See also: Previous and Next (View all)
This contains my random/unclassifiable links found about politics, pop culture, etc. See also: my bio page and music reviews. By the way, blogging will be light in November because of my 1965 Project.
Michael Mann on Bill Gates’ recent letter downplaying the catastrophic nature of climate change. Here’s a group-written peer-reviewed article about the current state of the climate.
The Curious Case of Kacyee Nicole by Mimi Lamarre about a controversy about whether a young person with cancer is actually the person she says she was. The article talks about John Halcyon Styn , a nice and colorful man whom I talked to several times at South by Southwest.
How rising ACA premiums will fuel panic and reduced spending.
I have coined a phrase: Lawless lying racist tax cheat, creepy pervert, vindictive narcissist and blithering idiot.
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Ignorant do not have a right to an audience by Bryan W. Van Norden. Here’s his solution:
I suggest that we could take a big step forward by distinguishing free speech from just access. Access to the general public, granted by institutions like television networks, newspapers, magazines, and university lectures, is a finite resource. Justice requires that, like any finite good, institutional access should be apportioned based on merit and on what benefits the community as a whole….
The invincibly ignorant and the intellectual huckster have every right to express their opinions, but their right to free speech is not the right to an audience.
He cited the 1965 essay on Repressive Tolerance by Herbert Marcuse which I’d never come across.
Here’s a compilation of John Lennon’s recorded statements about the Beatles and the breakup. (YT) Here’s another compilation of Paul’s statements (YT)
Here’s a terrific behind-the-scenes video about the making of the Once More with Feeling episode of Buffy. (YT) That episode is absolute magic.
In a weekend with an ongoing war and several mass shootings, it seems almost irresponsible to point to the murder of a celebrity couple. Rob Reiner was one of a kind. He was great in my favorite show, “All in the Family” and he was recently interviewed by Ted Danson on his “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast about his movie career, AIIF, Spinal Tap, his family, etc. (also on YouTube). It’s a must listen!
DREW CAREY SHOW ON YOUTUBE: I have been waiting 20 years to rewatch one of my favorite shows (which didn’t make it onto DVD or streaming for various copyright reasons). Now though, every single episode is on Youtube — plus there are some great discussions about making the show.
It seems strange to focus on Ukraine on Christmas Day, but this harrowing report about Russia’s bombing on the port city of Odesa (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a grim reminder that the people who suffer the consequences are those least able to flee to somewhere safer. The Internet says that the current temperature of Odesa is -7C (20 F), and in my own city of Houston, the temperature is 26C (80 F), and kids are actually swimming in the neighborhood swimming pool (on Christmas!) One can only hope that the new year will bring positive changes.
Leave a Reply