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| Celestiniosity |
| Explores a wide range of events and issues in a creative, even-handed, and often quirky manner. Specializing in politics, philosophy, and mischief. |
| Language: English |
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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 11 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 225282 |
| Visitors Out: 481 |
| Total Visitors Out: 481 |
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| People of the World: Please Stop |
| 2008-06-10 16:18:51 |
Yesterday I found myself explaining a curious thing to my son. He was wondering why H.P. Lovecraft wasn’t the most famous horror-writerAbandon All Hope ever, and I explained that he was a little too “out there” to ever garner a larger readership, until recently (admittedly, I suspect his readership is still not huge, but [...]...
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| A Quick Word On Burkhas |
| 2008-05-16 22:09:03 |
OK…so I’m a bit drunk. But tonight’s surfing brought me to a story of some girl who got arrested for her “too revealing” prom dress, and then an assortment of Hollywood “gaffes” wherein some starlet or other showed too much nipple, and finally I was compelled to do a search for “men burkhas” which, [...]...
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| Sex Education Should Begin At Birth |
| 2008-04-28 10:34:59 |
One might think that in an evolved, educated, first-world nation, the issue of “sex ed” would have been settled long ago. After all, what could be more important than teaching children about their own bodies, and encouraging each individual to make responsible choices when it comes to reproduction? And yet, the debate continues to [...]...
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| Elevenish Ways To Kill A Peep |
| 2008-03-22 23:25:18 |
So, it’s Easter/Ostara/Spring Equinox/whateveryoucallit, and as usual the stores are full of symbolic representations of our gratitude for new life. Pastels, chocolate eggs, and the persistent Peeps. Yes, the gooey marshmallow “treats” which line up in their neat little rows behind their cellophane windows to peer blankly out into the world through their [...]...
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| Bringing Back the Stocks |
| 2008-02-25 10:49:15 |
Here in Asheville, NC, the police department is updating an ages-old concept in their attempts to discourage unwanted behaviour: public humiliation. As was recently announced, Asheville police have begun posting on their website and on the local television channel names and photographs of individuals charged with prostitution or soliciting for prostitution.
Now read that again, [...]...
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| Hillary’s “Significance” |
| 2008-02-14 11:08:18 |
Just who is significant? Photo by highkey11, creative commons licenseI’m pretty sure I want Barack Obama for President, but I could still change my mind. Granted, in order for that to happen Obama would have to do something which demonstrated that he does not intend to carry through with the promises in his proposed [...]...
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| Off The Cuff: The New Frontier |
| 2008-02-08 14:30:09 |
Presenting The CaseFor two days I have been writing about the concept of Revolution. I have mused on the general concept, and I have talked about what the first step in overhauling the current system has to be. If we are going to try for real change, however, we also have to agree [...]...
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| Off The Cuff: A Wave of Information |
| 2008-02-07 11:06:53 |
Presenting The CaseYesterday, I was thinking about Revolution in general terms: what it means, what might be the goal of a modern revolution, what tools we have to hand. Today I am thinking we need to break it down a little smaller. Recently, I was arguing with a friend about whether ideology or [...]...
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| Off The Cuff: How Do You Start A Revolution? |
| 2008-02-06 16:08:01 |
Presenting The CaseI am thinking a lot about the concept of revolution, these days. At this point, most people in the United States can agree that something has gone terribly wrong. We may disagree about when it started to go that way (my personal contention being “with Teddy Roosevelt”), or how far away [...]...
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| Beyond Race, Gender, and “Experience”: The Real Reason To Vote For Obama |
| 2008-02-05 11:23:59 |
As Super Tuesday is upon us, the arguments over which prospective Democratic candidate should be chosen has grown steadily more heated here in the United States. Along with the candidates themselves engaging in pointed sound-byte rhetoric (all of which seems to come down to Hillary’s “experience”, and the massive parcel of baggage that said [...]...
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| No Such Thing As False Hope |
| 2008-02-04 10:49:41 |
Just look at that crowd… — Photo by roxannejomitchell’s photos, Creative Commons.I spent much of yesterday writing a carefully researched and documented essay comparing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, with the aim of demonstrating why the former was a better choice for President than the latter. As it sat this evening in not-quite-done [...]...
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| Super-Delegates, Public Funding, and the Sham of the Democratic Primary Process |
| 2008-01-30 10:56:16 |
Reminds me of “The Hanged Man”…*sigh* - Photo by Austen Squarepants. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)The Presidential primary process is settling into full swing now, as I am constantly reminded by emails from various political and activist groups. Everyone’s eyes are on the Democratic showdown between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, and the news is [...]...
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| The Most Important Electoral Issue: Does Your Vote Count? |
| 2008-01-18 14:36:13 |
Sock Monkeys Unite!! — Photo by Bolobilly on Flickr. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)We are two elections in to the Presidential primary races, and already it has begun: conspiracy theories that the votes have been tampered with. And now, thanks to Dennis Kucinich we’re starting to get some evidence that, indeed, something is not quite [...]...
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| Cheap Booze Reviews: “Malt Beverages With Caffeine and Ginseng” |
| 2008-01-12 09:26:06 |
Once upon a time, in a universe existing primarily in the spaces between computers, two stalwart adventurers met on the road. One, an adventurous musician with a weakness for rubber chickens. The other, an idealistic lunatic with a penchant for awkward linguistic constructions. Both had a fondness for mischief and strong drink. And so [...]...
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| The Bad Guy Epidemic |
| 2008-01-10 15:50:46 |
There has been a slowly emerging trend in fiction over the last fifteen years or so. Replacing the simple goodness of protagonists such as King Arthur and the simpleminded goodness of heroines such as Snow White, we have a growing contingent of more complicated, morally ambiguous characters taking center stage in our stories. [...]...
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| The Kali Principle |
| 2007-12-28 15:43:32 |
Fire DancerA great deal of emphasis is given in our stories to tales of magical creation. Wishes are granted, and the coveted item appears out of thin air. The birth of a child, in many religions, is the beginning of salvation. The creation of a building, or an artifact, or a concrete [...]...
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| The Polar Bear Threat to Organized Religion |
| 2007-12-13 16:39:07 |
It’s about power, not about God. Photo by MJ Mac. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)Last night, I went with my family to see The Golden Compass. Even if you are not a fan of the fantasy genre, you have probably heard about this film by now due to the efforts of some Christian [...]...
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| Blueprint for the Disintegration of America |
| 2007-12-10 16:49:48 |
Bumper stickers as the modern version of political activism… Photo by cesar bojorquez. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)Recently, there has been an increasing amount of talk centering on the possibility (or even probability) that President Bush and his administration are going to declare martial law and bring around a new fascist state. [...]...
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| Should We Freak Out About H.R. 1955? |
| 2007-11-12 16:32:18 |
One of the more disturbing bits of news to hit headlines today was that back in October, the House of Representatives passed a bit of legislation entitled Violent RadicalizationPhoto by kaerast. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, H.R. 1955. Reading quick synopses and evaluations of this bill, one [...]...
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| Why We Need Halloween |
| 2007-10-29 17:54:38 |
Photo by Matt Reinbold. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) Even outside the church, there are concerns that it promotes unhealthy food choices. It scares the little ones. And to top it all off, it’s dangerous, with its glorification of violence, poisoned and razor-bladed treats, and the way it encourages children to take candy [...]...
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| Staring Into The Abyss |
| 2007-09-17 11:59:25 |
The real thing doesn”t photograph well. You will have to go with my symbolic representation. Pic by me. For some people, it is simply a culmination of small things, over the years, and it is impossible to pinpoint the one that tipped us over. However we get there, most people, sooner or later, find themselves [...]...
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| I Hate Babies |
| 2007-08-05 18:04:54 |
In case you missed the “satire” tag…of course I believe everything I said here. Photo by billy verdin. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) I was reading over one of the terribly predictable unbelievably repetitive many debates about the “moral basis” for and against abortion today, when it suddenly hit me: I suppose I should [...]...
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| Eight Things You Just Can’t Say In The U.S. |
| 2007-07-27 17:45:38 |
In thinking about taboos recently, it occurred to me that while some of them are obvious (no peeing in public, for example), some of the cultural standards with the deepest impact are the ones which are hardest to see: those dealing with ideas. Here in the United States, we champion our freedom, and get [...]...
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| Legalize Marijuana or Hand Over Your Guns |
| 2007-06-20 18:17:43 |
It came up when I searched for “high”. Photo by Coulsey. (License: Creative Commons Attribution) Let’s take just a moment and consider some fundamental paradoxes within the United States’ legal system. We like to think we are the nation of freedom, the nation of get-ahead, the nation of self-made men and women [...]...
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| A Question of Reality |
| 2007-06-11 08:32:03 |
I just searched for “reality”, and I got this. I think Flickr just proved my point… Photo by Paula Iannuzzi. (License: Creative Commons Attribution)We think we know what reality is. Our lives are filled with work, sex, and food that we consider to be real. The processes within your mind, [...]...
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