Off topic, but related to what some of you have begun to discuss: What happens when you shut off warning signals? Megan McArdle offers a vivid example from California:The results of this thinking can… (View Post)

Sean T's header is a useful corrective, to which I will add one point: A nation that has a reputation for treating prisoners decently will often find it easier to get enemies to surrender. That … (View Post)

Off topic, but timely: Happy Fibonacci Day to all of you! (View Post)

FPT: On cats seeking better weather: Robert Heinlein wrote a novel which begins with that subject. Here's how he explained the inspiration:When we were living in Colorado there was snowfall. Our… (View Post)

On your housing problem: May I recommend -- half jokingly -- a successful American solution. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin, and lived in a series of them while he was growing up. The last o… (View Post)