Cat rice balls, Gary the adventure cat, cat snores into echo microphone,
131. 7 NovA really funny Trump tweet
132. 7 NovCNN calls Presidency for Biden
133. 7 NovThe NYT follows suit
134. 7 NovKamala calls Joe (or vice versa) with the good news
135. 7 NovNYT op-ed writer blames increased Trump voting by people of color and gays on “the white patriarchy”
136. 7 NovVan Jones reacts to the election results
137. 7 NovJoe Biden gives victory speech momentarily
138. 6 NovElection thread: it’s still a squeaker, but Biden leads
139. 6 NovFriday: Hili dialogue
140. 6 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
141. 6 NovYes we did!
142. 6 Nov“This is the time to get off the Trump train”: Stephen Colbert calls out Trump and the Republicans in a spontaneous, heartfelt monologue
143. 5 NovPart 2 of a Smith College employee’s complaint about racial harassment
144. 5 NovCoyne calls the election for Biden
145. 5 NovTrump whines in public
146. 5 NovA prediction that is mine. . .
147. 5 NovThursday: Hili dialogue
148. 5 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
149. 5 NovThe nail-biting continues
150. 5 NovBlatant atheism in The New Yorker!
151. 4 NovWednesday: Hili dialogue
152. 4 NovThe election
153. 4 NovAllow me to regale you with details of my operation
154. 4 NovJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ murderous secularism
155. 4 NovBiden is on the road to victory!
156. 3 NovTuesday: Hili dialogue
157. 3 NovWhy aren’t we Charlie this time?
158. 3 NovDiscussion thread for the election
159. 3 NovI am alive
160. 2 NovMonday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
161. 2 NovReaders’ wildlife photos
162. 2 NovDiscussion thread, perhaps election-themed
163. 2 NovThe NYT continues to blame Islamic terrorism on France
164. 1 NovSunday: Hili dialogue
165. 1 NovFaux Duck o’ the Week
166. 1 NovThe mainstream press “explains” why French Muslims commit terror attacks, including France’s “unusual attachment to secularism”
167. 1 NovI couldn’t make it through the new Sullivan/Harris podcast
168. 1 NovGargoyles and ducks

October 2020

1. 31 OctSaturday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 OctSean Connery died
3. 31 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
4. 31 OctCaturday felid trifecta: Why Socks was the best cat, Nazca giant felid drawing discovered in Peru, cats help jailbirds (and lagniappe)
5. 31 OctWho’s the best painter of all time?
6. 31 OctAndrew Sullivan gives Biden a pat on the back
7. 30 OctFriday: Hili dialogue
8. 30 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
9. 30 OctNotes to readers
10. 30 OctA disaffected staff member at Smith College complains about its obsession with race, makes a video that will doom her
11. 30 OctA bizarre paper in an Elsevier journal suggests that Covid 19 is a geological/magnetic-like phenomenon and can be prevented by wearing jade amulets. Elsevier defends the paper.
12. 29 OctTerrorist knife attack in Nice, France kills three, with one decapitated
13. 29 OctThursday: Hili dialogue
14. 29 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
15. 29 OctAn explanation for the “hanging ant bridge”
16. 29 OctCalifornia passes law to test prospective cops for both explicit and implicit bias: a poorly written article in The Washington Post
17. 29 OctAre Asian-Americans “people of color”?
18. 29 OctLip-synched Presidential debate
19. 28 OctWednesday: Hili dialogue
20. 28 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
21. 28 OctChicago!
22. 28 OctJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ hypocrisy
23. 28 OctMore ludicrous erasure: students at Brown demand removal of two Roman statues, while students at UW Madison vote to remove Lincoln statue
24. 28 OctLiberals explain why liberals tired of wokeness shouldn’t vote for Trump
25. 28 OctAnts build a hanging, living bridge to raid a hornet’s nest
26. 27 OctTuesday: Hili dialogue
27. 27 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
28. 27 OctCrowdsourcing an answer
29. 27 OctThe annals of the 1619 debacle at the New York Times
30. 27 OctPanpsychism hangs around like an unwanted guest
31. 27 OctA dishonest election ad
32. 27 OctYes, wokeness drove people to Trump. But will it decrease under Biden?
33. 26 OctMonday: Hili dialogue
34. 26 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
35. 26 OctPoland bans more legal abortions, making the country nearly abortion-free
36. 26 OctNew study shows that campus bigotry is concentrated in only a minority of students, rebutting the “dispersed discrimination” hypothesis of “implicit bias” theory
37. 26 OctA man and his pet cougar
38. 25 OctSunday: Hili dialogue
39. 25 OctSunday: Faux Duck o’ the Week
40. 25 OctA frenzy of school renaming in store for San Francisco
41. 25 OctAre “mononyms” in classical music racist and sexist?
42. 25 OctSunday Ducks
43. 24 OctSaturday: Hili dialogue
44. 24 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
45. 24 OctCaturday felid trifecta: A new cat book; an ancient Chinese”cat butler”; a very fat cat gets adopted (and lagniappe)
46. 24 OctThe Discovery Institute goddies go after determinism again
47. 24 OctGoogle Easter eggs
48. 23 OctFriday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
49. 23 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
50. 23 OctBad writing at the New Yorker
51. 23 OctRecommended weekend reading
52. 23 OctDeclassified footage of the biggest nuclear explosion ever
53. 22 OctThursday: Hili dialogue
54. 22 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
55. 22 OctKerfuffle escalates at Northwestern University; students call for President’s resignation
56. 22 OctCutting off your nose to spite your face: James Lindsay’s voting for Trump and the Republicans
57. 22 OctAmy Coney Barrett and her membership on the board of anti-gay Christian schools
58. 22 OctTonight’s Presidential debate
59. 21 OctWednesday: Hili dialogue
60. 21 OctToday: WaPo free speech discussion featuring U of C’s Bob Zimmer
61. 21 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
62. 21 OctJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Po-Mo
63. 21 OctBret Stephens on free speech and criticism of religion, and the NYT’s failure to defend “blasphemy”
64. 21 OctDiscussion thread
65. 21 OctSome winners, Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest
66. 21 OctA new observation on my wood ducks
67. 20 OctTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
68. 20 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
69. 20 OctThe President of Northwestern University is mad as hell at woke students, and he’s not going to take it anymore
70. 20 OctSenior Palestinian official with Covid-19 treated at Israeli hospital, despite a recent ban on “regular” Palestinians being treated in Israel
71. 20 OctBilling and cooing: Wood ducks wooing at Botany Pond
72. 20 OctHalloween special: elephants
73. 19 OctMonday: Hili dialogue
74. 19 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
75. 19 OctThe pushback against free speech begins
76. 19 OctMonday ducks: The glory that is Frisky
77. 18 OctSunday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
78. 18 OctFaux Duck o’ the Week
79. 18 OctThe New Yorker bungles its science writing again
80. 18 OctA genomic and evolutionary analysis of an extinct saber-toothed cat
81. 18 OctJet
82. 17 OctSaturday: Hili dialogue
83. 17 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
84. 17 OctCaturday felid trifecta: Cat tags along on world tour; cats that are a bit thick; where the moggies roam (and lagniappe)
85. 17 OctBertrand Russell on faith versus fact
86. 17 OctThe FFRF exposes Amy Coney Barrett’s religious extremism
87. 16 OctFriday: Hili dialogue
88. 16 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
89. 16 OctA must-read: Bari Weiss decries wokeness, anti-Semitism at Tablet
90. 16 OctSelf flagellation in Canada
91. 16 OctAmy Coney Barrett dodges the issue of climate change
92. 15 OctThursday: Hili dialogue
93. 15 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
94. 15 OctMatthew talks about Rosalind Franklin tomorrow
95. 15 OctMerriam-Webster Dictionary changes language about sexuality during Amy Coney Barrett hearings
96. 15 OctUseless virtue-flaunting action of the month
97. 15 OctMy university has a covid outbreak
98. 14 OctWednesday: Hili dialogue
99. 14 OctReaders’ wildlife photos (and videos)
100. 14 OctJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ perks
101. 14 OctNew article: coronavirus lingers on surfaces longer than we thought
102. 14 OctA superb article against the religious indoctrination of children
103. 13 OctTuesday: Hili dialogue
104. 13 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
105. 13 OctRevisiting an old paper, but a good one
106. 13 OctFacebook considers Holocaust denial as “hate speech”, removes it from the site
107. 13 OctTuesday ducks
108. 12 OctTwo share Economics “Nobel Prize” (and a poll)
109. 12 OctMonday: Hili dialogue (Leon exchange with Mietek)
110. 12 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
111. 12 OctFallout at the New York times over Bret Stephens’s criticism of the 1619 Project
112. 12 Oct“Segregated” events at the University of Chicago?
113. 12 OctWhat do “sophisticated” believers really believe?
114. 11 OctSunday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
115. 11 OctSunday: Duck o’ the Week
116. 11 OctThe New York Times describes Hitler’s Nazis as “anti-Zionists”
117. 11 OctTool-using ants build siphons to wick sugar water out of containers, keeping them from drowning
118. 11 OctSabine Hossenfelder says we don’t have free will, but its nonexistence shouldn’t bother us
119. 10 OctSaturday: Hili dialogue
120. 10 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
121. 10 OctCaturday felid trifecta: Twitter’s “unflattering cat photo” contest; cats in paintings; cats and their human doubles (and lagniappe)
122. 10 OctBret Stephens is wrong about most things, but he is very brave
123. 9 OctFriday: Hili dialogue
124. 9 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
125. 9 OctGynandromorph Rose-breasted Grosbeak
126. 9 OctNick Cohen on a creepy case of cancel culture
127. 9 OctPre-Darwin “Darwinians”: a post by Andrew Berry
128. 9 OctNew reply from Ayaan Hirsi Ali to Sarah Haider
129. 8 OctThe Nobel Prize in Literature goes to Louise Glück, for poetry, and nobody wins the guess-the-Laureate contest
130. 8 OctThursday: Hili dialogue
131. 8 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
132. 8 OctCovid 19 may hijack pain receptors, reducing pain and increasing the spread of the virus: a possible result of natural selection
133. 8 OctEvanston, Illinois starts racial discrimination in public schools in a nonproductive way
134. 8 OctNew Zealand hospital rejects a Christian chapel in favor of a multifaith one; Christians outraged
135. 7 OctDoudna and Charpentier win Chemistry Nobel for CRISPR/Cas9 method of gene editing
136. 7 OctWednesday: Hili dialogue
137. 7 OctA consolation contest: guess the Nobel Prize for Literature
138. 7 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
139. 7 OctJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ context
140. 7 OctJason Rosenhouse discredits new Intelligent Design paper
141. 7 OctDid Arabs come up with Darwinism before Darwin?
142. 7 OctLivestreaming the Vice Presidential debate
143. 6 OctNobel Prize in Physics goes to three for showing that formation of black holes is predicted by relativity theory
144. 6 OctTuesday: Hili dialogue
145. 6 OctReaders’ wildlife photos and videos
146. 6 OctU of C President clarifies and affirms University’s refusal to take official stands on political, ideological, and moral issues
147. 6 OctCUNY anti-Semite defended by University for assaulting student wearing an IDF tee-shirt
148. 6 OctSNL does the Trump/Biden debate
149. 5 OctMonday: Hili dialogue
150. 5 OctNobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine goes to three for discovering the Hepatitis C virus
151. 5 OctReader’s wildlife photos
152. 5 OctAccommodationism returns, this time with a nasty streak
153. 5 OctMore “evolutionary theory overturned” hype, but, as usual, it’s overrated
154. 5 OctThe woodies are changing!
155. 4 OctSunday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
156. 4 OctSunday Duck ‘o the Week
157. 4 OctGuess the Nobel Prizes, redux
158. 4 OctSullivan on Biden
159. 4 OctSainsbury’s tries segregation
160. 4 OctMark Knopfler and Chet Atkins
161. 3 OctSaturday: Hili dialogue
162. 3 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
163. 3 OctCaturday felid trifecta: Best cat posts from the week of June 30; old cat on the Silk Road; black panther photographed in India (and lagniappe)
164. 3 OctPrognostications: The Senate race
165. 3 OctShould mental-health professionals diagnose Trump as mentally ill?
166. 3 OctIs Trump sicker than we thought?
167. 2 OctFriday: Hili dialogue
168. 2 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
169. 2 OctGuess the Nobel Prizes
170. 2 OctThe politics of the AP Stylebook: the word “riots” is discouraged because the word is too emotional
171. 2 OctA good article on Covid-19 testing, a way forward, and where we screwed up
172. 2 OctBees cook giant hornets to death
173. 1 Oct“Now October has come again”
174. 1 OctThursday: Hili dialogue
175. 1 OctReaders’ wildlife photos
176. 1 OctIs violence necessary for racial equality?
177. 1 OctHow tall is Mount Everest?
178. 1 OctSlo-mo films of flying insects

September 2020

1. 30 SepWednesday: Hili dialogue
2. 30 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
3. 30 SepAftermath: The debate
4. 30 SepA groveling apology from a professor who simply called for more college football, which is apparently racist
5. 30 SepMath as ideology: the Seattle debacle
6. 30 SepJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ blasphemy
7. 29 SepTuesday: Hili dialogue
8. 29 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
9. 29 SepAn exchange about Wokeism featuring Sarah Haider and Ayaan Hirsi Ali
10. 29 SepThe intellectual vacuity of New Scientist’s evolution issue: 4. The supposed importance of genetic drift in evolution
11. 29 SepCollege free speech rankings: best and worst (n.b.: U of C is number one)
12. 29 SepDebate thread
13. 28 SepMonday: Hili dialogue
14. 28 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
15. 28 SepSpot the rattlesnake!
16. 28 SepRichard Dawkins canceled at Trinity College Dublin
17. 28 SepThe intellectual vacuity of New Scientist’s evolution issue: 3. The supposed importance of epigenetics in evolution
18. 28 SepJohn McWhorter’s conversation for Quillette now available
19. 28 SepWoodies at Botany Pond
20. 27 SepSunday: Hili dialogue
21. 27 SepSunday Duck o’ the Week
22. 27 SepA question about Supreme Court Justices
23. 27 SepThe intellectual vacuity of New Scientist’s evolution issue: 2. The supposed nonexistence of species
24. 27 SepMinneapolis fails to defund police
25. 27 SepTwo by the Everly Brothers
26. 26 SepSaturday: Hili dialogue
27. 26 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
28. 26 SepCaturday felid trifecta: Simon’s cat at adoption; violin practice with kitten; Maine Coon cat joins Star Trek
29. 26 SepThe intellectual vacuity of New Scientist’s evolution issue: 1. Genetic plasticity
30. 26 SepArt exhibit “postponed” because of hooded Klan figures in paintings
31. 26 SepWhy your eyes can rotate: an evolutionary explanation
32. 25 SepFriday: Hili dialogue
33. 25 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
34. 25 SepDoes a split jumping spider, half male and half female, behave as a male, a female, or both?
35. 25 SepCan Biden win with the cat-owner vote?
36. 25 SepPanda noms carrot
37. 24 SepThursday: Hili dialogue (and Kulka monologue)
38. 24 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
39. 24 SepThe Breonna Taylor mystery
40. 24 SepA scary article about Trump and his possible refusal to relinquish the Presidency
41. 24 SepNew Scientist: Darwin wasn’t wrong after all
42. 23 SepWednesday: Hili dialogue
43. 23 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
44. 23 SepJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ paranoia
45. 23 SepDiscussion thread
46. 23 SepOnce again: the supposed need for the self-justification of science
47. 23 SepA good article on the meaning of biological sex
48. 23 SepCapybaras nom a gigantic pumpkin
49. 22 SepTuesday: Hili dialogue
50. 22 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
51. 22 SepLindsey Graham does a 180, says that Dems would do it too
52. 22 SepYou can vote now
53. 22 SepThe intellectual mendacity of the New York Times and its 1619 Project
54. 22 SepMore college overkill: Professor suspended for using the term “chinese virus” to refer to Covid-19
55. 21 SepMonday: Hili dialogue
56. 21 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
57. 21 SepAn open letter to the University of Chicago’s English Department
58. 21 SepIs Beethoven about to be canceled, too?
59. 21 SepOne-click messaging to your Senators about the RBG replacement
60. 20 SepSunday: Hili dialogue
61. 20 SepSunday’s Duck o’ the Week
62. 20 SepWesleyan University president purports to comport intellectual diversity with “hate speech” ban; the result is still censorship
63. 20 SepA Marquette University poll on early Senate voting on Supreme Court nominees, and our poll on “packing the court”
64. 20 SepA quick book review, movie review, and a new movie to see
65. 20 SepSunday duck report
66. 19 SepSaturday: Hili dialogue
67. 19 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
68. 19 SepCaturday felid trifecta: Traveling with cats; Japan and its cats, ancient Chinese poet becomes cat slave
69. 19 SepAlan Dershowitz, in Newsweek, decries the University of Chicago’s adherence to Groupthink
70. 19 SepJohn McWhorter talks to Sam Harris
71. 19 SepAnother reason why modern pop and rock suck
72. 18 SepFriday: Hili dialogue
73. 18 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
74. 18 SepPrinceton hoist with its own petard: Admits systemic racism, investigated for it by the Department of Education, and then denies it
75. 18 SepWords and phrases I detest
76. 18 SepBen Schwarz on the University of Chicago’s new grad-school admissions policy
77. 18 SepA lovely video about making a ring
78. 18 SepRuth Bader Ginsburg dead at 87
79. 17 SepThursday: Hili dialogue
80. 17 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
81. 17 SepJ. K. Rowling again demonized on bogus grounds
82. 17 SepMore violations of my University’s principle of political neutrality
83. 17 SepIs the “self canceling” of the Columbia University Marching Band a big joke?
84. 16 SepWednesday: Hili dialogue
85. 16 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
86. 16 SepJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ The Prophets’ Choice
87. 16 SepWill Darwin be canceled?
88. 16 SepAmericans abysmally ignorant about the Holocaust
89. 16 SepEarliest Joni Mitchell tape found
90. 15 SepTuesday: Hili dialogue
91. 15 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
92. 15 SepAn evolutionary psychology book that shows the discipline’s value—but not the value of memes
93. 15 SepAnother criterion for judging whether to “cancel” someone
94. 15 SepBill Maher, Malcolm Nance, and Andrew Sullivan on removing monuments
95. 14 SepMonday: Hili dialogue
96. 14 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
97. 14 SepNew duck, who dis?
98. 14 SepThe big announcement about supposedly biogenic chemicals on Venus: 11 a.m. Eastern time, 4 pm BST (watch here)
99. 14 SepU of C English Department now accepting only grad students intending to work in Black studies
100. 13 SepSunday: Hili dialogue
101. 13 SepSunday’s Duck o’ the Week
102. 13 SepBig new British monument to answered prayers
103. 13 SepDavid Hume canceled
104. 13 SepOnce again, “Black” versus “white”
105. 13 SepBig astronomy announcement coming up
106. 13 SepStudents call for George Bernard Shaw to be canceled at RADA; Restoration drama also faces the axe
107. 13 SepComedy wildlife photos
108. 12 SepSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
109. 12 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
110. 12 SepSpot the wood frog!
111. 12 SepCaturday felid trifecta: Deranged cat harmonized; cat steals neighbors’ laundry; a cat shaped hole in a woman’s life;
112. 12 SepHere’s the wood frog!
113. 12 SepAndrew Sullivan: The genetic underpinnings of IQ means we shouldn’t value it so much, that we should ditch the meritocracy, and that we should become more of a communist society
114. 12 SepStunning volcanic eruptions filmed in real time
115. 11 SepFriday: Hili dialogue
116. 11 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
117. 11 SepDeepak Chopra canceled!
118. 11 SepU. Michigan Dearborn creates segregated events, then apologizes
119. 11 SepWhy science needs philosophy: an op-ed in PNAS
120. 11 SepSashimi breakfast for pet otters
121. 10 SepThursday: Hili dialogue
122. 10 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
123. 10 SepAn enthusiastic movie recommendation
124. 10 SepWhat to make of Jessica Krug?
125. 10 SepSome stats on this site (and some ducks)
126. 10 SepRap converges with religious glossolalia
127. 9 SepWednesday: Hili dialogue
128. 9 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
129. 9 SepWhat is it like to be Trump?
130. 9 SepJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ stupidity
131. 9 SepThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sets new diversity standards
132. 9 SepChicago public schools adopt the 1619 Project
133. 9 SepSong on a watermelon keyboard
134. 8 SepTuesday: Hili dialogue
135. 8 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
136. 8 SepUniversity of Chicago 1, cop-defunder students 0
137. 8 SepCan scientific theories be falsified? One scientist says no
138. 8 SepMedical-journal article suggests eliminating applicants to med school if they’re racists
139. 8 SepChristopher Walken dances to “Come and Get Your Love”
140. 7 SepMonday: Hili dialogue
141. 7 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
142. 7 SepA screw-up (mine)
143. 7 SepNick Cohen on the dangers of right-wing vs. left-wing extremism
144. 7 SepLabor Day duck report
145. 6 SepSunday: Hili dialogue
146. 6 SepSunday Duck o’ the Week
147. 6 SepA mundane Sunday sermon on the nonexistence of the afterlife
148. 6 SepDarwin next for cancellation?
149. 6 SepTrump orders federal government to cancel racial sensitivity training based on Critical Race Theory
150. 6 Sep“Who Loves You”
151. 5 SepSaturday: Hili dialogue
152. 5 SepReaders’ wildlife photos and videos
153. 5 SepCaturday felid trifecta: Cat a candidate for “New Zealander of the Year”; cats defying the law of gravity; cats refuse to work for food,
154. 5 SepMy unpublished comment on The Weekly Dish
155. 5 SepWeekend reading: three easy pieces
156. 4 SepFriday: Hili dialogue
157. 4 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
158. 4 SepThe science journal Nature goes woke, claiming that both sex and gender are nonbinary
159. 4 SepNPR walks back “In Defense of Looting”
160. 4 SepUSC Professor punished for using Chinese phrase in class that sounds like a racial slur
161. 4 SepPhotos of readers
162. 3 SepThursday: Hili dialogue
163. 3 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
164. 3 SepQuillette lecture on the “religion” of social justice by John McWhorter: Sept. 25 or 26
165. 3 SepVICE tries desperately to smear Steve Pinker
166. 3 SepA marvelous instrument
167. 2 SepWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
168. 2 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
169. 2 Sep“Silence = violence” leads to the demonization of the silent and the compulsion to utter certain words
170. 2 SepJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Charlie Hebdo
171. 2 SepThe execrable behavior of the Catholic Church during World War II
172. 2 SepMcWhorter on the chilling of academia
173. 2 SepMcCartney and Clapton: Two from the Concert for George
174. 1 SepTuesday: Hili dialogue
175. 1 SepReaders’ wildlife photos
176. 1 SepReminder: first MIT coronavirus lecture today at 11:30 Eastern time
177. 1 SepJohn Muir gets canceled
178. 1 SepGregg Caruso on free will, the justice system, prisons, the meaning of life, and the good life
179. 1 SepStandoff: Rooster vs. baby goat

August 2020

1. 31 AugMonday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
3. 31 AugNew MIT all-stars course on coronavirus and the pandemic starts TOMORROW (one hour per week)
4. 31 AugAuthors of anti-Pinker letter, having failed to discredit him, now write a 35-page academic paper claiming that the media and public misunderstood them
5. 31 AugIs Andrew Sullivan beyond the pale?
6. 31 AugU of C students demonstrate to defund and disarm campus police; University says “no way”
7. 31 AugMan builds nut bar for squirrels
8. 30 AugSunday: Hili dialogue
9. 30 AugSunday Duck O’ the Week
10. 30 AugA new book justifies looting
11. 30 AugDiscussion: psychological effects of the pandemic
12. 30 AugSunday ducks
13. 29 AugSaturday: Hili dialogue
14. 29 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
15. 29 AugCaturday felid trifecta: A difficult rescue of a treed cat; a library cat during the pandemic; why do cats chatter at birds?
16. 29 AugAndrew Sullivan on violent protests and the election
17. 29 AugYet another case of a woman asked to move so she wouldn’t give cooties to Orthodox Jews
18. 29 AugAndrew Sullivan: Sustainable liberalism requires God
19. 28 AugHas the Trump administration done anything positive?
20. 28 AugQuick change act fools Penn and Teller
21. 28 AugPhotos of readers
22. 28 AugFriday: Hili dialogue
23. 28 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
24. 28 AugThe incursion of identity politics into science
25. 27 AugThursday: Hili dialogue
26. 27 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
27. 27 AugThe mess in Kenosha
28. 27 AugDoes anybody want to read a long paper?
29. 27 AugThursday duck report
30. 26 AugWednesday: Hili dialogue
31. 26 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
32. 26 AugJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Wokeness
33. 26 AugSteve Stewart-Williams on the value of evolutionary psychology
34. 26 AugRacism or placeism?: Mizzou prof relieved of teaching duties after remark to a student from Wuhan
35. 25 AugTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
36. 25 AugReaders’ wildlife videos
37. 25 AugDr. Alex’s latest advice on Covid 19, and a chance to ask questions
38. 25 AugNYU students petition for blacks-only housing, but are turned down by the University
39. 25 AugA fantastic view of the surface of Mars
40. 24 AugMonday: Hili dialogue
41. 24 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
42. 24 AugThe frightening divide between Democrats and Republicans
43. 24 AugCatholic sacraments erased because priest wasn’t correctly baptized due to use of unpreferred pronoun. Church is contact-tracing to find the doomed.
44. 24 AugAre human facial expressions universal in which emotions they express?
45. 24 AugToby, the duck-guarding dog
46. 23 AugSunday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
47. 23 AugSunday Duck O’ the Week
48. 23 AugA Christian tries to save my soul by answering my hard questions about religion
49. 23 AugThe worries about “fake votes”
50. 23 AugTurning literature into ideology: Flannery O’Connor gets cancelled
51. 23 AugDucks eat snails in the vineyard, save pesticides
52. 22 AugSaturday: Hili dialogue
53. 22 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
54. 22 AugCaturday felid trifecta: British National Archives features cat artist Louis Wain; Cat tattoos; cat imprisoned for drug smuggling escapes from high-security prison; and lagniappe
55. 22 AugA blast from the past
56. 22 AugWeekend reading
57. 22 AugHeadbutting lessons
58. 21 AugFriday: Hili dialogue
59. 21 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
60. 21 AugHofstra students demand “zero tolerance for hate speech”
61. 21 Aug“Triumph of the Will” with my own disclaimer
62. 21 AugPhotos of readers
63. 20 AugThursday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
64. 20 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
65. 20 AugSequencing of penguin genes gives family tree, presumed geographic origin, and hints about natural selection
66. 20 AugSteve Bannon among four people indicted in New York for fraud
67. 20 AugThe Biden campaign repudiates Linda Sarsour
68. 20 Aug“Blazing Saddles” gets a trigger warning
69. 20 AugPhotos of readers
70. 20 AugJimmy Fallon mocks explanatory caveats affixed to “problematic” films
71. 19 AugWednesday: Hili dialogue
72. 19 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
73. 19 AugJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ cognition
74. 19 AugYale reopens, but at what cost?
75. 19 AugDiscussion thread: the Democratic convention (or anything else)
76. 19 AugPhotos of readers
77. 18 AugTuesday: Hili dialogue
78. 18 AugReaders’ photos
79. 18 AugModeling the huddling behavior of Emperor penguins: everybody gets equal warmth
80. 18 AugVICE: Why veganism is racist
81. 18 AugAbramek Koplowicz lives on in an Israeli pilot
82. 18 AugPhotos of readers
83. 17 AugMonday: Hili dialogue
84. 17 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
85. 17 AugNew troubles for college-bound British students
86. 17 AugDear god, can this administration get much worse?
87. 17 AugThe insanity defense: is it sane? Thoughts from the Leopold and Loeb case.
88. 17 AugWhich way will the ball go?
89. 16 AugSunday: Hili dialogue
90. 16 AugSunday Duck o’ the Week
91. 16 AugSunday: Duck report
92. 16 AugKamala Harris: the Left starts taking her apart as unprogressive
93. 16 AugThe omelette maker of Delhi
94. 15 AugSaturday: Hili dialogue
95. 15 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
96. 15 AugCaturday felid trifecta: Liquid cats, reading cats’ facial expressions (take a quiz to see how good you are), cats in nativity scenes (and lagniappe)
97. 15 AugThe colorful and erudite J.B.S. Haldane: my take and a new biography
98. 15 AugBlack Marxist scholar deplatformed for emphasizing class over race
99. 15 AugZeFrank: True facts about the hummingbird
100. 15 Aug“I Shall Be Released”
101. 14 AugFriday: Hili dialogue
102. 14 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
103. 14 AugA real longneck: a 20-foot aquatic reptile of the Triassic with a nine-foot neck
104. 14 AugFeedback on the site
105. 14 AugAre universities racist? Randall Kennedy’s take
106. 14 AugHow they make mezcal
107. 14 AugPhotos of readers
108. 13 AugThursday: Hili dialogue
109. 13 AugReader’s “wildlife” photos
110. 13 AugAn interview with Noam Chomsky and why he signed the Harper’s letter
111. 13 AugRussell Blackford reviews Elaine Ecklund’s latest religion-osculating book
112. 13 AugWoke birders win: McCown’s Longspur renamed because McCown was a Confederate general (though he made contributions to ornithology and repudiated the Confederacy)
113. 13 AugPhotos of readers
114. 12 AugWednesday: Hili dialogue
115. 12 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
116. 12 AugJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ whitewashing
117. 12 AugDiscussion thread
118. 12 AugPhotos of readers
119. 11 AugTuesday: Hili dialogue
120. 11 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
121. 11 AugThe efficacy of different face masks in reducing droplet emission
122. 11 AugThoughts on Chicago: Violence in demonstrations for equality is never justified
123. 11 AugSon comes out of the closet to his parents
124. 11 AugPhotos of readers
125. 11 AugWho will Biden pick as his running mate? A poll posted too late. . .
126. 10 AugMonday: Hili dialogue
127. 10 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
128. 10 AugReal estate goes woke with elimination of term “master bedroom”
129. 10 AugNYT finally gets around to reporting on the “chaos in Seattle”
130. 10 AugPhotos of readers
131. 10 AugMonday: Duck pics
132. 9 AugSunday: Hili dialogue
133. 9 AugSunday Duck o’ the Week
134. 9 AugReader’s photos: A Nagasaki memorial
135. 9 AugTulane University cancels book event because book is on the KKK—portraying it in a horrible light
136. 9 AugGood news about the teaching of evolution in American public schools
137. 9 AugTwo Italian girls who played quarantine tennis meet and play with their idol, Roger Federer
138. 9 AugPhotos of readers
139. 8 AugSaturday: Hili dialogue
140. 8 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
141. 8 AugCaturday felid trifecta: The epicenter of Turkish Van cats; “what’s wrong with my cat?” photos; best of cats on “Q” (and lagniappe)
142. 8 AugAndrew Sullivan’s latest lucubrations
143. 8 Aug“First they came for the bird names. . .” Woke craziness creeps into bird taxonomy
144. 8 AugPhotos of readers
145. 7 AugFriday: Hili dialogue
146. 7 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
147. 7 AugAllan Lichtman, with a “perfect” record, predicts this year’s election
148. 7 AugIs the NSF on board with “other ways of knowing”?
149. 7 AugFavorite words
150. 7 AugPhotos of readers
151. 6 AugThursday: Hili dialogue
152. 6 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
153. 6 AugNew WordPress glitch involving commenting
154. 6 AugTrump administration places severe restrictions on fetal tissue research, impeding medical progress
155. 6 AugCharles Lipson on woke colleges, conformity, and diversity
156. 6 AugCaterpillar makes a tent out of its dinner to hide itself
157. 6 AugPhotos of readers
158. 5 AugWednesday: Hili dialogue
159. 5 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
160. 5 AugMSNBC producer quits because of clickbait nature of the news
161. 5 AugJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ evolution ‘n’ snowflakes
162. 5 AugEt tu, L. A. Times? Trader Joe’s decision to keep brand names is touted as “breaking your heart”
163. 5 AugDuck doings: August 4
164. 4 AugTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
165. 4 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
166. 4 AugAnother antiracist book to read
167. 4 AugMore heat than light: the Axios interview of Trump
168. 4 AugThe MS Roald Amundsen becomes a Petri dish
169. 4 AugPhotos of readers
170. 3 AugMonday: Hili dialogue
171. 3 AugChicago: clearing storm
172. 3 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
173. 3 AugAn innocent joke about worms triggers a scientific firestorm on Twitter
174. 3 AugGreg Lukianoff of FIRE outlines how colleges should commit to freedom of speech
175. 3 AugHoney is back!
176. 3 AugPhotos of readers
177. 2 AugSunday: Hili dialogue (and Szaron monologue)
178. 2 AugDuck o’ the Week
179. 2 AugAnother weak argument against the Harper’s letter
180. 2 AugTrader Joe’s decides to keep “racist” brand names like “Trader Ming’s”
181. 2 AugSunday: Duck report
182. 2 AugPhotos of readers
183. 1 AugSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Kulka monologue)
184. 1 AugReaders’ wildlife photos
185. 1 AugAndrew Sullivan on postmodern “Theory”
186. 1 AugCaturday felid trifecta: Betty the Indiana weathercat, lion cub meets his dad, Sylvester’s owner dies (and lagniappe)
187. 1 AugHead of Philadelphia NAACP reproduces vile anti-Semitic trope, refuses to apologize
188. 1 AugPhotos of readers

July 2020

1. 31 JulFriday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 JulReaders’ wildlife photos (and a photo of animal mourning)
3. 31 JulSocial justice, then and now
4. 31 JulPeyton, the Philosophical Cat, ca. 2006-2020
5. 31 JulA letter in Nature accuses elite scientific institutions of “systemic racism”
6. 31 JulDiscussion thread
7. 31 JulPhotos of readers
8. 30 JulThursday: Hili dialogue (and Kulka monologue)
9. 30 JulMars Rover starts its mission today (launch 7:50 a.m. EDT); watch launch now
10. 30 JulReader’s photos
11. 30 JulJohn McWhorter on the Harper’s letter
12. 30 JulNew report: Bacteria can remain alive for over 100 million years!
13. 30 JulIt’s complicated: WaPo tackles the difficult journalistic issue of racial designation and capitalization
14. 30 JulPhotos of readers
15. 30 JulPig mourns its friend
16. 29 JulWednesday: Hili dialogue
17. 29 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
18. 29 JulA tiny 10-cm dinosaur that ate bugs
19. 29 JulJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ obscurantism
20. 29 JulIs “colorblind casting” problematic?
21. 29 JulPhotos of readers
22. 28 JulTuesday: Hili dialogue
23. 28 JulReaders’ photos
24. 28 JulAre people becoming more talkative during the pandemic?
25. 28 JulGodless Spellchecker reviews “White Fragility”
26. 28 JulRepublican Senator appears to have stretched the nose of his Jewish opponent
27. 28 JulA three-dimensional map of the Universe
28. 28 JulPhotos of readers
29. 27 JulBad writing in a review of Taylor Swift’s new album: a petulant deconstruction of purple prose
30. 27 JulBoudry on scientism and “ways of knowing”
31. 27 JulThe Wall Street Journal proudly proclaims that it’s not The New York Times
32. 27 JulThe number of species on islands
33. 27 JulPhotos of readers
34. 27 JulMonday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
35. 27 JulSunday’s Duck O’ the Week (a day late)
36. 26 JulSunday: Hili dialogue
37. 26 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
38. 26 JulAP/NORC poll: Most religious Americans see a message from God in the coronavirus pandemic
39. 26 JulAndrew Sullivan back at the Weekly Dish, and a disquisition on the J. K. Rowling kerfuffle
40. 26 JulOlivia de Havilland died
41. 26 JulDuck pics
42. 26 JulPhotos of readers
43. 25 JulSaturday: Hili dialogue
44. 25 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
45. 25 JulCaturday felid trifecta: All the cats in James Bond movies (one); animal sanctuary gets two rusty spotted cats and two cubs; cat exhibit at Walter Anderson Museum of Art
46. 25 JulThe University of Chicago professes free expression as a “core value”, and a call by one of our faculty to “end the rot”
47. 25 JulPhotos of readers
48. 24 JulFriday: Hili dialogue
49. 24 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
50. 24 JulA world survey: Do we need God to be moral?
51. 24 JulCal State university system: all undergrads must take ethnic studies or socal justice course starting in 2023
52. 24 JulWhat are we reading?
53. 24 JulPhotos of readers
54. 23 JulThursday: Hili dialogue
55. 23 JulChief executive of the New York Times steps down after boosting the paper financially but wrecking it journalistically
56. 23 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
57. 23 JulDid humans occupy the New World over 30,000 years ago? New paper suggests it.
58. 23 JulAt long last, the University of Chicago contravenes its own principles of political and ideological neutrality
59. 23 JulPhotos of readers
60. 22 JulWednesday: Hili dialogue
61. 22 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
62. 22 JulNew study shows that the asteroid, rather than volcanism, likely caused the end-Cretaceous dinosaur extinction
63. 22 JulWhy the Associated Press is writing “Black” and “white”
64. 22 JulJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Irony
65. 22 JulPOLITICO poll: A plurality of Americans think “cancel culture” has gone too far
66. 22 JulPhotos of readers
67. 21 JulTuesday: Hili dialogue
68. 21 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
69. 21 JulWhy is there a culture war about masks?
70. 21 JulReading Matt Taibbi
71. 21 JulReaders’ non-wildlife photos
72. 21 JulAndrew Sullivan’s last piece for NY Magazine
73. 20 JulMonday: Hili dialogue
74. 20 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
75. 20 JulRadio show on Cancel Culture at 10 a.m. EST
76. 20 JulWorld Rugby considering banning trans women from women’s rugby
77. 20 JulRobin DiAngelo and white fragility: does her message make sense? And do her methods work?
78. 20 JulMonday: Duck report
79. 20 JulPhotos of readers
80. 19 JulSunday: Hili dialogue
81. 19 JulSunday Duck o’ The Week
82. 19 JulThink “cancel culture” is a fabrication? Think again.
83. 19 JulJohn McWhorter reviews White Fragility
84. 19 JulSpot the grasshoppers!
85. 19 JulPhotos of readers
86. 19 JulThe complex cockpit of an F-15 fighter jet
87. 19 JulHere are the grasshoppers!
88. 18 JulSaturday: Hili dialogue
89. 18 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
90. 18 JulCaturday felid trifecta: Mittens, the peripatetic cat of Wellington; a cat that steals swim goggles; Bengal kitten’s first day home
91. 18 JulAndrew Sullivan says goodbye to New York Magazine
92. 18 JulWelcome to Stalin’s Russia: cancellation demanded for New York professor who fell asleep during an antiracist Zoom meeting
93. 18 JulPhotos of readers
94. 17 JulFriday: Hili dialogue
95. 17 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
96. 17 Jul“White culture” chart removed from the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture site
97. 17 JulA beautiful planthopper that mimics an ant (with a twist)
98. 17 JulIn view of continuing racial disparities, should orchestras eliminate “blind” auditions?
99. 17 JulHas science made religion useless?
100. 17 JulPhotos of readers
101. 16 JulThursday: Hili dialogue
102. 16 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
103. 16 JulThe Andean condor: a bird that hardly ever flaps its wings
104. 16 JulThe Smithsonian Institution purveys Critical Race Theory
105. 16 JulIn which I deconstruct a NYT profile of Steve Pinker
106. 16 JulHappy World Snake Day!
107. 16 JulPhotos of readers
108. 16 JulOn restraint in commenting
109. 15 JulWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
110. 15 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
111. 15 JulJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ physics
112. 15 JulDouthat on Cancel Culture
113. 15 JulDorothy’s ducklings reach a milestone
114. 15 JulDon’t open the schools and universities, at least “live”
115. 15 JulThe uncommon common swift
116. 15 JulPhotos of readers
117. 14 JulTuesday: Hili dialogue
118. 14 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
119. 14 JulBlocked in Pakistan—again!
120. 14 JulTwo species produce viable hybrids even though they diverged 150 million years ago
121. 14 JulA hard case to make a good law: the ideological impurity of David Starkey
122. 14 JulBari Weiss resigns from the New York Times, citing hostile workplace climate
123. 14 JulWhat bird are you like?
124. 14 JulAnd now Andrew Sullivan goes. . .
125. 14 JulPhotos of readers
126. 13 JulMonday: Hili dialogue
127. 13 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
128. 13 JulOn blogger’s block
129. 13 JulSlate obliquely criticizes the Harper’s letter, blames Twitter for everything
130. 13 JulThe Friendly Atheist discusses the incompatibility of science and religion
131. 13 JulMonday duck report
132. 12 JulSunday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
133. 12 JulSunday’s Duck O’ the Week
134. 12 JulRecent paucity of science posts
135. 12 JulTwo approbations for The Letter, and a summary of the critics’ views
136. 12 JulWho will be Biden’s VP choice?
137. 12 JulA profile of Glenn Loury
138. 12 JulPhotos of readers
139. 11 JulSaturday: Hili dialogue
140. 11 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
141. 11 JulCaturday felid trifecta: Once again, why are cats in medieval paintings so bad?, why men shouldn’t show cats in their dating profile, and 50 of the best cat posts (plus lagniappe)
142. 11 JulHuffPo denies that “cancel culture” exists
143. 11 JulBrian Leiter on the relative importance of racism
144. 11 JulArtist’s makeup illusions
145. 10 JulFriday: Hili dialogue
146. 10 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
147. 10 JulFive timely readings for the day
148. 10 JulGwynnie’s summer luxuries
149. 10 JulPhotos of readers
150. 9 JulThursday: Hili dialogue
151. 9 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
152. 9 JulSpot the dragonfly!
153. 9 JulJesse Singal on “cancel culture”
154. 9 JulHere’s the dragonfly!
155. 9 JulDecolonizing evolution (and Darwin) was inevitable
156. 9 JulPaper retracted for title and wording: “Where there are girls, there are cats.”
157. 9 JulPhotos of readers
158. 8 JulWednesday: Hili dialogue
159. 8 JulReaders’ wildlife videos
160. 8 JulJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ oblivousness
161. 8 JulPushback from Sean Carroll and others against the Harper’s letter promoting open discourse
162. 8 JulShould we narrow the First Amendment to forbid speech urging violence?
163. 8 JulThe toxic masculinity of architecture: a Guardian article that seems like a spoof but isn’t
164. 8 JulPhotos of readers
165. 7 JulTuesday: Hili dialogue
166. 7 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
167. 7 JulA bummer year for American colleges, exacerbated by a new government policy
168. 7 JulTwo more people take up the cudgels for Pinker
169. 7 JulNew Gary Larson cartoons!
170. 7 JulA major critique of the illiberalism of the Left
171. 7 JulPhotos of readers
172. 6 JulMonday: Hili dialogue
173. 6 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
174. 6 JulIs Edward Drinker Cope beyond the pale?
175. 6 JulSpot the snake!
176. 6 JulHere’s the snake!
177. 6 JulIt’s too damn hot! (Duck photos)
178. 6 JulPhotos of readers
179. 5 JulSunday: Hili dialogue
180. 5 JulSunday’s Duck O’ the Week
181. 5 JulResults of yesterday’s election poll
182. 5 JulFaith vs. Fact out in Polish, reviewed by my surrogate dad
183. 5 JulThe Purity Posse pursues Pinker
184. 5 JulPhotos of readers
185. 4 JulSaturday: Hili dialogue
186. 4 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
187. 4 JulTake a poll: Who will win in November?
188. 4 JulCaturday felid trifecta: Cat wears costumes to promote local library; cat demands belly and armpit scratches, imaginary topiary cats (and lagniappe)
189. 4 JulAndrew Sullivan on Newspeak
190. 4 JulThe Lincoln project’s latest anti-Trump ads, one in Russian and the other about Russia
191. 4 JulPhotos of readers
192. 4 JulJoey Chestnut sets world record in Nathan’s July 4 contest: downs 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes
193. 3 JulFriday: Hili dialogue
194. 3 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
195. 3 JulMerriam Webster redefines “trans woman”
196. 3 JulFive misconceptions about evolution: one is dubious, another wrong
197. 3 JulPhotos of readers
198. 2 JulThursday: Hili dialogue
199. 2 JulReaders’ wildlife videos
200. 2 Jul“Black” vs. “white”: a typographical decision
201. 2 JulA reasonable criterion for assessing whether to topple statues, remove names, and so on
202. 2 JulHarvard backs down on punishing students who join extra-University “final clubs”
203. 2 JulPeter Holland lectures on the diversity of animals
204. 1 JulWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
205. 1 JulReaders’ wildlife photos
206. 1 JulJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ The Protocols
207. 1 JulLying liars promote false information about Israel, pretending that a photo from Chile shows Palestinian resistance
208. 1 JulTempleton pays $1 million for an unanswerable question: do keas feel joy?
209. 1 JulPhotos of readers

June 2020

1. 30 JunTuesday: Hili dialogue
2. 30 JunProprietors’ wildlife photos and videos: Tuesday duck report
3. 30 JunNYT op-ed warns against canceling newspaper subscriptions, even though we have many reasons to cancel that paper
4. 30 JunReddit bans “hate speech” but only against certain groups
5. 30 JunSupreme Court hands victory to Right and religion, compelling taxpayer to fund religious schools in Montana. Roberts votes with majority.
6. 30 JunPhotos of readers
7. 29 JunMonday: Hili dialogue
8. 29 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
9. 29 JunSpot the bird!
10. 29 JunTeddy Roosevelt and the American Museum of Natural History
11. 29 JunStare decisis rules! John Roberts again votes with the liberals, nullifying Louisiana’s restrictive abortion law
12. 29 JunEndangered Lincoln statue isn’t what it seems
13. 29 JunWaPo editor emits bigoted and hateful Tweets, but will she be disciplined as others have been?
14. 29 JunWhich is worse on a flag: approbation for slavery or for a nonexistent god?
15. 29 JunPhotos of readers
16. 28 JunSunday: Hili dialogue
17. 28 JunSunday Duck o’ the Week
18. 28 JunA scary film by Trump’s religious and conservative supporters
19. 28 JunAndrew Sullivan on the new cultural revolution and its “illiberal malignancy”
20. 28 JunTrump retweets a video of deplorables calling for white power
21. 28 JunThe unappreciated greatness of Steely Dan
22. 28 JunPhotos of readers
23. 27 JunPhotos of readers
24. 27 JunMore improvements of this website for mobile devices
25. 27 JunSaturday: Hili dialogue
26. 27 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
27. 27 JunAn improved look for this site on mobile phones
28. 27 JunStrip-searched in a Spanish cathedral!
29. 27 JunCaturday felid trifecta: Ugly hairless cats, quarantine cat festival, and the quarantined Lovecats, with extra ukelele!
30. 27 JunWokeness escalates at the University of Chicago: the school ignores its own “foundational principle” of not publicly espousing political or ideological views, and student activists occupy campus police headquarters
31. 26 JunFriday: Hili dialogue
32. 26 JunReaders’ wildlife videos
33. 26 JunThe complications of assessing racism in police departments
34. 26 JunPhotos of readers
35. 25 JunThursday: Hili dialogue
36. 25 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
37. 25 JunWhat’s the risk of death from coronavirus? A summary from Nature
38. 25 JunYou are not your name: The Even More Woke New York Times ponders identity erasure
39. 25 JunPhotos of readers
40. 24 JunWednesday: Hili dialogue
41. 24 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
42. 24 JunJesus ‘n’ Mo (‘n’ Moses) ‘n’ validity
43. 24 JunThe Even More Woke Press: 1. The Washington Post
44. 24 JunThe Even More Woke Press: 2. The Guardian
45. 23 JunTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
46. 23 JunDorothy breeds again!: duck-related matters leading to reduced posting
47. 22 JunMonday: Hili dialogue
48. 22 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
49. 22 JunWhat’s with Seattle’s CHAZ?
50. 22 JunPosting light today
51. 21 JunSunday: Hili dialogue
52. 21 JunSunday Duck O’ the Week
53. 21 JunWhat is the value of theology?
54. 21 JunOnce again: is the higher per capita rate of black deaths at the hands of police due to racism?
55. 21 JunThe story of Honey and the Botany Pond ducks: a school project by Meghan Hammond
56. 21 JunPhotos of readers
57. 20 JunSaturday: Hili dialogue, first day of summer
58. 20 JunThe pond had a visitor
59. 20 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
60. 20 JunCaturday felid trifecta: What cats do during lockdown; ZeFrank on the senses of cats; split-faced cat fathers two kittens, one for each side of the face (and lagniappe)
61. 20 JunTennessee effectively bans abortions
62. 20 JunToday in collegiate dystopia: ex-governor to take over the University of Wisconsin
63. 20 JunSpot Ollie the Devil Cat!
64. 20 JunPhotos of readers
65. 20 JunAnti-Trump ad from the Republican Lincoln Project
66. 19 JunFriday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
67. 19 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
68. 19 JunA call for the media and Americans to stop publicizing and concentrating on looting
69. 19 JunOhio passes ambiguous “Student Religious Liberties Act”
70. 19 JunThe runaway duckling
71. 19 JunPhotos of readers
72. 18 JunThursday: Hili dialogue
73. 18 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
74. 18 JunSupreme Court blocks Trump’s attempt to dismantle DACA
75. 18 JunJefferson statue pulled down, Lincoln is next
76. 18 JunWatch a horsefly bite human flesh and drink the blood
77. 18 JunPhotos of readers
78. 17 JunWednesday: Hili dialogue
79. 17 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
80. 17 JunAnother predatory journal in “deadly need” of a paper
81. 17 JunTiny sea creatures make huge, fantastic houses to protect themselves and get food
82. 17 JunJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ carrying a big stick
83. 17 JunJon Chait on Left-wing illiberalism, and why it needs to be called out
84. 17 JunPhotos of readers
85. 16 JunTuesday: Hili dialogue
86. 16 JunGrania died a year ago
87. 16 JunDiscussion thread
88. 16 JunThe biggest plane ever built takes off
89. 15 JunMonday: Hili dialogue
90. 15 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
91. 15 JunGeorge Ellis responds to my criticism of his argument for free will
92. 15 JunGone with the Wind: a reassessment
93. 15 JunSupreme Court rules 6-3 that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects gay and transgender workers
94. 15 JunPhotos of readers
95. 14 JunSunday: Hili dialogue
96. 14 JunSunday Duck O’ The Week
97. 14 JunAnother paper claiming (but failing) to give evidence for libertarian free will
98. 14 JunMcWhorter on police violence
99. 14 JunPhotos of readers
100. 13 JunSaturday: Hili dialogue
101. 13 JunReaders’ wildlife photos: El cóndor no pasa
102. 13 JunCaturday felid trifecta: Man builds special play space for moggies; law firm hires cat as a lawyer; new cyberpunk video cat game
103. 13 JunCalls to literally abolish the police
104. 12 JunFriday: Hili dialogue
105. 12 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
106. 12 JunThe “Shut down STEM” initiative
107. 12 JunAndrew Sullivan on ideological groupthink and wrongthink
108. 12 JunPhotos of readers
109. 12 JunA mantra for those of a certain age
110. 11 JunThursday: Hili dialogue
111. 11 JunProprietor’s wildlife: Thursday ducks
112. 11 JunHow should I get my hair cut?: a poll
113. 11 Jun“Trans women are women”: J. K. Rowling is demonized again
114. 11 JunTrump threatens to sue CNN for publishing a poll showing his low approval and status behind Biden; CNN swats Trump down like a fly
115. 11 JunPhotos of readers
116. 10 JunWednesday: Hili dialogue
117. 10 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
118. 10 JunGlenn Loury: A Quillette piece and a Quillette podcast
119. 10 JunJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ slavery
120. 10 JunWhat are we reading?
121. 10 JunPhotos of readers
122. 9 JunTuesday: Hili dialogue
123. 9 JunSpot the moth!
124. 9 JunOn the immorality and ineffectiveness of violent protests
125. 9 JunHere’s the moth!
126. 9 JunMcWhorter and Loury on The Glenn Show: cops and race
127. 9 JunTwo ducks for Tuesday
128. 9 JunPhotos of readers
129. 8 JunMonday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
130. 8 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
131. 8 JunOnce again: Did Andrew Sullivan’s column get censored by New York Magazine?
132. 8 JunDismantling (or defunding) police departments
133. 8 JunTurtles all the way down, and a poll
134. 8 JunPhotos of readers
135. 7 JunSunday: Hili dialogue
136. 7 JunSunday Duck O’ the Week
137. 7 JunGlenn Loury calls out his university for an official letter on racism that, he says traffics in “sophomoric nostrums.”
138. 7 JunThe fracas about Tom Cotton’s op-ed in The New York Times: should it have been published?
139. 7 JunReview: Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York”
140. 7 JunPhotographs of readers
141. 7 JunNew York Times op-ed editor resigns
142. 6 JunSaturday: Hili dialogue
143. 6 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
144. 6 JunCaturday felid trifecta: Cat helps himself to reverend’s cream and goes under his robes, how to pick up a cat, and “Gymnopedie” with cats (plus lagniappe)
145. 6 JunBirding while black
146. 6 JunAndrew Sullivan’s NY Magazine column isn’t appearing this week. Why?
147. 6 JunPhotos of readers
148. 5 JunFriday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
149. 5 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
150. 5 JunA unifying speech by Obama on the George Floyd situation and its consequences
151. 5 JunThe Kalven Report of 1967, supposedly ensuring the political neutrality of the University of Chicago
152. 5 JunFriday duck report: pictures and videos
153. 5 JunA once-a-year, one-night event—the mass flowering of night-blooming cereus—is starting now: a report from Kelly Houle
154. 4 JunThursday: Hili dialogue
155. 4 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
156. 4 JunThe duck issue continues
157. 4 JunPinker gets flak for tweeting about the “malignant delusion of the afterlife”, deletes tweet but defends himself here
158. 4 JunLast duckling captured and rehabbed
159. 3 JunWednesday: Hili dialogue
160. 3 JunProprietor’s wildlife: Wednesday Duck-O-Rama!
161. 3 JunI get emails
162. 3 JunJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ the rong religion
163. 3 JunMy emergency-room bill
164. 3 JunDid countries with female leaders have a better coronavirus response? Statistics say “no”.
165. 3 JunAll officers in George Floyd murder now to face charges, with Derek Chauvin’s charge raised to second-degree murder
166. 3 JunMan makes birdbath in his palm for a finch
167. 3 JunYou think *you* have troubles?
168. 2 JunTuesday: Hili dialogue
169. 2 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
170. 2 JunRecent data on how the “ant zombie” fungus works
171. 2 JunTrying to cancel my New York Times subscription
172. 2 JunAn atavistic claw in a duckling?
173. 2 Jun103-year-old woman celebrates recovering from the coronavirus with a cold brewski
174. 2 JunOverpriced items: toothpaste
175. 1 JunMonday: Hili dialogue
176. 1 JunReaders’ wildlife photos
177. 1 JunThe riots redux
178. 1 JunTrump throws oil on the fire, tell governors to get tough on protestors
179. 1 JunA satirical book review
180. 1 JunVideos of readers
181. 1 JunIndependent autopsy: George Floyd died of asphyxiation

May 2020

1. 31 MaySunday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 MaySapolsky interview redux (and SpaceX launch/docking)
3. 31 MayDuck o’ the Week
4. 31 MayWhen both sides are wrong: George Floyd’s death and the violent responses
5. 31 MayIn yet another paper, Gregory Bassham continues his criticism of my science vs. religion work
6. 31 MayPhotos of readers
7. 30 MaySaturday: Hili dialogue
8. 30 MaySupreme Court blocks challenge to California law limiting attendance at church
9. 30 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
10. 30 MayCaturday felids: Cat wears costumes to promote local library; cat demands belly and armpit scratches, imaginary topiary cats
11. 30 MayRobert Sapolsky on (the lack of) free will and its consequences
12. 30 MayChanges on this site, #2
13. 30 MaySite update #3
14. 29 MayFriday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
15. 29 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
16. 29 MayCNN reporter and crew arrested while reporting on riots in Minneapolis, Twitter hides a Trump tweet for “glorifying violence”
17. 29 MayA religious scholar goes after my book “Faith Verus Fact”, mainly because I didn’t deal with Sophisticated Theology®
18. 29 MayPandemic redux: 1918 vs. now, and the advent of “mask slackers”
19. 29 MayA few changes that have happened on the site
20. 29 MayPhotos of readers
21. 28 MayThursday: Hili dialogue
22. 28 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
23. 28 MayAnother befuddled person touts panpsychism, proposing some possible (but impossible) tests of the idea that all matter is conscious
24. 28 MayMaking America hate again: Gun sales way up during the pandemic
25. 28 MaySquirrel-proof bird feeder? Don’t bet on it!
26. 28 MayPhotos of readers
27. 27 MayWednesday: Hili dialogue
28. 27 MayManager’s wildlife photos: the tale of Sam the Duckling
29. 27 MayToday: Rosemary Grant gives an online talk on speciation
30. 27 MayWatch SpaceX’s Demo-2 launch live (if it isn’t scrubbed)
31. 27 MayJesus ‘n’ Mo (‘n’ Moses) ‘n’ hypocrisy
32. 27 MayTrump reelection committee demands artist rescind political cartoon, asserting that drawing a “MAGA hat” is a trademark violation
33. 27 MayPhotos of readers
34. 27 MaySpaceX Demo-2 mission scrubbed
35. 26 MayTuesday: Hili dialogue
36. 26 MayReader’s wildlife video
37. 26 MayAre podcasts and audio entertainment the “new normal”, while reading fades away?
38. 26 MayShould we eliminate standard testing for college and graduate-school admissions?
39. 26 MayHawk steals sandwich
40. 26 MayPhotos of readers
41. 25 MayMisconceptions about the new Title IX regulations
42. 25 MayPhotos of readers
43. 25 MayA ludicrous sight
44. 25 MayMonday: Hili dialogue
45. 25 MayReaders’ (and proprietor’s) wildlife photos
46. 25 MayEmory University’s ideological indoctrination of its students and its hedging about free speech
47. 24 MaySunday: Hili dialogue
48. 24 MayDuck o’ the week
49. 24 MayA large percentage of conservatives (indeed, of U.S. adults) subscribe to a bizarre Bill Gates conspiracy theory
50. 24 MayDuck pics: May 23
51. 24 MaySullivan on Trump and vitamin D
52. 23 MaySaturday: Hili dialogue
53. 23 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
54. 23 MayCaturday felid trifecta: Cat doesn’t want to relinquish pizza; soccer goalie cat; analysis of an ancient cat sculpture
55. 23 MayA short Francis Collins interview on the BBC
56. 23 MayTips and guidelines for watching the ducks at Botany Pond
57. 23 MayHummingbird-like drone films inside a monarch butterfly swarm
58. 23 MayPhotos of readers
59. 22 MayFriday: Hili dialogue
60. 22 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
61. 22 MayDiversity in colleges: How much and how long?
62. 22 MayHydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are not only useless in treating Covid-19, but very harmful
63. 22 MayFrancis Collins, new Templeton Prize winner, pushes woo in a Scientific American interview
64. 21 MayThursday: Hili dialogue
65. 21 MayA rough night: Duck farming isn’t for sissies!
66. 21 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
67. 21 MayLori Loughlin and Massimo Giannulli finally plead guilty in “Admissiongate”
68. 20 MayWednesday: Hili dialogue
69. 20 MayWednesday duck report: videos and pics
70. 20 MayJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ question-begging
71. 20 MayTrump’s doctor, an osteopath, approved his patient’s use of hydroxychloroquine. That’s quackery, regardless of the doctor’s credentials.
72. 20 MayThe New York Times is dying before our eyes
73. 20 MayFrancis Collins nabs Templeton Prize
74. 20 MayPhotos of readers
75. 20 MayI have another duckling!
76. 19 MayTuesday: Hili dialogue
77. 19 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
78. 19 MayDid a philosopher make evolutionary psychology impossible?
79. 19 MayEurope’s largest owl nests in a Dutch man’s window box
80. 19 MaySteve Pinker weighs in on the “evolutionary psychology is impossible” paper
81. 19 MayPhotos of readers
82. 18 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
83. 18 MayA religionist (?) writes in
84. 18 MayThe New York Times finds troubling flaws in Ronan Farrow’s reporting
85. 18 MayThe Wall Street Journal touts “the science of prayer”
86. 18 MayRicky Gervais chats with Richard Dawkins
87. 18 MayPhotos of readers
88. 18 MayMonday: Hili dialogue
89. 17 MaySunday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
90. 17 MaySunday Duck o’ the Week
91. 17 MayDid countries with women leaders do better in curbing the Covid-19 pandemic?
92. 17 MayMore travels: From Crete to Istanbul
93. 17 MayA pastor, on house arrest, vows to further violate quarantine orders in Louisiana
94. 17 MayPhotos of readers
95. 16 MaySaturday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
96. 16 MayManagement’s wildlife videos and photos: ducklings and duck battles.
97. 16 MayCaturday felid trifecta: Cat-shaming photos, putting stuff on cats, racism in Manchester dispelled with cat stickers
98. 16 MayA conservative argues for mandatory school prayer to stem the increase in nonbelief
99. 16 MaySad news about Americans: 30% of us see coronavirus as a message from God
100. 16 MayPhotos of readers
101. 15 MayFriday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
102. 15 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
103. 15 MayMary Schmich’s new column on Honey the Duck and Botany Pond
104. 15 MayPhotos of readers
105. 14 MayThursday: Hili dialogue
106. 14 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
107. 14 MayAnother ludicrous “Thought of the Day” from the BBC: The Bishop of Manchester assures us that we have libertarian free will
108. 14 MayDr. Lickerman on coronavirus: is a vaccine in the offing, what’s your risk of infection from casual contact, and what rules should businesses follow if they’re allowed to reopen?
109. 14 MayFour heavy hitters criticize the New York Times for “Orwellian” retroactive censorship
110. 13 MayWednesday: Hili dialogue
111. 13 MayDuckling pics
112. 13 MayJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Jewish conspiracies
113. 13 MayIn which I climb Mount Lewontin, not only without oxygen, but without clothes
114. 13 MayFierce battle between Dorothy and a drake: Dorothy kicks butt
115. 13 MayI must be a woman because I like cats?
116. 12 MayTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Szaron monologue)
117. 12 MayReader’s wildlife photos
118. 12 MayTara Reade vs. Joe Biden: What’s the truth?
119. 12 May“The Duckling Professor”
120. 11 MayMonday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
121. 11 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
122. 11 May“The ‘1619 Project’ is filled with slovenliness and ideological ax-grinding”
123. 11 MayDuckling leaps!
124. 11 MayI get emails from loons
125. 11 MayThe biggest beetle in the world
126. 11 MayNBC News, reporting Jerry Stiller’s death, touts heaven
127. 10 MaySunday: Hili dialogue
128. 10 MaySunday Duck o’ the Day
129. 10 MaySean Carroll on the shows “Westworld” and “Devs”: free will, simulations, and multiverses
130. 10 MayPraying mantis devours murder hornet
131. 9 MaySaturday: Hili dialogue
132. 9 MayCaturday felid trifects: Cat masks during the 1918 pandemic; magnificent kitty towers, cat brings slippers to staff every morning
133. 9 MayHow I was caught naked in Dick Lewontin’s office
134. 9 MayThe integration of a duckling: saving the life of an orphan
135. 8 MayFriday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
136. 8 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
137. 8 MayTwo anniversaries today, both marking the end of wars, one against people, the other against a virus
138. 8 MayMore autobiography: How I wangled myself into Harvard in one day
139. 7 MayThursday: Hili dialogue
140. 7 MayDuck tales: Thursday
141. 6 MayWednesday: Hili dialogue
142. 6 MayLight posting today
143. 6 MayJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ coronavirus
144. 6 May“This is the nice thing about science . . . “
145. 6 MayCorrespondent Wildlife Photos
146. 6 MayDuck tale
147. 6 MayHanging out with Cuthbert
148. 5 MayTuesday: Hili dialogue
149. 5 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
150. 5 MayHow I became a conscientious objector
151. 4 MayMonday: Hili dialogue
152. 4 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
153. 4 MayOld travels
154. 4 MayLori Lightfoot gets a haircut
155. 4 MayOxford students pass anti-“hate-speech” motion
156. 4 MayPhotos of readers
157. 3 MaySunday: Hili dialogue
158. 3 MaySunday’s Duck o’ the Week
159. 3 MayNote to readers
160. 3 MayHarvard report on Jeffrey Epstein finds missteps, makes recommendations
161. 3 MayThe pleasure of washing one’s hands
162. 3 MayZeFrank on snails that surf (and his Earth Day Awards)
163. 3 MayPhotos of readers
164. 2 MaySaturday: Hili dialogue
165. 2 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
166. 2 MayCaturday felid trifecta: Street cat leads woman to cat food section of grocery store, gets adopted; an engineer’s guide to cats; cats driving tanks (and lagniappe)
167. 2 MayFaith-soaked physician to conduct study of prayer in curing Covid-19
168. 2 May“After Life”: a (fairly) new television show
169. 2 MayBrief duck report: Honey’s nest near hatching time
170. 2 MayPhotos of readers
171. 1 MayFriday: Hili dialogue
172. 1 MayReaders’ wildlife photos
173. 1 MayTwo distinguished law profs: the U.S. should adopt the Chinese model of speech restriction
174. 1 MaySullivan: According to his own standards, Biden’s guilty
175. 1 MayPhotos of readers

April 2020

1. 30 AprThursday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
2. 30 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
3. 30 AprNote to readers
4. 30 AprIn a ludicrous attempt to combat the coronavirus, Spain bleaches an ecologically important beach
5. 30 AprShould we judge literature by its ideology and its author’s ethnicity?
6. 30 AprThursday: Duck report
7. 30 AprNew Scientist touts panpsychism
8. 29 AprWednesday: Hili dialogue
9. 29 AprSpot the frog!
10. 29 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
11. 29 AprJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Moses ‘n’ quarantine
12. 29 AprReligious exemptions for congregating during the pandemic
13. 29 AprHere’s the frog!
14. 29 AprThomas Friedman uses a bad biology analogy
15. 29 AprWords and phrases I detest
16. 29 AprPhotos of readers
17. 28 AprTuesday: Hili dialogue
18. 28 AprThe DuckCam and Botany Pond website are live!
19. 28 AprToday in collegiate dystopia: gazing into the crystal ball
20. 28 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
21. 28 AprHoney makes the uchicago news
22. 28 AprPentagon releases videos of UFOs, but remember what those initials mean. And now we have non-alien explanations.
23. 28 AprIn which I fall into the pond
24. 28 AprPhotos of readers
25. 27 AprMonday: Hili dialogue
26. 27 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
27. 27 AprA speculation (Kim Jong-un) and a kvetch (pandemic announcements)
28. 27 AprColumbia students join the call that all pandemic grades be “A”s, and that nobody fail
29. 27 AprTwo pandemic videos
30. 27 AprPhotos of readers
31. 26 AprSunday: Hili dialogue
32. 26 AprSunday wildlife: Duck O’ the Day:
33. 26 AprSpot the copperhead snake!
34. 26 AprA very short story on (the absence of) free will
35. 26 AprHere’s the copperhead!
36. 26 AprSunday duck report: Preparations for Hatch Day
37. 26 AprStar “outburst”
38. 26 AprPhotos of readers
39. 25 AprSaturday: Hili dialogue
40. 25 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
41. 25 AprMatthew sent me his book
42. 25 AprCaturday felid trifecta: A klepto cat from Prestwich, a tree turned into a cat sculpture at Stephen King’s Maine home; a virtual exhibit of “Cats in Art” at Paris’s Grand Palais (and lagniappe)
43. 25 AprThe psychological toll of the lockdown
44. 25 AprAlaska school board bans five great books from high-school English courses
45. 25 AprOur polymathic President
46. 24 AprFriday: Hili dialogue
47. 24 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
48. 24 AprWhat we’re reading during lockdown
49. 24 AprNew movie by Michael Moore on our despoliation of Earth
50. 24 AprFriday duck report
51. 24 AprTrump was not being sarcastic with his stupid remedies for coronavirus
52. 23 AprThursday: Hili dialogue
53. 23 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
54. 23 AprFive laudatory reviews of Matthew’s book
55. 23 AprWoke feminist scholar apparently prefers people to die rather than have white Oxford males be the first to develop a coronavirus vaccine
56. 23 AprNote and correction on the “Lewontin fallacy”
57. 23 AprOur PondCam
58. 23 AprPhotos of readers
59. 23 AprSign of the times
60. 22 AprWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Szaron monologue)
61. 22 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
62. 22 AprPew survey of American Democrats and their views on Biden as an “old white male”: some good news and some puzzling news
63. 22 AprJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ how to defecate religiously
64. 22 AprGenetic ignorance in the service of ideology
65. 22 AprAnother duck lover
66. 22 AprPhotos of readers
67. 21 AprLockdown in Boston: sheltering for John Harvard and the Commons ducks
68. 21 AprThe Liar Tweets Tonight
69. 21 AprTuesday: Hili dialogue
70. 21 AprReaders’ wildlife videos
71. 21 AprPredictions and probabilities from Professor Ceiling Cat
72. 21 AprMore narcissism from the Big Baby: Trump-signed stimulus checks
73. 21 AprTwo easy pieces on the pandemic and science
74. 21 AprA new book on Woke Academia by two of the “grievance studies” authors
75. 20 AprMonday: Hili dialogue
76. 20 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
77. 20 AprScientists push back against Angela Saini’s claim that they overlooked a legacy of racism and eugenics
78. 20 AprWe’re getting a PondCam!
79. 20 AprWhite House redirects withheld WHO funds to Samaritan’s Purse, Franklin Graham’s evangelical Christian organization that dispenses religion (including homophobia) with its aid
80. 20 AprOrthodox Jewish women faced with a pandemic dilemma: purify themselves after menstruation in a communal pool, or disobey their G-d
81. 20 AprPhotos of readers
82. 20 Apr“Jesus is my vaccine”: protests widen against pandemic restrictions
83. 19 AprSunday: Hili dialogue
84. 19 AprSunday’s Duck O’ the Week
85. 19 AprPost by Matthew Cobb: A Resistance attack on a convoy of Jews heading to Auschwitz
86. 19 AprIs Facebook spying on you?
87. 19 AprThe faithful go after Andrew Cuomo for giving humans and not God credit for abating the pandemic
88. 19 AprSunday: Duck report
89. 19 AprPhotos of readers
90. 18 AprSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
91. 18 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
92. 18 AprCaturday felid trifecta: Cat drags duck inside house (it was fine), housebound man sends Human Resources complaint to his cat; Barney the Cemetery Cat dies. . . and lagniappe
93. 18 AprLA Times publishes atheists’ letters
94. 18 AprShould we open up America now? A cat and a dog debate the issue.
95. 18 AprFinn befriends wild otter
96. 18 AprProtests in four more states, but not Illinois!
97. 17 AprFriday: Hili dialogue
98. 17 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
99. 17 AprWhy and when you should wear a mask, how to use them, and which ones are best
100. 17 Apr“You clap for me now”: a poignant video about immigrant “coronavirus helpers”
101. 17 AprStephen Asma answers Ross Douthat (implicitly)
102. 17 AprMore on coronavirus: ask the doctor!
103. 17 AprFriday: Duck report
104. 17 AprTrump urges insurrections—perhaps armed—against shutdowns in states with Democratic governors
105. 16 AprThursday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
106. 16 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
107. 16 AprA pro-science ad from Pfizer: “When science wins, we all win”
108. 16 AprIt’s a bird, it’s a plane. . . . it’s Chicago!
109. 16 AprHoax: a crazy hilarious paper in a predatory journal
110. 16 AprThe hens are still nesting
111. 16 AprPhotos of readers
112. 15 AprWednesday: Hili dialogue
113. 15 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
114. 15 AprJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ the virus
115. 15 AprBrian Leiter on “diversity statements”
116. 15 AprWednesday: brief duck report—with snow
117. 15 AprFake wrestling deemed by Florida’s government to be an “essential service”. But why? Could it be. . . . Trump?
118. 15 AprElizabeth Warren endorses Biden
119. 15 AprExcavating an army ant nest (and finding the queen)
120. 14 AprTuesday: Hili dialogue
121. 14 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
122. 14 AprThe Templeton-funded Faraday Institute proselytizes kids by promoting books on God
123. 14 AprSanders endorses Biden, Obama to do so today
124. 14 AprObama’s endorsement of Biden
125. 14 AprWhat will the pandemic do to higher education?
126. 14 AprPart 2 of Ken Burn’s “The Gene” broadcast tonight
127. 14 AprTrump’s risible Council to Re-open America
128. 13 AprMonday: Hili dialogue
129. 13 AprSpot the snow leopard!
130. 13 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
131. 13 AprI get emails from obscurantists: Is science based on faith?
132. 13 AprHere’s the snow leopard!
133. 13 AprMano a mano: Trump takes on Fauci
134. 13 AprA mirage of Chicago
135. 13 AprOnly in America: Paul Broun brandishes a semiautomatic rifle in his bid for Congress
136. 13 AprPhotos of readers
137. 12 AprSunday: Hili dialogue
138. 12 AprReaders’ wildlife photos: Sunday Duck O’ the Week
139. 12 AprEvangelist Franklin Graham helps set up COVID-19 facility in NYC, but makes helpers pledge to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage, and accept his Christian beliefs
140. 12 AprRoss Douthat’s dumb Easter theodicy: what is the “meaning” of the pandemic?
141. 12 AprAn Easter homily by Peter Nothnagle on the “Empty Tomb”
142. 12 AprSunday duck report
143. 12 AprBill Maher on virus-shaming
144. 11 AprSaturday: Hili dialogue
145. 11 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
146. 11 AprCaturday felids: Two cat animations, cat duet, and a new book on cats from Princeton (plus lagniappe)
147. 11 AprAndrew Sullivan is depressed (and so am I)
148. 11 AprPhotos of readers
149. 10 AprFriday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
150. 10 AprReaders’ wildlife photos (and videos)
151. 10 AprUniversity of Wisconsin mandates punishments for violating free speech
152. 10 AprTeaching and learning remotely: how well does this work?
153. 10 AprThe anti-Semites strike on Passover
154. 10 AprPhotos of readers
155. 9 AprThursday: Hili dialogue
156. 9 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
157. 9 AprUnpredictable results of the pandemic
158. 9 AprPandemic relief causes U.S. government to violate First Amendment by paying churches
159. 9 AprIn which Matthew and I went after Templeton
160. 9 AprThursday: Duck report
161. 9 AprPhotos of readers
162. 8 AprWednesday: Hili dialogue
163. 8 AprPhotos of readers
164. 8 AprJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ camel piss
165. 8 AprA new Ken Burns series on genes and genetics
166. 8 AprBernie Sanders drops out of Presidential race
167. 8 AprPandemic gloom from Scott Aaronson
168. 7 AprTuesday: Hili dialogue
169. 7 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
170. 7 AprTrump: worst president of all time?
171. 7 AprArticles that shouldn’t have been written: whale-esque sobbing about a canceled graduation ceremony
172. 7 AprTrue facts about the giraffe
173. 7 AprTuesday duck news
174. 6 AprMonday: Hili dialogue
175. 6 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
176. 6 AprHarvard Law students want to get their licenses without having to take the bar exam (coronavirus exemption!)
177. 6 AprA letter from the President of my university
178. 6 AprThe Queen gives a shoutout to atheists
179. 6 AprTwo articles on the coronavirus
180. 6 AprMonday: Duck report
181. 5 AprSunday: Hili dialogue
182. 5 AprReaders’ wildlife photos: Duck O’ the Week
183. 5 AprWhat happened to the election?
184. 5 AprAnil Seth on the “real” problem of consciousness—and his hypothesis
185. 5 AprMore deaths caused by religion: 12 states exempt religious services from “stay at home” strictures
186. 5 Apr“A sea of people engaged in a shared delusion”: a three-part video about the fracas at The Evergreen State College
187. 5 AprOne more egg for Honey
188. 5 AprNote to readers
189. 4 AprSaturday: Hili dialogue
190. 4 AprSpot the cat!
191. 4 AprNonreaders’ wildlife photos
192. 4 AprCaturday felid trifecta: Quarantine tips from cats; analysis of an ancient cat sculpture; and life with a lion pride (and lagniappe)
193. 4 AprA new book by Ayaan Hirsi Ali on sexual violence in Europe
194. 4 AprHere’s the cat!
195. 4 AprBart Ehrman offering free two-month subscriptions to his blog
196. 4 AprQuick duck report
197. 3 AprFriday: Hili dialogue
198. 3 AprReaders’ wildlife videos
199. 3 AprChicago during the pandemic
200. 3 AprStraight talk about coronavirus, and a chance to ask questions of a primary-care doctor
201. 3 AprThe National Rifle Association uses the pandemic to promote the sale of guns
202. 3 AprSsssh. . . Honey is nesting. And we have a new sign!
203. 3 AprHow hamsters stuff their cheeks (and lagniappe)
204. 2 AprThursday: Hili dialogue (and Szaron monologue)
205. 2 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
206. 2 AprUniversity of Wisconsin-Parkside professor and dean suggests, on Hezbollah t.v., that U.S. made and released coronavirus to conquer other countries, and that Hitler wasn’t so unusual in his behavior
207. 2 AprReligion infects another 2500 with coronavirus, kills 17
208. 2 AprRowan Williams, Lord Oystermouth and former Archbishop of Canterbury, faults Dawkins and New Atheists for damaging Christianity and not knowing theology
209. 2 AprThursday: Duck report
210. 1 AprWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
211. 1 AprReaders’ wildlife photos
212. 1 AprJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ skepticism
213. 1 AprThe Chicago Tribune does a story on my ducks
214. 1 AprMatthew’s theory, which is his, about why Covid-19 and other viral infections often reduce one’s sense of smell
215. 1 AprCoronavirus forces thousands of impoverished Indians to leave cities, walking hundreds of miles to get to their villages
216. 1 AprThe first commercial Wizard of Oz release, never shown in theaters

March 2020

1. 31 MarTuesday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
3. 31 MarI went to the grocery store!
4. 31 MarHow Australia is handling the pandemic
5. 31 Mar101-year old man, having reportedly survived the Holocaust, World War II, and the Spanish flu epidemic, now survives COVID-19
6. 31 MarWords and phrases I detest
7. 31 MarBird opera
8. 31 MarPandemic consolations
9. 30 MarMonday: Hili dialogue
10. 30 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
11. 30 MarSouthern churches pack bodies in during the pandemic; Liberty University reopens with students on campus
12. 30 MarHow do we grade in Remote College?
13. 29 MarSunday: Hili dialogue
14. 29 MarReaders’ wildlife photos: Duck O’ the Day
15. 29 MarAnswer to math teaser
16. 29 MarMy favorite excerpts from English literature
17. 29 MarAdvice about Covid-19 from a pulmonary critical-care doctor
18. 29 MarJonathan Chait: the Trump Bump is temporary
19. 29 MarPaul Simon sings in isolation
20. 29 MarSunday: Duck report
21. 28 MarSaturday: Hili dialogue
22. 28 MarReader’s wildlife photos
23. 28 MarCaturday felid trifecta: Ships’ cats; cats hidden in paintings; and a real ceiling cat
24. 28 MarAndrew Sullivan on Trump’s bungling of the pandemic crisis, face masks, and the silver lining
25. 28 MarHow to remove latex gloves without touching the outsides
26. 28 MarA math teaser
27. 28 MarA duck teaser
28. 27 MarFriday: Hili dialogue
29. 27 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
30. 27 MarA Trump-ite writes in
31. 27 MarDavid Brooks does secular theodicy
32. 27 MarTwo congresspeople, including AOC, threaten to delay passage of stimulus bill
33. 27 MarFriday: Duck report
34. 26 MarThursday: Hili dialogue
35. 26 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
36. 26 MarOldest “bilaterian” found: wormlike creature discovered along with its tracks
37. 26 MarDisinfectants to use to kill Covid-19 virus
38. 26 MarBaptist leader tells us that God doesn’t want us to sacrifice the old
39. 26 MarWinners of Nature TTL’s wildlife photography contest
40. 25 MarWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
41. 25 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
42. 25 MarSpot the frog!
43. 25 MarYale students demand a “universal pass” for spring semester; U. Texas students want As or A-minuses for everyone
44. 25 MarGoing to war: grocery shopping
45. 25 MarHere’s the frog!
46. 25 MarJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ the pandemic
47. 25 MarMarvel introduces two new woke superheroes: “Safespace” and “Snowflake”, and the names aren’t mockery
48. 25 MarWednesday: duck report
49. 25 Mar“It’s hard not to be happy with the job we’re doing”
50. 24 MarFreud: Charlatan of the mind
51. 24 MarHere’s the hot chocolate!
52. 24 MarBooks to read during confinement
53. 24 MarTuesday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
54. 24 MarReaders’ wildlife video
55. 24 MarFind the hot chocolate!
56. 23 MarMonday: Hili dialogue
57. 23 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
58. 23 MarPublic-health physician urges more targeted and less of a “shotgun” approach to stemming the pandemic
59. 23 MarThe hyperbole of TrumpSpeak
60. 23 MarA new BBC video on free will
61. 23 MarWoody Allen memoir finally published
62. 23 MarPrez: “We’re doing great; our country is doing so great.”
63. 23 MarA socially-distanced orchestral version of “An die Freude”
64. 22 MarSunday: Hili dialogue
65. 22 MarReaders’ wildlife photos (and video)
66. 22 MarCoronavirus updates: three easy pieces
67. 22 MarAttenborough reads The Peregrine
68. 22 MarMore dumb theodicy in the New York Times
69. 22 MarI’m screwed
70. 21 MarSaturday: Hili dialogue
71. 21 MarSpot the heron!
72. 21 MarReaders’ wildlife photos and videos
73. 21 MarCaturday felid trifecta: Kagonekoshiro dies; cats with dinosaur cuts; cat opens cookie jar and takes a small bite of every one (and lagnaippe)
74. 21 MarVICE claims that coronavirus is transphobic
75. 21 MarHere’s the heron!
76. 21 MarAnother Jesus relic goes down the drain
77. 21 MarSaturday: Duck pix
78. 21 MarEditor needed!
79. 20 MarFriday: Hili dialogue
80. 20 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
81. 20 MarA local run on noms and supplies
82. 20 MarViability of Covid-19 virus on various surfaces (hint: use gloves when handling Amazon packages and don’t open them for 24 hours)
83. 20 MarShould I get a haircut?
84. 20 MarFive songs
85. 19 MarThursday: Hili dialogue
86. 19 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
87. 19 MarI have my ducks!
88. 19 MarCamus on the plague, and de Botton gets the vector wrong
89. 19 MarThursday: Duck report
90. 18 MarWednesday: Hili dialogue
91. 18 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
92. 18 MarEgnor claims that the evidence for God is as strong as it is for evolution and the Big Bang
93. 18 MarJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ evidence
94. 18 MarBret Stephens on Woody Allen’s new book, and Hachette’s cancellation of it
95. 18 MarGood reporting from the NYT: how North Korea smuggles goods in defiance of UN sanctions
96. 17 MarTuesday: Hili dialogue
97. 17 MarCoronovirus updates
98. 17 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
99. 17 MarCoronavirus ticker
100. 17 MarA year in the life of a log
101. 17 MarCoronavirus information; and practical advice on “social distancing”
102. 17 MarI made a bet against Trump
103. 16 MarMonday: Hili dialogue
104. 16 MarMonday: Readers’ wildlife photos
105. 16 MarWhat are you doing during the quarantine?
106. 16 MarThe Biden/Sanders debate: weigh in
107. 16 MarMonday duck report
108. 16 MarAquanauts lived in an underwater marine lab for a month
109. 15 MarSunday: Hili dialogue
110. 15 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
111. 15 MarAnother biologist disputes the nature of the tiny “bird/dino” fossil
112. 15 MarAngela Saini misrepresents Galton kerfuffle at University College London; fails to see the beam in her own eye
113. 15 MarNYT backs off a bit on some claims of the “1619 Project”
114. 15 MarAn example of Galton-bashing by a UCL genetics professor
115. 14 MarSaturday: Hili dialogue
116. 14 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
117. 14 MarCaturday felid trifecta: Medieval artists couldn’t paint cats; cat capsule hotels; Polish cat museum
118. 14 MarWhat’s with the hoarding of toilet paper and water?
119. 14 MarToday’s lunch
120. 13 MarFriday: Hili dialogue
121. 13 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
122. 13 MarAn update on the tiny dino-bird I described yesterday
123. 13 MarCrowdsourcing answers to an important question from a child
124. 13 MarWe’re down to two hens, and one is Honey
125. 12 MarThursday: Hili dialogue
126. 12 MarReaders’ wildlife
127. 12 MarTiny dinosaur/bird skull found in amber
128. 12 MarMore cowardice from Syracuse University; students sit in and threaten escalation, administration cowers
129. 12 MarAirport etiquette, and an example of how not to behave
130. 11 MarWednesday: Hili dialogue
131. 11 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
132. 11 MarYesterday’s primaries
133. 11 MarJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ hatred
134. 11 MarHarvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in jail
135. 11 MarGuardian columnist excoriates Hachette for canceling publication Woody Allen’s memoirs
136. 11 MarCharles Murray returns to Middlebury College
137. 11 MarWednesday duck report (photos and videos)
138. 10 MarTuesday: Hili dialogue
139. 10 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
140. 10 MarItalian journalist decries suspension of church services during coronavirus epidemic
141. 10 MarUniversity of Chicago student harassed for expressing anti-socialist political opinion characterized as “racism”; University official defends her right of free speech
142. 10 MarToo many ducks!
143. 9 MarMonday: Hili dialogue
144. 9 MarA sensible column by David Leonhardt
145. 9 MarEgnor: We need to pray during this pandemic
146. 8 MarSunday: Hili dialogue
147. 8 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
148. 8 MarKamala Harris endorses Joe Biden
149. 8 MarTrump’s new chief of staff is a young-earth creationist who lied to the government and helps promulgate lies to children
150. 8 MarDuck update
151. 8 MarMore odious words and phrases
152. 7 MarSaturday: Hili dialogue
153. 7 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
154. 7 MarCaturday felid trifecta: Spa Day for Carrot the kitten, 120-year-old cat photos developed; the best cat GIFs
155. 7 MarHachette cancels publication of Woody Allen’s memoirs after Ronan Farrow objects and the publisher’s employees walk out
156. 6 MarFriday: Hili dialogue
157. 6 MarReaders’ wildlife photos and videos
158. 6 MarWhat did in Elizabeth Warren?
159. 6 MarWriter excoriates the University of Chicago English Department for its opposition to free speech
160. 6 MarReaders’ cats
161. 6 MarBad math in the media
162. 5 MarThursday: Hili dialogue
163. 5 MarReaders’ wildlife photos
164. 5 MarHow often do bird species hybridize?
165. 5 MarWarren drops out
166. 5 MarHoney’s back!
167. 4 MarWednesday: Hili dialogue (I have landed)
168. 4 MarJoe Biden’s Tuesday comeback
169. 4 MarJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Pence
170. 4 MarBloomberg quits; endorses Biden
171. 4 MarEmory student paper urges Syracuse University to “rethink free speech policy”, says anything that doesn’t cause bodily harm should be “free speech”
172. 3 MarTuesday: Hili Dialogue and a Life Scientific
173. 3 MarBiden picks up endorsements from O’Rourke, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg
174. 3 MarBernie Sanders’s anti-Semitic surrogates
175. 3 MarJoni Mitchell plays “Coyote” at Gordon Lightfoot’s house with Roger McGuinn and Bob Dylan
176. 2 MarMonday: Hili dialogue
177. 2 MarLast day in Paris: Rain and no restaurants
178. 2 MarMy last three photos of Paris
179. 1 MarSunday: Hili dialogue and Manchester weather warning
180. 1 MarA new “anti-woke” site
181. 1 MarHere’s what you need to know when eating out in Paris
182. 1 MarParis, day 7: Perfume and and a mediocre meal

February 2020

1. 29 FebSaturday: Hili dialogue and année bissextile stuff
2. 29 FebParis, day 6: Flea-ing and a fantastic secret restaurant
3. 29 FebCaturday felid trifecta: Cat bonds with and rides a horse; where to find hotels with resident cats; pixellated cats behind glass doors (and lagniappe)
4. 28 FebFriday: Hili dialogue and Szaron monologue
5. 28 FebPoll results, and a question about healthcare
6. 28 FebAsiatic lioness adopts leopard cub
7. 28 FebDavid Brooks: I may vote for Trump over Sanders
8. 28 FebParis, day 5: Food, museum exhibits, and LOTS of women’s shoes
9. 28 Feb“1776” throws down the gauntlet to NYT’s “1619 Project”
10. 27 FebThursday: Hili dialogue, Leon and Mietek dialogue and Szaron cuddle (and lagniappe black cats)
11. 27 FebMore woo from the NYT? A $285 “non-invasive facelift” (i.e., a massage)
12. 27 FebAn extract from Matthew’s new book
13. 27 FebParis, day 4: More food and perambulations, plus “high” fashion
14. 27 FebMore “here’s how” and “here’s what” from HuffPo and real journalism
15. 26 FebWednesday: Hili dialogue (and Szaron monologue)
16. 26 FebJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ blasphemy
17. 26 FebLast night’s debate: discussion and poll
18. 26 FebParis, day 3: More food, cats, and scenery
19. 25 FebTuesday: Hili dialogue
20. 25 FebHarvey Weinstein convicted of on two charges of sex crimes
21. 25 FebParis: Food, cats, and scenery
22. 25 FebMy talk in Tallahassee in late March
23. 24 FebMonday: Hili dialogue
24. 24 FebI have landed—and eaten!
25. 23 FebSunday: Hili dialogue
26. 23 FebReaders’ wildlife videos
27. 23 FebDiscuss-the-election thread
28. 23 FebReligion doesn’t improve society: more evidence
29. 23 FebWhich social medium is most useless, annoying, or harmful?
30. 23 FebI didn’t get groped at O’Hare, but the noms are bad
31. 23 FebFinally, a decent article from HuffPost!
32. 22 FebSaturday: Hili dialogue
33. 22 FebReaders’ wildlife photographs
34. 22 FebCaturday felids: Cat crashes Istanbul concert; stretched cats, Polish town makes drivers slow down for cats (and lagniappe)
35. 22 FebTravel note to readers
36. 22 FebSpot the antlion!
37. 21 FebFriday: Hili dialogue
38. 21 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
39. 21 FebPanpsychism: a big bag of nothing
40. 21 FebSteve Pinker’s new boots
41. 21 FebAn IDer answers one (or two) of my questions—or tries to
42. 21 FebPhysicist takes apart a goop lab episode
43. 20 FebThursday: Hili dialogue
44. 20 FebReaders’ wildlife videos
45. 20 FebDebate discussion: chime in
46. 20 FebDiscovery Institute makes hay of Dawkins tweet, and a geneticist mistakenly says that artificial selection won’t work in humans
47. 20 FebScience educator invites questions about evolution from public by walking around with a sandwich board
48. 20 FebRuffed grouse at the feeder
49. 19 FebWednesday: Hili dialogue
50. 19 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
51. 19 FebJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ the sexes
52. 19 FebPeter Singer deplatformed in New Zealand for his stand on euthanasia of newborns
53. 19 FebJames Carville on the 2020 Democratic candidates
54. 19 FebTom Chivers has a theory about the latest Dawkins kerfuffle
55. 19 FebDuck rescue at Home Depot
56. 18 FebTuesday: Hili dialogue
57. 18 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
58. 18 FebACLU joins lawsuit allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports
59. 18 FebA loose hijab spells trouble for an Iranian, even overseas
60. 18 FebNature red in tooth, claw, and mandible: amazing behavior of predatory wasps, monkeys, lobsters, fish, and orcas
61. 17 FebMonday: Hili dialogue
62. 17 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
63. 17 FebSpanish actor tried for blasphemy
64. 17 FebRecommended readings on evolutionary psychology
65. 17 FebGoose deterrent!
66. 16 FebSunday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
67. 16 FebReader’s wildlife photo (and video)
68. 16 FebYesterday’s lunch
69. 16 FebEven more on panpsychism
70. 16 FebDawkins makes a tweet
71. 15 FebSaturday: Hili dialogue
72. 15 FebReaders’ wildlife
73. 15 FebCaturday felid trifecta: The cats of Antarctica, Aussie firefighter beefcake with cats, world’s worst cat gets adopted (and lagniappe)
74. 15 FebSaturday readings
75. 14 FebFriday: Hili dialogue
76. 14 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
77. 14 FebWhat I did for Darwin’s Birthday
78. 14 FebA defense of the binary in human sex
79. 14 FebThe oldest song in the world
80. 13 FebThursday: Hili dialogue
81. 13 FebReaders’ wildlife photos (and one of mine)
82. 13 FebStanford students walk out of talk about whether repealing DACA is legal
83. 13 FebACLU continues defending the right of medically untreated men who claim they’re women to compete in women’s sports
84. 13 FebA brave act of defiance in Australia
85. 13 FebGolden snub-nosed monkey baby passed around the troop; every female gets a cuddle
86. 12 FebWednesday: Hili dialogue
87. 12 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
88. 12 FebDiscuss-the-vote thread
89. 12 FebJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ truth
90. 12 FebMore on the Presidential race: Friedman on Bernie, and a new poll showing that socialists and atheists are despised by American voters
91. 12 FebThe New Humanist goes after the New Atheists
92. 12 FebSix pounds of steak in 13 minutes! (not to mention salad, fries, and onion rings)
93. 11 FebTuesday: Hili dialogue
94. 11 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
95. 11 FebThe New York Times thinks itself “worth it”
96. 11 FebUniversity craziness of the week: George Washington University goes Disney
97. 11 FebTwo pieces and a book on wokeness
98. 11 FebA philosophical red flag
99. 11 FebMore sordid details of the college admissions scandal
100. 11 FebBest and worst Oscar dresses
101. 10 FebMonday: Hili dialogue
102. 10 FebA deceased reader’s wildlife photos
103. 10 FebMore evidence for evolution: Horse embryos start forming five toes, and four primordia disappear
104. 10 FebAtlantic article criticizes due process as being harmful and full of lies
105. 10 FebDublin couple sentenced to long jail terms for female genital mutilation
106. 10 FebA look at Darwiniana at Britain’s Royal Society
107. 9 FebSunday: Hili dialogue
108. 9 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
109. 9 FebA librarian classifies Ken Ham’s book on dinosaurs
110. 9 FebA physicist and science popularizer osculates the rump of faith
111. 9 FebNYT kicks a dying man—because he’s a right-winger
112. 9 FebPinker to post his “Rationality” lectures
113. 8 FebSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
114. 8 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
115. 8 FebCaturday felid trifecta: Kitten with cat markings on its face; Nova Scotia bookstore offers kittens on the side; A fat Polish cat
116. 8 FebTexas man endows first professorship of secular studies at a public university: UT Austin
117. 8 FebBirds that weave and sew
118. 7 FebFriday: Hili dialogue (and Mietek monologue)
119. 7 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
120. 7 FebBad idea of the year: celebrating Black History Month by changing the pigmentation of characters on book covers
121. 7 FebMuddled philosopher: Consciousness could not have evolved
122. 7 FebSo long as a Democrat becomes President, does it matter which one?
123. 7 FebEnd of the week heartwarmers: Rescuers save baby elephant trapped in ditch, sugar glider pretends to fly
124. 6 FebThursday: Hili dialogue
125. 6 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
126. 6 FebUC Santa Cruz begins vetting job candidates using only their diversity statements: if yours isn’t up to snuff, you get tossed
127. 6 FebEverything must now produce social progress: Jennifer Lopez demonized by strippers for her Superbowl halftime poledance
128. 6 FebWords and phrases I hate
129. 5 FebWednesday: Hili dialogue
130. 5 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
131. 5 FebJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ hijabs
132. 5 FebWhite women pay $2500 to learn how racist they are (and an alternative)
133. 5 FebJonathan Pie: A mockumentary
134. 5 FebNew telescope visualizes roiling cells of plasma at the Sun’s surface
135. 5 FebSurprise! Trump acquitted in the expected split vote
136. 4 FebTuesday: Hili dialogue (with Leon and Mietek)
137. 4 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
138. 4 FebThe New York Times touts Gwyneth Paltrow and “her other ways of knowing”
139. 4 FebFIRE’s yearly Hall of Shame: the 10 worst colleges for free speech
140. 4 FebNate Silver: The “Iowa bounce” is not so bouncy
141. 4 FebPhotos of readers
142. 4 FebPreliminary Iowa caucus results: Mayor Pete and the Bern on top
143. 3 FebMonday: Hili dialogue
144. 3 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
145. 3 FebAndrew Sullivan is back to touting religion
146. 3 FebCan’t we please get rid of political polls? (And our own political poll. . .)
147. 3 FebNYT column to explore the meaning of death, but only with religious scholars
148. 3 FebPinker’s course on Rationality online—for free
149. 3 FebMonty Python’s Communist quiz
150. 2 FebSunday: Hili dialogue
151. 2 FebReaders’ wildlife photos
152. 2 FebBelated Caturday felid trifecta: Kittens frozen to ground rescued with hot coffee; cat chases d*g; dog dad brings up abandoned kittens (and lagniappe)
153. 2 FebNIH gets into the game of requiring job candidates to show track records of promoting diversity
154. 2 FebMore on the 1619 Project
155. 2 FebLee Jussim finds a home for his “Orwelexicon”
156. 2 FebThe stupendous Billy Strings
157. 1 FebSaturday: Hili dialogue
158. 1 FebReader’s wildlife videos
159. 1 FebElizabeth Warren chews on her metatarsals
160. 1 FebIt’s World Hijab Day: Celebrate oppression!

January 2020

1. 31 JanFriday: Hili dialogue
2. 31 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
3. 31 JanHere’s what I want you to know: HuffPo and other newspapers think you’re dumb
4. 31 JanSupreme court set to further erode the First-Amendment wall between church and state
5. 31 JanMolly Tuttle performs
6. 31 JanBrexit now a reality
7. 30 JanThursday: Hili dialogue
8. 30 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
9. 30 JanGender differences in toy use: boys play with boy toys, girls with girl toys
10. 30 JanYoung bluegrass greats: Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle
11. 30 JanWhat the deuce happened to Alan Dershowitz?
12. 29 JanWednesday: Hili dialogue
13. 29 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
14. 29 JanJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ prayer
15. 29 JanMy last research paper. Part 3: Significance
16. 29 JanCreationist to lead Brazilian higher education agency
17. 28 JanTuesday: Hili dialogue
18. 28 JanReaders’ wildlife photos: Stunning animal architecture
19. 28 JanMy last research paper. Part 2: Results
20. 28 JanPopular art history class canceled at Yale because it wasn’t “inclusive”
21. 28 JanAn interview with Neil Young
22. 27 JanMonday: Hili dialogue
23. 27 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
24. 27 JanA tweet: amazing behavior of ants and termites
25. 27 JanJuvenile striped eel catfish form a coordinated, roiling ball to avoid predation
26. 27 JanTrump may finally be in real trouble
27. 26 JanSunday: Hili dialogue
28. 26 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
29. 26 JanThe American media continues to tout the powers of psychics
30. 26 JanMy last research paper: Part 1: Aims and methods
31. 26 JanAmazing patterns of bird flight captured in “ornithography”
32. 26 JanKobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash
33. 25 JanSaturday: Hili dialogue
34. 25 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
35. 25 JanCaturday felid trifecta: Ozzie’s review of bad cats, the stone cats of a French village, shelter looking for home for “world’s worst cat”
36. 25 JanScience again corrupted by ideology: Slate distorts evolutionary biology to make it seem capitalistic and anti-socialistic
37. 24 JanFriday: Hili dialogue (and Leon and Mietek monologue)
38. 24 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
39. 24 JanNeil Young becomes an American citizen
40. 24 JanGeorge Packer gets Hitchens Prize for free expression, decries the Offense Culture as a detriment to writing and thinking
41. 24 JanFreedom of speech does not confer the right to make threats
42. 24 JanNYT quiz on the primaries
43. 23 JanThursday: Hili dialogue
44. 23 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
45. 23 JanAn example of opinion polluting journalism in the NYT
46. 23 JanTurkish legislature to introduce a “marry your rapist” bill, legalizing statutory rape
47. 23 JanMy last research paper is published
48. 23 JanSequential shell swaps in hermit crabs
49. 22 JanWednesday: Hili dialogue
50. 22 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
51. 22 JanJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ the “conflict hypothesis”
52. 22 JanHistory’s most amazing photo?
53. 22 JanWhat’s wrong with social media
54. 21 JanTuesday: Hili dialogue
55. 21 JanReader’s wildlife video
56. 21 JanA stunning case of mimicry
57. 21 JanBoston: Penguin Day visit to the Aquarium, and noms
58. 21 JanWinners, Bird Photographer of the Year contest
59. 21 JanBernie deep-sixes Cenk Uygur
60. 20 JanMonday: Hili dialogue
61. 20 JanNYT endorses both Klobuchar and Warren for President
62. 20 JanReader’s wildlife photos
63. 20 JanA state university disinvites an anti-Semite
64. 20 JanMore noms in Cambridge
65. 20 JanIs Maggie Haberman worth it?
66. 19 JanSunday: Hili dialogue
67. 19 JanSpaceX launch today at 10 a.m. EST (coverage starts at 9:40)
68. 19 JanWhich Democratic candidate best aligns with your views?
69. 19 JanNY Times publishes readers’ selections of life-changing books (mine didn’t make it)
70. 19 JanAndrew Sullivan on the Democratic candidates
71. 19 JanPhotos of readers
72. 18 JanSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
73. 18 JanCaturday felid trifecta: How to put on a sweater while wearing a cat; oldest living cat in the U.S. and U.K.; Japanese robot cat waiter meows at restaurant customers
74. 18 JanYesterday’s lunch: Deli
75. 18 JanAnti-woke spoof censored in Psychology Today
76. 18 JanLeah Shutkever: A fit competitive eater
77. 17 JanFriday: Hili dialogue
78. 17 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
79. 17 JanLunch with Pinkah, and a preview of his next book
80. 17 JanPanpsychism: an interview and a critique
81. 17 JanDivers give an octopus a new home
82. 17 JanEarly feminist education
83. 16 JanThursday: Hili dialogue
84. 16 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
85. 16 JanThe weirdness of split-brain experiments
86. 16 JanCoordinated wing-waving in bees
87. 15 JanWednesday: Hili dialogue
88. 15 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
89. 15 JanYour take on the debate
90. 15 JanJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ xenobots
91. 15 JanWhy modern rock music, movie music, and even classical music sucks: Good melodies are gone
92. 15 JanNeologism wanted
93. 15 JanThe decline of civility, Democratic version
94. 14 JanTuesday: Hili dialogue
95. 14 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
96. 14 JanTwo biological puzzles
97. 14 JanA good critique of panpsychism but a lousy alternative
98. 14 JanDo you care about your legacy?
99. 13 JanMonday: Hili dialogue
100. 13 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
101. 13 JanIran’s only woman Olympic medalist defects to Europe
102. 13 JanPodcast: Dan Dennett and Sean Carroll on illusions, consciousness, free will, and other stuff
103. 13 JanAnother interview with Titania McGrath
104. 13 JanHow did the Romans go to the bathroom?
105. 12 JanSunday: Hili dialogue
106. 12 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
107. 12 JanGrey parrots show altruistic food-sharing behavior in the lab, but blue-headed macaws are selfish
108. 12 JanLiterary studies on the decline—but why? Scholars analyze the problem
109. 12 JanHarry and Meghan plan for financial independence by trademarking over 100 items with a “Sussex Royal” name
110. 12 JanHow to awaken a sleeping rabbit
111. 11 JanSaturday: Hili dialogue (and Leon monologue)
112. 11 JanCentral Park squirrel census
113. 11 JanCaturday felid trifecta: Bionic kitty with prosthetic back legs, cats forcing themselves into small containers, wearable replicas of your pet’s head
114. 11 JanWeekend religiosity
115. 11 JanGwyneth Paltrow’s latest woo for sale: “Inner Compass” cards and a $75 candle that smells like ladyparts
116. 10 JanFriday: Hili dialogue (and Leon and Mietek chorus)
117. 10 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
118. 10 JanAnother panpsychist flogs a dead theory
119. 10 JanSteve Pinker clarifies issues about his interview
120. 10 JanA suffragette cartoon
121. 10 JanNathan Lents on the imperfection of the human body (it’s evolution, of course)
122. 10 JanPhotos of readers
123. 9 JanThursday: Hili dialogue
124. 9 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
125. 9 JanA new interview with Steve Pinker
126. 9 JanPigliucci on panpsychism and Churchland on “intractable problems”
127. 9 JanThe Royals continue to circle the drain
128. 8 JanWednesday: Hili dialogue (with Mietek)
129. 8 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
130. 8 JanA BBC show on panpsychism once again shows that there’s no “there” there
131. 8 JanJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ evil
132. 8 JanCNN settles lawsuit brought by student they maligned
133. 8 JanTrue facts about the male ostrich’s mating dance
134. 7 JanTuesday: Hili dialogue
135. 7 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
136. 7 JanSean Carroll vs. Philip Goff on panpsychism
137. 7 JanThe Washington Post refuses to correct scientific errors
138. 7 JanNew York Times tells Democrats how to regain the White House
139. 7 JanHow they “younged” the older actors in The Irishman
140. 6 JanMonday: Hili dialogue
141. 6 JanReaders’ wildlife videos
142. 6 JanA bad argument for a good cause
143. 6 JanThe craziest Templeton grant yet: Evolution and “self-giving love”
144. 6 JanUBC cancels free speech event on grounds of “risk”
145. 6 JanCrafty ducks avoid multiple attacks by a bald eagle
146. 5 JanSunday: Hili dialogue
147. 5 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
148. 5 JanNot even wrong: The Washington Post botches a biology story
149. 5 JanPanpsychism makes a sneaky return
150. 5 JanWhat I had for lunch yesterday
151. 5 JanDucks in the snow
152. 4 JanSaturday: Hili dialogue
153. 4 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
154. 4 JanCaturday felid trifecta: Chief Mousers of the Cabinet Office; cats in therapy; famous commuter cats; (and lagniappe)
155. 4 JanIreland’s blasphemy law rescinded
156. 4 JanSarah Haider on how Western liberals impede Muslim reform
157. 3 JanFriday: Hili dialogue
158. 3 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
159. 3 JanTrivia Day!
160. 3 JanKim Jong-un rides a horse!
161. 3 JanPhotos of readers
162. 3 JanStandup comedy by Titania McGrath!
163. 2 JanThursday: Hili dialogue
164. 2 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
165. 2 JanJesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ privilege
166. 2 JanRecreational marijuana and cannabis products now legal in Illinois; Lieutenant Governor among the first to buy
167. 2 JanHarvard students demand ethnic studies department
168. 1 JanWednesday: 2020 Hili dialogue
169. 1 JanReaders’ wildlife photos
170. 1 JanWonderful animations of DNA and cells