When We Fail to Dream or Believe

Last month Listverse posted some "extremely embarrassing science predictions." They were wrong, not because science thought too far out, but because for various and sundry reasons the "establishment" was not willing to think far enough. Here are a few....

• X-rays are a hoax. – Lord Kelvin, ca. 1900 {If you can't see it, why believe it?}
• The so-called theories of Einstein are merely the ravings of a mind polluted with liberal, democratic nonsense which is utterly unacceptable to German men of science. – Dr. Walter Gross, 1940 {Talk about politics and prejudice infecting science!}
• “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” — Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899 {Human hubris will always want to think we have reached our pinnacle! A great way to stop growing and exploring!}
• While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially I consider it an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming. – Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer, 1926. {Narrow thinking, even from geniuses can be astounding.}

And a famous misquote,

• "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers,"

is attributed to IBM founder, Tom Watson. The quote has never been found and is considered false and discredited. It is used to prove this lack of vision in science, which is why it has become so widely believed to be true.

The reality of all this is that while we humans have so much going for us, we can and do still fall prey to lack of vision, hubris, narrow-mindedness and just plain unwillingness to change.

SB XLV -6

Super Bowl XLV

Simply cheering.....

I Gotta Trust

Wonderful song; words that I need to hear more often than I care to admit....

SB XLV : One Week Left....

Super Bowl XLV

Next Sunday.

We're Still Missing It

Earlier this month the website, The Best Article Every Day posted 10 Things We Were Supposed to Have By 2011, But Don't. These included robots, food pills, and flying cars. I of course went in my mind to a different type of list- the Top Impossible Dreams.

At the top, naturally, is world peace. Its impossibility may be debatable, but it sure doesn't look like something we can expect in this life. Tied with that would be peace in the Middle East, or {name that place.}

100% Renewable energy was on the promises list, but in the long run it sure looks more like an impossible task. There's also something about the conservation of mass and energy as well as the dreaded arrow of entropy that can come into play.

Let's add getting rid of poverty..

And then add getting rid of hatred and prejudice.

Now it begins to get a little depressing. Which reminds me that while things may be impossible, that doesn't mean we can't make things better. Perfection is impossible, but we can keep striving for it. Sometimes when we strive for those impossible things we may seem like a dreamer (John Lennon) or worse, crazy.

Which brings me to one of my all-time favorite musicals and it's iconic song: Man of La Mancha and The Impossible Dream. Don Quixote is a dreamer, living in a fantasy world of make-believe dragons and damsels in distress. Or maybe they aren't so make-believe. Maybe it is the world that refuses to see that allows them to be ignored.

What we are missing is not the things we were promised, but the ability to see the needs and march into hell for heavenly causes. World-wide peace may not some into being for a long, long time, but I sure ca work to make it a reality around me.

So for all us Don Quixotes and Sancho Panzas running around tilting at windmills, let's dedicate the dream to you.




To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Pictures and News

This has been posted a number of places. Water cannons - vs- prayer in Egypt.

I have no false ideas about any of this going on. I have no real idea of what it truly means and where it is going. It is so changeable and uncertain.

But the image sticks, regardless.

(One comment on the Twitter page says the picture is a fake. I have not been able to find out if that is the case or not.)

Let the Riots Stop

I am not taking a stand in any way on what has happened in Tunisia or Egypt. Life is complicated enough in my little corner most days. But there are some quotes I have been saving and they seem somehow or another fitting. Don't ask me why- I do intuition better that logic...

Laurens Van der Post (1906-1996). South African writer, journalist, conservationist, and strong opposer of apartheid knows of what he wrote.....

"Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right."

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), British philosopher, economist, moral and political theorist, and administrator speaks for the rights of the minority and freedom....

"If mankind minus one were of one opinion, then mankind is no more justified in silencing the one than the one - if he had the power - would be justified in silencing mankind."

Unknown, quite prolific source, sums up way too much....

"Any sufficiently advanced bureaucracy is indistinguishable from molasses."

"Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity."

In Memoriam: Charlie Louvin

Charlie (July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011) was a country music legend. With his brother Ira, they were known simply as the Louvin Brothers. They had a remarkable harmony and style that was country class.

Here's a video of Charlie and his trio singing at the Grand Ol' Opry:



Charlie Louvin website.
NYT obituary.
Interview with Charlie at American Routes on public radio.

This is News???

Psychic medium John Edward was on Fox News this morning. I don't know what he said since I was working out at the health center and couldn't hear it. But the banner at the bottom said the subject was:

What the "other side" perceives as the tone in the country.

Huh?

The "other side" of what? Spirits and ghosts and whatever else? Dead people in another world? Michele Bachmann?

What does the Bible say?

Leviticus 19:31
'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.' (NIV)

Leviticus 20:27
"Men and women among you who act as mediums or psychics must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense." (NLT)

Hmmmm. Isn't that the same section of the Bible that these same conservatives use to condemn homosexuality? Why does it not apply to consulting John Edward? Why isn't John Edward roundly condemned for his being a psychic or medium. (Both words used to describe him on the title on Fox this morning.)

Welcome to the world of hypocrites, Fox. It's good to have you join the rest of us.

Now, where did they put their Ouija Board?

The Oscar Watch Is Now Open

Here they are, the 2010 motion pictures and actors nominated for an Academy Award. I have noted (*) the ones I have seen so far.

Best Picture
127 Hours
Black Swan
*Inception
The Fighter
*The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
*True Grit
Winter's Bone

Best Actor
*Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours

Best Actress
*Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Christian Bale - The Fighter
John Hawkes - Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
*Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush - The King’s Speech

Best Actress In A Supporting Role
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
*Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Looks like I have a ways to go to catch up.

This Will Make Your Day

What a joyous example of the love of music and how it can work to make us happy:



As one who still loves to conduct music in my living room, car, or at a parade, this kid reminds me of the infectiousness of it all. Don't miss the ending. He is having a ball!

Worth a Thousand Words....

Today's the Day- and On to Super Bowl XLV

The season is down to one more game.

Green Bay 21
Chicago 14

Stay pumped!

In the News....

The headline was another one of those eye-catchers:

Bob Marley's family wins case over use of musician's image

One article I saw said that they wanted to keep his image from being a bobblehead doll.

Really? Bob Marley on a Bobblehead? So I Googled it and was I surprised what I found. On Amazon......

Marley is not alone in that category.



How about The Lizard King- Jim Morrison?

And Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix?

I have to admit that this particular aspect of "pop culture" took me back.  Especially the "Buffalo Soldier" aspect of the Marley bobblehead. That song is about exploitation of African-Americans and racism. Wikipedia says "the title and lyrics refer to the black U.S. cavalry regiments, known as "Buffalo Soldiers", that fought in the Indian Wars after 1866. Marley likened their fight to a fight for survival, and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance."



By the way, these bobbleheads are not for young children. Amazon posts:

WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.

Yes, and who knows, they might turn into radicals or revolutionaries or worse.

Las Vegas Review-Journal.

It's An Oldie But Goodie

The joke's been around a long, long time. But it speaks another truth...



Packer football isn't a matter of life or death...

It's much more important than that.

I Love the Green and Gold

A few lines don't fit- but the main message is truth....

Cold is Still Cold

Morning Temperature when leaving for work:
-20 degrees F.

Warmth:
Priceless

A 30-Year Memory: Freedom from Iran

January 20, 1981- 52 Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days are freed.

A 50-Year Memory: Ask Not

January 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as President of the United States.

...Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation,"² a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

JFK Library

I Never Thought I Would Say This, BUT...

I have been enjoying this winter. (Quick, check his temp. He must be sick.)

 


No, in reality I am looking forward each week to the weekend trek in the snow on my good, ol', made in the USA Redfeather snowshoes.

I missed a week being sick, but last Sunday I was out there again.

I am developing a real sense of awe for what is out there in the woods of Whitewater State Park. It is not dull and boring under some layers of white. There are still lines and shapes. Shadows become shades of gray. Picnic tables become snow platforms. Brown in the trees comes alive.





Then there's the ice. This is the now frozen surface of a waterfall from a dam that two weeks ago was still flowing. A quick look misses the artistry of ice and snow, air bubbles and developing icicles. A walk along the bank gets one close enough to stop and admire it, like a Van Gogh.


All in all, though, the water does not stop. It still riffles and flows; it still gets louder when crossing rocks and silent in the calm and quiet stretches.


In water is life, of course. It is the fluid of movement and change; of refreshment and renewal; of power and destruction. It is, they say, the universal solvent. Though not a perfect one- it moves slowly, eating away in geologic time- it is the solvent that makes life possible.

Even in the frozen state of winter.

WWMT?

What would Martin think? I pondered that yesterday on MLK Day. It started when I read online that some doofus said that King would support the war in Afghanistan if he were alive today. My first reaction was nothing short of incredulity. Has this guy ever heard anything about King? Does he even know anything about Gandhi from whom King got his basic understanding of non-violence? Such an awareness would never allow for any moment of belief that Martin would support war as a means of solving problems.

Then my wife and I were watching the news and we began to think what King would think about some of the issues we see and discuss today. Gay rights and gay marriage, for example.

That, of course, is an impossible question to answer. King died 43 years ago. A great deal has changed in the world in 43 years. If you were not around in 1968 it would be hard to understand how much the world has changed. It even seems like ancient history to me- and I was there. Only if one lives through the changes can one change and grow. In 1968, for example, gay rights wasn't even in existence. The Stonewall "Riot" that started the gay movement was over a year in the future when King was killed.

And that's just one issue.

I would like to think that Dr. King would have grown and moved along with the society. I would like to think that he would have seen the importance of applying the non-violent principles and freedoms to the many areas of our lives as a nation. I find it hard to believe he would have become a neo-conservative or non-pacifist.

But we will never know. What we do know is that Dr. King challenged us all to serve and care and reach out to others. He called us to be the America we were founded to be.

And that doesn't change.

We Must Not Lose the Dream

All the Birds Are Gone

We have now said goodbye to

• The Eagles and Ravens;
• The Seahawks and Falcons

The other airborne team, The Jets, were unPatriotic and remain in the game.

So we have Packers and Bears
and Jets and Steelers.

And a whole week to get psyched.

My Story in a Sermon

As I was listening to the sermon this morning I was taken aback by one of the illustrations. It was me.

The theme of the sermon was coming to see Jesus- the invitation Jesus himself makes to the first disciples. "Come and see who I really am," he says. "Discover what it is I have to offer and why it makes sense to follow me." Well, he didn't use all those words. He might not have even used any of them. But he very simply said- "Come and see."

So the illustrations were about how people come to be in the presence of Jesus so they can come to meet him. And there was the family that invited me to go to church with them. Thus began the pilgrimage that continues to this day. Let's see, how long ago was that now? Well, it was early summer, 1963. That makes it almost 48 years.

Yet, there, in the sermon this morning was my story. And in one way or another, the story of every one who has ever come to Jesus or has discovered the grace of God in their lives. Which is what caught my attention as the illustration went past. All this religion stuff sounds so esoteric and disconnected with our daily lives so much of the time. We get caught up in the ins and outs of each day and miss how God is working in that day. We miss the people inviting us to see Jesus, if it is just by smiling at us, giving us a kind word, or stopping to help us.

And vice versa, as we do the same.

More Birds Keep Falling

First it was all those mysterious birds falling from the skies.

Then last week in Philadelphia, Eagles fell.

Today in Atlanta, Falcons fell. (Not to mention Ravens in Pittsburgh.)

What a post-season it has been.

Will Seahawks break the trend of losing birds against the Bears?

What I know is that the Packers are in the NFC championship game next week.

A Lone, Deranged Gunman

Isn't it always?

With the exception of a truly politically-based plot, it is always the solitary psychopath who does the dirty deed.

I mentioned some of them in a post a few days ago. Conspiracy theorists or not, Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone, deranged gunman. Even if he was put up to it, he was the one to do the deed because he was a lone, deranged gunman who could be manipulated.

Ditto- Sirhan Sirhan, James Earl Ray.

Ditto- Ditto- Ditto-

An endless litany of the same thing. They are sick, deranged, crazed, irrational. It isn't about assault weapons, or maps with gunsights over congressional districts.

It is about a climate which can explode in violence in the sick, deranged mind of the lone gunman. It can be the voices he hears in his own head, or the way they are reinforced by voices from TV, radio, the Internet, or a cadre of people he hangs around.

It is the same climate which allows the Columbine killers to be brought to their murderous frenzy,the Red Lake killers, or Virginia Tech, or.....

No we will not eliminate such acts of violence. There will always be a Ted Kaczynski or Mark David Chapman. But we can step up to the plate and recognize that whenever we "demonize" our fellow human beings we are setting up a potential moment of violence. Whenever we feel that someone is lesser or worse or even bad because they disagree with us, we are fertilizing a deadly soil of hatred that cannot end anywhere but badly.

I don't want to pin the blame on Sarah Palin, the extreme Right or the extreme Left. I can only look inside myself and what I do on a daily basis and see the many ways I contribute to the mayhem without even knowing it. I can only change myself. The only way I can contribute fully to a better and more peaceful society is in how I treat myself and others. I know this can sound like a lot of Pollyanna-ish BS. But to believe anything else is to give in to the hopelessness that spawns such acts of violence.

I don't think I am done with all this pondering about this situation yet. More and more keeps rambling through this pacifist-brain. All I know is that I am more convinced than ever- even more so than when my own generation was being called to war in Vietnam- that violence can only produce violence. Hatred only hatred. Prejudice only prejudice. And all contribute to resentments, the poison that keeps on killing and killing.

Maybe we should all post this prayer in prominent places in our homes, offices-

and hearts.

The Peace Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Don't Make Me Think About This

Yahoo! News posted a story on Tuesday about why teens and young adults are leaving (or not returning to) church. Actually very little of it is new. It has been building. Here are several of the comments from the article:

* Churches use outdated methods of Sunday School, rotating the same Bible stories year-in and year-out without relating the morals to daily living. When kids want to know why someone like Gabrielle Giffords was shot, they don't need another lesson on Noah's Ark. (Who remembers flannelgraphs?)

* Teens can only eat so much pizza at church social events before they see through this thinly veiled attempt at keeping them occupied and out of trouble. (Faith-based baby-sitting for teenagers to keep them "off-the-street" and away from "bad people.")

* Those surveyed say there aren't enough good reasons given for holding Bible beliefs other than "the preacher says so..." or "your parents say so." (Sorry. No wrestling with the questions, let alone some difficult answers.)

* Young people can see that the Church in general hasn't yet been able to conquer racial reconciliation, domestic abuse and the rampant church divorce rate...sometimes in their own families. (And we don't even talk about the issues here, either. And don't forget addiction, alcoholism, and...)

* Older generations won't blend a moderate amount of contemporary music with traditional hymns, to show young people that newer ideas are respected. (Why can't they sing like we used to? Or like we had to?)

* Or, the Church feels pressured to impress their younger members with new technological avenues. So they discard all the old hymns that were written out of peoples' struggles with life, pride and suffering. Thus, the newer generations don't hear about how God can help them through hard times. (How can I be found if I don't admit I was ever lost or learn to see if I don't even admit I'm blind?)
--Link

Okay, maybe I'm being a little harsh. I have been through more ups and downs of "youth ministry" in the past 45+ years than I care to remember. I have been part of the generation that wanted "relevance" and then discovered "ancient-future" and is now into a "new monasticism." Meanwhile the average every day church down the street or across town is feeling lost.

There are no easy answer, I have come to believe. The easiest answer is to admit there is no ONE answer. What works at St. What's-His-Name Church won't work at the Feel-Good-With-God Church. Neither of them will work with the "Let's-Get-Down-With-God Church" or the "St. Tradition Church." As much as I wrestle with all these the answer is to find what touches our souls- and the souls of our families and friends.

Or is it? To be honest, I get very lost in all this. I am getting to a point where I think Fred Craddock, super-preacher and professor, was right. The best way to preach the Gospel is to allow it to be overheard as we speak it ourselves. Then to use words if necessary, as has often been said.

Or is it?

On and on we can go. So let's just stop and say all of the above is true, none of it is the answer, and perhaps all we can do is to follow the words of Micah:

what does the Lord require of you

• but to do justice,
• and to love kindness,
• and to walk humbly with your God?

My World is Forever Changed....

My life will be a shambles; what I have known as an unchanging truth and cosmic law is a lie. False. A myth.

And it's all the fault of the University of the very state I live in.

According to astronomers at the U of Minnesota, the Zodiac signs are wrong. The earth has wobbled and shifted. Things are not what we think they are.

For over 62 years and 5 months I have been a Leo. Strong. In charge. King of the jungle.

But now I am a cancer.

Sorry, but it sounds like a disease. Crabs.

What is the Zodiac sign all about?

According to Wikipedia:

Leo is a fixed sign, associated with stabilization, determination, depth and persistence.
Cancer is a cardinal sign associated with initiation, creativity and leadership.. (Okay, not bad.)

Cancer is a water sign. Torrents of passion well within water signs and they feel things deeply. It will take some time to get to know them well, for they reveal themselves slowly. ... Water signs read your true intentions simply by reading your gestures and body language and will trust actions more than words. Their observations on the human condition often inspire masterpieces of painting, music, photography, literature, or dance. (That's really not bad.)

Leo is a fire sign. They do what is right and are known for their sense of fair play. They are truthful, straight-forward, just, upright and virtuous in their dealings with other people. The Fire signs are of a spiritual nature. Their essential characteristic qualities are liveliness, energy, ardor, enthusiasm, courage and action. These people like to win or be the best in anything they pursue. Their aggressive nature makes them just one big ego. They strive to be the center of attention and are at home when showing off. They are straight-forward and have no reservations about hurting the feelings of others by their forthrightness. (Wow. It started out good, but now I'm not liking this part.)

Let me see, one more thought comes to mind, water can put out fire. Hmmmm.

Maybe it is true. Maybe all these years I have been held back because I believed the lies of the Leo myth when in reality I am a Cancer. (No, that doesn't sound good.) Because I am crabby? (Oops. Even worse.)

But I was also born in 1948, the year of the Rat (in another astrological system.) That is also a water sign. But it is also a "winter" sign. Brrrr.

Now I am even more confused. I am cold, frozen water. I am a rat or a crab or an insidious disease, eating away at the body politic.

Whoever believes this stuff anyway?

Ooops. Just heard my wife- who remains a Leo- roaring calling.

Time.com

Emotional Sobriety

Rabbi Shais Taub is the new Rabbi of recovery. A brilliant speaker and Chasidic scholar, Rabbi Taub's book, God of our Understanding, is a wonderful and on spirituality and addiction.

Here is an excellent hour-long video of Rabbi Taub doing what he does so well... telling stories and sharing spirituality.



Visit Jewish.TV for more Jewish videos.
--Addiction and Recovery News

A Time to Ponder

With all that we have been talking about in our nation over these past few days, I thought it would be good to ponder this piece of hope! We ARE here, together, on a pale, blue dot speeding through nothing.


--The Awesomer

Some More Thoughts

We said it when JFK was killed. And when Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy were killed. We said it again when George Wallace and Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were targeted.

And now we say it again with the tragedy in Tucson.

None of these by themselves actually cause these tragedies...

• Not loose gun control
• Not inflammatory rhetoric
• Not crazy political ideology
• Not extreme political divisions....

They all do it.

And you and I do it as we stand by and do nothing or get ourselves caught up in the uncivil discourse..

And our country's love affair with violence.

We will never have strict enough gun control to keep these from happening.
We will never quiet the extreme voices of our political insanity
We will never prevent the crazies from doing what they think is their right, whether it is the Unabomber, Squeaky Fromm, Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, John Hinckley Jr, or Jared Loughner. Their particular ideologies will never be explainable or easily

But we can and should tone down the rhetoric. When the rhetoric and ideological extremism takes center stage it feeds on itself. Then the crazies get excited and they boil over. Most will use words and anger.

But some will take the matters into their own well-armed hands.

Sad, tragic, and perhaps, in the end unpreventable. But we can at least work to reduce the possibilities by making our nation what we like to say it is- a place of hope, and promise, and free speech done civilly.

For that may we all be in prayer.

Baptism of Jesus

The Baptism of Christ
El Greco
1608-28



El Greco's paintings never fail to grab my attention. The amazing contrasts of color and black; dark and light seem to show the many sides of life. The piety of his day still shows through, but it is in contrast to the vibrancy of color and joy that also surrounds the picture.



Kind of like baptism.



How are you baptized?
Into His death.


My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!

Sooner or Later This is What Happens

When I turn on the TV and hear about a possible political shooting, I don't expect it to be in the United States. A Congressional representative is critically injured; a Federal judge murdered- that's the scariness of an environment of anger, hatred, division, lack of discussion.

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have beome the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry,” said Pima County sheriff, Clarence W. Dupnik. “There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.”
--NYT

Who will be protect us from our own ability to choose death over life?

Sick is No Fun

Header says it all.

Enough energy to do what needs to be done...

and then

plop.

Nothing on the calendar for the weekend. Not even any snowshoeing.

Just football.

So, need I say it?

Sure, why not?

Adoration of the Magi

(Albrecht Durer, 1504)

Epiphany, when the Magi arrived to give gifts to the Christ Child.

Spring Is Coming

Or, at least we can think of spring and the boys of summer....

Bert Blyleven, one of the top pitchers in baseball history has finally been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. So has Roberto Alomar, the Gold Glove All-Star second baseman. Bert, a broadcaster for the Twins was in his 14th year of eligibility. Alomar was in his second. Both barely missed election last year.

--Link to MLB.com

Way to go, Bert. Congratulations on a well-deserved election.

Science Ethics

It has often been a subject of ethical debate: Should scientists work on projects which may end up being used in unethical ways. The most common of these, of course, surrounded the development of the atomic bomb during WW II. Some looked back on their involvement with regret. Others didn't. Should they or shouldn't they?

Well, in the news today was David Nichols, a synthetic chemist and chairman of the Purdue University pharmacology department. He wrote in the journal Nature how he is bothered by the fact that there are those who use his published research in ways that could harm people. His article begins:

This is the start of the international year of chemistry, intended to celebrate the contribution of my field to mankind's well-being. Yet, during the previous year it has become disturbingly clear to me that some of my scientific contributions may not be aiding people's well-being at all. In fact, they could be causing real harm.

A few weeks ago, a colleague sent me a link to an article in the Wall Street Journal. It described a "laboratory-adept European entrepreneur" and his chief chemist, who were mining the scientific literature to find ideas for new designer drugs — dubbed legal highs. I was particularly disturbed to see my name in the article, and that I had "been especially valuable" to their cause. I subsequently received e-mails saying I should stop my research, and that I was an embarrassment to my university.

His study of MMDA (street name: Ecstasy) was being followed by these "entrepreneurs" to make better designer drugs. Nichols purpose was to help in psychotherapy and other possible uses in neurochemistry. He writes:

I was stunned by this revelation, and it left me with a hollow and depressed feeling for some time. By 2002, six deaths had been associated with the use of MTA. It did not help that I knew some of these fatalities were associated with the use of multiple drugs, or had involved very large doses of MTA. I had published information that ultimately led to human death.

None of the chemicals, he says, in and of themselves are fatal, but in a toxic mix, as is often the case in club situations, they can be lethal. This has caused Nichols some personal pain. He ends with:

[I]t really disturbs me that 'laboratory-adept European entrepreneurs' and their ilk appear to have so little regard for human safety and human life that the scant information we publish is used by them to push ahead and market a product designed for human consumption. Although the testing procedure for 'safety' that these people use apparently determines only whether the substance will immediately kill them, there are many different types of toxicity, not all of which are readily detectable. For example, what if a substance that seems innocuous is marketed and becomes wildly popular on the dance scene, but then millions of users develop an unusual type of kidney damage that proves irreversible and difficult to treat, or even life-threatening or fatal? That would be a disaster of immense proportions. This question, which was never part of my research focus, now haunts me.

Sadly, given the opportunity to make a buck (or millions of bucks) some people lose any ethical understanding. They lose perspective of what they are doing. No, not Nichols. He is speaking out and is now bringing into the public eye once again the questions surrounding scientific ethics. My guess is that some will criticize him for having spoken out while others will criticize him for his work. He will not be praised as much as he will be criticized.

Which is sad. This is an issue that needs to be widely discussed. Not just about designer drugs, but about those prescription drugs that get pulled off the market years after they were introduced because "all-of-a-sudden" people discover they are causing problems- like heart attacks or birth defects. Sometimes the drug companies and the scientists knew of these risks; sometimes they didn't.

Modern chemistry has brought us miracles. But it has also brought us disasters- just like most human endeavors, including organized religions. These discussions on ethics are an essential part of research- and the public sphere.

A Movie Mania Weekend

Jeff Bridges and the Coen Brothers. That pretty well sums up my wife's and my movie mania this past New Year's Weekend.

We began with the Coen's latest: True Grit (95% Tomatometer; IMDB). It is a well-deserved 95%, I would add. From the opening scenes to the closing credits it is a work of great quality. Jeff Bridges is still at the top of his game, perhaps even better than in last year's Academy Award winning performance. (See next.) Matt Damon maintains his credibility and Hailee Steinfeld steals the show. The work of the Coen Brothers continues to amaze and develop. For two Jewish kids from suburban Minneapolis, they have a grasp of the wilderness of the soul and of the land. Their understanding of theology continues to challenge and make me think. "The only thing free is the grace of God."

At home we went to DVDs for Bridges in Crazy Heart (91% Tomatometer; IMDB), his Academy Award winning performance. Bridges carries this movie. It is a tried and true formula but it allows Bridges to truly show his acting chops. I am not sure it is as good a performance as True Grit, but it is Award quality.

We then put in the Coen's Raising Arizona (90% Tomatometer; IMDB) with Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter. We then jumped into our way-back machine for this second film of the Coens back in the 80s. Funny and, well, unbelievable. But that was okay. You could see many of the elements that the Coens would later use to such success. A feel-good Coen movie.

Saturday, after the sad losses by Penn State and Wisconsin we turned back to the Coens and Bridges for The Big Lebowski (79% Tomatometer; IMDB). No I had never seen this film. It is a cult classic and the Dude certainly abides in our culture. It is more overtly political than many would have believed at the time. Somehow it has to do with the first Gulf War and the need to move beyond Vietnam in our national thinking. But it was just a lot of crazy fun.

So ended our New Year's weekend. We had more Coen Brothers films to see. And we could have gone to see Tron for more Jeff Bridges. But enough was enough.

Time At The Beach

Again yesterday I spent an hour in the house built for God by human hands and then took my snowshoes out into God's House. The calm and quiet of winter in Whitewater State Park is almost overpowering. The presence of God in all times and places like this is something I am still not used to, even after all these years. That is why I keep going back. Not to become used to God's presence but to remain in awe of the mystery.

The beach at Whitewater State Park, MN.

This week I went to the beach since it was a beauty of a sunny day. No sunbathers or swimmers. Not another soul nearby. I had it all to myself.

Tracks at the beach.

Trees crossing the river at Whitewater State Park

Water over the small dam

There is a small dam that backs up the river to make the swimming area. The falls that are formed were still running with all kinds of ice formations present.








Looking under rocks along the river itself will yield other formations.

Icicles under a rock

So far this winter has given me a whole new appreciation of the season by being able to get outdoors and see what's out there. The snow was crispier this week after rain and warm temps on Thursday and Friday. I was able to move more easily since I am also getting used to snowshoeing. There is more to come!

Trees, shadows and lines

Boomers Hitting 65

Somethin's happenin' here

What it is ain't exactly clear

Actually it's a lot clearer than we want to admit. Officially, this is the year the advancing front of the Baby Boomers signs up for Medicare. At the rate of 7,000 each day. We're passing the infamous "When I'm 64" and heading into (ssshhh) old age. We are beginning to turn 65. For the next 18 years, each new year will see a change in the demographics. "Young people" becoming "old people."

Stop, hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look- what's goin' down?

That sound is the creaking bones and slowing gait of the Boomers. Can you trust anyone over 30? Can you trust anyone under 60? How times change. We have been the propelling force of so many things over these past 65 years from the building of schools to the "sexual revolution." We have spurred a drive for money and a drive for meaning. We have made marijuana a social (even if not legal) drug. We believe, even now, that we are the center of the universe.

Buffalo Springfield and Stephen Stills penned the earlier words about the 60s in the anthemic "For What It's Worth." In the same era, Simon and Garfunkle looked ahead to, well, to today.

Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a park bench quietly

How terribly strange to be seventy

Old friends, memory brushes the same years, 

silently sharing the same fears

--Simon and Garfunkle

I have a hunch we will be hearing a lot about this new phase of the life of the Boomers. Yes, I will be as guilty as any of the other self-absorbed Boomers writing over the next couple decades. Yes, our successor generations will probably get sick of us. Bear with us as we try to seek meaning in what we have accomplished and what we have been the unwitting cause of.

Perhaps it is a way of atoning. Perhaps it is a way of finally making sense of what, in reality may never make any sense. History will be our judge and call us to task. Allow us this last chance over these 20 some years to at least let our feelings be real.

Starting the New Year

To get 2011 started, I just have to share this Steven Wright line I just heard. (Maybe I'm a little behind, but that's what happens sometimes.)

"I'm addicted to placebos. I'd give them up, but it wouldn't make any difference."