My web designer buddies love Flash, and I trust them to know what they’re talking about from a technical perspective.
But as a website user, I hate the Flash-driven ads that distract from news stories and research articles.
In fact, it was the recent spate of ugly American Airlines ads that finally motivated me to de-install Flash, once and for all.
Month: April 2005
Royal Wedding
Add another to the many things I don’t understand about people: why did the newspapers and TV networks in the US find it necessary to savage yesterday’s wedding of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall?
Gardener’s Diary
Young James came for an overnight last night, and we had a great time. He got in a lot of outdoor activity with the little boy next door while I mulched the gardens – put down only 9 cubic feet, but that was enough to cover everything respectably.
On the other hand….
My last post about public schools and one public school teacher in particular generated some thought-provoking comments, so maybe some less strident afterwords are in order.
Kindergarten Assignment
Yesterday, one of my neighbors showed me her son’s kindergarten assignment: he was asked to draw a picture of his family, and to write the names under each picture.
I wondered about the purpose of this little exercise. Is the point of it to “out” children with same-sex parents? To solidify latent bigotry against the children of single mothers? To see if tell-tale names like “Shaun” and “Moira” entitle kids with ethnically neutral last names some special privilege? Or the reverse, to see if there’s a “Moishe” attached somewhere to a “Brown”?
Thank You, Senator Schumer
The loathesome Chairman of the Federal Reserve is at it again, suggesting that the mortgage finance companies on which so many middle-income families depend, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reduce their portfolios.
This is one more assault by Greenspan on the middle class, one more chorus in his sychophantic Swan Song.
Greenspan has become the Bush Administration’s financial poet laureate, ensuring that as he approaches retirement, he will retain the favor of the power elite who slaver over the obliteration of the lifestyles of folks like you and me.
Silent on the financial devastation of the Iraq War and the resulting unimaginable Federal deficit, the erosion of the dollar, the ever-worsening balance of trade, Greenspan’s assaults on Social Security and now Fannie and Freddie is, in my view, motivated by nothing more than the self-interest of a too-powerful civil servant who looks forward to reaping obscene rewards as he returns to a grateful private sector.
How 40’s, How 50’s
Having another go at QuizFarm.com – what philosophy is right for you?
Mine follows…..
What religion is the right one for you?
With a lot of the “first world” thinking about religion these days, here’s an interesting test on QuizFarm.com: What religion is the right one for you?
My results follow…..
Reflections
It makes me very happy to know that I am not alone in my opinion of John Paul II compared to John XXIII, especially when those opinions are shared by one who is erudite and well-informed on matters concerning the Catholic Church.
A splendid piece by Frances Kissling, the president of Catholics for a Free Choice, was published in salon.com under the title “A divider, not a uniter”.
Salon prohibits reproduction of materials from its site, otherwise I would have copied the whole essay here. Believe me, it’s worth clicking through one of their sponsorship ads to read it.
John Paul II
Perhaps because I’m not Catholic, I don’t understand the blinders that so many people have strapped on about the papacy of John Paul II.
Even the so-called liberal press can’t resist the urge to gush about what some of us think was a 26-year-long lost opportunity to strengthen the Church.