Yearly Archives: 2008

Off The Cuff: A Wave of Information

Presenting The CaseYesterday, I was thinking about Revolution in general terms: what it means, what might be the goal of a modern revolution, what tools we have to hand. Today I am thinking we need to break it down a little smaller. Recently, I was arguing with a friend about whether ideology or action are [...]

Off The Cuff: How Do You Start A Revolution?

Presenting The CaseI am thinking a lot about the concept of revolution, these days. At this point, most people in the United States can agree that something has gone terribly wrong. We may disagree about when it started to go that way (my personal contention being “with Teddy Roosevelt”), or how far away from our [...]

Beyond Race, Gender, and “Experience”: The Real Reason To Vote For Obama

As Super Tuesday is upon us, the arguments over which prospective Democratic candidate should be chosen has grown steadily more heated here in the United States. Along with the candidates themselves engaging in pointed sound-byte rhetoric (all of which seems to come down to Hillary’s “experience”, and the massive parcel of baggage that said “experience” [...]

No Such Thing As False Hope

Just look at that crowd… — Photo by roxannejomitchell’s photos, Creative Commons.I spent much of yesterday writing a carefully researched and documented essay comparing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, with the aim of demonstrating why the former was a better choice for President than the latter. As it sat this evening in not-quite-done mode on [...]

Super-Delegates, Public Funding, and the Sham of the Democratic Primary Process

Reminds me of “The Hanged Man”…*sigh* – Photo by Austen Squarepants. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)The Presidential primary process is settling into full swing now, as I am constantly reminded by emails from various political and activist groups. Everyone’s eyes are on the Democratic showdown between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, and the news is rolling [...]

The Most Important Electoral Issue: Does Your Vote Count?

Sock Monkeys Unite!! — Photo by Bolobilly on Flickr. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)We are two elections in to the Presidential primary races, and already it has begun: conspiracy theories that the votes have been tampered with. And now, thanks to Dennis Kucinich we’re starting to get some evidence that, indeed, something is not quite right [...]

Cheap Booze Reviews: “Malt Beverages With Caffeine and Ginseng”

Once upon a time, in a universe existing primarily in the spaces between computers, two stalwart adventurers met on the road. One, an adventurous musician with a weakness for rubber chickens. The other, an idealistic lunatic with a penchant for awkward linguistic constructions. Both had a fondness for mischief and strong drink. And so a [...]

The Bad Guy Epidemic

Scaaarrrry!There has been a slowly emerging trend in fiction over the last fifteen years or so. Replacing the simple goodness of protagonists such as King Arthur and the simpleminded goodness of heroines such as Snow White, we have a growing contingent of more complicated, morally ambiguous characters taking center stage in our stories. Dubious heroes [...]