tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17465644186003020902024-02-06T21:16:03.977-08:00Pliny's Tangent Du JourDiscourse is most productive near the very limits of civility.Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-25530851997709556502013-05-08T15:12:00.001-07:002013-05-08T15:12:32.618-07:00Transitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear readers (all 3 of you), I will be limiting my posts on this site for the time being. Most of what I do post will be rhyme, short stories or illustrated subjects like the two below. If the spirit moves me, I may on occasion rant as usual, but not very often. On the rant side of the coin, my limited time will be devoted to the cartoon site (Pictorial Theology) reachable by the link to the right. Please take a look and comment if you can. Thank you</div>
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-69548646517278288172013-04-28T11:47:00.000-07:002013-04-28T11:48:39.658-07:00Sophisticated Theology: The Apologist's Handbook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1312032238"></span><span id="goog_1312032239"></span><br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-44339535094902404252013-04-05T13:16:00.003-07:002013-04-05T13:16:54.644-07:00The Slippery Tor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-81190046251546267262013-04-01T15:56:00.003-07:002013-04-01T15:57:49.445-07:00Philosophy Tutorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpoC18VSF6YYgEmeaZBlvYlYbM7wQjj0fFJb9-PdK07FBkalQFk6jvFaytGFVpFvXzz_-vbE1AOAX3KeQNiVe8KgPCMg2PFuQDMafvzLmfZSF5XOG0wG-isnhPgy-jaWsv8oxPtY8q1Gn/s1600/Untitled.001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpoC18VSF6YYgEmeaZBlvYlYbM7wQjj0fFJb9-PdK07FBkalQFk6jvFaytGFVpFvXzz_-vbE1AOAX3KeQNiVe8KgPCMg2PFuQDMafvzLmfZSF5XOG0wG-isnhPgy-jaWsv8oxPtY8q1Gn/s400/Untitled.001.png" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwZrja-ePRjwUYGGrzRuZbWxjbUPPB-enW2AqXwa139ODQH6wVY2X0t7vfQOj6KqJgz68I-O9akbIlIWnGOFBIlZ5A56tOex7FIL5Hvzdhcnqq00vtwAwkGadc-7rJtPH-D6Q_uwAf9H_/s1600/Untitled.002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwZrja-ePRjwUYGGrzRuZbWxjbUPPB-enW2AqXwa139ODQH6wVY2X0t7vfQOj6KqJgz68I-O9akbIlIWnGOFBIlZ5A56tOex7FIL5Hvzdhcnqq00vtwAwkGadc-7rJtPH-D6Q_uwAf9H_/s400/Untitled.002.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-61682111075151350732013-03-31T11:20:00.002-07:002013-03-31T15:39:09.990-07:00A Fine Day to You All! (Seriously, This is not Photoshopped!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-79865125637354262862013-03-23T14:00:00.001-07:002013-03-23T14:00:28.351-07:00The Natural Selection as Embraced by the Roman Catholic ChurchWhatever else it does, you can't say that the Roman Church opposes natural selection. Just look at their stance on abortion and you can clearly see how the church gives in to animalistic urges of its male members (both usages apply here). <br />
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Abortion is opposed even when the mother's life is in danger. Many Catholic 'thinkers' state have stated that only if the fetus is unsalvageable should the mother's needs be considered. Otherwise its a case of which 'person' trumps who - mother, or indeterminate lump of cells robbing her of vitality. Hard to choose?<br />
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The Catholic choice is obviously the biological one - the male primate favors survival of its offspring. It, alone of the two, shares its genes. So why bother with the female when an offspring is in peril? You can always find another mate, but offspring are hard to come by.<br />
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So, hats off to the Church for biological pragmatism. At least as long as they can keep women out of the halls of power. With common sense approaches like this, it's easy to see why morality should remain in the hands of a select few old men. After all, absent the church, where ever would we find moral guidance? From rational discourse? perish (or is it parish) the thought...Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-32212314635995018222013-03-22T06:51:00.002-07:002013-03-22T06:51:52.802-07:0040 More Reasons to Roll My EyesWhile taking a break in the office the other day, we started talking about the plethora of '40's' that seem to show up in the Talmud and Bible. Everywhere you look there seems to be some reference to 40.So I did some digging. Turns out 40 is a big number in the Bible, Talmud and even the Quran. <br />
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From Biblestudy.org<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b> The Meaning of Numbers: The Number 40 </b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The number forty has long been universally recognized as an important number, both on account of the frequency of its occurrence, and the uniformity of its association with a period of probation, trial, and chastisement - (not judgment, like the number 9, which stands in connection with the punishment of enemies, but the chastisement of sons, and of a covenant people). </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The number 40 is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where Forty relates to a period of evident probation. But where it relates to enlarged dominion, or to renewed or extended rule, then it does so in virtue of its factors 4 and 10, and in harmony with their signification. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There are 15 such periods which appear on the surface of the Scriptures, and which may be thus classified:.....</blockquote>
Wow! Impressive machinations. While reading this I was reminded of the importance of the number 3 in Monty Python’s. Holy Grail <br />
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" ...And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O LORD, bless this Thy hand grenade that with it Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits, in Thy mercy." And the LORD did grin and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats and large chu... [At this point, the friar is urged by Brother Maynard to "skip a bit, brother"]... And the LORD spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then <span style="color: #ffe599;">shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe</span>, who being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it."<br />
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One is serious and one is satire, can’t really remember which is which.Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-21462267785112122302013-03-21T15:56:00.001-07:002013-03-21T15:56:30.942-07:00I See IT!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-60302400240146276182013-02-28T12:43:00.001-08:002013-02-28T12:43:13.945-08:00The Gun FetishThe Merriam-Webster Definitions of ASSAULT<br /><br />1<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
a : a violent physical or verbal attack<br />b : a military attack usually involving direct combat with enemy forces<br />c : a concerted effort (as to reach a goal or defeat an adversary)</blockquote>
2<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
a : a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner) that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or contact <br />b : rape </blockquote>
So the gun fetishists who continue to promote an alternative lifestyle of gun love in an artificial atmosphere of fear adore weapons made and named for violent attacks, military attacks, threats to others that put them in immediate danger, etc. <br />
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As for fetishes, to each his or her own - as long as it's consenting but I don't consent to be placed at risk by some man-child who still wants to play army or cowboys and indians with live ammo. <br />
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I'm fine with hunting rifles, shotguns, etc. These have some utility beyond testosterone boosters.<br />
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-516155724651461482013-02-25T18:09:00.000-08:002013-02-25T18:09:00.160-08:00Ideas are not PeopleMy brother recently told me that I need to be more tolerant of religion. I told him he had it all wrong, and was making one of the great liberal mistakes:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBF1vsiiBXnY-JoRSYyKThWEbcjHjCWwyfrpbvsnRTzTE27pdyqtw7c4vXwX2CkqCC4gdiWqZ62wNbpYaTGpJAL_LvXUPGgXyZdRecVn6__TVY8bwgN5IRO1qgiNzzL7y-SAwwjtOD5S_/s1600/Untitled.001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBF1vsiiBXnY-JoRSYyKThWEbcjHjCWwyfrpbvsnRTzTE27pdyqtw7c4vXwX2CkqCC4gdiWqZ62wNbpYaTGpJAL_LvXUPGgXyZdRecVn6__TVY8bwgN5IRO1qgiNzzL7y-SAwwjtOD5S_/s400/Untitled.001.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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People deserve the same set of basic rights within reason. Ideas are up for grabs. I don't have to respect ideas. Ideas have no inalienable rights. <br />
<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-73364664691759763762013-02-11T15:50:00.001-08:002013-02-11T15:50:04.315-08:00Nuff Said<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-41052199910069241692012-12-23T19:19:00.001-08:002012-12-23T19:20:46.207-08:00High Capacity Ode<div style="text-align: justify;">
Need not retreat when my hackles are raised<br />
Any rash act will in some circles be praised<br />
Iron in hand works as substitute courage<br />
More guns is the answer promoted by some<br />
(Because more firepower makes so much sense)<br />
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Feel threatened by some kid I am stalking?<br />
Feel lessened by his dismissive mocking? <br />
A poser with a gun out in the night<br />
He retreats but I advance gun in hand<br />
(Claim self defense against one departing?)<br />
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I much love that added sense of power<br />
Makes up what’s seen lacking in the shower<br />
Testosterone free to come out and play<br />
No need to heed that most prudent warning <br />
(Of living to fight yet another day)<br />
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My cash of guns don’t threaten you at all<br />
I’m not the one who’s shooting at a mall<br />
Hope you’re lucky when I clean all my guns<br />
That high power round won’t respect any walls<br />
(Oops I was so sure it wasn’t loaded)<br />
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Your tacit consent, please, to my armed might<br />
To respect my freedom, honor my right<br />
Collateral damage is necessary<br />
To preserve my sacred right to carry<br />
(Tough break for those kids without a permit)</div>
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Each month a grizzly bell does peel and toll<br />
Like the report from every trigger pull<br />
But do recall that many are killed by cars<br />
And some just trip and fall on a loose rug<br />
Should these things not also receive your ire?</div>
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I am a loser but not with a gun</div>
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Blasting shit to pieces is lots of fun<br />
Iron makes me a big man tall as am oak<br />
Cold touch twists my soul like Gollum’s precious<br />
(Take more than dead children to give it up)</div>
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Add 4 parts mental illness to the pot<br />
Next add social isolation with care<br />
Add first person shooters liberally<br />
And easy access to high powered fare<br />
(Then sit back and watch the show in real time)</div>
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Excuses and the typical refrain<br />
Spew simpering platitudes to ease others’ pain</div>
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About being home with Jesus, how very nice<br />
Seems almost a favor worth the high price<br />
(But our world is less now absent their smiles)</div>
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Guns don't kill people, it's people who stray</div>
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They'd just go and do it some other way</div>
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Not so easy, nor the counts near as high</div>
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Or from such a distance or certainty</div>
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(We'll not change our ways, it wasn't our kid)</div>
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-52810326226205025202012-12-22T15:37:00.002-08:002012-12-22T15:37:29.104-08:00It Almost Happend!<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Apocalypse of December 21. It was a close thing. Though not associated with any of the misrepresentations about the Mayan calender, we almost lost the planet yesterday. The NRA's long awaited solution to school shootings - armed guards. The simultaneous explosion of so many irony meters almost set fire to the atmosphere. The NRA - long preaching a mantra of gun ownership being the only safeguard against a police state, suggest that the solution to idiots with guns is a police state.</div>
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-46661644272323587172012-12-16T10:36:00.000-08:002012-12-16T10:36:01.073-08:00Ok, Believers, it's time to put up.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm disgusted. At gun shops across Oregon, the response to the Connecticut Children's Massacre is to go out and buy guns. Guns for 'protection' and guns because they are afraid that this slaughter of innocents may finally wake this country up to the problem of our pathological reverence for the gun. That this is the response of my countrymen is beyond appalling. Unlike all who will no doubt object, I have treated the broken bodies of children wounded by bullets. I know the effects both short term and long. My message to those out buying up the guns - you obviously love guns more than children. </div>
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So here's my challenge to the believers out there who oppose abortion and end of life autonomy - care about innocent lives as much as you do the fetus. Make it harder for deranged souls or complete losers to go out in a blaze of gunfire that catches the innocent in the crossfire. Stop the inane commentary about guns not killing people. </div>
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Here are some thoughts - </div>
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1: Screw the 2nd Amendment. It's an amendment after all - repeal it. (admittedly a hard road). The founders never intended civilians having more firepower than the military. The only freedom we will give up is the freedom to slaughter large numbers or get some idiotic macho jollies by firing one of these things.</div>
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2: Ban military style weapons in civilian hands. If you want to fire an assault rifle, go out and enlist in the army, reserves or the Guard. Assault rifles aren't varmint guns or legitimate hunting weapons, they are designed to kill humans, period. Or buy a video game. That way you can sit on your fat behind at home and leave the rest of us in peace.</div>
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3: Ban semiautomatic handguns to civilians. If personal protection is your goal, a revolver is safer, more reliable, and plenty. If you can't hit something with 6 shots then we don't want you spraying an additional 9 in the air for us to duck. From what I know, it's not likely to save you but, if you need an adult pacifier, it's better than a high capacity semiauto.</div>
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4: Ban antipersonnel rounds other than standard hollow points. If it's against the Geneva Convention it should be illegal against your fellow countrymen. </div>
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5: Make gun manufacturers subject to the same liability laws as the rest of industry. </div>
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6: Put some teeth into background checks and waiting periods. Limit carry permits to those under legitimate threat or with extensive background checks and training. </div>
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Would this end private ownership of guns? No. If you are a true hunter or sports person you would still have access to hunting weapons like shotguns, bolt action rifles, and black powder firearms. If you are deluded enough to insist on a handgun for protection, the revolver should suffice. (a 12 guage with a Deerslayer is a better home defense option in any case.) If you want something else then you are a potential threat. Grow up and get a more productive hobby. If you find yourself getting off on the thrill of shooting, consider counselling. </div>
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Ok, you defenders of life. Prove that it isn't all rhetoric. Put the brakes on this violence. Care about the living as much as the yet unborn. And spare us the NRA bullshit, because we aren't buying it. </div>
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Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-28357964864013207322012-12-07T15:40:00.003-08:002013-04-28T11:57:05.535-07:00The Migration of Memory<div style="text-align: justify;">
They call it schizophrenia. I kind of like that word. It sounds sort of out there. Like the experiences themselves.<br />
<br />
They give me medication so that I can be more like them. Think more like them. Act more like them when I’m performing some repetitive monkey task at some job they say I should have to be part of society (whatever that is).<br />
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The voices they say are only in my head have a lot more interesting things to say than the mouths of the normals. This normal that I keep hearing about in therapy. Therapy, what a total waste. As if anyone can can have insights outside of the confines of their own brain chemistry. <br />
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My memories have evolved sort of like the Bible. Factual events clouded in time that begin to take on epic proportions far more interesting than my real life. <br />
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My problem is that the medication changes how I think about today, but does nothing to alter the memories created in its absence. Those are more colorful and rich. Much more inviting. The so called real ones aren’t all that inviting. Lots of unadorned white rooms and boring halfway houses filled with medicated zombies. No that’s not fair to zombies. They would at least be interesting.<br />
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The medication prevents me from reliving (or enjoying) the full extent of those past experiences but doesn’t take away the knowledge of their existence and the sadness of not being able to go back there. Back where the colors are brighter, the sounds crisper, the sensations more electric. I suppose it’s like somebody who’s had a stroke. You know you’ve lost something important. Something self-defining, but can’t get it back. The shell is still there, but not the person. Blending in and being normal is just a shell for me. <br />
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Which memories are real? The ones that my screwed up wiring lays down, or the ones that are bland and gray because my neural pathways have been robbed of the normal freedom they have to experiment by all these damn meds? <br />
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The normals don’t get it. They should but they don’t. They pay money for experiences that are more exciting than their mechanistic lives. They go to movies, shows, read books and do drugs to have a few minutes of escape of the kind that just comes naturally to me when left to my own devices. Why would they think that being like them would be appealing? <br />
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But it’s a losing battle for them. They can suppress those pathways for a time, but they never go away entirely. They lie in wait. For a time in the future when they are reinforced by new splashes of color or sounds from the heavens. They call it a relapse, my neurons call it freedom. In time, those bland memories of a strange world called normal will fade away completely. Till then.</div>
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-5895525567779480912012-11-21T12:41:00.001-08:002012-11-21T12:41:49.748-08:00Missing the Point<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Yes, Republicans need to weed out candidates who talk like morons about
rape. But this doesn't mean the country needs two pro-choice parties
either. In fact, more women are pro-life than are pro-choice. The
problem here for Republicans is not policy but delicacy -- speaking
about culturally sensitive and philosophically complex issues with
reflection and prudence."<br />
<br />
Charles Krauthammer, Nov 8, 2012</blockquote>
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No Charles, the Republican party doesn't need to weed out those who speak like morons, it needs to weed out candidates who THINK LIKE MORONS about rape, reproductive health, and a whole host of burning issues. It needs to spend less time on honing its message and more on actually having ideas beyond saying F--You to those without means. Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-74467237146573422902012-10-23T15:52:00.002-07:002012-10-23T15:52:28.481-07:00The Most un-Democratic Thing in the World<div style="text-align: justify;">
In this Republic could there be a more un-democratic thing than the notion that money is speech? By granting personhood to corporations, our Supreme Court has thrust us into the world of George Orwell - some are more equal than others. Can the voice of the people ever rise above the din of big business? Not likely.</div>
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-26108007396546707692012-10-19T11:33:00.001-07:002012-10-19T11:33:34.091-07:00The Fault Lies Not in the Stars but in Ourselves: The Achilles Heal of a National Health System<div style="text-align: justify;">
I get ticked off every time I go to an airport. The security people that work there treat me like I'm a clean-shaven Osama Ben Ladden in Dockers. I've come to view the rituals of submission to authority - removing belts, shoes, etc., more as political indoctrination than actual security measures. Part of the problem is that preventative measures become more and more annoying the further removed they are from the triggering event particularly when one has no direct recollection or physical experience of these events. A challenge for TSA, if security is the motive, is that we don't know how many, if any, follow-on terrorist attacks were thwarted by these policies. We have no real sense of where these measures fit in the overall security plan although presumably they are last ditch point defense against plans not thwarted earlier by more sophisticated and surreptitious means. Prevention is not sexy - we only care about it when it fails, then we want someone's head. Presumably, all but the most rabid libertarians would prefer some intermittent inconvenience instead of another smoking hole in NYC, DC, or San Francisco.<br />
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The irony of course is the longer these measures are successful, the less the public 's interest will be in continuing them. Are these measures useful? I don't know (though the fact that cargo still isn't screened makes me wonder). I mention all of this because despite my contrarian disposition to the whole process it is possible that these security measure are ACTUALLY doing more than just making us all complacent Winston Smith clones. Blissfully unaware of the actual risk of terrorism today at the airport and lacking any knowledge of what success if any TSA has had in thwarting the bad guys all I can feel is irritation at the process and inconvenience.<br />
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There-in lies the metaphor for a potential Achilles heal of a national health system. In order to afford a sustainable system, we will have to shift the emphasis of care from today's acute or sick care, to prevention, wellness and a rationing of acute care. The burden of health must shift from the medical profession to the patient themselves - the essence of patient-centric care. A lot of patient advocacy groups talk up patient centric care models. They usually mean that the patient is the center of their own universe and everything needs to come to them at their convenience. That will not work here without some substantive shifts in perception and responsibility. There has to be a quid pro quo; greater convenience and control by the patient must come with greater individual responsibility or costs will spiral out of control. Keys to cost containment are prevention, early detection and diagnosis and compliance with therapy. The first and third are largely under the control of the patient though our current system still manages to shift the blame to the clinicians even there. Like the frequent traveler, patients are very vulnerable to confusion regarding association vs causation, or they become impatient with activities that don't seem to make them feel any better at the time. It's kind of like guard duty - after a while you get lax unless somebody tries coming through the wire. Successful prevention is anticlimatic. From experience though, the problem is that patients often want you to fix something when they come in. They want a pill. This is why pharma companies love being allowed to directly market to consumers - if your doctor would just give you this little pill you'd be so much better! They do this because they know it works. <br />
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Scientifically vetted best practices have demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of cases of sore throat are viral in origin, not bacterial. In other words we know without doubt that antibiotics will not affect the course of the disease one iota. Yet millions insist that they receive unnecessary antibiotics for their sore throats which adds to costs and contributes to antibiotic resistance. People refer to any case of pharyngitis (sore throat) as 'Strep throat' which is a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics. Doctors have tired of arguing the science or just want to get people out of their office. Further complicating this discussion are variant presentations of strep (only a few percent of actual cases) where the patient comes in after symptomatic treatments fail railing that they knew all along that the doctor was a quack. Defensive (lazy) medicine is very expensive. The national health system must be based upon science if it is to be a viable program. Judging by the reception evolution receives in this country (the evidence of which is far greater than almost all of our medical knowledge) , making a case for medical science is going to be a tough sell.<br />
<br />
The ongoing battle over vaccination is another danger sign for the national health system. There is absolutely no doubt that vaccination programs have saved <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">millions</span> of lives that would have been lost to infectious diseases. There are the occasional bad reaction to them, which is understandable considering what they are. However there is absolutely no data that vaccinations cause or ever have caused autism despite what that paragon of medical expertise, Jim Carrey had to say. The big studies of the proposed phenomenon have shown no correlation. Of course, current vaccines themselves no longer contain the original agent of concern. It's been a long time since this country experienced a pandemic that killed or mained millions. Thank our vaccination programs. But now all these new smart people who never experienced the horrors of a plague have a hard time weighing the costs and dangers of having an increasing number of unvaccinated people out there and at some point, herd immunity (the benefit that you get from the fact that enough people are vaccinated to prevent the agent from easily spreading throughout the population) will fail. A lot more kids will suffer than have ever had a bad reaction from a vaccine. Prevention and science have to be a the forefront or this won't work. The science has to come from NEJM not Oprah. Unfortunately more people get their information from Oprah. Science and medicine is not a democracy where everyone's opinions count. It's hard enough for trained experts to keep up with new developments let alone the lay public getting just bits and pieces of their information from often unreliable sources.</div>
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<br />
One night, years ago, a patient with a known diagnosis of a congenital skin condition came in. to a doc-in-the-box (urgent care for you civilians ;)) The condition resulted in a life-long affliction of dry scaly skin and a lot of itching. This patient had 2 dermatologists and an internist for their primary. There wasn't much I could add to what they had already done but we did find out that the patient had never really payed much attention to the types of skin products they used. I called around town and got some good recommendations for products that would lesson the problems. I spent 45 minutes on these activities, assessment and education. When they went to check out the patient became livid when asked to pay the $25 fee. The patient said, "Why should I have to pay anything, you didn't even give me anything to take!". I asked the patient what was expected from an urgent care visit for a chronic problem for which --- was already being treated by 3 specialists? I didn't last too long in that job. Dealing with this mentality - if I don't get something for it, it's not important - is an important part of making a national health system work. The better the system the fewer times you'll actually get something for treatment!<br />
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Where does Woo fit into the picture? I know this part may irritate some but it has to be said. At the beginning of the 20th century a great war was fought and won - I'm not talking about WWI here. It was the battle amongst medical doctors, and everyone else. Prior to that time there was little to lead one to choose and vitalism in its many pseudoscientific forms was very popular. But science took hold in medicine and research, outcomes, professionalism, and data allowed MD's to pull away from the pack. Not bravado but actual history. Like all professions steeped in science MD's stopped looking over their shoulders and went about their business - not perfectly but pretty relentlessly. <span style="font-style: italic;">(An aside about medical progress: I
was at a party some years ago and a drunk lawyer kept following me
around insulting my profession. Being new to dating the future Mrs Pliny
I was on good behavior. This guy would not let up. Finally I was
talking to a group of his colleagues and this guy walks up and says:
"When you doctors were bleeding George Washington to death lawyers were</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">debating
the Constitution and what did I think about that. " I looked at him and
said, " True and in the interim we have developed hundreds of new
procedures, eradicated diseases, developed vaccines, organ transplants
and intrauterine surgeries to name just a few of the advances - and you
lawyers are still f------ around with the Constitution..."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Ah life's little victories....</span>)<br />
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Unfortunately just like all other such areas, Woo returned with a vengeance fueled by a basic distrust of all things orthodox. In my area chiropractors outnumber MD's and naturopaths are springing up all over the place. This despite the fact that the effects of chiropracy can be harmful and any positive effects (beyond placebo) can be equaled by a physical therapist. But nobody cares. I think it's fairly obvious why that is - it's the same 'give me something' expectation. Let me illustrate it. I once did a survey of back injured patients who saw chiropractors vs an orthopedist. It was interesting. The orthopedists would examine the patient and tell them that there wasn't anything other than some PT and pain killers that would help. They were assured that in 6 weeks it should get better on its own. It usually did. But the ortho patients were less satisfied than the Chiropractor patients and here is why. The chiropractor would see the patient do their twisting stuff and then tell the patient that they would require weekly adjustment for about 6 weeks then it should be cured... The orthopedist told them the facts of the natural history of their injury which would take 6 weeks to heal. The other guys told them what they wanted to hear - I'll keep on treating you until you are better. There is nothing better than to get credit and cash for managing a largely self-limiting condition. Something that I as a surgeon could never get away with (nor should). The patients also had no sense of entitlement for chiropractic services but were irritated to have to pay for the orthopedist - is this a great country or what! This stuff is exactly like what happens between ID and evolution - no amount of science is ever enough to dispel religion or woo. Why the rant about this? These groups are pushing hard to get some of this national health system financing. MD's should go to the mattresses over this one - it is completely unfair and ridiculous to talk about physician accountability to best practices science if we are going to turn around and blindly pay for other services which are not based in any science what so ever. Incredibly few people see the irony.<br />
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Prevention is the key. It's also boring and hard. If you want to live longer then put away the bucket of lard you're eating from, turn off the TV, get some moderate exercise each day, don't contribute to your favorite fast food joints bottom line, sleep right, don't smoke, eat a lot of green things (assuming that they started out that color) and reduce your calories. There, free prevention and wellness advise...</div>
Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-1014173139020443402012-09-23T16:31:00.000-07:002012-09-23T16:31:33.626-07:00Stale BreadHow old does an argument have to be before it can assume the de facto status of being foundational? Before it can just be assumed as a given?<br />
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How popular must it be with philosophers, serious theologians, or John Q Public before it simply becomes the truth?<br />
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Can you build arguments upon layers of previous arguments - a philosophical Stratum Ex nihilo?<br />
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Or, in the end, do you always have to ground your arguments in some factual observation about reality? Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-37043500878037188762012-09-23T10:22:00.001-07:002012-09-23T10:22:40.864-07:00The Arrow of TimeWhat's responsible for the arrow of time? There's a lot of physics and philosophy on the subject including concepts that suggest that time isn't an arrow at all. But in at least one sense I think it's safe to say that time is an arrow - at least for sentient beings. Cognition, requires an accumulation of information that must be converted into knowledge. That's a temporal process. It requires a forward sequence of events. Any learned behavior, requires past experiences that lead to lessons learned. It is impossible to create a learning model that doesn't involve time. Sentient beings perceive the passage of time in universe within a framework of prior events that define historical contexts. What I ate last night, what I saw on TV this morning, what I read on Saturday, etc. , the framework we use to contextualize our existence. Thoughts?Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-69222193333867965852012-08-31T13:51:00.000-07:002012-08-31T13:54:29.453-07:00My Objection to the 'Atheist +' Movement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-17786149326669038162012-08-14T16:03:00.002-07:002012-08-14T16:03:55.134-07:00A Glorious Day!Zappa's library is finally available on iTunes...Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-27748670041683851822012-08-06T13:54:00.001-07:002012-08-06T13:56:11.220-07:00To the Clueless Douche on the Bridge This am...While bike commuting to work today, I saw a trio of women on the pedestrian ramp of one of our bridges who were in distress. One of their number had taken ill and was sitting down. I stopped to check on her and stayed with them until EMS arrived.<br />
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We had her lie down and propped up her feet while she waited. We put some fabric on the rail of the walkway to block the sun.<br />
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While waiting for EMS some tool with no helmet to muss his Yanni do had to stop because two way traffic was blocked off by our little band.<br />
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He got all indignant and told us, "She can't lay there!", before biking off in a huff. Good thing you left buddy. If you'd have said anything else, I'd likely have been forced to call over the rail, "Hey $^%$^$, you can't swim there!"...<br />
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I want to come back clueless in my next life.Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-58847836285900098512012-07-26T08:18:00.000-07:002012-07-26T08:21:05.424-07:00A Liberal Sensibility in an Election YearLiberal this - liberal that. The neocon pundits constantly equate being a liberal with all manner of evils. In an election year these kinds of things become more important. But what is a liberal? I don't claim to know. But I am considered a liberal (I consider it a complement) and this is what I believe.<br />
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I believe in the most fundamental of liberal precepts; 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.<br />
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I believe that the preservation of liberty requires a strong defense; but the incestuous and ruinous feeding of the military industrial complex is not the same thing as security.<br />
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I believe that civic investment would be greatly aided by a term of national service.<br />
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I believe that being a just and fair people is a heavy burden that our enemies might exploit; but the far greater danger is from those among us who would exploit fear to erode our liberty from within.<br />
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I believe in the precepts of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; but this does'nt guarantee contentment or success - merely that the law and opportunities should be fairly and equally applied.<br />
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I believe that a country as great as this must chose to aid those of its fellows who are in need through no fault of their own. The greatness of a nation is really measured by how it treats the least fortunate of its people.<br />
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I believe in accountability: personal, professional, financial, legal, corporate, governmental, journalistic and societal.<br />
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I believe that truth and honesty are more important than winning. <br />
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I believe that foreign debt brings foreign influence that isn't always supportive of the best interests of our people.<br />
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I believe that immigrants refresh the well of national ambition and hope and prevent the social stagnation that limits other nations.<br />
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I believe that accepting cultural difference does not mean tolerating abuses of human rights.<br />
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I believe that public education is crucial to the preservation of liberty by the elimination of ignorance and the expansion of opportunity for all citizens and as such deserves every resource we can muster.<br />
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I believe in being open-minded but that doesn't mean endless debate on fringe beliefs.<br />
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I accept that people should be free to believe as they will, but that it is reasonable and prudent to consider the effect of revealed beliefs on the critical thinking skills required of those who would govern.<br />
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I believe that government money should not support promote or sustain any organizations or activities based on any faith or creed.<br />
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I believe that if faiths wish to participate in the political process then they should no longer be afforded unfair benefits such as freedom from taxation.<br />
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I believe that the cold perspective of science and the application of the scientific method are our best hope for addressing social, moral and national needs both now and for our future.<br />
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I believe in living within our means both personally and nationally which means hard choices that should be shared equally by all.<br />
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I believe that neither unbridled capitalism nor socialism is a viable and stable long term economic model. There is a happy medium. A just system must reward ambition, innovation and hard work while punishing greed, deception and predation.<br />
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I accept that wealth confers many advantages but having a disproportionate influence on public policy should not be one. <br />
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I believe that government is the least corrupt of our choices for providing for the common good. <br />
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I believe that while a conservative wants his or her children to be better off than they, I believe a true liberal wants his or her children to be better people than we.Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1746564418600302090.post-24063913438310817922012-07-25T13:15:00.003-07:002012-07-25T13:15:54.752-07:00ScoobyDoo - The Greatest Moral of any Children's Cartoon?<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">The moral of every episode of ScoobyDoo</span>:
All mystical things are the work of some bozo in a mask or a costume
trying to manipulate impressionable people for personal gain.<br />
<br />
Try to come up with a better lesson than that!Pliny-the-in-Betweenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580900408227953736noreply@blogger.com0