Paleo Retiree writes:

Apologies for being a bit late with this week’s installment. There was holiday shopping to be done and there were holiday crowds to be fought — and, hey, technically we’re still in the middle of a long weekend anyway, right? Phew. Now, on with the show, and best wishes to everyone, a few baddies and psychopaths excepted.

• A good recent talk between Christina Hoff Sommers and the great British conservative Roger Scruton. Architecture, PC looniness, self-fulfillment vs the pursuit of the Good … What could be more fun and interesting?
• It’s pleasing to see Scruton — who for decades was either vilified or ignored — receiving the attention he’s long deserved. I’ve been reading him for ages, and in 1998 did one of the first American interviews with him.
• Ozzy Man looks back at 2018.
• A victim of rape-in-the-trad-sense — or “rape rape,” in the immortal words of Whoopi Goldberg — unloads on the #metoo crowd.
• Maybe #metoo will be good for our shared social life.
• On the other hand, maybe #metoo is one of the factors that help explain why there’s so much loneliness around these days.
• Toby Young reflects on the number of friends he lost during 2018. My wife and I lost a few too.
• Lots of good sense here from Gad Saad.
• Some high comedy from Steve Sailer about stresses in the world of the Women’s March.
• Men: Can you tell just by looking at her whether a woman’s likely to cheat on you?
• An alt-rightish take on the life and work of the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
• Amy Alkon dares to suggest that princess-and-prince-type fairytales might actually be beneficial for girls.
• My favorite reading of the week came from, of all places, AARP magazine. It’s a package of stories celebrating the 60th anniversary of Motown Records: a sweet and touching q&a with the legendary Smokey Robinson; a spirited and rousing overview of Motown’s history by the music journalist Gerri Hirshey; and a visit (by Touré) with the women who were the Andantes, the backup chick singers on over 20,000 Motown tracks. Fans of the wonderful documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” should be in heaven.