Archive for the ‘All’ Category
Marriage Survives in MA
For those who have not heard the news — I heard only one brief mention today on the radio station that I listen to — marriage equality in Massachusetts has survived a constitutional convention. Recall: three years ago the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, that the institution […]
The Birth of Budgie Smugglers
A brief [ahem!], first-hand account of the development of "the Speedo" by its designer, Gloria Smythe tells us that the course of fashion does not always flow smoothly or quickly. I did my first Olympic Games collection in 1964, but no one would have known. When I did the 1976 Australian map print it became […]
In: All, The Art of Conversation
Jeff's Sloppy Joes
Speaking of Sloppy Joes, which I was last week ("Beef & Mac"), that's what we're having for dinner tonight. It's on the stove simmering even as I type. When I was young, way back in the last century, I had a recipe for Sloppy Joes in my first cookbook, a smallish volume for kids published […]
Mock Apple Pie
Okay, for how many years have you been reading that recipe on the box of Ritz crackers for "Mock Apple Pie" and wondering what it tastes like? Could it really taste at all like apple pie? C'mon, it's made from Ritz crackers, and they don't taste a thing like apples! Haven't you always wondered what […]
Gravel on DADT
I really like dark-horse political candidates; if they're to make any headway it's usually by riding on the backs of principals rather than polls. Senator Mike Gravel has caught my attention before; now he does it again by reacting to H. Clinton's namby-pandering stance on gay equality, in particular, her husband's disastrous "Don't Ask, Don't […]
More to Worry About
I know there are people who can't sleep at night worrying about the impending explosion of the sun or the heat-death of the universe. Global warming is no doubt adding to their insomnia. Now it turns out that the consequences of global warming are even worse than we thought: WARM THE WORLD, SHRINK THE DAY. […]
Illegal Depictions
Americans particularly seem, as a group, to be really freaky about sex. For some reason it makes them crazy in outrageous, nonlinear ways. Particularly in these days of heated conservatism and religious zealotry the hysteria can mount quickly. Think for a minute about how society responds right now to subjects like pedophilia, rape, and homosexuality, […]
Beard of the Week XXVIII: Gutenberg
This week's beard belongs to Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468), often described as "the inventor of printing". That rather overstates the case, but someone needs to be called the "inventor of printing"; Gutenberg is the "canonical inventor" in the terminology of John H. Lienhard, the author of the excerpt below.* In fact, printing had existed for […]
Reason vs. Faith, Again
This week Bob Park (What's New for 1 June 2007) revisits presidential candidate Sam Brownback's positive response when asked during a debate whether he was one who did not "believe" in evolution: BELIEFS: BROWNBACK DEFENDS SCIENTIFIC ILLITERACY BY EXAMPLE. A month ago at the Republican Presidential debate, there was a show of hands of those […]
In: All, Current Events, It's Only Rocket Science
A Day at the Arboretum
Last Monday, for our Memorial Day Observed observance, our friend Mike from Baltimore came to visit at lunch time (you know where) and we decided to do a little something. One of our favorite little somethings is to visit the US National Arboretum, which we did. It has several virtues, among them being very close […]
The Ur Poodle
This is a story, a longer one — with pictures! — about the origins of our fascination with Poodles of God (most recently mentioned here). This bit of photoblogism is thanks to Chris Ambidge, who supplied the photographic treats. In June of 2000, Isaac and I were visited by friends Chris and Bill*. Exactly how […]
Beef & Mac
One of my favorite comfort foods is a simple dish frequently marketed, in frozen, single-serving trays, as "Macaroni & Beef": ground beef in a tomato sauce with elbow macaroni. At its best it's deliciously unctuous and satisfying. Obviously it's not a terribly complicated dish but I'd never tried to make it up on my own, […]
Warming Denial Humor
From an administration already known to be rich in comedy comes a new act: "I guess I would ask which human beings, where and when, are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now, is the best climate for all other human beings," he […]
In the Mood for Mystery
Melanie (The Indextrious Reader) had this to say recently upon reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie: Suffice it to say I read this over a long weekend, sitting in the sun with a cup of tea. Is there any better way to read Agatha Christie? It puts me in mind, almost needless […]
In: All, Briefly Noted, Crime Fiction
Global Warming Fact-Sheet
Via NASA's Earth Observatory mailing list my attention was drawn to their newly freshened Global Warming fact sheet, written by Holli Riebeek (dated 11 May 2007), and I wanted to take this space to draw more attention to it. As most of my readers will know, there's a great deal of misleading disinformation and obfuscation […]
Leaving the Stone Age
At lunch yesterday I was reading from Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, about which I'm sure I'll have more to say in the future, but this isn't about that exactly. As he has discussed how various societies have trounced other societies and taken them over or wiped them out, the discussion occasionally touches on […]
To The Fourth Cheese
There were several memorable dishes that we ate at Ristorante da Cecio, our favorite dinner spot in Rome, but one that stands out was their Gnocchi ai Quattro Formaggi, or "Gnocchi with Four-Cheese Sauce",* a plate of little snail-shaped potato dumplings in a satiny smooth and unctuously cheesy sauce. The sauce was not a garish […]
A Beethovenish Birthday
Monday night, thanks to my friend Deb, I had a very lovely evening by way of a birthday treat. True, it was two weeks after the event but then, I was out of the country at the time. Besides, I was well rested this way. Further besides, this Monday was the scheduled date of the […]
Carter on DADT
Although I have little compunction about "speaking ill of the dead" when it comes to one of America's leading hate-mongers,* I refuse to waste any more pixels on the subject. Let's instead celebrate the living who correctly distinguish right from wrong and try to make the world a better place. Former President Jimmy Carter, whom […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Feeling Subdude
Isaac reported recently on an amusing spelling error that he spotted the other day: someone reported feeling a little "subdude". This seemed to me a very useful word, particularly as I found myself feeling a little subdude today. The word seems to me roughly as versatile as that coinage from over a decade ago — […]
In: All, Briefly Noted, Such Language!