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Quote of the Month
"Men do not care how nobly they live, but only how long they live, although it is in the reach of every man to live nobly, but within no man's power to live long."
- Seneca the Elder
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Rush Limbaugh, is the nation's top-rated talk radio host, so given the tremendous size of his audience and the influence of his voice over public airwaves, one might almost wonder why the corporate controlled news media hasn't made a bigger story over his calls for deceitful election manipulation.
Limbaugh, called his 'ditto heads' fellow Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in open primary states like Ohio, Texas and Indiana to prolong the Democratic primaries (so the Democrats can fight each other) with the possible side benefit of nominating Clinton who he perceives would be easier to defeat in the national elections.
I won't enter into debate about the legality of this other than to say that it appears to be illegal in Ohio at least and to point out the irony that it has been the GOP that has pushed so hard to pass ID laws to prevent voter fraud - a law that was just upheld by the conservative controlled supreme court.
But I will expound on the morality of these self entitled 'value voters' who hold the democratic process in such poor esteem that they comfortably - cheerfully and willfully corrupt the voting process. For my part, I advocate legitimate and easy voting for all: right, left or other and it would be my shame if I ever advocated such underhanded deceit.
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Friday, March 28th, 2008
I know that Las Vegas has a high infestation of superstitious thinking but I was disappointed to learn that one of my favorite hotels there is hosting the ghoulish huckster Sylvia Brown - pretend psychic. ("Pretend psychic" is redundant - I know. I want to be clear: I'm under no illusions that there are real psychics.)
The woman is a lie monger and a fraud. If a con artist attempts to sucker money from the unsuspecting through scam, they are thrown in jail. Instead, Browne is featured on shows like 'Montel Williams Show' and 'Larry King Live' and is given a venue where she can charge $82.50 to $137.50 for her blood sucking claptrap.
As to the harm that she causes, I quote from the StopSylviaBrowne.com website:
"1. She is taking money, under false pretenses, from people who are in a very vulnerable position, emotionally.
2. She constantly gives medical "diagnoses" to people (and in fact, she refers to these people as her "patients") without any medical training. This can obviously be dangerous, leading people to pursue incorrect diagnoses, and to possibly ignore the advice of their own medical professionals.
3. She gives advice to families of missing children (and adults). Not only does this false information add to the trauma being suffered by the family (read about Opal Jo Jennings for just one example), but can lead those families to insist on law enforcement following up on these fictional "leads," wasting hours and manpower which could have been put to use following up on real leads.
4. By inventing information about (and messages from) lost loved ones, she is stepping on the true memories of these people."
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A ghoul is a legendary monster said to prey on young children, robs graves, and eat the dead - metaphorically - just like Browne.
Even though I have low expectations for a gambling casino to be a bastion against the irrational, it pains me to see that this criminal - this purveyor of lies - this larcenist by fraud and deception - is not ridden out of town on a rail.
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In related news - score one for the skeptics:
Skeptic giggles on Indian national TV as mystic totally fails to curse him to death
"Pandit Surinder Sharma, a famous Indian tantrick (magician) was on a televised panel discussion when he claimed he could kill any man with black magic in under three minutes. Fellow panelist, Sanal Edamaruku, the president of Rationalist International, challenged the tantrick to kill him right then and there. Hilarity ensued as Sharma chanted the death mantra, and, when that failed, waved a knife and sprinkled water on him, as Edamarku laughed the entire time.
After two hours of this, the show's anchor pronounced the attempt a failure. The tantrick said he must be under the protection of a very powerful god, to which Edmarku replied "I am an atheist". The tantrick claimed nobody could stand up to his extra-special death spell, but that could only be performed at night. The TV station promptly arranged another trial at night, with predictable results."
Thanks to Teddy Carroll for the story and the link.
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Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Congratulations to my friend on the YouTube debut of the Jesse Malin Video he directed: 'In The Modern World'.
You wouldn't know it to look at it, but it was produced on a shoe string budget. Be kind: leave the video the good comment and rating that it deserves. Have a website? Links to the video are greatly appreciated.
Best of all: enjoy! Not only is it a great video - it's a great song.
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Monday, February 11th, 2008
Well, I'm putting my money where my mouth is: I've contributed to Barack Obama for president.
Here's are a few of the reasons why:
- He wants to strengthen Civil Liberties. Strong civil liberties are fundamental to who we are as nation.
- Religious tolerance. - Although Obama is a devote Christian, he doesn't, 'believe that religious folks have a monopoly on morality' and he welcomes all faiths - and non believers into the public discourse.
- He has good goals for improving America's energy independence through multiple channels - including cleaner, renewable energy resources. This should be America's number one economic and security concern.
- He's viable: he has a very good chance to win.
But don't take my word for it: read the specific and realistic goals that he's outlined.
For years, I've not been voting for somebody, I've been voting for the lesser of two evils. With Barack Obama, although imperfect (I'm sure) - I believe in the man.
Thanks to Teddy and Sami Carroll for their fundraising efforts.
"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you." - Pericles
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Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Great amusement and humor today. And like most humor: it came at somebody else's expense.
One of my colleagues reported that there was an icy spot on the Smithfield Street Bridge and that people were falling who crossed it.
Our office overlooks the bridge and a few of us took a gander. Sure enough: within moments we saw a beautifully executed pratfall. As if we were watching a circus performance, we ohhed and ahhed as about one out of every ten people who crossed the spot fell. (I'm guessing we saw an average of one fall every three minutes during the morning rush hour.)
More and more of my colleagues gathered at the windows to see what all of the fuss was about.
As some unsuspecting pedestrian would approach the icy gray spot on the snow, the tension would increase. Bets were called out - predictions made. People would hope out loud that some victim would lose their cell phone, laptop, brief case, purse or package over the railing to the frigid waters below.
When somebody would skate by, the crowd would boo. About a fifth of the time, a would-be victim would spot the ice and would skirt it - walking down a narrow dry patch to the side. It was suggested that somebody should 'go down there and pour water' on that particular dry spot. This idea was ruled out after the legality and liability had been determined as too risky.
When somebody would slip but recover, there was a great intake of breath followed by hisses of disappointment.
But when someone fell, there was a great round of cheering and applause. One of the favorites was a fellow who pulled a Fred Flinstone - his feet spinning futilely on the ice before ultimately landing on his ass.
Perverse – I know. But it was like having a live feed of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
I returned from lunch to find out that one of my officemates, after seeing a particularly gruesome fall, had called the city and the sidewalk had been salted.
Spoil-sport.
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Friday, January 11th, 2008
The temperature was in the mid-sixties on Tuesday and since then the weather has had an average of about forty-some degrees.
In the summer, such temperatures would be miserable but in the winter it cheers the heart.
This is the human condition: our happiness is relative and is so often dependent on adversity to allow us to appreciate what we have. Try as we might to value what we've got, our grasp is always tenuous and fleeting. I hope that I gain a little bit of wisdom and that my perspective on my good fortune grows. I hope this for all of us. Happy New Year.
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Friday, December 21st, 2007
I was recently given a little, safety blade, hand held Scotch Paper Cutter. (Exhibit A).
The paper cutter came in one of those ultra hard polyurethane plastic bubbles. (Exhibit B).
I needed scissors to open the plastic.
I cut myself on the shredded, sharp plastic edge of the bubble.
Kind of ironic - don't you think?
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Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Candi the Wheel Bug, 1 season old, Assassin Bug extraordinaire, dies
She began as a 'first instar nymph'. Her career of assassination ranged from the humble Housefly to the frightening Paper Wasp. She was well respected for her lunging, pinning and fluid sucking endeavors.
Robert F. found the body Monday morning in her Pittsburgh terrarium. The cause of death is unclear. Local authorities are interviewing Robert as a 'person of interest' since Robert was the last person to have access to her terrarium. Brian L. a concerned coworker reported that Robert had been heard happily discussing the 'end game for the Candi relationship': namely that she would be pinned on a board.
Candi the Wheel Bug: You shall be missed. We hardly knew ye.
Candi is survived by two egg clusters.
The body will be on view all week. A secular service and memorial will be held at her terrarium on Friday.
Donations can be made in her name to the 'Candi Conservation for the Orphaned Assassin Nymph Protection Fund'.
Morgue Photo: Candi (left, foreground) and a host of her assassinated bodies. Photo by Brian L. via iPhone.
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Thursday, November 15th, 2007
On Tuesday November 13, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue gathered three Protestant ministers, a gospel choir and a crowd of nearly 250 citizens on the steps of the state capitol building to pray for rain.
Wow. Where to start? Well, how about theologically?
Does god directly control the rain?
If no: - If this is part of the clockwork of the universe that it is imagined that god set in motion, who is the governor to ask her to change it? (Just to mix things up a bit, I'm going to assume that god is a woman for this argument. It makes as much sense to think that god has a vagina as it does a phallus although I'd bet that Governor Perdue is convinced that his god packs a penis.)
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If yes: then why have such a 'small prayer'? Why ask god for rain only for your small little region? Drought affects a lot more people than Georgia - and most of those in third world countries - MUCH, MUCH more severely. |
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Is it imprudent to petition god for such a big favor? Or is god incapable of granting such a big favor? If she is capable, and at all willing, why not ask for a permanent cessation of drought? For that matter: why not petition for a permanent cessation of all suffering?
In fact, why should we even have to ask? Isn't god watching? Or is it considered 'part of god's plan'? If it is part of the plan, then why solicit her for favor at all? If god has a master plan that includes allowing people to suffer, isn't a prayer to change any of that rather presumptuous and ultimately futile?
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Or can we ask god to deviate some from her plan? If so, how much is too much? Is that for god to decide? Or does she need our 'votes/prayers' to decide? And weren't people praying without the governor's help? Or, as an elected official, does he carry extra influence with god?
Next up: separation of church and state'
Should an official of the government, in an official (or even semi-official) manner promote his religion on the steps of one of our government buildings?
For this, I'm just going to take a well written argument from the Americans United for the Seperation of Church and State website:
"Jefferson knew that any government-sanctioned religious exercise, even if merely recommended, would endanger citizens' rights.
In the same 1803 missive, he wrote, 'But it is only proposed that I should recommend, not prescribe a day of fasting & prayer. That is, that I should indirectly assume to the U.S. an authority over religious exercises which the Constitution has directly precluded them from. It must be meant too that this recommendation is to carry some authority, and to be sanctioned by some penalty on those who disregard it; not indeed of fine and imprisonment, but of some degree of proscription perhaps in public opinion.'
Madison also tried to avoid government meddling in religion. Although he acquiesced to Congress' requests for prayer proclamations during the War of 1812, he expressed sincere regret after leaving office.
Prayer proclamations, he wrote in his Detached Memoranda, 'seem to imply and certainly nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion'.The last & not the least objection is the liability of the practice to a subserviency to political views; to the scandal of religion, as well as the increase of party animosities.'
Two of our greatest founders struggled with government-led prayers over 200 years ago. They came down firmly on the side of church-state separation in order to preserve government's secular duties and citizens' religious liberties. It's ridiculous, really, that our leaders aren't doing the same today."
If you doubt that this is an issue, just ask yourself what fallout would have occurred if the Governor was Hindu and presumed to ask Indra (god of rain) to intervene in the name of the people of Georgia.
As for the magical affects of the Governor's spell?
If any moisture fell that day, it was from Governor Perdue's pissing on every American's right to not have the government trouncing around in their religion (or even, {gasp}, lack thereof.)
10 Day Weather Forecast for Atlanta Georgia
"I think . . . that philosophy has the duty of pointing out the falsity of outworn religious ideas, however estimable they may be as a form of art. We cannot act as if all religion were poetry while the greater part of it still functions in its ancient guise of illicit science and backward morals. . . ."
- Corliss Lamont
"Think of how many religions attempt to validate themselves with prophecy. Think of how many people rely on these prophecies, however vague, however unfulfilled, to support or prop up their beliefs. Yet has there ever been a religion with the prophetic accuracy and reliability of science?"
- Carl Sagan
"Baloney, bamboozles, careless thinking, flimflam, and wishes disguised as facts are not restricted to parlor magic and ambiguous advice on matters of the heart. Unfortunately, they ripple through mainstream political, social, religious, and economic issues in every nation."
- Carl Sagan, "The Demon-Haunted World"
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Monday, November 5th, 2007
The Candi Chronicles have proven to be very popular, and I for one, like to give the people what they want. So, here is the third installment in the saga of one Assasin Bug.
My colleague, amateur entomologist, medical illustrator and defacto Candi wrangler Robert Finkbeiner has been kind enough to prepare this report:
"House centipede and harvestman (daddy longlegs) apparently died on their own, although it is possible Candi is responsible for one or both. The house centipede was very large and fast - doubtful Candi could have subdued it long enough for a good stab. She actually did grab the harvestman by a leg -- but was unable to stab it mid-femur, and couldn't reach anything but femur -- so she eventually had to simply let it go.
Wood louse (potato bug/rolly-polly) put up a good defensive struggle by clutching a chunk of gravel to its soft underbelly, escaping the first time - leaving Candi to stab ineffectually at the stone she was left holding. The same tactic was less effective later, Candi eventually torqued gravel and wood louse enough to find the gap in-between with her rostrum and make the fatal stab.
The first brown marmorated stink bug is still untouched after 3 weeks, during which time Candi has had little to eat. Of course the stink bug has had nothing - unless it ate some of the pumpkin guts we gave it while I wasn't looking. Glen's smaller stink bug (based on the dark hind wing patch, I'm guessing they are both males, but the original was much bigger) didn't last more than a day, but again, I think Candi was not implicated in the death.
Have taken to supplementing the insect foods with cherry jelly provided in a coffee stirrer, and a capful of water in the terrarium has allowing all of the bugs to occasionally take a drink.
She's already eaten one Western Conifer Seed Bug and we introduced another today.
Another assassin (zelus sp. nymph) brought in by Colleen has started exploring a good deal more - managing to stay under Candi's radar, but still not realizing it's small enough to fit through the slats in the terrarium cover and simply escape.
Another orb weaver spider hasn't been seen in a while, and is presumed dead.
We opted not to introduce the black slug - in addition to some question as to whether it would be palatable, we didn't like the idea of filling the terrarium with trails of slug snot."
So there you have the latest. As the temperatures drop, its getting harder to find bugs to feed her. Hopefully she can live off of Jelly.
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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
I can't rightly complain about the weather this summer. It was pretty darn spectacular: which is to say warm / hot with lots of sun and minimal undue rain.
We've even been lucky enough to have summer leak into fall, with the weekends featuring temperatures in the high 70s. And this weekend, it is almost as if the lingering summer sun caused the green leaves to burst into flames of fall colors. Sure, we've had some subtle warm yellows, oranges and reds leak into the pallet but before this weekend, green was in the vast majority. Now I look outside my office window and Mount Washington has the appearance of a fall themed miniature scale railroad set.
As for today: warm temperatures but gray skies. I expect I'll be able to whine about the weather soon enough. Already I'm waking up in the morning while its dark outside and I can feel the great gray oppression settling in for the long winter.
In other personal news. - very personal news in fact: Amazon.com has formulated an opinion about me. On my personal account, under recommendations - along with various books, CDs, movies, video games and electronics - the computer has made this particular recommendation for me:
Really, I have nothing to add to this since my choices for humor would seem to be either bravado or self-depreciation and I choose neither. But I have to say that I've never bought any form of birth control on Amazon.com or any other site, so the fact that it arrived at this suggestion based on my browsing and purchasing history is pretty entertaining - and has got to leave you wondering...
I also enjoyed reading the user reviews and I liked this one in particular from S. "strap" (Honolulu, HI) :
"Who are these made for? Elephants? I highly doubt the most prodigious of woodmen would need a jimmy hat this big. I certainly can't find a human use for them, other than to slip over my head when it's raining. That does a good job, until my hair gets gooey from the lube."
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Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
The Wolf Spider didn't last the night but it doesn't appear to the handiwork of Candi since the spider doesn't have the tell-tale signs of desiccation.
Candi is too particular to eat was she doesn't kill. So walking back from lunch today, a group of us scoured a local city park and building window sills for further bugs meals for Candi to no avail.
Dead Wolf Spider. (Robert F.'s handfor scale). Photo by me via BlackBerry.
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Monday, October 15th, 2007
Candi update.
To date Candi has eaten:
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Spider # 1
Spider # 2
Cricket
Beatle Grub
Fly
Moth
Wasp
Moth # 2
Spider # 3
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Today Dave S. brought her a Wolf Spider (Spider #4)- which looks rather formidable. In fact, there was some considerable debate that perhaps Candi had met her match.
Wolf Spider. (Robert F.'s finger for scale). Photo by Brian L. via iPhone.
The Wolf Spider appears to outweigh Candi but Candi is clearly the top predator. She's made several attempts on the spider but given its size, strength and speed she can't seem to nail it down.
Candi the Wheel Bug (background) stalks the Wolf Spider (foreground). Photo by Brian L. via iPhone.
The day-to-day grind of office life is such that watching Candi stalk the Wolf Spider is about as fascinating as being on the plains of Masi Mari watching a lion stalk gazelles - hence, coworkers gather around and monitor Candi's progress throughout the day.
Left to Right: Robert F., Dave S., Chuck B., Jeneen A., Sean Z. watches the live drama of 'Nature Attacks: Wheel Bug versus Wolf Spider'. Photo by your host. via lousy BlackBerry camera.
As I write this in the evening: Candi had still not mastered the wolf spider after 8 hours of stalking. (And she is hungry given the fact that she went all weekend without a snack.)
Also noteworthy: Candi appears to have laid eggs and there has been a stink bug in the terrarium for about a week that has not been eaten. Apparently smelling bad is a really good defense.
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Friday, October 5th, 2007
One of my colleagues (Robert F.) is something of a bug aficionado. In fact he has a website that will allow you to name a bug after a loved one. It's akin to those 'name a star' websites - and just as official: which is to say not at all. Still: if you are looking for a unique present for somebody - his website: BugName.com has to qualify as a geeky but cool place to start.
Since Robert is known for his insect proclivities, another colleague (Dave S.) brought in a little critter he found on his garage door. It turned out to be a pretty neat specimen: a Wheel Bug.
Initially the bug was going to end up skewered on a pin in Robert's collection but the office has taken to her. (After some research, it was deemed that it is a 'her' due to the size of her abdomen.) It was also determined that a stripper name was appropriate so she is now called, 'Candi '- with an 'i'. So Candi has at least a temporary reprieve from the pin - although when her time is up, I'm sure she'll be well preserved for posterity.
Candi the Wheel Bug. Photo by Brian L. via iPhone.
In the meantime, we've learned a lot about Wheel Bugs (for example: they are part of the 'family' of 'assassin bugs') and it has become something of a concerted effort to find other bugs to feed her. So far the tally (in order) is: two spiders, a cricket, grub, fly and a moth.
The sprocket like 'wheel' on the back of a Wheel Bug.
We've updated Candi's digs from the original mason jar to a high-rent plastic terrarium complete with colored pebbles.
Candi dines on a moth. Photo by Brian L. via iPhone.
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Monday, September 24th, 2007
Business has brought me once again to the charming, and little known hamlet of New York City. I fancy that I wouldn't mind living here - but only for a couple of years I should think. As Mary Schmich wrote in her essay, 'Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young', 'Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.' (Also known from the Baz Luhrmann song, 'Everybody's Free [To Wear Sunscreen])'.
Alas, I've never lived in New York City or California - northern or otherwise. Pittsburgh has its charms but my wander lust has gone un-allayed for far too long so I feel the rhythm of New York as a hypnotizing pulse. This metropolis is so vibrant and diverse: a truly exciting American city with a heaping dose of the surrealism which so strangely makes me feel grounded.
The Fuller Building A.K.A. The Flatiron Building
Vignettes of the city: - Last night I visited a street fair and rode a Ferris Wheel in the middle of Manhattan. - This evening, as I walked down 7th Avenue, my nose was confronted with a dozen powerful smells in the course of 25 feet: some good, some bad: tasty foods, the smell of nature blown in from some nearby park and the tang of ordure as a subway blew by blasting hot air from the grated sidewalk corridor beneath my feet.
A view from a NYC Ferris Wheel of a festival
Long term, I think that NYC would get to me since there is a real hassle to living here as well. - The unnatural uncomfortable annoyance of beaurocrats, regulations, nearly constant pavement and horn honks. And although I love the city, unlike many New Yorkers, I don't believe that civilization begins and ends here - and even if it does, I love the uncivilized spots in the world more.
But on my way back to the hotel, the nearly full moon was visible low on the horizon through a canyon of buildings, bright white next to a golden skyscraper. - Summer officially, over I could feel the heart of the city through the sidewalk on this abundantly warm fall night.
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Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
At the risk of sounding like a country song or a poster in a teenage girl's room, I have to say that I think dogs are some of the best things in the world. Dogs are the great companion of the human race. Their virtues include virtually unconditional love (some affection, food and water help), protectiveness and loyalty. For being a different species, they so often demonstrate the best of what we could hope for our own race.
sadism
noun
1. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.
2. Extreme cruelty.
I don’t give a rats ass about football, so I sure as hell don’t give a damn about Michael Vick’s supposed talent at the game. But even if football was my favorite thing in the world, I'd like to think that I'd have the moral courage to be appalled and disgusted by Michael Vick.
The man is a sadist. He takes pleasure in extreme cruelty.
To make his brutal and barbaric deeds all the morally worse, he was a man of means. An excuse can’t even be pretended that this is some thug scraping some mean money off the street for his own survival.
> I was going to post a photo here of what a dog looks like after a dog fight. It was too gruesome. If you don’t believe me, Google images for dog fight and you'll see images to sicken the heart and stomach of any decent person. <
So, I was amazed to hear fans on the radio calling as apologists, concerned about his career. Where are these people’s outrage? You have a terrible personal defect if you care more about a game than showing your anger and disapproval over a man who shot, hung, electrocuted, drown and tortured dogs for amusement and money.
Angry? I encourage donations to Pittsburgh’s no-kill animal Shelter: Animal Friends.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you.
This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."
- Mark Twain
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Monday, August 6th, 2007
Minneapolis Bridge collapses: it's a miracle! - Or so it would seem from much of the news reported about the Minneapolis Minnesota Interstate 35W bridge disaster.
On the morning after it occurred I watched the morning shows and in the same breath after reporting some of the deaths the anchor 'personalities' happily started speaking about the 'miracle' of the school bus that was not plunged to the depths. Minnesota Deputy Police Chief Rob Allen said, 'If you ever need proof of the hand of God, just look where that bus is two seconds later, there's a massive fire right where the cab of that truck is, and those kids would have been killed in a fire. Two seconds earlier, and it's in the river.'
More recently, on the radio I heard of Laura Bush's visit to the disaster. I heard her asking the bus driver isn't it great how god smiled on the children(?)...
If the miracle advocates are saying that god is pulling strings here, I can't help but wonder what the criteria is for a job well done.
Here is the tally of the 'miracle' as I see it:
Mammoth Bridge collapse (with a cost which may exceed a billion dollars - a billion dollars which could be spent doing something else worthwhile).
13 dead (5 confirmed dead - 8 others presumed dead)
Some 79 people injured (including a bus load of children terrified, traumatized and injured)
Sure the bus could have driven off the edge and the children could have died. On the other hand, the bridge could have collapsed at 3am in the morning (that is: if we assume that it was part of god's 'plan' to have it collapse at all) then no lives might have been lost at all.
For me, this talk of god sparing some people and letting others die is an insult to those who did die. It implies that their lives are somehow less worthy. What about the children who lost a parent? Wasn't god smiling on them? Or was it more of a wink and a nod to them? 'Hey, I could have had both of your parents killed kid - count yourself lucky! Wink!' Are we to tally the fact that a boat full of doctors and orphans wasn't killed in the collapse as part of the miracle's success? - You know, if god hadn't arranged their safety through several twists of the supernatural, there would have been a cruise full of care workers and their charges floating down the Mississippi at that moment! But they weren't there - it's a miracle!
If the qualifications for a miracle are 'it could have been worse', then I'd like to get that written into my job evaluation. 'Hey Glen, you lost us a million dollars this month, but it could have been two million, so we're giving you a raise and a corner office'.
The idea of the devil actively creating disasters 'hands on' in our world isn't as popular as it once was or I'm sure he'd get the credit for the bridge collapse.
For my part, I don’t think that any devils or deities had anything to do with it. And for the positive side of this tragedy, I salute the numerous human heroes who put themselves at risk for strangers that they'd never met before.
'Fear of things invisible is the natural seed of that which everyone in himself calleth religion.' - Thomas Hobbes, "Leviathan" (1651)
"Those afraid of the universe as it really is, those who pretend to nonexistent knowledge and envision a Cosmos centered on human beings will prefer the fleeting comforts of superstition. They avoid rather than confront the world. But those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries." - Carl Sagan
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Monday, July 30th, 2007
Day to day life is full of so much mediocrity. This weekend I saw Pixar/Disney's Ratatouille and I was reminded of what excellence looks like. I'm not sure if you need to be a connoisseur of animation to see it, but Pixar's animation is utterly brilliant. They are the Mozart and Michelangelo of animation. They could have made the same story with adequate animation and maybe made the same amount of money but they didn't: they went the extra mile and delivered a quality of work that is stirring to observe. Bravo.
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Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
When I use to go on vacation, it would recharge me. Now when I come back from vacation to the grind of day-to-day life, it just depresses me.
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Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
I walked across Smithfield Street Bridge to Station Square for lunch today - as is my want on beautiful summer days.
The sidewalks on the bridge frequently have puddles of dried puke: usually more than one at any given time. I don't know why. I can only assume that they are from drunks either coming from the bars at Station Square, or those heading from the city bars to the parking lots on that side of the river.
Most of the puke puddles are pretty close to the railing which makes one wonder if the up-chucker tried to project it over the railing and into the river but failed.
If they failed, why? Did they suddenly have a drunken sense of vertigo as they staggered to the edge before deciding that it was unwise?
If they didn't even try for the railing - that's rather odd as well, since a drop to a river just begs for barfing.
The scary thought is that perhaps the residual piles of bile represent only a fraction of the vomit. Perhaps the vast majority of pukers make it to the edge and the frequent sidewalk vomitus is only representative of 5% of the actual puking that is happening every week.
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Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
Six years ago today I launched this site. My time to write and post has diminished a bit but I still manage to write something for the main section of the site (Worldview, Friends & Family) at least once a month. So here's to me, here's to my site and here's to you for reading it.
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Thursday, May 10th, 2007
Frequently my neo-conservative friends will wail in grief for the corporate world: complaining about how much industry suffers under all of those silly, oppressive, environmental, 'hippie' regulations. Most often cited is the notion that environmental regulations cost jobs. But that argument is a logical fallacy of a false dilemma. Our choice is not 'work' or 'environment', because challenges present opportunities. The challenge of creating and sustaining environmental friendly industry represents untold business opportunities. Not to mention: it can be deadly to prioritize jobs for habitat.
This is analogous to the notion of safety regulations in factories, mines and offices that companies argued would cost money and jobs during the industrial revolution. The idea of safety equipment, decent working hours and wages and other rights brought to us by (the now frequently villainized) unions were once argued to hurt the company 'bottom line'. But even though the history of how those improvements have been wrought are so often forgotten, I know of nobody who would willing forfeit these rights.
Now, I won't say that there aren't some bad environmental regulations (just as there were/are bad union practices) but it is foolish to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Speaking of bath water or (more importantly) drinking water; here is an example of what happens to an industry zealous country that doesn't trouble itself with trivial thoughts about protecting the environment:
Beijing, China: Xu Jiehua (r), the wife of the detained Chinese environmental activist Wu Yilong, sits behind water samples collected by Wu Yilong from Chinese urban rivers and lakes.
Photograph: Teh Eng Koon
Hey, at least the plastic bottle makers have jobs! Drink up!
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Friday, April 27th, 2007
I've been watching old Mission: Impossible reruns. (Kids: there was a TV show before Tom Cruise made his bastardized movies.)
There is always a keen anticipation when mission leader Jim Phelps would receive his mission on reel-to-reel tape and it would conclude:
'As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.'
They always showed a close-up of the hissing, smoking tape and it was like holding your breath until you saw it.
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(On the earlier shows, Jim Phelps predecessor Bruce Geller got his mission on LPs. - They self destructed in cloud of smoke as well.)
On one of the shows I was watching (a two part series where they infiltrated a crime ring rigging boxing) Mr. Phelps got his message on a boat. He was instructed to dispose of the message in 'the usual fashion'. I was horrified to see him plunk it into the lake! No smoke - no self destruction: just littering! ...They must have exceeded their budget that week. |
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Friday, March 29th, 2007
Our work conversations are suffused with high levels of geek. Super hero conversations are especially popular.
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Today's speculations centered on the animated series Super Friends' 'Apache Chief'. By speaking the word "Inuk-chuk," ("Big Man") Apache Chief could grow to vast sizes. The debate was about whether or not the Chief maintained his density at all sizes. This was an important point since among my colleagues it is viewed as good character development if the super hero in question must also suffer from the benefit of having the super power.
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So the question arises, would you accept the Chief's super power of growing to giant size if it meant that you must always have a giant's density even when human sized? Things to consider: breaking furniture and an inability to ride in a typical vehicle due to your giant weight; crushing that special loved one if not careful when making out.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2007
I had popcorn and caramel filled Reece Peanut Butter cups for dinner last night.
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Friday, February 2nd, 2007
Behold the nobel and wise Groundhog!
Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring
"Phil did not see his shadow today which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter..
Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 14 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999."
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Tuesday, January 30th, 2007
From time to time at work, a birthday or similar card is circulated for everybody's signature.
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You sit at your desk and the last coworker who signed it hands it to you for your signature. The challenge is to be an earlier signer otherwise you must analyze the considerable list of scrawled names to determine who you can pawn the card to. Like the homeless begging for alms the unfortunate last signer wanders from cube to cube looking for a kind soul who will help them with the burden. Hand outstretched, pleadiing over and over again, 'Have you signed the card?', 'Signed the card?'...
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Thursday, December 28th, 2006
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At lunch today I was speaking with a friend who is on vacation and kicking back at home this week. She reported to me that since she wasn't going to work she'd not worried about her hair and had simply been throwing it into a bun. Finally she had to let her hair down because she was suffering from 'scrunchy soreness'.
If she'd said, 'scrunchy soreness syndrome' it would have been perfect.
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Friday, December 22nd, 2006
I've been a long time user of Netflix. During that time I've had a few issues with them, one of which I'm reminded of during this gift-giving season.
Last year I gave my folks a subscription to about 4 months of Netflix. When it was time to activate the account, the system required a credit card from the user. (Which was odd to me since I'd already paid.) The system claimed that it was used to validate the address or some such thing.
As it turned out, after my parents subscription was up, Netflix just started charging them. - No asking, no warning - just continued the subscription by taking money from their credit card. Pissed me off... I won't give another Netflix subscription, which is a shame since I thought it was a pretty nifty gift. (Nor am I going to link to them, if you don't know what Netflix is - use google.)
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Monday, December 18th, 2006
On CNN.com today the news headline, 'Las Vegas cracks down on the homeless' caught my eye.
Clicking into the story, I was struck by an ironic combination of images. On the left: a homeless woman; on the right: an ad of a scantily clad, Santa-hat wearing, Victoria's Secret model - hocking gift cards for Christmas.
Sadly, it seems very unpopular to point out that being poor isn't criminal and that Christmas is suffused with rampant materialism.
Perhaps those are separate ideas, but this story and ad remind me of the dichotomy between our ideals and the divergence of our reality. We fancy ourselves a great and giving nation. We tell ourselves that Christmas is a 'time of giving'. And the reality is: we so often seek to hide the poor and give to ourselves.
Alas, perhaps some will read this entry as a bit of a downer for the holidays. Pass the eggnog.
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Thursday, December 14th, 2006
My Coughing Monkey Pox lives on. The virus that had taken a lease on my body now seems to have gotten a mortgage. - A 30 year mortgage.
The plague is upon me. Twice now the Pox has subsided. The first time I had a reprieve it was at the start of some fun in NYC in mid November.
After a long weekend of hiking the Big Apple the virus would have no more of that and returned with a vengeance. A few more weeks and it was fading again until this weekend when it opened the door and invited in the dreaded head cold. Now my sinuses are are plugged and the cough is making a third showing, albeit weaker this time. Thats about two months of sickness (so far). People are pretty much ignoring my coughs now. - Their sympathies have been worn out. It is expected that I should be either better or dead by now. (They're mostly agnostic about the direction.) On the bright side, some coworkers use my hacking as a sort of coughing GPS to locate me.
I have no good segue to this next part, so let me just dive ride in. - I don't wear watches. I break them too easily. It doesn't matter if they were designed for astronauts, - I'll break them. After not wearing a watch for most of my life, I've adapted pretty well without them. But on occasion I've acquired a few watches for some reason or another. These watches are hidden in the forgotten corners of my life. (- One in a side pouch of my carry-on luggage, one in a coat pocket, another in a pile of stuff next to my computer at home.)
And what's weird is that sooner or later, their alarms get set on.
Sometimes they are purposely set (like a travel watch set for some long forgotten wake up call five time zones away.) At other times the watches just seem to get bumped on from jostling. All of this results in the tiny, but insistent beeps of alarm watches going off at random times in my life.
Often I'll try and figure out how to turn the little buggers off, but it can be so tricky. Each watch tends to have 4 to 5 buttons (none of which are ever labeled). And each alarm inevitably requires a combination of button presses in specific sequence, often with simultaneous pressings required. I'm not sure what the math is on it, but there are a lot of possibilities for each watch. - No two of which are ever alike. So, if the watch isn't set to some annoying time (like 5am) or stored in an location where I'll hear it all of the time, I've learned to ignore them, realizing that sooner or later the little sucker will either get jostled off again or run out of battery.
I have one such watch in my winter coat pocket. I never think about it until 11am every work day when I can hear its tiny voice calling to me from my coat reminding of me of an appointment long since passed. It only lasts 30 seconds and I only hear it about half of the time.
Therefore I will leave this watch to the fates or until I'm bored silly someday waiting at an airport and I feel like trying to decipher the Rubik's cube combination. Until that day: Beep...Beep...Beep..
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Monday, November 27th, 2006
I have to admit that I've become germ phobic over the last couple of years. I strive to wash my hands after touching public door knobs, elevator buttons or other fomites. - Those little germy items that you and ten thousand other people touch every day.
It seems to have paid off: I haven't been getting colds with as great of frequency. However, about three weeks ago I caught some kind of bug. I've been coughing for over three weeks. Just when I was getting better I went on a trip where I pushed myself and I suffered a relapse. The actual sickness isn't that bad but I am simply tired of being sick.
The women in my life keep telling me to go see a doctor. Interestingly, the men in my life don't give me any advice on the matter.
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Tuesday, October 24th, 2006
The other day at work the fire alarm went off. The alarm isn't nearly as screeching as the one we use to have when we were on a different floor. This alarm is one that you can tune out. Many people are tempted to ignore the alarm since it is a pain to wade into the overcrowded stairwells only to wait outside (in the typically cruddy Pittsburgh weather) only to be told that it is a false alarm. As one files, cow-like, into the queue for the stairwell, you can't help but wish that the building is really on fire just this once to justify all of the fire alarms in your life.**
** Boilerplate caveat: Yes, you hope that it doesn't burn anything you own, or hurt anybody...yadda...yadda...yadda...(But you still think it.)
Also, why do we say 'mom' for mother? If it's a shortened version of mother, shouldn't we say, 'mot'? **
** Boilerplate caveat: Yeah, I know, short for 'mommy'.
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Monday, September 11th, 2006
I was in New York City last week. A youngish, decently kept man was standing on the sidewalk yelling into the street various conspiracy theories about 9-11 and challenging anyone to refute him. After a few minutes of this, his attractive girlfriend came out from a store and he stopped his rant and they walked on their merry way. It was as if this man just switches to conspiracy screed mode whenever there is a little downtime. The most disturbing aspect of the man wasn't his yelling but how 'normal' he appeared when he wasn't.
I was half tempted to take him up on his challenge but I was reminded of the adage, 'Never argue with a fool. Someone watching may not be able to tell the difference.'
But the conspiracy purveyors piss on the facts of the day and do a dishonor to those lost. So, here is my yell into the public square (links open in new windows):
911 Myths
Debunking 911
'As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.'
- Josh Billings.
I toured the World Trade Center site and viewed the large hole and collection of construction equipment. I even saw homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff surrounded by a bevy of bodyguards while being interviewed by network news crew. I took lots of pictures but the closest I could come to capturing the site was this photo of the empty, overcast sky where the towers should be:
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Thursday, August 24th, 2006
Sure, everybody has misplaced their keys from time to time but losing an entire planet is just reckless and irresponsible. Somebody had better lose their job over this.
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Friday, August 11th, 2006
Walking back to work from lunch the other day I came to a crosswalk with 'Don't Walk' illuminated. I stopped and watched a fellow in a wheelchair careen across the street in front of turning cars which led me to think three things:
1) That is one fast wheel chair.
2) He technically did not break the letter of the law.
3) I can imagine how he might have ended up in the wheel chair in the first place.
A thought for the summer:
It is unfortunate that as we get older we usually don't spend much time in tire swings. I noted this to one of my friends and coworkers and she responded, 'Old tire swings that collect rainwater are great breeding grounds for mosquitoes and the West Nile virus.'
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Friday, July 21st, 2006
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Pixar's 'Cars' depicts a dystopian world barren of animal life and ruled by machines.
Yeah, I saw 'Cars' a few weeks ago. The bottom line: it charmed me. But I was inspired to write my opening line by the creepy fact that there are no people, - nor other animals in the movie's world. That's no big deal for an animated movie right? Well, sure - normally but 'Cars' begs the question what is a car with out people?
Stories and fictional worlds can be fantastic. I can accept androids, dinosaurs, wizards, superheroes and more as long as they obey the internal logic of their own story.
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I can't say that 'Cars' didn't follow its own internal logic, but the 'Car's' world calls on the viewer to suspend their disbelief by asking the viewer to forget that cars are made by people for people.
Herbie (the Love Bug) is a magical, autonomous car with a personality: fine. But Herbie was clearly built by people and in fact, drives people around. But I couldn't get it out of my head, 'Where are the vehicles from 'Cars' suppose to have come from? There are no people, so who built them? Other cars? Okay but what is the purpose of the car if not as a form of transportation? Do these cars have seats in side of the? Steering wheels? If so: why?' (The film's creators studiously avoid showing us what is behind the vehicles windshields.) Clearly it seems to me that the vehicles must have overthrown their human overlords in a bloody, apocalyptic prequel that we've yet to see.
Another John Lasseter movie (that I happen to love), has a similar 'begging the question' issue with its main characters: 'Toy Story'. In 'Toy Story', the toys have their own secret lives but they were clearly made by people for people. (So far so good: people exist, but the toys have secret lives.) But near the end of the movie, the cowboy doll Woody states that they must reveal themselves (as alive) to the malicious toy abusing child Sid in order to rescue their friend and action hero, Buzz Lightyear. Woody tells his fellow toys that they must 'break the rules just this once'.
That always bugged me. Because it always begged the question what are the other 'rules'? And who made them? Perhaps the toys in 'Toy Story' are preparing for the day in which they too may overthrow their human masters and conquer the earth.
(My half-joking aside) once I suppressed the question about the logic behind 'Cars', I was able to tune into the story. And even here, I have to say that I didn't find the movie very funny. But in spite of this, the movie succeeds in being fun to watch. The characters, the story arc, the morality play, the spectacle of the world all work to enamor the viewer.
And the animation? Its easy to start to take animation for granted. 'Cars' had about 10 other trailers before it of coming attractions by other studios. They all looked good before 'Cars' started to roll. But Pixar goes the extra mile in the animation details and the viewer is reminded once again why they've been so successful. (They care about quality.)
I highly recommend 'Cars' but I still think that director John Lasseter may be a twisted 'end-times' would-be prophet of doom.
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Tuesday, June 6th, 2006
Bush and his intolerant cronies are once again pandering to their religious base in order to distract the country from issues such as war, gasoline prices, confusion over immigration, a disintegrating environmental policy, continued trade and budget deficits and a rampant national deficit. You can read my past comments on the specifics of why this call for a marriage ban is so outrageous from my Friday, February 27th, 2004 posting.
From CNN:
If you are one of those who make the hollow defense, that gays should be allowed to have civil unions but shouldn't be allowed to marry, then you really should re-read Animal Farm. George Orwell was delivering a warning and not suggesting a policy when he wrote "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others."
"Was there ever any domination that did not appear natural to those who possessed it?" - John Stuart Mill
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Monday, May 22nd, 2006
Cue the band. Unfurl the banners. Release the balloons, confetti and doves. Today is the 5th anniversary of:
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Tuesday, April 11th, 2006
The Kitten Kommotion Trailer is now online at GoogleVideo. Please pass it around to your friends and family. If you have a website, please link to the trailer and the website KittenKommotion.com where videos are still being sold!
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Monday, April 10th, 2006
Janeane Garofalo did a commercial spot for Comedy Central several years ago. In it, she talks about the nature of evil and I found it surprisingly meaningful.
Click here to see the QuickTime movie
(Opens in a new window and requires the free Apple QuickTime plugin. You may initially just see the "Q" QuickTime logo. Please be patient while the movie downloads.)
Transcript below.
'A lot of people think that evil is an obvious, somewhat tangible thing, but I'll tell you, it's a lot sneakier than that. Evil is in the face of every frat guy that every raised a beer cup and went "Wahoooooo!" It's underneath the melon stained tarps at a Gallagher show. Evil, is in the mouth of every woman who said to me, "Oh, you have to read the Bridges of Madison County, it's the best book!" That keeps the chain of mediocrity going in this country and that's evil.'
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Friday, March 31st, 2006
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Note to Hollywood directors, writers and producers: people cannot outrun an explosion, even if you show it in slow motion.
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| Monday, March 27th, 2006 | | |
