One thing I like about articles on Slate.com is that they are rife with embedded links that supplement the article. One such article was read by me about a week ago; the subject was the overuse of the phrase "my friends" by politicians who are anything but. Here is a screen shot of part of the article (which can be found
here) – you can see how many handy hyperlinks (in blue) there are to supporting articles or videos:
One link in particular caught my eye...
As I pointed my cursor to click on the link to William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech, I automatically readied myself to be directed to YouTube and a video of Bryan's fiery oratory. I guess I can be forgiven for assuming that, in this political season, the next campaign speech I came across would be just like the previous hundred. Or shouldn't my brain be agile enough to realize that a speech delivered in 1896 is unlikely to appear online in video form? At least it was the funny kind of stupid.
One link in particular caught my eye...
As I pointed my cursor to click on the link to William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech, I automatically readied myself to be directed to YouTube and a video of Bryan's fiery oratory. I guess I can be forgiven for assuming that, in this political season, the next campaign speech I came across would be just like the previous hundred. Or shouldn't my brain be agile enough to realize that a speech delivered in 1896 is unlikely to appear online in video form? At least it was the funny kind of stupid.
1 comment:
This is yet another scary thing about McCain: his willingness to disregard the need for science (i.e. the eye-rolling at a $3million research grant to study bear DNA). We might say he's just pandering to the Republican base (and maybe I'm just jealous Democratic leaders don't pander to me as often as I'd like), but it's still inexcusable that he can allow this disdain for basic research to go uncountered - that he can in fact stoke this disdain. Especially if he doesn't himself believe it. I know it feeds into the whole anti-intellectualism of the GOP's strategy in recent years, but it's simply not okay, because this is the sort of mindset that allows people running for office think the world was made 6,000 years ago. It's also the governing mindset that says we can totally defund research, cut the NIH budget, and somehow still be a country with scientists, mathematicians, and engineers who can compete globally. Not a realistic strategy for the future, from a non-reality-based philosophy today.
My dad's threatening to move to Germany if McCain is elected, so that he might be able to actually continue to work in his field (physiology research). His work is at least somewhat medically-related. It seems like that and research related to military purposes will be all that's left here under a McPalin presidency.
Post a Comment