Yearly Archives: 2014

Links 12/14: Auld Link Syne

Quaint Argentinian custom: the President of the country officially becomes the godfather of children considered at risk of becoming werewolves. Nerva – not just one of the better Roman emperors, but an experimental 1970s nuclear rocket engine that could have … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 618 Comments

Book Review: What’s Wrong With The World

G. K. Chesterton’s 1910 collection What’s Wrong With The World surprisingly does not open with “this is going to take more than one book.” In fact, he is quite to-the-point about exactly what he thinks the problem is: Now, to … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 506 Comments

There Are Rules Here

[source: sowhatfaith.com] Patheos’ Science On Religion points out that liberal Protestantism is dying even as more conservative Protestant movements thrive. This seems counterintuitive in the context of society as a whole becoming less religious and conservative. So what’s going on? … Continue reading

OT11: Openezer Scrooge

This is the semimonthly open thread. Post about anything you want, ask random questions, whatever. Also: 1. I’m heading to New York for the Winter Solstice celebration and surrounding rationalist community megameetup. If you’re attending, I’ll see you there. If … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 574 Comments

Nobody Is Perfect, Everything Is Commensurable

I. Recently spotted on Tumblr: “This is going to be an unpopular opinion but I see stuff about ppl not wanting to reblog ferguson things and awareness around the world because they do not want negativity in their life plus … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 428 Comments

The Toxoplasma Of Rage

I. Some old news I only just heard about: PETA is offering to pay the water bills for needy Detroit families if (and only if) those families agree to stop eating meat. Predictably, the move caused a backlash. The International … Continue reading

Debunked And Well-Refuted

I. As usual, I was insufficiently pessimistic. I infer this from The Federalist‘s article on campus rape: A new report on sexual assault released today by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officially puts to bed the bogus statistic that … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 326 Comments

Beware The Man Of One Study

Aquinas famously said: beware the man of one book. I would add: beware the man of one study. For example, take medical research. Suppose a certain drug is weakly effective against a certain disease. After a few years, a bunch … Continue reading

Links 12/14: Come Ye To Bethlinkhem

To the list of people who met their spouses online, add ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who met his wife Sujidah al-Dulaimi on the Internet. Possibly related: ISIS runs a jihadi dating site. I’m going to say it – niche … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 426 Comments

A Story With Zombies

(inspired by Zombies: Seriously, Enough, Zombies Are So Overdone, and Scifi/Fantasy Stories Editors Are Tired Of Seeing: Zombies) He walked into my office and threw the manuscript on my desk with a thud. “It’s called Thankful For Zombies. A zombie … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 186 Comments