A blog by Tom Sheepandgoats (aka Tom Harley)
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Wealth Distribution and the Jubilee
I plucked the latest Economist from my mailbox and thought I’d picked up the Watchtower by mistake. “World on the Edge” read the headline. Sure enough, on the cover was a silhouetted figure peering fearfully over the edge into the chasm below. And the edge was crumbling. Such illustrations have become commonplace in these recent days of financial meltdown. A week or two ago, news anchor…
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Bailing, Bailing, and Bailing
It seemed certain that the House would pass the bailout bill, but it almost didn’t happen. It took two tries. Conservative House members cited their constituents, who demanded by a 9 to 1 margin (if not more) that the plan be rejected. The threat of another Great Depression didn’t faze them. Bailing out Wall Street bankers just made their blood boil! Would those same bankers bail…
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Where is Eliot Spitzer When You Need Him?
They cheered on the stock exchange floor the day Eliot Spitzer went down. The past year has been dismal for stocks, but prices soared on that day! The Sheriff of Wall Street was dead! In fact, he was better than dead…..he was disgraced. Regular folk heehawed and ridiculed. Under pressure, I reluctantly agreed to close out my Eliot Spitzer category (but reneged), yet even then …
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Something like Mr. Spock in the Air
When Stalin and successors ruled Russia, there was strict media censorship. You didn’t speak against the state. Nowadays there is no state censorship, yet the media kowtows as though there was. The censorship is self-imposed. “There is no person who tells [me] what you can and what you can’t do.“ says journalist Nikolai Svanidze, recently quoted in the Economist. “It is in the air." Lot’s…
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The Prophets of Deuteronomy
Prophets are a tricky bunch. You never quite know what they'll do. They are not guys like us that leave home at 8 and return at 5. They're more….um….eclectic. There are ten instances of the word “prophet” in the book of Deuteronomy, mainly clustered in two places. Best we take a look at them. Deuteronomy chapter 13 In case a prophet or a dreamer of…
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It Doesn’t Make You Want to Run Out and Hold Up a Banner for Atheism
Well well well. Look what we find in the Rolling Stone. (9/4/08) Here is singer/songwriter Randy Newman in interview. His just released album is Harps and Angels. Um, isn’t that religious, Rolling Stone wants to know. Had you been sick when you wrote it? No, he just likes that kind of imagery, he replies. Besides, “sometimes you do think, ‘Jeez, it’d be great if there…
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Beijing and Real World Unity
As the $40 billion dollar Beijing Olympics romped through closing ceremonies, NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth gushed with emotion. Two weeks of persons from all corners of the earth mingling, smiling, and learning about each other’s cultures! No battling, save only that of sports, and that done amidst mutual respect and good will. Maybe….maybe….I mean, it’s probably pie-in-the-sky, he conceded, but maybe…..if they could do it…
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Henrietta Lands a MegaMarket
When City! Newspaper wrote about Wegmans Food Markets a while back, they ventured: “We suspect many Rochestarians would like to live in Wegmans.” They were right. Visit a store and you almost think you‘re at an outdoor market. People in chef hats stop you and ask if you want to try this or that delicacy they've just rustled up. You should always say yes….who would…
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The Trouble With Critical Thinking
Those atheists are trying to tell me that bringing a child up in ones faith is like child abuse. Sheesh! The kids believe what their parents believe, they grouse. They don’t have a fair chance to become …..well….atheists! like us! Sure, children usually adopt the religious views of their parents. They also adopt every other view. It is in the nature of child-rearing. Children of…
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Finding God at the Plantation Gardens
When you're done gawking at Ithaca weidos, (see post)should that be your inclination, then you must scoot over to the Cornell Plantations and take in the gardens. There really is something for everyone in Ithaca. Stroll around and you‘ll think you‘re in one of those trademark new system paradise pictures straight from the Watchtower magazine. You half expect to see incompatible animals…..a moose, a lion,…