Eleanor Arnason's Blog, page 99

A Joke from Iceland

In the interests of finding something cheerful, I went to the Iceland Review and found a video of the stand up comedian Jon Gnarr, who is the new mayor of Reykjavik. The skit was called, "Denmark sucks." I felt it was only mildly funny, though the sense of humor has a strange interest. He starts out by saying, "Norway sucks. But they have nice fences." That does strike me as funny, though I can't say why.

A Joke from Uri Avnery

From an article by Uri Avnery, the long-time Israeli peace activist:

It is impossible not to be reminded of the classic Jewish joke about the Jewish mother in Russia taking leave of her son, who has been called up to serve the Czar in the war against Turkey. "Don't overexert yourself'" she implores him, "Kill a Turk and rest. Kill another Turk and rest again…"

"But mother," the son interrupts, "What if the Turk kills me?"

"You?" exclaims the mother, "But why? What have you done to him?"

This i...

Money

From My Money Blog:

Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman performed a TED Talk this year... What ended up being the catchy soundbite was in the Q&A session after his talk, where he tells us that while millions of dollars won't buy you happiness, a job that pays $60,000 a year might help. This is based on a survey of 600,000 Americans:

"Below 60,000 dollars a year, people are unhappy, and they get progressively unhappier the poorer they get. Above that, we get an...

Comment on a Paul Krugman Column

Anonymous
Woodside, NY
May 31st, 2010
9:09 am

I was speaking with a friend this afternoon. Both of us are unemployed; both for more than a year. Both of us are college educated: she has a background in finance, I've worked as an administrative assistant with a background in publishing, legal services and the non-profit sector. I'm in my late fifties. My benefits have run out, I'm using what savings I have, but they won't last long. What will I do when there is nothing left? As I don't drive, I...

Rachel Corrie

In world news, Israel has seized the Gaza relief ship the Rachel Corrie. I can't tell from the stories if the ship was in international waters. If not, then it was in Egyptian or Gaza waters.

In Icelandic news, the salmon fishing season has begun; and Jon Gnarr will be the next mayor of Reykjavik. Jon is a comedian, who founded the Best Party, which got the most votes in the recent municipal elections.

Icelandic Review

No good sheep or chicken stories today.

Today from NASA

Active galaxy NGC 1275 is the central, dominant member of the large and relatively nearby Perseus Cluster of Galaxies. Wild-looking at visible wavelengths, the active galaxy is also a prodigious source of x-rays and radio emission. NGC 1275 accretes matter as entire galaxies fall into it, ultimately feeding a supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core. This color composite image, recreated from archival Hubble Space Telescope data, highlights the resulting galactic debris and filaments of ...

The Gaza Flotilla

One of the people killed is a 19-year-old American student. He was shot four times in the head and once in the chest. I can't imagine any way to produce these wounds except deliberate execution.

Wiscon

I spend every Wiscon the same way -- in a daze caused by too much input, too little sleep and too much coffee. Then I come home and spend a day or two sleeping; and then I begin to reflect on the con.

Right now I am reflecting on a panel (late in the con) on ending machismo worldwide. I suspect it's a panel that should be done every year at Wiscon and at cons other than Wiscon, because it asks the core question: "What Is To Be Done?" How can we react to and act in a world that seems (in many...

Today from the Iceland Review

I went to the Iceland Review Online in the hopes of finding another light story about sheep or chickens and found this:

Iceland Condemns Israeli Raid on Gaza Convoy

Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphédinsson released a statement yesterday condemning the Israeli attack on ships carrying aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. He supports the demand of the EU and the UN that the raid be investigated in detail.

Furthermore, the Icelandic government demands that Israel lift their siege in G...