Because I am all about apologies…

…especially public ones and especially ones given over and over again, I’m keeping my eye on this: British economists sent an apology to Queen Elizabeth because they didn’t see the economic crisis coming.

The letter was a response to the queen’s asking for an explanation of the credit crunch last November; se wanted to know why no one saw that coming.

The three-page letter included this:

“In summary, Your Majesty, the failure to foresee the timing, extent and severity of the crisis and to head it off, while it had many causes, was principally a failure of the collective imagination of many bright people, both in this country and internationally, to understand the risks to the system as a whole.”

I am trying to imagine a group of American economists doing the same thing, and I simply can’t. Imagine it, I mean.

Someone found this note in a library book

Which is interesting, because I found a note in a library book this week, too, though it was a note from someone to someone else. Of course I read it. It was sweet. A woman was thanking another woman for having her to lunch. They had chicken salad. On new plates. Why did this interest me? I have no idea.

But the note above is even more fascinating. Note the order of 2003 self-improvements? Lose weight, whiten teeth, remove facial bumps, then attitude. However, so long as the note-writer gets to that negative attitude, who am I to judge?

Oh, wait. “Judging.” That’s on the list…

And thanks, BuzzFeed, for the link.

Mid-day giggle…

Firefighters are communists

Made you look (but you have to read all the way to the end).

Bill Maher suggests we don’t make everything all about profit. Bill Maher is skating dangerous close to early Christianity — which might frighten him, given his work on last year’s “Religulous.”

God, prosperity and on-demand cable

This explores the theology of some newsmakers of late — Sen. John Ensign, former (as of today) Gov. Sarah Palin — and asks the question: How did they get here?

I am usually hesitant (loathe, even) to link to articles that paint Christianity — or even a part of it — as something big and scary, but the research looks solid, so there you are.

What do we do about killer computers?

A group of scientists worries that our artificial intelligence has not been accompanied by artificial ethics. Think predator drones.

What do we do when computers can intellectually outperform us, yet haven’t the capacity to make moral decisions?

(And for the philosophy/English/non-science majors, here’s more on AI.)

A beer and some detente

Cynical brought it up first, but: Pres. Obama invited Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Sgt. James Crowley, the Cambridge police officer who arrested him a few days ago for disorderly conduct, for a beer.

(The beer was Crowley’s suggestion.)

Everyone’s been chastised over this — including the President, for saying the officer acted “stupidly” for arresting Gates, who earlier accused Crowley of racial profiling for arresting the professor at his own home.

All’s well that ends well? Gates has also said he’s ready to move on — which makes me wonder why beer diplomacy isn’t used more often on a larger stage.

Say you wanted a child, but couldn’t have one biologically…

…how much would you be willing to spend on science in order to conceive a biological child? (I hesitate to say “have one of your own,” because aren’t children chosen — adopted — every bit as much of yours as one that springs from your loins?)

(Which is to say “not much,” since children — biological and adopted — are only on loan).

Anywhoo: This is an interesting look at the ethics of surrogacy. I make no judgment here, I promise. I had a child from my belly, and one who came with the house. I had a surfeit of children, if you ask me, and I don’t know what it’s like to want to be a parent and not be able to. I’m just wondering what you think.

Dear Graceful and Gentle People,

Yes, you. I’m not online tomorrow — not at all — and I am going to miss you horribly but I am bringing back each and every one of you a Special Surprise. No. I mean it.

Meanwhile, feel free to talk among yourself about Henrylouisgatesjrmichaeljacksonsarahpalinbarackobama or some such topic.

And if it is a giant step for mankind?

What about the women astronauts? asks Beverly Wettenstein, historian and author of  “Women in History and Making History Today — 365-Days-a-Year Database.”