A Serious China Essay

This rather dark and soberly analytical piece suggests that we may not prevail over an ascendant China either by trade or by military might. Must reading both for hubristic foreign- policy types and WSJ- type optimists.. Recommended, as they say.

Senior Trip

A tart guest post by Libby, who also has been known to have strong opinions (are you surprised?) on the senior trip in our small town. Remember, most of our roads are not even paved! “Out here is seems to be customary for the graduation senior class to take a trip during the last week …

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Another Ghost

A little late for Halloween, I present to you another of Connie Barlow’s Ghosts of Evolution, the devil’s claw. This one does better than some of the other survivors, like Osage orange and honey locust, because horses and other equids are “back” on their old home ground, and because humans and cows make pretty good …

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Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center

While in Arkansas last month I visited the Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center just south of Jonesboro. Their website is here. My father had been telling me about it since it opened last year, knew I’d enjoy it, and got us out to see it right away. Based on his description and with …

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On the Nobility of Dogs

This is a guest post by my friend Patrick Porter of Massachusetts, botanist, flower grower, pigon fancier, hunter, and dog man. And did I say writer? It was an answer to a controversy but I think it stands alone: My credentials for this discussion are spotty. I am a botanist, not an animal behaviorist, but …

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