this is by no means an american issue, as i see it in greece as well, where there is, unfortunately, no separation of church and state, where one often hears the motto, πατρίς θρησκεία οικογένεια, translating to country, religion, family.
here's pz:
'i usually complain about religion here, but today i have to add another target: patriotism. it's the same thing, opening a door to unthinking authoritarianism, and it always leads to oppression. quite contrary to the claims of fanatical christians, the heart of a thriving democracy has to be constant questioning of the operation of the government — to marry religion to our government is antithetical to its founding principles, and even to regard those founding principles as inviolate and somehow imbued with godly authority is a betrayal.
when i was growing up in the 60s and 70s, there was a common slogan thrown around by defenders of the status quo: "my country, right or wrong." even at my young age, that always seemed insane: if my country is wrong, shouldn't i want to change it?
question religion. but also question your government. it wasn't founded by gods.'
read the entire piece here.
©2010 toomanytribbles
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
hot spot
athens is a hot spot, by any definition.
like it? click it!
i went to pendeli mountain a day earlier to stake out a position for new year's eve 2009... and i couldn't resist shooting a similar shot to the one below.
athens circle, athens square:
i wasn't as happy with this shot compared to the previous one. it needs a different angle. i can see that i'll have to try this again.
©2010 toomanytribbles
like it? click it!
i went to pendeli mountain a day earlier to stake out a position for new year's eve 2009... and i couldn't resist shooting a similar shot to the one below.
athens circle, athens square:
i wasn't as happy with this shot compared to the previous one. it needs a different angle. i can see that i'll have to try this again.
©2010 toomanytribbles
my favorite photographers: .betina.
click!
.betina. is a master of light and sensuous form. her portraits dig to a person's core... and she has the most enthralling stamp collection you've ever seen.
for the insatiable:
.betina.'s photostream
©2010 toomanytribbles
a new view of us
NASA GOES-13 full disk view of earth may 28, 2010, in the tradition of a pale blue dot.
click pic to source
thank you, mark.
click pic to source
thank you, mark.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
the front line
like it? click it!
i went to the local mall today and saw these on display -- i had to shoot'em!
another view:
©2010 toomanytribbles
Friday, May 28, 2010
marathon moonrise
like it? click it!
i was looking forward to shooting the full moon again last night and was all set up at schinias, the beach at marathon (yes, it's a place in greece -- the race's namesake) about an hour before moonrise. mr.G decided to have his first swim this year and i looked around, watching some people water skiing against the hazy evening horizon.
as the big moment approached, hordes of mosquitoes descended and started nibbling on me. with all the fuss, i actually missed the moon's appearance over the hills across the water.
when i realized it was rising, i hastily took a few quick shots and ran for my life.
oh well, at least i like the composition.
moments -- and zillions of mosquitoes -- later:
if you want to visit this location, it's on the flickr map -- and bring insect repellent, heavy-duty.
©2010 toomanytribbles
when i realized it was rising, i hastily took a few quick shots and ran for my life.
oh well, at least i like the composition.
moments -- and zillions of mosquitoes -- later:
if you want to visit this location, it's on the flickr map -- and bring insect repellent, heavy-duty.
©2010 toomanytribbles
Thursday, May 27, 2010
almost summer
like it? click it!
memories from that weekend.
from the aegeon hotel, placed on the flickr map.
i've started a favorite photographers series on my blog -- but most certainly, you know these artists well, already.
©2010 toomanytribbles
i got you, babe
like it? click it!
memories from that weekend.
on the outside looking in:
i've started a favorite photographers series on my blog -- but most certainly, you know these artists well, already.
©2010 toomanytribbles
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
robert picardo at terraformers ii - episode 2
episode 1: marina sirtis at terraformers ii
my first glimpse of him was on that weekend's saturday morning -- we were walking through the lobby of the wonderful aegeon hotel at magical sounion, and he passed by us as he made his way to breakfast. as you can imagine, i almost fell down flat from the surprise.
click!
robert picardo is a great speaker -- funny and insightful, he conveyed to the audience at terraformers ii a sense of the effort and attention it took to make voyager a wonderful series. it was deeply satisfying to get a glimpse of the process with which star trek was transformed into the stories we know and love.
embiggen
i most enjoy star trek for its exhilarating exploration of ideas. picardo's character, the doctor, or the emergency medical holographic program, is one of those jewels, as are mr. spock and data, that help us to reexamine what it means to be human -- a being brought to life with this artist's intelligence and skill. picardo described facets the character's development, the investigation of issues, as well as acting and filming techniques that made it all so convincing and real.
of course, he teamed up with a fan, dimitris psathas, for some impromptu opera!
a special thanks to maria katsiri-devolder and sci-fi.gr for this extraordinary experience.
i've placed this on the flickr page map.
back story and details: marina sirtis at terraformers ii
my first glimpse of him was on that weekend's saturday morning -- we were walking through the lobby of the wonderful aegeon hotel at magical sounion, and he passed by us as he made his way to breakfast. as you can imagine, i almost fell down flat from the surprise.
click!
robert picardo is a great speaker -- funny and insightful, he conveyed to the audience at terraformers ii a sense of the effort and attention it took to make voyager a wonderful series. it was deeply satisfying to get a glimpse of the process with which star trek was transformed into the stories we know and love.
embiggen
i most enjoy star trek for its exhilarating exploration of ideas. picardo's character, the doctor, or the emergency medical holographic program, is one of those jewels, as are mr. spock and data, that help us to reexamine what it means to be human -- a being brought to life with this artist's intelligence and skill. picardo described facets the character's development, the investigation of issues, as well as acting and filming techniques that made it all so convincing and real.
of course, he teamed up with a fan, dimitris psathas, for some impromptu opera!
a special thanks to maria katsiri-devolder and sci-fi.gr for this extraordinary experience.
i've placed this on the flickr page map.
back story and details: marina sirtis at terraformers ii
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
jefferson on banks
'i believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. if the american people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. the issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.'
- thomas jefferson, 3rd president of U.S. (1743 - 1826)
don't be surprised if, in 5-10 years, people will ask you, 'jefferson who?'
EDIT: please read... republicans vs secular america on the guardian.
- thomas jefferson, 3rd president of U.S. (1743 - 1826)
don't be surprised if, in 5-10 years, people will ask you, 'jefferson who?'
EDIT: please read... republicans vs secular america on the guardian.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
my favorite photographers: {machel spence}
click!
machel's photography reflects her deep love, knowledge, and respect for nature.
...and you've never actually seen fungi if not through her lens.
exposure to machel's work should be mandatory for all earthlings, to awaken reverence and awe for 'endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful'.
for the insatiable:
machel spence's photostream on flickr
her website: spence photography
her blog: {machel spence}
machel spence's photostream on flickr
her website: spence photography
her blog: {machel spence}
'there is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.'
- charles darwin, on the origin of species
- charles darwin, on the origin of species
Friday, May 21, 2010
letter from a network censor
gene roddenberry reads a memo from a network censoring the bible.
via the trekmovie.com report on reactions to $#*! my dad says.
via the trekmovie.com report on reactions to $#*! my dad says.
a picture i didn't take iii
i often teach evening classes and leave the office after 10pm, and even when i'm not teaching, i rarely leave before sundown.
tuesday, i was fortunate in that i was able to leave fairly early, and more so, because i hadn't driven to work, so i grabbed a taxi to head back home. since i wasn't steering, i had the luxury of sitting back and watching athens whiz by.
the sky was a very deep blue, scattered with small, puffy clouds. the clouds were half-and-half -- very bright white on one side, and dark, stormy gray on the other. the slowly setting sun added a glistening gold to the palette.
kifissias avenue, the main artery leading from the center of the city to its northern suburbs, is flanked by personality-less buildings with gridded, mirrored-glass curtain walls that normally say, don't mind me -- i'm not really here. but on tuesday, the light was just right and they reflected the stunning sky, decorating it with their temporarily blazing, rectangular, metal meshes.
i don't think i've ever seen kifissias look so beautiful.
no pictures.
inspired by unphotographable, thanks to teacher dude.
tuesday, i was fortunate in that i was able to leave fairly early, and more so, because i hadn't driven to work, so i grabbed a taxi to head back home. since i wasn't steering, i had the luxury of sitting back and watching athens whiz by.
the sky was a very deep blue, scattered with small, puffy clouds. the clouds were half-and-half -- very bright white on one side, and dark, stormy gray on the other. the slowly setting sun added a glistening gold to the palette.
kifissias avenue, the main artery leading from the center of the city to its northern suburbs, is flanked by personality-less buildings with gridded, mirrored-glass curtain walls that normally say, don't mind me -- i'm not really here. but on tuesday, the light was just right and they reflected the stunning sky, decorating it with their temporarily blazing, rectangular, metal meshes.
i don't think i've ever seen kifissias look so beautiful.
no pictures.
inspired by unphotographable, thanks to teacher dude.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
the rikers
reunion with the rikers: commander will riker and counselor deanna troi, married, in space, with their wacky uncle data and their dog, worf.
this was fun to watch -- especially after hearing about the idea from marina sirtis at the awesome terraformers ii in greece. (she's hilarious. really.)
i really must get more of those pictures uploaded....
via io9
this was fun to watch -- especially after hearing about the idea from marina sirtis at the awesome terraformers ii in greece. (she's hilarious. really.)
i really must get more of those pictures uploaded....
via io9
infostudio
the company i work with has a new website up! i contributed some ideas, including the header...
click!
click on the flag for english or greek.
click!
click on the flag for english or greek.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
great lives: carl sagan
on the BBC
click image to source
'physicist brian cox tells matthew parris how carl sagan's cosmos tv show changed his life.
as a young boy of 13, brian cox stared at his television screen every wednesday evening, as carl sagan took him on a journey across the cosmos. the programme was a ground-breaking piece of television by a brilliant young scientist who could be inspiring and infuriating in equal measure.
sagan was a complex character. driven to succeed, he came from a relatively poor background to become a millionaire, and one of the most influential scientists of his era. his popularity left him open to both criticism and jealousy amongst his colleagues, and whilst he was passionate about the need to educate the populace, he could also be arrogant and dismissive of his fellow scientists.
so just how good a scientist was he, and what is his legacy?'
click image to source
'physicist brian cox tells matthew parris how carl sagan's cosmos tv show changed his life.
as a young boy of 13, brian cox stared at his television screen every wednesday evening, as carl sagan took him on a journey across the cosmos. the programme was a ground-breaking piece of television by a brilliant young scientist who could be inspiring and infuriating in equal measure.
sagan was a complex character. driven to succeed, he came from a relatively poor background to become a millionaire, and one of the most influential scientists of his era. his popularity left him open to both criticism and jealousy amongst his colleagues, and whilst he was passionate about the need to educate the populace, he could also be arrogant and dismissive of his fellow scientists.
so just how good a scientist was he, and what is his legacy?'
'the age of reason' by thomas paine
i feel the need to post this today, caps and all:
"
Age of Reason Introduction
by Thomas Paine
TO MY FELLOW-CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
I PUT the following work under your protection. It contains my opinions upon Religion. You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the Right of every Man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.
The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall.
Your affectionate friend and fellow-citizen,
THOMAS PAINE
Luxembourg, 8th Pluviose, Second Year of the French Republic, one and indivisible.
January 27, O. S. 1794.
"
Age of Reason Introduction
by Thomas Paine
TO MY FELLOW-CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
I PUT the following work under your protection. It contains my opinions upon Religion. You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the Right of every Man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.
The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall.
Your affectionate friend and fellow-citizen,
THOMAS PAINE
Luxembourg, 8th Pluviose, Second Year of the French Republic, one and indivisible.
January 27, O. S. 1794.
"
it's yours to read, for the clicking.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
scitweeps!
created by pixbymaia, on flickr:
click on any image to see the whole set!
follow them on twitter: @carolynporco, @pzmyers, @sciencegoddess, @badastronomer, @plutokiller, @richarddawkins
pz myers
richard dawkins
posted with permission
click on any image to see the whole set!
follow them on twitter: @carolynporco, @pzmyers, @sciencegoddess, @badastronomer, @plutokiller, @richarddawkins
carolyn porco
pz myers
richard dawkins
posted with permission
Monday, May 17, 2010
meet the author: richard dawkins
this is the complete talk that richard dawkins gave in a australia for adelaide writer's week 2010, a clip from which i previously posted here.
dawkins uses his chapter titles as bullets to present his book, the greatest show on earth. the Q&A afterwards, especially, is quite interesting.
on fora.tv via RDF
dawkins uses his chapter titles as bullets to present his book, the greatest show on earth. the Q&A afterwards, especially, is quite interesting.
on fora.tv via RDF
Sunday, May 16, 2010
my favorite photographers: rebecca tabor armstrong
click!
becca and i may have diametrically different world views... yet here we are, sharing a fierce love for life.
her photographic expression is riveting.
for the insatiable: rebecca's photostream on flickr
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sunday, May 09, 2010
light of my life, revisited
like it? click it!
this is one of my favorite pictures ever, from 1997. nix's father shot it.
i scanned it and and converted it to BW, processing it slightly.
we slept like this often then... i liked to have her close to where she'd been for 9 months, and she seemed to relax.
i also like that my mom's in the picture, closeby.
happy mother's day, everyone.
my favorite photographers: daruma*
i've probably learned more from tom mclaughlan's work than anyone else i've followed on flickr.
click!
he transforms his world into art that is completely new, exciting and highly sophisticated.
for the insatiable: daruma* on flickr
click!
he transforms his world into art that is completely new, exciting and highly sophisticated.
for the insatiable: daruma* on flickr
'tell your jesus to stop kissing'
'india has no reason to be grateful to mother teresa' by sanal edamaruku, president of rationalist international
here's an excerpt:
'the legend of her homes for the dying has moved the world to tears. reality, however, is scandalous: in the overcrowded and primitive little homes, many patients have to share a bed with others. though there are many suffering from tuberculosis, aids and other highly infectious illnesses, hygiene is no concern. the patients are treated with good words and insufficient (sometimes outdated) medicines, applied with old needles, washed in lukewarm water. one can hear the screams of people having maggots tweezered from their open wounds without pain relief. on principle, strong painkillers are even in hard cases not given. according to mother teresa's bizarre philosophy, it is "the most beautiful gift for a person that he can participate in the sufferings of christ". once she tried to comfort a screaming sufferer: "you are suffering, that means jesus is kissing you!" the man got furious and screamed back: "then tell your jesus to stop kissing."'
more information in this legendary video, hell's angel, by christopher hitchens, in three parts:
previously posted here
also check out my related label.
here's an excerpt:
'the legend of her homes for the dying has moved the world to tears. reality, however, is scandalous: in the overcrowded and primitive little homes, many patients have to share a bed with others. though there are many suffering from tuberculosis, aids and other highly infectious illnesses, hygiene is no concern. the patients are treated with good words and insufficient (sometimes outdated) medicines, applied with old needles, washed in lukewarm water. one can hear the screams of people having maggots tweezered from their open wounds without pain relief. on principle, strong painkillers are even in hard cases not given. according to mother teresa's bizarre philosophy, it is "the most beautiful gift for a person that he can participate in the sufferings of christ". once she tried to comfort a screaming sufferer: "you are suffering, that means jesus is kissing you!" the man got furious and screamed back: "then tell your jesus to stop kissing."'
more information in this legendary video, hell's angel, by christopher hitchens, in three parts:
previously posted here
also check out my related label.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
sharing
there is much more going on in the interwebs than i could possibly blog about. sometimes i'm completely overwhelmed, sometimes i have little time, sometimes i'm in a funky mood, and sometimes i'm just plain lazy. even so, there's a huge volume of cool / interesting / funny stuff that i want to share.
if you have similar interests to mine, and visit my blog once in a while, you might be interested in following my shared items on google reader or my tweets which include blog posts, shared items and flickr uploads.
if you have similar interests to mine, and visit my blog once in a while, you might be interested in following my shared items on google reader or my tweets which include blog posts, shared items and flickr uploads.
if you don't add them now, you can always find them later on my sidebar.
bus ads from the freedom from religion foundation...
in the U.S. i'm not there, but i do support the separation of church and state, anywhere.
one with thomas paine is my favorite, and exactly how i feel:
there are seven in all... go find your favorite.
one with thomas paine is my favorite, and exactly how i feel:
there are seven in all... go find your favorite.
bang! the universe verse
click image to source
i just read through james lu dunbar's very cool and highly creative new ebook: bang! the universe verse, a comic book about the origin of the universe. the drawings are spectacular and the text rhymes.
this is like a cross between carl sagan and dr. seuss.
book 1 (eventually there will be three) starts... well, at the beginning, with the big bang, up until the formation of galaxies. so there's room for the sequels, which, judging by the final image, look promising:
book 1 (eventually there will be three) starts... well, at the beginning, with the big bang, up until the formation of galaxies. so there's room for the sequels, which, judging by the final image, look promising:
you'll be glad you clicked
you can request a high-resolution PDF for free (yay!), and you can buy a paperback edition as well, so visit his website.
james is self-publishing his book, spreading his appreciation of science. if you like what you see, consider helping to spread the memes.
bang! by james lu dunbar:
Friday, May 07, 2010
huge and ugly computers
click image to source
we had just arrived at our hotel for a week's vacation and the offspring was about 2 or 3. she ran into the room and stopped suddenly at the night stand next to the bed.
mommy, what's that?!
the phone.
but what's that thing on it?
i glanced, not understanding what the big deal was when i realized that the phone had a ring dial, not buttons.
image from techcrunch via a rediscovered schneiderism.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
good things come to those who wait
what's to like? click it anyway.
it's a sleepless night and this awful, awful song came to mind:
have patience
and the sky will become more blue.
have patience.
a lemon tree's blossoming in the neighborhood.
greeks are being perpetually told to have patience.
patience has its limits.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
right.
like it? i'm glad. give it a click, then.
today's score: several burned buildings, 44 injuries, 3 deaths.
but it's ok: greece is so far away.
here, have a flower.
(sorry for my absence).
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Monday, May 03, 2010
when glass breaks...
like it? really? huh... well, click it then.
... you can't glue it back together. - greek proverb
a bank window shattered during the december 2008 riots in athens.
no, i'm not in the best of moods.
thoughts are private ii
while watching this video from boingboing about american library association's 'choose privacy' week , i wondered what relationship with this issue theists would have. after all, don't they believe that someone is watching their actions and monitoring their thoughts every single second of every single day?
do theists feel they can have privacy? do they value it for themselves and for others?
choose privacy week on vimeo by 20K films
related image:
(click!)
do theists feel they can have privacy? do they value it for themselves and for others?
choose privacy week on vimeo by 20K films
related image:
(click!)
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