HELIOLITH

Listening to yesterday’s podcast of Democracy Now (transcript here), some serious issues in the trial come to light. I have not been closely following this trial at all, but it seems that an appeal is clearly warranted, on several grounds, and anyone even scanning the headlines can realize how politicized this trial has become, […]

The parallels between Battlestar Galactica’s 3rd Season and the occupation of Iraq are clearly intentional, and undeniably thought provoking. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should probably skip my post.
Interestingly, it’s the human forces in the show that parallel the role of the occupied Iraqis, while the Cylon robot-enemy plays the […]

I’ve been using the Environmental Working Group’s new indispensible database that evaluated 785 name-brand sunscreen products that was made public in June 2007. [Press Release, Executive Summary, Best Products]
My family is spending a ton of time in the sun lately, and as a parent it’s an obvious duty to protect […]

For a couple of years now I’ve been thinking about what next vehicle I might get if our (2) cars run into the ground. I hardly use my car lately, riding most everywhere, including the 12 miles to work, but still, I appreciate the flexiblity and the for transporting kids, it’s pretty key, especially […]

This image is from the BBC Report today from UNICEF’s Warning that Children are falling victim to the immense humanitarian tragedy that Iraq has become, and that need is outstripping our ability to bring aid.
Maybe the War Resisters have a good notion. Witholding money from the military involved in a criminal war shows honor. […]

Trying to catch up on the news of May Day Rally in Los Angeles, and wanting primary sources, I turned to YouTube. Lamentably, I had to filter through white-supremacist versions of riot footage, set to what sounds like angry white-power punkrock. Is there really a white-power musical genre? Blech. One of […]

So an Italian judge is trying to decide whether to request the extradition of 26 U.S. citizens in connection with the kidnapping and torture of Mr Hassan, also known as Abu Omar. He was released from prison in Egypt last Sunday, 2/11/07. According to this BBC article, “He says that he was repeatedly […]

I hate horror movies with a passion. I don’t understand their allure, if you do, I can (almost) respect that. Disgusting movies like Seven, that leave me with thoughts of pathological killers with no remorse and no sensitivity are scary, yes, but worse they’re toxic to our mental health. It’s not cathartic. It ends […]

Responding to Iran’s assertion that they will hit back hard if the USA attacks them, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted, “My impression is they make threats like this from time to time. We have no intention of attacking Iran.” (Herald Tribune) He added, “It’s just another day in the Persian Gulf.”
Yet […]

As much as I applaud and appreciate Lloyd Levine’s chutzpah, I can’t help but laugh at the thought that he is actually proposing to ban regular incandescent light bulbs in California. The Washington Post has a good writeup, if you don’t want to just check the frontpage of Levine’s Homepage.
Personally, about […]