Nature is a wonderful thing. Here is a story of a small spider building fake larger spiders to fool predators. Awesome.
20 December 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Connecticut Shooting: Here Comes the Crazy
The wing-nuts are out in full force following the mass shooting last week in Connecticut. These people are certifiably crazy. Sad, very sad, for our country.
I also wanted to post a gun owner's take on how gun culture has changed since 1980. This is a good read on the alternate reality that many gun owners have created for themselves today.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Mental Illness: A National Conversation
Following the horrific events in Connecticut last week, there was another call for gun control. All previous calls have gone unanswered and honestly, most were not pushed that hard. This time it might be different, but even if something passes, my guess is that it will be the barest minimum of restrictions.
Guns aside, I heard from friends about this writing last night and I think that it is worth sharing. Liza Long wrote "I am Adam Lanza's Mother: A Mom's Perspective on the Mental Illness Conversation in America." It is worth your time.
I would argue that she is correct. I would also argue that there are a lot of things that we should be doing as a society to minimize the likelihood of this type of event, on a lot of different fronts. And yes, "minimize" because we are never going to prevent them. Sad, but true.
17 December 2012
Guns aside, I heard from friends about this writing last night and I think that it is worth sharing. Liza Long wrote "I am Adam Lanza's Mother: A Mom's Perspective on the Mental Illness Conversation in America." It is worth your time.
I would argue that she is correct. I would also argue that there are a lot of things that we should be doing as a society to minimize the likelihood of this type of event, on a lot of different fronts. And yes, "minimize" because we are never going to prevent them. Sad, but true.
17 December 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
"The G.O.P.’s Existential Crisis"
Paul Krugman has written a good op-ed in the NY Times outlining his thoughts as to why the Republicans in Congress -- and perhaps generally -- are acting as they are in the negotiations surrounding the bypass of the sequestration agreement.
It is worth a read.
14 December 2012
And look at where we are now in terms of the welfare state: far from killing it, Republicans now have to watch as Mr. Obama implements the biggest expansion of social insurance since the creation of Medicare.So Republicans have suffered more than an election defeat, they’ve seen the collapse of a decades-long project. And with their grandiose goals now out of reach, they literally have no idea what they want — hence their inability to make specific demands.It’s a dangerous situation. The G.O.P. is lost and rudderless, bitter and angry, but it still controls the House and, therefore, retains the ability to do a lot of harm, as it lashes out in the death throes of the conservative dream.Our best hope is that business interests will use their influence to limit the damage. But the odds are that the next few years will be very, very ugly.
It is worth a read.
14 December 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Lunch Room Nativity
A creative type at my place of business created this nativity scene in our lunch room yesterday. I thought it was great. I especially like the organic sugar packet as Jesus.
I asked which Biblical figure Gwen Stefani represented. God? An archangel with washboard abs? I was told that Gwen had been a part of a previous creation and "the artist" didn't to remove her and, more to the point, why wouldn't Gwen Stefani be at the birth of baby Jesus? She's everywhere else these days!
12 December 2012
12 December 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The History of the Daily Show
Stephen Colbert recently did an on-stage interview with Jon Stewart as part of a fundraiser. Very interesting information about them both and The Daily Show.
11 December 2012
11 December 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Campaign Coverage Post-mortem
Great recap of media failures during the presidential campaign this year today on The Huffington Post by Dan Froomkin. I recommend it highly.
10 December 2012
10 December 2012
Brontosaurus No More
It would appear that one of the most famous dinosaurs never even existed, the Brontosaurus. Like a lot of boys, I was dinosaur-crazy for a lot of my youth and I never remember seeing this bit of info then or since -- well, until today.
Goodbye, Brontosaurus. Hello, Apatosaurus. From the linked article:
So true.
10 December 2012
Goodbye, Brontosaurus. Hello, Apatosaurus. From the linked article:
"Brontosaurus means 'thunder lizard,'" he says. "It's a big, evocative name, whereas Apatosaurus means 'deceptive lizard.' It's quite a bit more boring."
So true.
10 December 2012
Toddler Walking His Dog
This YouTube clip is marvelous, featuring a toddler out walking his dog. It displays trust, friendship, and joy in full measure. Fun!
10 December 2012
10 December 2012
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