Author Archives: Thor

221. Find a Problem, Make a Job

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Thor

Give some­one a job to solve a prob­lem and you can bet the prob­lem will never go away. There is, after all, a job at stake. That is why the mil­i­tary is usu­ally a growth indus­try, not to men­tion lawyers, … Con­tinue read­ing →

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220. Human Decorations

Posted on January 24, 2009 by Thor

Men want to be admired veg­eta­bles and women want to be desired veg­eta­bles. For a brief time as young plants they grow legs and arms and brains. The evo­lu­tion­ary pur­pose of these appendages is to find a good gar­den plot. … Con­tinue read­ing →

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217. Articulating Failure

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Thor

It is often said that the path to sta­ble gov­er­nance lies in offer­ing the able a way to suc­ceed. Block­ing the ambi­tions of the most capa­ble, or per­haps the most ruth­less peo­ple is surely an invi­ta­tion to civil unrest. Yet … Con­tinue read­ing →

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216. What seems to be the trouble with your country?

Posted on May 23, 2008 by Thor

You have a king (rule by whim and van­ity) You have an aris­toc­racy (rule by snobs) You have a mil­i­tary dic­ta­tor or jaunta (rule by the gun) You have a com­mu­nist dic­ta­tor­ship (rule by big brother) You have a fas­cist dic­ta­tor­ship (rule … Con­tinue read­ing →

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211. The High Price of Friends

Posted on July 22, 2007 by Thor

The trou­ble with peo­ple is that they eat, drink and inhale. When you hang out with these crit­ters they get twitchy if you don’t agree to destroy your own body with unwanted food, and poi­son your brain with booze, sug­ary … Con­tinue read­ing →

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196. In Praise of Small Men with Big Feet

Posted on April 15, 2006 by Thor

For a small man with big feet, big ears, a big nose, crooked teeth, anti-social habits and no respect for author­ity, being over 60 is not such a bad age in my expe­ri­ence, espe­cially if you can still do a … Con­tinue read­ing →

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194. Why Are You Here?

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Thor

Long ago, when the Inter­net was new (in the early 1990s), I set up a form-mail on my web­site to ask “What is the most inter­est­ing ques­tion in your life, and when do you expect to get an answer to … Con­tinue read­ing →

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