Gretchen When I lived in Denmark, a friend told me that no one there receives a prison sentence longer than fourteen years, regardless of their crime. I’ve since learned that that’s not true, but the idea still baffles and appeals to me, and that has nothing to do with the specific number. It’s because it suggests … Read more
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” The true meaning, mind you– not merely what is reflected in the law, but in how we see each other. How … Read more
Cross-posted from State of Formation. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” The true meaning, mind you– not merely what is reflected in the law, but in how we … Read more
That’s all I can say at the moment– just, wow. From Casaubon’s Book, an excerpt from a post entitled “On Sentiment…And Against Sentimentality“: Sentiment officially has no place in agriculture, but I’ve met precious few smaller farmers who don’t have a spot of it. Indeed, I’ve come to suspect that a sentimental attachment to things … Read more
To return to a Michael Pollen note for a bit (sorry), I came across a section of Omnivore’s Dilemma today that devoted some discussion to “opting out.” The context was home-schooling parents who also decide to buy their food from local farmers rather than from the grocery store, and Pollan described them as having “opted … Read more
I love Popehat. They’re certainly a brash bunch, but when there’s a spade around that needs to be called a spade, they can be relied upon to do it: Tragedy Generates Stupidity Tragedy makes people say, and do, stupid things. Let’s note just a few of the stupid things said in the last 48 hours. … Read more
I’m going to attempt to write this post, and then see if I’m too biased to even finish it. You see, congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords was shot yesterday in front of a grocery story in Tucson Arizona, along with several other people. I think the last time a member of Congress was shot was Leo Ryan … Read more
Carlos Miller of Photography Is Not A Crime documents incidents throughout 2010 in which photographers and videographers were penalized by the government for recording incidents that took place in public. Photography Is Not A Crime is apparently currently in financial straits, as Miller has been paying for the project entirely on his own. If you’ve … Read more
Tom Rees at Epiphenom has put together a brief review of the results of scientific papers published on religion this year. Here’s an excerpt: We learned some more about what religion can do for you. Religious people are less likely to smoke, but more likely to be overweight. Religion can also make you more attractive. … Read more