Archive for the ‘All’ Category
Nathanson's Almost Testimony: Equality Popping up Everywhere
Today, I watched* a snippet of video deposition of one Paul Nathanson, who was to be called as a defense witness (i.e., supporting the anti-equality side of the argument) in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, until his name was withdrawn. The given reason for withdrawing his name, of course, was incredible fear of persecution at the hands […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Professional Verbs
I was interested to discover that a number of things I have done professionally have no verbs. How did we ever get anything done? (Although, I also find it interesting that I've worked at times as an "engineer", whose professional noun is exactly the same as the verb of the professional activity, "to engineer".) It […]
In: All, Laughing Matters, Such Language!
Fiore's "Learn to Speak Tea Bag"
Well, gosh, word is (via Joe.My.God) that Mark Fiore's cartoon, "Learn to Speak Tea Bag", has caused some upset among conservative political extremists. Imagine! Is there, then, any better reason than that to do some viral spreading with this metaphorical blog sneeze? [YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.]
In: All, Laughing Matters, Splenetics
Olson & Boies talk to Maddow
So that I can locate it easily, here is the short segment of Rachel Maddow talking with Ted Olson and David Boies, Perry v. Schwarzenegger lawyers for plaintiffs. I have to admit that it thrills me to listen to Ted Olson say, "If you listen to these individuals and you hear our arguments, you are […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Perry v. Schwarzenegger : A Note
Yesterday morning, in a federal courtroom in San Francisco, began the trial of the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger, widely known as the "gay-marriage trial". This is the lawsuit brought against the state of California, challenging the constitutionality of proposition 8, the sate constitutional amendment that outlawed same-gender marriages in that state when they were already […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity, Reflections
Death Metal Rooster
When 30 seconds of video makes me laugh this much, naturally I want to share the joy with all y'all who might not otherwise have this much fun today. Besides, it's my blog. [YouTube link for those who don't see the embedded player.] p.s. The music is original for this video. That is so cool. […]
In: All, Laughing Matters, Wanderings
More Popery
Creatures, including humans, "can be protected or endangered", the pope, 82, told the Vatican diplomatic corps in a traditional January address focusing mainly on environmental issues. "One such attack comes from laws or proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the biological basis of the difference between the sexes," he said, citing […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Will Rogers Moments
He Doesn't Know
For example, one of the arguments that the anti-gay-marriage side has increasingly turned to outside the courtroom is that allowing same-sex marriage would hurt heterosexual marriage. At the pretrial hearing, Judge Walker kept asking Charles Cooper, the lawyer defending Proposition 8, how exactly it did so. “I’m asking you to tell me,” he said at […]
In: All, Briefly Noted, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Friday Soirée IX: New Year's Supper
Okay, it clearly isn't a Friday night, but it also isn't the evening of New Year's Day when I was thinking about this program, either. I'm sure our imaginations can handle it. Hors d'Oeuvres — Astro-Weenie Christmas Tree If there's a concept that could use re-introducing for 2010, I think it's smart. That's smart as […]
In: All, Food Stuff, Friday Soirée, Music & Art
"Perversion for Profit"
From about 1965, here is an hysterical "public-service" film which, today, seems reasonably amusing: "Perversion for Profit (Part I)". In it you will find out the "truth" about the perverting effects of pornography, particularly gay pornography with which, apparently, one glance turns the glancer into a twisted communist of some sort. It's worth keeping in […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Laughing Matters
A Few Days Away
Gosh, take a few days without blogging and all sorts of things rush in to fill the void. One of those things is that I've been getting some of 2009's photographs processed and posted. The "few days away" was a little day trip we made. The two combine in this one post! Thomas Jefferson's Monticello […]
Birding at Blackwater
As you may remember, Isaac and I like to make day trips on federal holidays. In 2009 we had the pleasure of making a Presidents' Day outing (16 February) with our friends Lisa and Byron,‡ who shared with us one of their favorite day trips: birding at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, near Cambridge, MD, […]
In: All, Personal Notebook, Wanderings
Friday Soirée IX: Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve at our house is traditionally a very quiet time, because Isaac works all night directing and playing four different musical programs for 3 Christmas-Eve services (plus one interlude). I typically stay at home and cook and read until it's time to go to friend's house for a little midnight supper. Tonight then, to […]
In: All, Friday Soirée, Music & Art
Books of a Feather
The game: correctly match entries from columns "A", "B", and "C". A B C c. 1000 BCE Old Testament, by numerous The infallible word of god, every word to be interpreted literally c 800 BCE Odyssey, by Homer An epic, heroic fantasy, an allegory of life's tribulations c. 450 BCE Physics, by Aristotle Everything that was known about how the […]
In: All, Eureka!, The Art of Conversation
Shortest Day vs. Earliest Night
I am always happy to celebrate the decision of our sun to return to a higher point in our northern sky, a decision it routinely takes about this time of year: 21 December. It seems so delightful that the days seem to start getting longer immediately it makes the decision. And then, whenever the topic […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science, The Art of Conversation
D'you Remember Joseph?
What happens when biblical literalism become biblical forgetfulness? Odd things certainly. Herewith a brief, heart-rending excerpt from an opinion piece by Chuck Norris (via Tinyfrog because I hate to link to the original): What would have happened if Mother Mary had been covered by Obamacare? What if that young, poor and uninsured teenage woman had […]
In: All, Laughing Matters, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
Friday Soirée VIII: Ghosts in the Snow
As I sit down to write this the snow has begun. We don't know when it will stop, of course, nor how much we might get, but forecasters seem to delight in adding up the biggest numbers they can credibly find: 18 inches? 20 inches? 26 inches? Whatever, it seems likely that this snowfall will […]
In: All, Friday Soirée, Music & Art
"Going Vogue"
I have to admit that I have never seen "RuPaul's Drag Race" on LOGO TV — for one thing, we don't have cable — but I'm thinking it must be lots of fun, largely on the strength of the promotional image below, which, we have to admit, is much, much, much more faaabulous than the […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Laughing Matters
Possible or Impossible?
Love her or loathe her, Lady Gaga is impossible to ignore. [Napoleon Perdis, "Going Gaga for Lady Gaga: Makeup Lessons of a Pop Diva", Huffington Post, 17 December 2009.] Um, not true, actually.
In: All, Briefly Noted, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
Things We're Not
I just got a call asking if I was the Humane Society. — James Howard I once had a phone conversation that went like this: Lady: Hello, I'm calling for Purple Heart. Me: I think you have the wrong number. Lady: What makes you think that? Me: Because I'm not Purple Heart. Lady: No, no, […]