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Friday, June 14th 2013 was flag day, a day which tends to go uncelebrated, and about which most people know very little. This post will be a brief detour from my continuing series on the different facets of the Kiera Wilmot Bottle Bomb story. It looks long, and it is, but most of it is pictures.  As you look through the various images included here, I hope you will contrast the actual origins of the U.S. flag, as it was originally adopted by the Founding Fathers, and contrast that with the nic

I am one of the most useless human beings I know. Sad but true. I have three degrees in English literature, I did not get my first job until I was 30 years old, and I have never worked for more than three months except at a college or university. I have never changed a tire or balanced a checkbook.  I do not even understand sports metaphors. There is almost nothing that I can claim to be an expert about. Well, there is one thing. Since 1995, I have spent most of my professional life studying th

I am one of the most useless human beings I know. Sad but true. I have three degrees in English literature, I did not get my first job until I was 30 years old, and I have never worked for more than three months except at a college or university. I have never changed a tire or balanced a checkbook.  I do not even understand sports metaphors. There is almost nothing that I can claim to be an expert about. Well, there is one thing. Since 1995, I have spent most of my professional life studying th

The Favorable Winds of Pride I've spent most of the morning watching the House of Lords in Great Britain debate same-sex marriage.  The legislation has already passed the House of Commons and is now awaiting approval from the upper chamber.  Today was only the second reading and debate on a proposed amendment.  And just last week, I watched as the Illinois House of Representatives decided not to vote on same-sex marriage, though the deadline for the bill was extended through the summer so it co

According to recent research mapping sentiment on Twitter, Napa - located in the heart of California's Wine Country region - is home to the happiest tweeters in the nation. California as a whole, however, did not even rank in the top five in a measure of happiness on Twitter. Figure 1. Average word happiness for geotagged tweets in all US states collected during calendar year 2011, from PLoS ONE In Figure 1, the redder the state, the happier the tweets. Using geotagged tweets, researchers at t

http://www.opencurrency.com/ Last week, the Colorado Senate voted in favor of an important election reform bill, making the state the latest example of a nationwide trend to expand voting access. In 2011 and 2012, a number of state legislatures passed laws implementing new restrictions on voter access, including requiring voter IDs, shortening early voting periods, or making it harder to register to vote. These initiatives, often led by Republican-controlled legislatures, were more or less suc

(Credit: Chicago Tribune) As the legislative session in Illinois nears its conclusion on May 31, several issues, including gay marriage, remain unresolved in the state. Now, Governor Pat Quinn is directly calling on the Legislature to solve the issue. A same-sex marriage bill passed the Illinois Senate in February and went to the House. Although Democrats hold a majority in the House as well, the bill has stalled. Supporters believe that they do not yet have the votes needed for passage. "We'

California District 19 Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson / PHOTO: Sen. Jackson's Facebook A proposed California initiative would lower the voter preregistration age to 15. Under the bill put forward by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-CA), 15-year-olds could preregister when they get their learner's permit at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Pre-registrants would remain ineligible to vote until they turn 18. "I see this as an opportunity to encourage teens to make sure they register to vote," Jac

Friday, Michigan's Internet Privacy Protection Act was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder, aimed to increase protections for employees and students in the social media realm. The Internet Privacy Protection Act, or House Bill 5523, "prohibit employers and educational institutions from requiring certain individuals to grant access to, allow observation of, or disclose information that allows access to or observation of personal Internet accounts." In a time where cooperation is lacking from

Credit: www.ed.gov Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, and Wisconsin will get a share of the 2012 Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge, a $133 million grant fund to enhance superiority and expand access to education programs throughout those states. The five finalists join the nine existing state grantees who secured first-round funding last year. Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education, said that every child is worthy of the lasting benefits of a high-class learning program: "Than