Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Great Question of Religion: Who’s on First?

Posted on February 27, 2014 by

No, I’m not joking. True religion boils down to this one question. But before I demonstrate this, I’d like to point to something the literary critic Adam Kirsch recently wrote. He has been reading one page a day from the Talmud, … Continue reading →

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The New Sexual Orientation Blindness: Michael Hannon Says It’s Time To Stop Seeing Individuals As “Heterosexual” Or “Homosexual”

Posted on February 26, 2014 by

In the latest volley between right and left over gay equality and civil rights, watch for this idea to catch fire among religious conservatives: sexual orientation blindness. That’s my phrase for the position of Michael Hannon. Writing in the Catholic … Continue reading →

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Critical Thinking: Roger Kimball Is Against It

Posted on February 25, 2014 by

Catholic conservative Roger Kimball is editor of The New Criterion, which is a great journal. I read it. I like it. But sometimes Kimball comes a little unhinged. He often seems, for example, to regret that the Enlightenment ever happened at … Continue reading →

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Laurel, Hardy, Santana

Posted on February 23, 2014 by
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Mean Rich

Posted on February 23, 2014 by

Are mean and rich synonyms? Maybe: __________ One thing I find interesting in this TED talk is that the research results (the wealthier you perceive yourself to be, the meaner you get) can be reversed with simple reminders that there … Continue reading →

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House Of Cards Becomes House Of Cardinals

Posted on February 23, 2014 by

This is a pretty amusing parody of Kevin Spacey’s Machiavellian character in House of Cards. 

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White Foam Board and a Single Projector

Posted on February 21, 2014 by

Pretty amazing video effects using white foam board and a single projector:

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“Subhuman Mongrel” and the Two Teds (Nugent and Cruz)

Posted on February 21, 2014 by

Ted Nugent, if you haven’t yet heard, recently called President Obama an outright subhuman mongrel: I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod, if not shame enough Americans to be ever vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured … Continue reading →

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The Paleoconservative “Internationale”: Pat Buchanan Hearts Vladimir Putin

Posted on February 20, 2014 by

American conservatives have a curious relationship with Vladimir Putin: they recognize him as a macho and authoritarian traditionalist (which they like), yet he’s not an American, but a Russian (which they don’t like). And in a recent article, Pat Buchanan … Continue reading →

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Look Up from Your Cell Phone

Posted on February 20, 2014 by

It’s a Coke commercial, but excellent on so many levels. The Wagner music, the pet recovery collar. Really effective as social commentary and provocation. And it wouldn’t hurt to get processed sugar out of one’s life as well, but of … Continue reading →

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Whips Used to Break-Up Pussy Riot Protest of Vladimir Putin at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

Those wielding the whips are Cossack militia. These are some brave women activists: ___________

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In Light of Kiev, Will Vladimir Putin Be Tightening the Screws Even Further on Russian Dissidents?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

Julia Ioffe, at The New Republic, thinks so: Moscow’s liberals are watching Kiev with a mix of horror, envy, and admiration: they’re just like us, but look at what they’ve been able to do against a president they didn’t like. … Continue reading →

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A Question for James Lovelock on His Predictions of Global Depopulation and the Desertification of Europe: What is Your Evidence That This is Coming?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

James Lovelock is 88 and turning into an apocalyptic crank. In a recent interview with Decca Aitkenhead of The Guardian, he makes some rather extreme predictions supported by no evidence whatsoever: His latest book, The Revenge of Gaia, predicts that by … Continue reading →

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Monet’s Waterlilies and Some Free Association

Posted on February 18, 2014 by

A nice image of Monet’s waterlilies, c. 1915, via Wikipedia Commons: __________ The feel of this image for me is not of tranquility and coolness, but of heat and melting. First there is the white flower echoing a fried egg; … Continue reading →

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For Gays, Jim Crow May Be Coming To Kansas

Posted on February 17, 2014 by

Jim Crow, Kansas style. In Kansas, Tea Party Republicans don’t just oppose gay marriage, they also favor a law that would allow business owners to discriminate against gay couples. The following bill is winding its way through the Kansas House … Continue reading →

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Gay Marriage: For It or Against It?

Posted on February 15, 2014 by

Law professor Andrew Koppelman of Northwestern is quoted this morning in The New York Times as saying the following: It is becoming increasingly clear to judges that if they rule against same-sex marriage their grandchildren will regard them as bigots. … Continue reading →

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Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane Singing “White Rabbit” at Woodstock

Posted on February 14, 2014 by
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If Emily Dickinson Wrote a Facebook Profile

Posted on February 14, 2014 by

Emily Dickinson (poem 288, c. 1861): I’m Nobody! Who are you? Are you–Nobody–Too? Then there’s a pair of us! Don’t tell! they’d advertise–you know! __ How dreary–to be–Somebody! How public–like a Frog– To tell one’s name–the livelong June– To an … Continue reading →

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Penguin Withdraws and Destroys Scholarly Work on Hinduism

Posted on February 14, 2014 by

A pretty disturbing incident of censorship is taking place right now in India. A retired school teacher has been campaigning for the banning of a book, and Penguin is relenting, pulping its remaining copies. You can read the whole sorry … Continue reading →

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Some Pretty Good Reasons to Stay Away from Facebook

Posted on February 13, 2014 by

Via a reader at Andrew Sullivan’s blog, I think this is an astute observation of the Facebook experience: [Facebook] plays into some very unpleasant human social characteristics, foremost the temptation to evaluate one’s own worth based on a comparison with … Continue reading →

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