Oregon’s governor has been posting her opposition to the federal government’s plan to clean up mostly peaceful Portland, e.g., this tweet:
Not having previously heard of this person, I visited her official web site to learn something about her background:
On November 8, 2022, Tina Kotek made history along with Maura Healey of Massachusetts, becoming the first openly lesbian governors elected in American history.
Throughout Tina’s professional career as an advocate for those in need, she has carried the value of service instilled in her by her parents to get real results for Oregonians.
Tina’s grandparents came from Eastern Europe in the early part of the last century to find opportunity and a better life. Her parents were proud first-generation Americans. They believed in hard work, being informed citizens, and encouraging their children to follow their dreams.
Tina moved to Oregon from the East Coast in 1987, and fell in love with the beauty of the state and the openness of the people. She finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon, graduating without student debt because of a Pell grant, work study assistance, and affordable tuition.
Tina came out as a lesbian in her early twenties. While it wasn’t always easy, each experience coming out to others strengthened her resilience. While getting her graduate degree, Tina fought for and won domestic partnership rights for faculty and students at the University of Washington.
The word “lesbian” appears four times in this official biography, including in the very first sentence. The reader learns about the governor’s passion for lesbianism twice before learning anything about a job that the governor might have had prior to becoming governor (unless one considers “having sex with other women” to be a job?). In other words, the reader might reasonable infer that the governor’s primary qualification for being governor is lesbianism (or “identifying as a lesbian”).
Donna Strickland: I think the biggest mistake we make in teaching, all the way up through undergrad, is teaching what science we already know. Science is not about knowing; it’s about figuring out how to ask the question why. It’s not about learning how everything else has already been done. That’s not to say we don’t need that, but we should instruct them to ask the right questions as opposed to knowing the answers. … As students, you’re always taught that you’re not going to succeed unless you know all the answers. The higher you go in science, the fewer answers there are. The goal is not to have the answers but, first, to be able to ask the right questions.
Especially now that Grok and ChatGPT know all of the answers, why not reengineer education around trying to answer new questions? Young people would still have to do the drudgery of learning the answers to old questions, of course, but they’d be doing that in the context of trying to make some progress on an unanswered question. The same thinking would enliven our nation’s science museums, most of which explicitly say “the Science is settled”.
I’m not sure that the book lives up to the “ignite your career” promise from the title, unless the strategy to “ignite your career in Science” is to quit and do medicine instead. Donna Strickland echoes what I wrote in “Women in Science” (2006; “This article explores this fourth possible explanation for the dearth of women in science: They found better jobs.”):
Keating: What are your feelings on how the status of women has changed over your career, and where do you see it going?
Strickland: Well, it’s changed, but I don’t think that’s the point. The point is that physics itself is not appreciated highly by society. All these other issues, why they say women don’t want to do physics, would have been true in medicine as well—and yet now more women go into medicine than men. Parents still tell children that are good in science to become doctors. If you get paid well, society says, “We value this.” Physics is not one of those valued things; it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman…
Many of the interviewees point out that there is a huge overproduction of PhDs relative to the number of sought-after academic jobs and that the chance of career success is low. A book like this, in which Nobel laureates are interviewed, is almost the definition of sample bias. Undergrads at a Queers for Palestine League university fall prey to this as well. The freshman at MIT or Yale subconsciously absorbs that being a tenured biology professor at MIT or Yale is a typical outcome for someone with a biology PhD because tenured biology professors are the only PhD biologists that the freshman has encountered.
The book contains some information that is misleading, e.g.,
For example, even with a doubling of salary, you’re not likely to register a doubling in well-being. In fact, the effect of wealth has been shown to be nonlinear. Beyond a certain income threshold, happiness saturates, leading to a diminishment in returns beyond, according to Nobel Prize–winner Daniel Kahneman.
A 10% raise delivers a similar boost in satisfaction across income levels, research finds
A big raise provides significant boosts in happiness even at household incomes of $500,000, according to a new research report.
A wealth of research has long shown that more money makes a big difference to people with low pay, moving them from insecurity to stability. Above that level, the effect is often assumed to be much smaller.
But according to a paper by Matt Killingsworth, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, the bonuses and leaps in income high earners reap are so large that they keep adding to well-being in the same way that smaller pay bumps do at lower tiers of earnings.
So it’s true that a $1 raise doesn’t make a Wall Street hero significantly happier, but there isn’t a diminishing return to a 10 percent raise.
The book reminds us that academics all around the world love to see elites locking down the peasants. Tim Palmer, a senior citizen physicist in the UK, celebrates the fact that eventually the rulers of the UK locked down their young healthy subjects in an attempt to slow the spread of a disease that kills 80-year-olds:
Palmer: It’s a tough problem. As a scientist, we can’t make decisions. All I can do is lay out the signs as clearly as possible and hope the politicians get it. At least in the UK, politicians did get it eventually with COVID. They were slow on the uptake—and the science, of course, was pretty uncertain in the initial phase, largely because a lot of people were asymptomatic—but they did get it eventually.
Of course, the UK had a higher COVID-tagged death rate than do-almost-nothing Sweden and a higher rate of excess deaths compared to do-almost-nothing Sweden. The lockdowns in the UK were spectacular failures, in other words, by the advertised standards of the Covidcrats (minimize Covid-tagged deaths even if it drives up long-term deaths from other causes, such as unemployment, sedentary lockdown lifestyle, alcohol consumption, deferred health care, and lack of education) and yet the Nobel-winning genius considers the muscular Science-informed public policy to have been a success.
Let’s circle back to the issue of victimization by gender ID. Donna Strickland again:
The problem in the seventies, in my time, is that women were told we could do anything, but the men weren’t told you also have to do your share. When Maria Goeppert Mayer won her Nobel Prize [in 1963], the newspaper wrote, “San Diego housewife wins Nobel Prize.” Everybody said it’s OK that she’s doing science because she’s also doing all her women’s jobs too. Well, this is not possible. It’s not possible for us to be twice as much. We will have around-the-world gender equity when we also let men look after children and the elderly. It bothered me during COVID-19 that it was like, “Well, all the women have to lose their jobs because they’re the ones who look after kids and the elderly.” I don’t think women are more caring than men. That’s just as offensive as saying women aren’t as smart as men. If everybody did their share, then everybody could have an equal shot at it.
She doesn’t want “everybody to do their share” on construction sites, on Florida roofs in July, or on oil rigs, but rather wants men to relieve women of some onerous household chores, such as putting shirts into electric washing machines and dishes into automatic dishwashers. She is echoing Bill Burr on the subject of a job that can be done in one’s pajamas being the hardest job in the world:
Let’s close with a Nobel nerd’s prediction of where we end up relative to our AI overlords:
Geradus ’t Hooft: I expect there will be an intelligence so smart that Einstein, Feynman, and ’t Hooft would all look like primitive gorillas. The point is that all abilities of biological life forms can be copied by human engineers: we make houses taller than trees, dig holes deeper than moles can, we can fly faster and higher than birds, with much heavier machines, and so on. So why can we not produce brains that work better than the human brain? Well, biology took millions of years to create us; our machines are only a few centuries old, and we’ll get there and beyond. I do not quite follow the ideas AI engineers are using. I think it could be done better, but comparing the previously mentioned examples, people will make many different AI machines, each for their own particular purposes.
Recent email from the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston:
Of course, I had to click down and see what the event “For gender expansive, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ kids ages 0-8” was all about:
Come together with other gender expansive kids and their families for a playground playdate in Cambridge. Socialize with parents and caregivers while the kids run, climb, and slide. Then, enjoy a craft and allergy-friendly snacks with new friends. For gender expansive, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ kids ages 0-8 yrs with their caregivers.
Apparently, at least in Boston/Cambridge, the odds of a 6-year-old child being both 2SLGBTQQIA+ and highly allergic are fairly high….
I visited the South Street Seaport for the first time in years and discovered that it has kept up with the times. The sacred Rainbow Flag is worshipped at a height of 4X the height of the American flag (Rainbow Flag at the very top of the mast of the museum ship while the American Flag is about one quarter of the way up).
The worshippers can’t seem to decide on which sect of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ religion they are following. A Biden-style trans-enhanced Rainbow Flag is flown from the front of the ship while a classic non-trans Rainbow Flag is flown from the mast near the stern. Views from the top of the building are superb:
The Tin Building includes a hidden-behind-curtains-at-the-back-of-a-tea-shop restaurant:
When the American flag is displayed we can refer to the official U.S. flag code for guidance on orientation, etc. I’m wondering what the corresponding document would be for the Rainbow Flag, which is far more sacred (it is permissible and protected speech to burn an American flag (Supreme Court) but burning a Rainbow Flag is punished by 15 years in prison).
Here’s what I assume is the proper way to display a trans-enhanced Rainbow Flag (flown by Joe Biden in 2023 and reported by state-sponsored PBS):
The trans-enhancing triangle is on the top.
Here’s part of a taxpayer-funded display of the state religion’s sacred symbol in Boise, Idaho on July 1, 2025 (after Pride but before Omnisexual Visibility Day (July 6));
The trans-enhancing triangle is on the bottom. That can’t be correct, I don’t think, but where is the flag code to establish authoritatively that it isn’t correct? (See Big Sky v. Jackson v. Park City as a summer destination for images of a taxpayer-funded display in 2023 where the triangles are on the top, just as Joe Biden set up.)
Speaking of the U.S. Flag Code and Boise, the folks who run the Zoo decided that the American flag fit perfectly into the Olive Baboon habitat:
The backup Baboon American flag boxes were displayed contrary to U.S. Flag Code (maybe a protest against the Trump administration?):
Finally, let’s have a look at post-Pride (July 2025) displays of the sacred flag and related symbols by merchants in Boise:
One establishment reminds the public that a MAGA hat can be considered “Nazi symbology” or, at least, Nazi-adjacent:
Today at the Norwell, Massachusetts library: “Join Norwell Library for the Pride Month session in our Issues Facing Democracy series part 2 or 4. This time, we will be focusing on the LGBTQ+ experience.” Both June and July are Pride Months? Or maybe every month in Maskachusetts is a Pride Month? (the official calendar says that we are currently in between International Drag Day and Gay Uncles Day)
Before you get into Bar Harbor proper, a roadside restaurant says “everyone is family” and, also, Canine-Americans are not welcome:
The locals worship the (non-trans-enhanced) Rainbow Flag at the “United Church of Christ”:
The Rainbow Flag can still be worshipped even when in tatters:
Black Lives Matter for people who’ve chosen to move to the whitest part of the whitest state:
(There are a lot of foreigners working in Bar Harbor, but they’re generally on temporary work visas and return to (Eastern) Europe when the season is over. Americans who aren’t in the workforce prefer to chillax on means-tested everything (not “welfare”) rather than make a ton of money in three months. See The Eastern European workforce of Mount Desert Island.)
Miscellaneous stores (what does it mean when two Biden-style trans-enhanced Rainbow Flags are nestled against each other?):
Here’s a store that combines the following: (1) mask advocacy, (2) mask retail, (3) support for Ukraine, (4) a Rainbow “coexist”, (5) transgender flag, (6) trans-enhanced Rainbow Flag, (7) Science education (“gender is not binary”):
Remember that it is a right-wing conspiracy theory that children are targeted by the 2SLGBTQQIA+ and also that they should keep a copy of The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases handy.
Some #Science:
If you’re old enough to pay with cash (or know what cash is) you’re old enough to donate the change to Bar Harbor Pride:
Mr. Trump, who has often used holidays as an occasion to advance his political causes and insult critics and opponents on social media, chose the occasion of Juneteenth instead to float the idea of reducing the number of federal holidays, claiming that they are costing businesses billions of dollars. While most federal employees get those holidays off, private businesses have the choice to close or remain open.
The lack of revelry at the White House for a holiday that has been cherished by generations of Black Americans was perhaps not a surprise. Since returning to office, Mr. Trump has moved to purge the federal government of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and sanitize — or even erase — references to Black history.
With a 9-year-old in tow, I traveled to Bar Harbor, Maine for this year’s Pride Festival:
We missed the Friday “All Ages Drag Show” due to a wedding rehearsal dinner, but managed to make it to the parade itself and the subsequent Pride festival.
The parade began with speeches on the Village Green.
Shortly before receiving an official government escort from two police cars, several speakers talked to the crowd about cruel official government oppression of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
Child’s sign: “I get my cardio running away from heteronormal”.
Due to rain, the Pride Festival was moved to the YWCA, which explains that the “Christian faith” motivates it to “empower women” and “believe in science” (i.e., that some of the best “women” didn’t start out with a female gender assignment on their birth certificates).
Once inside, Queers for Palestine merchandise was available to purchase.
It’s a right-wing conspiracy theory that the 2SLGBTQQIA+ are targeting children. It’s just that there was a drag show for kids with free cupcakes and other sweets provided by Hannaford, the local supermarket that started in Maine and is now owned by Ahold Delhaize, the Dutch-Belgian conglomerate. Here’s the Hannaford table:
Happy kids watching the first drag queen:
We left as the second drag queen started her performance:
Don’t forget to #MaskUpToSaveLives
It’s too bad that we didn’t bring Mindy the Crippler (our golden retriever), though perhaps they’re using “dog” in the strict AKC sense and bitches are excluded:
We swung by the Hannaford supermarket on the way back to the hotel and had the chance to save our beloved planet via a reusable Pride-themed shopping bag:
We sadly missed the evening drag show due to the need to spend 6 hours huddled in a tent while rain poured down outside in 60 degree temps (an average summer wedding in Maine):
A friend used to enjoy quizzing people with “Who is the most famous tall person not famous for being tall?” (Answer: Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, 6’7″, who stopped the inflation of the 1960s and 1970s caused by JFK’s/Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society (Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.) and Vietnam War; Alternative Answer: Michael Crichton, 6’9″, author of Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, which might be worth rereading in light of coronapanic)
The question for today: “Who is the most famous gay person not famous for being gay?” Let’s limit this to people born within the last 100 years (i.e., 1925 or later) so as to avoid being forced on conjecture/rumor (e.g., Nikola Tesla is out).
My choice: Andy Warhol. He was what we today call “openly gay”, but nobody calls him a “gay artist”.
Happy Middle of Pride Month to everyone who celebrates! (below: at the Milwaukee art museum, July 2024, with a little help from Uniqlo)
Happy No Kings Day to those who celebrate. Also Happy 79th birthday to King Donald I and Happy 250th birthday to the U.S. Army, founded on June 14, 1775 as part of the treasonous rebellion against legitimate British rule.
A Deplorable Californian sent me this event calendar from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco:
Pack up the kids because the online calendar shows that it is almost time for the “Drag Queen Story Hour for families and children” in the East Bay:
As a queer atheist Marshall wants to spotlight and celebrate prominent openly queer leaders in religion. These subjects risk so much personally in order to live in their truth and create positive change within the monotheistic religions. The subjects captured provide a safe space within institutions that historically have promoted queerphobia.
“Without a bit of queerness, religion can grow rigid and sour. Queer people and perspectives offer renewal, an opening out to those who would otherwise turn away. The ultimate queerness we can approach is the divine, the totally other which is also the elusive meaning within ourselves.” — Rabbi Mark Solomon
Maybe this wise rabbi has the explanation for why a lot of things don’t work out, i.e., due to “without a bit of queerness”.
In Boston, the assumption is that everyone who hates Kings also loves 2SLGBTQQIA+ (Boston.com) because the suggested way to demonstrate against Kings is to show up on the route of the Pride parade:
The groups are calling the demonstration alongside the Pride parade, “No Kings, but Yaaas Queen!” Spectators at the Pride parade are being encouraged to bring “Pride flags and signs showing steadfast support for LGBTQIA+ rights and protesting the tyranny of a fascist administration that seeks to erase our communities from public life, American history, and our nation’s future.”