Recent Posts - page 22
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Two different worlds: my students’ favorite musical artists
Yesterday we conducted a mock election to determine my students’ favorite musical artists using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). The purpose was to let them experience RCV first-hand by going through a simulation. I think it accomplished that goal. What most… Read More ›
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Great fun! This is a truly enjoyable mystery novel!
I am not a big reader of cozies. But this is a worthwhile exception. I’m talking about Witness for the Persecution, by E.J. Copperman. Or is it by Jeff Cohen? Anyway, yes, the word is persecution, not prosecution. You’re probably… Read More ›
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Too hot to cook!
Yes, I know. Going out to eat twice in one week is decadent. But it’s just so hot. Definitely too hot to cook. So we went to our usual favorite, the Ashmont Grill. Barbara started with what used to be… Read More ›
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A European view on languages
Seven Languages in Seven Days! That sure sounds familiar. Four years ago I taught a four-day course that was somewhat misleadingly called Five Languages in Five Days (check out the link), so my eye was certainly caught by a description… Read More ›
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Tavolo
Too hot to cook last night! So we just had to go out to eat at Tavolo. It was quite a sacrifice, but someone had to do it. Unfortunately, they were understaffed. Poor Chris was the only server! But he… Read More ›
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Atrius/Harvard Vanguard acquired by a for-profit company
Not that I’m worried or anything…I’m sure that the quality of my health care will continue to be just as good, now that the non-profit medical practice I have used for half a century has been acquired by a for-profit… Read More ›
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შემომეჭამა
There might be a typo in that title! Did you catch it? No, this not just a bunch of squiggles! It’s a real word, written in a real script, in a real language—one that is spoken by four million real… Read More ›
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Three steamed lobstahs
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224 again (does that make 448?)
A delicious dinner last night in an outside umbrella’d booth at 224 Boston Street. Barbara started with kung pao calamari, followed by a southwest salad. I started with pork dumplings, followed by a pan-seared duck breast with roasted carrot purée,… Read More ›
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The Oxford Brotherhood
If you’re interested in academic mysteries, read this novel. If you’re interested in Lewis Carroll, read this novel. If you’re interested in mathematical logic, read this novel. In all these cases, the novel in question is The Oxford Brotherhood, by… Read More ›
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Julia Metraux on “How queer Jews reclaimed Yiddish.”
My former Weston High School student, Julia Métraux, has published a really interesting article about the reclaiming of Yiddish by queer Jews. As you know, I’ve written several posts that mention Yiddish, most recently one about the Yiddish-German connection. You… Read More ›
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Miriam and Alan explore Scotland.
Which two actors are these? Yes, Alan is Alan Cumming, as you suspected. And Miriam is Miriam Margolyes, who has appeared in dozens of films but is best known (in certain circles) as Professor Sprout in several of the Harry… Read More ›
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Don’t shoot off fireworks in residential neighborhoods…
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42: From crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life
Another exciting book from A.J. Jacobs! 42: From crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life is not the title of the book. As Lewis Carroll might say, it’s not even the name of the book. Nor is it what… Read More ›
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Can you pronounce dBar as one syllable?
Barbara and I had a lovely dinner at dBar, outside on their beautiful patio…but we forgot to take pictures! ☹️ I suppose that means it didn’t happen. So we’ll settle for a photo from OpenTable. Barbara started with a “jumbo… Read More ›
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And now…I’m back to teaching…
Ten months ago was when I had most recently taught a class. But that was by Zoom, of course. As was my teaching in the previous summer. So it has really been almost three years since I’ve taught a live… Read More ›
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More and more teachers are leaving the teaching profession.
Yes, I suppose I’m part of the problem, not part of the solution. But I didn’t exactly leave the teaching profession: I just retired from my position at Weston High School. Being “semi-retired,” I’m still teaching every summer at the… Read More ›
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All four cats…
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Gender issues: a perspective from a Russian Jewish mathematician
“My mom used to tell me that most men do not like brainy women,” writes well-known mathematician Tanya Khovanova. Well-known in certain circles, anyway. Female, Russian-American, Jewish—there are a lot of possible identity issues here. I’ve written about Khovanova twice… Read More ›
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What’s an “app crit”? And why should I care?
Perhaps for some odd reason you have never looked at a modern edition of an ancient or medieval text—whether in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Old Norse, Sanskrit, Old High German, or whatever. In that case, it’s not too late to start!… Read More ›
Featured Categories
Books ›
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A note from Langston Hughes to my dad
January 10, 2026
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Enough is enuf.
January 8, 2026
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Friends with words
January 4, 2026
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Language city: The fight to preserve endangered mother tongues in New York
November 26, 2025
Dorchester/Boston ›
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Milkweed
January 16, 2026
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This year’s traditional Christmas dinner
December 26, 2025
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Thai Oishii
November 16, 2025
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Chinese food in Greater Boston, then and now
November 1, 2025
Food & Restaurants ›
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Dumpling Kitchen
October 11, 2025
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Totto Ramen
July 23, 2025
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Special anniversary dinner at Tavolo
June 25, 2025
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Milkweed in Dot
June 10, 2025
Life ›
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They understand us across the pond.
January 11, 2026
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Where are you dining today?
December 25, 2025
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A Chanukah carol (in Yiddish)
December 21, 2025
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“So you want a model railroad” — a well-known… okay… not-so-well-known Warner Bros. film from 1955
November 22, 2025
Linguistics ›
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Who’s better at understanding written English — you or some random teen in South Korea?
January 22, 2026
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Will the real John McWhorter please stand up? (No, no, that’s not the real one; that’s the AI John McWhorter!)
January 18, 2026
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Is Modern Hebrew a conlang?
January 6, 2026
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Claude predicts the future of English.
December 24, 2025
Math ›
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Very sad news
October 17, 2025
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The metric system has gotten an update!
July 14, 2025
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As Tom Lehrer says, that’s mathematics!
July 9, 2025
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The Plinko Bounce
June 28, 2025
Model Railroading ›
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Three cheers for Jason Jensen — not only a model railroader but also a true American artist!
November 17, 2025
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No need for instructions?
June 4, 2025
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A close-up view of Neighborhood #5, Newtown
March 28, 2025
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A close-up view of Neighborhood #4, Orchard Heights
February 20, 2025
Movies & (occasionally) TV ›
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The new Springsteen bio-pic
November 11, 2025
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Breaking Silence: a truly outstanding documentary!
July 29, 2025
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The Social Network
May 11, 2025
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Dylan
January 8, 2025
Teaching & Learning ›
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Triple threat: Carl Sagan, critical thinking, and an exam
October 13, 2025
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Truly these are oldies but goodies — songs from… wait for it… two millennia ago!
September 28, 2025
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Measles and polio down in the schoolyard
September 8, 2025
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A former student’s PhD defense
August 15, 2025
Technology ›
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Not the other Wes Moore
June 22, 2025
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Bye bye Mark Z.
February 6, 2025
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Posts you may have missed
March 15, 2024
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I’m back!
February 28, 2024
Travel ›
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Written in the South Pacific during World War II
February 17, 2025
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Globle
February 15, 2023
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No pirates. And it’s not in Penzance. But it’s nearby: It’s Death in Cornwall.
August 9, 2022
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Miriam and Alan explore Scotland.
July 6, 2022
Weston ›
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“Dear parents of math geniuses…,” writes Tanya Khovanova
December 6, 2022
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How can girls succeed at the highest level of high-school debate?
November 20, 2022
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Reading Latin and Ancient Greek for fun and profit. For what? Fun? Yes, fun. Really. And the profit was purely intellectual, not financial.
October 19, 2022
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Trust what you read! (On second thought…)
September 2, 2022


