“The only scenario I can think of in which it makes sense to stockpile a lot of gold is one where you and your household goods are unexpectedly teleported into the sixteenth century. If you worry a lot about this, then by all means, stockpile gold. But you should also probably take the precaution of stockpiling antibiotics and how-to books on dentistry.”
—Megan McArdle
Category: Blog Page 27 of 141
The Goats Must Be Crazy… (h/t to epi_lj)
Gutsy Goats Caught Scaling Super-Steep Dam (Pics) : TreeHugger
Dams are among the most daunting examples of mankind’s engineering savvy, and they’re also perhaps the most environmentally impactful, too — but none of that could keep this brave herd of Ibex goats from scaling the sheer face of one such dam in Italy. While it may be a testament to the impressive climbing prowess of the goats, such displays also speak wonders about nature’s ability to overcome some of the toughest obstacles we can throw at her.
Living in the slow lane: Hundreds of orphaned sloths given a new lease of life at Costa Rican sanctu
“The Real Sloths of Costa Rica” is my new reality TV show….
Tucking into a tasty carrot snack, this bright-eyed baby sloth is making a happy recovery after being orphaned just days into its young life.
The adorable creature is just one of 100 being cared for by volunteers at the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, Central America.
Some are barely the size of a human hand and wouldn’t have stood a chance if left alone in the wild.
But they have been given a new lease of life thanks to the centre which was set up by married couple Luis Arroyo and Judy Avey-Arroyo after an orphaned sloth was brought to their door by neighbours 18 years ago.
Lots of adorable photos with the article.
Black Lipstick Rodeo: 7 Goth Songs That Would Make Great Country Songs :: Blogs :: List of the Day :
I’m half tempted to work some of these up.
It’s hard to name any two genres that seem more innately opposed than goth and country. Country celebrates wide open spaces, the stylized echoes of cow culture, shared mythology and sketches a seemingly-firmly-rooted mode of simple mainstream American living that resonates with much of its wide audience base. Goth music is intentionally arch and occult in its trappings, naturally celebratory of social outliers and intensely nocturnal as it indulges in chilling introspection, and tends to draw listeners from iconoclastic corners.
Pare it down, though, and you’ve got parallel and maybe even complementary traditions of songwriting. Swap out some synthesizers for mandolins, take the vocals up an octave, kill the reverb, put some fringe on the vampire jacket, and suddenly the transformation is complete.
Here, then, are seven goth songs that would actually make great country songs:
Right on.
My son is gay « Nerdy Apple Bottom
And all I hope for my kids, and yours, and those of Moms ABC, are that they are happy. If a set of purple sparkly tights and a velvety dress is what makes my baby happy one night, then so be it. If he wants to carry a purse, or marry a man, or paint fingernails with his best girlfriend, then ok. My job as his mother is not to stifle that man that he will be, but to help him along his way. Mine is not to dictate what is ‘normal’ and what is not, but to help him become a good person.
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The Supreme Court tries to figure out what Madison would have thought about Postal 2. – By Dahlia Li
Dahlia Lithwick writes one of the funniest recaps of a Supreme Court session ever. I’d pay good money to get a recording of this being read outloud by Nina Totenberg.
The state of California is attempting this morning to defend a 2007 law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to anyone under 18. Offenders may be fined $1,000 for each game sold. The law was struck down on First Amendment grounds in both the district court and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. So much for the legal angle. The more profound story playing out in court today goes something like this: Gamers: Meet the old people. Old people: Try to find the power-on button. Everyone else, search for James Madison’s avatar and ask what he thinks of Grand Theft Auto.
I love a good quotation, because a good quotation is a concentration of thought, whether profound or humorous. I keep an extensive quotes file of things that have struck me as worth reading over from time to time, as many others I know do.
So today, I was over at the excellent Making Light blog. I read ML regularly, but I generally do so via RSS, so I don’t often find myself on their actual webpage. But today, I was, and a quote in the sidebar caught my eye and literally made me catch my breath.
“Forgiveness requires giving up on the possibility of a better past.” (unknown)
Now, this is nothing I didn’t already know, and its even something I’ve tried to express in the past. But I’d never seen it put so elegantly and succinctly.
Progressives (and centrists) discouraged by last nights election may take comfort in the context the historical long view has to offer. Excellent interview with historian Lawrence Goodwyn on today’s theme, “What does it all mean?”
Lawrence Goodwyn: The Great Predicament Facing Obama | News & Politics | AlterNet
Jan Frel: It seems there’s quite a bit of disagreement about what kind of president we have on our hands.
Lawrence Goodwyn: Well, Jan, we are in the midst of the shakedown cruise of an historic presidency. If I may risk understatement, it has taken quite a while for Barack Obama and his diverse constituencies to begin to understand one another. I believe both still have some distance to travel. Early on, things were pretty wild, but many people have learned many things and a measure of calm can finally be seen around the edges of the national anxiety that engulfs us all.
In general, it is quite apparent that the politics of the Obama era has been far more volatile than most observers remotely anticipated. But as a historian, I bring to this confused setting the hopelessly long view that is endemic to my calling. Long views are by definition remote, distant and therefore tending toward a measure of calm. They are by no means inoculated against error, but they provide room for engaged reflection not easily found in the heat of battle.
So let me present a calming conclusion. In my opinion, the energy among the democratic faithful to make the journey is still there. While ordinary folks have been put through a lot, do not underestimate the resolve that remains for the long haul. Unanticipated poverty is an enormous energizer — and most of all for people who understand their own fate to be utterly undeserved. In due course they will see through the sleight of hand and empty content embedded in corporate sound bites. I am talking about millions of Americans, many of whom wavered and many who did not. It will take some more time for this to become clear. But it will happen.