In comments to my second-to-last public entry (and in other articles I have read), some suggest that the potential actions of the Florida "pastor" were different from the potential actions of the pseudo-mosque-builders due to potential risk. Some have suggested that the "pastor" should be forced to stop because his act would be more risky; it would ( Read more... )

So I think everyone at Hopkins has posted something about this story on FaceBook, but for those of you not living in Baltimore, a burglar was killed with a samurai sword -- yes, a samurai sword -- by an undergraduate student of Johns Hopkins early this morning just three blocks from where I am now sitting ( Read more... )

( Prologue About Cartoons )

In my last weekly happenings, I referred to a story of how A. was mugged here in Baltimore. Mugging is something I have thought about often here, frequently during the walks back from sadeyedartist's house at night. I have never had even the slightest fear of cities. I have been in some dangerous ones in both North and South America. I never feel nervous. I ( Read more... )

As promised[1], I now return to social psychology. As a review, the FAE "...is that we humans tend to overestimate emotions, desires, and attitudes in other people as causes for actions and to underestimate the effect of the social setting or environment or instructions."

Today I will talk about the opposite of social rebellion,[2] conformity and ( Read more... )

I may offend half my readers here if I approach this topic one way, so I'll just present it as a personal preference to start ( Read more... )

Sadly, I must confess that I spent at least 15 minutes today right after lunch watching a big, yellow, Caterpillar roll over a mount of crushed and broken brick, stone, and wood and rip and bash to shreds and bits yet another house on 3200 block of N. Charles & St. Paul. Mournfully, I must confess that I enjoyed watching this destruction. ( Read more... )