Wednesday, March 22
"the youngest in a family of dragons is still a dragon from the point of view of those who find dragons alarming"
A great interview with Margaret Atwood. (Thanks feministlawprofs.)
A great interview with Margaret Atwood. (Thanks feministlawprofs.)
Wednesday, March 15
Government reducing mad cow testing
That seems an odd response to this week's news. The Reuters article I just linked to explains that Americans seem to have little worry about their beef, though.
That seems an odd response to this week's news. The Reuters article I just linked to explains that Americans seem to have little worry about their beef, though.
Can you draw Morrissey? And other stories about cute little (lying, biting) toddlers
Thanks to the Morning News I found this blog with two recent, hilarious posts about life as an alternadad. My favorite part from the first one, which recounts a visit to Souplantation (which reminded me how much I wish we had Souplantation in Milwaukee). Alternadad takes his son outside after a biting incident.
Thanks to the Morning News I found this blog with two recent, hilarious posts about life as an alternadad. My favorite part from the first one, which recounts a visit to Souplantation (which reminded me how much I wish we had Souplantation in Milwaukee). Alternadad takes his son outside after a biting incident.
"You listen to me, Mister," I said. "We do not bite!"The title of the other hilarious post, "Can you draw Morrissey?," speaks for itself."But I was..."
"No buts," I said. "Biting is wrong and you need to go back in and apologize to your mother."
He looked at me, grinned, and took off down the concrete ramp. I chased after him and scooped him up again.
"Cut the crap, tough guy!" I said, only sort of aware that I was talking to my son as though I were Richard Widmark in a black and white movie.
"I want to play outside," Elijah said.
The disarming began. He tagged me and said, "I am Doctor Octopus and you are the Rhino!"
"I don't want to play Spiderman right now," I said. "I want to finish my dinner. Now let's go inside and you can apologize to mommy. I will play the Rhino at home and I will defeat you."
Monday, March 13
And a bit more inspiration
You probably have heard about Tom Fox, who was a Christian peace activist killed in Iraq. It inspires me that the folks from his own Quaker congregation in Virginia gave this statement in response to news of his death.
"That no matter what happened to him personally, he believed his mission of peace, and his direct action of connecting to people, one human being and one heart at a time, is what we are called to do if we ever expect to get out the cycle of violence."
You probably have heard about Tom Fox, who was a Christian peace activist killed in Iraq. It inspires me that the folks from his own Quaker congregation in Virginia gave this statement in response to news of his death.
"That no matter what happened to him personally, he believed his mission of peace, and his direct action of connecting to people, one human being and one heart at a time, is what we are called to do if we ever expect to get out the cycle of violence."
Inspiration
I wanted to share two quotes I found today.
First, "It may be that the most interesting American struggle is the struggle to set oneself free from the limits one is born to, and then to learn something of the value of those limits."--Greil Marcus (cited on Blogora).
And this: "No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in the present instant. Take peace. The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within reach, is joy. Take joy." (In a comment to a post on Of the Best Stuff but Plain, citing Fra Giovanna.)
I wanted to share two quotes I found today.
First, "It may be that the most interesting American struggle is the struggle to set oneself free from the limits one is born to, and then to learn something of the value of those limits."--Greil Marcus (cited on Blogora).
And this: "No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in the present instant. Take peace. The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within reach, is joy. Take joy." (In a comment to a post on Of the Best Stuff but Plain, citing Fra Giovanna.)
Wednesday, March 8
Another exciting new hypothesis about dark matter and dark energy!
I realize that I am completely unqualified to understand and, really, even comment about the investigations trying to figure out what in the heck is going on with black holes, why the universe seems to be expanding much more rapidly than it should, and why measurements suggest there's a lot of extra matter hanging around but invisible to us. But I can't help that I'm really interested in it anyway, and so I was excited to see this development.
Lawrence Livermore lab physicist George Chapline proposes that black holes aren't holes at all but dying stars going through weird quantum states:
In any event, it's appealing to me that if Chapline's right, then the laws of physics that seem to work pretty well in every other area studied wouldn't be inexplicably inapplicable to black holes.
Some parts of the theory are a bit freaky, such as the possibility that "'we are living inside a giant dark energy star,"and that "'Our universe is pervaded by dark energy, with tiny dark energy stars peppered across it.'" Though come to think of it, that might explain a lot!
I realize that I am completely unqualified to understand and, really, even comment about the investigations trying to figure out what in the heck is going on with black holes, why the universe seems to be expanding much more rapidly than it should, and why measurements suggest there's a lot of extra matter hanging around but invisible to us. But I can't help that I'm really interested in it anyway, and so I was excited to see this development.
Lawrence Livermore lab physicist George Chapline proposes that black holes aren't holes at all but dying stars going through weird quantum states:
Last week at the 22nd Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting in Santa Barbara, California, Chapline suggested that the objects that till now have been thought of as black holes could in fact be dead stars that form as a result of an obscure quantum phenomenon. These stars could explain both dark energy and dark matter.I'm a bit confused about how new the idea is, because I hadn't heard of it before and just got this article about it from Reuters, but wikipedia mentions its having been announced last year, and even has articles to back that up .
In any event, it's appealing to me that if Chapline's right, then the laws of physics that seem to work pretty well in every other area studied wouldn't be inexplicably inapplicable to black holes.
Some parts of the theory are a bit freaky, such as the possibility that "'we are living inside a giant dark energy star,"and that "'Our universe is pervaded by dark energy, with tiny dark energy stars peppered across it.'" Though come to think of it, that might explain a lot!
Yanni arrested for domestic violence
It surprised me to hear that. His music's so . . . peaceful. You've got to at least give it that.
Then they will be 11 and 1/2 hours ahead of us
I didn't realize that India was 5.5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. I guess I didn't realize that any time zones shifted in half-hour increments. Sri Lanka will move its clocks back 1/2 hour in April, to be in line with India.
