News and Views

Not to beat it into the ground, but as I pointed out last year, today is the real reason for the season. So Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Hannukah, New Year, etc., etc.

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There are some interesting “Implicit Association Tests” you can take, at Harvard University’s website. Although I like to think of myself as racially unbiased, one of the tests revealed that I find it easier to associate European Americans with good and African Americans with bad. (That’s the “Race IAT”.) Try it! I think you’ll be […]

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Today the Senate failed to pass, by one vote, the “Flag Desecration” amendment. Now I don’t like to see the flag burned, stepped on, or otherwise mistreated. It represents my country, and despite its faults I’ve traveled around the world enough to know that it’s not a bad place to live, and we should appreciate […]

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In 1797 the US Congress ratified, and President John Adams signed, the Treaty of Tripoli which proclaims, “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion“. This, barely 10 years after the Constitution was ratified, by many of the same people. There was no debate or […]

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In the preferred pronunciation of “often”, the “t” is silent. I hear more and more people pronouncing the “t”, so I expect that through common usage it may gradually become acceptable. Espresso doesn’t have an “x” in it, though you often hear people pronounce it as if it did. Did you have a “real-a-tor” help […]

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I sat next to a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Joe Perry tonight at a wedding reception. Had a very interesting conversation with him. He was the first black player for San Francisco in 1948, and he says it wasn’t easy. Many of the players didn’t want him around. He also talked about serving on […]

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I wish President Bush would learn to pronounce “nuclear” correctly.

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To all you basketball fans: CBS claims that they broadcasting all the games this year if you have digital television. Our local Channel 5 has 3 digital channels available and the schedule is full of games starting Thursday morning. I understand that Cox and Cable America will also be carrying all the games. Arizona tips […]

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Way back in February of 2004 the Union of Concerned Scientists published a report “SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY IN POLICY MAKING — An Investigation of the Bush Administration’s Misuse of Science”. The report has been signed by over 8000 scientists in the US, including 49 Nobel Laureates, 63 National Medal of Science recipients, and 169 members of […]

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I have to side with John McCain and the majority of the Senate in supporting the anti-torture bill. As a civilized country, I don’t think we have any business torturing anyone. However, I can think of situations where I might waver. What if we have incontestable evidence that there is a plan to detonate a […]

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