Perhaps The Best Birthday Yet

At around 1:30 this afternoon, I completed my 45th circle around that star we call The Sun (SEE NOTE 1). It was probably my best of these lap-ending days.

Today wasn't a great birthday because I got attention or money or gifts. I am not big on celebrating birthdays, as I have probably mentioned before. No, today was great partly for the fact that few of the fifty-plus people I hung out with today remembered my birthday.

You see, me and my siblings and siblings-in-law decided to have my mother's 90th birthday party on my birthday. Mom's birthday is May 29th, mine the 31st. Sunday afternoon seemed to be the day that would work best, so we shot for it. We invited over 50 people, and didn't tell Mom about it until about a week ago. The wives did most of the planning, of course -- the boys in the family inherited our father's lack of party hosting/planning sense.

We had just under 50 people at the party. All five of her kids, all five of her grandkids, both of her great-grandkids, several of her nephews and nieces, and a bunch of other people, both related and unrelated. All of Mom's brothers are dead, and her one remaining sister hasn't spoken to the family in thirty or so years (no one seems to know why, aside from the fact that she was always pretty much considered to be a nasty bitch). My Aunt Mary was there, who, I believe, is the last of my mother's remaining sisters-in-law -- she sat next to Mom, with my sister on the other side.

It was cool to see my oft-curmudgeonly mother smiling pretty much the whole afternoon. She almost cried when the whole room sang "Happy Birthday" to her -- "almost" is a big deal in my stoic German family -- and she nearly blew out all the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" shaped candles in one shot. She had to use a second breath to get the last two. Not bad for a woman who didn't think she'd make it to 65 (SEE NOTE 2).

The weather was at first overcast, but the sun came out in the afternoon, adding a cheerier lighting effect in the restaurant at the marina in Center Moriches. After the party, some of us went over to my brother's house in East Moriches, where Mom lives, and hung out. Mom opened her gifts and presents -- she had forgotten to in all the excitement at the restaurant, and she hung out talking to several of us some more.

Today was the first time I met my niece's two kids. My niece moved back to Long Island with her kids a couple of months ago, after having her second marriage go bad, and I had not yet found the time to go see them (SEE NOTE 3). The girl, who turned 12 today -- same birthday as me -- and her younger brother both seemed to take to me okay, and I probed their little minds to see what kind of stuff they do and don't like. I am already working on some cool stuff to do with them this summer.

Eventually, I gathered up my sister and headed home (Diane had already gone home). When I got home, Dave and I went for a ride. We decided to stop out and let him say Happy Birthday to Mom. She likes Dave -- which leads me to believe she is losing some long-term memory. ;-) She was thrilled to see Dave, and told him that she had had "the best day of [her] life." That's a lot of days when you're 90, so that was quite a feat. She wanted to show Dave some of the photos that were on display at the party, going as far back as her high school graduation photo (Bay Shore, Class of '37). She said she was still excited from the day and didn't think she'd be able to get to sleep tonight. That poor old woman is going to be tired on Monday, that's for sure.

I did get a few cards and such for my birthday. My mother-in-law (who lives in Florida, with most of the rest of my in-laws) topped the funny gifts this year... Each year, she gets a me a gift card to either Lowe's or Home Depot. I always use some of the money on the card to buy marigolds -- partly because I really like marigolds, and partly because my mother-in-law hates marigolds. I believe the first time I did that she told Diane I was out of the will. This year, she out-smart-assed me and sent not only a gift card to Lowe's but also a packet of marigold seeds. Chalk one up for "that woman," as I call her. She has upped the ante, indeed. The seeds gave me a great idea, though. I was unsure what to do with one of the flower beds in the side yard. Now, I am going to plant it in honor of our mothers, including lots of marigolds.

On the ride back home from seeing Mom tonight, riding my Ducati alongside an old friend at the end of a day that my mother considers perhaps her best, and having spent some time with my grand-niece and grand-nephew, I figured that there's a good chance that this was my best birthday ever. What could be better than hanging out with family and friends on your birthday and having your 90-year-old mother get all the attention and have perhaps the best day of her life? It'll be tough to beat this birthday for me.

XXX

NOTE 1: I find it not at all coincidental that we tend to talk about our star as if it is the only one around which planets revolve in the same way that some people speak of God as if it was the only god ever invented. Both result from a rather small worldview that is increasingly untenable and dangerous in this smaller world in which we live. By the way, when I say "smaller," I do mean it literally. In the four-dimensional world in which we live, the ability to get to other parts of the world faster than in the past makes the world literally smaller.

NOTE 2: Mom's mother died young, when my mother was about 11, so I think that is why my mother has used the phrase "next year, if I am still around" for as long as I can remember. One story my mother talks about now, but didn't in years past, is that when I was born -- Mom was 45 years and 2 days old -- one of the first things she thought of was that she hoped she'd be alive until I was at least 16 years old.

NOTE 3: When my niece and her kids moved here, I decided I needed to clear up my schedule a bit so I would have time to spend with them all, and I quit one of my bands and my VP position with the LI Authors Group to help facilitate that. I still work six days and one night a week, but I will take some time off this summer to hang with the kids and give my niece some time off from them. The kids have never been to a lighthouse, and who better to introduce them to such things than me?

Odd Town Rule

My day job involves enforcing state and town building codes, but I occasionally look at other town codes, just for fun. Here's one I found today:

"No person in a park shall give or offer or attempt to give to any animal or bird any tobacco, alcohol, or other known noxious substances."

You just can't help but wonder what sort of odd incident made someone propose those code. And wouldn't you love to see photo on the faces of everyone in attendance at the meeting at which this code was proposed?

I have done a fair amount of domestic/feral/wild animal rescue and investigation, but I have never heard of this sort of offense (even in a park). Sure, kids sometimes offer beer or pot to pets (that's totally uncool, of course), but to "OFFER" tobacco or alcohol to an animal or bird (a bird is an animal, by the way)? "Hey Mr. Squirrel. How about a beer?""Hi there, Blue Jay! How about a smoke?"

Pretty odd.

Uncommon Truth

Here's a quote I like. One of my MySpace friends recently sent it around.

"It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people." -- Giordano Bruno (who was eventually burned alive by the Roman Inquisition in 1600 after seven years of imprisonment for heresy)

Whether it is because of something that I realized at a young age, or just a propensity for anti-authoritarianism, I have long found that truth is generally not found in the worldviews of the masses. In fact, I often seem to find that the facts are often exactly the opposite of the public perception.

Common sense, for instance, is rarely common, especially among the common folk. This makes sense, though, since history bears out that common folk do not make history: Uncommon folk do.

On thing the masses provide is inertia. As with any great mass, it takes a great deal of energy to move the human masses. This is what leadership is, and it can only be provided by uncommon people. Once those masses are in motion, though, they can tend to stay in motion and carry things too far (think of revolutions that went too far, as in France, Cambodia, USSR, etc.) unless great deal of energy can stop them. Again, great leadership from uncommon people provides such a mediating force (maybe this is the true greatness of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Madison, et. al. -- not that they started a revolution, but that they were able to stabilize it).

It is hard to talk about the foibles of common folk without sounding like an "elitist." But it is the elite who make things happen. There's just no way around that. Masses do not lead themselves. Once a commoner does something uncommon, then he/she, by definition, becomes uncommon, i.e., elite.

I have tried to be a champion of "the common man," but my attempts to get common people to do uncommon things has always led to disappointment, and the stinging realization that commoners are common because they do common things.

Taking this back to Giordano Bruno's quote: If something is held as truth by the masses, there is good chance that it is, at best, incomplete and behind the times. Part of the reason that commoners are common is because they do not make the effort required to be uncommon, and keeping up with the advancing understanding of reality requires effort. What MOST people in this world believe to be reality is a result of the trickling down of fact and thought, and that inevitably lags behind the cutting edge.

So if you find, when you express your views on the world, that most people agree with you and/or nod their heads, there is s good chance that your views are either wrong or incomplete when compared to the best current understanding of the universe. You need to learn and think more.

This reminds me of a quote from Albert Einstein, one of my intellectual idols:

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence and fulfills the duty to express the results of his thought in clear form." (quoted in the New York Times, March 19, 1940)

If you dare to blaze a trail, to beat back the bushes of mediocrity that is the worldview of the masses, expect to be met with opposition. As Einstein knew, and Giordano Bruno learned long before he was burned alive, believing as the masses do will only make you a part of those masses. Believing what is ahead of the knowledge of the masses will make you a part of history.

Memorial Day Thoughts

I hadn't planned on writing anything about Memorial Day, since I find most holiday celebrations to be hypocritical at best, but maybe just a few words...

Dave and I rode with a couple of other guys this morning, including one guy, Frank, with whom I work. Frank wanted to stop at the national cemetery in Calverton (SEE NOTE 1) to see his father's grave. Naturally, we said it was okay.

When I visit cemeteries, I have a variety of emotions and thoughts in my mind, many of which I have mentioned here when I have written about my ongoing cemetery history research. Military cemeteries, though, mostly fill me with rage, to the point where my eyes start to water.

Standing by the side of the road, with my riding jacket with US Army logos, digital camo, and an American flag on it, I looked out over just two of the many fields at Calverton, with those little white headstones going on and on and on, practically paving the fields. My thoughts turned immediately to the 4000-plus lives lost -- correction: wasted -- in Iraq. A bullshit "war" caused by a bullshit federal administration (SEE NOTE 2).

Yet on this day of remembrance, few will actually ponder the often-needless loss of life; the impact on families, neighborhoods and businesses; the actual horrors -- both physical and mental -- of war; or how our daily activities affect such things.

The remembrance services that do pretend to honor the dead overwhelmingly do so in a shallow, pedantic, faux-patriotic manner, adding insult to injury by invoking the sick, twisted violent mythology of a psychotic god-figure as somehow being inspirational.

A more appropriate memorial service would highlight the efforts of those who work for peace (yes, the people who actually would like to stop seeing people die for idiotic reasons), point out the mistakes of the past (and present) that have cost so many military members their lives, and point out the things we can do in our everyday lives to help decrease the carnage. There could be videos shown on big screens of dead and wounded military members -- this is a day to remember those people, right? If there was a need to have a religious invocation of any sort, how about using a religion that actually values peace (SEE NOTE 3)? Yes, in my admittedly-minority view of Memorial Day, we just might FEEL the loss and THINK about how it has happened and how we can decrease it.

As is, a majority of Memorial Day activities are a farce and an insult to those who have died as military representatives of the US. This holiday will continue to be such as long as we insist on cramming our heads up our asses and hoping the real world will go away if we just spend a few hundred billion more on "defense," put a magnet on our trunks, and ask a make-believe friend to favor our nation over all others.

Reality may be a bitch, but if we don't start to accept it soon, there may be no real estate left at Calverton when my time comes.

XXX

NOTE 1: Calverton is across the street from the abandoned Grumman airfield, where F-14s and A-6s used to thunder across the sky. I expect to be buried at Calverton. I had desired cremation until my longtime friend Joe (the vocalist in Juke House) noted that Uncle Sam owes us a little real estate for our military service and he was damn sure going to get his. I thought about it and decided, "Me too." With any luck, they'll bury me near Joe.

NOTE 2: Notice that I said "administration." My eight-plus years of military service left me with a taboo about criticizing a commander-in-chief, and I still struggle with that. Despite all that has happened, I still find that I must respect the office of the Presidency of the United States. I am such a tool.

NOTE 3: The only such religion of which I am aware is Buddhism, but I am open to suggestions for others.

Sidney Poitier, Racism, Labels, and Me

I heard an interview with Sidney Poitier on the radio on the way to work this morning. It was a bit inspiring, and it also made me realize something about myself.

Mr Poitier spent his early years living poor on Cat Island, in the Bahamas. He didn't see such things as cars or a mirror until he was about ten years old, around the time he went to live with a brother in Miami.

One thing that shocked him about Florida in those days (he was born in 1927) was the racism. His interpretation of that racism was what I found to be fascinating, and it probably was a huge part of his success in life. He viewed racism as other people trying to tell him who he was. He rejected those opinions.

His reaction to racism struck a chord in me. It made me realize why I dislike labels -- I strongly dislike people telling me what or who I should be. Labels, like racism, are an attempt at a narrow definition. In this case, the definition of people. These definitions are restrictive. They attempt to restrict personal liberty.

I believe in Liberty as a strong source of human power. Liberty is why I am a supporter of the US Constitution and a detractor of religious indoctrination. Liberty, at the personal and societal levels, allows people or societies to be great (or losers, if that is their choice). I cannot help but refer, yet again, to the motto on the first US coinage: "Lib[erty] Par[ent] of Science and Industry". Labels, such as those employed by racism, are an assault on Liberty, and on the potential greatness of individuals and societies.

I don't like it when people try to label me (or try to force me to label myself), and I don't like to see anyone labeled, by themselves or others. The freedom to be who/what we want is one of the most precious things we can possess. A little bit of Liberty dies each time a label sticks, and so does a little bit of human greatness.

Sidney Poitier rejected the labels of racism (and other labels, I would expect) and went on to become a noted individual. He not only gained awards and notoriety in his chosen field, he also helped to break down racial divides, and brought great respect to himself. He was even knighted in 1974. All this from a boy born and raised in poverty. And largely because he rejected the labels others tried to impose upon him.

So don't label yourself. You are merely you, not "a doctor" or "a soldier" or "a musician" or " a carpenter" or whatever labels you may put upon yourself. Break free from the confines of such narrow, freedom-inhibiting ways. And definitely don't allow others to put labels on you. Life is too short to not be free.

Even Buddhism...

I make no secret of the fact that I am quite fond of Buddhism. When I started researching world religions, it became apparent to me that this was the religion that was the most honest, inquisitive, and compassionate. It also possesses the faith to doubt itself, and welcomes scientific inquiry as a way to further understand the world around, and in, us. Unfortunately, it is also susceptible to human alteration.

I heard a story on the radio recently about one family's life in China since losing a son and parents in a 2008 earthquake. The husband was still too distraught to talk about the incident and life since, but his sister was willing to talk about it. She said that her brother had lost his faith, that he had prayed to the Buddha faithfully and apparently thought that such worship would magically exempt him from suffering. This is about as anathema to the truth of Buddhism as is possible.

One of the prime statements in Buddhism is the First Noble Truth, which simply states that "Life Is Suffering." Buddhism begins with the acceptance of this fact. According to Buddhist mythology, the young prince snuck out of his sheltered existence, was stunned when he saw sickness, old age and death, and was deeply affected by this, so much so that he took on a long quest to discover how to escape this suffering. In short, the result was that one needs to accept the suffering of life as a fact, then follow "the Eightfold Path," a way of thinking and acting that allowed one to be more in touch with the world and its suffering and eventually find a release from that suffering (a state of enlightenment called Nirvana).

One of the key mental attitudes involved in Buddhism is non-attachment. It is people's grasping at things that creates much suffering. Another key attitude is living in the present moment, as the past and future are only mental formations and do not exist at any given time. Another important step is the understanding of impermanence. These, and other practical tips, are part of the early Buddhist teachings. Yet this poor man in China was not benefiting from these key teachings of his own tradition. That is a shame.

What is NOT part of the central part of Buddhism is the idea of any Buddha as being a supernatural entity. The original Buddha, a man named Siddhartha Gautama Sakyamuni, was simply the guy who figured this stuff out. His intent, at that point, was to share this knowledge with others, so that they might one day also become Buddhas and be free from the suffering that is inherent in the world. When you see one Buddhist bow to another, they are honoring the "Buddha-to-be" in front of them. It is a gesture of great reverence. It is not, in any way, a worship of some supernatural entity.

Unfortunately, time takes its toll on everything. In the great game of Telephone that we call history, things get distorted. Even great ideas can get trivialized and turned into useless or even counterproductive doctrines.

Garden Progress

I've been working on the garden quite a bit. Here's what I have planted so far:

Peas: 66 feet (two 33-foot double rows)
Broccoli: 26 feet (two 13-foot rows)
Spinach: 22 feet (12 loose leaf plants, the rest loose leaf and curly seeds)
Lettuce: 22 feet (12 Romaine plants, the rest assorted seeds/
Radishes: 21 feet (three 7-foot rows)
Carrots: 35 feet (five 7-foot rows)
Wax beans: 4 plants
Pole Beans: 4 plants
Tomatoes: 1 Unknown, 1 Cherry, 1 Lemon Boy
Peppers: 2 bell, 1 sweet yellow, 1 hot yellow

Yet to be planted: Beets, Cucumbers, Acorn Squash, Bush beans, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, blueberry bush, and some flowers. I should plant at least one pumpkin plant, too.

I've been able to get in at least a little time after work every day this week. Sunday I had about five hours in the garden. Tomorrow night I work until 7:00, so that's a lost day. If it is nice Friday, I can probably get the beets, cucumbers and acorn squash planted. By then, I will need to clear more brush, stumps and vines to create more garden space. I also have to rebuild the arbor for the grapes.

As I am doing all this work, I am cringing a bit at the fact that I know this will not be a great year in the garden. Having just started reclaiming it, I will have a constant battle with weeds. And the late start I got with some of the crops will hurt the yield. I expect the radishes, beets, and carrots to be a little deformed, as the soil still contains debris (there wasn't time to sift the soil for the root crops). I won't use chemical fertilizers in the garden, and I didn't get any compost or manure mixed into the soil, so I am not sure how nutritious the soil is right now -- it does have a nice dark color, that's usually a good sign.

The gardening has been good for me. I am not the kind of person that relaxes well, and I have no patience for sitting meditation, so gardening fills that void pretty well for me. I enjoy the quiet, the smell of the dirt, the occasional bird sighting, and the chance to let my mind be free from the barrage of input that modern life insists upon. No radio, no TV, no phone, no e-mail. If I believed in a heaven, it would have to be a garden. It would be one without stumps, roots and vines, though.

The Coming Discovery of Life

Anyone who pays attention to the advances of science probably has come to believe that it is just a matter of time until we find extraterrestrial life. The question that intrigues me -- after the nature of such life -- is how it will affect humanity.

Robotic planetary explorers, like the Mars Lander, are making it possible to -- if you will pardon the use of this word -- unearth more about the planets in our solar system. The finding of ice on Mars is a huge discovery. Although it only seems natural that we would make such a discovery, actually seeing the proof is wild. What makes it even more exciting is that life, as we know it, requires water.

When I was a kid, I never thought that we would have the ability to detect planets in other solar systems in my lifetime, and I was a bit of a science geek and a dreamer. With today's powerful telescopes and computers, though, planets in orbit around other stars are being detected by the effects of their pull on their host stars.

Gravity is a two-way street. Stars keep planets in orbit around them with their greater mass, which warps spacetime in such a way that the planets do not fly away. But planets also have a fair amount of mass, which warps spacetime in such a way to cause the host stars to wobble a little bit as the planets orbit. In fact, they wobble enough to be detected from earth, if you have the right instruments. We have those instruments now.

Not only can we detect such planets, we can also now tell if they are within "habitable zones," those orbits around stars where liquid water is possible. If a planet is too close to a star, its water will boil away. If it is too far, it will freeze. Somewhere in between, though, is the Goldilocks Zone, where the orbit is "just right" for liquid water.

Of course, the location of a planet in a habitable orbit does not mean that all the factors necessary for life are present. There are lots of variables that affect the possibility, including the chemical makeup of the planet, and the specifics of its star. That eases the excitement a bit, until we realize that the number of stars in the known universe are estimated at around 50 billion times 100 billion (50,000,000,000 x 100,000,000,000 = 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 5 times 10 to the 21st power). That is a huge number.

I think there is a very good chance that we'll see evidence of extraterrestrial life within the next 50 years. Looking to that time, I can't help but wonder how that will affect the mind of humanity (Religious fundamentalists will fight the discovery, of course, perhaps violently). For the children born into a world where the presence of life on other planets is a known fact, it will seem as ho-hum as the internet and cell phones are to today's 10-year-olds. The late mythologist Joseph Campbell used to say that we needed a new mythology to guide is in an era when we can see images of the earth from space. I suspect he'd say we'll need a new mythology when we find life elsewhere in the universe, too.

XXX

Here's a story on the Mars Lander finding ice, from about a year ago: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080620-ice-mars-photo.html

Musician Bailout Packages

I got excited tonight when I found out that ZZ Top is coming to Jones Beach on June 26. "I have to go," I thought as I got ready to e-mail my usual concert buddies (Dave, Dave, Don, Don, Bill and Scott). I decided to check the prices and seating first.

The first sign of bad news was that they were playing with Aerosmith. I'm not a "fan" of Aerosmith, but I wouldn't mind seeing them. Then I went to Live Nation's web site and looked at the prices for the seats: Orchestra: $207 or $155. Stadium: $155 or $95. Mezzanine (You have to duck for planes headed for JFK Airport): $41. And those are before th ridiculous "screw you" fees that Live Nation adds.

So the e-mail did not get written or sent. There is no way I am spending that much money to see a band. I'm not a cheap guy when it comes to stuff like that, and I have spent around $100 to see Rush at Jones Beach each of the last two summers. I've paid around $50-70 in recent times to see George Thorogood, Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteen and (coming up soon) Buddy Guy with BB King at Westbury. I am not spending $150-plus to see a band. I don't care who it is.

Maybe I just need to wait until ZZ Top tours with a band with a less expensive drug habit.

XXX

PS - The odd thing was that when I checked the Click 'n' Pick button to see how many seats were available, and where, it said that only 46 seats were left. Recession? What recession?

Iron Maiden To The Rescue

One of the things that I use to help me think or write under pressure is aggressive, guitar-based music. Think of it as sort of a performance enhancer.

When I wrote my first book -- a 384 page regional history book that was widely acclaimed by historic researchers and preservationists in the area and was a major cause of my receiving a national historic preservation award the following year -- I was essentially late for my deadline. New information was coming in as I was trying to "complete" the book, and I was, in my usual way, nearly paralyzed by my insistence on perfection. With a deadline coming up -- and eventually, behind me -- I turned to an old friend to help me focus: Heavy metal music.

My living room, where I had set up a table exclusively for finishing the book (although the cats thought it was for them to look out the front windows), rocked hard in late 2003. Pantera, Black Label Society, System Of A Down, Iron Maiden, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, AC/DC, and others filled the room with the inspiring sounds of tube amplifiers pushed past their comfort zones.

Long Island's Lighthouses: Past and Present is probably the only history book in the world that credits people like Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Angus Young, etc. Of course, these guys didn't actually contribute any information to the text, but they did help me get it done. The end result, I think partially speaks for the power of music.

It was such a big help that I have continued to turn to my metal friends in time of need. A couple of years ago, I was designing a kitchen and several bathrooms for a local, fairly wealthy, man. I had the kitchen done, the downstairs baths, and one of the upstairs baths, but I could not come up with something for the master bath. The layout of the room was just wrong. It was long and narrow, with several features that stumped every idea I could come up with.

This was, as you might imagine, a pretty high-dollar project, which meant it was important. One day, I decided to come in to the showroom early and try to nail it. I sat down and, realizing that I needed a boost, pulled up i-Tunes on the computer at my desk. I looked through the list of artists and albums, and decided on one of my favorite albums of all time: Powerslave, by Iron Maiden. I clicked on it and cranked up the speakers. The aggressive power of Mssrs. Dickinson, Murray, Smith, Harris, and McBrain started in with Aces High, through 2 Minutes to Midnight, the instrumental Losfer Words, Flash of the Blade, The Duellists, Back In The Village (one of my favorites), and Powerslave, ending with the epic (13 minutes 34 seconds) Rime of The Ancient Mariner. By the end of it all, nearly an hour later, I had THE design for the bathroom. It was dual-guitar-harmony inspired perfection.

No further changes were needed. The design was a hit, the entire job sold for close to $200,000, and Iron Maiden had further cemented their place in my heart.

This morning, I was again under the gun. I had lost some time at my kitchen and bath job the previous weekend because of my mother's trip to the emergency room, so I was behind in my work. I had to get to the showroom early to try to finish up one estimate and be ready for another customer coming in at 11:00 (which is when our showroom opens on Saturdays). Once again, I turned to Iron Maiden. I considered RL Burnside, Howlin Wolf, and some of my other favorite bluesmen, but nothing drives a kitchen design quite like Iron Maiden. Once again, they delivered. I was done in no time.

Whether this kitchen will sell is yet to be seen, but at least I know I have done my best and that, as always, rock and roll was there by my side.

To A, Or Not To A.

Something I heard on the radio today has prompted me to blog on a topic about which I don't believe I have ever written publicly: abortion.

I heard an interview on the radio with a female author, talking about her latest book and some other things. One of those other things included an abortion she had had. The circumstances hit home a little bit for me, as she had decided to have the abortion after an amniocentesis had shown that there was a genetic indication that the baby had a chance of being born with mental retardation. She didn't say why, but this information caused her to decide to terminate the child.

My general feeling is that it is best to avoid killing whenever possible. I also feel that there are times when killing is quite permissible, as in the termination of violent criminals (SEE NOTE 1) or certain military actions.

As for abortion in general, I see no ethical concern with aborting a little clump of cells, but I do think that once the fetus has a brain and a beating heart, you are essentially dealing with a living being, an individual.

I don't believe in the idea of a soul, so that is not a concern for me. I find the soul hypothesis to be flawed to the point on nonviability. As I have blogged before, I have come to believe that life is sort of like a flame. Although each flame is unique, dances around as if it has a life force, and can even seem like it is acting with a purpose (hence the occasional anthropomorphic fire god or fairy in human folklore), we know that flames are not alive, as such, nor do we think that each one possesses a soul of any sort. I believe that life -- and, by extension, perhaps consciousness -- is the result of a similar, but much more complex, thermodynamic condition. That does not in any way imply that life is not important or worth protecting. But it does imply that a clump of cells is not a sentient being, even if it possesses that biochemical potential.

Once that clump of cells has a brain and beating heart, I think the game changes a bit. Although the human brain is not fully formed until an individual is in their 20s (I believe the white matter is the last thing to fully form), a fetus does have a functioning brain of sorts and can start to exhibit sentient behavior.

Now that you have a general idea of my thoughts and feelings on that, let's go back to the case that prompted this: An amniocentesis is generally done about 15-18 weeks into a pregnancy (SEE NOTE 2), early in the second trimester. One of the things it can detect is a genetic probability of Down's Syndrome. By this point, the baby has a face, hair (lanugo), and tooth buds, the major organs are formed and the baby is moving, making sucking motions with its mouth and may already be able to hear. It is quite recognizable as a human.

In this case, given some level or probablility that the baby may have been born with Down's Syndrome (which generally includes mental retardation and "has a certain morphological consequence") the mother decided to kill the child. It is not my place to judge or to in any way get involved in someone else's family decisions, but I can say that it made me very uncomfortable.

As most of you who read my blatherings know, I have a sister with mental retardation. She is 22 years older than me, and has been under the exclusive care of Diane and me for the last nine years. If my mother had had the option to not give birth to her in 1942, I can't say what her decision would have been, but I do know that I wouldn't have Judy in my life. Judy, being as high functioning as she is, has suffered greatly because of her physical disability (SEE NOTE 3). She realizes that she is not "normal," and cannot have the things that most people do, like freedom, a family, a career, etc. I have watched her suffer and struggle with this my entire life. But I do not think that, given the choice, she would prefer to be dead. Nor would I prefer not to have her for a sister. My life, and my worldview, would certainly be much different without ever having known Judy. Different, but not better. Just different.

Although I do not have the data on hand to verify this, my experience has been that most children with Down Syndrome have a greater level of mental retardation; that is, a lower level of conscious awareness, than Judy. Many -- probably most -- of them live happier lives than my sister can.

So I really wonder, in a case like this, what the motivation was for preventing this individual from having a chance to have a life. Again, I can't judge, but I think I can say that it was not an informed decision intended to prevent the child from suffering.

I have been disturbed since I heard this on the radio around noon today. It is not really something that I have thought about before, so it will take me a while to mentally digest the subject.

One of the things that I hope to accomplish in my life is a book about my sister and the lessons I have learned from having her in my life. I will wait until she passes, though, so her privacy is maintained and she doesn't become some sort of media novelty (SEE NOTE 4). That book might help others to understand and respect those with mental retardation, and perhaps even do something to help with the way they are treated in society. If my mother had decided not to give birth to Judy, I would never have had that chance.

XXX

NOTE 1: Although I would be willing to pull the trigger myself to eliminate violent criminals, especially those who prey on the helpless, I do have some concerns about capital punishment. I will write about that another time.

NOTE 2: Here's an image of a 16-week-old fetus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9573.htm

NOTE 3: Although it may sound odd, mental retardation is a physical disability. It is a result of abnormal physical development -- in this case, of the brain -- resulting in an inability to live a "normal" life.

NOTE 4: The only problem with that plan is that, although she is one-and-a-half times my age, she is probably healthier than I am and could very well outlive me. Maybe I should start the manuscript and leave instructions in my will for it to be completed and published at some point.

Heavy Artillery In The Garden

Between the flu, a secondary infection, and rain, I've fallen behind in my quest to restore my vegetable garden after more than a dozen years. I have two double rows of peas, each about 33 feet long, planted and growing, but I was hoping to have more done by now. So I figured I needed to step up the effort.

Pulling out so many vines and small trees from the old garden has left me with quite a brush pile, and I still have more to go. So I started looking at buying a chipper. I was talking to my brother Bill about it and he reminded me that he had my Uncle Ben's chipper/shredder (SEE NOTE 1). So Big Dave and I went and picked it up Sunday morning in Dave's truck. It took a little work to get the 600-ish pound chipper in the truck, but we managed. In the rain, of course. We unloaded it at my house, and it's been raining every day since.

Sunday night, inspired by the presence of internal combustion, I decided to buy a rototiller. I had been looking at big tillers (as Diane says, I'm not good at doing things half way), but controlled myself and decided on a smaller, front-tine tiller. I ordered it from Sears.com, and got an e-mail Monday saying that it was ready for pickup. So when Diane got home from work Monday, we headed off to Sears, with the plan being to stop for dinner afterward. To make an already-too-long story not quite as long as it could be... they didn't have the tiller in stock and I ended up getting a bigger, rear-tine model anyway. Fate had delivered me back into my original plan.

So it rained until this afternoon. When I got home from work, I mowed the side lawn, then assembled the tiller, filled it with gas and oil, and gave it a pull. Varoom; first pull. It let it warm up for a bit, then went to work on the area of the garden that I had cleared of stumps. Man, was that a worthwhile purchase. I went over the area, about 250 square feet, in no time. I went over it all three times, going a little deeper each time (I didn't want to work the tiller too hard before it was broken in, so I didn't try to dig too deep too fast).

Now I can't wait to un-stump and de-vine the rest of the area so I can till away. There's a spot in the lawn where grass will not grow, no matter what I do. I think I'll till it, add topsoil, till it again and plant grass seed. I've been thinking of planting some flowers in front of the fence on the side yard. All I need to do is till up about 40 feet of grass to do it. What else can I till? A rototiller is like a super power tool. I may not be a stereotypical middle-aged white heterosexual male, but I do love a good power tool. I can't wait to try Uncle Ben's chipper. I am going to chip and shred the hell out of everything in sight.

I am aware of the fact that internal combustion yard machinery has a carbon footprint -- if I may use an overused phrase -- but the carbon I'll save with a 1000-plus square yard vegetable garden should help that a bit. Plus, I make sure that all of my power yard tools are four-cycle engines, not two-cycle engines, which means less noise and less pollution.

After I was done tilling, Big Dave called and asked if I wanted to go for a ride. I was tired, sweaty, and hungry, but figured I could get up the oomph. When I met up with Dave and we headed for the gas station, it started raining. So we gassed up and headed home. And it is supposed to rain for a few more days.

At least I had enough clear weather to get the feel for the new tiller. I'm hoping for some clear weather on Sunday so I can plant lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes, broccoli, and cucumbers. Then I'll unstump and de-vine some more of the garden so I can get ready for green beans, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon. I also plan to get in some blueberry bushes and maybe some fruit trees this year. I am going to let Diane plant the sunflowers this year. I am hoping for the sort of sunflowers we had in 2007 (There are some photos in my MySpace "Flowers" album).

Anyone need some tilling or chipping and shredding? :-)

XXX

NOTE 1: Uncle Ben, my mother's brother, was known to many of his friends as "the tool man." Uncle Ben had worked at a tree company for years, then got a job with the Town of Islip, continuing in the same sort of work until he retired. After he retired, Uncle Ben, not one to sit around and do nothing, became a volunteer for the Greenbelt trails. There, he gained a reputation as a bit of a bad-ass. We met some of the trail volunteers hiking a couple of years ago and they told us about how Uncle Ben, then in his 70s, would climb trees with a chainsaw in one hand and lop off branches way up in the trees. He was a tough guy. Unfortunately,heart problems and cancer got the best of him and he and Aunt Jean both died about five years ago, within eight days of each other. They were so committed to each other, that that was probably the best thing that could have happened.

It's Hunting Me

Okay, yesterday I said that life was throwing signs at me about the seriousness of the fundamentalist threat. Today, two more things came my way...

This video and article was posted on Military.com (As a military veteran, I use this site to keep an eye on military and veterans' issues). It is related to the subject of the "Jesus Killed Mohammed" article in the current edition of Harper's.

http://www.military.com/news/article/gis-told-to-bring-afghans-to-jesus.html?ESRC=army.nl

There are lots of responses to the video, very few of them show much knowledge of the subjects at hand, as you would expect.

And I was given notice via e-mail today about the new Congressional resolution, HR 397, which is another fundamentalist effort to chip away at the Constitution and rewrite American history. I sent this out as a MySpace bulletin earlier:

*********************************

Here's an alert for those of you who value the Constitution and American history and values....

*****

Today, Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia, the Founder and Chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, and twenty-four other members of the House of Representatives, co-sponsored a resolution in Congress that would "affirm the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and express support for designation of the first week in May as America's Spiritual Heritage Week for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith."

The resolution, House Resolution 397, would put Congress on record as "recogniz[ing] the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures."

In addition, the resolution "rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources" and justifies the need to keep "under God" in the pledge.

Last year, when a similar measure was introduced, 93 members of the House of Representatives co-sponsored this legislation. Write to your representative in Congress today and tell him/her that you do not want them to co-sponsor or support this measure in any way.

*******

Don't think for a second that this is some innocuous resolution. It is just another part of the strategy of chipping away at the Constitution and rewriting the history books (both of which they have already been quite successful at). Just because these people believe that a Jewish zombie hears the thoughts in their heads and talks to them doesn't mean that they can't be clever and sneaky.

I have already written my Congressman (and will probably post it on my Blogger.com blog). Your turn.

*********************************

I am hoping to get a break from all this soon and get on to more fun topics, like gardening, motorcycling, music, physics, pets, history, neuroscience, Buddhism, and all that other neat stuff I'd much rather write about.

Life's Journeys

When I began studying religion and mythology about 20 years ago, it quickly became apparent that there were certain repeating patterns and themes in life as perceived by the human mind. Certain numbers seemed to show up often (Three is perhaps the most prominent one), as did things like creation myths, various versions of the hero myth, myths to assuage the fear of death by proposing an afterlife, and even how to find your "purpose" in life.

The interpretation of this repetition of certain themes varies, along with the myths. The psychologist Carl Jung suggested that there were universal archetypes that were the explanation for certain repeating types of characters. Others maintain that myths traveled the world and were copied by oral tradition, giving a similarity between cultures. I suspect that the truth is a combination of those factors.

Certainly, since we are all fairly recently descended from the same line of hominids, we are going to share certain mental perceptions. Of course, there are differences in the worldview of desert people versus forest dwellers, lowland tribes versus mountain folk, etc., but the interpretations of many of the world's features are going through the same ancient human mental filters. So it is not surprising that different cultures find similar themes when considering life's mysteries, be they a result of pondering the stars or looking for guidance from larger-than-life hero figures or what-have-you.

One of the themes that caught my attention, largely because the late great mythologist Joseph Campbell liked to point it out, was that, if you paid attention, life would show you the way. People who fear the unknown ease that fear by plugging some anthropomorphic figure into the equation, e.g., that some unseen supernatural being is providing guidance. That's not necessary for me.

I am not afraid to say that I don't know something, nor am I afraid to follow the intuition and reason inherent in my hominid mind. I work my ass off to study the world around me, to doubt everything until I am sure it's right, to constantly question my own perceptions and decisions, to make myself ready for the new adventures life throws at me. That has proven to be a good life strategy for me, even though it means relinquishing some control now and then.

I have learned that following what I know to be true sets me up for "success" (SEE NOTE 1) in whatever I do. Likewise, I have found that when I try to force something that doesn't feel right, the end result is pretty crappy (at which point I usually scold myself for not trusting my intuition, education, and reason).

Lately I have felt a change coming on. I have kind of been resisting it, but it has been getting pretty forceful. Yeah, it's the evil religious fundamentalist thing. It seems like everywhere I turn, I am getting slapped with the harsh reality of the evils of religion. I have tried not to blog too much on it, but it has been dragging me along by the ankles, kicking and screaming.

It seems that no matter what I do, it pops up. I have been working at any given place or time for the last several years with at least one Christian fundamentalist who says remarkably false, idiotic, evil, anti-reason, anti-compassion, anti-common sense, anti-Constitution (and therefore, anti-American) stuff... and seems to actually believe it! One of the homeowners whose home renovation project I have been inspecting recently gave me a book -- because we often talk about history, but not religion, over tea -- on the life of Hitler, a man who believed he was doing his Christian duty, and following the work of Martin Luther, by killing off Jews and other unsavory types. Even in the book I am reading on the history of geometry (because I want to learn more about math so I can dive further into physics), a major event is the hideous torturing and killing of Hypatia of Alexandria by a Christian mob and the subsequent destruction of more than 200,000 library scrolls, some of which were the only existing examples of Babylonian and Greek advanced mathematics. That loss of important scientific information was a precursor to the Dark Ages. Thank you for the Dark Ages, Jesus. Can I get an amen?

Today, I finally got the hint. I had WNYC on the radio at lunchtime, and the guest was Jeff Sharlet, author of an article titled "Jesus Killed Mohammed" in the May issue of Harper's, about the ongoing conspiracy to Christianize the United States military. This is a subject that I blogged about on MySpace a few weeks ago.

And then I got home and there was a letter from Jesus. Well, it wasn't signed by Jesus, but it was definitely from his staff. Jesus would have known that my name was not "Resident -- To A Friend," right? Maybe he's outsourcing to cheaper labor or something. Anyway, this letter... actually it is more of a series of pamphlet-type things (Christianty discourages education and literacy, sometimes to its own disadvantage) with highlighting, underlining, odd graphics (including a big house, big car, and piles of money), testemonials, "prophetic words," biblical quotes, and lots of capital letters and bold type. According to the testemonials, this church (www.saintmatthewschurches.com) has brought people houses, husbands, cash, a life free of drugs, and much more. A quote from Deuterotomy 8:18 explains that "...Remember the Lord thy God: For it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth..." (SEE NOTE 2)

Apparently, Jesus wants me to have a "Golden Prosperity Faith Cross," and for free. He's a nice guy, that Jesus (If you catch him on the right day). Apparently, Jesus' dad loves me and wants me to be wealthy. Now, I'm not much of a money guy (you think he'd know that), but I just might send in the card to get my free cross (which I WILL wear, as long as it doesn't damage my Buddhist medallion).

So, it appears -- if I may mix metaphors -- that God has chosen me to confront the evils of religious fundamentalism. I guess I need to stop fighting it, and just roll with it. I did not want to spend too much time writing and thinking about things that are holding America and humanity back (SEE NOTE 3), but maybe this is how I am going to make all that money that Jesus is promising. Who am I to question it?

XXX

NOTE 1: "Success" means different things to different people. To many people, I realize, success has a dollar sign assigned to it. Not for me. To me, it means productivity, progress, discovery and a useful outcome. Upon writing that, it occurs to me that that is pretty close to being the result of the archetypal hero's journey. Darn you, Joe Campbell, get out of my head! ;-)

NOTE 2: This obviously isn't the part of Deuterotomy that caused Joseph Campbell to call it the most violent mythology ever created by man.

NOTE 3: I much prefer to take positive angles (showing the things that can help move us forward to a better world, like compassion, science, literacy, numeracy, charity, etc) than to look at the negatives, but sometimes the negatives are too big of a hurdle to ignore and allow to spread.

US Military Oath of Enlistment

In my eight years, three months and two days of military service, I had to take the oath of enlistment several times. I'd like to share that with you, and examine it a little bit.

The oath I took was as follows:

"I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

This oath, with the optional "So help me God" (SEE NOTE 1) was enacted in 1962, replacing the original 1789 oath, which had two parts:

1."I, A.B., do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) that I will support the constitution of the United States."

and

2."I, A.B., do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) to bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully, against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever, and to observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States of America, and the orders of the officers appointed over me."

Notice this in the 1789 version (written and passed by the First Congress): No mention of any god. Just like the Constitution. Or the first US coinage (which read: "Lib[erty]: Par[ent] of Science and Industry"

You have to wonder why the oath was changed at all. It worked from 1789 to 1960 (when the law was passed), so why change it? Our military had triumphed in several huge wars (The War Between The States and World Wars I and II, for starters). A conspiracy theorist, or observant student of US history, might think that the insertion of a certain god followed the old strategy of religious fundamentalists trying to usurp/weaken the Constitution and the nation it created by cramming their religion into the game, as on our money (no god on coinage until the 1860s, with it added to the pleadge of allegiance in the 1950s and paper money in the 1960s).

Is it a coincidence that we haven't actually won a war since a god was inserted into the oath? (SEE NOTE 2). Our major military conflicts have not gone well, especially for the most powerful and wealthy nation the world has ever seen. It's pretty embarrassing, actually. That is not a knock on our military members (SEE NOTE 3) so much as it is on the "leadership" thereof.

Former actor Kirk Cameron has said that his god has been punishing the US for its waywardness with droughts, hurricanes, etc (Really. Check YouTube of you don't believe me), yet has failed to note that those things disporportionately affect the South (AKA, The Bible Belt). Now add the failure of the military since the oath change and you have to think that Kirk and his god are on the wrong side.

I have never recanted my military oath (SEE NOTE 4), and I believe in the Constitution more strongly now than ever, mostly as a function of my continuing studies of history. As far as I am concerned, I still have an obligation to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"and "bear true faith and allegiance to the same."

XXX

NOTE 1: I probably said the "So help me god" part, being as how I was naive about the ongoing religious attack on the Constitution. But it is kind of a worthless phrase anyway, as the term "god" was undefined.

NOTE 2:Technically, we haven't fought a war since World War II -- The Constitution says that "The Congress shall have power to... declare war" and everything since WWII has been a function of the executive branch.

NOTE 3: When I say it is not a knock on the military members, I do not mean all military members. Any veteran will tell you that they had fellow military members who weren't physically, mentally or morally fit to shovel shit, let alone defend a nation. Most military members are dedicated and hardworking, but there are some real losers in there, as in almost any demographic group.

NOTE 4: Although I have not recanted my oath, my civilian status removes the applicability of "orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice." As for the President, as long as his orders and actions are in line with allegiance to the Constitution, I am with him.

Lost Day

Well, today sucked.

Diane and I got a call early this morning that my mother (who turns 90 in a few weeks) was in a lot of pain and had been awake with it since 2:30 last night. The description sounded like the pain my father had from a clot the day before he died. Mom, I'm sure, was quite aware of that fact.

Mom fears medical issues, and tries desperately to avoid doctors or hospitals. Diane and I have little patience for that sort of thing, though. So we got ourselves ready and drove the 30 minutes out to my brother's house to get her to the hospital. We took separate cars, since I work on Saturdays and was hoping to still be able to get to the showroom on time. That didn't happen.

When we got to my brother's house, it was apparent that Mom was in more pain than I had ever seen her experience in the 45 years I've known her. We managed to get her into Diane's car and headed off to the hospital.

We spent about ten hours in the hospital's emergency center with Mom. After several hours, she was experiencing quite a bit of back pain from being in the bed and not able to move too much.

Fortunately, the tests did not show any blood clot or fracture in the area. The doctor is hoping that maybe she just strained a muscle in her groin. The bad news was that her blood tests showed some kidney issues. She has had some issues with her kidney function, which is why her doctor sends her for blood tests on a fairly regular basis. Apparently, he told her to get some tests done last December -- yes, about five months ago -- but it didn't happen. Since I am both her legal healthcare proxy and executor, it is in my best interests to keep her as healthy as possible, so I guess I'll have to make it my responsibility to get her to all of her medical appointments.

So I got home around 8:30 tonight, and still had to make supper for my sister Judy, and give our beagle Shiloh her epilepsy medication. Diane stayed out with Mom, and will probably do so until my brother and sister-in-law get home tonight. Diane is great about taking care of family, and that's probably one of the reasons I surprised myself back in 2004 by suggesting that we get married. Poor Diane is going to be pooped by the time she gets home.

I dreaded telling Judy about Mom going to the hospital, but she has as much of a right as any of my siblings to know about her mother's health (SEE NOTE 1). Judy never gets upset about illness (I don't believe she has ever cried when someone close died, not even our father), but she does like to ask endless questions. And she insists on having prayers said for sick people at church. I know she lacks the mental ability to understand what a total waste of time and thought that is (You mean NO ONE prays for amputees?), but it still bugs me (SEE NOTE 2).

So now I have to make up a full day of work (or lose the pay, but that's not happening), and I missed Joe's installation as the new commander of his American Legion post tonight. Although I disagree with the Legion's divided loyalties (<50% Americanism), Joe is a valued friend and a distinguished military veteran and I wanted to be there for him. I know he understands, but it still sucks.

So I guess this counts as a "venting" blog. ;-)

Hopefully, we'll have decent enough weather tomorrow that I can get some work done in the garden. Mom should have people around all day tomorrow but, if it is nice out, maybe I'll take the Ducati for a ride out to see her at some point.

XXX

NOTE 1: People with developmental abilities deserve the same dignity and respect as the rest of us. I know there are people in the world -- lots of them -- who think that "retards" don't deserve the same rights as "normal" people, but I have only a two word response for that (and it is not "Happy Birthday").

NOTE 2: Personal peeve here: Don't ever pray for me if I am sick or injured. I can't stand the thought of people wasting time and energy like that in my name -- talk about a bad investment (Ponzi scheme?). Feel free to volunteer or donate to a charity for me, or go visit a sick or elderly person for me, or adopt a pet or child for me, or do any of the many things that could be done to actually make a difference in the world. Life is too short -- don't use me as an excuse to waste any of it.

Righteous Torture?

I certainly don't want my writings to ever become single-issue, but some things are worth noting.

Now that we have a US President that was raised in an atheist home and actually mentioned "nonbelievers" in his inaugural address, action is being taken on the torture that was carried out by the previous, much more pious, administration. This is not surprising to anyone in the atheist/rationalist/humanist/etc. communities, as studies and surveys (along with common sense) consistently show the overall moral inferiority of the pious.

A recent Pew survey, located at http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=156, showed a correlation between level of approval of torture and religiosity.

See the importance of separation of church and state? The more power these people have, the more humanity suffers. Give them the power of armies and taxation? You'd have to be insane (Or Iranian). Fortunately, most of America's founding fathers realized this. It didn't take a great "leap of faith" (pardon the pun) for them, as they saw the results of religious persecution all over the colonies. The treatment of Jews and Catholics was pretty rough in general. And Anglicans were beating the hell out of the Baptists (literally), until James Madison stuck up for them (and was able to prevent taxation for supporting churches in Virginia).

And, of course, we must remember that the Christians who came over on the Mayflower were trying to escape religious persecution from... you guessed it: other Christians. These people can't even keep from killing each other (read a history of Ireland, for one), and they have few problems with torturing people even in these "modern" times. The further they are away from government power, the better it is for everyone (especially small boys and anyone who won't bow to their twisted mythology).

The evidence keeps mounting, but it will take an awful lot of nails to close this coffin. Don't let that get you down, though. Keep smiling and being nice. :-)

Small Talk

I am not a fan of small talk. It just doesn't interest me a whole lot, unless you are a close friend with whom I have some sort of general running dialogue. I wasn't fully cognizant of my dislike for small talk until recently. A few things have made me notice it...

Of course, I have never been a big fan of parties or "get-togethers" where ignorant, mindless people spend hours talking about nothing. That's a given. At those sorts of things, I look across the room and it reminds me of a bunch of chickens clucking in a pen. Every so often you'll hear the volume and pitch of a conversation rise, which signals me that someone has just laid an egg.

When I wrote my first book, I never thought about signing books, especially the fact that I would have to write some little personal note to people whom I did not know, or know anything about. Writing my first book absorbed a good chunk of six years of my life. Getting it done, and getting it done well (meaning having it readable and entertaining, yet thorough and with 100% accuracy) was all I really cared about. So the first time I had to sign a book and add some sort of little personal note, it was like getting hit in the face with a bucket of cold water and razor blades. Geez, wasn't it enough that I spent all that time filling 384 pages with words and photos? Now I have to write something cute or witty or personal? I realized I was going to be spending time in book-signing hell. I just didn't, and still don't, know what to write in one or two sentences. "Best Wishes?" "I hope you enjoy the book?" I have learned to love people who are okay with an autograph and a date.

Now that I work in a government office where there are lots of people (fortunately, I only spend about 25% of my time actually in the office), I find myself being faced with a similar horror: Signing cards. Retirement cards, get well cards, birthday cards, happy new baby cards, and all that. It's hell. Everybody adds some sort of stupid little insincere note. I hate that. If I wrote what I would really like to write, I'd be ostracized...

"Enjoy your retirement. Do it quickly, though, as studies indicate that many people die not long after retirement."

"I hope you don't have an inordinate amount of pain due to your recent operation. Try not to get an antibiotic-resistant infection."

"Wow, you survived another revolution around the sun. Let's make it a federal holiday."

"Instead of adding to the six billion-plus humans already using up resources and creating pollution, and using that as an excuse to pay less of your share of taxes, maybe you could have done something helpful by taking in one of the millions of unloved, suffering orphans in the world."

It's the same sort of thing with things like FaceBook and Twitter. Those things are good for people with nothing to say, but a need to say it. I guess that's most people, though.

And don't even get me started on haiku.

Oh well, I guess I'll just keep on plugging away. Next month will be my 45th birthday. Maybe I'll send myself a card that says "Most of your life is over. But at least you've made it this far."

"Science" in Louisiana

This is from the web site of the National Center for Science Education (at www.ncseweb.org):

***

"Just in time for the bicentennial observance of Charles Darwin's birth, a new survey of Louisiana residents shows 40 percent of the respondents believe evolution is not well-supported by evidence or generally accepted within the scientific community," the Baton Rouge Advocate (April 14, 2009) reports. The Louisiana Survey, sponsored by the Manship School of Mass Communication's Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at Louisiana State University, asked (PDF), "Do you think the scientific theory of evolution is well supported by evidence and widely accepted within the scientific community, or that it is not well supported by evidence and many scientists have serious doubts about it?" Of the respondents, only 38.8% preferred the correct option, with 40.3% thinking that evolution is not well supported and 20.9% listed as saying they don't know. The survey also asked, "When teaching students about human origins, would you generally favor or oppose teaching creationism along with evolution in public schools?"; 57.5% of the respondents said that they favored teaching creationism, 31% said that they opposed teaching creationism, and 11.4% were listed as saying they don't know.

The Advocate was editorially appalled, commenting, "The level of belief that evolution is not supported by scientific evidence is startling. Equally amazing is the percentage who believe evolution is not generally accepted within the scientific community," and adding, "Such indifference to basic principles of science doesn't position Louisiana very well to embrace the knowledge-based economy it needs to advance its future." (As Barbara Forrest recently observed in a post at the Louisiana Coalition for Science's blog, the state is next-to-last in the nation with respect to student educational success and economic prospects.) In a jab at Governor Bobby Jindal, who signed the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act into law in 2008, thus opening the door for creationism and scientifically unwarranted critiques of evolution to be taught in public school science classes in Louisiana, the Advocate also remarked, "How ironic that Jindal's wife, Supriya, has launched a private foundation to promote math and science education in Louisiana's classrooms. We encourage the governor to promote science education by working to keep religion out of science classes in public schools — something he's been unwilling to do so far."

***

What the article failed to mention is that that same 40% also believe Hee Haw is a documentary series.

Are there any questions as to why much of the world thinks that Americans are stupid?

Let's Get Rolling

I had a Blogger account a while ago, then got kind of busy with life and stopped using it. Eventually, I joined MySpace. There are lots of smart, and controversial, people on MySpace and they inspired me to start blogging again. Now, I have decided to start putting my blogs here, too. I figure it will allow me to interact with more people, and that's one the the things the internet is best at.

I'll dive into a wide range of topics, from miscellaneous ramblings about my daily (odd) life, to discussions of religion, history, music, motorcycling, gardening, animal rescue, nonprofit work, veterans' issues, and whatever I happen to feel like writing about.

Your comments, as long as they are reasonable and reflect a minimum level or literacy, are welcomed. I don't pretend to know much about anything, and hope that I can learn from you.

Thanks.

Bob