Posts

Posted on

Annie Besant (her autobiography)

Annie_Besant_1301I had not heard of this woman before I stumbled across her autobiography on LibriVox.org.   I suppose that is a reflection of a lack of knowledge of the historical roots of the Labor movement and modern Atheism. The blurb associated with the book convinced me to try it.  I am glad I did.

While the book details her life, it is more a record of her intellectual journey from Christianity to Atheism to Theosophy.  The book ends as she is embracing Theosophy so the later part of life in India is not included.

To call Annie Besant complex is to but scratch the depth and passions of her nature. From an early education strong on Evangelical Christian principles she became one of the best know atheist of her era.

She fought for the poor and working classes in the end embracing Socialism.

She and Charles Bradlaugh published a pamphlet on birth control.  This was a hugely controversial thing to do in Victorian England.  She knew before they did it that it could have all sorts of implications to her life.  Continue reading “Annie Besant (her autobiography)”

Posted on

Paul Krugman on Climate Change Deniers

A famous Carl Sagan quote definitely applies to Paul Krugman’s editorial in today’s New York Times.Pioneer10-plaque_tilt

“In science it often happens that scientists say, ‘You know that’s a really good argument; my position is mistaken,’ and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn’t happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.”

Mr. Krugman’s editorial, Points of No Return, describes how if you are not a climate change denier it will get you excommunicated from the Republican Party.

From the editorial:

“Think of it this way: Once upon a time it was possible to take climate change seriously while remaining a Republican in good standing. Today, listening to climate scientists gets you excommunicated — Continue reading “Paul Krugman on Climate Change Deniers”

Posted on

Southern friendly vs. Midwestern friendly

We were out with a group of folks a while back and I made a comment about southern folk being friendly.  It was not mlp_fim_luna_woona_by_atticus83-d4a5eximeant to disparage Midwesterners, but one fellow did take slight umbrage.  He replied that Midwesterners were friendly too.

All things are relative.  Compared to folks in the northeast Midwesterners are extremely friendly.  Having lived in all three areas I have some experience with the general friendliness of the denizens of each.

Perhaps the best example I can give would be the golf course.  I have lived and played golf in the southern states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Tennessee.  It is not uncommon for me to go to a golf course by my lonesome.  In the aforementioned states, I generally did not play by myself very often.  Generally if you were a single someone would ask you to join their group.  It was acceptable behavior to request to join a group that was smaller than a foursome.   In a new area after going to the same course a few times, you tend to bump in the same folks.  Pretty soon you have a group of golf buddies. Continue reading “Southern friendly vs. Midwestern friendly”

Posted on

A quote from Theodore Roosevelt for our times

Theodore_Roosevelt-PachWe of the great modern democracies must strive unceasingly to make our several countries lands in which a poor man who works hard can live comfortably and honestly, and in which a rich man cannot live dishonestly nor in slothful avoidance of duty; and yet we must judge rich man and poor man alike by a standard which rests on conduct and not on caste, and we must frown with the same stern severity on the mean and vicious envy which hates and would plunder a man because he is well off and on the brutal and selfish arrogance which looks down on and exploits the man with whom life has gone hard.

Posted on

Repeal the Second Amendment Bumper Sticker

jesus-gunThe 2nd Amendment is a disaster and should be repealed.  The NRA and gun lobby are doing a huge disservice to our country. IMHO, their actions and positions are immoral.  For the various reasons that I think this way please read:
Hey Ted Nugent…Guns are not toys

I briefly considered making a bumper sticker that read, “Repeal the 2nd Amendment”.

I do not have any doubt that it would be the end of my vehicle, or at least the end of my vehicle looking nice.  The gun “rights” nuts would not respect my right to free speech.

And yes I am an agnostic, but the Jesus that I read about in the New Testament was a socialist and anti-establishmentarian.  The likelihood of Jesus being a Republican matches the likelihood of Ayn Rand voting Democrat.  I personally believe that Jesus would throw the NRA out of Congress along with the money changers aka lobbyist.

So it goes.

Posted on

Almost Inspiring

We spent two days canoeing the Buffalo National River last weekend.  We camped overnight in a semi-wilderness hemmed-in_hollow_tweaked_webbetween the two days.  This river is absolutely beautiful place, if you ever get a chance to float it, you should jump at the opportunity.

While we were canoeing the first day we were lapped by two men.  The fellow in the back of the canoe had a prosthetic left arm that went almost to his shoulder.  I said lapped, what I really meant was that they blew by us.

We stopped later in the day to visit Hemmed-in Hollow waterfall.  It is advertised as the highest waterfalls between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains.   It was not flowing dramatically the day we were there, but seasonally probably it is quite impressive.

As Robin and I were sitting there admiring the fall and watching folks, our gentleman with the prosthetic arm came up.  He was with 3 companions, all in their thirties.  Many folks float rivers as a beer drinking exercise.  Such was the case with these four.  It was the one-arm gentleman’s 40th birthday, and the float trip was in honor of that.

The fellow with the mechanical arm recognized us from the river and came up and introduced himself as Tim S.  One of his companions was standing there also.  Tim wanted to know what we thought about a one- armed man canoeing.  I mentioned how I use to know a fellow with two prosthetic legs who was a pretty decent golfer.  His friend mentioned that Tim golfed also.

At that point Tim launched into the story of how he had lost his arm.  His friend wandered off, probably having heard the story multiple times.  Most of the rest of our group came up at this point just in time to hear Tim’s story. Tim works for a pyrotechnic company that travels around the country putting on firework shows.   There was an accident Continue reading “Almost Inspiring”

Posted on

Love Comes in Many Forms

Love comes in many forms.buritto

Anymore I generally just eat because my body needs food.  When I was single I would eat the same thing for breakfast for months on end.  Lunch was much the same way.  In Memphis I would come home for lunch which usually consisted of ramen noodles with vegetables.  I was fine with that.  I was fine with my bowl of Shredded Wheat each and every morning.

Robin is retired and I still work.  She is still getting up and fixing my breakfast each weekday morning.  I just want something light to knock the edge off my hunger.  I like a little protein also.  What we have settled is a breakfast sandwich with cheese and egg.  Frequently the bread takes the form of a tortilla.  If I was preparing the meal it would vary only slightly from day to day.  Robin likes to change it up.  She likes to try to surprise me a little with the combinations she puts together.  This morning it was a tortilla, cream cheese with chives, soy sausage and egg.  It was quite tasty and opened my eyes with pleasure when I first bit into it.

Sometimes love comes wrapped in a tortilla.

Posted on

Li’ Blue in a Time Warp

Spring has finally sprung in St. Louis.  I took the tea cozy off Li’ Blue, my Mazda MX-5 (say Miata).  The vanity plate on my car reads Li’ Blue because it is, well… little and blue.  Also I was dating a Hispanic lady at time I bought the car and she called it my Viagra car for the same reasons and others.  Rather than put Viagra on the plate I went with Li’ Blue.

Friday is frequently a half day of work for me and I try to play golf in the afternoon.  The traffic is lighter on Fridays.  I find it a good time to drive my convertible.  I did so this morning, with the top down of course.   It was a little cool so I wore a light jacket and turned the heater on my feet. Traffic was flowing nicely and I never had to shift gears until I left the Interstate.

KDHX is a local non-commercial radio station with all volunteers as DJs.  The radio stations play list has to be termed eclectic, but each DJ usually has a theme, Blue Grass, Soul, R&B, Brazilian, etc.  The show on Friday early morning drive time is Sound Salvation. His whole play list is eclectic.  This morning it was gospel, jazz vocals, Lucinda Williams, indie rock and more. It is almost always enjoyable. This morning it was especially so.

It was one of those drives that if you could put it in a time warp and continue it would more than alright.  It made me so happy.  I walked into the office with a big smile on my face.

Posted on

Is Oklahoma Green? Nope!

coalIt is this sort of attitude that made me glad to leave Oklahoma, and precludes me from ever returning.

“Oklahoma residents who produce their own energy through solar panels or small wind turbines on their property will now be charged an additional fee, the result of a new bill passed by the state legislature and expected to be signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin (R).”1

We should be doing everything we can to promote green energy.  I suppose someone convinced the folks who pass for legislators in Oklahoma that it was “bad for business” to have folks doing this.  That perhaps it was cutting into the electric suppliers’ business.

In making the above statement I wondered how Oklahoma generated most of its electricity.  Turns out most of it comes from six coal-fired power plants (27% of states capacity3 ). Continue reading “Is Oklahoma Green? Nope!”