Dr. Joan Bushwell's Chimpanzee Refuge
Archives for June, 2008
An Unlikely Thank You
Posted by Jim Fiore on June 30, 2008 This past weekend was high school graduation weekend for most of the schools in our area. At times like these, I sometimes hear folks waxing nostalgic about certain teachers who made an impact on them. I never had a chance to thank a couple of teachers who taught me extremely valuable lessons that served me…
Energy Equivalence
Posted by Jim Fiore on June 23, 2008 Two things that seem to be in the headlines of late: oil prices and overweight Americans. How do these things go together? Time for a fun “back of the envelope” calculation. According to the CDC about two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese (a BMI over 25 tags you as overweight while a BMI…
Fun with Resistive Position Sensors
Posted by Jim Fiore on June 19, 2008 As part of my continuing adventures in drumming symmetry, I have been working on a dual electronic hi-hat pedal. The idea is to have a single hi-hat pad respond equally well to either a left or a right foot pedal. It is similar to having both left and right kick drum pedals. For the hi-hat,…
Congressman Jordan’s Greatest Document
Posted by Jim Fiore on June 18, 2008 If you happened to be watching C-SPAN last night you got to see a parade of conservative Republicans prattling on about House Resolution 284 (AKA National Year of the Bible) and related concerns. It’s gotten to the point that a showing of middle-aged and older conservative white guys from Texas, in all their doughy glory,…
FFRF Convention
Posted by Jim Fiore on June 17, 2008 The Freedom From Religion Foundation will hold its 31st annual convention in Chicago, October 10-12. Speakers include journalist Eleanor Clift and Daniel Dennett. Clift has been a contributing editor at Newsweek for a number of years and appears regularly on some of the “political pundits” shows. Professor Dennett is well known for his books, including…
Friday Flippancy: Immanuel Kant – Wrong for America!
Posted by Dr. Joan Bushwell on June 13, 2008 Speaking of procrastination, from LOLtheorists: See more funny videos at CollegeHumor
The Art of the Time Sink
Posted by Dr. Joan Bushwell on June 13, 2008 Even though my e-mail address in buried amongst the piles of banana peels and dried bonobo scat that litter the Refuge, I receive various “you might want to blog about this” tips from the media and commercial interests. Don’t interpret this as self-importance on my part since all of my dear, dear sweet SciBlings receive…
A little shout-out of appreciation
Posted by Dr. Joan Bushwell on June 6, 2008 So AfterElton: News, Reviews and Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media just released their choices for the Hot 100 Men List. Granted, this may smack of exploitation a la Maxim’s list of “hot women,” but it prompts me to offer a short list of Guys Who Hang Out (Figuratively) at…
Dana Rohrabacher: Congressional Embarrassment
Posted by Jim Fiore on June 6, 2008 Congressman Rohrabacher (R-California) gave a presentation yesterday concerning global warming which was carried live on C-SPAN. I have not been able to find either video or a transcript but here’s the gist of it: Rohrabacher resides firmly in the lunatic fringe. He’s a global warming denier and a conspiracy theorist. He plays fast and loose…
Friday Flower Porn: The V-Word
Posted by Dr. Joan Bushwell on June 6, 2008 Courtesy of S.T., intrepid Chimp Refuge photographer on assignment, I offer a cast member of the V Monologues for your consideration.