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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: Politics
DougJ of Balloon Juice won the internets yesterday!
I don’t usually like making short posts without adding much substance, but I couldn’t let this one go by. DougJ of Balloon Juice wrote yesterday about people’s desire to see Dick Cheney actually run for President in 2012. His choice … Continue reading
Roger Ebert on ‘death panels’ and the power of a phrase
If you don’t read Roger Ebert’s blog, you probably should. In recent years (and probably before that, but before blogs) he’s been writing some of the most thoughtful posts I’ve seen on a range of topics, from politics to science … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Politics
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Catching “The Wave”: still relevant
Watching crowds of lunatic extremists attempting to shut down any reasonable debate about healthcare by shouting down politicians at town halls and even bringing firearms to protests is reminiscent of the scare tactics that brownshirts used to secure power in … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment, Politics
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The anniversary of McCarthy’s downfall
Via Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann, I was reminded that today, June 9, is the anniversary of the day that red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy was given his comeuppance on national television by soft-spoken lawyer Joseph Welch. In 1954, a series … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
13 Comments
The great Presidential book-reading race!
At times I’m simply dumbfounded by the idiotic stories the big news organizations can come up with. In a short article titled, “Obama keeping up with Bush’s reading pace?”, CNN’s Political Ticker reported, on June 2, It appears President Obama … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Politics
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Valancourt takes a stand against Proposition 8!
Valancourt Books, once again justifying why they’re one of my favorite small publishers, issued a press release in support of gay marriage following the California Supreme Court’s disappointing ruling upholding Prop. 8: To that end, from now until the end … Continue reading
Bobby Jindal hates lifesaving research!
This one’s been bugging me all day, and although others have tackled it admirably, I wanted to give my perspective, and an amateur would-be vulcanologist. In the Republican response to President Obama’s speech last night, in which he strongly defended … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Science news
3 Comments
Bush finally gets that monument in Iraq!
Well, right-wing pundits were convinced that Iraqis would be so grateful to Bush for liberating their country that they’d construct statues and name streets after him. It’s taken some time, but finally a monument related to Bush has shown up … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Silliness
4 Comments
You know who blogs might have stopped? HITLER!!!
This was just so entertaining I had to comment on it. Via The Huffington Post, we learn that the Nobel winner in literature, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, suggested that blogs might have prevented Hitler’s rise to power in Nazi Germany: … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
3 Comments
The auto industry – a play
I’m workin’ on some spiffy new posts. In the meantime, I note that a commenter, JasonF at Balloon Juice, wrote up the auto industry conundrum as a play in three acts. It’s quite excellent: read it here.
Posted in Politics
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