Philosophy Cartoon of the Day

From Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

MMA

Not Mixed Martial Arts.  Mixied Media Attempts! Kevin at Lowering the Bar tells us about a lawyer who wished to submit an amicus brief to a case involving the Department of Justice.  The judge would only allow 5 pages, whereas his brief was 55 pages.  Solution? Write a comic strip!

Using visual media to communicate serious ideas can be productive.  One philosophy professor I know uses Xtranormal in his introductory classes, where the students present a philosophical issue in dialogue form.  To combine the written with the visual--and to do it well--requires serious cogitation. 

A Contrast Between Leaders

Vladimir Putin takes flight in a motorized delta plane to watch cranes.  Angela Merkel drinks a large mug of beer.     Quick: who would you rather lead your country?  Answer: I'll take the beer drinker any day.  Putin has guts, for sure, but his aeronautical adventure shows he's willing to risk his life, thereby throwing his country into momentary chaos.  Merkel takes time to enjoy the safe and the pleasant.   And we all know, 
BEER SAVED THE WORLD!

The Lovely Bones

My granddaughter convinced me to watch The Lovely Bones the other day.  While one could discuss the implicit theology in the movie, I'm more focused on two questions: 1) How did the serial killer dig a subterranean room in the middle of a barren cornfield at night with a hand shovel and get rid of all the dirt without anyone observing him?  2) How did the serial killer get a safe-a safe that was so heavy he needed help rolling it into a pit--quickly out of his basement into his car without any help?  Suffice it to say if you're thinking about watching this movie to pass the time, just keep on moving.  There's nothing to see here.

Ivory and the Drug War

The New York Times has a video on the increasing destructive trade in ivory.  While there are certainly unique circumstances in the area, there are many similarities between banning drugs and banning ivory.  Both bans increase the lucrativeness of the trade.  At the same time, those who engage in the banned trade have an added incentive to use violence.  And in both, the governmental response calls for increased militarization of the police.   Finally, there seems to be no endgame in sight. 

Cartoon of the Day

From Dan Piraro at Bizarro Blog!

A New Experience

A first yesterday: I was blessed to be able to hold my first great grandchild.  Pics to follow, I'm sure.