jonathan butz

Addict: a woman who walks into a Starbucks already holding a Starbucks cup.

Two men are seldom noted in popular culture, yet they each have made unequaled contributions.

Carl Sagan popularized science in a way that none else has before or since. His ‘Cosmos’ series contains the scientific understanding of our time.

David Attenborough has been making nature documentaries for forty years, setting the standards for natural filmography and commentary. His ‘Life’ series, a collection of documentaries are the best depictions of the natural world ever captured, covering the remotest areas of the earth.

It’s a sad day for music.

This is a festive time of year for the world’s largest Catholic country. February 25 marks the beginning of Carnival, revelry in the true spirit of human indulgence.

The government is distributing 25 MILLION condoms as part of its anti-AIDS efforts, despite objections by the Church over what they consider to be promotion of casual sex.

In other news, seat belts have been found to promote reckless driving.

It’s Groundhog Day.

It’s 55 degrees outside, sunny. When I got into my car to go to lunch, the A/C came on because the car was warmer than 70 degrees inside.

On a day like this, a groundhog would surely see his shadow, but he would also feel the awesome warmth on his back and face and decide it must already be Spring.

History records the continual struggle between faith and knowledge. New ideas battle the old, earning slow acceptance amid violent setbacks.

The path forward is beset by staunch defenders of tradition and dogma. The dominant conflicts of the present are not so different from those of old save one thing: never before has the fastest growing religious assembly been nonbelievers.

In response, those singing old choruses simply sing louder, in growing desperation, threatened by change and information. By the time their voices crack, they’ve forgetten what truly inspired the singing and undertake irrational defenses, even in the face of overwhelming evidence.

What do the British, the Germans, the Communists, Terrorists, SARS, Anthrax (not the recording artists), and Avian Flu have in common? Enemies of the moment.

Some were/are more real than others. Tobacco and obesity are orders of magnitude more dangerous than any item (however nondescript) on the trendy fear list. Why aren’t they the focus of fear-mongering?

I made many mistakes over the past five days. Not that there weren’t others in the five days before that, there just weren’t nearly as many.

They’re all little, but they’re still important: moments when you say or do the wrong thing or what you said could have been said better. No single one has ever affected my life significantly either way.

Assuming they aren’t simply the same mistakes over and over (which happens from time to time no matter what), life is exactly what it’s meant to be.