Category Archives: In the news

Another reason I wish I still lived in Massachusetts

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Ampersand

The police react to a ballot initiative which made possession of small amounts of pot a misdemeanor:
Massachusetts officially decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana yesterday, but many police departments across the state were essentially ignoring the voter-passed law, saying they would not even bother to ticket people they see smoking marijuana.
“We’re just basically not […] Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, Syndicated feeds | 3 Comments

"Passive Houses" — Heating without furnaces

Posted on January 2, 2009 by Ampersand

Hey, what if you could have a house that’s much friendlier to the environment and costs about a tenth as much to heat? Passive houses are here: Even on the coldest nights in central Germany, Mr. Kaufmann’s new “passive house” … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental issues, In the news | 13 Comments

Who Thinks Atheists and Jews Can Go To Heaven?

Posted on December 30, 2008 by Ampersand

In the New York Times, Charles Blow discusses a survey which found that most Christians in the US believe that even non-Christians can be saved: So in August, Pew asked the question again. (They released the results last week.) Sixty-five … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Atheism, In the news | 86 Comments

The Case For Being Emotional Over Honoring Rick Warren

Posted on December 30, 2008 by Ampersand

Richard Chappell writes: Many are complaining that by reaching out to Rick Warren, Obama is offering a slap in the face to progressives. This is silly. Yes, Warren has badly screwed up views on social issues. Most Americans do. That … Continue reading →

Posted in Abortion & reproductive rights, Civility & norms of discourse, In the news, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | 10 Comments

"After Katrina, it was literally open season on Black folks"

Posted on December 29, 2008 by Ampersand

A (slightly modified for formatting purposes) email from ColorofChange.org: A new report in The Nation, “Katrina’s Hidden Race War,” documents what many have claimed for years — for some Black New Orleanians the threat of being killed by White vigilantes … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, Race, racism and related issues | 3 Comments

Camp Culture vs High Culture. Advantage: Camp!

Posted on December 26, 2008 by Ampersand

UPDATE: To be fair, Eartha Kitt was clearly a goddess:

Posted in In the news | 2 Comments

The Assault Of Dymond Milburn Was About Three Things

Posted on December 19, 2008 by Ampersand

I was just coming to “Alas” to post about the horrific assault of Dymond Milburn, but I see Jeff is already there. But I wanted to add three quick points to Jeff’s comments. 1) The assault on Dymond Milburn is … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, In the news, Race, racism and related issues, Sex work, porn, etc | 13 Comments

Lights Start Flashin' Behind Me

Posted on December 19, 2008 by Jeff Fecke

Here’s a horrifying story from Galveston: It was a little before 8 at night when the breaker went out at Emily Milburn’s home in Galveston. She was busy preparing her children for school the next day, so she asked her 12-year-old … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 12 Comments

Thinking Thoughts I Never Thought I'd Think

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Ampersand

“Thank goodness the Bush administration is there to be the sane voice of the Republican party.” The Bush administration said on Friday that it was prepared to intervene to prevent the collapse of General Motors and Chrysler after Republican senators … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, In the news | 1 Comment

Evil is Evil

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Jeff Fecke

This is awful: Gov. Sarah Palin’s home church was badly damaged by arson, leading the governor to apologize if the fire was connected to “undeserved negative attention” from her failed campaign as the Republican vice presidential nominee. Damage to the … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 9 Comments