The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Donal's picture

    Occupying Videos

    By Donal on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 7:57pm | Social Justice

    Occupy Wall Street from Louis Proyect on Vimeo.

    Why Do You Occupy? - Interviews At Occupy Boston on Youtube

    Topics: 
    Social Justice
    Donal's picture

    Occupy Baltimore Begins

    By Donal on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 2:00pm | Politics


    I walked over to see Occupy Baltimore today. First I saw a large group of people doing jumping jacks. That turned out to be Health City. Then I got to McKeldin Square, at the corner of Pratt and Light Streets in view of Inner Harbor. There were maybe fifty people, including a dozen journalists and half a dozen police (poh-leece), three of them on motorcycles. A few dozen onlookers stood around the edges of the small plaza but it seemed clear that they weren't part of it.

    No one was doing calisthenics, but a few casually-dressed people were on their knees writing signs on sheets. I felt like saying, "Please don't misspell morons." A camera-toting fellow was interviewing a fellow with a beard, who made it clear that he didn't speak for everyone, but who was the only one speaking. A fellow wearing a LaRouche breadboard was handing out flyers, and a few folk were holding copies of a thin Workers' Week paper. The bearded fellow invited anyone to make a sign.

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Donal's picture

    Solar Decathlon: Wrapping It Up

    By Donal on Mon, 10/03/2011 - 12:18am | Technology

     

     
    On our way back from PA, and no internet access, the wife and I stopped in for the final day of the Solar Decathlon. The shuttle dropped us close to the media trailer, and Charlotte filled us in as to who had won. As I expected, the University of Maryland maintained their lead from Friday and WaterShed (above) was declared the overall winner. Purdue's INhome surprised me by finishing second, New Zealand's First Light closed to third and Middlebury's Self-Reliance took fourth.
    Topics: 
    Technology
    Michael Maiello's picture

    Attention Must Be Paid

    By Michael Maiello on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 5:45pm | Politics

    Today's horrible story about a man's suicide after being fired from his job makes me think of Willy Loman, and the anxieties of power and employment that have always been part of American society.  In "Death of a Salesman," Arthur Miller broke with tradition and wrote a classical tragedy about an ordinary man.  This is something we take for granted now, but when Miller was writing, people in the theatre were  seriously debating whether or not it was even possible to write a tragedy with a prosaic

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Ramona's picture

    FRIDAY FOLLIES: On Jesus toasters, Gray Panthers, Raging Grannies, and Fun with Medicare

    By Ramona on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 1:08pm | Politics, Humor & Satire, Media
     

    WARNING:  Hot graven images ahead.  Turn back if you believe Jesus' image on toast should remain a miracle and not be used as a promotion by clever, sacrilegious Vermonters for a Made in China toaster.  (It's International Blasphemy Rights Day today but I swear I didn't know that when I chose this segment.  Not that I'm not okay with it.  I am.)

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Humor & Satire
    Media
    Series: 
    Friday Follies
    Donal's picture

    Same as Cash?

    By Donal on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 12:37pm | Business




    Before about a decade ago, I paid rent, insurance, and doctor's bills by writing checks and sending them through the mail. My wife paid by check at the grocery store. I had a credit card for traveling and large purchases, but used cash as much as possible.

    Topics: 
    Business
    Ramona's picture

    Happy Third Birthday, dagblog

    By Ramona on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 10:40pm | Potpourri

    Just wanted to give a shout-out here to Genghis for creating a great site and for keeping the lights on. 

    Kudos! Good Job! Congratulations!

     

     

    Topics: 
    Potpourri
    Donal's picture

    Solar Decathlon: Affordability

    By Donal on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 4:11pm | Technology



    An unexpected deadline foiled my plans to attend the Solar Decathlon last weekend, and I'm not sure I'm going to make it back. But DOE has posted a photo gallery of interior shots for each entry, which are certainly better than any picture I could have snapped among a crowd of observers. To the left is Team Canada's master bedroom.


     

     

    Topics: 
    Technology
    Donal's picture

    The Lash or the Pipeline

    By Donal on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 11:19am | Technology



    In, Saudi woman's lashing drives home differences in oil, a Calgary Herald writer supports the mining of tar sands to produce synthetic oil by leveraging sympathy for the powerlessness of Saudi women.

    ... Sheima Jastaniah was sentenced by a Saudi court to 10 lashes for driving her car in July. In Saudi Arabia, it is against the law for women to drive, or to leave their homes without the permission of their husbands or other male relatives. What's really sad about Jastaniah's story, besides the obvious fact that she is a woman living in Saudi Arabia, is that she took part in a similar act of civil disobedience in, get this . . . 1990! A full 21 years have passed and not a thing has changed for her or any other female in that woman's maximum security prison called Saudi Arabia.
    Topics: 
    Technology
    Ramona's picture

    The Religious Test is Alive and Kicking in American Politics. Again.

    By Ramona on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 9:46am | Politics, Religion
     

    As a non-religious person I have faith that religion will always be with us.  It's the way of the world, and if I'm baffled by its constancy, by its influence, by the sheer numbers of people involved, I'm even more befuddled watching the successful move away from any pretense at goodness and mercy by the Religious Right in favor of a peculiar form of public, political bullying.

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Religion

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