(no subject)

The Washington Post has an interesting article on repressed memories. Apparently they didn't show up in world literature until about the 1800s. At that point, they burst onto the seen in Europe. By comparison, it's fairly easy to find depressed people, people with seizures, and the like. So, the studies are arguing that repressed memories can still be a real symptom, but that they're a cultural phenomenon.

I've actually had one repressed memory. When I was younger I liked the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Tides, but I couldn't remember catching it in theaters so I just assumed that I hadn't. Years later, a childhood friend reminded me of the time I was sick to my stomach after seeing the movie. (There's a joke there, but I assume because of some food thing. Like I said, I liked the movie). We were already out of the theater by the point when I felt sick and my friend's family rushed me to a Hardees or something that was in the Wheaton mall to throw up in the bathroom. I forget if I made it, I think there was some mess regardless.

Anyhow, when he reminded me, I could remember (albiet not in great detail) the incident and catching the movie.

I don't think it was ever really the source of any trauma. I watched the movie later with no ill-feelings. But I think I had completely blocked it out until he reminded me of it. As I don't get sick to my stomach that often so it tends to be pretty memorable.

Iran updates

New Seymour Hersh article on the plans for war with Iran.

If this is accurate (and the sourcing is nebuluous so I'm not putting too much faith in it) it's quite depressing. Sounds like we're going back to the bad old days of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Although I guess these are the worse days in a lot of ways, so longing for the bad old days makes a certain peverse amount of sense.

Analysis by Isaac Chotiner over at TNR's Plank.

Make a Devil's Bargain with corrupt Sunni regimes, let them support(and yet paradoxically try to contain) Sunni extremist elements, and make sure Iran and the Shiites don't become too powerful. Wasn't the deal for "stability" that we made a long time ago really a sham? Isn't this how we got involved with Saddam Hussein in the first place? Do we trust the Saudis to wage covert war with jihadi proxies?

Also, according to the London Times (cited by Kevin Drum) there's four or five U.S. generals that will quit if we go to war with Iran. Good for them.