Archives for April 2007
You Are What You Grow
I read an interesting article in the Times this morning about the link between the farm bill and obesity. An obesity researcher, Adam Drewnowski, from the University of Washington set out to learn why the most reliable predictor of obesity in America today is a person’s wealth.
Drewnowski gave himself a hypothetical dollar to spend, […]
Kirsten’s New Ride
brentdanley
Kirsten bought a new car yesterday.
Anticipating the birth of our third daughter and the extra room she and her car seat would require, in 2003 we traded our Nissan Altima for a new Chevy Venture. I guess you can say we’ve come full-circle. Hayley is now the only one requiring a car seat. […]
Virginia Tech Shooting: Let’s Take a Deep Breath
On Monday morning Sho Seung-Hui went on a shooting rampage at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with his Glock 9mm and Walther .22 pistols, killing 32.
Since then legislators, lobbyists, and pundits have pointed fingers at firearms, violent movies, and video games as likely causes. We need to avoid the temptation to make knee-jerk […]
Religious Fundamentalism in America
I thought it would be funny to put a Ichthys placard on Kirsten’s vehicle and wait for her to notice. I visited Perfect Peace Christian Lifestyle Store during lunch and purchased the “Jesus fish”. Being in the store was awkward. It was somewhat like accidentally finding myself in the women’s locker room: part […]
No Child Gets Ahead
The No Child Left Behind Act is, like most of President Bush’s programs, a complete failure. Money and attention that have previously benefited our brightest children are, under NCLB, being diverted to remedial programs that help students who struggle to grasp basic curricular requirements. Focusing every resource on failing students increases the likelihood […]
Family Fun at Hooters
brentdanley
Yesterday evening Kirsten suggested we take the girls to Hooters for pool, beer, and a snack. She didn’t have to ask me twice. Kirsten and I played pool, drank a pitcher of Amber Bock, ate a plate of wings, talked, and watched hockey. The girls colored their menus and ate quesadillas at their […]
The Playboy Philosophy
brentdanley
Kirsten and I compiled the eighteen chapters of The Playboy Philosophy from Playboy.com into Portable Document Format (PDF) for your convenience. I hope Hef doesn’t mind.
Download it here.
Hugh Hefner began writing The Playboy Philosophy in 1962 at the beginning of the sexual revolution. Each chapter of The Playboy Philosophy was printed in an […]
Learjet Sues Area Couple In Phantom Parts Scam
Learjet, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against David Gulledge and his wife for an elaborate, yet poorly executed, parts scam. David worked in the stock room at the Learjet service center in Wichita, Kansas and had the ability, but not the authority, to approve purchase orders. According to the lawsuit filed by Learjet, […]
Book Review: Breaking the Spell
Daniel Dennett is a Tufts University professor and a great writer. He also summers in Maine which gives him extra points in my book. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon is a book written by a philosopher to the pious. He doesn’t actually answer the big questions or make […]
Book Review: God: The Failed Hypothesis
The monotheistic Judeo-Christian-Islamic god is not a theory, it is a hypothesis. Victor Stenger subjects this hypothesis to scientific scrutiny and shows, once again, how it fails the tests. I enjoyed this book.
It is, admittedly, written to the pious and not those of us in the proverbial choir. I was familiar with […]