(from Naomi Mitchison’s Memoirs of a Spacewoman) She writes, regarding a creature with a radial form, “something like a five-armed starfish” … “But the radial pattern which had developed out of the budding spiral had remained throughout evolution and completely dominated all mental and psychic processes” (p11) Is that why we’re so obsessed with binary? …
Category: uncategorized
Jan 01 2024
Great piece from Babylon Bee – “I don’t want my skull fractured …”
https://babylonbee.com/news/i-dont-want-my-skull-fractured-by-a-man-says-bigoted-female-athlete
Dec 10 2023
“600,000 killed in …”
“600,000 killed in 4-inch advance on western front.” from The Onion’s Our Dumb Century (1915)
Dec 10 2023
The Montreal Massacre (and Donna Decker’s Dancing in Red Shoes Can Kill You)
People who are/were shocked by the Montreal Massacre don’t know women’s history. Men have been killing us for centuries. Simply because we’re women. They kill each other too, but in that case, it’s mostly because of their target’s sexual orientation, tribal affiliation, or skin color. They kill us because of our sex. Is it more …
Dec 01 2023
“Factory workers guaranteed …”
“Factory workers guaranteed eight-hour work day while teething.” from The Onion’s Our Dumb Century (1907)
Nov 30 2023
great line from David Brin’s Earth
“Honestly … I just couldn’t be interested in a man so egotistical he insists, in a world of ten billion people, that his genes are desperately needed.” (p120) (and so much else … a novel worth reading, for sure.)
Nov 15 2023
Another Tim Dorsey novel …
Coconut Cowboy – as always, several good bits … about a meeting of an anarchist group (p205-6): “What would the official minutes look like? … ‘Meeting not called to order …’ ‘Minutes from previous meeting shredded …’ ‘Agenda rejected’ …’ ‘All officers impeached’ ‘Group disbanded’ …” about obsessive compulsive disorder (p206): “I prefer the term …
Oct 21 2023
Shriver on healthcare costs
from “In Defense of Death,” in Abominations, Lionel Shriver “In the United Kingdom, 40 percent of the government’s budget goes to the National Health Service …” (p222) “Alas, for many patients, we don’t extend life but drag out death …” (p225) Among the recommendations attributed to Daniel Callahan (Taming the Beloved Beast) … “Return to …
Oct 10 2023
good bit from Graeber’s “Bullshit Jobs”
“If 1% of the population controls most of its disposable wealth, what we call ‘the market’ reflects what THEY think is useful or important, not anybody else.” “Bullshit Jobs,” David Graeber (p.xx)