I received a solicitation by e-mail because of my “interest” in transhumanism from the “Terasem Movement Foundation” offering a Web site that will—for free:...preserve one’s individual consciousness so that it remains viable for possible uploading with . . . . Continue Reading »
“Peace is a communist plot,” Irving Kristol once declared. It’s one of my favorites of his many good linesoverstated, overheated, and overdue; forcing us to notice, in a way no softer phrasing would, that nearly every organization during the Cold War with the word peace in . . . . Continue Reading »
The Wall Street Journal’s Taste Page has some interesting articles this morning. One is a parent’s lament that video games have sucked the life out of his children . It contained this gem: “The other day we saw a kid at church, in a semi-trance, going down the aisle to Holy . . . . Continue Reading »
Ya gotta love it. The striking Writers Guild of America is being struck by its own employees . Will the picketers be picketed in ever thickening concentric circles producing a narcotizing effect on passersby? Will this drama become its own reality show, eliminating the need for writers altogether? . . . . Continue Reading »
Well, the Clinton express seems to have suffered a delay in Iowa. Barack Obama is an interesting political phenomenon. His inter-racial identity makes him a symbolic blank screen onto which Americans can project their perennial post-cultural fantasies. The early Republic was filled with claims that . . . . Continue Reading »
I am informed by some big-time know-it-alls that the event last night was not, in fact, the election, but that this whole presidential business will continue for quite some time, perhaps even into April. (Whatever happened to good old-fashioned court intrigue, poisoned figs, and jousts . . . ) . . . . Continue Reading »
So says CNN. Or the Knitting Channel. I forget which . . . UPDATE: It’s Obama on the Dem side. This from MSNBC. “A projectile victory,” Chris Matthews calls it. Whatever . . . So is it all over now? Do we have a president? I can never figure out how this works. More important, . . . . Continue Reading »
I don’t think it takes a “study” to know this, but apparently happier people are healthier people. From the story: A happy heart just might be a healthier one as well, new research suggests.In a study of nearly 3,000 healthy British adults, lead by Dr.Andrew Steptoe of University . . . . Continue Reading »
Why is everyone doing a Kevin Bacon on poor Chuck Norris ? It’s not like Jack Nicholson or Warren Beatty or Bruce Springsteen is about to come out for Huckabee. And Norris is more than just a movie and TV star: The born-again Christian, U.S. Air Force veteran, and Professional Full-Contact . . . . Continue Reading »
I don’t know, Mike. You’re a composer , and you actually know how musicians and the bookers of orchestras think. So I take your point, when you swat down young Santiago Ramos for his defense of the New York Philharmonic’s February trip to North Korea. Beautiful music can be put to . . . . Continue Reading »