Author: hobbular

Religion4 Comments

On “You’re In My Prayers”

hobbular

[My relevant background: I am non-religious. I generally describe my belief system as “apathetic” rather than “atheist”; I would not live my life any differently regardless of the existence or nonexistence of a deity or deities. I do not engage in any sort of spiritual or religious practice. I was, however, raised Catholic.] I noticed a post floating around tumblr earlier this week, deriding specifically atheists who reject the offer of prayers from religious or spiritual people. The original post reads: If you have suffered a tragedy and someone says, “you’re in my prayers” with sincerity, and you respond with … Continue reading On “You’re In My Prayers”

Economy5 Comments

Social Security for All – to help save the planet

hobbular

I ran across this long-form blog post yesterday, which I really encourage you to read in its entirety: While making people work shitty jobs to “earn” a living has always been spiteful, it’s now starting to seem suicidal. So perhaps it’s time to reclaim job-killing environmentalism, this time not as a project that demonizes workers, or even work — but rather, as one that rejects work done for its own sake. Instead of stigmatizing, criminalizing, and imprisoning the unemployed and “non-industrious poor,” perhaps we should see them, as David Graeber suggests, as the “pioneers of a new economic order” — one where … Continue reading Social Security for All – to help save the planet

Geek Cred, Science5 Comments

Genetic Code, and What’s Cool About It

hobbular

My father recently brought to my attention an article about a “second DNA code” discovered hiding within DNA: DNA contains about 3 billion bases, more than 99 percent of which are the same in all human beings. “The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences,” according to the National Institutes of Health. For instance, the genetic code uses a 64-letter alphabet called codons. The team found that some codons, which they … Continue reading Genetic Code, and What’s Cool About It

Uncategorized3 Comments

Being mindful and thankful

hobbular

Among the people TIME interviewed for their piece on what public figures are thankful for is Chelsea Manning: I’m usually hesitant to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. After all, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony systematically terrorized and slaughtered the very same Pequot tribe that assisted the first English refugees to arrive at Plymouth Rock. So, perhaps ironically, I’m thankful that I know that, and I’m also thankful that there are people who seek out, and usually find, such truths. I’m thankful for people who, even surrounded by millions of Americans eating turkey during regularly scheduled commercial breaks in the Green … Continue reading Being mindful and thankful

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Ta-Nehisi Coates on Words Having Context

hobbular

You’ve probably seen this by now, but if you haven’t, go read it: A few summers ago one of my best friends invited me up to what he affectionately called his “white-trash cabin” in the Adirondacks. This was not how I described the outing to my family. Two of my Jewish acquaintances once joked that I’d “make a good Jew.” My retort was not, “Yeah, I certainly am good with money.” Gay men sometimes laughingly refer to one another as “faggots.” My wife and her friends sometimes, when having a good time, will refer to one another with the word … Continue reading Ta-Nehisi Coates on Words Having Context

Uncategorized9 Comments

Weekend Question Thread

hobbular

Since Athenae’s out, I’m usurping the Question Thread. It’s getting unfortunately cold outside for those of us in civilized latitudes (lookin’ at you, Adrastos). What do you do for entertainment when it’s too cold to just go drink a beer on the porch in a t-shirt? I’ve hauled out the knitting and bought a 1000-piece puzzle; there will also be much roasting of poultry and making of soup. If it deigns to snow this year, I’ll haul out the cross-country skis, but the weather has been somewhat fickle in that regard the past few years. Continue reading Weekend Question Thread

Uncategorized1 Comment

‘Color-Blind’ Racial Attitudes

hobbular

I’m taking a class this semester to learn how to teach; specifically, I’m taking a class to learn how to deal with the challenges and opportunities inherent in a classroom with a diverse student body. What exactly is meant by “diverse” ranges from national origin to race or ethnic identity, or from gender to sexual orientation to even just your mastery of the English language. It’s a recognition that every student in your class is coming at your subject from a different place from every other student, and ignoring that background diversity can impede your ability to actually get a … Continue reading ‘Color-Blind’ Racial Attitudes

On Wisconsin, Scott Walker's Horcruxes1 Comment

John Doe 2: The Walkening

hobbular

Hat tip to Jude for the heads-up: Eric O’Keefe, the director of the Wisconsin Club for Growth, told the nation’s most widely known conservative editorial page he received a subpoena in early October. O’Keefe said at least three targets had their homes raided, according to the newspaper on Friday. The opinion piece said about 30 groups had received subpoenas, including heavy hitters nationally. It named eight of them: Walker’s campaign; the Wisconsin Club for Growth; American Crossroads, a group co-founded by Karl Rove, the former adviser to President George W. Bush; the Republican Governors Association; the Republican Party of Wisconsin; … Continue reading John Doe 2: The Walkening

Uncategorized5 Comments

Fair Warning: This is Hobbes

hobbular

Athenae’s skipping town tonight and for some reason she’s entrusted me with a set of spare keys to First Draft to keep you people entertained in her absence. So we’ll see how that goes. I figure I should tell y’all at least vaguely where I’m coming from before I start inflicting my word vomit on you, so: I’m a nearly-30-year-old graduate student in computer sciences and biology, a godless heathen despite 13 years of Catholic school, and a (these days) intermittent comic artist. I’m also a lady-person with Opinions on what it’s like to be a minority in a STEM … Continue reading Fair Warning: This is Hobbes

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TIME Person of the Year: Pope Frank. Ho hum.

hobbular

Which, to be fair, I like the guy and he’s great at doing little things that piss off the right people: And yet in less than a year, he has done something remarkable: he has not changed the words, but he’s changed the music. Tone and temperament matter in a church built on the substance of symbols—bread and wine, body and blood—so it is a mistake to dismiss any Pope’s symbolic choices­ as gestures empty of the force of law. That being said, TIME Man of the Year (as it was more honestly called until 1999; only four individual women … Continue reading TIME Person of the Year: Pope Frank. Ho hum.