Sailing the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal
I'm taking my series of videos of music alluded to in the novel The Ten Weeks in a different direction this week with Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown," a television performance that is very much from the time the song was released (and the setting for the novel too.) But it brings up something …
Continue reading "Smokey Robinson: Tears of a Clown, and a Tribute to a Great Broadcaster"
New York Times reporter Gardiner Harris needs to think some things through: In contrast to the majority of scientists whose wondrous discoveries seem to inspire humility, today's advocates of scientism can be every bit as dogmatic as the William Jennings Bryans of yesteryear. We saw an example a week ago, when the New York Times …
Continue reading "The “Dementia” of Francis Collins. Or Is It Someone Else?"
It's always been a puzzle to me (other than the Russians need for cash,) but this is the most sensible (and about the only) explanation I've seen yet: While Russia had, until recently, vetoed UN Security Council resolutions against the Iranian nuclear program, Medvedev suddenly hardened his rhetoric, mentioning sanctions as a possible course of …
When it comes to selling the property to the Palm Beach Day Academy: A bid to sell the Unity of the Palm Beaches for $3.65 million to the Palm Beach Day Academy failed to win the required approval from church members at an Oct. 4 vote. But the deal is not dead yet, say officials …
Our President is really in the tank this time: Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama had done nothing beyond wishful thinking to earn the Nobel Peace Prize. Chavez, who has mixed praise for Obama personally with criticism of his government's "imperialist" policies, said he thought it was a …
Continue reading "Hugo Chavez: “What has Obama done to deserve this prize?”"
I am sure that self-proclaimed evangelical Brent Childers is proud of himself for marching with the LGBT community in Washington: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans are a diverse, extraordinary, resilient, and passionate group of forgiving men and women. I wouldn't be standing beside them demanding full and equal treatment under the law and …
Roman Catholic blogger Ysais Martinez hits the nail on the head re Obama and the Middle East, in this letter to Asia Times Online: The problem with the Barack Obama administration is not its policy of containment, its biggest problem is its weakness. The Middle East is a place where you have to make deals …
And I thought we had seen everything: The award of this year’s Nobel peace prize to President Obama will be met with widespread incredulity, consternation in many capitals and probably deep embarrassment by the President himself. Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian …
Continue reading "Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize: A Suitcase Will Hold Many 500 Euro Notes"
This week's video relating to music alluded to in the novel The Ten Weeks is the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want."Â In this case, the performance comes from their 1997-8 "Bridges to Babylon" tour, so they had come a long way from their heyday and the era of the novel. But …
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My crosstown senator Bob Corker is well advised to use caution here, re the decision whether to expand our troop commitment to Afghanistan: In Congress, members from both parties are expressing hesitation. Republicans are mostly playing it safe. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee told NEWSWEEK he's reserving judgment until he hears how troop levels fit …
Continue reading "Bob Corker: When Your Constituents are on the Line, You Think Differently"
Positive Infinity 