In the recent episode of The Thinking Atheist Seth Andrews includes a video of Dr. Phil Zuckerman giving a talk at Calgary's We Can Reason conference. Dr. Zuckerman is a sociologist and secular studies professor and author of several books including What It Means to Be Moral. He begins his lecture by pointing out that the … Continue reading The Other Preamble
Author: jt
Exit Mike Carr
I think I’ve already written up most of the anecdotes from my third year at Penn State that are worth relating, so about all that remains to be told is how Mike Carr and I became estranged. As you may or may not recall, Mike was one of the first people I met at Penn … Continue reading Exit Mike Carr
A Better Carrot Cake
One of my favorite things that I’ve baked has been carrot cake, but there were a few problems with it. It was too large, for example. The recipe called for a 13 by 9" baking pan which is enough to make 18 servings, or more than I can eat in a few days. Plus, the … Continue reading A Better Carrot Cake
Butterfingers
[CRASH!!!] Butterfingers, do that again, that’s the end of your career!Don’t you know we try to preserve a romantic atmosphere? Those are the opening words to the song “A Romantic Atmosphere” from She Loves Me, one of my favorite musicals that wasn’t written by Sondheim or Rodgers & Hammerstein. Here’s a performance from the 2016 Broadway … Continue reading Butterfingers
Tomatoes and Baklava
A few days ago it had been raining overnight and the day turned partly cloudy, which of course meant partly sunny. When it’s sunny all day, I have to water those tomato plants twice a day, that’s how thirsty they get, but I figured with the rain and the intermittent sun, they’d be all right … Continue reading Tomatoes and Baklava
Mint
On the farm there used be a patch of mint growing in the corner of the meadow nearest the house where my grandparents lived, and periodically my grandmother would harvest the mint and brew a pot of herbal tea out of it. I tasted the tea one time and didn’t care for it. It didn’t … Continue reading Mint
Smile
There’s something that Graham Norton and I have in common. We each hate it when someone tells us to smile. Thankfully it hasn’t happened to me recently, because now I would most likely growl at anyone who had the temerity to say that to me, but it used to occur on a semi-regular basis years … Continue reading Smile
Two Walls and the Brits
A followup to my post from last week about the desecration of the wall at the 100 steps: A CLIP employee painted over the wall because his power hose couldn’t reach far enough. What he should have done was get extension hoses. CLIP has taken action to fix the problem, and the restored wall looks … Continue reading Two Walls and the Brits
Morning Glory Diner
I’ve written about Sam’s Morning Glory Diner previously, although not always by name, and since then it’s come under new ownership and is now simply Morning Glory Diner. It opened back in the 90s when I was living on Clymer Street, and I used to go there on Saturday mornings for breakfast or brunch. When … Continue reading Morning Glory Diner
Capsule Reviews
I’ve often mentioned going to the movies at the Neptune Theatre in Richland when I was growing up. I’ve also mentioned that my mother had a beauty shop in the rear of our house during that period. From time to time I’d peek my head into the shop to see if my mother had anything … Continue reading Capsule Reviews