August 2019 Archives

Joel Kotkin Singapore's Straits Times

Why do Americans seem so hopeful about the future?

"Some of it is just happenstance but there are three factors: First, and probably most importantly, is immigration.

"In the American context, immigration has historically meant resettlement and integration into the country, as opposed to many other countries that regard immigration as something that they can turn on and off and that immigrants are there for particular tasks but not as future citizens... Immigrants are more likely to start families and very often come from Asia, Africa or Latin America, where family values are still very strong.

"So they reassert all that in America and that's why a majority of Americans now live in suburbs, where you can raise children.

"The second factor is space. Today, if you go to Mexico City or Mumbai, the poor and, even more so, the rich, won't have more than two children. I went to a monastery in South Korea and asked a monk there why Koreans are now facing depopulation. He said: 'You buy a 1,000 sq ft apartment when you're 40 - if you're lucky - which is an hour's train ride from Seoul every day. Who's got the energy or space to raise children?'

"The one thing about Americans is that around 60 per cent of them live in suburbs (where) they have a little backyard and privacy.

"The third factor is religion. About 60 per cent of Americans consider religion important, whereas only about 15 per cent of Japanese, French and Germans think so. Religious people almost by nature have more kids. Religion also teaches you to try and look beyond yourself (and) contribute to others. Whereas very secular societies say: 'I'm worried about saving the whales.'

"Americans are going through a period of pessimism now but many still say 'we really want to have more people and grow'. Whereas many other advanced societies have begun to roll into what the architect Austin Williams calls the poverty of ambition. "

Individualism vs. Individuality - Theodore Dalrymple

"In many countries, the proportion of the tattooed in the population has now risen to about a third. No doubt most of them, if asked, would say that they were expressing themselves, or telling the world who they really are. There could be no better--or in my opinion sadder--testimony to mass inner emptiness than this."

What is the best font for reading a speech? - Quora

I used this advice recently and found it effective. I didn't have time to mess with double-sided printing, so I arranged the pages in a booklet -- 1 facing 2, 3 facing 4, etc. -- stapled along the spine, then stapled along the outside each pair of pages that were back to back. That approach had the advantage of limiting show-through, and giving me more traction when turning pages.

"Using a highly legible sans serif such as Verdana with moderately loose (1.5x) line spacing and black text on white at a moderately large size (like 14-15 pt) will likely work well.

"You want to use a bigger size because you don't want to be holding up the paper. Knowing your reading conditions will help: how well lit will your reading spot be? Will you have a lectern to rest the paper on, and how high/close will it be?

"With a longer speech, one little trick you can use is to print double-sided, and 'bind' your paper on the edge with some staples. Now fold the pages back and forth open/closed a few times so they naturally open easily. You have just made a booklet so that you can turn pages half as often. You will get interrupted/lost less easily this way."