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Category Archives: Politics
Hype Aversion to Facebook & Twitter, Nod to Evgeny Morozov's "The Net Delusion"
Leave it to the folks at the Urban Dictionary (who sometimes seem to have too much time on their hands: check out the P-words and you’ll get an idea of what I mean) to come up with a term for … Continue reading
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Climate Change Expert Richard Alley in the Parking Lot, Obama in the House
So yesterday President Obama visited Penn State and I wasn’t able to go, having to teach a class at that time, but the whole town (and my students) were atwitter with excitement, and irritation, because the traffic was all screwed … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Politics
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"My Father's Guns," an essay remembered in response to the Tucson Shooting
Tim Egan had another good piece in the NY Times about the Tucson shooting and the gun control debate, here: He mentions his family as gun owners and users. I have a similar history, though with more tragedy than I … Continue reading
Posted in books, Politics, The West
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Sarah Palin Anthem: Sad or Funny?
A friend of mine (Thanks, Morris!) sent me this link, and I can’t decide whether it’s funny, or just sad. You decide. http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleybaccam/sarah-palin-battle-hymn
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On Chuck Closterman's Zombie Analogy and Stephen Graham Jones's "The Ones That Got Away"
It seems everyone is trying to deconstruct and decode the recent zombie craze, including Gail Collins in the NY Times, who wrote a funny piece about the zombie Congress, and this morning Chuck Closterman has a good(ish) piece in the … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Politics, writing
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The People Smarter Than Voters? Obama's Approval Rating at 63%, With a Dig at Spineless Turncoats on the Comedy Channel
After all the mainstream blather about the recent midterm elections being a repudiation (as opposed to ‘refudiation,’ which is what Sarah Palin does every time she opens her mama-grizzly mouth) of Obama and his policies, this little gem today makes … Continue reading
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The Seas Are Rising, and the Tea Party Fiddles While Rome Burns
Although I realize I’m preaching to the choir in this venue, most likely read by like-minded souls whose intelligence understands that science should be taken seriously beyond the gadgets/consumer products one can purchase (I’ve noticed that right-wing types don’t “doubt” … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Politics
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On the Republicans Return to Power: The Empire Strikes Back!
After all the blathering about the midterms elections (“Let’s Dumb Down America Now!”), at least one of the news sites should have led with the headline, “The Empire Strikes Back!” The least they could do. Boehner is a Darth Vader … Continue reading
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A Smidgen of Hope in the West, and Another Good Defense of Obama
If you’re like me, last night’s election seemed a triumph for the latest version of the Know Nothing Party, and in honor of the writer who mentioned that historical reference most eloquently, I should note that Tim Egan sums up … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, The West
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ABC News as Conservative Media Bias
I watch network TV these days only to keep an eye on what mainstream media bullshit is being tossed about, and the last week or two have seen several doozies: Last night their “White House correspondent” (nitwit in D.C.) Jake Tapper … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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