ideas observations thought fodder

New Frozen Pizza Law

I’m going to be imperious here for a moment and declare a new frozen pizza law. Regardless of the brand, all frozen pizzas from here on out MUST carry the same baking temperature. It is seriously annoying for those of us who buy two different brands for the same meal due to health issues (gluten-free vs. regular) to have to struggle over what temp to set the oven at. I’m not quite so concerned about…

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history olio pragmatic historian thought fodder

Food for Thought on Independence Day 2020

2020 has been a tumultuous year so far, as many people have pointed out already. We have a pandemic to contend with that has caused 132,000 deaths in the United States, massive unemployment, and economic upheaval. Donald Trump and his White House Administration, with the all-out encouragement of the Republican party at all levels of government, has created chaos by continually dismantling whatever parts of the federal government he can get his hands on. And…

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history pragmatic historian reading thought fodder

Reading to Understand the Roots of Racism in the U.S.

I set a goal of reading at least 3 history books this year. The first one I picked up was recommended to me by a friend: “White Trash. The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America.” by Nancy Isenberg. Little did I know how incredibly relevant the book would be in terms of current events in Minnesota when I started reading this at the beginning of May. The killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black…

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history ideas pragmatic historian thought fodder

Ah! That’s Where MK Ultra Comes From!

I’ve been listening to Muse‘s album “The Resistance” (along with several of the group’s other albums), which seems incredibly relevant to today though it was released in 2009. Artists have their fingers on the pulse of society’s trends and movements such that they appear to be prescient. It’s worth a listen to in its entirety (of course I would say that!), but I want to point out a specific song on the album. Track number…

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process thought fodder

Devin Townsend Is Synesthetic and I Have Questions

Devin Townsend, for those who aren’t aware of his work, is a musician of incredible talent and versatility. If you want a brief glimpse into his range, watch his EMGtv performance of the song “Kingdom.” Judging by the bazillion reaction videos to this video, you’re likely to be impressed and/or surprised. He is also prolific, having a discography of 30 albums to date listed on his website. He often creates double albums when heading into…

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