OK; I’ll admit it: That was a cheap trick to get you to read this — but there’s a good reason. It’s because there really is no such thing as “racism”, and saying there is makes things worse.
No; I’m not some idiot Polyanna revisionist nutjob.
I may be nuts; that’s up to you to decide — but at least I’m not an idiot. The following will sound like it’s just a simple trick of words, but stick with me to the end: I promise it’s worth it. (more…)
Between the years 1905 and 1915, Albert Einstein worked continuously on certain abstruse mathematical frameworks within which the great puzzles of the universe could be solved — for it was impossible to solve them without something of the sort. From his work arose his Special and General Theories of Relativity, which redefined science’s approach to such problems as travel at the speed of light, whether gravity has waves, and what spacetime’s shape is like.
I’m not going to explore the full ramifications here: first, because we don’t need them for our purposes, and second, because the full ramifications make my brain hurt.
But I would like to present the concept of the Special Theory in simple terms (in order to apply it in ways that the designer never intended, but that’s not at all a bad thing. Stick with me; it’ll be a ride.) (more…)
My last article was, at least nominally, about gun control.
It started optimistically enough; I began by stating that our country is more heavily armed than some war zones and pointing out the most recent mass shooting event. Somehow, though, in examining the statistics on gun violence, I concluded that the guns are not the real problem.
If you’re curious about that, feel free to go read that article; it’s a trip. If, on the other hand, you’re concerned directly with controlling the ownership and possession of firearms, read on here. (more…)
The United States is one of the most heavily armed places on Earth, measured per capita. There are places that have been in civil war for long enough that all noncombatants have fled; they are less heavily armed than we. And we see the results on the news on a daily basis, it seems; just the other night there was another mass shooting, an apparent ambush at a backyard barbecue.
So gun control appears to be a logical necessity. Why is there even debate on the subject?
I’ve examined some statistics that may give us an answer, as well as a possible course going forward. I’ll warn you now, though: The answers I arrived at are vastly different than the ones I at first expected. (more…)
Some of my olde– uh… more experienced readers may remember when gasoline first topped one dollar a gallon at the pumps. If you’re finding it tough to put a date to the event, here’s some hints: Jimmy Carter was President, there were hostages in Iran (which was about to be at war with Iraq), and America was in the grip of an energy crisis. (more…)
Disclaimer: The author of this article is not a medical professional, and none of what follows is intended to be authoritative information. The intent of this article is to provide a general approximation of modern medical knowledge on the subject of the causes of autism, simplified for ease of understanding. Since much of modern medical knowledge on this subject is theory and speculation, nothing that follows can be considered absolute; since much of the following is simplified, this is doubly true.
The following is a potentially dangerous subject, one where the majority of my readers may have already formed their opinions before coming here. It’s a subject that naturally generates strong opinions, and this is entirely understandable: Childhood autism diagnoses (and misdiagnoses) have risen drastically in the industrialized world over the past few decades, and yet as a general rule it’s difficult in any one case to point to any definitive cause. (more…)
It’s a proverb. It’s axiomatic. We all know it to be true, somehow, deep in our hearts, that life happens to us rather than the other way around. There must be a natural law to that effect, that while we plan and work and follow the rules, fate’s getting ready to throw a wrench in the works. (more…)
An offbeat news story broke not long ago about a connection between the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil and a recent release of genetically modified mosquitoes. Folks picked up on it, and now it’s becoming a common theme on the internet. Best as I can tell, there’s zero truth to the rumor, but it got me thinking: Why is this sort of thing so easy for us to believe?
The caucusing is over; the choice is made; the numbers are in. And we know who won and who lost, pretty much; unlike last time, the results are pretty reliable. But even though the numbers don’t lie, by themselves they don’t tell the whole truth. (more…)
As of this writing, it’s about twenty-four hours before the Iowa Caucuses begin. This year there’s a good chance that we’ll know the results by the end of the night thanks to Microsoft. (Watch the video; it’s awesome.)
Just before the caucuses, the New York Times decided to endorse John Kasich, the solidly conservative governor of Ohio. And… well, let’s face it: The man’s got zero chance in Iowa. So who cares?
We ought to (more…)
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