The Perkins Migration Transition Corollary – Stage 6
A historian of the old-school, we see ourselves as a student of humane letters, not a social scientist. That said, we have also had the opportunity to teach what has come to be called “human geography" for several years. One of the more interesting aspects of is so-called population geography, which studies the growth, distribution, and movement of people on the earth. As a set of systems and lenses for interpreting historical change, it is a helpful field, perhaps even an in
Interrogation Transcript
The following interview was extracted under duress and the use of a truth serum. What follows may be a form of torture to our readers as well. Question 1: When did you screw everything up, but no one ever found out it was you? This question should go to my sister. I’ve never gotten away with anything. But I sleep well. Question 2: What would you name your boat if you had one? I hate boats. The last boat I was on first broke down, and then almost sunk, in Gulf of Mexico, with
The Enduring D-Art-h of Parody
I sometimes think that parody is a higher art form than the original. Not that it is artistically better, necessarily, but that it aspires to something greater than the original by not only encompassing the original, but by saying something else as well. And good parodies, when the art approaches the original, or when the satirist has really nailed his subject, these may truly surpass the original because this new art form has succeeded both upon its own ground and also the o
A Word both Compelling and Unpopular
I encountered a new word today – gnomic. The term first appears in 1815 to describe “a style of writing (or sometimes speech) characterized by pithy phrases, which are often terse to the point of mysteriousness.” It appears to borrow from gnomes, tiny people who, when they are not shacking up with runaway princesses or making Shakespearean films, are known for burrowing about the garden with pointy red hats. Apparently, these earth spirits maintain an ASPCA membership and are
Ridiculous Things that have Somehow Remained Funny #17
Is it possible for a song about armpit farts to be truly funny? Yes! Sometimes things that are funny to a teenage boy cease to be funny when he grows into manhood. And then there are other things which never really cease to be funny. The Great Cornholio, for instance. At least in small doses. Consider also Bodine Brown…‘cuz she’s fun to be around. Well, now, she’s got a glass eye And, everyone always flips Because, she sticks it in her mouth And she winks at you with her lip
“Are You a Good Witch, or a Bad Witch?”
Harry: So light a fire! Hermione: Yes... of course... but there's no wood! Ron: HAVE YOU GONE MAD! ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT! From: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Witchcraft. It is one of America’s long, dark, and not so secret obsessions. The Enlightenment worked tirelessly throughout the 18th and 19th centuries to drive a stake in the heart of what it believed to be superstitious hoobooloo, and 20th century modernity felt quite content to ignore it altogether. But li
