I picked this up on a whim at the library this morning, when I ventured out during a brief break in the grim, grey weather. I was in the mood for yet another detective novel (I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I read rather a lot of them), and I tend to like Swedish …
Monthly Archives: February 2008
Book Forty-Six: The Assault on Reason
I have two words for this book: sour grapes. I had forgotten how much I loathe political polemic. I’m sure that some people are really into this book, and that’s great for them, but I wasn’t. Into it. I mean. Demographics: The Assault on Reason, by Al Gore. Published 2007, 308 pages. Politics. That’s it. …
On Organs
I’ve been following the story of a surgeon accused of basically killing a patient to harvest his organs with some interest. If you haven’t heard anything about the case, the New York Times has a decent article on it. Basically, the surgeon made some…interesting medical decisions which appear to have been designed to hasten the …
Book Forty-Five: Dexter in the Dark
I had forgotten that I had ordered this book, on my Dexter binge. At any rate, my big plan for the day was to work on a top secret and soon to be revealed project, and then take a bike ride up to the library to return my books and pick up my new ones. …
Seared Bassoons
Leaping lizards! A discussion of the leap day, and why we have it. A tale of two siblings, one legal, and one illegal. The Svalbard Seed Vault is getting a lot of press these days. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “Svalbard,” I think of anthropomorphized polar bears in armor. …
Soft Sofas
Food Fight combines two of my favourite interests, war and food, in one awesome short film. Single stream recycling in action! Complete with pictures. Yum, garbage. Cheap food comes at a high cost, as this op-ed in the Charlottesville Weekly points out. Alan Tanner has some sharp words about the war on drugs, and the …
Book Forty-Four: When We Were Orphans
So here’s the thing. I really do feel bad when I bag on a book someone has recommended to me. It’s not like I take vicious pleasure in dismantling books that people obviously love. But I think that honesty is important, and that’s why I’m going to say sorry Tristan, but this book blows chunder. …
Guilty Pleasures
Listening to the news yesterday afternoon, I was tickled pink to hear JPR talk about a food dear to my own heart: the tater tot. (Which apparently is known as the “tot” by hip young things?) The tater tot and I have a long and conflicted history, as is often the case with people and …
Aromatic Cassia
Modern life raises important questions, like…when should you talk to your children about sex and AIDS? A community college delves into the snitching controversy. Drug addicts in the UK will need to get treatment if they want social benefits. Sounds fair to me. An Iranian in Los Angeles says he’s in danger. Law enforcement isn’t …
Economy and Hope
Are Americans actually getting smart? I read this article in the Los Angeles Times yesterday with some shock. Could it be that Americans have at least figured out that saving money is not just for silly people, but actually a really good idea? And if you can’t save money, you should at least pay down …