Happy Hour: a depressing comment on the rest of the day and a victory for the most limited Dionysian view of human nature.

Whenever governments adopt a moral tone as opposed to an ethical one you know something is wrong.

If economists were doctors, they would today be mired in malpractice suits.

A foreigner is an individual who is considered either comic or sinister. When the victim of a disaster - preferably natural but sometimes political -the foreigner may also be pitied from a distance for a short period of time.

Born in elevators and supermarkets, Muzak has spread to restaurants, hotels, airplanes, telephone hold services, and waiting rooms. The public-relations experts believe that human beings fear silence - that is, the absence of constantly imposed direction. It is further believed that if we can be relieved of our fears, we will gain enough self-confidence to buy, eat, vote, fly, or simply go on living.

Ten geographers who think the world is flat will tend to reinforce each other's errors ... Only a sailor can set them straight.