The Decline and Fall of the English Major — Oh, the humanities.
Original Ronald McDonald — Gah!!
Belgian Diamond Theft, Filled With Cinematic Thrills, Also Has a Blooper Reel — (Thanks to Dad.)
Untapped Potential — A 1938 article anticipated the opportunities—and challenges—of harnessing the sun’s energy.
Mars Attacks Young-Earth Creationism — If young-earth creationism is correct, and geological strata we see on Earth result from a global flood, then why do we find such strata in rocks on Mars? Frankly, I think engaging with Creationists at all is a lost cause, because the very fact of engagement grants their position implied credibility. It's precisely as intellectually vacuous and philosophically pointless as engaging with Flat Earthers. Still, this is funny. (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)
Is Gun Control a City vs. Country Debate? — Huh. This is less clear cut than I would have expected. My bias is showing again.
Republicans Face a Choice: Expand or Expire — As the immigration issue moves front and center in Congress, a chorus of GOP voices is warning that if immigrants—and, let’s face it, the debate is focused mostly on those from Mexico, Central America, and South America—are provided a path to citizenship, Republicans will never again win a national election. In other words, the GOP can only win by denying votes. Which has been both obvious and true for years, and should be an enduring shame to any political party that pretends to be part of a democracy.
Mitch McConnell Realizes IRS Scandal Is Over — Mitch McConnell delivered a speech today at the American Enterprise Institute to officially signal that the IRS scandal has entered its post-fact phase. When the IRS first revealed that its Cincinnati office had attempted to enforce its nonprofit laws using a search function that disproportionately impacted conservatives, Republicans were certain it must have come from the White House. They were going to follow the facts. But all of the facts point in the same direction, which is that the Obama administration had nothing to do with it at all. All this will prove to conservatives is that the coverup was successful. Paranoia has its political rewards. I would have liked the article better, though, if the author had omitted the mandatory dig at liberals in the concluding paragraph, presumably to prove they are politically balanced.
Jim Allen, Illinois GOP Official, Resigns After Racially Charged Attack On Erika Harold — Huh. The GOP does the right thing twice in one week. (Via
![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=1){kind=small}
bediiTop Ten American Steps toward a Police State — This is what all those faux-Constitutionalist clowns in the tricorn hats should be fighting against, not Obamacare or the president's race.
QotD?: Did you ever have that day-of-the-week underwear?
6/23/2013
Writing time yesterday: 1.0 hour (WRPA)
Hours slept: 6.0 hours (fitful)
Body movement: 0.5 hours (stationary bike)
Weight: 248.4
Number of FEMA troops on my block installing Islamic footwashing sinks: 0
Currently reading: Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg; I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett