Friday, December 28, 2007

And this is my birthday present. A cold. So, to give my foggy brain something to do..

There is amongst most Americans ignorance of anything that was here before Europeans came, except for horror stories of Iroquois or noble savage pictures of Lakota Horsemen. There were many here, and they built large cities and enormous structures. Here are a few examples.

This is the Serpent Mound in Southern Ohio. It is 1330 feet Long. A quarter mile.

Next we have Poverty Point in Louisiana. To show its reach, trade goods from as far as the Great Lakes have been found here:
Then we have Cahokia, with at one time a population in the thousands. This is a picture of the mound, over 1000 feet long, 790 feet wide, and 100 feet tall.

Then there is something closer to home, the Grand Mound of the Rainy River.Thank you to MPR for the picture:
This tells us someone has been here a long time. There was no wild place waiting for human cultivation; People had already had been here for a long, long time. They had agriculture. Learning. Medicine.Music. Cities were built. Large cities. And we know where these people went. Nowhere.They are still here. But many Americans do not like being reminded of that fact, because it says what the history of this place actually is. It also says things are temporary. what is known as America will someday no longer exist. Good Morning. ( All other pictures are from wiki)

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Finals are done. Now, what do I do with myself other than process data and work. The world wide waste of time can call forth, but I know where that leads; article upon article as my endless, Adhd fueled curiosity drives me into late-night reading oblivion. Anger at right-wing nutballs and theocrats. No this cannot be. I must enjoy this winter and its riches of early snow. Views for miles, followed by coffee. This looks like heaven to me:


Or there is this a wonderful species, both in appearance and taste
http://www.superiortrips.com/video/eelpout.wmv


Ahh winter...!!!

Saturday, December 15, 2007




Cool pics from work:
This week on Challenges to Evolution, the results of a debate between William Dembski and a Tiger


A great discussion in two parts




Thursday, November 22, 2007

I chose to wander over to "Conservapedia", just to see what the deluded and demented had to offer up. The main page is hilarious. It shows how insanely obsessed right wingers are with gay sex..lookie here:http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Statistics

They are deeply concerned about details even I know nothing about. Homosexuality and parasites fascinates me; are there different parasites? They don't have just the normal human parasites such as these little friends in the picture ? or this most evil of parasitoids..without ovapositor of course

Saturday, October 06, 2007

And yet another goes down. At Oral Roberts University, (please don't comment on the underlying insanity of the entire charade), there is now a scandal involving embezzlement, misuse of property and downright priveliged living at donor's expense: see here: http://newsok.com/article/3140031/?print=1. The interesting part is that for once, there are accusations of heterosexual impropriety; Richard Roberts' wife, Lindsay, apparently relieves stress by doing young men: http://www.valeriegibson.com/.

The bad part in all of this is the followers of these people will believe anything; especially these people's b.s.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The anti-evolution movement, tight as they are with the Christian Right in this country, are perhaps our greatest threat. Their fanatical beliefs and creation of institutions to make sure their own deluded ideology is force fed to children and others, is creating yet another generation of insane zealots. Foe thoughts on the subject see Sam Harris here :http://www.samharris.org/

Now of course, after the Dover decision, where they not only lost the case, but were plainly laughed right out of the court room , by a conservative judge nonetheless, they are choosing other means, including going after scientists by flat out lying: see the case involving Dr. Eric Pianka here http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/.

Of course the right wing press, pandering to the morons it calls an audience, played this up to no end, with Tucker Carlson accusing him of hating humans: see here: http://www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/bio373/MSNBC.Interview.sm.mov

As one of my relatives says; most people are a half step away from witch burning. Now many complain about the public school system and its failures. I am actually amazed at how students survive and thrive surrounded in this intellectual sewer of a society, when crap like this is allowed to be done, and right wing nutballs who believe a mythical dead guy of two thousand years ago was the son of god, all while using the tools of science to download fantasy football scores and porn, or to get flu shots.

My suggestion is this: Let them believe what they wish, but they can no longer use our tools. They can wear sandals, walk and die of scurvy and leprosy. I however, will take Pasteur and Darwin.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The great Pharyngula blog has a wonderful link to a BBC documentary on the Dover case. The most interesting and frightening element is the ignorance of the adult Americans interviewed.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The creation museum has arrived, and I could say no more than what PZ is saying over here:http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/05/the_creation_museum.php . Genesis as Disneyland. Just when I thought the U.S. couldn't get more absurd, this happens. My oh my...

Tuesday, April 17, 2007








some pics from work....

Sunday, March 25, 2007

I do not believe in a supreme being. I said that long ago,surrounded by confirmation attending classmates. I remember once debating a group of students, who apparently believed in christianity but practiced none of its tenets other than harassing and shunning non-believers; I remember harassment from a classmate who then died a month after graduation, decapitated in a car accident. Apparently god didn't care about her belief. I became more tolerant over time, often forced by circumstance. Keep your mouth shut. Don't irritate your friends. All beliefs are equal.

They aren't.

Either something is, or it isn't, at least at this level of physical reality.

I am sick of being ruled by people who worship a god that didn't exist and still doesn't. That mormons get credit despite the bizarre and crazed story of their founder and his lies . People look askance at Tom Cruise and scientology, but if you hold up the bible or the koran, you suddenly earn respect and noone can argue with you. Jesus was not divine. Neither was Muhammed. Their god didn't exist, still doesn't, and theology is a pseudoscience.

Don't bring it around me anymore. I am tired of that drivel.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

The Genius Of The Crowd

Charles Bukowski

there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average
human being to supply any given army on any given day

and the best at murder are those who preach against it
and the best at hate are those who preach love
and the best at war finally are those who preach peace

those who preach god, need god
those who preach peace do not have peace
those who preach peace do not have love

beware the preachers
beware the knowers
beware those who are always reading books
beware those who either detest poverty
or are proud of it
beware those quick to praise
for they need praise in return
beware those who are quick to censor
they are afraid of what they do not know
beware those who seek constant crowds for
they are nothing alone
beware the average man the average woman
beware their love, their love is average
seeks average

but there is genius in their hatred
there is enough genius in their hatred to kill you
to kill anybody
not wanting solitude
not understanding solitude
they will attempt to destroy anything
that differs from their own
not being able to create art
they will not understand art
they will consider their failure as creators
only as a failure of the world
not being able to love fully
they will believe your love incomplete
and then they will hate you
and their hatred will be perfect

like a shining diamond
like a knife
like a mountain
like a tiger
like hemlock

their finest art

This says everything. Paul

Friday, March 02, 2007


Here are three of my aunts: from the left Sigrid, Esther and Elsie



My grandparents and my aunt...thanks to my cousin for the pics.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Some, upon reading the previous post, will wish to shun me, ascribing to me all the failures of mankind. They will not yell " blasphemer", but instead they will argue with me about the existence of god. Most will say I would rather live in a world with god than without. Fine. That doesn't change the reality of the world. It doesn't change the reality of addiction and similar diseases like mental illness or obsessive-compulsive disorder. My argument is simple: If left to god, we'd be dying in droves still, whereas more people have been helped by the error filled attempts of human beings than prayers ever frigging did. We can bitch about medications, but they have helped far more than they have hurt. The various srri medicaions have most likely helped far more meth and coke addicts than payments to conjuror's, sooth sayers and consoling words from non-abusive priests ever did or will do. This is mans work, not gods. This is hard to accept personally as an addict, for inside the lenses it is difficult to see how we ever recover at first, so we ascribe it to god. But we change. We don't use. Friends, peers, counselors, and doctors help us along the way. I have yet to see god show up once at a meeting or give a ride to one. I have seen a lot of people do this though. I can no longer give to god what deserves to be given to people...the people who helped me along the way...whether it was the man who gave a ride to a meeting or the legislators who funded treatment with tax dollars...I owe them the thanks. God...hell...the gods made me an addict.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

12 Heresies


1) Over time, as different mood altering chemicals were discovered or invented, some of us became addicted. This happened through a combination of individual biochemistry, the chemistry of the particular drug, and family dynamics. Some argue a genetic predisposition to addiction. This may be true. We do know that addicts respond differently to chemicals than much of the population. Many died or lived lives of misery.

2) Historically, this has been judged as a moral failure, whether individual or group. This occurs because addicts behave anti-socially to support the addiction, often violating the rules of the particular group they inhabit. This is and has often been treated simply by lock up treatment, whether the insane asylum or jail.

3) In the early 1900's, there were different groups of human beings investigating methods to treat this affliction. Various methods were tried, including primitive psychological techniques and religious exhortations.

4) One addict whose preference was for alcohol, now known as Bill W, after being exposed to different experimental methods, discovered one that seemed to work combining elements from some previous experiments and actions he found that worked for him. This came to be known as what we now call the twelve steps.

5) It was found that this method worked better than anything else that has been tried so far. It included group support amongst addicts themselves, and the view that this was a disease and not a moral failure.

6) Medical Researchers in Minnesota combined these steps with confrontational psychological techniques, supportive housing, community support and peer group support of behavioral change to create what is known as the Minnesota model. This included familial and group intervention at earlier stages of the disease to upset its progress. This proved successful in many cases.

7)Through active research and increased knowledge, these same techniques were then altered somewhat and used in different situations, including within corrections. It was also found that lengthening the supportive housing, evaluating the patients for concurrent problems, whether mental or physical illness, support for behavioral change and increased supportive services increased success rates.

8) Modern neuro-chemistry increased our understanding of the disease. In the last two decades, numerous chemicals have been invented, especially anti-depressants, which proved useful in assisting recovery. Other investigations have shortened the time of psychological and physical withdrawal from different drugs. Others treat Hallucinations due to withdrawal. Others stabilize the dopamine cycle which affects addicts of stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine.

9) Alternative behavioral techniques are used and experimented with that sometimes work for addicts when standard programs fail.

10) We admit we are still in the dark ages when it comes to understanding and treating addiction. Research continues. We have learned much in the last century, however.

11) We can talk to god all we want, but we must remember that less than several decades ago, god was just killing or jailing us. It was when people tried to find a solution, albeit often due to religious reasons or then ascribing success to god, that events changed.

12) It appears that by combining different methods, including group support techniques, medical knowledge and scientific analysis, much for addicts has changed. This is dependent on time and place. Most people still assume it is a failure, especially those who view the world in simplistic religious and cultural dogma. We must educate throughout the world to assist addicts in recovery.