- topics: culture
A theory about the “small world” phenomenon + an amazing update on the essay story
As preamble, I need to mention that our female horseback riding guide, the podiatrist’s tie-dyed wife, complained at length about her ex for the ...
- topics: culture
The Latino view of race
The New York Times ran an interesting article, January 14, 2012, concerning the Latino inclination to reject race as an identity in favor of culture. ...
- topics: culture
Subjects that become more obscure the closer you look.
Take the simple question of the derivation of the word butterfly. In so many languages the answer remains an issue of debate. I asked Denise ...
- topics: culture
What are examples of not seeing the forest for the trees?
Alexander F. Christensen of the Department of Anthropology of Vanderbuilt University wrote this is a 1997 paper on migration in Mesoamerica: "When large tribal movements ...
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topics: culture
Can an amateur see something the specialists miss?
I don't know the answer to this question. It seems very unlikely that archeologists could have overlooked a pattern of collapse that seems to have ...
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topics: culture
How the apocalypse wrought by Cortes fits the theory
Without a written message, little can be certain about the workings of the Teotihuacano mind or that of any other early Indian civilization. On the ...
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topics: culture
How did the pattern begin?
The first place to look is among the Olmec, the so-called “mother culture” of Mesoamerica. The Olmec established all the essential elements of Mexican civilization: ...
- topics: culture
Are nations driven by the same emotions that drive individuals?
How is it that nations seem to be driven by some of the same emotions that drive individuals? The notion of human beings operating on ...
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topics: culture, family
What are the preconditions of a blood feud?
On the right, Randolph McCoy, whose brother Harmon’s death was blamed on Jim Vance, the uncle of the man on the left, Devil Anse Hatfield. ...
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topics: culture
Why is the number seven magical?
There are many theories for this, among which, that seven (like three, another sacred number) is a prime number, indivisible; that our daily lives are ...
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topics: culture
Was the first list written to encourage travel or just put to this use?
According to Wikipedia, the Seven Wonders list was “based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers.” That is, that the list was essentially a marketing scheme. ...
Why are butterflies called butterflies?
Whether it is their metamorphosis, their vibrant colors, their gentle fluttering, their beauty, something about butterflies touches our imaginations. They transcend our negative associations about ...
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topics: art, culture, travel
related art
Is the historic depiction of people according to racial category inherently demeaning? Today, when we appreciate the individual and abhor what we perceive ...