As I mentioned in "Brains Rewired? Part One," perhaps something more insidious than depleting our memories is going on as we become more dependent upon and more involved with the technology of the Information Age.
From this book review of Todd Oppenheimer's The Flickering Mind, published in 2003:
The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. — Senator Barack Obama, December 20 2007
America has an important strategic interest in preventing Qaddafi from overrunning those who oppose him. A massacre would have driven thousands of additional refugees across Libya’s borders, putting enormous strains on the peaceful –- yet fragile -– transitions in Egypt and Tunisia. — President Barack Obama, March 28, 2011
For decades now, education experts have disparaged rote memory. Now, of course, we educators emphasize critical thinking skills. How critical thinking can occur without knowledge of the salient facts escapes me. But that argument is an argument for a different day.
For the purposes of this post, let us consider what is happening to both our culture and our gray matter by neglecting to use our memory cells.
In honor of spring (hat tip to Leslie), even though we're going through a last blast of winter here in the D.C. area this weekend, and never mind the final words on the videotape:
I have a yellow tiger kitty, so I admit that this video touched my heart in a special way.
This month, a UK British Muslim woman named Saaeda Khan was convicted of trafficking a Tanzanian woman to use as a household slave. Saaeda Khan was a former hospital director in London.
Let's review some facts about Islam and slavery:
Back in the Stone Age, when I was in school, we studied a bit about this in world history.
Schools will not present this material now.
At one time, however, the information was common knowledge. From goodreads.com:
Our cat Cameo has a motor, but not nearly as loud as Smokey's. Cameo did come to intruder-alert status when she heard the soundtrack of the above video. LOL.
If you're interested in history, you won't want to miss the following video about the three meta-changes in world history (hat tip to No One of Any Import):
I am neither Catholic nor Irish, so my family doesn't celebrate St. Paddy's very much.
In fact, the only memory I have of this holiday comes from some thirty years ago, when I bowled sixteen gutter-balls in a row. Sixteen! I wonder if that dismal performance is some kind of record. The spectators, so to speak, were guzzling green beer and cheering me on. My seventeenth turn yielded a strike! To this day, every time St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I get teased about that evening at the bowling alley.
NOT performed on the instrument for which the piece was composed (with thanks to Warren, who emailed me the link to the amazing video below). If you must have politics, please scroll down)
Chris Matthews shills for Obama during coverage of the devastating earthquake in Japan, the resulting tsunami, and possibly a pending nuclear disaster (hat tip toInfidel Bloggers Alliance):
We’ve been assured over the years that no one in the U.S. wanted Islamic sharia law. Not Muslims and certainly not non-Muslims. Yet with each proposal to prevent sharia law from being used in U.S. courts, the pro-sharia contingent of Muslims – starting with terror-linked CAIR, and non-Muslims – primarily media outlets, continues to grow.
Read the entire post "Florida, Alabama, Missouri propose bills to prevent sharia law in U.S. courts."
From special swimming sessions for Muslimas to all women must cover up! That's the push now in Australia, so as not to offend Muslims during their so-called holy season (hat tip to Bunkerville):