hotstuff with a hatpin links of the day

If you haven't read the New Yorker piece "Trial by Fire" about the execution of Todd Willingham, you should. It is terribly disturbing, and everyone should be able to put a human face on the permanency of wrongful execution. Today, Ta-Nehisi Coates posted some videos from Nightline and CNN, with interviews with the prosecutor (now a judge (!)) and the fire investigator, who are both still adamant in their self-delusional fantasies.

On a lighter note, Virginia has the greatest state flag I've ever seen:

This is one point in favor of moving to Virginia. More good flags are listed on BuzzFeed. I am also partial to the Benin Empire's flag.

Other stuff to look at: Einstein's letter, in which he writes:

The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still purely primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. ... For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstition.

Okay, that's it for today! Back to work for me!