The Constitution as a comic book …
via feedproxy.google.com This actually seems like a good way to learn something.
I learned something about soil erosion last night …
Last night at City Club we heard from David Montgomery, a geomorphologist at the University of Washington. I've never heard of geomorphology, but it was an interesting presentation on … soil erosion. Really! Montgomery's main argument breaks down pretty simply: Farming allows civilization to happen. But plowing the earth, by default, erodes soil faster than it can naturally come back. Therefore over time, a civilization's soil becomes unable to keep up with the demands put on it. And then they fail. It takes a big leap to go from soil erosion to the collapse of civilization. And in fact, Montgomery Read more…
Callaghan’s Tour of Endangered Landmarks in Tacoma … THAT COULD KILL YOU!
At least Galloping Gertie only took out a dog. These places could do a lot worse, at least if the apocalyptic engineering reports are to be believed. Please, stay together. via thenewstribune.com I thought this was pretty funny.
Instead of Facebook, why not calculate the center of gravity?
Think of other things you could be doing with your time spent on Facebook. If you find yourself spending, say, 10 hours a week on Facebook, make a list of all the other things you could accomplish in that time. You could: pick up a part time job and invest that money in stocks teach a child how to throw a football get fit build a gas scooter or an adobe wall calculate the center of gravity volunteer Read a book teach yourself a new language make a papasan chair cushion via wikihow.com I just read Virginia Heffernan’s article about Read more…
Another Kennedy eulogy — this time by Andew Sullivan
He also worked across the aisle, helping George W Bush to pass his No Child Left Behind Act to improve school standards, joining with John McCain to forge a humane immigration reform. He was a senator able to be fiercely ideological and also fiercely pragmatic, able to develop friendships beyond politics – friendships that are the grease that makes the Senate work. He was a master of parliamentary procedures and the helm of a ship of highly skilled staffers. He was also, of course, a politician. Despite being a proponent of green energy, he single-handedly prevented the construction of a Read more…
Freaks and Geeks, all 18 episodes worth …
Mary and I finished the complete series of Freaks and Geeks this weekend. Unfortunately, that means we're only talking about 18 episodes, since no one watched the show when it was on 9 years ago. But I really really enjoyed it. And I laughed virtually non-stop. The characters, like the characters on The Wire, were strong enough that I thought of them as real people, independent from the show. Here's a couple short clips, one from the first episode, and another from one of the last. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVSm8T-uXrw?wmode=transparent] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUMf_iQQpcA?wmode=transparent] I'll miss this show.
Obama’s Eulogy for Sen. Kennedy
This spirit of resilience and good humor would see Ted Kennedy through more pain and tragedy than most of us will ever know. He lost two siblings by the age of sixteen. He saw two more taken violently from the country that loved them. He said goodbye to his beloved sister, Eunice, in the final days of his own life. He narrowly survived a plane crash, watched two children struggle with cancer, buried three nephews, and experienced personal failings and setbacks in the most public way possible. via talkingpointsmemo.com I thought Obama’s eulogy was very moving. Click above for the Read more…