Semi Truths A highly irregular weblog dedicated to Truth, Justice, and American Cheese…!

March 12, 2007

Wacky Pedia

Filed under: Politics,WWW — semi @ 3:30 pm

I love the idea behind Wikipedia, an online collaborative encyclopedia. Yes, the site has its critics, but the promise of a publicly available and “editable” repository of collective knowledge is a very 21st century concept.

Not surprisingly, in this age of targeted information, other groups with focussed interest have set up their own Wiki repositories, such as Wookepedia, the Star Wars encyclopedia.

It therefore shouldn’t be surprising to learn of a conservative wiki called Conservapedia. Started in November of 2006 (before or after the mid-term elections, it does not say), the site describes itself as “an online resource … where we give full credit to Christianity and America (with) concise, clean answers free of ‘political correctness’…” (of that last promise, I have no doubt).

(more…)

March 9, 2007

“Blue Towns in Red States”

Filed under: Charlottesville — semi @ 3:14 pm

Michael Bérubé (a suspiciously French-sounding name) is a professor of English at rural Penn State and a New York transplant. In an article titled Blue Towns in Red States, he writes convincingly of how the presence of “liberal” Universities in mainly rural areas brings a stable work climate to regions that might otherwise experience financial volatility. He also marvels amusingly at the cultural disparity when “professors of cultural studies pass pucks to weekend hunters, and theorists of the modernist avant-garde offend their devout Christian neighbors by mentioning Harry Potter.” Although Charlottesville is not mentioned specifically in the article, the phenomenon he describes sounds an awful lot like our little burg.

September 10, 2006

9/11 plus 5

Filed under: Year One — semi @ 4:45 pm

Just over five years ago, I began Semi Truths as a venue for my political satire. Tuesday nights were my night for writing, so I would spend much of the day in my pointless job thinking about what I would craft that evening. On Tuesday morning, September 11 2001, I met some co-workers for breakfast, then drove in a little later than usual, listening to the radio on the way. That was when I first heard about the plane that had struck the World Trade Center.

(more…)

September 1, 2006

Black-Out Day

Filed under: Impeach,Politics — semi @ 1:25 pm

Impeach-thumbnail.pngThis site is participating in the Impeachment Black-Out. Starting at noon on September 1 2006, participating websites and blogs will replace their front pages with the single word “Impeach” in simple white text on a black background. For 24 hours, web surfers and blog readers will see that word first when they visit their favorite sites. In this way, we hope to get the public talking about the one tool guaranteed by the Founders to restore our Constitutional Democracy.

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress