From his Discworld book Interesting Times: When people who can read and write start fighting on behalf of people who can’t, you just end up with another kind of stupidity. If you want to help them, build a big library or something somewhere and leave the door open. – Rincewind Technorati Tags: rincewind, discworld, terry …
Hmm, any wonder why so many people in so many places see the US as an arrogant, lawless, and rogue nation? US says it has right to kidnap British citizens – Times Online : AMERICA has told Britain that it can “kidnap” British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States. A …
This is fucking depressing: In a survey of NYU students, Two-thirds say they’ll do it for a year’s tuition. And for a few, even an iPod touch will do. That’s what NYU students said they’d take in exchange for their right to vote in the next presidential election, a recent survey by an NYU journalism …
From an essay by Mark Morford: True outrage, like Olbermann’s, like (occasionally, hopefully) this column’s, like what you should ideally be experiencing on a daily basis while Bush is in office, is honed and sharp and poignant. It contains a powerful sense of deeply informed decency, and therefore has a true feel for when that …
Playgoer has been giving some good coverage/linkage on the strike.From the front lines, however, there is The Humble Nailbanger, whose entry “The subtle demonization of working people” is a must read on the issues and includes this incredibly “nail on the head” account: During some of the recent talks, a head stagehand at one of …
Love him or hate him, Harlan Ellison says what he means and means what he says: If I had to pick out a hero, Ellison would be on my short list. As a writer, he inspires me, but as a human being he humbles me. His willingness to spit in the face of authority, oppression …
I mean, we all know where this is heading: Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth. Of course, that’s not really …
If the Republican Party is searching for a candidate that appeals to their religious conservative base, they need look no further. According to sources who are close to the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed interest in a possible run for Republican nomination in the 2008 election. When asked about the Constitutional requirement of being …
From yesterday’s NY Times: TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After white parents in this racially mixed city complained about school overcrowding, school authorities set out to draw up a sweeping rezoning plan. The results: all but a handful of the hundreds of students required to move this fall were black — and many were sent to virtually …
I find it ironic that the whole brouhaha over drastic price cuts on the iPhone has occurred on the heels of Labor Day. In all the whining and grumbling about consumer rights, and that consumers can no longer trust a company (as if companies care about their customers as people rather than as perpetual consumers), …