Archive for the ‘All’ Category
Beard of the Week XXVII: Tallis & His Scholars
This week's beard belong to English composer Thomas Tallis (c. 1510–1585), often hailed as the "Father of English Music". (Here's a brief biography.) However, this is only tangentially about Thomas Tallis. I invoke Tallis' name because a couple of weeks ago — on Sunday, April first, to be precise — Isaac and my Dad and […]
Aruba Must Recognize Gay Marriage
Here's another little bit of cheery news. It didn't want to do it, but Aruba is now the first Caribbean island that will recognize same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage is legal in Holland, and Aruba is still ruled by Dutch law, therefore: The [Dutch] Supreme Court ruled today that a same-sex marriage conducted in the Netherlands […]
Ifill on Imus
Gwen Ifill on Meet the Press, 15 April 2007 (transcript via Think Progress): A lot of people did know and a lot of people were listening and they just decided it was okay. They decided this culture of meanness was fine — until they got caught. My concern about Mr. Imus and a lot of […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
I Have an Idea
This is an essay about ideas: whence they come, in what form, how quickly they disappear, and why I always feel like I'm getting behind on things. I had this idea — to write this essay — nearly an hour ago, but it took me this long to finish what I was doing then, do […]
Protecting One-Celled People
The dependably wry Robert Park had this* to say about the sanctity of "one-celled people": 1. STEM CELLS: PRESIDENT BUSH VOWS TO PROTECT ONE-CELLED PEOPLE. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act passed the Senate 63-34, but President Bush promises a veto. He said the use of embryonic stem cells in research "crosses a moral line." […]
Liberal vs. Conservative, Again
The following I wrote in the first instance as a comment at SWAnderson's blog, in response to a comment by RightSaidFred that "You two [i.e., me and SW] seem to carry an unshakable faith that the human condition can be perfected by government action." Since it came out rather longer than the pithy epigram I […]
Symbolic Imus
Oddly enough, I don't know a thing about Don Imus except what I read — which is a lot in the past few days — because I never listened to him. Come to think of it, I never listened to or read (whichever is appropriate) Anne Coulter or Sean Hannity or Rush, either; instead of […]
Researching Porn
I'm not quite sure how it came up — pardon the expression — but I had a conversation today about some of the research I've done for my short fiction. Recall that the stories I publish are directed at an audience of adult, gay men and you may wonder a moment about the type of […]
Dodd on Equality
I lived in Connecticut, going to graduate school at Wesleyan University, when Chris Dodd first ran for Congress. I had a favorable impression of him then, perhaps because of the attitude that leads to the types of things he's saying now. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd told Concord High School students […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Finlay's Jewels
I have been reading plenty lately, just not writing so much about the books. Now I'm trying to catch up a bit, which may be a hopeless task. One of the several fascinating titles from recent weeks was Victoria Finlay's Jewels : A Secret History (New York : Ballentine Books, 2006). It's an interesting read. […]
In: All, Books, Common-Place Book
"Official" Birthstones
I've always wondered at the particularly American penchant for "official" pronouncements, regardless of their origins. I wrote previously about the "official beginning of summer", as an example. In my recent reading, I was happy to discover just how "official" is that list of "official birthstones", particularly since a few years back I saw Hallmark promoting […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Naming Things
The $3-Million Book
Here's a nice little story that says there's still hope for a bribe-free, morally just society. I'll cut-and-paste it just as I found it at Avedon Carol's ("Interweaving the Internet"). Bookslut: In May 2005, Cary McNair told the St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Austin, TX that if they did not remove Annie Proulx's short story […]
Spring-Time Azalea
Please welcome the newest addition to our household: Azalea. She is a 7-year-old red brindle ex-racing greyhound; in fact, all of our four-legged companions for the last eight years have been ex-racers because they make great companions. She arrived two days ago to take up the position recently vacated by Arlo, who died on 22 […]
Peeps Evolve
I was quite delighted to discover last night, when I stopped in at our neighborhood drugs & sundries store, that there was a new variety of Peeps evident in pre-easter menagerie on display. Perhaps it was even a new species, but it might be too early to tell. Recent times have seen the appearance of […]
In: All, Curious Stuff, Food Stuff
Deadline for Victory
I hear the soundbite of some Senator arguing against putting any sort of date for withdrawal from the Iraq quagmire. The claim: any sort of deadline would tell the "terrorists" just how long they have to wait us out. To my ear, the implications of that argument are two-fold: If we don't want them to […]
In: All, Current Events, Splenetics
Beard of the Week XXVI: Unjustly Neglected Beards
Gosh but it has been a long time since we've had a beard of the week. I suppose I've been preoccupied by finishing some projects for Ars Hermeneutica and by our production of "Kiss Me, Kate!". Fortunately the latter is now over with and some level of schedule flexibility returns. Let me introduce the beard […]
Considering "Morality"
I want to recommend a fascinating piece at Pam Spaulding's, called "Former American Family Association columnist Joe Murray speaks out against homophobia and hypocrisy" (Pam's House Blend, 27 March 2007). The first reason is that she reminded me of this tidbit from the mouth of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Pace: […]
"Official" Spring
Speaking of the Vernal Equinox, many people were — speaking of it — yesterday but occasionally with some imprecision, saying that spring "officially" arrived at about 2007 EDT. They would be better off saying "astronomically" arrived, since there's nothing "official" about it: no international committee meets to set the time of the arrival of springtime. […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science
Welcome Equinox!
To welcome the Vernal Equinox tonight (at roughly 2010 EDT), we were out for a bite to eat and then a bit of shopping. The day was clear and warm, and the evening sky was clear and mild. At the time of the equinox we were outside strolling, and observed Venus and the crescent moon […]
In: All, Briefly Noted, It's Only Rocket Science
Simpson on "Immoral"
In World War II, a British mathematician named Alan Turing led the effort to crack the Nazis' communication code. He mastered the complex German enciphering machine, helping to save the world, and his work laid the basis for modern computer science. Does it matter that Turing was gay? This week, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of […]