About This Blog

The concept behind this blog is to address a selected set of topics on a rotating basis. There are other blogs out there that dedicate themselves full-time to these topics, of course, and frankly, I don't think I could write every day about one thing, so this seemed like a pretty decent way to try to do this.

If you have a question or would like to suggest a topic, you can write me at facetsblog@gmail.com. Again -- comments are moderated, so you can also feel free to ask an anonymous question there or suggest a topic, and I'll answer in a future post.

Popular posts from this blog

Post 1.16 - Captivating Crescents

This week's recipes aren't the healthiest, but I've done my best with them. Croissant dough is available in your refrigerator case in both name brand and store brand varieties, called by the more English sounding "Crescent Rolls". In fairness, these versions, while tasty, are nothing like their French counterparts: definitely more doughy, less flaky, less buttery. However, working with this dough is very easy, and lends itself well to various recipes. I've used the dough to make pockets full of chicken and vegetables, sweet breakfast treats, and of course, dinner rolls. The real problem with the dough are the fat and calories. Even if you buy the reduced fat version, they are 100 calories per crescent, and they're small . So if you're planning to use any kind of filling, you've got to be mindful of what you're using or you could end up with a very high-calorie, high-fat snack. Needless to say, for today's recipes, I have used the r...
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Post 3.9 - Polling the Electorate

Two days ago, Representative Anthony Weiner of New York admitted that he had sent "inappropriate" photos of himself to a female college student in Washington state over Twitter . I am not sure why we're all surprised by this, nor am I sure why the United States or the American media are apoplectic over this. Millions of people -- literally millions -- have sent some form of risqué image of themselves to other people. Every new technology has been sexualized whenever possible, especially over the last two centuries. Pornographic photography is as old as photography itself, and once cameras became cheap enough to be available to the masses, people sent self-images to the objects of their sexual affection. The internet is just faster and a lot less private. But I can't get upset at little (or not so little) Anthony for being as human as the rest of us. "But he's a married man!" Do you think he is the first married man to do this? He's not even t...
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On Free Speech

Much has been made in the last year or two regarding free speech in the United States. The United States is one of the few countries where the freedom of speech is codified in the constitution. It might surprise many Americans to know that Europeans do not enjoy the same latitude. For one example, in France, it is illegal to deny the Jewish holocaust. However, in the United States, the right to free speech is also not clearly understood. Many colleges and universities, most notably the University of California at Berkeley, have been in the news for their response to controversial speakers coming to their campuses. UC-Berkeley has invited then disinvited speakers across the spectrum, and in cases where they have not, there has sometimes been violent protest against the presence of these speakers. I strongly disagree with violence of any kind in response to an individual speaker, but I certainly understand and support the right to protest. There are some in this discourse who do no...
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