Emily Wells

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I discovered Emily Wells a few weeks ago when my roommate posted this song:

Since then, I’ve bought just about everything she’s made that I can find.  I’m particularly in love with The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties.  This review (which also includes some interesting background information) about captures how I feel about her music:

it had me from hello, from the first violin strains, the first bass notes. Her music is haunting, ethereal, evocative of strange forest creatures playing music and abruptly halting when a human wanders down the trail within earshot. You get the feeling that what you’re hearing is a kind of musical love-note at times, then in other tracks, while taking a darker turn, the beauty of the piece is such that you overlook the tone of threat that is existing in the lyrics. This is music that you can listen to over and over for ages.

Healthcare reform

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Many Republicans, Tea Partiers, and others on the right think the passage of health care reform is THE END OF THE WORLD (and they’re bringing their guns). Despite the lack of republican support for the bill, however, it’s built with conservative ideals.  For example, it includes $250 million for abstinence only sex education (How many times does the ineffectiveness of abstinence only sex ed need to be shown before we stop throwing money away?)  The bill is also pretty darn good for insurance companies and only a little good for people who actually need insurance.  Here’s a list of just a few ways insurance companies can still screw you over.

I hope the Democrats give up on this ridiculous idea of bipartisanship soon – all it leads to is the Republicans getting what they want while the Democrats take the flak for their bad ideas.

February Migraine Data

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I think that changes in barometric pressure influence my migraines, so I’ve been keeping track of daily pressure and how I feel (almost) every day.  Understanding how exactly my migraines are related to pressure changes is important for me – if I know the types of pressure changes that make me sick, I can choose a place that doesn’t have those sorts of changes for graduate school.  Daydreaming about weeks on end without a migraine is better  than daydreaming about winning the sweepstakes.  If you’d like to see the data and maybe help interpret it, read on. Continue reading February Migraine Data

The God of the Fundamentalists

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From Karen Armstrong’s A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam:

Once the Bible begins to be interpreted literally instead of symbolically, the idea of its God becomes impossible.  To imagine a deity who is literally responsible for everything that happens on earth involves impossible contradictions.  The “God” of the Bible ceases to be a symbol of a transcendent reality and becomes a cruel and despotic tyrant.