When I read or hear, “Nobody likes paying taxes”, it really bugs me. Nobody wants to pay a disproportionate amount, but I like paying taxes because I connect the dots. I’m not saying Congress spends all of our tax dollars wisely, but a good chunk of the dough buys us some pretty good stuff....

NASA says the Mars rover, Curiosity, has found something in the sand, but they won’t say what it is. Personally, I think somebody needs to look into this:     Seriously.      

I like what this author has to say. And in particular: How do I respond to students like this? I point out that some religion-bashing Darwinians exaggerate the power of evolutionary theory. For example, Richard Dawkins was wrong — egregiously wrong — when he claimed in his 1986 bestseller, The Blind Watchmaker, that life ‘is a...

  . . . let’s forget about the rich and ultrarich going on strike and stuffing their ample funds under their mattresses if — gasp — capital gains rates and ordinary income rates are increased. The ultrarich, including me, will forever pursue investment opportunities. Warren Buffet. The other day, me n’ Buffy (y’know, Warren?) were...

Here’s a little something I stumbled across, from Andrew Sullivan. I can just imagine Saturday Night Live moving this down the road a bit, by having the youngsters compete against the surgeons in diagnosing particular ailments. Scene: Operating Room Student, poking around inside anesthetized patient: “Dude, I swear to god I thought he swallowed a...

  Even though I’ve already waxed eloquent on this particular subject, (i.e. Gus ~ Elliott’s Story), I thought you’d enjoy this read. Setting aside a debate about whether one believes in God or not, I should add that I’m always off-pissed when I read something about God or God Stuff that immediately assumes what we...

  Better living through chemistry? I trust your wonderfully lethargic, (Thanksgiving-fully?), feast-induced stupor abates. I’m just diving into my second cup of java . . . decaf, if you must know . . . thus, my own torpor is being chased out of my veins as I write. Amazing, isn’t it? I mean, how the...

It’s Thanksgiving, and time to give thanks for Traditional America, (TA) just like the first Thanksgiving participants gave thanks. It’s completely understandable if you choose to ignore the somewhat uncomfortable, eventual fate of half of those first participants . . . the, ahem, non-traditional, uhh, Native half . . . who ended up getting bulldozed...

S’up? That’s not Mandarin for anything, by the way. Frankly, this article amazes me with its dumbness. Why? Glad you asked. It’s simple, really. Any kid who watched cartoons in the 60’s knows how Yogi can wreck your body. Jeez. I mean, he’s a friggin’ bear, for Pete’s sake. And bears can wreck your body...

    Ni hao ma? That’s Mandarin for “S’up?”. (Okay, it’s actually Mandarin for “How are you?”, but hey, close enough for jazz.) Moving on . . . I value quiet as I value few other things. (Notice I use as and not like? There’s a difference. Check out Grammar Girl sometime. She’s a hoot.)...

  I’ve never been a fan of boxing, (nor of the Box Rebellion, Boxing Day, thinking outside of, etc.), but I have been intrigued by great Personality. And among great personalities, Muhammed Ali stands out. I also enjoy Dick Cavett’s writing, and his wry, self-deprecating humor. If you get a few moments, check out the...

  Before your read anything further, take a gander at the pictures of Generals Petraeus and Eisenhower. Look closely. Notice anything different? I don’t mean to be a hard-ass. Really, I don’t. But I can remember a word I first learned in the Navy, and it stayed with me: Geedunk. Here’s a brief definition: “To...

Your daily dip? Whoa there, Buckaroo! (That’s how Pony Express riders greeted one another, but I digress.) This Brylcreem ad was from a bygone era, a time when — according to many who hold to very conservative ideas and notions — things were good and proper and yummy in America. But really . . ....

  Okay, it’s a little corny, and yeah, I know the book is called The Return of the King, but let me wander just a bit. The one ring, the ring of power, forged generations ago in the fire of our nation’s beginning, has returned to its rightful place: The people. Forces of darkness sought the...

Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight organization has been following the state and national polls for quite some time now. (His emphasis is on the state polls.) As you can see from the charts and numbers, according to the state polling average, (and as a reminder, these are statistics, not politics), things don’t look good for Mr. “I’ll...