Picture of the Day
This mounted human head is just one of eight forgotten but stunningly preserved 19th-century Italian mummies whose secrets of preservation have only recently been unraveled. Working in the town of Salò, anatomist Giovan Battista Rini (1795 – 1856) preserved corpses and body parts by bathing them in a cocktail of mercury and other heavy metals, according to new chemical analyses and CT scans. I think this is how presidential candidates feel (and sometimes look) after the campaign is done.
Photo: Dario Piombino-Mascali, EURAC, and Clinical Anatomy/Wiley
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“We have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same. Like somehow the rich will eventually get so full they’ll explode. And, the candy will rain down on the rest of us – like there’s some kind of piñata of benevolence. But, here’s the thing about a piñata: it doesn’t open on its own. You have to beat it with a stick.”
– Bill Maher, The Tonight Show, February 15, 2012
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What’s a Bigger Crime – Censorship or Self-Censorship?
It’s bad enough there are always people who feel they know what’s best for everyone else. The current debate in Congress over birth control is testament to that. But, as a fiction writer, I know all artists will offend someone somewhere at some point in time. In 1964, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously stated that he couldn’t define obscenity, “[B]ut I know it when I see it.” If obscenity or offensive material is purely subjective, then how can free speech and a free press conflict with community standards? I guess it depends on whose standards you’re talking about. Personally, I don’t feel that nudity or sexuality is necessarily obscene. But, I find violence offensive. It seems most Americans feel the opposite. Yet, I think when artists start censoring themselves to placate the masses – or worst, an oppressive totalitarian regime – then the true spirit of creativity has been butchered. In years past, writers and poets in the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations lived in fear that their own works could be not just professional, but personal suicide. Now, China is in the spotlight, as its writers are subjected to growing levels of censorship in a country that is increasingly becoming a major player on the global stage.
Filed under News
February 17, 2012 – 307 days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: Duct tape is an indispensable commodity, so you should have plenty of it on hand when the apocalypse arrives. While it may seem like a tool for the well-defined redneck, duct tape can be used for a number of things from hanging Christmas lights to hemming up a pair of jeans. You can also use it to secure some of your possessions to the top of your vehicle, should you have to evacuate your home in the chaotic aftermath. If the vehicle busts a hose, or the radiator pops a leak, use duct tape to repair it temporarily. And, if the kids start screaming, ‘Are we there yet?’, just wrap the tape around their little mouths and shut them the hell up! Social workers will be caught up in the pandemonium anyway, so you won’t be charged with a crime.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Today’s Birthdays
Academy Award-winning actress Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) is 67.
Singer Dodie Stevens is 66.
Actor Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, Courage Under Fire) is 50.
Former professional basketball player Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls 1984 – 1995; Washington Wizards 2001 – 2003) is 49.
Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) is 40.
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On February 17…
1801 – Thomas Jefferson is elected 3rd President of the United States.
1904 – Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly premiered at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy.
1924 – Olympic gold medalist swimmer Johnny Weissmuller (who went on to play Tarzan in several films) set a world record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 57.4 seconds in Miami, FL.
1972 – President Richard M. Nixon departed Washington, DC, for his historic trip to China; the first U.S. president to visit the communist nation.
Filed under History
Cartoon of the Day
This is 1 reason why I left the Catholic Church some 20 years ago and why I don’t vote Republican.
Filed under News
Picture of the Day
The all-male gallery of religious leaders called to testify before the Congressional committee. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) – one of the most conservative members of the House – insisted there weren’t any qualified women on the list. Listening to these men whine how the proposed birth control plan violates their religious beliefs reminds me of old White southerners complaining that civil rights legislation offends their constitutional values. Who cares? When basic human rights and religious freedom conflict, human rights needs to go first.
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Third Quote of the Day
“Excuse me, Mr. – I’m just trying to catch my breath.”
— Andrea Mitchell reacting to Friess’ comment
Friess’ web site apparently no longer exists, but he’s now apologized for an “aspirin joke” that “bombed.” My parents actually remember that “joke” – from years ago! Friess neglected to mention the number 1 birth control for men: a zipper.
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