jewel December 16th, 2011
Christopher Hitchens has died. We’ve lost a wonderfully eloquent man who was fearless and bold. He will be missed greatly.
I had the honor of hearing him speak once at a conference in DC a few years back and I’m sad that I won’t have that opportunity again. Suddenly the world seems a little too quiet.
jewel May 2nd, 2011
While I’m not sure celebration is really in order; that just somehow seems a bit wrong to me; I do feel a strong sense of relief. Though, I’m sure there are others that will carry on his legacy, for the moment I am content to breath that sigh of relief.
jewel September 29th, 2010
30 years ago, Carl Sagan and PBS launched the Cosmos TV series and changed the way a generation of kids – my generation – saw the universe and themselves. Cosmos remains among my favorite series, and even though the effects are quite outdated by current standards, the information has mostly withstood the test of time. On the DVDs, where new or better information has been uncovered, it has been added – either by text or an update segment.
Cosmos is available on Hulu. If you haven’t seen it – or even if you have – I highly recommend it. More than highly, actually. Carl Sagan was a hero of mine and it is in no small part because of him that I am who I am and I am ever grateful.
Oh, and CFI has some new goodies in their store just for the 30th anniversary of Cosmos — handmade necklaces by Surly Amy of Surlyramics! You know you want one. I want them all, but stopped myself at two..
Also, November 9th is Carl Sagan Day. I wonder if anything is going on around here in celebration…
So, anyway, Happy Birthday Cosmos!! And thank you Carl Sagan!
jewel March 21st, 2010
I don’t have many heroes, especially still living, but one of my greatest heroes is James Randi. His tireless work in the skeptical community is inspiring and he’s cute and funny, too.
Today, he posted at Swift, that he is gay. I can’t say that it does or doesn’t surprise me. I never thought about it one way or the other, to tell you the truth. I am very happy for him that he finally feels, after 81 years, that he can be open about himself.
Well, here goes. I really resent the term, but I use it because it’s recognized and accepted.
I’m gay.
From some seventy years of personal experience, I can tell you that there’s not much “gay” about being homosexual. For the first twenty years of my life, I had to live in the shadows, in a culture that was — at least outwardly — totally hostile to any hint of that variation of life-style. At no time did I choose to adopt any protective coloration, though; my cultivation of an abundant beard was not at all a deception, but part of my costume as a conjuror.
Gradually, the general attitude that I’d perceived around me began to change, and presently I find that there has emerged a distinctly healthy acceptance of different social styles of living — except, of course, in cultures that live in constant and abject fear of divine retribution for infractions found in the various Holy Books… In another two decades, I’m confident that young people will find themselves in a vastly improved atmosphere of acceptance.
His hope for the future of young gay people is encouraging, too. I hope he is right that in the near future it will simply be no big deal.
Cheers to you, Mr. Randi!
jewel January 16th, 2010
Honestly, I don’t get it. Here we are, in the 21st century and there are still people talking about pacts with the devil to explain completely natural events!
Here’s Pat Robertson, of the 700 Club talking about the earthquake in Haiti:
The Haitians “were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever,” Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. “And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ “
Seriously? He believes that? Aside from the complete and utter heartlessness of his “explanation”, it doesn’t really sound like his god is all that loving or big on forgiveness. Mr Robertson seems to be light on the compassion as well. Not that this really surprises me, mind you, since he and Jerry Falwell blamed 9/11 on”the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists…” rather than squarely where the blame really was, which was religion and politics.
jewel November 9th, 2009
Today is Carl Sagan’s 75th birthday. I wish he were still around so that I could tell him just how important his life was to me and many others like me. You see, it was reading his books that got me interested in science and skepticism and critical thinking. His books that made me see the real wonder of the universe. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for Dr. Sagan.
I never got to meet him, never got to thank him for everything he did for his fellow humans. Everything he did for me.
If you’ve never read any of his books, I recommend them all, but particularly The Demon Haunted World. If you’ve never seen Cosmos, it’s on Hulu, you should check it out.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~~ Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark
jewel September 29th, 2009
This past weekend, I traveled to Minneapolis, MN and I got to spend some much overdue time with my mom and all my siblings. It was a fantastic time and I cannot express just how glad I am that all of us finally worked seeing one another into our busy schedules (all at the same time!). We talked and ate and ate and ate and played some pool and some Rock Band and even some Wii Bowling (which our mom kicked our collective butts in, I might add – Go Mom!).
We found that even though we are pretty different from one another and have been apart for many many years, we have many similarities with each other. For instance, our sense of humor – we are all absolute smart asses. Also, we are all basically introverts and tend to be shy in unfamiliar situations. Continue Reading »
jewel June 26th, 2009
At least I hope not. Actually, I hope nothing important happens in the next few weeks because it will be completely overshadowed by the death of Michael Jackson. Maybe this sounds callus, but I’m not really sad that he died. I’m not dancing with joy or anything, but I’m not sad. I have no desire to listen to his music non-stop or watch the – no doubt – endless tributes on the television or even read very much on the internet. Except the autopsy report when that’s complete. That I’ll read. It’ll at least be new. Continue Reading »
jewel February 12th, 2009
200 years ago today, Charles Darwin took his first breaths. He grew up to make some of the most important discoveries of his time – and ours. I wish the human race has come as far as science has. The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection is still a taboo subject for many people; at least here in the USA.
I, honestly, feel that if the people that don’t accept evolution would learn more about it rather than listening to the Ben Stein’s of the world, they might find out that it does not at all take away anything of who we are. If anything it illustrates just how far we’ve come!
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin! Continue Reading »
jewel December 18th, 2008
I just read that Majel Barrett Roddenberry has died of lukemia. I’ve been rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation and have particularly enjoyed her her Lwaxana Troi character. Sure, she could be annoying, but she was interesting and entertaining and uninhibited. And, hey, she wasn’t my mom.
Also, which I think is particulary cool, her family has requested that in leiu of flowers, that donations be made to Precious Paws or CARE.
Rest in peace, Majel.
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