A Pat Metheny moment

I've admired and enjoyed the music of Pat Metheny for many years. His style is extraordinarily difficult to characterize. He can dazzle you with his blistering guitar solos that dwell simultaneously in the worlds of jazz, pop and classical. But he can also write and perform exquisitely beautiful ballads, such as this one entitled "Letter from Home." It's a short piece, only about two minutes, and it's well worth your trouble. If you've never before heard Pat Metheny's music, you're in for a treat: If you enjoyed that interlude, consider the following video as a change of pace. And how often do you hear a duet involving a guitar and a full set of drums?

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Sex, movies and videogames

Movies are a staple of American culture. Videogames are another staple. And yes, movies that feature videogames constitute ultra-special moments for those who are fans of both. What are some of the top movies that have utilized videogames as part of their story lines? Nick Smith of pwnordie.com has taken away much of the guesswork by compiling video-gaming excerpts from National Lampoon's Vacation, Back to the Future II, Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin, National Lampoon's Vacation and many other popular movies. If you follow this link to Nick's site

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What should we do about Demon Dolls?

What is the xenophobic American religious right up to these days? Once in a while, I tune into the local all-Christian talk radio to try to understand the Christian Right a bit better. I tuned in again tonight on my way home, and I was rewarded with one of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction stories. It was a real-life Twilight Zone. To better understand what was going on, listen to this 10-second long YouTube and consider what this doll is saying, if anything. If you guessed that the doll was saying "Islam is the light," you win the grand prize. I didn't win the grand prize. I listened to the radio discussion all the way home, compelled on by the insanity. The show included three religious conservative women, all of them very upset with this doll. The doll, which is called "Baby Cuddle & Coo Doll," is made by Mattel and, according to the women on the radio, the doll is an evil attempt to indoctrinate our innocent children to take up the cause of Islam. The women on the radio described this evil doll in many ways (they were quite upset); for instance, this doll is an attempt at "stealth jihad" . . .

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What is special about science?

Science isn't about a particular batch of results. Science is special because of the way in which it gets those results. The following is from a well-written essay in the NYT entitled, "Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy":

Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth.

That endeavor, which has transformed the world in the last few centuries, does indeed teach values. Those values, among others, are honesty, doubt, respect for evidence, openness, accountability and tolerance and indeed hunger for opposing points of view.

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