The “Godification” of government – and other floating baselines.

July 6, 2014

It would seem that people are often challenged to understand events much beyond their own personal experience or lifespan.[1] Events that occurred prior to one’s own birth are often relegated to that nebulous dumping ground of ideas called history while that which we personally experience or observe is considered absolute. Such a perspective myopia is not without … More The “Godification” of government – and other floating baselines.

Ranking the Veracity of Media Personality Statements

June 22, 2014

The fact checking website, PolitiFact, has a section dedicated to checking the veracity of statements made by pundits and other media types – PunditFact. Of the dozens of personalities evaluated on the site, several have earned their own summary page including Rachel Maddow, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck. Impartiality isn’t a characteristic typically associated with this group so it shouldn’t be surprising all three have … More Ranking the Veracity of Media Personality Statements

For men only – an exercise in visualization.

June 20, 2014

Dear Bro, Try to visualize a collage of world strife. Think of specific scenes that appear in the news – aggression, fighting, terrorism, IEDs, rock-throwing, kidnapping school children or field executions. Now, imaging that ALL the faces in your visualization were women. For most, that would paint a surreal picture. I know it does for … More For men only – an exercise in visualization.

Charlie Crist should be governor of Florida.

June 8, 2014

This is my endorsement of Charlie Crist for governor of Florida. I know such an obscure endorsement won’t carry any weight and will influence no one’s opinion. I know that such influence is the realm of the rich, the connected, and the otherwise powerful. I’m not a politician, not a politico, not affiliated with any … More Charlie Crist should be governor of Florida.

The rabbit hole that is the 2014 Texas GOP platform.

June 7, 2014

The San Antonio Express-News/Houston Chronicle obtained a copy of the Texas GOP draft platform for 2014. I’m not sure what attracted me to this particular rabbit hole, but for some reason I started reading the document and couldn’t stop. Initially, I thought I’d indulge in some cherry picking and identify those items that seemed most incompatible with … More The rabbit hole that is the 2014 Texas GOP platform.

My travels through rural Honduras with forceps, scalpels, and friends.

May 10, 2014

As the realization has set in that this blog will never be viewed by more than a handful of visitors each month, I have begun to view it as a place where I can write mainly to memorialize thoughts and events I don’t want to forget. The relative obscurity of this site is more liberating than … More My travels through rural Honduras with forceps, scalpels, and friends.

The Holocene extinction event. Is our species’ destiny to be known as “The Burners?”

April 13, 2014

Take a moment to look around. Everything probably looks more or less normal. You have your daily routine and may have settled into a comfortable life rhythm. But what you may not realize is that what you are seeing is what it looks like to be living in a mass extinction. Even though it’s all … More The Holocene extinction event. Is our species’ destiny to be known as “The Burners?”

Why I no longer fly Delta Airlines – The consequences of unrestrained yield management techniques.

March 5, 2014

For decades Delta has been my preferred airline. I’m not exactly sure how my preference evolved to that point but I’m sure why it’s no longer true. It’s all about how Delta’s obsession with yield management has led them down the path to treating passengers as little more than fodder for their revenue machine. Does … More Why I no longer fly Delta Airlines – The consequences of unrestrained yield management techniques.

Humans are a minor perturbation in the life of the earth.

February 9, 2014

Our perspective of everything we see, everything we do, and everything we think is distorted by the lens of our vanishingly short time on this earth as living, thinking beings. The distortion is exacerbated by our inability to fully grasp events that occur beyond the relatively small geographical boundaries imposed by our daily life. With … More Humans are a minor perturbation in the life of the earth.