We have come to believe a mirror image is backwards from what our eye sees. Well, in this modern world of change, a scientist from Drexel has blown that definition to the nether lands.
Most of us can train our eyes to read and write backwards, but not everyone is able to do this apparently. Our eye records a left and a right when we see movement in a rear view mirror. If we use this kind of mirror in our cars, would the driver compensate as we women have to do when trying to clasp on a necklace in front of a mirror?
There are mirror images in amusement parks. Anorexics can turn any mirror at home into one that makes them look fat. We all have the ability to look in a mirror and see a world without telephone lines, a face without blemish or aging. What a surprise when we see the taken image and discover all the things we never noticed while we were taking the picture. We wonder how we missed the lamp sticking out behind our grandchild looking like there is a pole coming out of the top of his head. It is a bit startling to realize how much we don't see when we don't like to see what is there.
It is easy to see evil, stupidity, stubborn refusal, and all sorts of reasons as to why people don't see what we see or think. The irony is that in order to make a mirror 'reflect' what we see or not what the glass sees, the glass gets distorted rather than the image. In fact, it seems there is little difference between this new mirror than the ones in the amusement parks except that the glass distortions are planned ingeniously. I guess that is to glass what marketers are to products, politicians are to voters, clergy are to the flock...able to control exactly what is reflected from them.
Friday, February 27, 2009
HOMO ERECTUS IRONY
While the Bible believers still think it was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden that started humanity as we know it, reality hits us once again. A footprint of a 1.5 million year old Kenyan homo erectus has been identified. I find it ironic that a tall, erect homo sapiens, whose half origin is from Kenya, thought in the US for generations to be an inferior human by most white Americans, leaves another kind of footprint that will undoubtedly be lasting in a very different way.
It seems odd to me that so many people can deny so much we have proven today, in favor of a book written by many men over a period of time that is totally obsolete in culture, history, beliefs, and what life is all about. It amazes me that people still avoid pork fearing trichinosis when, irradiated, there is no longer a problem. Most wjho eat shellfish seem to have as long a life as those who do not.
Change may be difficult for some people, but others are just plain ridiculous about resisting change. They give up self-responsibility totally, yet put their lives in the hands of chance that some 'as yet never seen' omniscient and omnipotent being hears and rates their every action and will take care of them and make their decisions for them. These are the same people who stopped believing in Santa Claus because it sounds impossible to believe!
Yet the puzzle pictures of the evolution of man keep being discovered, put in place to work toward the total picture. It shocks me that the Scopes trial was in 1925 but there are still non-believers 84 years later, despite all that scientists have made evident during those interim years.
Recently it was proven through DNA that Neanderthals were not related to Homo Erectus. In fact, the genes differed to such an extent that it is clear they could not have interbred. Nevertheless, that they evolved in the Neander Valley so similarly to men of another species makes evolution more believable.
My conclusion is that human progress is held back for many by the small proportion who hold such power in hanging onto the past and previously held 'facts'. It is comforting that Obama, in his brief tenure as President so far, has already made stem cell research possible once again in our country.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
USELESS OBSESSIONS
The follow-up to the President's speech to Congress made it very clear that, not only will many disagree with everything regardless of its merit, people will never cease to be enraged when things have not gone according to their desire, regardless of their having no mandate to make the calls. The Republicans seem to insist on saying the good ideas are theirs. Where have they been hiding them these past 8 years. They are losers, obsessed with convincing the country that they are really winners. How sad. If Bobby Jindal is their great hope to be the next Republican president, that's even sadder.....for them.
Republicans continue to be obsessed with negativism and scare tactics. They are like reviewers who think they have not done a good job if they can't find something wrong, even when there is nothing wrong to find. Most of us have had bosses in our careers who felt that an employee evaluation had to have some negatives because the next year's goal had to have some tangible growth ....more experience and a job superbly and conscientiously done just wasn't enough.
This is all similar to those who are obsessed with finding 'who is at fault'? Even when they succeed, it does nothing towards solving the problem, does it? If you catch a murderer, it doesn't solve the death of the victim, it solves the problem of punishing the killer and, hopefully, preventing any future murders by the same perpetrator.
Useless obsessions, in my definition, are those that lead nowhere and accomplish nothing positive. When one is truly obsessed, as many great inventors have been, to solve a problem others have deemed insoluble, that is not a useless obsession...at least, not if the solution is finally found.
Just as the Republicans were obsessed with Bill Clinton's extramarital sex life, (to the great detriment of getting anything constructive accomplished for the country), Rush Limbaugh is obsessed with his power to influence people against the Democrats, also to the detriment of the country by keeping hate and divisiveness alive while President Obama is trying to get the country working together, united for a better America. The media, too, in their obsession to get viewers and listeners, continues to split, though it was nice to see Rupert Murdoch make such a nice apology. Maybe he is beginning to realize that there are many ready to push for the old constrictive rules; one owner not owning too many media outlets.
I'm sure that, as time goes on, we shall see many more useless obsessions made visible to us all.
Republicans continue to be obsessed with negativism and scare tactics. They are like reviewers who think they have not done a good job if they can't find something wrong, even when there is nothing wrong to find. Most of us have had bosses in our careers who felt that an employee evaluation had to have some negatives because the next year's goal had to have some tangible growth ....more experience and a job superbly and conscientiously done just wasn't enough.
This is all similar to those who are obsessed with finding 'who is at fault'? Even when they succeed, it does nothing towards solving the problem, does it? If you catch a murderer, it doesn't solve the death of the victim, it solves the problem of punishing the killer and, hopefully, preventing any future murders by the same perpetrator.
Useless obsessions, in my definition, are those that lead nowhere and accomplish nothing positive. When one is truly obsessed, as many great inventors have been, to solve a problem others have deemed insoluble, that is not a useless obsession...at least, not if the solution is finally found.
Just as the Republicans were obsessed with Bill Clinton's extramarital sex life, (to the great detriment of getting anything constructive accomplished for the country), Rush Limbaugh is obsessed with his power to influence people against the Democrats, also to the detriment of the country by keeping hate and divisiveness alive while President Obama is trying to get the country working together, united for a better America. The media, too, in their obsession to get viewers and listeners, continues to split, though it was nice to see Rupert Murdoch make such a nice apology. Maybe he is beginning to realize that there are many ready to push for the old constrictive rules; one owner not owning too many media outlets.
I'm sure that, as time goes on, we shall see many more useless obsessions made visible to us all.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
OBAMA'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
There are enough people summarizing the speech for content so that I will not attempt to do that. What I will do, is comment on the positive note throughout the speech. Negatives were looked at from the best side and answers to what will be attempted to be done about problems spoken. There were few promises that have not already been started.
What struck me most heavily were the positive words thrown throughout the speech and how I struggle to recall any negative concepts. Words I heard were: restart, candidly, launched, save, insure and ensure, confidence, hold responsible, assure, helping people, drive, innovation, stability, restore new jobs, promise, opportunity, develop, invest, necessary, preventative care, commitment, affordable, renewed spirit, unyielding support (to servicemen), hope, and inspirational, (to quote a few).
Two important concepts we heard, "It is time for America to lead again." and "We are not quitters."
Bobby Jindal came on just like the Republicans of the last 8 years. He said, "Our party will work hard to regain your trust." The only believable thing he said was that he recognizes they have lost it. It came through to me as though he was saying, "Now that the horse has been stolen, we have discovered that it is now time to lock the barn door and plan to do that, soon ." Jindal sounds like the Republican choice to be the new puppet of the Republican party. It is a slight improvement over Sarah Palin, but not much in my view.
What struck me most heavily were the positive words thrown throughout the speech and how I struggle to recall any negative concepts. Words I heard were: restart, candidly, launched, save, insure and ensure, confidence, hold responsible, assure, helping people, drive, innovation, stability, restore new jobs, promise, opportunity, develop, invest, necessary, preventative care, commitment, affordable, renewed spirit, unyielding support (to servicemen), hope, and inspirational, (to quote a few).
Two important concepts we heard, "It is time for America to lead again." and "We are not quitters."
Bobby Jindal came on just like the Republicans of the last 8 years. He said, "Our party will work hard to regain your trust." The only believable thing he said was that he recognizes they have lost it. It came through to me as though he was saying, "Now that the horse has been stolen, we have discovered that it is now time to lock the barn door and plan to do that, soon ." Jindal sounds like the Republican choice to be the new puppet of the Republican party. It is a slight improvement over Sarah Palin, but not much in my view.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
WHEN DOES FREE SPEECH BECOME ANARCHY?
Recognizing the number of people involved and the diversity of ethnicities and religious beliefs, not to mention differing values and priorities, it is little wonder that agreement will never be unanimous on anything. However, in our democracy, we make decisions by majority vote up to a certain point. Beyond that, some decisions are given over to the people with the job title which gives them the decision-making powers. Somehow, the majority of people do not seem to catch on to that last part. Everyone thinks they are equal to the President because they cast their one vote for him, or like Rush Limbaugh, because they didn't vote for him.
This has become a problem. I guess it has ever been present in our society, which is now more potential for danger to us all because the media reaches more people than ever before and is no longer impartially reporting news but trying to control the news. There was a time when people recognized the difference between activism and anarchism but those categories have become blurred and few people seem to be getting the difference.
There is an 8 part YouTube presentation on anarchism. It is really worth watching in its entirety, though it will take some time.
When Rush Limbaugh tells his millions of listeners (many of whom see his every word as Gospel) that he hopes Obama fails, to me is is speaking anarchism. The cartoon depicting the ape being shot and the text saying that now someone else would have to write the Stimulus Package is, to me, a step toward anarchy. I do not know where the law draws the line between free speech and anarchy.
We remain in dangerous times and angry people ought to closely examine the real source of their anger and how it is so often displaced onto the wrong target. People in positions of media's long reaching power need to be especially careful. Since the owners of the media seem not to care about the content as long as the money comes in, the dangers increase as they have been permitted to own too many outlets, more than the previously wise law permitted.
Stronger voices need to become active to push down voices out their trying, through purpose or ignorance, working towards bringing down our government rather than trying to support it.
Monday, February 23, 2009
IT'S A START, ANYWAY
When I get bored and sleepy and haven't written a blog, I can always count on finding wonderful articles on AlterNet, such as:
Here are five significant under-the-radar things to be grateful for in the post-Bush era:
$10 Billion for High-Speed Rail
Broadband Initiative
Commission to Review Faith-Based Initiatives
A Reform-Minded Drug Czar
Swift Action on Arms Control
This man has a great start though most voters seem to forget he has only been in office for a month. Everyone wants to go back to the life we had while Clinton was President though many forget they were the ones backing the Impeachment which took up valuable time for the country to do its business.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
CONTRASTING CONCERTS
Yesterday a friend invited me to her Retirement Village to enjoy Paul Broadnax (piano and vocals) and Peter Kontrimas (bass). Since Paul has been a friend for many years and I no longer get to many clubs to hear him, I was willing to drag myself out on a cold night. A few people were sitting around the room, half a side set with chairs and the other with tables (Pops-style) served beverages with a choice of white or red wine or spring water.Everything was served in a plastic cup, the size of a large thimble and filled 1/3 the way up, even the spring water which is what I drank.
The bubbly social director cutely walked into an open cove in the room and whisted like a dock worker, appearing out of the cove, quickly, asking, "Who did that?" and to my amusement, all the old people there in unison said, "You did." Since I don't yet have much of a problem with my short term memory, it stopped being cute the second and subsequent times she tried it.
Next there was a discussion about a request to start five minutes early since the musicians were ready. An ancient woman argued with a gentleman in front of me (who wanted it to start) that it was too early, it was scheduled to start at 8 PM. The argument went on for 2 1/2 minutes while the rest of the room was telling her to let it start and she finally gave in. I was told she always introduced the musicians but gave up the job only to tell her successor after a short time that she didn't like how she was doing it and was taking the job back.
Two women behind us insisted on having a running conversation through the first number while by hostess kept turning around shushing them. When the fist number ended I turned to my hostess and asked in a not to soft tone, "Are they always rude like that?" For some reason they became silent until the last number when one said, "They didn't play as well as they did last time." Her friend remarked, "That's just because you didn't know the songs!"
Tonight I went to Boston Symphony Hall to hear and watch James Levine conduct the last three symphonies (Nos. 39, 40 and 41) that Mozart wrote. As we neared the entrance there were two lines, one to for ticket holders and a very long second line of people trying to get a ticket. It was satisfying to see a full house for a change. James Levine's conducting was divine. He seems to be using his whole body and arms quite actively so that even though his back is to the audience they can see his direction.
A polite audience was quite a contrast to my night before. It was hard to believe that all the people there were healthy...there was not the usual coughing. The orchestra was magnificnet even though the principals seemed to have the night off. Mozart did not use harp, percussion, brass, or piano solo for these symphonies so the sound was less diverse. In all, a delightful evening without any of Levine's choice of atonal (using the word loosely) music.
The bubbly social director cutely walked into an open cove in the room and whisted like a dock worker, appearing out of the cove, quickly, asking, "Who did that?" and to my amusement, all the old people there in unison said, "You did." Since I don't yet have much of a problem with my short term memory, it stopped being cute the second and subsequent times she tried it.
Next there was a discussion about a request to start five minutes early since the musicians were ready. An ancient woman argued with a gentleman in front of me (who wanted it to start) that it was too early, it was scheduled to start at 8 PM. The argument went on for 2 1/2 minutes while the rest of the room was telling her to let it start and she finally gave in. I was told she always introduced the musicians but gave up the job only to tell her successor after a short time that she didn't like how she was doing it and was taking the job back.
Two women behind us insisted on having a running conversation through the first number while by hostess kept turning around shushing them. When the fist number ended I turned to my hostess and asked in a not to soft tone, "Are they always rude like that?" For some reason they became silent until the last number when one said, "They didn't play as well as they did last time." Her friend remarked, "That's just because you didn't know the songs!"
Tonight I went to Boston Symphony Hall to hear and watch James Levine conduct the last three symphonies (Nos. 39, 40 and 41) that Mozart wrote. As we neared the entrance there were two lines, one to for ticket holders and a very long second line of people trying to get a ticket. It was satisfying to see a full house for a change. James Levine's conducting was divine. He seems to be using his whole body and arms quite actively so that even though his back is to the audience they can see his direction.
A polite audience was quite a contrast to my night before. It was hard to believe that all the people there were healthy...there was not the usual coughing. The orchestra was magnificnet even though the principals seemed to have the night off. Mozart did not use harp, percussion, brass, or piano solo for these symphonies so the sound was less diverse. In all, a delightful evening without any of Levine's choice of atonal (using the word loosely) music.
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