A Thinking Reed

"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal

News

  • Who ever heard of a skinny Santa?

    Seriously? (via Mary) Read more

  • Nature is awesome

    Three words: giant prehistoric scorpion. Read more

  • An end to the stem cell wars?

    If this holds up it’s surely good news since, in addition to whatever medical advances result, it means that the controversy over ESCR should evaporate. Read more

  • A church wrestles with capital punishment

    You might recall the recent case of the woman and her two daughters in Connecticut who were brutally murdered by intruders in their home this summer (the husband survived). This article in the NY Times looks at some of the tensions in the family’s United Methodist congregation, which has a history of outspoken opposition to Read more

  • Tom Snyder, Joe Strummer, and Johnny Rotten

    Veteran talk show host Tom Snyder has passed away. Josh has dug up a couple of fascinating clips of him interviewing the Clash and John Lydon (nee Rotten). Read more

  • Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker), RIP

    Tammy Faye, one of the symbols of the corruption of American televangelism lost her battle with cancer. A few months ago my wife and I watched the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye. I have to say that I came away from that much more sympathetically disposed to her. Obviously the kind of fundraising she Read more

  • …and Justice for All

    James Hetfield detained at a UK airport for looking like a terrorist. “Death to America!!” Read more

  • On the road again (random notes)

    I’m in Washington, DC on a top secret mission and thus haven’t had time to post the past couple of days. I did get a chance to visit the National Cathedral which, in addition to being very lovely, has a really nice gift and theological book shop. While there I picked this up. It was Read more

  • Animal time travelers

    Here’s a NY Times article on some recent research which seems to indicate that at least some animals have a sense of the past and the future. The general trend of research in these areas seems to be toward showing that the mental lives of animals are more complex than has often been thought. This Read more