Monthly Archives: January 2010

…forgetting that Obama is black…

Does

Chris Matthews “forgetting that Obama is black” falls into that same range of racism as “Pretty for a black girl” and the “You’re not like those other black people” claptrap often espoused by the “I’m not racist, but…” crowd. They’re coded as compliments, but the subtext is still an ugly one that frames racism as being the fault of the oppressed…

see: Transcending Race…A History Lesson

Amazon Dot Com IS a different kind of thing.

I told you so, but most of you would not listen. Amazon has tossed an entire publishing company off its site (hat tip: H.G.) because that company would not comply with Amazon’s universally imposed Kindle edition pricing strategy. That places Amazon at the decision making table where the publishers and the market (the buyers of books) usually sits, and not just as a stakeholder but as the holder of everyone else’s nuts. (And when I say nuts, I’m talking chestnuts, so don’t get any ideas.) Amazon is not a book store. It is a public utility that delivers a wide range of products (including books) between a wide range of retailers to a wide range of customers.

I hold no truck for the publishers, and there are plenty of things I like about Amazon. But this latest dispute is clearly evidence that something I blogged about in April but that many of my dear readers thought absurd is in fact coming to pass. ( I was right about Amazon.com, just like I’ll be proven right about the super bowl!!! You’ll see soon enough!!!)

So, to set things straight, I’ll repost the original, with minor revisions:
Continue reading Amazon Dot Com IS a different kind of thing.

Creation Showing in Edina, Minnesota

Meal and Reel, Feb 19, Creation w/special guest Greg Laden at Edina Cinema

Edina, the home of Al Franken, the town known locally as “Every Day I Need Attention” because of their quaint suburban attitudes, the place that appears to have the only half decent woman’s hair stylist in the city (because every woman I’ve ever known has gone to the same exact one, though they don’t individually know that. Well, they will if they read this … but I digress) will be the location of a showing of Creation, the movie about Darwin. MnA is orgainzing a “Meal and Reel” event and has asked me to say a few words. About Darwin, but I may instead talk about this hair stylist thing.

Details emerging here

Should just anyone be allowed to piss on Henry Gee’s rug? (#scio10)

This is the question that was raised in the wake of a Science Online 2010 session on civility. I did not attend the session so I am only addressing the issues that were subsequently discussed on blog posts written in the aftermath of a now infamous conversation that appears to have been (by their own admission, I believe) between Henry Gee of Nature and Nature Blogs Network and Zuska the Magnificent of Scienceblogs Dot Com. Much of that discussion is now happening on the Nature Network on a blog post celebrating 5 X 104 comments on that network.
Continue reading Should just anyone be allowed to piss on Henry Gee’s rug? (#scio10)

The True Meaning of the Super Bowl (Bonus commentary by Adolf Hitler)

I did not appreciate the sentiment that the New York Yankees had to win the World Series because Osama Bin Laden blew up the World Trade Center. I do not appreciate the sentiment that the New Orleans Saints have to win the Super Bowl because George Bush let poor New Orleans residents die in the Super Dome. I do appreciate the equivalence … between an uncaring homicidal mass murdering maniac and some guy from the Arabian Peninsula who seems to have been the mastermind of dozens of failed terrorist attacks and a couple of ugly ones. But that is another story.
Continue reading The True Meaning of the Super Bowl (Bonus commentary by Adolf Hitler)

Local programming note UPDATED

On Feb 12, Feb 19th the Darwin-related film “Creation” will debut in at least one local theater here in the twin cities. A group of us will be getting together prior at a restaurant or other appropriate venue, at which I will be asked to say a few words about Darwin. This event will be organized by the Minnesota Atheists, so please keep an eye on their web site for details!

You might as well also check out the info on Camp Quest in case you are looking for a great summer volunteer opportunity (or a place to send the kids!?!?)

So, what’s up with the Green Economy, now that the whole health care thing is settled?

One opinion you should check out:

…Obama is missing the opportunity of a lifetime to give us serious climate change legislation, and he’s blowing it by going down the middle of the road, trying to please everyone. This year could be the end of any meaningful climate change legislation, until the point where it’s obvious and too late….

Here