Loose Links (Thursday)
¶ From our Department of Yikes & Dismay comes a report by Majikthise cataloguing the extravagant lies about the Terri Schiavone case that are flourishing on right-wing blogs. This is a must-read exposé of pernicious nonsense, all of it prompted by vindictive in-laws. I hope that Lindsay Beyerstein follows up on the attacks that will no doubt be mounted against her investigation.
¶ As I become more convinced every day that faith and religion are two different things, and that the doctrines of liberal tolerance that are built into all Western democracies protect one (faith) and not the other, I find myself growing impatient with youngsters whom I suspect of exploiting religious practices to mix it up at school. That puts me especially out of sympathy with young women who insist on wearing veils and gowns that their religions, they claim, require. Does this make me a bigot? Yes, certainly, under certain kinds of scrutiny. I was in any case, somewhat discouraged by a story in today's Times about a judgment of the British Court of Appeal in favor of eccentricity. Let's hope that the local authorities consider a suitable compromise, requiring the student to wear a uniform modified to accommodate her modesty. Religion has no place in public life, and that includes public schools.
¶ Don't get your hopes up, but the political climate in Sugar Land, Texas, may be shifting.
¶ Pop Quiz
1. What colo(u)r(s) do you hate?
2. What is the longest time that it ever took you to figure out that you were dating the wrong person?
3. What was the name of your favorite pet? Did you choose it? Would you have changed it?
4. What person from the past (ie dead) would you like to bring back for a day, so that you could amaze your visitor with the latest material advances? Or would you rather deplore the latest material "advances"? (NB: Please answer this question only. Do not answer questions that you wished that I had asked. I will ask them in future Pop Quizzes, don't worry.
My answers:
1. Turquoise. I have hated turquoise for so long that I've started to like it, in a self-mutilating sort of way.
2. Nine months. At the time, I was ashamed to break off the romance. Now I'm ashamed that it took me so long.
3. Star. She was a fine-coated black lab with a white "star" on her forehead. I thought the name was dopey, but I was too young to have any suggestions. It was my own name that I wanted to change. Well, how would you like to be called Bahb?
4. Mozart. (Come on, you knew that!) I would play a lot of CDs and savor his withering criticism. Then I'd get him to play a little something. The CDs would probably be the only thing about modern life that Mozart wouldn't go for. He'd be thrilled by the TGV, I'm sure. So would I be, if only we had one here in this most advanced nation in the world.
Comments
1. I think all colours are wonderful, when they are used correctly. That being said, I will never, ever wear the colour red. It just ain't me.
2. Ugh. Four years. Not only is love blind, it is deaf, dumb and really, really stupid.
3. Anita. She was my first pet. She was a what they call a 'Blue Hamster'; a beautiful little grey/blue creature. I named her after an actress named Anita Gillette, whom I believe I had seen on some popular game show at that time. (I'm aging myself here).
4. Without a doubt, Johanne Gutenberg. I would want him to see fruits of his labours, and make him realize that we did not forget him, in spite of what that wretched Johann Fust did to him. I hope he would be intrigued by blogs and the internet, and I wonder what he would think of mega bookstores, and the changes in the book publishing industry. He'd probably love it all, because he was a businessman first and foremost, just looking to make a quick buck.
Posted by: patricia | March 3, 2005 01:01 PM
1. Pepto Bismol pink. I love pale pink (the color of my iPod) and fuschia, but that in-between shade curls my toes.
2. About six months. Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind I probably figured it out earlier, but the guy was so sweet and considerate (and had the financial capability to take me to all the best restaurants) that I couldn't bring myself to terminate the relationship.
3. Maisie, the afghan hound/collie cross that I got in college, and then had to send home to my mother because I was at the time living in an apartment that didn't allow pets and she ultimately got too big to hide from the landlord. I did choose it--she was named for a character in the musical 'The Boyfriend.'
4. Alexander Graham Bell. I'd like to find out what he thinks about the ubiquitous cell phone, as well as see how he would react to all the people who walk around using those ear-piece things and look as though they are talking to themselves at such a high-decibel level.
Posted by: jkm | March 3, 2005 11:37 PM
1. there are really few colors I hate. It's usually color combinations that drive me batty. like brown and teal -- what is that?
2. i think i usually know when i'm dating the wrong person... i think a better question would be "when do you stop dating someone you know you really don't like and really couldn't care less about?" and "why did you finally stop dating them?"
3. Conrad. The family cockatiel. We named him that after Conrad Birdie from "Bye Bye Birdie." It suited him. Somewhat formal, somewhat silly.
4. Marie Curie. Someone who would appreciate medical advancements. And who would be furious that we haven't come that much further when it comes to women's health.
Posted by: Ms NOLA | March 4, 2005 12:06 PM
1) purple, washed out greens and blue. Yeech.
2) 12 yrs. Hey, love is blind. But we're having dinner tonight, so who knows.
3) Gregory Peck. My Mother was mad about him and when they brought us a cocker spaniel, his name had already been decided.
4) da Vinci. He with all his ideas, he would just sit and marvel........
Posted by: PPOQ | March 4, 2005 03:23 PM