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Airheads, but not the candy
In Austria in 1923, Felix Salten published his novel about the life of a deer: Bambi: Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde. It took five years, but finally in 1928 the English translation was published: “Bambi, a Life in the Woods.” That’s where it all started. In 1942 Walt Disney Productions released its fifth animated feature… Continue reading
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November 11
There are some odd events associated with November 11, many of them related to the numbers in the date “11/11.” On 11/11/11 — as in 1911 — an odd natural event occurred too: the Great Blue Norther. A number of cities across the central US were experiencing unseasonably high temperatures that day. In Kansas City,… Continue reading
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Nice economy ya got there. Be a shame if…
I’ve always had the feeling that the conventional wisdom on politics and the economy is that Republicans are “better” at managing and growing the economy than are Democrats. The actual data says something quite different: “Since World War II, the United States economy has performed significantly better on average under the administration of Democratic presidents… Continue reading
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The 10-Core Plan
We’ve got a couple of months before Things Change Bigly, and one of the things that’s likely to happen (based on statements made more than once) is that prices of a lot of things are going to go up — sometimes way up. The specific things I’m thinking about right how are personal computers, and… Continue reading
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November 10
One of the enduring questions of November 10 is Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Today is the anniversary of the show. In 1969 it was a big departure from the children’s TV shows of the time, but by now it’s the gold standard, having won 189 Emmy Awards. One of… Continue reading
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Aaahhhhh
Full-body massagemakes me give a big wag.I sprawl on my carpet(a thick comfy shag)and my staff of pet humanswith their pampering whirlmeans I feel like thehappiest pup in the world. -Chocolate Continue reading
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Hey you dope, it’s lunchtime
It’s common enough, particularly in New England, to eat some chowder — especially clam chowder. But why is it clam “chowder” instead of, for example, clam “soup” or clam “stew”? And if you do try some chowder and it isn’t any good, are you likely to chowter about it? “Chowder” is just a variety of… Continue reading
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The greedy little hustlers never left
Donald Trump is not the first crooked salesman to seek and attain the US presidency; not by a long shot. The first one I had any experience with was Richard Nixon, who might even have been worse. One of the best writers of that era was Hunter S. Thompson. In 1972, the Democratic candidate opposing… Continue reading
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November 9
November 9, 1801 was an important day in the history of both dairy products and fictional corporate representatives. Gail Borden II was born. He was named after his father, but somewhat unusual names seemed to run in the family; his mother’s given name was Philadelphia. The family moved to Kentucky when young Gail was about… Continue reading
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Socially awkward
There are lots of people today who proudly (or at least happily) describe themselves as nerds, geeks, or both. It’s quite a turnaround, because both words used to have somewhat negative connotations. They’ve also tended to converge in meaning, so that it’s not really clear what the difference is, if any (and if you’re about… Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Recent Posts
- Dis- or Ab-?
- Thoughtfulness about fake thought
- Drink plenty of liquids
- “Hawkweed?”
- Walked to school in the snow uphill both ways
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Krugman Wonks Out
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[citation needed]
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