The Joys of Swearing
I’m currently busy with Phenomenon 32 and other stuff, so enjoy Stephen Fry’s wonderful remarks on the subject of swearing, and the silliness of those who object to it.
Category: Thoughts
The Romans thought their Empire would last forever.
Meanwhile, the mighty forces of peaceful Europe and the Obama-changed United States are fighting for the good of the people of Afghanistan by killing as many of them as they can, banks are growing more powerful than ever before, and huge amounts of low-wage workers are constantly having their rights …
I Have A Nightmare
Forty-six years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. It remains his most famous speech, and the most famous part of the March on Washington – or, as Malcolm X called it, the Farce on Washington. “I Have A Dream” is the cliché …
Humidity: 100%
Greece, which is where I grew up, gets a hell of a lot hotter than the Dominican Republic – mainly because it’s so much like a desert. But there is one profound difference which really makes Greece a lot more pleasant in terms of the weather: when you go to …
Colonialism 2.0 (with French expansion)
Being in this hotel is really disturbing sometimes – especially at dinner. All these rich white people being served by poor black people… sometimes you feel that you’re in the wrong century. And it’s not just a visual thing. The other day a tourist dropped a glass, which shattered. OK, …
The Unbearable Idiocy of People
I have an annoying problem: I’m often polite to idiots. I don’t know where I caught it, and why it keeps recurring, but it’s an unpleasant issue. Now, I’m used to being treated in a condescending “you don’t belong in this shop” kind of way by some people. I have …
Local Homes for Local People. Germany to the Germans. Are we in V for Vendetta?
So, the supposedly “liberal” government of Gordon Brown (whom a whole lot of people are still fawning about) has now decided that they need new legislation to protect social housing from evil immigrants. [from Britain: Government housing bill promotes nationalist “local homes” policy] Introducing the government’s new legislative programme for …
The Matrix and Geek Culture
I recently published a comment on Wil Wheaton’s blog after he – as so many others – bashed The Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions. I’m reposting the comment here because it’s something I feel very strongly about: the critical persecution of two the most brilliant films made in the last decade, …
European Elections: this is the time to speak up, not to mumble.
As I just summarized it to my friend Julian: EPIC FAIL With everything that’s going on worldwide, the so-called Left could’ve pulled it together and made a difference… but no, we have to keep to generic comments about women’s rights and half-hearted statements about controlled capitalism. It has never been …
Democracy? Sorry, we seem to be out of that.
From Wikinews: Israel’s Knesset considers ‘loyalty’ law The first law, the ‘Loyalty Oath Law’, makes any “call to negate Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, where the content of such publication would have a reasonable possibility of causing an act of hatred, disdain or disloyalty” a criminal offense …