Crichton on science and fear
Worth watching: It’s part of a much longer speech that Crichton gave a few years ago. The entire speech can be watched here (hat tip: SteveH).
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More nuclear disaster talk
I think I’m starting to sound like the proverbial broken record (although now that records are pretty much obsolete, should there not be another term?), but the beat goes on with the hyping of the nuclear plant problems in Japan. … Continue reading →
Are Israeli settlers human?
Bret Stephens indicates in the WSJ that much of the world seems to think the answer is “no,” and that any sort of violence can be perpetrated on the settlers with impunity and even applause. Stephens points out the moral … Continue reading →
Passing the hat: please donate to neo-neocon
It’s that time again. Don’t feel too bad if you decide not to click on that Paypal “donate” button (hint hint: it’s on the right sidebar, above the Amazon widget, which is also a handy and helpful gadget to use). … Continue reading →
Meanwhile, remember Libya?
Qaddafi does. And he’s making sure that Libya remembers him. Is the fact that Qaddafi is successfully fighting the rebels any sort of surprise? It shouldn’t be. Nothing fundamental has changed in Libya since I wrote this three weeks ago: … Continue reading →
Pushing English as the official language
Those cruel and racist Republicans have introduced a bill to declare English the official language of the US and to require a basic knowledge of it in order to become a citizen (although there would be some exceptions for unusual … Continue reading →
Why is so much attention being paid to the nuclear reactor?
I’m not a scientist, but this article by William Tucker in the WSJ seems to make a great deal of sense and is worth quoting at length. The gist of it is that Fukushima Daiichi ain’t Chernobyl. Nor is it … Continue reading →
Japan: epicenter of disaster
There’s the quake, and then there’s the aftermath. Sometimes, as in Japan today, the latter is worse than the former. Not that the former wasn’t really really bad. It was, and it lasted for over two minutes. I’ve been in … Continue reading →
Apocalypse now?
The scenes on the television are surreal. Buildings and cars and trains and boats tossed around and floating in water like so many discarded toys in a flooded garbage dump. Fire. And now, a potential (or already partial) nuclear meltdown. … Continue reading →
The Guten Tag Hop Clop and Hansel and Gretel
I believe I have done a great service to the world in unearthing the provenance of Mel Brooks’ immortal “Guten Tag Hop Clop” from the musical version of “The Producers.” You may have thought it was merely a ridiculous German … Continue reading →
Earthquake and tsunami in Japan
The terrible earthquake and tsunami last night in Japan recalls the fact that tsunami is a Japanese word: The term “Tsunami” comes from the Japanese word for harbor (tsu) and wave (nami). The origins of the word are not surprising … Continue reading →
And speaking of boxing…
…which we were the other day, in the comments section on this thread in which I’d said I couldn’t stand the sport—caused me to recall the single worst moment of boxing history I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness. It … Continue reading →