Category Archives: In the news

New Zealand House of Representatives Passes Marriage Equality And Sings

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Ampersand

They’re singing a Maori love song called “Pokarekare ana,” which, Wikipedia tells me, is sometimes called New Zealand’s unofficial national anthem. During the debate, “Te Ururoa Flavell gave a wonderful speech with a Maori perspective, detailing the pre-colonial Maori history … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, International issues, Same-Sex Marriage | 3 Comments

Six Words To Repeat About The Boston Marathon Bombings

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Ampersand

Kevin Drum wrote the so far most useful post about events in Boston: A quick update on yesterday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon: There was not a third bomb at the JFK Library (it was a fire in the building’s … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 17 Comments

On “the best looking Attorney General in the country”

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Ampersand

So at a party fundraiser, President Obama made a sexist remark about California Attorney General Kamala Harris: You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, In the news, The Obama Administration | 17 Comments

Oral Arguments In Windsor: DOMA May Be Toast

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Ampersand

Audio is here, and the transcript is here (in pdf form). From Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog: If the Supreme Court can find its way through a dense procedural thicket, and confront the constitutionality of the federal law that defined marriage … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, Same-Sex Marriage, Supreme Court Issues | Comments Off

SCOTUSblog Predicts A Modest Victory For Prop 8 Opponents In The Supreme Court

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Ampersand

UPDATE: Towelroad has an audio recording of today’s oral arguments, and also a transcript. Tom Goldstein of the highly respected SCOTUSblog was in the audience for the Supreme Court’s oral arguments today in the Proposition 8 case, and came away … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, Same-Sex Marriage, Supreme Court Issues | 16 Comments

Lonely Professor Meets Bikini Cocaine Smuggler, Hijinks Ensue, Film At 11

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Ampersand

Maxine Swann’s article “The Professor, the Bikini Model and the Suitcase Full of Trouble” is very compelling reading. It’s about a 68-year-old physicist who met someone online professing to be a famous 28-year-old bikini model who wanted to quit posing … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 26 Comments

The Way I Read The Internet Dies In July

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Ampersand

Alas, poor Google Reader. Marco has an optimistic take: Google Reader, by dominating RSS with a free product, has stifled competition and innovation, and in a few years things will be better than ever. 1. Drive competing services out of … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 11 Comments

Wells Fargo Makes A Typo, Throws Man Out Of Home; Man Dies In Courtroom

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Ampersand

Remember, the private market is perfect and never ever makes mistakes like this. Certainly there’s no need to have government regulations protecting consumers from megabanks. In court documents later, Wells Fargo attorney Robert Bailey of Anglin Flewelling Rasmussen Campbell & … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news | 17 Comments

Today in Orwellian Double-Speak: “Imminent Threat”

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Ampersand

From the Obama Administration’s newly-uncovered memo on when the President is allowed to order Americans assassinated: The condition that an operational leader present an ‘imminent’ threat of violent attack against the United States does not require the United States to … Continue reading →

Posted in In the news, The Obama Administration | 30 Comments