‘Tis Burns Night

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Chuck Stanley
Robert Burns

Robert Burns

By CHARLTON STANLEY

Robert Burns was born on this day in 1759.  The bard of Scotland was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things with the language of his time.  He wrote in the Scots dialect, but he also wrote in plain English.

The great Scottish folk singer, Donnie MacDonald, once told me that in his opinion the closest American songwriter to Burns was Hank Williams, Sr. I had not thought of that comparison, so he explained. Both writers understood the common man, the person who worked hard to survive, and who lived a life of dignity and worth.  And come to think of it both Robert Burns and Hank Williams were no strangers to a hearty party.

Robert Burns wrote of the mundane, of the common person, of love of the land and its creatures and of love itself.

All across the world, on this night there will be Burns Night Suppers.  These events are treasured by those who love the genius of Burns, whether they are of Scottish descent or not.  The Burns Supper is a combination of reception, feast, entertainment and poetry reading.

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Posted in Poetry, Scotland | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

The Third Post in the “Oh My Achin Head” Series: Mike Huckabee on Democrats, Women, Uncle Sugar, Birth Control, and Female Libidos

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

Mike Huckabee - CopyBy ELAINE MAGLIARO

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, 2008 Republican presidential candidate, ordained minister, guitarist, author, and Fox News commentator made news this week because of comments that he made at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting. While speaking to the audience, Huckabee suggested that Republicans should take “a more combative attitude toward winning the votes of women, by emphasizing that women aren’t weaklings in need of help from the government.” He said, “I think it’s time Republicans no longer accept listening to the Democrats talk about a ‘war on women.’ The fact is the Republicans don’t have a war on women, they have a war for women, to empower them to be something other than victims of their gender.”

Here’s what Mr. Dimples said that really caught media attention—and more than a soupçon of ridicule:

“If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of government then so be it! Let us take that discussion all across America because women are far more than the Democrats have played them to be.”

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Posted in Civil Liberties, Fundamentalism, Reproductive Rights, RNC, United States | 37 Comments

The Second Post in the “Oh My Achin’ Head” Series: GOP Congressman Says Wives Should Submit to Their Husbands

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

Steve_PearceBy ELAINE MAGLIARO

It looks as if some Republican Congressmen haven’t gotten the message yet regarding how to go about winning over the hearts and minds of female voters. You’d think that they’d try a little harder considering Mitt Romney, their candidate for president in the 2012 election, “suffered from one of the biggest so-called ‘gender gaps’ in recent history.”

Rep. Steven Pearce (R-NM), a Baptist and a Vietnam War Veteran, published a memoir recently in which he expressed his belief that “the wife is to submit to the husband.” According to Aaron Blake of the Washington Post, Pearce said “that both the military chain of command and the family unit need a structure in which everyone plays his or her role.” Citing the Bible, Pearce wrote, “The wife is to voluntarily submit, just as the husband is to lovingly lead and sacrifice. The husband’s part is to show up during the times of deep stress, take the leadership role and be accountable for the outcome, blaming no one else.” He also wrote, “The wife’s submission is not a matter of superior versus inferior; rather, it is self-imposed as a matter of obedience to the Lord and of love for her husband.”

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Posted in Christianity, Equal Rights, Fundamentalism, RNC, United States | 129 Comments

NOTICE: Flu Season

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Gene Howington

Sorry, but many of the authors at FFS have been compromised by the flu. New content will be coming as soon as we are able. Thank you.

Posted in FFS Update(s) | 51 Comments

In Memory Of David Blair Drumm, 1948-2013

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Gene Howington

Although I’ve known about David Drumm’s passing for a few days, it is nonetheless news announced with a heavy heart . . .

jonathanturley's avatarJONATHAN TURLEY

It is with the greatest personal sadness that I have to report the death of a cherished member of our blog family. David Blair Drumm passed away on December 18, 2013 in Austin, Texas. David was there at the very beginning of this blog and remained one of its staunchest supporters. Through the years, David was a rock who not only brought reasoned and calm analysis to posts but also to the management of the blog. He started as a regular commentator under the name “Nal” and I then invited him to write on the weekends. He played the role of editor as well as writer. (Indeed, I am worried about this memorial since David often caught the many typos that I would leave in early morning postings). I came to trust him absolutely in his judgment and analysis. I considered him a good friend and one of the…

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Posted in Blogs, FFS Update(s) | 1 Comment

UNC Blocks Research Into Its Athletes’ Dismal Reading Skills. Reason? It Might Violate Their Policy on Human Research

Posted on January 18, 2014 by mespo727272

By MARK ESPOSITO

Mary-Willingham-UNC

Taking On King Football Is Tough Sledding For UNC Prof. Mary Willingham

Professor Mary Willingham is an audacious academic as defined by our times. Aghast by having to teach basic reading skills (like sounding out “Wis-con-sin”) to athletes in the University of North Carolina’s revenue producing sports programs –read that as football and basketball — the scholar decided to look into how UNC evaluates the college readiness of those baby-blue clad  hulks on the hardwood and gridiron.

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Posted in Education, Sports | 23 Comments

Opportunity Costs (Of a Sort)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Gene Howington

By GENE HOWINGTON

Does wealth destroy empathy and compassion and create a sense of entitlement? Here’s what a research study involving a rigged game of Monopoly showed to social psychologist Paul Piff.

What do you think of Piff’s results?

Posted in Uncategorized | 39 Comments

My First Post in the “Oh My Achin’ Head” Series—Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s Ingenious Idea for Job Creation

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

Bob_Goodlatte_OfficialBy ELAINE MAGLIARO

During a debate over an anti-abortion bill in the House of Representatives, Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia made the suggestion that his fellow Republicans support “restricting access to abortion because it will ultimately benefit the economy if women have more children. Goodlatte noted that carrying pregnancies to term ‘very much promotes job creation.’” Goodlatte made his comments while he was presiding over a committee mark-up of the “No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act,” or HR 7. Tara Culp-Ressler of ThinkProgress wrote that the “legislation would dramatically restrict women’s access to affordable abortion care by imposing restrictions on insurance coverage and tax credits for the procedure.”

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Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

(Really) Cold Case: Alexander the Great

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Gene Howington
A Roman copy of a statue of Alexander by Lysippos. Plutarch said that the sculptures by Lysippos were the most faithful.

A Roman copy of a statue of Alexander by Lysippos. Plutarch said that the sculptures by Lysippos were the most faithful.

By GENE HOWINGTON

One of the great leaders from the ancient west was the son of Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great. Educated in the classics by Aristotle and in the arts of war and statecraft by his father, Alexander was the very portrait of an overachiever. Leading his first troops into battle at the age of 16, by the time of his death at age 32, Alexander ruled an empire that stretched from the eastern Mediterranean to modern day India and south into Arabia and Egypt. After being ill for twelve days, Alexander died on June 11, 323 BCE, at the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon. Given the circumstances surrounding his death and the well-known penchant of the Macedonian aristocracy to use assassination, speculation about foul play began immediately, although many natural theories surrounding Alexander’s death have arisen over the years from bacteriological infection to acute pancreatitis.  The latest contender?  Poisoning by an extract of the white hellebore plant (Veratrum album).

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Posted in Archaeology, Chemistry, History, Science | 5 Comments

Just for Fun: A Little Song Parody About a Traffic Jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Elaine Magliaro

By ELAINE MAGLIARO

Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon parody the scandal surrounding lane closures on the George Washington Bridge with a song called “Gov. Christie Traffic Jam.”

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments