The Junk File:

Reminiscences and a Final Goodbye

Week of October 17, 2005

            "From researching the major news media on the topics I've covered over the years I have learned that all the world's problems – war, famine, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, avian flu – have one of only two causes:  global warming or President Bush.  I wish I'd figured it out a long time ago; could have saved a lot of fact-checking time."  More...

Evolution:  So Many Scientists, So Few Einsteins

Week of October 10, 2005

            "Completely lost was the fact that science and religion, properly practiced, seek the same thing:  Truth.  I have no idea why a truly dedicated scientist would waste time defending a falsity any more than a devout worshiper would wish to serve a god who doesn't exist.  Shouldn't both want truth, wherever it leads?"  More...

Victims

Week of October 3, 2005

            "As the social worker on duty my wife would have had to locate and notify the families of both the woman and the dying 3-year-old.  She would have seen their injuries.  She would have comforted the families and prayed with them.  She would have helped as much as anyone could.  I know, truly know, she would have been a rock."  More...

Gizmos Galore

Week of September 26, 2005

            "Most of my gizmos are tools of some sort.  The best of these is a pressure washer that could strip the bark and first few rings off a redwood.  When I first brought it home I washed everything that stood still and a few things that didn’t:  the deck, driveway, sidewalks, garbage cans, yard furniture, cocker spaniel …  OK, I let the dog pass even if he is the main reason everything else needed cleaning."  More...

Katrina in Progress

Week of September 19, 2005

            "I, for one, admit to being sucked in by grim reports of massive death.  Ten thousand at least, we were told.  Discovering who first threw out that number is like trying to find the inventor of the wheel but it quickly became an article of faith."  More...

The Battle of New Orleans:

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Week of September 5, 2005

Why, Mr. Mayor?

            "In a disaster of this unimaginable scope, failures are inevitable at all levels.  There will be plenty of blame to go around when there’s time for it but in a less decent country this hateful nonsense might have brought volunteers and donations to a halt.  Fortunately, a nation is greater than the sum of its politicians."   More...

The Junk File:

Crystal Balls, Fashion Tips,

and Another Flaming Cat

Week of August 29, 2005

            "Associated Press reports an increasing number of infants are being prevented from boarding airplanes because their names are the same or similar to those on the anti-terror 'no fly' list.  'I know they have to be careful, but come on, he's a baby for Pete's sake,' said the father of 6-month-old Carlos the Jackal Anderson.  OK, I made that up, but a little common sense shouldn’t hurt national security too much."  More...

Atheists Get Religion:

Court Ruling a Head-Scratcher

Week of August 22, 2005

            "I would like to welcome my atheist brothers and sisters to the fold.  Yes, you too may now shut up.  Oh you can still speak, as long as you're careful about saying why.  Bye-bye to legal abortion, which could not exist without the now-religious idea that there is no soul.  Forget federal funding of embryonic stem cell experiments, which treats human embryos as if they are of no more eternal value than rats."  More...

Cindy Sheehan and the Rolling Stones

Week of August 15, 2005

            "What happened?  It's simple: Media that didn’t give two hoots about Cindy Sheehan or her son when she supported the president are giving her the rock star treatment now that – and because – she doesn’t."  More...

How Men Hear Women

Week of August 8, 2005

            "(Conversely), men process male voices in a more primitive part of the brain that is usually used for choosing between cheesy nachos and extra cheesy nachos.  The research did not address how women analyze a man's voice but I suspect they mainly hear it as a series of grunts and clicks."  More...