Well, isn’t that cozy? A top Obama donor is the founder and CEO of a company that will soon control about one half of all medical data on Americans. She’s 85. Just graduated from college. And already has herself a job. Ray Manzarek is dead. Jim Morrison might have gotten most of the press, but Manzarek was the real genius behind the haunting sound of The Doors. “Some of my best friends are germs.” Long, but fascinating. Maybe a leisurely weekend read.(H/T S) You see the wonderful thing about equality for women? We get equal opportunities for political corruption —…
Category: Books and Movies
Funny how freedomista books can turn up out of the blue, disguised as something else. Two such landed in my hold box at the library this week. I went online, searching for the parody The Dangerous Book for Dogs. In the mysterious ways of the library’s search engine, the words “dangerous” and “dogs” popped up a few other titles, as well. Children’s books. Hm, I thought. Pretty soon both Dangerous and two other titles were waiting for me. While I expected to be just mildly entertained (because a good kid’s book is a good book, and usually easy on the…
“Sovereignty without Territoriality?” (H/T Hobbit) Anybody seen Mud yet? A friend recommended it glowingly and it’s at 98% on RottenTomatoes.com — almost unheard of for a live-action feature. Become your very own spy agency with these secret! NSA! Google! Tips! (Creepy, and a far cry from a Orphan Annie Decoder Pin). (Tip o’ hat to JJ) Speaking of creepy: Skype. It could have been very non-creepy. But it’s a M*******t product; so what can you say? It’s creepy. (H/T Wendy McElroy) Oh, that laugh-a-minute IRS. Turns out they also gave supposedly “private” info on conservative groups to a liberal group.…
Dan Brown’s got a new potboiler coming out. I like Dan Brown. I wish I could boil the pot like he does. Critics disagree. One says so in a familiar voice. 🙂 Almost a neighbor. Glad he’s not quite. Yet another judge fails to grasp the Fourth Amendment. (H/T JJ) Travis (TJIC) Corcoran’s upcoming novel sounds intriguing. I’d think so even if he didn’t take my name in vain in his trendy self-interview thingie. The Escherian stairwell 😉 Okay, so we’ve all heard about how the IRS illegally targeted tea party and related groups around the 2012 election. And they…
David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” From a unique perspective. Performed by an actual astronaut in actual outer space. Source for those who can’t see the embed.
… which all have to do with science, science fiction, medicine, or technology today … “Open up and say ‘neigh’” — how horses can help teach young doctors to have a better bedside manner. (Tip o’ hat to ML.) I thought he’d died decades ago. No, but that was his compatriot Janos Prohaska. Farewell, Ray Harryhausen, FX pioneer. I’ll bet the words “dog” and “cat” were among those our prehistoric ancestors bequeathed us. … Those ancestors now under the sea? So, is the movie of Ender’s Game going to be good? The trailer has possibilities. But I was never a…
Well, more honest than certain modern counterfeiters we all know and love. Over the weekend, Snopes.com brought up the charming, touching (and true) tale of “Mr. 880,” whose perfectly awful counterfeit $1.00 bills stymied the Secret Service for 10 full years. Must be a lesson in there somewhere … Source for those who can’t see the embedded video. And here’s another account of Mr. 880’s story, with an ending that sounds just a little too good to be true.
… but a worldview makes one of them bad. I watched Les Miserables earlier this week. I had never seen the stage musical or even heard any of its songs. Although I read Victor Hugo’s book many moons ago, back then I probably would have simplistically considered Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman in the film) the “good guy” and his relentless pursuer Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) the “bad guy.” Watching the movie, I was struck instead by how much alike they are. Both are diligent, dutiful men. Both have an extreme sense honor, honesty, and justice. Each believes he’s doing God’s…
If Sin City had been made in Canada (NB, some NSFW language): Source for those who can’t see the embed.
Bad stuff going on. The real me will be back later. In the meantime, courtesy of MamaLiberty, here’s a woodchuck. Eating an ice cream cone. More neatly than most kids. Or most adults for that matter. Source in case you can’t see the embed. Oh yeah … and HAPPY TAX DAY! Have you thanked an IRS agent lately?