Susan Ertz. "He talked with more claret than clarity." [Quotes of the Day]

Marty Indik. "Confusion is always the most honest response." [Quotes of the Day]

Peter da Silva. "Ahhh. A man with a sharp wit. Someone ought to take it away from him before he cuts himself." [Quotes of the Day]

John Stuart Mill. "If mankind minus one were of one opinion, then mankind is no more justified in silencing the one than the one - if he had the power - would be justified insilencing mankind." [Quotes of the Day]

John J. Plomp. "You know that children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers." [Quotes of the Day]

Will Rogers. "The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has." [Quotes of the Day]

SOme nice quotes for the Fourth. Here are a couple of more, courtesy of Electrolite:

The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home. (James Madison)

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. (Benjamin Franklin)

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. (William Pitt)

11:09:44 PM    

Mixed-sex human embryo created. An experiment in the United States has created a mixed-sex human embryo. [BBC News | Health | World Edition]

How did this scientist get approval to work on this? Usually when you work with human embryos there has to be some sort of notification to a committee that oversees work on such human cells. This gives most scientists the creeps, just as it does most people. Remember, first do no harm.  10:48:21 PM    

Couples face embryo dilemma. Five couples are facing a dilemma after identity tags break off frozen embryos at a Belfast hospital. [BBC News | Health | World Edition]

This is a lawsuit looking for a lawyer. How can you use labels that can become disengaged from the containers holding the embryos? Someone needs to make sure this does not happen again.  10:45:56 PM    

The great leap: "60,000 years ago humans were on the brink of extinction. An evolutionary eyeblink later, there are over 6 billion of us. How did we do it?" [Guardian Unlimited > [ t e c h n o c u l t u r e ]] [Universal Rule]

More and more evidence is emerging that somehting unusual happened with humans about 60,000 years ago. I'm waiting for the movie.  10:27:01 PM    

Spray-on stockings enthral Japan. A Japanese inventor has come up with the answer to every woman's prayers - a stocking which is impossible to snag. [BBC News | Front Page | World Edition]

Another Japanese innovation. I expect these to be popular anywhere it gets really hot.  10:17:29 PM    

A Political Victim Speaks Out. Washington Post: Political Veteran. In his new job, Max Cleland is supposed to get young people all fired up with... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]

This is a great sotyr. It starts out a little depressing but ends on a really positive not. Cleland's story is not finished yet.  10:10:26 PM    

My Country, Right and Wrong. The United States Declaration of Independence: IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]

It has been a while since I read the entire document. What an amazing piece of writing.  10:00:07 PM    

"NASA Photo: “it could be perceived as a superhero flying through a cloud, arm up, with a saved person in tow below...” Nope, try again..." [Daypop Top 40]

This photo is a hoot. God does have a sense of humor.  9:50:06 PM