In November 1686, King Louis XIV underwent a successful operation to relieve the immense discomfort of an anal fistula. This was, for the time, no small feat given that part of his prior treatment included the use of red hot irons and he was just as likely to have died from the surgical procedure than … Continue reading Coronavirus 9: an ounce of prevention
Tag: Politics
The Confederacy, revisited
Just about three years ago, I wrote a post here about the debates over removing Confederate monuments in the US, primarily but not only in the South. In that piece, I provided multiple examples to make my point, which was this: The debate over whether to remove these monuments and memorials must be, I think, … Continue reading The Confederacy, revisited
Burning down the house
Police departments across the US are out of control. They often operate without effective civilian oversight or accountability. They are stocked to the gills with military equipment. Policing drains huge amounts from the public purse, compounded by millions wasted on lawsuits for misconduct. Most officers don't live in the communities they police, and present themselves … Continue reading Burning down the house
Coronavirus 6: distance decay
There is an important but perhaps underused concept in geography known as distance decay. While this emerges most directly from Waldo Tobler's "first law of geography," it is easy enough to understand without ever having read the academic research behind it. Tobler's first law states that "everything is related to everything else, but near things … Continue reading Coronavirus 6: distance decay
Coronavirus 4: path dependence
This morning we ventured to the grocery store for some essentials. I say 'we' but my partner and toddler went to the empty playground nearby while I went to do the shopping. Inside, the supermarket had put in place a limit on the number of people who could enter the store at once, both to … Continue reading Coronavirus 4: path dependence
Coronavirus 2
Following up from my last post, the American Association of Geographers has now cancelled its annual meeting in Denver, scheduled for April 6-10. This was the right call, and over 60 percent of respondents to the AAG's one-question survey a few days ago survey said they were cancelling or discouraged from attending. Now across the … Continue reading Coronavirus 2
Three years and six days
In the week before the 2016 US general election, I took to Facebook with a series of posts that were meant to capture "America in Six Days," or at least, one idiosyncratic vision of America (mine) as witnessed through six cultural artifacts, plus a seventh bonus day in the immediate wake of the election. I … Continue reading Three years and six days
Three takes on liberal hate for Bernie Sanders
Over the last couple of weeks, I have done a deep dive on Twitter, or at least, certain segments of it. This is in part because I have been more closely following news of the upcoming US Democratic Party primary elections, and because I am, apparently, both someone with time to kill and a glutton … Continue reading Three takes on liberal hate for Bernie Sanders
Why impeachment now?
There is a lot of noise about impeachment in the news and the among the commentariat and pundit class, and suddenly everyone in the US is scrambling to recall what they learned in 7th grade civics class about the branches of government. I have mostly followed this, though I have found it far too easy … Continue reading Why impeachment now?
Two years and some links
I have now been doing this blog, with an increasingly haphazard publication schedule, for two years. The pace of writing has slowed considerably as I have taken on more administrative duties in my department, where I am now undergraduate program chair and the principal academic advisor, tried to buckle down and refocus some effort on … Continue reading Two years and some links
