Progressive Musings

The long-awaited journal changes are almost here.  Longer entries, longer comments, and all the rest!  Until then, here's a few websites worth checking out...

I've always been fascinated by alternative history.  If you're not familiar with the genre, this is where they take history and give it a little twist.  Some excellent examples are Robert Harris's Fatherland (Germany 20 years after winning WWII), Harry Turtledove's The Guns of the South (the South wins the Civil War), and Harry Turtledove's Departures (a collection of alternative history short stories).  Now we have a website:  What if JFK Lived?  Links in the alternative history take you to alternative histories involving Elvis, John Lennon and others.  I'm not sure I'm buying what they're selling, but it's definitely interesting.

It's getting to be that time of year again when you throw the kids or grandkids in the car and head to your friendly neighborhood amusement part.  Theme Park Insider has everything you need to know:  best-of lists, vacation tips, news and reports, hotel recommendations, etc.
The most interesting part of this site is the Accident Watch.  Given the sheer volume of people and parks, it's not surprising that accidents happen.  It is, however, surprising how many of these accidents are hushed up.  The Accident Watch has a comprehensive list of accidents, some minor, some deadly, a good list of safety tips, some U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports, and even a very short safety quiz.

Rep. Henry Waxman, the thorn in the side of the Bushies, presents Iraq on the Record, "a searchable collection of 237 specific misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq."

And I've mentioned this site before, but the true cost of the Iraq War should be stressed again and again.  Here's the Iraq Coalition Casualties summary.

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• #10 Comment from fdtate313Entry Author 
  4/9/04 1:30 PM | Permalink

  Actually, about a year ago, I did think we would have a civil war in Iraq with our troops in the middle of it.  I thought that fear of Saddam was the only thing holding that country together with all its diverse population groups.
• #9 Comment from quroboros 
  4/9/04 10:00 AM | Permalink

  Hmm, I don't know about the "What If" in history thing.  I guess we all wonder what would have happened if Kennedy lived or if the US hadn't bombed Hiroshima, etc.  But when do things ever turn out the way we'd planned anyway?  One yr ago, would you have guessed that Iraq would be on the verge of civil war w/us stuck in the middle?
  Sci-fi is a great outlet for speculation.  One of my fav shows, a comedy called 'Red Dwarf', had the Kennedy assasination foiled by time travelers.  But then Kennedy was impeached for immoral conduct.  To put things right & repair his tarnished image, they bring Kennedy back from 1968 to 1963 so he can assasinate himself.
  Thanks for visiting my journal!  ¤Holly
• #8 Comment from ghollahan 
  4/7/04 11:28 PM | Permalink

  Thanks for the casualties site. It is always important to remind people of the human cost of this conflict. And to consider what exactly we have purchased with these young lost lives. What is that again?
• #7 Comment from ondinemonet 
  4/7/04 2:36 PM | Permalink

  Thanks D. I will be checking these suggestions out. Always, Carly :)
• #6 Comment from epowell436 
  4/7/04 12:30 PM | Permalink

  Fdtate313, Congrats on some great links. I particularly liked Representative Henry Waxman's Database site on the Misleading statements made about the Iraq War. Keep up the good work.