Read this amazing post of on Bad Astronomer today: ♦ Spiraling tentacles of galactic doom! If you don’t think much about it, you look at that and go, “Cool, pretty. Interesting.” It kind of looks like eddies of foam in a pond or on the beach. But think about the fact that the tendril of [...]
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I mean, there’s worse things the American Gestapo could be compared to than the KGB, right? I mean, there’s “Gestapo” for one… ♦ Finnish folk band find a rude airport welcome Perhaps the most damning comment on the incident was delivered by [J. Karjalainen] who was strip-searched. On a couple of occasions prior to 1991, [...]
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A report recently came out suggesting that maybe the TSA’s No-Fly list, approaching 1 million names, might not be very effective. What? Really? ♦ Report: U.S. terror ‘watch list’ may be getting too long But it’s been so effective considering it has the names of people who have been critical of this Administration’s actions, like [...]
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Seriously? Are they kidding with this? This is the CIA’s Terrorism Buster logo? OK, to be fair, that image is on a lapel pin and about 5 times the actual size or so. But c’mon. That’s pretty goofy. And by the way, I didn’t realize you could attach an ancient Middle Eastern saber on the [...]
READ MORE »Speaking of new gilded ages, here’s a blog post I just came across: ♦ Can Anyone Make It in America? It’s extremely well written, and probably a lot more succinct than I’m capable of.
READ MORE »Carl Sagan wrote in Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, pointing up why it’s so very important that we put more emphasis on good, reality-based science education: “We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no [...]
READ MORE »(no, this isn’t spam *g*) Some fun tidbits regarding Bush’s press conference yesterday: Bush said he threatened vetoes all the time over the Rep. Congress. Said that he’d veto any spending bill that was out of hand. Government spending under the Rep. Congress went up 23%. So why is he using vetoes now (to prevent [...]
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Some time ago I wrote an entry: ♦ The war against the middle-class. Where I featured two articles: Gilded Age Crime: Poor Go Homeless, Wealthy Get Bailouts and Grapes of Wrath Return discussing how the global market capitalism and so-called “free trade” is creating a new gilded age. Well, some recently released data from the [...]
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(I have a hard time coming up with titles. ) Kinda busy, so not going to expound on these too much, but here’s some interesting news in the world of surveillance and spying: ♦ Insect Drones ‘Spotted’ on U.S. Streets The natural evolution of technology, it’s bound to happen and there’s no stopping it. Spy [...]
READ MORE »A couple of great items–satirical takes on the tactics and methods used by people who spread their woo around (whether it’s astrology, miracle medical cures and super-vitamins, ESP, etc.). ♦ The Woo Handbook That’s the better one, but this one is funny and interesting as well… ♦ The Woo Woo Credo
READ MORE »That’s ultimately the only reason, the last and final reason people rely on when they exclaim their hatred of gays and lesbians, bisexuals, etc. It all goes back to simply because the Bible tells them so. Fascinating looking documentary on the subject: ♦ For the Bible tells me so. Interestingly, it seems the Bible is [...]
READ MORE »I saw this story last week on CNN.com, and being a local story, it came and went. But these stories of extreme acts by people chronically adversely affected by government stay on my mind. Classically Liberal has picked up on the story and expanded on it: ♦ The tragic lesson of Bo Ward. The blogger [...]
READ MORE »Temporary break in my embargo on discussing religion so that I can post this link. I’m not going to comment on it beyond saying it’s an interesting but brief and superficial exposé on the growth on non-belief and the social trials and troubles non-believers are facing in an world where those who do believe are [...]
READ MORE »So yesterday morning the New York Times released an article: ♦ Secret U.S. Endorsement of Severe Interrogations The title of this investigative report is something of an understatement. The evidence of the King George administration authorizing and encouraging the use of torture is overwhelming. But I looked all over cnn.com and msnbc.com, and no where [...]
READ MORE »So, there’s a show on Sci-Fi channel (remember, that’s science FICTION channel *grin*) called Ghost Hunters, in which some plumbers from Rhode Island use a collection of electronic devices designed for all kinds of things except detecting the supernatural to investigate claims of hauntings. The latest Skepticality podcast has an interview with the founder of [...]
READ MORE »Oh sure, you’d think they loved kids, with all their Pro-Life rhetoric and “proud parent” stickers on their SUVs. But when you really look into what Republicans vote for, where their actions mean more than their words, you’ll find Conservatives (especially Conservative politicians) hate children. King George has used his veto power only four times [...]
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After some very depressing and angsty posts, it’s time for some humor. Check out these “support bands”. You know those silicone wrist bands in bright colors for breast cancer awareness and other causes? Here’s some that…eh, who cares. You can find them here: http://www.mcphee.com/items/M6127.html There’s some other cool bands here: http://www.mcphee.com/items/M6145.html And if you want [...]
READ MORE »General and eventual president George Washington and his position on how the American military should treat soldiers who mistreat enemy combatants during the Revolutionary War: “Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary [...]
READ MORE »Interesting recent Washington Post article: ♦ Rise of the Have-Nots: Why More Americans Are Feeling Shut Out of Good Times I won’t spend much time discussing it. I just want to point out a couple of bits from it (it’s a short article; you can read it quickly): It’s no great achievement for a people [...]
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