Month: September 2005

Flying cars. Key metric of 21st century progress? Or wasteful symbol of peak oil profligacy? I vote key metric. Justification to follow, eventually. The Instapundit wants one. The Speculist(s) want one. Hell, I want one. And so does Calvin, but Hobbes is dubious (scroll down). He thinks we don’t deserve them. Me, I’m with Calvin.…

Unbelievable as it may sound, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson used the word “reasonable” to describe people who believe Louis Farrakhan’s crackpot theory that the levee breaks were deliberate acts of racism. The following is from Robinson’s interview on yesterday’s Meet the Press: I was stunned in New Orleans at how many black New Orleanians…

Because I’m not a parent, I’m often surprised — and shocked — to learn about the innumerable ways that government bureaucracy invades the lives of people who decided (probably in moments of weakness) to have children. I made it through childhood without ever having been strapped into a car seat. While I do recall the…

When I saw Glenn Reynolds’ request for assistance in cutting pork, I thought I should at least try to lend a hand. I’m not much of an expert on budgetary considerations, but I know pork when I see it, and I wasn’t terribly surprised to discover that Pennsylvania has more than its share of painfully…

For years now, I have kept my eyes open in the hope of finding a Northern Copperhead at Valley Forge National Park. Finally, this afternoon, there it was! The real deal — a genuine specimen of Agkistrodon contortrix, in the flesh! Unfortunately, it was also dead. But I was able to take a few photos…

Islam does not teach killing people. Islam does not teach crime. Islam does not teach violence or terrorism. That is not Islam…. So opines Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, himself a Muslim. (Not only that, he’s said to be the only Muslim police chief in the United States.) Well, at least he says he’s a…

On the way to the beach, I stopped at a yard sale where I found a curiosity from 1964 — an actual boxed game called “Allegiance: the Constitution Game.” (It’s a game to help children learn about the Constitution, if you can imagine such a thing.) I was ten years old when that game came…

I will be spending the day at the beach, rain or shine. I’m already running late, and Coco’s raring to go, so that’s it for now.

Cindy Sheehan is now blogging at the Huffington Post. (I guess that means it’s now OK to disagree with her without being accused of being part of the right wing attack machine.) Actually, she’s still taking a very anti-military view of things. Not only does she want U.S. troops out of Iraq, she wants them…

Mark Steyn has exposed (for all who can stand reading about it) the Islamic implications of the proposed memorial to Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. It’s called the “Crescent of Embrace”: Four years on, plans for the Flight 93 National Memorial have now been revealed. The winning design, chosen from 1,011 entries, will be built in…

I see that the federal government (in the form of the Centers for Disease Control) has issued the results of a study of the sexual behavior of Americans. While there’s a lot of interesting stuff there, I was intrigued and encouraged by responses to questions asking people to classify their “sexual orientation”: Sexual orientation In…

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has come up with a novel theory about the breached levees in New Orleans. They were blown up: The influential preacher was in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday, where he detailed his Hurricane Katrina conspiracy theory. “I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep…

A word on the damning quote Glenn Reynolds found yesterday: SCHUMER: OK. Let me ask you, then, this hypothetical: And that is that it came to our attention, Congress’, through a relatively and inexpensive, simple process, individuals were now able to clone certain species of animals, maybe an arroyo toad. Didn’t pass over state lines;…

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (who’s playing Maureen “Clout” Dean in an upcoming Watergate movie) waxes enthusiastically about a certain article by Paul William Roberts: “So, uhm, what did you think about the Roberts article?” The change is instantaneous. The voice regains its spark, the eyes lose their glaze and the fountain pours forth: “I totally agreed…

I see that one of Andrew Sullivan’s emailers (responding to the “Kos diarist” flap) has finally caught on to the real Glenn Reynolds agenda: Instapundit has been quoting and linking to triumphalist anecdotes about Iraq for the past 2-1/2 years, wholly unfazed by the fact that the news headlines give the lie to it just…

Glenn Reynolds linked to this Popular Mechanics’ poll about rebuilding New Orleans. Here are the results (as of 09/15/05): Do you think New Orleans should be rebuilt? Yes 22.7 % No 77.8 % Total Votes: 2319 I have a couple of problems with that question. As phrased, it’s almost impossible to answer. Because of the…

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve had to drive long distances back and forth from various points to and from New Jersey, and the driving is never pleasant. The roads are medieval, and tempers flare. Fortunately I am capable of holding my temper, at least to a certain degree. No matter how angry New…

What’s this? President Bush had to go to the bathroom? It’s an official Reuters story, and it’s linked by Drudge, so I guess this means that I’m missing what’s really important about the story. How clueless of me. Maybe if I study the photograph carefully, I’ll understand what the fuss is about: And the caption:…

While he may be stepping down, he’s not stepping out… Leon R. Kass, the University of Chicago medical ethicist who four years ago today was named by President Bush to head the newly created President’s Council on Bioethics, will step down as chairman Oct. 1, the White House announced late Wednesday. Kass…asked to be relieved…

Here are some perky thoughts from a Girl in Glasses named Rita… Not that this is in any way related to where I worked this summer or for whom, but Leon Kass Steps Down as Chairman of President’s Bioethics Panel. The blogosphere is very happy about this, since it offers all the bitter armchair bioethicists……