Gee, I wonder why the American media missed this

Turns out fracking not only pollutes the ground water -- in an era when water is about to become the new gold -- it also screws with the health of babies. And I didn't learn this through an American media report. I found it at Al Jazeera.

Living near hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — sites may increase the risk of some birth defects by as much as 30 percent, a new study suggests. In the U.S., more than 15 million people now live within a mile of a well.

Note that our fine president just mentioned fracking with pride during his State of the Union speech. Oh, he didn't actually use the word "fracking", of course. He was too scared to do that because people know that fracking is a dreadful practice. Instead, he avoided the word and simply said that our exporting of oil was up significantly. He also didn't mention anything about sick babies.

“What we found was that the risk of congenital heart defects (CHD) increased with greater density of gas wells — with mothers living in the highest-density areas at greatest risk,” Lisa McKenzie, a research associate at the Colorado School of Public Health and the lead author of the study, told Al Jazeera.

The study examined links between the mother’s residential proximity to natural gas wells and birth defects in a study of more than 124,842 births from 1996 to 2009 in rural Colorado. 

The study found that “births to mothers in the most exposed (areas with over 125 wells per mile) had a 30 percent greater prevalence of CHDs than births to mothers with no wells in a 10-mile radius of their residence.”

So, uh, maybe we shouldn't be destroying our ground water and ruining the lives of unborn children. But whatever. Industry wants it, so people's concerns are disallowed. They're only people, after all. Who cares what happens to them? Not our government. That's clear.

The article also includes this statement:

“This study suggests that if you want to have a healthy baby and you live near a fracking site, move,” Gary Wockner of Colorado’s Clean Water Action, said.

You heard the man. Move away from fracking sites if you plan to have a child. That's as clear a directive as you can get. This needs to be drummed through the heads of Americans. Oh, I forgot. The American media aren't covering this story.

Never mind.

Russian males die early because of vodka

As we head toward the Sochi Anti-Gay Bombing Olympics, let us consider the drunken nature of the Russian male:

The high and sharply fluctuating death rates in Russia are due mainly to alcohol, particularly vodka, a new prospective study of 151,000 adults confirms.

Currently, 25% of all Russian men die before the age of 55 years, compared with only 7% of UK men. Alcohol and tobacco account for most of this large difference in premature mortality (appendix, pages 3-5).

"Russian death rates have fluctuated wildly over the past 30 years as alcohol restrictions and social stability varied under Presidents Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin, and the main thing driving these wild fluctuations in death was vodka. This has been shown in retrospective studies, and now we've confirmed it in a big, reliable prospective study", said co-author Professor Sir Richard Peto from the University of Oxford, UK.

But Russia will exercise great control during the Sochi Olympics. Have no fear. Why, just yesterday president Obama said it's "safe" to go to Sochi. Uh-huh.

Did you ever wonder whether those Russian thugs were drunk when they beat up innocent gay guys, videotaped it and put this vile product on the internet? The answer is probably. But there's some consolation. At least the thugs will probably die before the age of 55.

Russia is a pig sty. Nothing new here. Lookin' good, Vladdy! Boo-yah!

Aravosis beat me to it

I was going to rip Russia from stem to stern this morning, but John Aravosis at AmericaBlog beat me to it. Just go read this.

Take that, Vladdy!

Edith would be so proud

I love that the first lady of France, Valerie Trierweiler, told reporters:

"Je ne regrette rien."

Fans of Edith Piaf's song of the same name will understand my amusement. Finally, someone said "I regret nothing" in French. And for a real purpose, too. Not just as a joke.

Mind you, when she checked in to a hospital last week for a tasteful, well-reported swoon -- after finding out the prez was leaving her for "a younger actress" (I love that phrasing; not for a younger woman but for a younger "actress") -- I lost whatever empathy I had for her. Which is not to imply that I had any in the first place.

Trierweiler seems to be living a movie rather than a life. But at least she has no regrets. It's all anyone can ask of life.

Non-African humans are mutts

So it seems Neanderthals interbred with humans in Asia and Europe. If that's where your ancestors came from, you've likely got a bunch of Neanderthal DNA in your body. The article says this interbreeding had both good and bad effects.

The researchers also showed that nine previously identified human genetic variants known to be associated with specific traits likely came from Neanderthals. These variants affect diseases related to immune function and also some behaviors, such as the ability to stop smoking. The team expects that more variants will be found to have Neanderthal origins.

I'm irritated with the article's author for failing to explain what she meant by that vague mention of smoking cessation. Being part-Neanderthal makes it harder to stop smoking -- or easier? Which is it? She doesn't say. For this huge oversight, I award her a fail.

The concept is kinda fun, though. I always hoped I had a ton of Neanderthal genes. Since my family heritage stems from Italy and Ireland, it seems I lucked out. I'm probably part-Neanderthal. Yippee!

More polar vortex talk

Last night, in honor of the bone-chilling temperatures afflicting the US, I watched "The Day After Tomorrow". What can I say? Watching a movie about the world experiencing a new Ice Age just seemed appropriate. We're not exactly freezing in place within 15 seconds, like in the movie. But we're experiencing temperatures that are lower than any I remember in NY history.

At one point in the movie, I heard Dennis Quaid's character say that climate change was shutting down the North Atlantic Gyre, the ocean current that brings warmth up from the tropics. And this is what was causing a new Ice Age.

In recent years, I wondered when and how this idea wormed its way into the American consciousness. It's kind of funny that the source is a Hollywood movie. Turns out, a new Ice Age is not on the way -- at least, on the real Earth that we occupy. And how do I know this? Because NASA told me so.

Predictably, talk of such a scenario has led to some big misconceptions. First, a slowdown or even a stoppage of the meridional overturning circulation would NOT spell the end to the Gulf Stream. Wind and large-scale turbulence drive the bulk of the Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, of which the Gulf Stream is a part. The Gulf Stream would, however, draw significantly less water from the tropics.

Second, unlike during the Younger Dryas, a weakening of the meridional overturning circulation will NOT trigger another ice age. Rising temperatures due to global warming would offset most of the temperature drop. Armadas of icebergs floating off the New Jersey coast are just Hollywood fantasies.

So there you go. No Ice Age. I'm still not thrilled about the Gyre slowing down and possibly stopping. But at least it won't look like the world depicted in "The Day After Tomorrow". Thought I'd share this news with y'all.

Obama's worst nightmare

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this:

Two Norwegian lawmakers say they have jointly nominated former NSA contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

Wouldn't that be the perfect irony? Both Obama and Snowden getting the Nobel Peace Prize? Of course, if Snowden won the prize, it would be the case that he actually, you know, did something to earn it. Obama, on the other hand, "earned" the prize by making speeches that he never followed up on. Which only adds to the deliciousness of the juxtaposition.

A lovely galaxy

This is M-83, otherwise known as the Southern Pinwheel. I think it's gorgeous. NASA image.

A polar vortex love affair

That's a picture of my new love. It's a Zippo Hand Warmer and I'll never let go of mine. Never!

I guess I saw ads for these things now and then. The product looked like a zippo lighter, only larger. Didn't seem interesting so I never considered buying one. A hand warmer? Whatever for?

And then the polar vortex arrived and my hands turned to stone -- cold, icy stone. Suddenly the idea of a hand warmer seemed appealing. So I ordered two.

They arrived yesterday and as I sit here typing, there are two warm thingies in the pockets of my polartec vest. It is such a treat to be able to stick my hands in my pockets and find, of all things warmth. They're just the right temperature: cozy-like.

When I ordered them, I thought they were the size of a Zippo lighter. Not so. They're much larger, about the size of the palm of your hand (or a large deck of cards). The edges are rounded and eminently huggable, and it comes with a velvet pouch (or more likely, something similar to velvet). You have to keep it in the pouch so it doesn't heat up too much. The pouch limits the amount of air available to it.

Yes, there's a flame in there but you never see it. After a day of use, I don't think it's dangerous, as long as you're careful. (For instance, they can't be shut off. So you have to put them in a fireproof receptacle at the end of the day.) And did I mention the end result is that you have a nice, warm, velvety-soft thing in your pocket? On cold days, the thrill never ends.

I'm in love and I'll never let go. And darn you all for not telling me about this product sooner. Mmmmm. Warmth.

digby today

Our current economic system is neither natural nor value neutral. It wildly overcompensates the financialized "labor" of those at the top of the chain--much of which has little value to society--while dramatically undercompensating the real, necessary work of the people who build, teach, manage, maintain, clean, and service things and other people. If derivatives trading were banned tomorrow, most people would barely notice the difference. Meanwhile, the lives of real people might well be vastly improved by transaction taxes, tighter controls on vulture capital, and other efforts to undo the financialization of the economy and incentivize the world's best and brightest to enter fields less dedicated to the distasteful and counterproductive task of helping ludicrously overpaid rent seekers extract even greater rates of return on investment.

digby is a national treasure. I'm thankful every day for her smarts and her vigilance.

We live in a galaxy

This is apparently the Milky Way arch. I confess I've never heard of it before. And I totally don't get how we can see such a thing from Earth. It's like it was taken from outside the galaxy. (There are huge holes in my own astronomical information. One day I'll meet an astronomer, capture him and bring him to my house. Then I'll ply him with espresso and get the answers to all my astronomy questions.)

In the meantime, enjoy this photo. It's yet another great shot from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site, where you'll find a new photo every day. (Link)

Crazy news from today

First, we have the New Yorker's splendid cover, featuring self-absorbed nitwit, Vladimir Putin. The New Yorker's on a roll lately. If this is the first time you're seeing the cover, click to make it larger so you can see the faces of the spectators. Marvelous image!

Next, we have two stories that you would hope are satirical -- but seem to be true. Both are from Jerry Coyne's blog:

1. Nigerian woman disowns "gay cat".
2. Muslim sensitivity leads to blacked-out faces of pigs. 

Jeebus. I urge my readers to try and do something sensible today, to counter the nonsense running non-stop through people's heads.

PS: Just saw this:

Security officials say suspected Islamic extremists used explosives to attack a village in Nigeria's northeast, killing 52 people and razing more than 300 homes.

But by all means, keep focusing on the cat. After all, that's what's important.

But Americans love "black widows"

The term "black widow" really irritates me. These are the women the media tells us will blow themselves up at Sochi, in hopes of killing others. Scary stuff, huh? What kind of culture produces something as awful as black widows? Brrrrrr.

But step back for a moment and consider something. There are many popular American "hero" movies where the guy's family is killed and he spends the whole movie blowing up everyone he thinks is responsible -- for revenge  -- while American audiences cheer his every move. But the hero is nothing more than a black widower.

The M.O. for journalists seems to be that fighting to avenge the loss of your family is totally scary when the avenger is...a woman. After all, how could a mere woman, a creature who possesses pope-approved intuition and myriad other "womanly virtues", do such a thing? Duh. She could do it as easily as a man. And no one ever notices the similarity between these "black widows" and the American "heroes" in our movies, though they act on the same principles.

I'm not buying the black-widow media fantasy. I'm just not. Violence begets violence. And stopping the violence would mean the end of black widows. But no one tries to stop the violence anymore. It's just a fact of life, to be accepted, to be borne, to be avenged.

Pope strikes out

In a waste of perfectly good breath, the pope embarrassed a women's group today by making statements that were vapid and condescending, in equal measure. Note how he says nothing new -- and instead, delivers a statement that rightly belongs in the dustbin of history:

Pope Francis on Saturday lauded women for their sensitivity toward the society's weak and "gifts" like intuition, insisting they take on greater responsibilities in the Catholic church, as well as in professional and public spheres.

He may as well have been an old, farty guy with a cigar. This is supposed to inspire female Catholics? And he got in a sideways dig at gay marriage.

"The presence of women in a domestic setting turns out to be so necessary" for the "transmission to future generations of solid moral principles and the very transmission of the faith," Francis said.

Indeed. It sounds like he's chanelling American evangelicals, NOM and the American Family Society. I'm surprised he didn't start singing in tongues. The article ends with this note:

Since Francis has stressed mercy as a dominant characteristic of his pontificate, any more female ordinations would present a highly-watched occasion to see how he would handle such a grave violation of church teaching.

Yup, a "grave violation" of church teaching. The crime...is being a woman. Because they're not fully human, you know, what with their female parts and all. Gotta keep 'em barefoot and pregnant. That's always the best method. I'm sure the pope would agree.

His speech reeked of male privilege. But then, that's the basis of the Catholic church. Nothing new here. It seems we shouldn't look to Pope Francis for moral statements about women or gays. He doesn't get it and it seems he never will. It's sad. People had such high hopes.

Want to see a weird video?

My nephew sent me a link to this video. Like me, he doesn't think much of the song but the video is interesting and unusual. It breaks several rules -- and I like when people break rules. Check it out.

The danger of looking like an American at Sochi

The United States recommends that American attendees at the Sochi Anti-Gay Bombing Olympics not wear American flags on their heads while traveling to and from the games. Nor should they sing "America the Beautiful" as they parade through the festive streets of the godforsaken region.

Instead, the US asks that Americans "dress dowdy" in an attempt to look like typical Russians. "Wear gray or black only; no colors. And make sure your clothes are at least 20 years out of date," they caution. "A hint of vodka on the outfits wouldn't hurt," one official added.

Good advice. Have fun at the games!

Alaskan candidate for US Senate speaks in tongues

Via Ed Brayton's blog, I learn that Kathleen Tonn, a nitwit up north, is running for the US Senate in Alaska. And she speaks in tongues. Have you ever wondered why these evangelical fools speak in tongues? It's quite simple, really. Here's Tonn's explanation.

“Speaking in tongues or singing in tongues is very valuable because the message cannot be understood by Satan. But the Holy Spirit can use that message to bring deliverance, to bring clarity, to bring discerning and words of wisdom and knowledge. And tongues is interpreted by a person who has the gift of interpretation,” she explained.

See? It's totally sensible. Alaskans really come up with some major wingnuts, don't they? I'll bet Sarah Palin is totally jealous of this woman.

Ed's got a video of Tonn in action at the link. Speaking in tongues! It's just amazing. Religious people are so strange. And yes, I mean all of them. If you believe in fairytales, I get to call you strange.

Haven't heard about this? Gee, I wonder why.

Nearly three years after the destruction of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, at least 70 U.S. Navy sailors who participated in relief efforts after the accident have been suffering from radiation sickness and even cancer as the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan was exposed to fallout.

Seventy. And yet most American media sources have been silent on this topic (which has been known for weeks; I posted about it when the news initially came out). These media sources apparently believe that they can't report on this situation. After all, it might upset rich nuclear industry reps, and we can't have that. No siree. This is America, where the rich can get away with anything.

“I was standing on the flight deck, and we felt this warm gust of air, and, suddenly, it was snowing,” sailor Lindsay Cooper told the New York Post in an interview published Monday. The metallic-tasting snow was caused by the freezing Pacific air that mixed with the radioactive fallout from the Fukushima power plant that was wrecked in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The USS Ronald Reagan, the ship these sailors were on, was literally sucking radioactive water into its desalination system, and spewing it out of faucets and showers. As a result, 70 US sailors are sick with various forms of cancer, all the result of radiation poisoning. And no one's talking about it. (Well, except for the Post, which is a rightwing, nutjob publication in NY. I guess they think it's bad for Obama, which makes it their duty to cover the story. But who knows? Wingnut publications don't operate on a rational basis.)
 

I can't imagine how these sailors feel. Their country sent them on a suicide mission without telling them the risks. Does some of the blame lie with the Japanese operators of the plant, who were tut-tutting and saying all was safe? Absolutely. But that doesn't let the Navy off the hook. It was a suicide mission carried out with innocent participants who had no clue about the dangers they faced.

 

Hat-tip to Artichoke Annie. 

Totally

The official Olympic sweater is the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Ralph Lauren? Really?

John Aravosis tells it plain.

Oy.

It's too cold to blog

It's a balmy 14 degrees at 3 in the afternoon in upstate NY, where I hold court. Going down to 1 tonight. And then there's the wind to consider. It's cold. As I said recently, I don't recall this intense a cold spell in New York. It seems downright strange.

On last night's local news, as a reporter was doing cold man in the street interviews in Times Square, he stuck a microphone in the face of an old Canadian man. I was surprised to hear the fellow say that this cold was worse than anything he'd experienced in Canada. And these old Canadian guys know their cold!

The good thing about cold weather, of course, is that when you get inside everything seems so cozy. Cozy is the winter god and it's so easy to summon up. You just grab a cup of espresso, turn up the heat and voila: cozy. This is a trick that summer cannot do. Try to picture a cozy summer scene. See? Summer is not cozy. It's free and relaxed and sweaty, but cozy? Never. That belongs to winter.

Anyway, the news today is the same old irrational stuff that we see every day. There was nothing there to inspire a blog post. So instead of blogging, I'm going to hunker down in my extremely cozy house. Mmmmmm. Nice.

Tch. It seems I accidentally wrote a blog post. Whatever. Mmmm, espresso! Stay warm, kiddies. It's the prime imperative.

The kids already know, even in Kansas

For many years, I worked with NYC high school students to provide sex education and information about avoiding HIV infection. But I didn't do the educating; the kids did. The agency I worked for offered grants to HS students so they could educate their peers. This works beautifully. Kids are so idealistic when it comes to life and death issues. They truly dedicated themselves to helping their classmates avoid HIV infection.

One of the sub-plots we discovered during this process is that kids are more comfortable talking to a group about sexual practices than their skittish teachers. The adults were all red-faced and squirmy when they tried to talk about these things. But to the kids, it was just something that needed to be said. From what I saw, they weren't at all embarrassed to speak about sex in front of their classmates. It was necessary. They understood this.

So I wasn't surprised by the dimwit reactions of Kansas parents to the very existence of standard sex-ed methods. Most adults are totally out of it, sexually speaking.

A middle school in Kansas has removed a poster that used to supplement some of the sex ed curricula for eighth graders, following complaints from one parent who took his case to the press. The poster, entitled “How Do People Express Their Sexual Feelings?”, lists various sexual activities like “grinding,” “oral sex,” “kissing,” and “sexual fantasy.” It sparked considerable controversy last week after one 13-year-old student snapped a photo of it and showed it to her father, who threatened to remove her from the sex ed class.

Uh...sex ed class? Maybe the father doesn't understand what "sex" means. And PS: the kids already know these terms and their meanings. They're not dumb.

“You know this had to pass through enough hands that someone should have said, ‘Wait a minute, these are 13-year-old kids, we do not need to be this in-depth with this sexual education type of program,’ ” Ellis told a local Fox affiliate.

Uh, did this father notice the words that came out of his mouth? Yes, it's a sexual education type of program. And yet this father finds it odd that they talk about, you know, sex in a sex education program.

As I've said, by and large, kids have no problem with a curriculum like this. Kids get it. Here's a quote from one of them:

“It’s just a poster — eye-popping, but it’s better they show us now than later on,” eighth-grader Lyssa Watland [...]“There are kids honestly that are my age who are sexually active and they don’t know the consequences.”

That's why we have sex education. But adults in Kansas can't understand simple logic: if the kids know the ins and outs of HIV infection, they'll be protected. And if they don't know, watch out. BTW, the school capitulated and removed the "offensive" poster. Twits.

If you don't speak clearly to kids about HIV/AIDS and sexual practices, they won't be protected against HIV infection. Doesn't that matter more than this nitwit parent's opinion? In Kansas, I guess not. Hopefully this will change -- for the kids' sake.

Polar vortex strikes again

Jeebus! It's -2.7 degrees outside with winds gusting up to 19 mph. And they say this time it'll last two weeks. Two weeks!

No way I'm going outside today. I opened the door to feed the birds and squirrels, and that's it for door-opening. I'm set for the duration.

But it's pretty weird. I don't remember cold like this in NY. Then again, we former hippies don't have much in the memory department. Lotsa rainbows -- that, I recall. Pretty! But other stuff? Not so much.

Don't forget to feed the wild animals today. They need our help. Also, keep your pets inside and call your elderly friends to see if they need food, help or heat. Remember, we're all in this together.

So how are you handling the cold? I know it's even colder in other areas of the US. Brrrrrrr.

I'm breaking up with my apps

Okay, it's the final app round-up and I have given my soul to Satan, uh no, wait a minute...I mean to NoteSuite. That's it. I just got confused for a moment.

I've moved lock stock and barrel into this app. And speaking of moving, I feel like I moved four times in the last two months. I tried out four apps and gave each of them my all.  I moved everything, and I mean everything, into these apps to try them out.

I thought I'd found real happiness. But the sad truth is that I have a roving eye. I'd see a new app in an ad and before I knew it, I was trying it on mentally with my eyes. I'd find myself leering at screenshots in the App Store. I'd think "could that app be the one for me?" But I felt cheap; after all, I'd given my life to those other apps.

And seriously, my relationship with my old apps worked for a while. Like husbands, I thought each one was wonderful…at first. I was immersed in their charms and believed I was the luckiest guy in the world.

But then they showed  their darker sides. I'm no fool. I packed up my stuff and moved out immediately. And you know what? It was all worth it because I finally met my dream app.

NoteSuite, with you and Scrivener -- I shall go to the ball!

One last quote from the freshly minted homophobic cardinal

I just saw this quote in today's NY Daily News. Jeez.

[Cardinal Fernando Sebastian] claimed it was "one thing" to be compassionate towards homosexuals "and another thing to morally justify the practice of that homosexuality."

"You can tell a person what their weakness is, but that doesn't justify a decision to respect them and help them," he added.

Wow. What an asshole. Sebastian's remarks are stunningly stupid and evil. And this man is Spain's new cardinal. Welcome to the same old, gay-hating church.

Pope makes homophobic nitwit a cardinal

Looks like we're going to get the same old thing from the new, evolved, magical pope:

Pope Francis’ newly chosen Spanish cardinal, 84-year-old Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, has described homosexuality as a “defect” that can be corrected with treatment, sparking condemnation from gay rights groups.

“A lot of people complain and don’t tolerate it but with all respect I say that homosexuality is a defective way of manifesting sexuality, because that has a structure and a purpose, which is procreation,” Sebastian told Malaga newspaper Sur.

Isn't it funny how it's always the sexless old Catholic priests who really know all the ins and outs of sex? Makin' babies. That's all it's for. So all you people out there doing the deed for fun had better stop. Elsewise, after you die you'll go to a nonexistent place called Hell. Horrors! Oh, wait. Maybe it's the ornery, newly-made cardinal who's going to Hell. What a startling turn of events!

Gay and lesbian rights group Colegas called on the archbishop to retract his comment.

“We hope that Fernando Sebastian will correct his words and we note that homosexuality is not a curable disease, but homophobia is,” it said in a statement.

Homosexuality is a perfectly normal state of affairs. Homophobia, however, is a hateful aberration that can be corrected. Good point. Let's hope the locals drive it home.

And as for pope Frankie, boooooooo!

Martin Luther King Day

Last night, I did the perfect thing to get ready for MLK Day. I watched 1964: American Experience on PBS. (Link leads to full show.)

What heady days those were. I'd almost forgotten, though I lived through them. I was a senior in high school in 1964. This show puts the whole explosive era in context.

It was a year of wild racial tensions, civil rights marches and the murder of three young people working for voting rights in Mississippi. At the same moment, the Beatles came to America and Bob Dylan released "The Times They Are A'Changing". Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" was published, and women everywhere were waking up and demanding full rights.

Martin Luther King was a heroic, able leader for the nonviolent civil rights movement that was busting out all over the country. And of all people, Lyndon Johnson successfully pushed for the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It was a year when student activists, enlightened by working in the South during Freedom Summer, brought their activism back to schools, and an era of student activism was born.

It was a year like no other, and Martin Luther King, Jr. was one powerful element among many. But it was King and his brave followers who brought success to the push for civil rights. He was a leader when one was desperately needed, and he was the right man for the job.

There's so much more in that American Experience show. It was the year the new, brain-dead Republican era began. Listening to the campaign promises of Goldwater, the GOP candidate, was like listening to the Tea Party of today. And that convention brought Ronald Reagan to the notice of Republicans. Thus, it was the beginning of true civil rights in our country and the advent of ugly, small-minded, backward Republicanism. It seems the birth of our country occurred in 1964.

If you get a chance, watch the show. It raised my blood pressure as it brought those times back to life. And it reminded me of heroes and villains, and their perpetual place in our country's history.

Today, we celebrate one of the heroes. Do something kind today as you remember this great man.

Bored by football? Here's a suggestion.

Today, while most of the country is watching football and listening to blowhard announcers, you can do something interesting and useful.

For the past two days, I've been reading responses to this year's question at Edge. Here's the question: "What scientific idea is ready for retirement?" I know that sounds a bit dry but some of the responses are amazing.

So don't be hemmed in by football nonsense today. Instead, visit Edge and learn a thing or two. This is what's referred to as spending your time profitably. Enjoy!

Religious guy doing survey of "spirituality"

In my headline, I put the word "spirituality" in quotes because there's no such thing. The only thing that exists in this world is reality. Nonetheless, University of Connecticut Professor Bradley Wright is asking people questions:

"Did you pray in the last 24 hours? To what extent are you feeling nurtured or angry with God? Do you feel a sense of purpose right now?" 

Important stuff, obviously (LOL).

So who is this guy? Why, he's the fellow who wrote the 2010 book "Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites... and Other Lies You've Been Told." You don't have to guess which side of the spiritual street he lives on. (BTW, Christians constantly proclaim their hatred of gays as a "spiritual value". Just read any story about pious bakers turning down gay couples who want to purchase a wedding cake. It's wall-to-wall Christian hate. So much for this guy's book.)

But you really have to laugh at the nonsensical subject of this survey.

Wright is hoping the effort will shed light on a wide range of issues: Do people feel closer to God or more distant after they're on Facebook? How did attending church service affect them? Does spirituality help with social isolation? Does amount of sleep affect spiritual awareness?

As I say, important stuff. I love the last question. I guess if you don't get enough sleep, it's harder to talk to yourself in your head while believing you're in contact with a super-being. Cuppa coffee might help.

I love the quotes in the story. Here's one:

Kyndria Brown, a 50-year-old bookkeeper from Madison, Conn., who participated in the study, said she learned that she thought more about God when she was alone and feeling sad. "But when I was with other people I tended to not think in a spiritual way," she said.

I guess it's hard to talk to yourself while you're with other actual, you know, people. That would be multi-tasking, something I'm not sure Christians can do. (Never mind, I'm sure they can't.)

Here's a final note about the author of the survey:

Wright himself was raised Catholic, then became involved in a charismatic church and now calls himself a Catholic-liturgical-charismatic evangelical.

I call him a twit. It's shorter. I guess we'll just have to wait with bated breath for the results of this earthshaking scientific study. Gee, I wonder what conclusions he'll draw (and how much money he'll make by selling the results in a book). 

There are real issues in this world that we must focus on if the human race is to survive. To cite just one of these issues, scientists say we have only 15 years to turn climate change around -- and we're not doing a thing.

But at least we'll have this survey. Hooray!

Comedians are psychotic?

I ran across an odd little study today. It was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. They asked 523 comedians to fill out a personality questionnaire designed to suss out the psychotics among us.

First, let's take a gander at the traits they were looking for. I find them rather odd:

The four different aspects measured by the questionnaire are: Unusual Experiences (belief in telepathy and paranormal events); Cognitive Disorganisation (distractibility and difficulty in focusing thoughts); Introvertive Anhedonia (reduced ability to feel social and physical pleasure, including an avoidance of intimacy); and Impulsive Non-Conformity (tendency towards impulsive, antisocial behaviour).

Telepathy and paranormal events? It seems strange to link this to sociopaths (another term for psychotics). I've never read anything that suggested such a link. Anyway, they report that comedians scored very high on the test. (BTW, they include bipolar disorder under the header of "psychosis". Sheesh. I love my manic moods, thank you very much. How rude!)

Here's their explanation for why comedians scored so high:

Professor Gordon Claridge, of the University of Oxford's Department of Experimental Psychology, said: 'The creative elements needed to produce humour are strikingly similar to those characterising the cognitive style of people with psychosis – both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Although schizophrenic psychosis itself can be detrimental to humour, in its lesser form it can increase people's ability to associate odd or unusual things or to think "outside the box". Equally, manic thinking, which is common in people with bipolar disorder, may help people combine ideas to form new, original and humorous connections.'

Sounds like a good thing to me. I guess, as is the case with most things, psychosis "in moderation" is just dandy. Okay, I'll have to end this here because I've got to go write a funny scene. Good times!

The rise of painful execution "experiments"

Recently, I wrote about the impossibility of using good old heroin in state-sponsored executions -- because the dying person might "enjoy it". Instead, the U.S. is now using "experimental" drugs to kill inmates -- drugs that kill slowly and painfully. They're doing this because European makers of the old tried-and-true drugs will no longer sell them to the United States because they might be used in executions. Barbarity, thy name is United States.

Here's Jerry Coyne's take on what happened during the execution experiment that killed Dennis McGuire. (Note that Coyne believes we have no choices in life, that everything is the result of genes, life experiences and the environment. He thinks we can only make one specific "choice" in every situation, thus nullifying the very idea of choice. As a consequence, we can't blame people for what they do. I agree, but do so because I agree with his argument and I'm aware that the future is already written. If it wasn't, there could be no present, no past. But this is an involved scientific argument that I won't cover in this post. Either way, we end up with predetermined "choices".) Here's Jerry:

The death penalty is one of the consequences of not thinking seriously about free will.  Most rational societies have abandoned it as a brutal and useless exercise.  The United States should, too.  So long as we kill people like McGuire, don’t really care much whether they die painfully or not, and think that they deserve what they get because they chose the wrong action, we should have no place at the table of civilized countries.

Check out his post. It lists the countries that still execute people. As you'll see, we are in sickening company -- but hey, that's how we rate. By international standards, the United States is a barbarous nation.

U!S!A!, U!S!A!, U!S!A!

Sculptors, painters and writers

An image came to me last night concerning the difference between writers and artists as they engage in the act of creation.

A painter has an image in her mind. "Work" is the process of transferring this image to canvas. It's all right there: artist, paints, brushes, canvas.

A sculptor grapples with the stone or clay in front of him, kneading, chipping or pounding it into submission until it matches the image in his mind. It's a triad: sculptor, tools, medium. The system is closed and finite.

As I had this perception, it seemed to me that a writer has a larger place to go while he is working. We (writers, that is) slip into our creation, into the scene, the plot, the characters, the world. Yes, we're grappling with words as we write, but in a very real way we're not there, not typing, not writing -- we're inside the world we're creating. We're there.

I don't know if this is a reflection of true conditions or an impression that means little. But as I had this thought, I felt lucky to be a writer. The experience of leaving Earth behind while I slip into a fictional landscape feels so damn free.

I imagine artists also lay claim to an alternate space they visit while working, a place that feels more real and free than everyday reality. In truth, there's probably little difference between artists and writers. And since this concerns what philosophers call "qualia", there is no way to be sure. Our experiences are our own and no one else's.

Regardless of the truth of the matter, thinking about the different "work spaces" of writers and artists was uplifting. It made me glad to be this thing, to be a writer. I lucked out. And now, pardon me as I slip into an alternate world.
  
PS: Now you know why this blog is called "The Worlds". Shhhh. Don't tell anyone!

Seen on the streets of NYC

Commenter cm sent me this photo. He spied this mailbox while walking in Manhattan today. It's on the corner of 42nd Street and 6th Avenue, by Bryant Park. Lovely!

Is there anyone who doesn't love SpongeBob? Oh, wait a minute...I think some religious nitwits or anti-gay loons once said they disliked him. He got their panties in a bunch, or something. Nitwits.

While we're on the topic, I want to ask you something. Do you think it's possible that SpongeBob SquarePants is...god? I've often wondered. I mean, he's all-good and he loves everyone. He must be god, right?

Just saying. Thanks, cm!

Slimy Vatican tactics at the UN

If you thought Pope Francis changed everything, think again. The U.N. is looking into the, you know, child-raping that Catholic priests engage in without ever facing legal consequences.

The link leads to a BBC story about a UN panel that demanded answers from the "Holy See", in the person of Archbishop Tomasi. Just listen to the responses made by the Vatican rep:

At the Geneva hearing, CRC member Sara Oviedo said: "The Holy See has not established any mechanism to investigate those accused of perpetrating sexual abuse, nor to prosecute them."

Another question from the panel asked why the Vatican continued to describe abuse as an offence against morals rather than a crime against children.

"Does the Holy See believe that paedophilia is something that can be successfully overcome?" was another question.

"To prevent abuse of minors is a real, immediate concern," Archbishop Tomasi said.

On prosecution of offenders, he said priests were "not functionaries of the Vatican but citizens of their countries and fall under the jurisdiction of their own countries".

When asked if the Vatican would hand over Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, a Polish papal envoy recalled from the Dominican Republic in September amid claims of sexual abuse there, Archbishop Tomasi said he was being investigated by the Vatican's own prosecutors.

A member of the CRC asked about the Church's practice of moving priests suspected of abuse.

"The question of what I would call offender mobility is of great concern," said Bishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican's former chief prosecutor of clerical sexual abuse. "It is a no-go simply to move people from one diocese to another... That is policy that has to be followed."

Every one of those responses is craven. It's like the Vatican thinks there is nothing to apologize for, nothing to fix, no reason to invite criminal investigation of the rapes. Hey, Pope Francis: new leaf, my ass -- or rather, the kids' asses. The church sounds like the goddamn mafia -- or some lowlife firm hired to defend the GOP.

These aren't the responses of "moral" people. They're excuses and prevarications that make no sense and have no reality at their core. The church is doing absolutely nothing to stop the child-raping proclivities of its priests. And they don't believe they're responsible for any of it. Not. One. Thing.

Hey, pope Frankie, either you get real or some legal entity needs to figure out how to jail the thousands of priests that you're protecting. And then you need to hold massive meetings at the "Holy See" to try and figure out if any of you have a clue what the word "morality" means. Good luck with that.

Penal idiots

I always get pissed off when I see variations of this story (the following is from today's news):

[Ohio] made preparations Wednesday to use a never-tried lethal drug combination to execute a man for the slaying of a pregnant woman that went unsolved until he inadvertently led authorities to himself.

Like they couldn't mosey down to the corner, in any city in the United States, and buy some heroin. That would kill the guy for sure and there would be no problems such as almost-deaths or incalculable pain and horror.

But see, the inmate's "passing" might be fun if they used heroin. Can't have the poor slob die in a pleasant way. That wouldn't be Christian. 

In fact, in the United States they won't use heroin in hospices.  Obviously, no one's "passing" should be pleasant. Painful death is a Christian virtue -- and this is a Christian country. Make no mistake about that.

Devil baby quite funny

I roared laughing last night when I saw this on the news. (Video at bottom of linked page.) It surprises me that a stunt that frightens people this badly is legal. I mean, it's not far-fetched to think that one or more of the people in this video could have had a heart attack and died on the spot. But I guess it's okay to scare Americans, what with us being so terror-oriented. The emotion probably felt normal to these passersby. They may not even recall it this morning, because by now they've moved on to new terrors.

Anyway, I thought it was very funny.

Ed Brayton demolishes the main argument from religious apologists

We often hear one particular argument from godders: "If there's no god -- like those damn atheists are always saying -- then life has no meaning!"

Wow. I'm always shocked when I see that in print. This is a colossally stupid argument. It's like religious people never experienced, you know, life. They seem to have no clue what it means to be a human being who finds value in life itself. We make our own meaning, people. We care about friends and family and loved ones and the events that affect us as well as others. We are part of the human family. And that's the way it's always been. Gods are just fairy-tale creatures; as such, they add nothing to a person's life (except grief, worry, guilt, etc.). Religion has negative value. It harms rather than helps.

Here's how Ed Brayton handles this absurd argument that refuses to die:

The lack of some universal meaning or purpose does not mean that our lives don’t have meaning or purpose. It just means that we have at least some opportunity to determine meaning and purpose for ourselves rather than having some non-existent divine being decide it for us. And far from being a depressing fact, that is a liberating one.

I agree. And I'd add that the lives of religious people seem dull and uninteresting when compared with those of atheists. What value is there in following rules derived from a fairy tale? That's a formula for wasting a life. Religion is a sad enterprise, sapping people's energy and crippling their lives (and often the lives of others, whom they seek to control).

I'll take atheism any day.

Word usage for nincompoops

Lately I've noted the media using plural verbs for singular subjects that seem to be composed of more than one item. For instance, this morning I saw the following headline at physorg:

"Climate engineering: what do the public think?"

Puh-leeze. Yes, we know there's more than one person involved in the word "public" -- but it's singular. It should say "what does the public think". Sheesh.

This is a pandemic at the moment. The word "couple" is also becoming plural. I often see lines like this in the news:

"When a couple plan to have children...".

No, no, no! It's "When a couple plans to have children".

I do not like this trend. I do not like this trend at all.

Hitchens will always be with us

When god-believers spout their nonsense at you, all you have to do is remember Christopher Hitchens' words:

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

Start by asking them this: "What is your evidence for believing in god?" They have no sensible answer for this question. Invariably, they will offer mush in response, usually in the form of a word salad.

That's when you lay the Hitchens quote on them. It's everything you need to respond to a religious idiot -- all in one sentence. Hitchens will never die. He will always be with us.

A Sunday rant: reviewing stuff online

I don't know about you but I'm thankful for people who post reviews of products. It's a great way to get a grip on the quality of an item, and it's helpful when you need a hint about the sizing of clothes. But I have a complaint. If a company invites reviews, they have to do it sensibly.

Case in point. Recently I reviewed a leather bag I purchased at Levenger. Sadly, I broke the golden rule by posting my review the very same day I received the bag. That's not the way to go. You have to live with a thing to discover its pleasures and faults. Then you post a review. What can I say? I was overly happy with the bag.

The problem concerns the ability to edit reviews. Amazon, for instance, allows you to edit your reviews. This way you get a second chance if you discover something new about the product -- or if you're simply unhappy with what you said or how you said it. The same is true of Blogger. If you leave a comment on a post here, and then decide you don't like it, you can kill the comment and post a different one -- or none at all. However, Levenger doesn't allow customers to edit reviews. That's way too controlling. And it's counter-productive.

This policy reduces the accuracy of reviews. The customer has something more to say, something she considers an important addition to the review -- so let her say it. In my case, I'd read one review of the product that mentioned a terrible odor that smelled like petroleum. I sniffed my bag and didn't smell anything like that. It seemed to have a "new leather" smell, and nothing more. So that's what I said in the review.

But the next day when I showed the bag to a friend, she sniffed it and said "Eeeeyuuuuw! That's awful!" So I stuck my nose inside the bag (as she had) and there it was: the much-rumored smell of petroleum.

Now, here's a weird side-issue: I like the smell. It reminds me of pleasant days I spent as a teenager, working on my motorcycle in the garage. These happy times coincided with the smell of petroleum. I guess that's why I didn't react to the odor at first. To me, it was simply pleasant.

I don't know. Perhaps some people don't care about a review after it's up. But I feel embarrassed to have said that the odor isn't present. I mean, it's there. I'd like to correct this but I can't because Levenger won't let me.

That sucks. I won't review any more Levenger products until this policy changes. Oddly, in the meantime the smell wore off. I left the bag open for three days and it's pretty much gone. Still, I don't like to mislead people. But there's nothing I can do about it. Grrrrrrr!

Anyway, keep on reviewing stuff, folks. It helps other people. And yes, we savvy buyers are able to tell which reviews are shills, scams and lies placed online by tacky, unethical manufacturers. We easily discount those and are able to get useful information from the remaining reviews. It's a good business practice that's very helpful to consumers.

Have you had any weird online reviewing experiences? Do tell.

Craven: the story of American conservatives

Over at John Aravosis' blog, I found this map of the United States. It shows what each state is worst at. Like "daily commute" for New York and "air pollution" for California.

So guess what Utah is worst at. You remember Utah, don't you? It's the place where they're fiercely "protecting traditional marriage". Turns out they have the highest rate of "porn usage". Gotta love them traditional marriages.

It seems that every conservative argument is hollow when you dig into it a bit. Doesn't surprise me at all.

How the "magic" of consciousness occurs

The concept of consciousness intrigues me more than any other topic. Today at physorg, I found a fascinating new explanation of the phenomenon. The article is called "Unpacking the toolkit of human consciousness" and it describes a new theory devised by Princeton University professor Michael Graziano. It's a bit involved but as I say, I find such discussions compelling -- if they seem sensible. This one does.

Here's an outtake or two from the article:

In Graziano's attention schema theory, awareness is the brain's simplified model of the complicated process of attention. When a person is aware of something such as an apple in front of them, it is because the brain has put together two models: the information describing the apple, and the self-descriptive information about how the brain is focusing its resources. Put those two specialized types of information together and the brain is equipped to introspect, conclude and report, "I am aware of the apple."

The attention schema theory satisfies two problems of understanding consciousness, said Aaron Schurger...The "easy" problem relates to correlating brain activity with the presence and absence of consciousness, he said. The "hard" problem has been to determine how consciousness comes about in the first place. Essentially all existing theories of consciousness have addressed only the easy problem. Graziano shows that the solution to the hard problem might be that the brain describes some of the information that it is actively processing as conscious because that is a useful description of its own process of attention, Schurger said. [Bolding here and below is mine.]

At one point, the article mentions a book that Graziano wrote:

"That book is about how we attribute awareness to others and how we might also attribute awareness to ourselves. It proposes that human spirituality is a result of attributing awareness to objects and empty spaces," Graziano said.

So there's yet another reason to like Graziano. His theory comports with what I've always suspected: consciousness is the result of attention simultaneously being focused from multiple quarters of the brain. Yet Graziano's theory adds another level to the equation. It explains the "magic", the feeling that I am me. It's the essential mental trick at the heart of our lives and we're only now beginning to understand it. Very cool.

See you soon

I'm busy writing. Don't worry, I'll be back soon.

Life on the tundra: bone-chilling

Brrrrrrr. It's 2 degrees in NY this morning, with 20 mph winds. That's cold. Happy Polar Vortex, everyone. May your wind be chill.

So, how are you handling it? I hope you have the kind of job where you just sit in front of a fire all day, eating Bon Bons. If not, good luck to you.

Seriously, I want a report: how are you faring this morning? Click that comment button and sound off.

PS: Feed the wild animals in your area today! They need fuel to fight off the cold. I've already put food out twice today. They're hungry out there. And no wonder.

Image: Wikipedia Commons
Description: Sydkapp in Scoresby Sund, East Greenland

Imagine the national outcry if straight couples were told they couldn't marry

It's appalling that gay couples in Utah were told to put their lives on hold -- because Jeebus. And make no mistake, the Christian god is at the heart of this abuse.

SALT LAKE CITY — In a move that cast doubt over the marriages of roughly 1,000 same-sex couples in Utah, the United States Supreme Court on Monday blocked further same-sex marriages there while state officials appeal a decision allowing such unions.

It sounds so legal, so clean and polished. But this is about people's hopes and dreams, it's about the love at the heart of their lives. 

Remind me again why they're stopping these marriages.

Brian S. Brown, president of National Organization for Marriage [a Jeebus-based hate group], which opposes same-sex marriage, said he supported Monday’s Supreme Court order. 

“The decision by a single federal judge to redefine marriage in Utah is lawless,” he said, “and we are pleased that the Supreme Court has put this decision on hold to allow the state to appeal it in an orderly fashion.” 

"Orderly" is a funny word to use for wrecking people's lives. Imagine if this situation affected a thousand straight couples. The media would pull out all the stops and pounce on the obvious injustice of the move. And on the other end, viewers would have no trouble understanding that putting someone's marriage on hold is wrong -- if the story concerned straight couples. But these are merely gay couples so...never mind.

And they use such cold language, these legal henchmen:

In their Supreme Court brief, Utah officials said Judge Shelby’s decision should be stayed “to minimize the enormous disruption to the state and its citizens of potentially having to ‘unwind’ thousands of same-sex marriages.”

Yes, indeed. The "disruption to the state" is what counts. Never mind the gay couples whose lives are put on hold by this move. Note that they use yet another casual word to describe this stabbing, hurtful action: "unwind". To the Utah officials who fought allowing gays to marry, the pressing issue is not the injustice done to the couples. It is that the poor state will have to unwind these marriages. Another orderly word used to describe the decimation of lives. It's sickening.

Restive Supreme Court kills gay marriage in Utah

In the holy district of Washington, D.C., excitable members of the restive Supreme Court of the Booyah States of America reached out and touched someone -- actually, lots of someones -- by putting the kibosh on gay marriage in Utah. And nope, they didn't state a reason. I guess someone over there plain old got a bug up his or her ass.

So no more gay marriage in Utah for the time being. And if this should go the wrong way, the 900 marriages that were already consummated may be invalidated. That would affect (ahem) 1,800 people who, you know, love each other.

I wonder if Scalia or Thomas had anything to do with this. Nah, they're good, pious people. They would never harm anyone, especially for a spurious reason. Actually, the only name that appears in the linked article is dear, sweet liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Listen, kids. I'm a New Yorker and this is where she plied her trade before scoring her permanently-tenured, big-time gig.

Back in the day, I detested her. It seemed that whenever it really counted, she ruled the wrong way. So I'm not surprised by this news. And hey, Sotomayor is the one who just gave the nuns the stay against the Obama administration's evil socialist insurance plan. Because Jesus.

Now, I understand these aren't decisions. They mean little in terms of a final resolution. But still. 

(Blogger sighs, shakes head, returns to daily life.)

Russia: home of democracy

This story is so evil and so Russian. And so funny!

The first public screening in Russia of a documentary about the activist group Pussy Riot was canceled by the government at the last minute on Saturday, organizers said. 

You're laughing already, right? Russia cannot control its authoritarian impulses, even in these few, crucial weeks before the Sochi Olympics, when the world is watching their every move. They just can't help themselves. But wait, it gets better:

The film, “Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer,” was to have been screened in Moscow on Sunday afternoon, less than a week after two members of Pussy Riot were released from prison...

But on Saturday, the directors of the Gogol Center, a state-financed theater, received a call from the authorities threatening their jobs if they screened the documentary, said Maxim Pozdorovkin, who directed the film with Mike Lerner. A letter from the Department of Culture in Moscow formally banning the screening followed. 

The letter, which was posted online by one of the center’s directors, accused the artists and filmmakers involved of being provocateurs, and said their brand of culture had no place in a government building.

The role of art, it said, “is to save the world, make it better, not to inflame the public with scandalous stories that have no cultural merit.” 

“Let’s hold tight to those principles,” it concluded, “and keep everybody safe.”

Always principled, these Russians. Seriously, isn't that the funniest thing you've read all week? Next stop: the Sochi Anti-Gay Bombing Olympics. It seems Russia is turning into a cartoon. (Okay, so it was always a cartoon. Still, this is world-class funny.)

PZ and Ed Brayton don't get it

PZ Myers and Ed Brayton, two of my favorite bloggers, are upset with atheists who say anything positive about Pope Francis. It amazes me that this is their position.

Believe me, I understand that Pope Francis is the pope of nothing. There is no god, so his job is ceremonial and ultimately meaningless. But does that mean we can't praise anything he does? Why? Because he's the pope? That makes no sense.

If Francis can tone down the anti-gay, anti-atheist insanity that is rampant in many (if not most) Christian denominations, then he deserves an award, not opprobrium, from progressive atheists and bloggers. And it seems this is exactly what he's doing.

I also see Francis as modeling "correct" Christianity for the non-Catholic masses. The important thing here is the wild approval that Catholics are sending his way. It's obvious that they don't like when religious leaders shame gays, attack atheists and rail against abortion. Francis' words are a balm to their nonexistent souls.

One of the most important things to note here is that other Christian denominations are not blind. They hear the pope's words and see the positive reaction among the Catholic faithful. The believers like Pope Francis' tone. Sooner or later, these other Christian denominations will realize that this applies to them, as well. And perhaps as a result, they will also abandon gay-shaming and atheist-slamming.

That would be no small thing. We've been living in a hate-filled period of Christian activism. Heck, the religious wingnuts almost destroyed the American economy last year by electing unqualified, irrational Christian wingnuts to Congress. The Pope's line of reasoning could put an end to this rush of fools.

So let the man speak, let him take action. And let us not be blind to the good effects he engenders. Yes, he's the pope of nothing. But many people hear his words and those words are not hateful. That's a good thing.

I wish Ed and PZ could see this point. I share their disapproval to a certain extent, in that the pope probably won't change church "doctrine" on gays and women. Personally, I feel that unless he recognizes that women are truly equal to men, his church will eventually collapse. But the longterm existence of the Catholic church is not my concern, nor is it a concern to any sensible atheist. What matters is whether the religious hatred that signifies our times can be tamped down and eventually exterminated.

Let's give the pope a chance. Sure, his god is nonexistent. But that hardly matters. He can do good things regardless of the spurious basis for his power. Let's just watch and listen and see what he does. And in the meantime, let's not clobber him simply because he's the pope. Seriously, I shouldn't have to say this. Ed, PZ, wake up.

Writing tales

Light blogging ahead, since I'm working on the next book. At the moment, I'm learning about my characters.

I suppose there are writers who outline every damn thing before plunging in and writing, but that's not me. I simply come up with a general idea of where I'm headed, and then I let it happen. My fingers seem to know what to do.

Today, I want to say something about fictional characters. I find there's little benefit to defining the personalities of my characters at the outset. That doesn't work for me.

Instead, I simply write them into scenes and see what they do. They tell me who they are, rather than the reverse. When I see them in action, when I hear their words (and yes, their voices), I come to understand them. And only when I know them inside and out can I really put them to work.

This means I write many scenes that I don't "use". And by "use", I mean these scenes don't end up in the final draft of the book. But I do indeed "use" them. They're my teaching tools. They define the characters for me. And for this reason, they're anything but a waste of time.

So I'm going to write today, though what I write may never see publication. But it's useful all the same. It's a step on the road.

This has been your shout-out from "The Worlds" -- the coolest book you haven't read yet.

It's not just SkyNet that we have to worry about

Want to feel a chill in the deepest reaches of your heart? Consider this: the NSA is trying to build a quantum computer. (I'm going to suppose my savvy readers already know what a quantum computer is. See how well I think of you?)

The NSA has spent nearly $80 million trying to build a quantum supercomputer that could crack virtually all types of data encryption, according to new documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

The Washington Post reports that the secretive agency could use the computer exponentially more powerful than standard computers to hack “banking, medical and government records around the world.”

To think of something as powerful as a quantum computer in the hands of the moral cretins who work at the NSA is horrifying. Mind you, I doubt they'll make any headway. Something tells me NSA isn't capable of attracting the best scientific minds -- and that's what you'd need to crack this nut.

Once again, we have to thank Edward Snowden for delivering this information. Think about what this means. Do you want the most powerful computer in the world to be in the hands of the NSA? It's a monstrous possibility.

As I wrote this post, I realized that I now think of the NSA as the equivalent of Russia's KGB. The morph happened when I wasn't looking, and it is complete. NSA's staff and leaders are undeniably "the bad guys". How's this for a resolution: let's try to keep significant progress out of the hands of the bad guys. Works for me.

Good NYT editorial on Snowden

So the NYT editorial board finally came down on the side of Edward Snowden. Better late than never. The editorial is called, appropriately, "Edward Snowden: Whistle-Blower".

Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service. It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community. 

Later in the editorial, they quote our president's hollow words:

“If the concern was that somehow this was the only way to get this information out to the public, I signed an executive order well before Mr. Snowden leaked this information that provided whistle-blower protection to the intelligence community for the first time,” Mr. Obama said at a news conference. “So there were other avenues available for somebody whose conscience was stirred and thought that they needed to question government actions."

In fact, that executive order did not apply to contractors, only to intelligence employees, rendering its protections useless to Mr. Snowden.

Nice of them to make that final catch. The president has been a monster to whistleblowers throughout his presidency. And his statement with regard to Snowden is an outright lie. 

Maybe 2014 will be the year of Snowden's vindication in America. He is already a hero to so many. This editorial gives me hope that the bravery and loyalty of his actions will finally be recognized in his home country. 

Wouldn't that be nice? 

Colorado's "brazen" experiment

Updated to include Wikipedia Commons photo credit. 

I love all the articles today about how Colorado's roll-out of legal pot is being "watched carefully". Indeed.

And who's watching? Is it that crowd of drunk people over there, staggering through the streets? Let's hope they include drunk people among the observers who are watching this "carefully". After all, there's absolutely nothing wrong with alcohol.

The fact that most people in prison are there for things they did while drunk is completely irrelevant. And the fact that you can count the fatal car accidents caused by drunks by the minute has no bearing at all on this brazen experiment.

I hope the powers that be won't discriminate against drunk people by preventing them from voting on this important social experiment. That would be discriminatory. And we wouldn't want to miss out on their wisdom. Sure their words will be slurred, but what can you do? Alcohol affects people. 

Seriously, let's hope a lot of drunks are hired to watch this pot roll-out. It is they who will know for sure if it's okay to sell legal pot. Just keep them drunk and drive them around in cars to observe the goings-on. It's sure to work because drunks notice everything.

Legal pot, indeed. Damn hippies! If we want to remain Number 1, we gotta keep America drunk!!! U!S!A! U!S!A! U!S!A!

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons