Friday, October 31, 2014

A French Law Eddie would LOVE to have over here!

Edward loathes clowns.  Apparently there is a little French in all of us.
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How Conservative / Liberal is Your City

There was a study completed by two people (1 from UCLA and 1 from MIT) that attempted to ascertain both the relative and absolute(ish) levels of Conservatives vs. Liberalism of the cities in American with over 250,000 people.  Details are HERE.
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But the chart is interesting in itself.  And some "very" conservative cities (in my mind) are only conservative compared to San Francisco and Los Angeles (San Diego and Sacramento!).  Then there is Anaheim.  It is just as conservative as we all thought.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Da Pope!

Pope Francis is the kind of guy that makes me wish I was Catholic (sometimes).   Pope Francis came out and said that God didn’t use a magic wand to create man - literally.
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The Big Bang came from something, God created the something for this all to start.
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Evolution is a miracle.  It is the miracle God uses to create mankind.
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If I can add one more thought that flows form this – With these miracles, God not only created the world and man, he endowed Mankind with a unique desire to understand the world, the ability to put the world into a spiritual context and to see God in the world.  Using evolution, God allowed the creation of a soul.
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Science and Religion to not have to be at odds.  Really, I love this guy!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Benalux in Milwaukee

Last week-end, Eddie and I went to Madison for the football game.  We flew into Milwaukee first for the day and visited some friends of Ed's - who had been in NYC checking out colleges a couple of years ago.

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This is Patti and Emma (along with Ed and I).  We all ate at a nice restaurant in the "Third Ward" - Milwaukee's hip downtown area.  And it was very cute.
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I expected "Benalux" to be a little fancy-schamcy European.  But no, it was great food.  The "Benalux" in the name primarily referring to the Belgian beers it had on tap.  But here is the thing.
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I don't understand why Patti and Emma are not as fat as houses.  If I lived there I would be.

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This is a specialty of the house.  And one Emma recommended. What is it you ask.
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It is a cheese curd, wrapped in a meatball and deep fried.  And it is delicious!
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Where Are They Now?


One of the by products of life that I find amusing, or infuriating  - depending on my mood, is the simplistic faux outrage pieces that seem to arise on political Echo Chamber and then get ignored.  Often you can’t discuss this "pretend" issues with people because their minds are set, for example a number of Facebook friends on both sides were lost in the “Ground Zero Mosque”  kerfuffle.
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So let’s take a wander through the “where is the outrage now?” zone.  Mainly the items that stick with me are the Fox News Freak Outs! (TM), but I am sure my Republican friends (and yes, I have some) have some equally ready examples from the Left-o’sphere.
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Ground Zero Mosque
Ah, remember this one.  This was a quite the time, remember everyone?  The world was going to end if there was a mosque at Ground Zero.  Because Muslims praying was the end of New York City as we know it.  Result – there is a mosque at 51 Park (ground zero mosque) and Fox news is still toiling away on 6th Ave. where it always was.
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Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
This one was the outrage that Obama freed a captive in Afghanistan.  Because the US never leaves a man behind – which is why Obama sucked.  Until Obama got Bergdahl freed, then the shit hit the fan that Obama gave away the store.  Senator McCain, in the space of a week, went from pushing for a deal to denouncing that exact deal, because Obama did it.  Fox news found some veterans that went on TV publicly to say they think Bergdahl cooperated with the enemy (those men were paid to attack another enlisted man – fyi).  Fox and the Republican Party was all over this, because innocent until proven guilty doesn’t include anyone that Obama has ever helped, even a Army enlistee captured by the enemy.  Where are they now?  Bowe Bergdahl is still it the Army working at Fort Sam Houston in Texas.

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Sue the President!!
Come on, you remember this one.  House Leader John Boehner demanded (and got) authorization less than three months ago to sue the President.  Because he was a dictator!  Come on, you remember.  Don’t lie.  Well the Republicans in a high-minded, purely non-ideological way decided that they would sue the President for doing his job.  They got authorization and stated that they would sue ASAP.  Apparently ASAP is sometime more than 3 months because it entails walking a good ten minutes to the court-house.

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Czar-appaloza
We are going waaaay back here.  There was quite the buzz about Obama having too many policy Czars (or Tsars).  Remember?  Sure he had less than Bush or Clinton – but too many, damn it!  You know until they wanted an Ebola Czar. Someone to get things done! Of course, after getting that Czar, they didn't like him.
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Of course there were many more (Obama Hates Israel! Obama Won’t Bomb Syria!  Obama Shouldn’t Bomb Libya!  Obama Apologies To Everyone!  Obama doesn’t Show Enough Deference!  Obama was Born in Kenya!  Obama’s Grades included B’s! Obama is a Socialist / Communist / Nazi / Dictator / Muslim / Anti-Colonial Marxist).  All will be forgotten in tomorrow’s latest news.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

So Close

After the game we all went for a beer. I left everyone a little early to follow my game. As I am walking to the hotel, a very handsome young man in a tank top stops me.
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He gives me a fireball shot and asks for a hug.  Oh yeah, I still got it.  
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I hug the six feet of young muscle and he says, "thanx dude, my own dad couldn't come to Homecoming."
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Ouch

Great Time at Wisconsin Football yesterday

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Too Bad about that whole area...

Too bad we air dropped arms to the wrong side in Kobani.  Too bad we don’t have an ally somewhere close … you know that might share a border so we could send in arms overland.*
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Oh well…
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* Sarcasm Alert. This is an ironical statement.  We do, in fact, have an ally right across the border in Turkey.  Turkey, however, hates the Kurds and would rather have us airdrop supplies to the enemy than allow us to send supplies across a border they control.  Just an example of the toxic stew of hatreds and conflicting ethnic battles the United States is trying to work within.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

It has to settle

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't love Renee Zellweger, but cut the gal some slack. 
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So she had a lift and went out too soon. She looks pretty. Sure, not like Renee, but pretty. Sometimes it takes a while. Look at Nicole Kidman, she looked wound too tight for a few months and now looks great. 
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As a public we trash female stars when they wrinkle and when their "fixes" are too obvious.  It kind of sucks. I would hate to be judged solely on my looks. 

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Reviews Off Broadway: Billy & Ray Sheds Light and Laughs on Double Indemnity


My Review of the new play, Billy & Ray - a rift on the creating of Double Indemnity.
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Reviews Off Broadway: Billy & Ray Sheds Light and Laughs on Double Indemnity...: Larry Pine as Raymond Chandler and Vincent Kartheiser as Billy Wilder Billy & Ray, now at the Vineyard Theater, tells of the ...
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Vincent Kartheiser as Billy Wilder, Sophia von Haselberg as Helen and Larry Pine as Raymond Chandler in Billy & Ray

Serious Post: Defining something as "Terrorism" limits your response

“ISIL is a terrorist organization pure and simple.”  That is what the President said, and I realize that saying anything else in this environment is politically red-meat to Republicans and anyone else looking to score points off the President.  But it is a simplistic and impossible to act upon.
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But we, as adults, shouldn’t be limited to the sound bite pace that politicians and news media must cleave to.
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What does that mean, terrorism pure and simple?  Terrorism, despite what the 24 hour news cycle would have you believe, is a tool towards a political end.  A blunt, nasty, evil tool that utilizes attacks on civilians, but a tool towards a desired end result. So what is ISIL desired end result.
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For the moment, let’s put aside that ISIL decapitates people.  I mean that is horrible and terrible, but is not really the cause for a multinational air and ground war, right?  Some of our allies decapitate people.  We put criminals to death all the time. Outrage is not useful here.  What is their political end game – and why are we so dead set against it?
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ISIL is trying to carve a new nation in the middle east.  It is trying to take land from Syria and Iraq for this.  They became a horrible enemy, which we HAD TO stating fighting, only when they took land from Iraq.  When they were fighting Syria only, most nations were okay with this.  So, we are not fighting ISIL because they are “intrinsically evil”, we are fighting them now because they threaten Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. 
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I don't know who this is from, so I can't give credit, but it is nice and seems kind of USA Today-y.
Iraqi Kurdistan is an altogether more interesting beast.  Like ISIL, “Kurdistan” has been carved out of a current country and that situation was ok with most nations.  In the case of the Kurds, their homeland in Iraq was basically self-sufficient.  The allies supported the Kurds against Saddam Hussein, and we (the United States) have maintained this support.  Support for the Kurds is NOT uniform across the region, since Syria, Iran and Turkey all have significant Kurdish minorities.  So Iraqi Kurds are our (US) allies and boots on the ground, but are considered terrorists in Turkey (and were recently bombed inside Turkey).
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The reason I bring this up is as follows.  What is the end game here?  Do we want to be sure that ISIL cant’ hold any territory as a government or nation? If they contain themselves to Syria, are we okay with that?  I think the ISIL is an artifact of a civil war between two competing versions of Islam, Sunni and Shia.  The United States (and most other countries) are locked into viewing this through the prism of current nation states and boundaries.  The problem is that I don’t think there is an answer that would please us within the confines of the current nations and borders.
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I get borders must be thought of as inviolate from outside interests, but what in the case of a civil war?  If we say ISIL cannot exist, then why can Kurdistan?  
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'"And why is any of this our problem?  That is a rhetorical question, by the way.  I don’t think it is our problem.   And, I don’t think there is a solution.

Monday, October 20, 2014

The Beaches of St. Barts

Well, the beaches were great.  And lovely and free - which is impossible to believe given how everything else in St. Barts cost an arm and a leg (sorry La Arn and Le Leg).
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The beach at St. Jean where we ate lunch.  PS - The yellow bouys - part of the airport take off strip - no swimming.

A drive down the empty south coast

Saline Beach: Great!

This was the view from beach after beach.

This was Colombier beach.  I loved it.  You had to hike there and it was beautiful (or yacht there).

Sunday, October 19, 2014

The Lovely St. Barts


Last week's extended vacation can be divided into 2 parts.  The pre-Gonzalo and post-Gonzalo periods.  Here are some really cool pictures from our trip.
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This was the pool (and view) from our Villa.

This is Gustavia - named after a Swedish King when they ran S.t Barts for a while.  This was pre-Gonzalo

Me and the pool

The view, the first night.  Heaven(ish)

Friday, October 17, 2014

I Would Like to Add my Very Reasonable Voice to the Discussion About Ebola

For our friends outside of the United States, a little background.
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About two weeks ago, a man came from West Africa with Ebola.  He flew to Texas.  Went to the hospital - where they took his temperature and said, you have a fever, go home.  (A reasonable diagnosis in Texas where 32% of the population  - over 4 million people have no health insurance (reference link - Texas Medical Organization).)*
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So he goes home.  Where 3 days later he is way sick, with Ebola.
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He dies.
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A few days later one of the EMTs who responded at the house gets sick.  Two days ago the nurse at the hospital where he was first admitted gets sick because the hospital had no procedures for this.
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All of this (should) lead to reasonable precautions.  Better hospital care (btw - done).  Checkpoints at airports where planes from West Africa land (btw - done).
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Watching people who came in contact with the patients (occurring).
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A calm measured response.
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HA HA HAHA.
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A school in Ohio closed because the sick nurse was on a plane and a student at the school flew on the same plane later int he day.
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Talking heads on TV shooting about the end of the world.
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Texas politicians on Congress who want to quarantine West Africa - whereas 2 of the patients are Texas and I think we should quarantine that state.
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Why?  Why does a knowledgable country descend into panic.  One guess.  We have  an election coming up and they can all crow about it on TV with free advertising - without mention they cut moneys to the World Heath Organization, the Federal Emergency Management Fund and the Center for Disease Control.
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John McCain has asked for an Ebola Czar.  "But Scott," you say, "doesn't the United States have a Cabinet Level Post of Surgeon General?"  Well yes, but since Obama nominated someone months ago the Senate hasn't bothered to give any hearings to him because - you know, they hate Obama.
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So I have these words of wisdom.
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It is Panic, Scream, Run Around, Scream Again, and then fall over exhausted to watch more Ebola Porn on TV.  NOT Scream, Panic then Run Around before settling in for more 24 Hours News Ebola Porn.

* - Funny story. This year Texas turned down $100,000,000.00 (one hundred million) federal dollars to cover uninsured in the state because it was socialism to cover the uninsured.  

Which means their emergency rooms over overly full of people with low fevers, aches and pains, because in the United States emergency rooms - cannot turn anyone away.

Which means turning away a black man with an accent and a temperature of 102 degrees is actually the proscribed procedure.  

Thank God they turned down the Affordable Care Support so 16% of their minors can be uninsured (#1 in the nation! Go Horns!)

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Home

I could bitch about the slog to get from St Bart's to the French side of St Martiin to the Dutch side of St Marten to flying to Atlanta to the (wait for it) delay to the flight to JFK to driver who- despite written and repeated directions, tried to take us to 22nd instead of 42nd. But I won't.
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I saw the devastation in French St Martin made me thankful for what I have. 
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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The Internet and Gonzalo

Well, our vacation extended a few days because we couldn't leave St Bart's because of hurricane Gonzalo. One ferry went out at 8:00AM. Then nothing by air or ocean. Luckily (?) getting to St Matrin would not have helped. The delayed Delta flight ended up canceling. 

They had us change villas (and the owner was pissed the new people insisted on this as a hurricane was bearing down).
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We rode it out yesterday with out power. The craziest moment came during the eye of the storm. So crazy before and after, yet silent in the middle. Double so since the was no power. Just silence and downed trees and the odd cat or bird.
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We have a journey tomorrow going from here to the French side of St Martin, then a cab to the Dutch side, then a plane to Atlanta before heading home. 
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Thank goodness for a greatTrevor sitter. 
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We are on a plane tomorrow to the wrong airport because the ferry isn't running- the harbor is closed.

We are fine

Eddie and I rode out Gonzalo in St Bart's. Pics later, but we are fine

Sent from my iPhone

Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Humm... I Don't Think That Means What You Think It Means

I don't usually comment on some nincompoopery - it is frankly not worth it.  I don't find this "worth it" either.  But I find it funny.
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You see, his actual comment was “Biblically correct sex is safe,” Robertson said. “It’s safe. You’re not going to get chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS — if a man marries a woman, and neither of you have it, and you keep your sex between the two of you, you’re not going to get ever sexually transmitted diseases.”
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If you unpack that statement, we see that it is partially correct and partially NOT correct.
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Phil is correct in the assumption that a married man and woman who don't have an STD before marriage will be safe from STDs.  That is (mostly) true.  The the idea that only this will keep you safe.
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But also, if you are a married man and man, and you don't have an STD, then stay monogamous, you will not get the STD either.  This is, in fact, the way Ed and I live.  If you are a married woman and woman and don't have an STD, then stay monogamous, you will not get an STD.
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If that is what Phil means by "biblically correct", then he should be happy to extend marriage to us gays.
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But "Biblically correct sex" as a definition won't help anyone.  The Bible is big on one man and many women.  Lots of the Biblical Kings had many wives.  Lots and lots of them.  King David, King Saul, King Solomon - who built the first temple, many many women, including foreign women who brought their strange gods with them.
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Biblically correct sex also includes a number of concubines.
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And while incest in general is forbidden, father daughter sex is OK.
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Hence, I don't really think Phil means what he thinks he means.

The Internet and What You Poor Kids Are Missing

There is a great debate which I hope you are missing. It has to do with the momentary penn shot in the shower scene of Gone Girl. Is is that really Ben's penis?

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You kids have it easy. Back when I was young we had to scour media for pictures of penis or boobies.
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I know. I wore out a couple of VHS tapes of Room with a View Or Maurice in the quest of a nakid Rupert Graves. (PS - we are the same age, so it wasn't gross.)
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Now things pop up on a random Google hunt that shock me!
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Sure, the endless delivery of nudity is probably healthier, but you will never know the joy and embarrassment of your roommate yelling "would you stop leaving Room With A View at the skinny dipping scene"!  
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Nor will you appreciate your elders' ability to mentally block out some really disturbing imagery in the hunt for the perfect spot to pause Porky's 4

Tuesday, October 07, 2014

At Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health Dinner

BHaving a great time at dinner.

And Boris Kodjoe is at our table. 


The Latest in the War of Wisconsin and UCLA

Ed and I don't have (nor ever wanted) children.  Don't get me wrong, we love children.  Love them!  Especially other people's children!
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And we want them to go to our schools.  So it is a race to see who can get a Wisconsin or UCLA outfit to the kids first.  In this race, Leah had a beautiful UCLA pic with her (kind-of) uncle Scooter.
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Now, Laura and Dan have sent a picture in her Wisconsin gear.
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Friday, October 03, 2014

The Walrus in the Coal Mine

I'm sure most people know the story of the Canary in the Coal Mine. Canaries need more oxygen than people, so if it dies- get the hell out. 
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Which is "science" that people actually believe. 
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Well 35,000 Walruses (walrusi ?) have beached themselves because the Artic Ice is melting more than ever. 
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Should you care about that?  Well, I've seen walruses up close, so I like them. But that isn't the point. 
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As a group of humans, this is a canary in a coal mine moment. You don't mourn the Canary, but you realize it isn't safe in the coal mine. 
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The climate is changing. Maybe you don't give a shit about walruses. But see, they are messengers here. The earth is screwing up in ways we can't imagine. I mean the know unknowns are really scary. The unknown unknowns should move us to action. 
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So give a shit or don't give a shit about the walruses. But note that climate change is happening and the consequences are surprising us. 

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Mascot of the Month: October 2014 - Robert Silverberg

Robert Silverberg...
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He is an old fashioned Science Fiction writer.  I have a special fondness for him because he wrote, "Time of the Great Freeze."
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It was published in 1964, and it was the first book I ever read from the non-kids section of the Hawthorne Library.
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Jeanie (my baby-sitter) would take us to the Hawthorne Library every week or so, and we were allowed to get 2 books (or maybe just Cindy and I were allowed 2 books) and she would get a Dr. Suess book to read to us all.
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And I usually got kids books.. You know about alligators, or snakes, or dinosaurs with lots of creepy pictures.
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But one day - and I had to be about 7 years old, she steered me to the older kids section.
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I thought it was the adults section but, looking back, it had to be like "teen-ager" section.
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Anyway, I found this book - Time of the Great Freeze.  And I loved it.
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It is set in New York City underground after a freak Ice Age.  After not hearing from any other cities for decades (centuries?) - they hear a radio broadcast from London, and set out over the frozen Atlantic to visit.
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So, clearly, adventure.
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Then in London they find out that, over the decades, history has been rewritten by each side.  London(ers) think that they gave up "the colonies" because they were too much trouble.  While Americans know they won the Revolutionary war.  My first introduction to propaganda (although they didn't call it that, I didn't fully get it at 7 years old).  I was fascinated.
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And in the end, both parties made it to Brazil, where life had progressed well.  The idea that another place (in Latin American at that!) was doing better than the USA was amazing at the time.
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I was hooked on a world of ideas.  One I haven't ever really given up on.  Not Brazil or London (although, I do actually visit and love both places) - but the challenge that science fiction brought me to look at things differently.  Speculative Fiction has, in many ways, left science aside now.  Science moves too fast.  And I have, therefore, abandoned a lot of "speculative" fiction aside - Vampires don't thrill me.
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But I have never really forgotten the debt I owe to Mr. Silverberg and the Hawthorne Library.
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Or, to be honest, Dr. Suess.  Here are final words to live by from the good doctor.
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