Who I am…
I am a lawyer, former mother of teenagers, and a quixotic seeker after and champion of factual truth.
I make the best damn brownies you have ever had that are not regulated by the federal government.
I love movies, Broadway, and intelligent conversation.
I think in song lyrics and movie and television quotes.
I believe in the use of proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar even in text messages. I am willing to debate the use of the Oxford comma, if you know what the Oxford comma is. It also makes me very happy if people use the subjunctive mood when appropriate.
I have been told I intimidate people. I am really just a fluffy-centered teddy bear. Really.
- It's all my fault. No, really. The views expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone and in no way whatsoever represent the views of anyone else, including any past, present, or future employer.
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Words to live by ….
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
“Pray for the dead, fight like hell for the living.” Mary Harris (“Mother Jones”).
“Don’t boo. Vote.” Barack Obama.
“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” Reinhold Niebuhr.
“No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.” Sir Terry Pratchett.
“Damning facts are still facts.” Steven C. Holtzman.
“If you don’t stick to your values when they’re tested, they’re not values — they’re hobbies.” Jon Stewart.
“Darkness never sustains, even though it sometimes seems it will.” Doctor Who.
“Writing is a form of mischief.” Stephen Sondheim.
“An idea is not responsible for the people who believe it.” Don Marquis.
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.” Joseph Campbell.
“Truth is our strongest ally, our biggest weapon, and our best defense.” Me.
“Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” Stephen Colbert.
“The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation.” Jonathan Larson.
“We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger.
We rise and fall, and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love last longer.
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love;
Cannot be killed or swept aside.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda.“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Emma Goldman.
“No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett.
“I believe that the God who made (among other things) light, and space, and number, and time, and the spiral curve of Fibonacci numbers, must be acknowledged to understand more than I do about why there’s pain in the world.” Teresa Neilsen Hayden.
“No, it’s not fair. You’re in the wrong universe for fair.” John Scalzi.
“Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, ‘Liberal,’ as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won’t work, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor.” Lawrence O’Donnell
“So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t you forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin’ ass and celebratin’ the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.” Molly Ivins.
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Category Archives: Science
Consistency, people.
I heard a msnbc commentator this evening say “Everyone is rightfully upset — and should be — by the fetal tissue sale, but Republicans should not shut down the government to defund Planned Parenthood.” My first reaction was “Yeah, those … Continue reading
Espagna. Or Mars, maybe.
[This was a post I wrote while on the road, but didn’t publish, until now.] Today I am in Nerva, Spain. The Rocket Scientist has a project underway at Minas Rio Tinto (Rio Tinto Mine) a few kilometers away. As … Continue reading
On Immunty.
Most of you know where I stand on the vaccination debate. I refuse to discuss vaccinations with people who put their fingers in their ears and who ignore rationality and science. I have no patience with them. Then I read … Continue reading
Space tragedy week.
I did not have a chance yesterday to write a new post for the Challenger disaster anniversary. Today is the anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, and February 1 is Columbia. I thought I would link to some of the … Continue reading
The problems with agriculture.
I have written about my lack of respect for the anti-GMO position as being nonscientific, agreeing with those who characterized this issue as being “the climate-change of the left.” (I am not alone on this: Neil DeGrasse Tyson feels this way, … Continue reading
When heroes fall.
I call it the Frank Lloyd Wright axiom: sometimes geniuses are horrible human beings. Most of the time, I can separate the person from their creation: I can look at the Robie House and admire its beauty. The fact that … Continue reading
R.I.P. Marius — you gave us a lot to think about.
By now you, and most of the connected world, have heard the story of Marius the giraffe killed by the Copenhagen zoo. He was a healthy, surplus teenager, as far as the giraffe world goes. And, as hard as it … Continue reading
Thoughts about that last post.
1. The title was obnoxious and condescending. Sorry, I was cranky. 2. I was wrong about the financial issues surrounding GMOs: as Sarah Huffman points out, Trader Joe’s does not carry GMO products and they have been in my experience … Continue reading
Logic and nuance are good things.
About the GMO/labeling debates: 1. Organisms that are genetically modified are not all genetically modified the same way. Soybeans genetically modified to be Roundup-resistant are not the same thing at all as golden rice that has been genetically modified to … Continue reading
Sentiment against GMOs has been described by scientists as the equivalent of climate-change denialism on the left. (Anti-vaxxers cross political spectra.) Whether or not you agree with that, this NYT piece about one Hawaiian councilman’s attempt to get the facts … Continue reading
Medical outrage.
Another entry into the “what has our government turned into” category. It doesn’t revolve around law enforcement or terrorism, even though both of those are bad enough. No, this is an appointment to a position of power by a person … Continue reading
Another endangered species: scientific research in America.
Sadly, the Western Black Rhino has been declared extinct, and other species of rhino may be close behind them. On the other hand… Scientists have discovered a new species of hammerhead shark in Carolina. And a new species of “walking … Continue reading
Another study refuting any link whatsoever between immunizations and autism. HO HUM. Or it would be except for the naive, shortsighted, panicky, or just plain stupid parents out there. Selfish parents who would prefer to take medical advice from actresses … Continue reading
Google Tour of the White House.
Google Tour of the White House. I have been known to be snarky about the things Google does, but this is really wonderful. (Okay, so I do also use Google street views, although they make me uncomfortable, which I guess … Continue reading
Ten years ago today…
It is one of those dates. For most of the country, there is November 22, 1963, and September 11, 2001. Where were you? What do you remember? And in the case of 9/11, did you know anyone in the Towers? … Continue reading
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