Diary
During the four or five weeks leading up to February 5th—“Tsunami Tuesday,” when voters in states with half the nation’s population participate in a not quite national primary—the emotional texture of the Democratic side of the Presidential campaign changed profoundly. For most of Year One of this insanely elongated process, the Democratic Party had been a peaceable kingdom. Its voters were proud of and pleased with the array of choices before them: proud of its diversity, pleased with its unity.Henry Hertzberg on the Clintons vs. Obama
Diary, Astute Observations
Different languages have come up with a way to express that the smell of other people has a profound effect how attracted we are to them. English talks about the “chemistry” that two people have. In German, you literally say “I cannot smell you” (Ich kann dich nicht riechen) to express that you don’t like another person. The Economist reports on the latest developments in the science of smell and interpersonal attraction. How to find a mate: The scent of a woman (and a man) The Smell of Romantic Attraction
A new kind of dating agency relies on matching people by their body odour
ONE of life’s little mysteries is why particular people fancy each other—or, rather, why they do not when on paper they ought to. One answer is that human consciousness, and thus human thought, is dominated by vision. Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, regardless of the other senses. However, as the multi-billion-dollar perfume industry attests, beauty is in the nose of the beholder, too.
Diary, Astute Observations
STEVEN PINKER pulls together in the New York Times magazine evidence that suggests that the human brain is pre-wired for developing a moral instinct. The article is a bit long but well worth reading. The Moral Instinct Which of the following people would you say is the most admirable: Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Norman Borlaug? And which do you think is the least admirable? For most people, itHow the Brain Makes Moral Judgments
Diary
Barring a major terrorist attack on the United States, my money is on Obama. Elections are decided by the independents. They will vote for him rather than the Republican candidate because they want to be part of restoring American values. Here you can hear why Obama is going to be the frontrunner for the presidency in a few days.The Next President of the United States
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