Daily Archives: May 23, 2010

Kelly McCullough, Author, at Har Mar on Tuesday

Kelly McCullough, author of the Raverin series (starting with WebMage of fantasy/science fiction and dealing with artificial intelligence, magical computer technology, and mythology) will be making a local appearance here in the Twin Cities. Those of you who have followed the Twin Cities Creation Science Fair story already know the place: Har Mar Shopping Center. Or, to be more exact, at the Barnes and Noble at Har Mar.

The Har Mar visit will coincide with the release of McCullough’s latest book.

Day: May 25th (Tuesday)
Time: 7:00 PM

See you there! (I’m going to try very hard to make it)

Later in the year, Kelly will be visiting WisCon in Madison, Uncle Hugo’s in Minneapolis, and CONvergence (where I will also be making an appearance or two). Check Kelly’s site for details.

Primitive Cultures are Simple, while Civilization is Complex: Part 1

A “falsehood” is a belief held by a number of people that is in some way incorrect. That incorrectness may be blatant, it may be subtle, it may be conditional, it may be simple, it may be complex. But, the unraveling of the belief, even if much of that belief is in fact true, can be a learning experience in which future thinking about the issue is transformed. If the examination of the falsehood is accomplished in a thoughtful manner and without too much sophistry, this can be a rewarding experience. (If not, it can be rather awaste oftime.)
Continue reading Primitive Cultures are Simple, while Civilization is Complex: Part 1

Catching Up on the News

Harakat Al-Shabab is a militant Islamic youth movement engaged in the Somali war. Yesterdaythey mortared the presidential palace in Omgadishu, setting off a fight killing 14 people.

A landslide caused by heavy rains and a flooding river on the slope of Nyiragongo killed over 50 people in the DR Congo.

A gay couple in Malawi has been sentenced to 14 years (max) at hard labo for “gross indecency and unnatural acts.”

The judge said he wanted to protect the public from “people like you”.

Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, have been in jail since they were arrested in December after holding an engagement ceremony.

The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.

The British government, Malawi’s largest donor, expressed its “dismay” …


Read the story here, be dismayed like the British Government.

The Freetown Hotel made iconic by Graham Greene (eg in: Journey Without Maps (Penguin Classics)) has been torn down.

The World Cup stadium has opened! Sales are said to be down, but I think that won’t last long.

Ethiopian voting underway:

Polls have closed in Ethiopia’s first election since a 2005 contest which was marred by protests that led to the deaths of 200 people.

Details