Skip to content

Monthly Archives: January 2012

Legislating science

Sunday, January 15, 2012

 Many years ago I read a book about some aspect of science, in which the author recounted a story about a mathematician who was trying to prove a certain mathematical proposition. The mathematician had a friend who was a state legislator, and the legislator, whether at the instance of the mathematician I cannot recall, introduced […]

Filed in Crazies, Religion | | Comments (0)

God works in mysterious ways

Sunday, January 15, 2012

 I’m not much of a football fan, but I gather that yesterday’s game proved that there is either no god, or that there is a god and he thinks the Bronco’s quarterback is an ostentatious prick.

Filed in American Life, Religion | | Comments (0)

A few photos

Saturday, January 14, 2012

We went to Boston today, and I took the opportunity to fool around with a lens I got for Christmas. It’s a fisheye type lens, taking in 180 degrees. Sort of a gimmick, but fun. This first picture is a refelection on the John Hancock building. This one is inside the Boston Public Library. The […]

Filed in Pictures | | Comments (0)

Friday Night Music

Friday, January 13, 2012

Someone I know sent me this link, and I thought the video and the music was great. Get the full story here. Dave Brubeck in Russia, joined by a Russian violinist. Things like this make you think that things would be so much better in the world if the politicians, the bankers and the priests […]

Filed in Music | | Comments (1)

Intellectual Honesty at the Cato Institute

Thursday, January 12, 2012

My wife just sent me a link to this article by a troglodyte named Daniel J. Mitchell, of the Cato Institute. Frankly, I’m not sure why she sent it. She’s in bed at the moment, so I’ll find out tomorrow. I found it interesting in that it illuminates the right wing mind, especially its propensity […]

Filed in Hypocrisy | | Comments (0)

Warren raises far more money than Brown

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

 Yesterday I read in the Globe that Scott brown had a great fundraising quarter.  Today, we hear that Elizabeth Warren almost doubled his total. I’ll say it again, at a certain point you reach a point of diminishing return. Ten million dollars in negative ads are not twice as effective as five million dollars worth […]

Filed in Politics | | Comments (1)

Woody Guthrie was right-the fountain pens strike again

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

One of the great mysteries of American politics, at least to me, is why the typical American small businessman is a Republican. For reasons that are unfathomable, they appear to believe that their interests are aligned with the corporations that own the Republican party, despite massive evidence that they are perceived by those corporations and […]

Filed in Corporate Crime | | Comments (0)

Buchanan exits, stage right

Monday, January 9, 2012

John Aravosis at Americablog notes that Pat Buchanan appears to have been (silently) dropped by MSNBC. All to the good. Aravosis gives this example of Buchanan’s only slightly coded racism.    For what is a nation?Is it not a people of a common ancestry, culture, and language who worship the same God, revere the same […]

Filed in Republicans | | Comments (0)

Krugman has it wrong this time

Monday, January 9, 2012

He asks what Romney has ever done, or proposed to do, to create the level playing field he advocates in his speeches. No need to do anything, this blissful state of affairs already exists, for Romney would surely agree with Anatole France that “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich and the poor […]

Filed in Politics | | Comments (0)

New App

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Ever since I got my iPad I have been on a quest to get a satisfactory RSS reader app. I have abouty six of them, all with their strengths and weaknesses. Lately I’ve been using Flipboard, which has a great interface, but is not terribly efficient. I subscribe to lots of feeds, and I like […]

Filed in Computer Stuff | | Comments (0)