by Arius Elvikis
The Farm
by Alexis Rockman
(2000)
Incredible advances are being made in genetics and biotechnology. Crops are altered to be easier for farmers to grow; bacteria are altered to produce specific substances or break down others; and animals are beginning to be custom-tailored to yield more meat or aid in disease research. These are fascinating fields and they certainly spark the imagination when the potential is considered. But they might not be without their dangers. Read the rest of this entry »
by Clifton Smith
When surfing the Web recently for info on writer/infidel Ayaan Hirsi Ali, I notice that her Wikipedia entry contains many “citation needed” notices.
Good Samaritan that I try to be, I decide to try to improve the quality and reliability of this Wikipedia entry.
Better Samaritan that I try to be, I decide to share with [sic] readers how this process unfolds.
Awesome. Read the rest of this entry »
by Clifton Smith
Nine-tenths of the appeal of pornography is due to the indecent feelings concerning sex which moralists inculcate in the young; the other tenth is physiological, and will occur in one way or another whatever the state of the law may be.
—Bertrand Russell,
Marriage and Morals
(1929)
Ahead, I will discuss documentarian Kirby Dick’s This Film is Not Yet Rated and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Those involved with the MPAA claim its purpose is to warn consumers about potentially objectionable material (sex, violence, language, and drug use, for example) in films. It does this, but in a way that outsiders, myself included, often find puzzling. Read the rest of this entry »
by Roz Fuller
Chocolate and beer. To have tasted the Belgian variety of these treats is to count yourself among the lucky. Believe it or not, they may be all that’s left of a strained Belgian national identity. Read the rest of this entry »
