Round-Up — Good Posts I’ve Read Lately
trios on Religion — I tend to try to have a “don’t be an asshole needlessly” attitude when it comes to dealing with religious beliefs that no one is trying to impose on me, but there’s no requirement for people to share that attitude. Beliefs cloaked in religion shouldn’t be granted automatic immunity from scrutiny, and nor should the sometimes powerful institutions run by people, not angels or saints, around which the various religions are organized.
What Will We Talk About Today You and I — Poetry from Iraq.
When I heard the bomb explode last Saturday the first thing I did was telephone my father. But there was no reply. Again and again and again I tried to phone him. My fingers hurt I stabbed them onto the buttons on my phone so hard. I fell onto the floor and prayed please let him not be dead. Please let it be that he died quick if he is dead.
And my heart was sick inside me.
What will we talk about today you and I? I do not want to talk about last Saturday. Shall we talk about peace? I would like to talk about peace. I love the word. No, perhaps we are not ready to talk of peace yet you and I, we are not at peace, we are not even at truce.
Virgin Earth Challenge: Technology Vs. Conservation — I firmly believe that new technology is the answer. Non-polluting energy sources, atmospheric scrubbing and underground carbon sequestration are all ways we can limit our impact on the environment. New technology also has the benefit of actually improving the economy, rather than dampening it. Any time a situation is created when it is in the economic self interest of people to help the environment, results happen.
American Lexicon v2000.7 — BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible. SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.
