I heard this old song on the radio the other day.  Listen to it while thinking about the issues addressed in this post by Neil the Werewolf.  This page says that it is "one of" the "only hits ever to include an extended kazoo solo."

1. Pete is starving to death on a distant continent, and I can keep him alive by giving $10/month to charity.  There are other people on Pete’s continent who are starving to death, too, and $10/month could save them just as well.  Suppose that anything less than $10 will be useless to these people, so…

Jonathan Ichikawa writes: Here is the full text of the newly proposed section of Article I of the Texas Constitution, proposed by HJR 6, which has been passed by both chambers: Sec. 32. (a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.(b) This state or a political…

A lot of people are criticizing the new Pope for having been a member of the Hitler Youth.  I think there is very good evidence that his membership in that organization was non-blameworthy.  First of all, he was very young when he was a member; younger people are not to be held responsible for their…

From CT: Backword Dave notes, cogently: I hate those in power. I look up, and others see the stars; I see the shit up our leader’s arses. I actually think the star-metaphor is more apt.  A star is remote and gigantic.  It can affect you (as when, for instance, the sun gives you a sunburn),…

From this page: Monasticism (from the Greek monos, meaning "single" or "alone") usually refers to the way of life–communitarian or solitary–adopted by those individuals, male or female, who have elected to pursue an ideal of perfection or a higher level of religious experience through leaving the world. Monastic orders historically have been organized around a…

This post is part of my gradual progress toward an argument against knowledge closure. Consider four propositions: 1. I know that I saw a zebra at the zoo.2. I don’t know that what I saw wasn’t really just a cleverly disguised mule at the zoo.3. If I know that I saw a zebra at the…

Project Misty is an organization which sends episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and other cult/sci-fi TV shows and movies, to troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.  Somehow, I kind of doubt that very many American soldiers are fans of such an obscure show, but I guess a handful of them must be, since…

There is some disagreement over whether we should think of social security as a form of investment, or as a form of insurance.  In order to answer this question, we should first be able to distinguish investments from insurances.  To understand this distinction, one could consult the work of economists and accountants, who I am…

What is it about one’s home team that makes one hope it will win?  I do not understand it.  There is nothing particularly "St. Louis-y" about the St. Louis Cardinals except that the Cardinals play their home games at Busch Stadium, and the word "St. Louis" appears in the name of the team.  These rather…