In this day of computer generated blockbuster movies, we tend to forget the power of a human voice telling a tale of human drama. We forget that the radio play used to affect people as deeply as any movie, except on Halloween, when we are reminded that a radio play drove a nation-wide public panic.

One of my favorite hobby sites is Tales of Future Past , a site that celebrates what people thought 50 years ago our new century would look like in every aspect from space flight down to cooking and family life. (warning: this site is addictive, and can cause many wasted hours) One of the many, many fascinating things on there is a page of science fiction radio plays , from the 30s to the 50s. Two things about them are amazing: the first, how well these outdated stories hold up. These were written in a time when it was felt that good science fiction is first and foremost good fiction.

The second thing is just how well they work. One might think that perhaps a normal drama would still work on radio, but no modern scifi fan would be satisfied; we're just too sophisticated today. Try it and see- I think you'll be surprised. You just might be surprised at how timely these old stories are, too. You think alternative energy and public transportation are new issues? Listen to "The Roads Must Roll", by Robert A. Heinlein. The teaser: "Remember the old days when there were things called automobiles? Before the highways became so choked with traffic back in the 1950s that they literally ground to a halt? And then the Engineers took over and replaced the cars with the Roads; giant mechanised conveyors carrying millions of people across the continent everyday and most of the freight at up to a hundred miles an hour? Today the economy of the 21st century is utterly dependent on the Roads-- and the men who run them. Thank Heaven they are utterly dependable.

UPDATE: The song is working again, at the moment. no promises for the future.

and the theatre parking lot looking towards the amphitheatre where my parents showed up one June evening to tell me of my fiancé's death:

but this view of the stoop

(where at one April Saturday night dance, the "us" rock and rollers seized disc jockey duties from "those" disco aficionados, danced the night away, and then, when the music was over, drummed on the rubbish bins, sang "We don't need no music" and kept right on dancing) did me in.

On the drive home, Joel challenged me to answer the question "Aside from the co-op program and the fact that you loved it, what was unique or special about Antioch College?" I believe that the answer reduces to hands-on, experimental and student-driven.

For starters, while exams did exist at Antioch, projects and research papers were usually considered more indicative of a student's performance. Secondly, Antioch's policy of detailed written evaluations in lieu of letter grades encouraged accepting academic challenge and reaching beyond the comfort zone. One of my most rewarding Antioch experiences was getting permission to take a genetics course without the statistics and chemistry prerequisites. (I was a liberal arts major whose career objectives at the time included breeding Arabian horses). The genetics course was a stretch and a mighty struggle but tremendously educational and I wouldn't have risked it with a GPA at stake. Thirdly, academic interests not included in the course catalogue were accommodated with faculty support of independent study and student led courses.

Finally, while many schools may include student representation on the occasional committee, I suspect that said representation is along the lines of something my father once said: when I congratulated him on a new board chairmanship, he replied "Oh, it's a lot like those toy steering wheels attached to a baby's high chair tray; it makes a lot of noise and keeps the baby out of trouble but it doesn't steer any vehicle". At Antioch, on the other hand, besides community council, students held seats on administrative council, residence hall advisory board, dining hall advisory board, community standards board and any other committee affecting the quality of campus life, up to and including interviewing prospective faculty.

Perhaps all of this is why I find the traditional passive voice phrase "was graduated from (insert college name here)" grating and prefer the active voice "graduated from".

for playing straight man in Iranian President Ahmadinejad's carefully scripted dinner with Religions For Peace, the fears that we would be quoted in foreign papers and played for propaganda purposes have not been realized. I've been following stories about the dinner from international newsgroups , Iranian newspapers , even information from occupied Iraq , and there's no mention of us anywhere. Despite the glowing words, and the gratuitous dig at President Bush, the quotes weren't used. All attention was reserved for the bigger, more influential churches, such as the Mennonites and Zoroastrians.

What profiteth a man to stain his soul for publicity, and not get the ink?

says this article from Discovery News.
"Oct. 7, 2008 -- Greek temples honored specific gods and goddesses, and now new research suggests that even the dirt under such buildings held spiritual significance.
The discovery could help explain why writers like Homer and Plato wrote of "divine soil" and soil that can affect a person's soul. It may also explain how the ancients selected locations for their sacred buildings.

"Temple sites were chosen to honor the personality and aspirations of gods and goddesses, which, in turn, were shaped by the economic basis for their cults," author Gregory Retallack told Discovery News."

This analysis is based on extensive sampling of the soil beneath ancient temples, revealing geological links to the myths and attributes of the Gods the particular temples were dedicated to.

This story got me to wondering... I know a good number of UUs in the blogosphere have been involved in the building of new churches; what criteria did you use in site selection? Just whatever you could get cheap, or was it a special place meaningful to the community? How did you decide where on the plot to place the building? Was the building designed for theological symbolism, or aesthetics, or just good acoustics? I have seen so many different designs, and only rarely ever been able to talk to anyone involved in them.

And what about landscaping, memorial gardens and such? I know that traditionally, western graveyards are generally arranged so the graves face the east. Usually, Christians will tell you that's so they will see the rising sun on resurrection day, but I know the tradition is older than that. From "The Answerbag": "There are more graves that "face" East than any other specific direction, possibly more than face other directions combined. The definition of "face" is open to interpretation, as kanjalid mentions it could depend on which end the head is on. But in many 'stone age' and especially Neanderthal graves the body is laid on its left side, sometimes in a near foetal position, with the head to the north so it is facing east. Bodies have been found from later periods laid on the back, head to the north, with the head turned left or east. A very few have been found with the head south and turned right to the east. It is unknown if this reversal of head direction is significant, but there is little doubt that the face was deliberately turned to the east. ( Talk about the way we have always done it, that is a looong always,)" Was this a consideration in your design?

It's only human nature that we often don't take problems seriously until they hit close to home. Crime is not the biggest issue in this election, for example- unless you've been mugged.

watch this short video about another water ditching. While the plane in this story is a Boeing, it is the same size and configuration as the US Airways Airbus.

And as to how dangerous a bird strike can be, here is video of a single bird strike- remember that the Airways flight hit a whole flock.