Archive for the ‘All’ Category
Beard of the Week LIII: The National Portrait Gallery at 40
This week's somewhat stern beard (with eyebrows to match) belongs to Adolph Cluss (1825–1905), an architect born in Germany, who immigrated to America, working in Washington, DC. A few years ago the Washington Post described him as "without question the least known of Washington's most important architects."* As used in the title of that article, […]
In: All, Beard of the Week, Music & Art
National Coming Out Day 2008
As I now tend to say every year in this space, today, October 11, is celebrated annually by more and more people as "National Coming Out Day"; despite its name, people in many countries celebrate NCOD. First observed in 1988, NCOD marks the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Reflections
Marriage Equality Arrives in Connecticut
Congratulations to Connecticut, one of the few states in the US I've lived in. I feel equality coming closer. Same-sex couples won the right to marry in Connecticut in an historic ruling by the Supreme Court today. Citing the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the justices ruled that civil unions were discriminatory. In […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
That McCain-Palin Mob
Via virtually everyone comes links to these worthy videos at Blogger Interrupted that Tim Russo following a Sarah Palin rally: The McCain-Palin mob in Strongsville, Ohio; and McCain-Palin Mob Part 2 – Woman’s child says of Barack “you need gloves to touch him” (I link to his page so that you can see his commentary […]
In: All, Current Events, Raised Eyebrows Dept., Splenetics
McCain Pals with Felons
While [McCain's] telling the American people that he tried to protect them from the current financial crisis before it happened, the only person he's documented as ever trying to protect is convicted felon Charles Keating. He desperately tried to protect him from public accountability after Keating was responsible for the collapse of Lincoln Savings and […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
One Voice Among Many
Fred wrote: All is not well. You are conspicuous in not blogging about the rise of Islam worldwide, and its threat to the sort of liberal democracy you champion. I wonder what your thoughts are, and if you are willing to do anything about the threat. To the extent that I see Islam as a […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Reflections
Marriage Equality Diminishes No One
As you may be aware, at the next election Californians will be voting on "Proposition 8": "ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME–SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT" (from California's Official Voter Information Guide). I liked the beginning of this editorial opposing the proposition. In one of the most famous American defenses of religious freedom, Thomas Jefferson […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Solvency Through Good Health
Two big birds, one big stone. Here is my plan to solve the current economic crisis and crisis in health care costs. It's called "The Economic Bailout through Healthy Living Plan of 2008" (aka "Good Health Plan"). Beginning, say, on 4 November, all health care in America is free to everyone; costs are guaranteed by […]
Suppressing Votes
Despite McCain's being the old farts' candidate, I won't be voting for him. McCain looks old and ill to me. He seems to have no circulation under his papery white skin. He always looks like he is suppressing a fart. [Erica Jong:, "Is John McCain Really Our Friend?", Huffington Post, 8 October 2008.]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Old Fartdom
Qualified = Smart Enough
There is confusion, probably even intentional obfuscation, during this current election over whether Ms. Palin is "qualified" to be vice-president. Someone correctly pointed out, in the words of Wikipedia, that the constitutional "qualifications" are few. The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall […]
In: All, Reflections, Snake Oil--Cheap!
McCain Paling Around with Criminals
In the last day this video has had nearly 900,000 views, which means all five of you have probably seen it, but just in case you haven't, here is "KEATING ECONOMICS: John McCain & The Making of a Financial Crisis". Yep, it was produced by the Obama/Biden campaign but — alas — it relies on […]
Tina Fey on Sarah Palin on Same-Sex Rights
It's getting so hard to tell when it's life-imitating-art or art-imitating-life. You know, I would be afraid of where that [i.e., extending same-sex rights to the rest of the country] would lead. I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers. But don't think I don't tolerate gay people, because […]
LHC: Certainly / Bailout: Maybe
In the last few days I was reading someone, speaking of the recent "$700 Billion Wall Street Bailout"* who said "and we don't even know if it will work!" This put me in mind of the Large Hadron Collider, because that's the way my mind works and because I know the laws of physics work […]
In: All, Plus Ca Change..., Reflections
Beard of the Week LII: The Crown Prince of Norway
This week's regal beard belongs to Norwegian Crown Prince Håkon Magnus (or, as frequently rendered, Haakon Magnus). Prince Håkon came to our attention thanks to Chris Ambidge, friend of this blog and BoW devotee; the photograph is originally by Sean Hayford O'Leary. Born in 1973, Håkon became crown prince when his father was crowned Harald […]
Biden on Same-Sex Equality
There was, in last night's Biden / Palin debate, a brief exchange on the topic of same-sex equality. As it has been ritualized and hones in several year's worth of national elections, most of it passed in coded language that most normal people will find totally inscrutable but mostly innocuous. Palin's responses I found unsurprising […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Pulman on Religion
My basic objection to religion is not that it isn't true; I like plenty of things that aren't true. It's that religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite so good. — Philip Pullman ["The censor's dark materials", Guardian […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Feeling Peevish
Read a Banned Book
Every year, in the last week of September, the American Library Association sponsors "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read". The freedom to read is on many people's minds these days. We just finished listening to the end of the Biden / Palin debate. I still think Palin is a dolt and dangerous believer […]
Beard of the Week LI: Promoter & Defender of Equality
This week's beard belongs to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (born: 1945), the president of Brazil. Lula was first elected in October 2002; he was re-elected in October 2006, extending his term until 2011. Upon the first news of his first election, the Sydney [Australia] Morning Herald lead with this news: Sao Paulo: Leftist former […]
In: All, Beard of the Week, Faaabulosity
Seeing Halfway to the Beginning of Time
Once again Physics News Update delivered what I thought was a really cool story. It concerns an incredibly bright gamma-ray burst from an incredibly distant object–more distant than anything ever seen before: 7,000,000,000 light years away! The object exploding was an old star that had used up all its fuel, the end of the sequence […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science
California Forests Slipping as CO2 Storage Tanks
The following news arrived in my email recently as a "Physics News Update" item. I thought it interesting enough to share. ———- CALIFORNIA TREES NOT KEEPING UP WITH CO2. Forests aren't absorbing as much carbon dioxide as in the past, and fire suppression might be to blame. Fire suppression in forest encourages the growth of […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science