What Now? Reading Basho in the Wake of Disaster
In the year we know as 1689, poet and teacher Matsuo Basho embarked on a 1500-mile walking tour of northern Honshu, Japan. Leaving his home in Edo, modern-day Tokyo, Basho and his traveling companion,...
View Article*A* to *Z* the final winner: With poll
We've gone thru the whole alphabet to determine what individual bands/singers/acts are the best for their letter... and now comes showdown time. The winners of the three alphabetic groups A-M N-T and...
View ArticleTales From the Recall Trail 3: Jesse Jackson Says that Darling Is No Darling
Yesterday afternoon, the Kapanke Recall Crew submitted twice the needed signatures in half the needed time. This was news that charged us Darling volunteers up as we headed into a predominantly...
View ArticleOur Laws Regarding Free Speech Don't Apply to Afghani Culture
Julie Water's point about the terms we use to describe what Terry Jones did provides me with a wonderful opportunity to illustrate why we need to be crystal clear about which context we're talking...
View ArticleTop Comments 4.2.2011: End to War Edition
Today I was aimlessly channel-checking and ran across one of my favorite programs – Conversations with History on UCTV. Created and hosted by Harry Kriesler, the Executive Director of the Institute of...
View ArticleA Landlord's Problems Become Ours
Our landlady's problems paying vital utility bills has convinced us that we need to move out of our apartment as soon as possible. Our building received a water shut-off notice for the second time in...
View ArticleSaudi arms deal -- why it MUST happen.
As a change from my usual Cthulhu and TSA diaries (funny how those seem to fit together!) I take on the challenge of foreign arms sales, this time to Saudi Arabia. Let's take the most recent example,...
View ArticleI own some domain names
This is my first ever diary, I have been lurking on dailykos for years and occasionally write a comment, but nothing big. I live in Madison, WI and have been in the midst of the rallies and protests...
View Articlezombie anti-walker rally in Madison
Zombies? Yes, today there was an anti-Walker pro-union zombie rally at the capitol. Many zombies carried pro-union signs with zombie-like slogans. While Mr. Fantastic didn't so much like the idea...
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It's Time To Take Stock Of Our Swimming Pool
Less than two short months ago , I wrote my first diary for our brand new website, February 13th at 7:05 A.M., to be exact, the day the long awaited site was launched. At that time I asked you very...
View ArticleFitz's Two-stage Retreat from Green Bay
The tactics employed by Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald in Green Bay today to get out of a negative publicity situation didn't work on a crowd of Dave Hansen supporters who got advance word of...
View ArticleTea Party Freedom Conundrum - Selective Defense of Freedoms
My difficulty with the Tea Party is their selective defense of freedoms. Protecting the freedom of free markets has been a cherished American value since we recognized that markets ARE tyrannically...
View ArticleJustice Scalia Defends Koran Burning
He said so September 17th 2010, and I happened to have recorded the interview and put it on Youtube. While I agree with him, there is something that he must now do, as I describe below. There is no...
View ArticleWhat Else is at Stake in 2011
Most of the focus on the part of the Progressive movement so far this year has been on Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and the rest of the Rust Belt, whether it is recalling the 8 eligible Wisconsin GOP...
View ArticleMy Last Supper - Canh Chua Cá Tôm
If you could only have one last dish before dying, what would it be? A recent episode of Top Chef got me thinking: What would my last supper be? What is the one dish that I would want to experience...
View ArticleIce and the Itzl
Itzl doesn't much mind the snow. He doesn't like it, mind, but he's willing to go out doggy blogging in it, and even have a bit of fun tunnelling through the high drifts. He is an anal little doggie...
View ArticleOvernight News Digest: Science Saturday (April Foolishness edition)
Welcome to Science Saturday, where the Overnight News Digest crew informs and entertains you with this week's news about science, space, and the environment. This week's featured story comes from...
View ArticleBeing a Dad
I always wore a crash helmet while riding a motorcycle. In part that was because to not do so would have been to break the law, but in such an obvious way that escaping unpunished would be extremely...
View Article"Citizens United" And The GOP Freak Show
Everyone is astonished by the field of GOP candidates. As LBJ famously said - "thin as piss on a rock." Why, why is it that we have such a crop of odd balls, has-beens, failures, never-weres,...
View ArticleDog Worries
This is a rewrite from a letter I wrote a family member this evening. I could possibly use some advice. Thanks if you can.
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