Month: May 2017

by liberal japonicus Earlier, I suggested we have an open thread with an invitation to delurk. So here it is. Of course, people who aren’t lurking are welcome as well.

by JanieM I was going to write a post about grandmas, but it veered off into something else. The Wikipedia entry on Samhain says this: Wiccans believe that at Samhain the veil between this world and the afterlife is at its thinnest point of the whole year, making it easier to communicate with those who … Read more

by wj One of the ways we spot planets around other stars is by noticing the slight dimming which occurs when the planet comes between us and the star. And it’s very slight — which is why we only recently have been able to detect it. Even then, mostly what we can find are rather … Read more

by liberal japonicus I've never been one to say you must read something, I always assume that if I find something, folks a lot smarter than me (which is all of you) are going to find it as well. But for this piece in the Atlantic, entitled my Family's Slave, please read it. I hadn’t … Read more

by Ugh I don't know what I think about Politico generally, they do some good reporting at times and other times it fits Charles Pierce's description as "Tiger Beat on the Potomac." That said, uh: White House chief of staff Reince Priebus issued a stern warning at a recent senior staff meeting: Quit trying to … Read more

by JanieM Hypothesis: the following are all connected: The impossibly rancorous political situation in the U.S. The obscene level of wealth inequality in the U.S. The increasingly scary stories coming out of the world of airline travel. ***** People are a bad mood. Fights on airplanes are both a tangible manifestation of and a metaphor … Read more

by Doctor Science For the past decade or more, The Christian Science Monitor has been my parents’ home page, as a reliable news source that’s not The Usual Coastal Suspects. The site has now been redesigned to be mobile-friendly, sparse, and opinion-focused, which is NOT what my parents are looking for. What they want: Basic … Read more

–by Sebastian I'm popping in because of all the crazy things going on with Trump, this may be the craziest one so far.  All of the obvious things about Comey's firing are being talked about all over the place.  Rod Rosenstein's letter regarding Comey's firing is being treated as pretext, which is appropriate.  The main … Read more

by Ugh Geez, I go out for a work conference and dinner and all this crap happens. Some thoughts/observations: Like the dessert topping/floor wax sketch, Comey can both deserve firing and his firing by Trump under the circumstances completely inappropriate While Trump remains the most important political actor in the country, Mitch McConnell is a … Read more

by wj An article in the Atlantic included an interesting observation: For many women, going it alone has meant poverty and loneliness, not empowerment. . . . Places like Ross County that have been hit by manufacturing declines are the leading edge of the future Rosin describes. Joblessness makes men less desirable partners, theorizes the … Read more