Gondwanaland

My Brother Has His First Paid Publication

2012-01-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

It's part of an anthology titled Wildthyme in Purple. I haven't read it yet, but my past experience with his writing has been favorable.

The Proposal

2012-01-17T14:08:00.001-05:00

Having first gathered at 30th Street Station and then rallied against postal cuts at the Main Post Office, the crowd was now settling down at the municipal workers' union hall for the indoor part of Philly's Occupy the Dream event. A man came in front of the podium and activated the Occupy movement's "people's mic" by calling out, "Mic check!" The crowd responded in line. And a second

Quote of the Day

2012-01-16T10:02:00.000-05:00

"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." -- Abraham Lincoln in his first State of the Union address, 3 December 1861. Quoted in John Nichols, _The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition... Socialism_

Political Mechanics 101

2012-01-12T13:10:00.000-05:00

I don't know why so many people seem to have trouble with the basic political mechanics I explain in this comment I wrote in response to a story on NPR's Morning Edition today: Julie Rovner is 100% wrong when she says helping Romney beat Obama is "exactly the opposite" of what his conservative opponents want. On the contrary, they presumably know he's more conservative than Obama, and

Einstein: "Why I Am a Socialist"

2011-12-23T16:49:00.002-05:00

This classic essay, written for the premier issue of Monthly Review, deserves to be far more widely read: Why I Am A Socialistby Albert Einstein Is it advisable for one who is not an expert on economic and social issues to express views on the subject of socialism? I believe for a number of reasons that it is. Let us first consider the question from the point of view of scientific knowledge.

The End of an Ideology? Not Quite

2011-12-22T21:15:00.001-05:00

In its program today recalling the end of the Soviet Union, SRI's "The World" exhibited the premature capitalisttriumphalso typical of treatments ofthis topic. I responded thus:"It's perfectly absurd to call this "the end of an ideology." Parties that call themselves communist still have millions of members worldwide, counting only those that don't hold state power. To describe the breakup of the

The One Christmas Song That Rocks

2011-12-22T11:31:00.001-05:00

When I was little I enjoyed singing "Glooooooooooooooria" to Handel's "Messiah." There days I tire of the incessant seasonal music. The one song I probably couldn't hear too much of is The Kinks' "Father Christmas."

Quote of the Day

2011-12-21T15:15:00.001-05:00

"China's CP is more like a chamber of commerce than a conventional political party." -- Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs, on NPR's "Marketplace" this morning

Philosophy/Psychology Nexus?

2011-12-21T13:02:00.001-05:00

Here's a curious observation: with two people I've been Facebook friends with, when someone made a skeptical comment on a "spiritual" post they'd made, they reacted as if this were a personal attack. In part, this seems to reflect an attitude that their Facebook Wall is their personal property. Yet I can't recall any of my atheist or rationalist friends (who are probably far more numerous) ever

Second Date Follow-Up

2011-12-16T08:31:00.001-05:00

It went well. She laughed a lot. Because of a change in schedules from last week, however, we saw a different movie than planned, _Tomboy_.

Quote of the Day

2011-12-15T15:48:00.001-05:00

Should this be the first sign we see after we're born? On a sidewalk vendor's kiosk: "If you're in a hurry, you are in the wrong place."

Vote Occupy

2011-12-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

The paper Metro is polling its readers on the Person of the Year. You can vote from a shortlist of Occupy, Steve Jobs, and Gabrielle Giffords by emailing mwoty@metro.us.

Oops!

2011-12-12T15:23:00.001-05:00

Scratch that last post -- it doesn't quite work. I was only half awake when I thought of it.

A Riddle

2011-12-12T15:14:00.001-05:00

What's a palindrome to caption a painting of the Virgin Mary? Post your answer as a comment. Solution in one week.

Second Date

2011-12-12T14:26:00.001-05:00

We're seeing _Martha Marcy May Marlene_ Thursday.

Occupy Home: The Mason Family’s Eviction and Occupy Philly's Pledge to Help

2011-12-10T19:28:00.002-05:00

I recently met a woman whose family was illegally evicted from their home at the behest of a landlord who'd refused to make repairs. An article about their situation and their struggle to regain the home follows. Occupy Home: The Mason Family’s Eviction and Occupy Philly's Pledge to Helpby Suzy Subways Fri, 11/25 When Florence Mason and her children were evicted from their Mount Airy home on

2011-12-09T09:44:00.001-05:00

Someone should do a spoof of _Inspire_. It could be more honestly titled "Expire." Only problem: whoever did it would probably become their next target :-(

2011-12-08T06:27:00.001-05:00

YEAH! I just heard on the radio that DA Seth Williams won't seek to have radical journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal's death sentence reinstated. He suggested his motive was "closure" for Daniel Faulkner's family, rather than admit he couldn't win the appeal after all the evidence of innocence and of frame-up that's come out. And WHYY never mentioned that Mumia maintains his innocence, yet did quote

Flame of Cthulhu!

2011-12-06T18:02:00.000-05:00

The plaque in front of this stories-high sculpture, which dominates National Liberty Museum, calls it "Flame of Liberty." But I think we know who the model really was...

2011-12-01T23:27:00.001-05:00

Well, they've done it again: painted my building'sonly stairs, both sides at once. This time they didn't bother fencing off the unavoidable with yellow tape. They just put a sign saying "FRESH PAINT" on the steps -- just so we'd have warning before stepping on them, I guess.

En-Gendering Absurdity

2011-12-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

When I bought a weekly Transpass Monday, the cashier put an "F for female" sticker on it. This seems to start happening whenever I let my hair grow past a certain length. I don't even bother pointing it out any longer. Why should I help them enforce gender norms, especiallywhen they can't even get it "right" themselves? It just shows how ridiculousthe gender sticker policy is.

Moved All Over Again

2011-11-27T19:12:00.001-05:00

I just finished seeing Secretary again. I hadn't realized how long it had been -- over 8 1/2 years since the last time, and I think that was only the second. Powerful to see it again -- I couldn't bear to miss a second, and didn't leave the theater until the credits were over. I also noticed this time that the music is by Angelo Badalamenti, which doubtless adds to the quality of the experience.

Study: Left, Right Equally Prone to Confirmation Bias

2011-11-27T11:41:00.001-05:00

Here's an interesting story from this week's On the Media: http://www.onthemedia.org/2011/nov/25/everyone-rejects-inconvenient-facts/

An Unsurprising Story

2011-11-26T14:38:00.001-05:00

Interesting news discovered belatedly, and I'm not surprised. I had an encounter with his group in 1996. The way he led the meeting was domineering verging on bullying, as well as homophobic. And he made no apologies for having been running mate to Lyndon LaRouche, stacks of whose cult literature stood near the entrance of the "community center" where the meeting took place.http://

2011-11-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

Wednesday evening I came home to find yellow tape blocking the stairs. I tried a side door but found, in accord with past experience, that none of my keys work in it. As it was after hours I had no alternative but to stoop under the tape so I could get to my apartment, even though the new paint on the stairs was still sticky.Yesterday a neighbor told me she has a key that lets her in the side

2011-11-24T05:32:00.001-05:00

I seemingly had a paranormal experience about half an hour ago, in which I saw a statue move. Unfortunately it was just a dream. But I was so excited at the time that, in my attempts to get others to see it too, I apparently vocalized (indistincty) through my sleep paralysis, much as I've done during certain nightmares. After I'd failed at that the statue, which looked like a mixed-media

Quote of the Day

2011-11-18T23:13:00.001-05:00

"The mosquito women really got inside my head." -- Andrew MurphyWhat's that you say -- you want context? That would spoil all the fun! But here's a clue: it was said at Philcon.

Leader? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Leader!

2011-11-15T08:34:00.001-05:00

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/11/occupy_denver_leader_dog.php

2011-11-08T14:28:00.001-05:00

If the Tea Party are going to call themselves that, they should really do something more like the original Tea Party -- like, say, gather at a Boston pier disguised as Native Americans and dump a bunch of sick infants without health insurance in the harbor.

Quote of the Day

2011-11-04T18:58:00.004-05:00

"Consciousness, as far as I can tell, is a consequence of the laws of the Universe, not an ingredient of them." — physics Nobelist Frank Wilczek, speaking at Penn this evening

2011-10-30T07:38:00.001-05:00

Herman Cain isn't at all put off by the Apocalyptic insinuations about his "999" plan. In fact the campaign is encouraging supporters to have it tattooed on their foreheads. It'll be called "the mark of Cain."

2011-10-27T19:50:00.001-05:00

When trade is outlawed, only outlaws can profit from trade -- a thought I had after a radio discussion of economic sanctions on Iran

God's Gift to Women

2011-10-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

That's how I went to the Gate Munch Saturday, the fourth time I've used that costume. As always people loved it. I donated a bag of organic wheat berries from Weaver's Way Co-Op for the food drive they're taking part in, called I <3 It In The Can . On Sunday I had a first date with someone Ive known for several years . We had dinner and saw _The Ides of March _. Good thing we both like political

Great Moments in History

2011-10-12T19:56:00.001-05:00

Today's anniversary of the (European) discovery of the Caribbean reminded me of a sketch on one of the comedy/variety shows when I was a kid -- it was either _Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In_ or _The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour_:Boy Columbus is in school and the teacher is telling the class that the world is flat. Then Columbus stands up dramatically and declares, "No! You're wrong!"The teacher is

Occupy, so we can all be occupied

2011-10-12T18:46:00.001-05:00

I'm getting sick and tired of letters to the editor perpetuating hoary old stereotypes about protesters. So I've submitted this letter to Metro:I'm employed, so I can't take part in the Occupy movement full time. But if I could I would. Capitalism by its nature can't give everyone a job -- only fear of unemployment can force people to work for less money than their labor creates, with the

2011-10-08T08:09:00.001-05:00

In one of my dreams last night I read about "take," the practice (according to the article) of geeky people going around without their shirts. It quoted one of them explaining how it helps him deal with his emotional issues, then described his wife making a supportive comment while giving his back an affectionate rub.

Quote of the Year

2011-10-07T16:06:00.001-05:00

"The beginning is near." -- slogan on one of the countless handmade signs at Occupy Philly, seen 7 October 2011

Chamber of Commerce Can't Balance Its Own Books

2011-10-06T13:14:00.001-05:00

Some people like to say only capitalists know how to run government efficiently. This story from the Public Record might appear to refute that claim: http://www.phillyrecord.com/?p=1866

Take the Offensive Against Gerrymandering

2011-09-26T19:57:00.001-05:00

I just sent an email under that header to both my state legislators, as follows: I hope you will do more than simply oppose the politically motivated attempt to change the way Pennsylvania chooses its presidential Electors. Democrats should take this opportunity to push for reforms that could end gerrymandering altogether. The key is to point to the hypocrisy of the rhetoric about "making

It's Not What We Don't Know...

2011-09-23T19:42:00.000-05:00

I just sent this letter to the Public Record in response to an article in their "You Need to Care About Your Healthcare" section. The title of your article, "What You Don't Know Can Kill You," is rather ironic, in that its very first statement, "[H]eart attacks are [the] #1 cause of death for Americans," is something we don't actually know. Why do I say this? Because eight years ago, after

Double Standard?

2011-09-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

I read this quote in today's Metro concerning the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind: “I loved them. I think they were just a great rock band. They had all the sort of great elements that a rock band has. They had that rebellious stance and a clandestine appeal. They were great-looking and rough and messy. [Emphasis added.] And great songs. The whole package was there.” — Blondie singer

My Book Review Soon to Be Published

2011-09-19T20:23:00.001-05:00

The other day I learned that my review of Ranger's Apprentice 8: Kings of Clonmel, will appear in the next issue of ICSA Today, magazine of the International Cultic Studies Association. You can read it here: http://stripey7.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-kings-of-clonmel.html

Doing It Off the Cuff

2011-09-09T21:10:00.001-05:00

After arriving for the bimonthly BiUnity meeting this evening, I discovered it had been canceled on account of flooding in the region. But since two others had also shown up, including one person new to the group -- and since William Way Community Center still had the room reserved for us -- I decided to go ahead with an unofficial meeting so the newbie could get some of his questions answered.

From "A Man Harassed with Sound" to "Philly Coverup"

2011-09-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

Someone handed me a flier about this a couple weeks ago: www.phillycoverup.com It may be that she was fired for political reasons, but the rest seems like pure paranoia. Chances are she just had the misfortune that someone who held a grudge was looking on, unbeknownst to her, when she volunteered for the "wrong" candidate, and decided to tell her boss. It's not likely that a conspiracy was

Check Out This Graphic with an Inspirational Message!

2011-09-01T18:22:00.000-05:00

"Redistricting Just Doesn't Add Up"

2011-08-30T20:05:00.000-05:00

That was the title of an article by municipal reform activist Brett Mandel, published in the latest Public Record. In it, he complains of how the process is fundamentally about "dividing, not uniting" people, and is inherently "disrespectful" because "inevitably one must choose to split some neighborhood, fragment some population, or carve up some community." This looked to me like a good

Setting the Record Straight on Firsts

2011-08-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

I've been visiting the websites of the various candidates, and found an inaccurate statement on Karen Brown's (R). I wrote them this correction: Your statement that Karen Brown is the first female nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia is inaccurate. I turned 18 in 1979, and my first vote was for Nora Danielson, mayoral nominee of the Socialist Workers Party.

2011-08-18T16:47:00.002-05:00

I had an amusing experience yesterday. I couldn't access one of my customers the usual way, and when I got to the alternate floor I wasn't sure how to gain access. While weighing whether to try the phone at one end of the elevator lobby or the buzzer at the other, I heard a deep voice say, "This is your conscience, stripey7," and then repeat itself. After a split second of spookiness I realized I

Stop Facebook's Collective Punishment!

2011-08-13T19:37:00.001-05:00

The other day I saw a news item about Facebook's closing the accounts of California prisoners after one accessed his victim's profile. I'm sending them the following letter:I am angered to read that, in response to one convict's passively viewing his victim's profile, you are now undertaking to identify and close all accounts held by prisoners in California.You are not a police agency and should

Quote of the Day

2011-08-07T17:53:00.001-05:00

"The consortium's presentations to federal government officials [on a scheme for intelligent rather than random assignment to prescription drug plans] were met politely but coolly. Perhaps its advocates should have called it 'intelligent design.'" -- Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (hardcover edition) page 172

Quote of the Day

2011-08-03T23:56:00.001-05:00

"The Internet: where men are men, women are women, and children are FBI agents." -- seen on a hacker flier left in an honor box in Center City Philadelphia

2011-08-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I friended Slutwalk Philadelphia, which my friend Kali Morgan had posted about on FetLife.

2011-07-31T22:04:00.003-05:00

What a weekend! Yesterday I tried to do my laundry but couldn't finish drying it because Friday without warning a new management took over my building that's no longer opening the office on Saturday so I couldn't reload my laundry card. So today I had to take the still damp clothes to another place a few blocks away and squeeze in a little petitioning on the nominating paper for Richie Antipuna I

Comments on a Talk by Milt Rosen

2011-07-25T20:07:00.005-05:00

A member of the Left Book Group to which I belong has posted a speech by Milt Rosen, a founder of the Progressive Labor Party, on the occasion of his recent death. This has given me a welcome opportunity to expound on some of my thinking on the relations between politics, philosophy, and psychology. You can read the original speech at http://web.archive.org/web/19980703114256/www.plp.org/

2011-07-24T20:56:00.001-05:00

Seen on a bumper sticker: "VERMONT: What happens here, stays here. (But nothing ever really happens.)"

A Revolutionary Answer to the Crisis

2011-07-20T20:16:00.002-05:00

At the urging of others, I've sent some messages to our political leaders about not throwing workers and the oppressed under the bus in the name of a budget deal. But these pre-formatted messages don't suggest any way around the impasse. So I decided to send my own message addressing the radical danger of financial catastrophe with a radical solution. This is what I wrote on the White House Web

2011-07-17T21:53:00.001-05:00

On my after-dinner stroll I encountered someone whose wireless account had run out. I texted his mother that he was at the door.

These Magnets Are Repulsive

2011-07-12T19:18:00.001-05:00

I read today on a captivate.com screen that Crowne Plaza hotels are now offering "no-snore" rooms, one of whose features is "magnetic pillows" whose embedded magnets supposedly keep sleepers' airways open. This is of course complete nonsense since magnets have no effect on anything but iron, nickel, and cobalt (and moving electric charges). This hotel chain is shamelessly exploiting some people's

Speak Up Already!

2011-07-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

One area in which I've worked to cease being unduly constrained by social anxiety is interaction with fellow pedestrians. As I've started to overcome this problem myself, I've seen in the City Paper's I Love You, I Hate You that others are still mired in self-righteous/helpless blame-someone-else mode. In response to a 7 July ILUIHU titled "Walk Already," I've submitted the following:Why do some

2011-07-10T15:53:00.001-05:00

Last night I went to my third Purgatory party and played with two people -- the one I played with last time, plus another I met and asked for the first time. The second called me "fearless." What a change from just a couple years ago!

2011-07-09T10:05:00.001-05:00

I put a check in the mail this morning for Bothwell for Congress. Cecil Bothwell (www.cecilbothwell.com) is the strong progressive challenging the Blue Dog incumbent in next year's Democratic primary to represent North Carolina's 11th district. If elected, he'll be the first person to join Congress as an open atheist, laying to rest the notion that this isn't possible.

2011-07-04T15:44:00.001-05:00

Today I saw a table whose banner announced "The Truth About Drugs." Even from a distance something about the design told me this was a Scientology banner. So as I passed I informed a bunch of people who'd taken pamphlets that they were "Scientology cult literature."

2011-07-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

At last week's ICSA meeting, I learned about an unethical dominant who's running a BDSM cult. I'm consulting with someone prominent in the community on how best to spread an alert about this person.

Bradley Manning No Longer in Solitary!

2011-06-30T18:43:00.002-05:00

Just got this great news about Pfc. Bradley Manning, who's been persecuted for blowing the whistle on "collateral murder" by US armed forces: I have some great news from Bradley Manning. He has been moved from his abusive solitary confinement in Quantico to a new cell in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Yesterday Bradley's lawyer released this statement to his supporters: PFC Manning's overall mood and

2011-06-25T13:51:00.000-05:00

At the Green Party of Philadelphia meeting Thursday evening, I met the nominee for City Commissioner, Richie Antipuna. I'd been present at the previous meeting where he was endorsed, but hadn't introduced myself to him. I explained that I'd like to help petition to put him on the ballot, but prefer not doing so for the Sheriff candidate, Cheri Honkala, about whom I have some concerns based on my

2011-06-22T17:24:00.001-05:00

Last night I saw the documentary Two Spirits, about a Navajo teen named Fred Martinez who was murdered because he expressed both masculine and feminine personae -- a characteristic described in some Native cultures as having "two spirits." Traditionally such people were treated with reverence because they were believed able to cross boundaries of other sorts as well in ways other people couldn't.

2011-06-22T17:04:00.001-05:00

I've started practicing limited daily fasting, as advocated by Paul McGlothin and Meredith Averill in their book The CR Way, as a means of inducing the physiological state of hormesis, which switches on longevity-promoting SIRT genes. My current circumstances allow me to fast longer during the day than overnight, so I'm simply skipping lunch. Yesterday I fasted over 16 hours, and the day before

...Getting Better All the Time

2011-06-19T14:53:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago, as I reported previously, I finally found myself able to ask people to play with me at the Purgatory party. Last night I did so again, and this time someone agreed. Turned out our interests complimented almost perfectly, and we had a very good time. I'll be friending her on Fetlife.

Dangerous Talk » Atheists as a Political Force

2011-06-17T11:24:00.002-05:00

This post by Staks Rosch looks like an excellent idea: Dangerous Talk » Atheists as a Political Force It really bothers me that we can’t come together to form a strong voter block. I keep hearing excuses why we can’t do it and that just seems silly and lazy to me. Atheists are a very diverse group and we are fiercely independent. Yeah, I get that and yes, the only thing we have in common is

2011-06-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

I lost my weekly Transpass today, but didn't know this till I got a call from the man who'd found it. He waited several minutes for me to come and retrieve it and declined the dollar bill I offered him for his trouble.

Trumka Running for President?

2011-06-14T17:39:00.002-05:00

He hasn't said so, but it's encouraging how blunt he's been lately about his dissatisfaction with Democratic leaders, as described in this article: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/06/09-1. They're already trying to preempt a challenge from the left: today I saw a sticker on a light pole reading "2012" with the Obama logo inside the "0," and below in smaller letters, "I'm in!" So I

Quote of the Week

2011-06-11T13:46:00.001-05:00

"Being called a socialist is a step up for me." -- AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, speaking to Bloomberg News. Works for me, too!

The "Myth" of Repressed Memory

2011-06-08T20:41:00.011-05:00

I was perusing the Skeptical Inquirer the other day, where it reported on Elizabeth Loftus' having received an award for defending her work on the creation of false memories. I took the occasion to write the following to the editor: I was reading your coverage of Elizabeth Loftus's recent award for demonstrating the malleability of memory. She certainly deserves recognition for the courage

2011-06-07T20:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday someone called to me from her car. It was a receptionist I'd invited to an evening of spoken word a few weeks ago, but had never given me a confirmation call. It turns out she'd lost my number. I'd nearly given upon her but now am again optimistic it may come to something.

I've got to admit, I'm getting better...

2011-06-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

And Saturday night was another breakthrough. I went to one of The Black Phoenix Club's Purgatory play parties, asked or told several people I was interested in playing with them, and exchanged contact info with a few. I hadn't done this with more than one or two people in the 8 1/2 years I'd been involved in the kink community. I also, before the night was out, developed the will to "dress down"

Woo Hoo! Rafah Border Reopened

2011-05-29T15:26:00.002-05:00

This actually happened a little while ago but I heard a report reminding me of it yesterday. It's particularly gratifying to hear since I spent a few days in Rafah while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement.The man who eventually agreed to let my affinity group stay over in his house and take turns listening for tanks (as described in an earlier post) took us within a few

2011-05-28T15:33:00.002-05:00

I just left Sen. Rand Paul a message thanking him for his efforts to counter the so-called Patriot Act's infringements on our liberties.

An Independent Candidate for City Commissioner

2011-05-28T15:02:00.002-05:00

This past Thursday evening, the Green Party of Philadelphia voted unanimously to nominate Richie Antipuna as their candidate for City Commissioner. Richie has been an activist based in the Kensington area for some time; his cable TV show brought attention to the "Kensington Strangler" killings before authorities or other media were taking them seriously, to name just one of the community issues

Starting on a New Diet

2011-05-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

The other day I started trying to practice a calorie restriction (CR) diet. The point of this is not to lose weight (I'm not currently overweight or not by much anyway), but to increase one's likely longevity and overall state of health by keeping fasting blood glucose levels low. Too soon to see results (I haven't gotten a glucose meter yet), but the striking thing is how different the same

Call to Stop War Spending!

2011-05-25T19:58:00.002-05:00

This courtesy of USLAW (US Labor Against the War): This week, the House is expected to debate and vote on the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - the bill authorizing spending $553 billion for the Pentagon and another $118 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.It is time we brought our troops home from Afghanistan and stopped wasting billions of dollars we need at home.

Out Candidate Almost Wins, World Almost Ends

2011-05-23T19:51:00.002-05:00

OK, the latter is an exaggeration. But Sherrie Cohen, whom I helped get on the primary ballot and then did phonebanking and leafleting for in the last days of the campaign, was first runner-up in Philadelphia's City Councillor-at-large race, falling just 1600 votes shy of winning a seat. And it was her first run for office. Not bad!I also made myself a new reusable placard to show the End Timers

Sorry for Being a Stranger

2011-05-23T19:49:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I posted much here, on account of my no longer having Internet access from home, and being preoccupied with matters related to my having to move.I'm not wired from my new home yet, but now that the move is accomplished I hope to post more regularly again.

Objectivity .NE. Centrism

2011-03-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

The latest On the Media had a discussion about whether NPR is biased. While it was acknowledged that media fragmentation has led to a lack of consensus about what constitutes the "center," no one questioned that said "center" is a relevant reference point for defining bias. I made the following comment (which had to be edited slightly before submission because of a character limit):The

Support the Nadler-Lee-Stark Amendment

2011-02-16T21:34:00.001-05:00

The Nadler-Lee-Stark amendment will be voted on today or tomorrow.The Congress is voting on a Continuing Resolution to authorize funding for 2011. Continuing resolutions are used when a new budget has not been adopted. It allows the government to continue to operate while debate continues on the budget.This amendment to the Continuing Resolution, which will set the budget for FY 2011, would

Missing the Forest for the Mystery Lights

2011-02-12T15:46:00.004-05:00

At a PhACT meeting recently, George Hansen complained to me that, in a couple of earlier posts ("Review: The Trickster and the Paranormal" and "This Movie Is for the Birds"), I had misrepresented him by saying he portrayed Linda Moulton Howe as a credible source of information (and I had added that I thought this reflected negatively on his own powers of critical judgment). He said that, on the

Critical Thinking Discussed, Not Applied on NPR

2011-02-09T19:43:00.004-05:00

Today's Morning Edition discussed a study that purported to show that a large fraction of college students aren't learning critical thinking skills. This may well be true, but it was never stated how this outcome had been measured — particularly ironic given that Steve Inskeep had opened the interview with a declaration that he'd be applying critical thinking to the study, yet never asked this

A Little Exposure Never Hurts

2011-02-06T16:12:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday I had an experience to which I didn't respond as promptly as I would have liked because of social anxiety.I was doing the laundry at a place around a couple corners from my building. This is a place I started using a few weeks ago, when it had just opened. The location is much more convenient than where I'd been taking the laundry, at 7th and Girard, and also cost less. It's built

Memo to Ira Glass: Ignorance Is Not Bliss!

2011-01-24T00:55:00.003-05:00

The episode of This American Life broadcast today included a segment he told us was "not suitable for children." I've responded to this profoundedly wrongheaded "warning" with the following message:How on Earth can you say that your story from Westword (about the man who wanted to kill the rapist from his childhood) is unsuitable for children?Do you honestly believe it's better that children not

Review: The Kings of Clonmel

2011-01-10T22:22:00.007-05:00

Last spring, while I had a second job with the Census Bureau, I ordered a few books from Powell's , and with these I was sent their latest catalog. I noticed that one of the books listed, a novel for young readers, concerned a religious cult, and was curious as to how accurate and informative it might be on the issue of psychological manipulation. So I offered to write a review of it for the

How Social Psychology Can Be Used to Create an Effective Message: A Case Study

2010-12-18T11:52:00.002-05:00

This week's Living on Earth radio show featured an interview with Robert Cialdini, the leading authority on the psychology of social influence, about how he'd worked with an environmental group to develop an extremely effective PSA promoting recycling. You can read the transcript here: http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=10-P13-00051&segmentID=2The first point discussed in the

Give It Away for Nina

2010-12-16T23:36:00.002-05:00

Nina Hartley is facing an urgent financial situation: she needs funds to pay for her recovery after upcoming surgery. The appeal follows.http://www.giveforward.com/giveitawayforninaHelp Our Friend NinaIf you’re reading this you’re likely already a friend, or fan, of Nina’s. Thanks for taking the time to be here. She’s always made an effort to connect on the personal level with all she meets, and

Bring Courage Back to City Council

2010-12-16T22:57:00.002-05:00

That's the slogan of Sherrie Cohen's campaign for City Council, which she officially kicked off last night. I met her last May Day, at the dedication of a memorial to the Haymarket martyrs in Southwest Philly, where she was passing out a leaflet announcing her intentions. That was the first I heard of her. The next time was at OutFest, where she had a table staffed by a supporter.Shortly before

On the Wagon Again

2010-12-12T12:45:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I wrote about my struggle with social anxiety disorder. Partly this is because things were preoccupying me that left me little time to post about anything. But I also felt that I was backsliding, and was not eager to write about this.I was trying to use the weekly messages from a seduction "email bootcamp" to keep me motivated, and initially it worked. But then I started

Wednesday, 15 December: Day of action for Rite Aid workers

2010-12-11T09:21:00.002-05:00

Jobs with Justice reports there will be a national day of action 15 December for Rite Aid workers, whose benefits are under attack. I've left the following message for their CEO, who just gave himself a huge raise:Stop attacking Rite Aid workers!Think you have to make cuts to keep the company profitable? All right, then how about cutting your OWN salary to that of the average employee? After all,

2010-12-04T19:27:00.003-05:00

In an earlier entry, I posted the words to my filk song "Trinity," based on Lois McMaster Bujold's fantasy novel The Curse of Chalion. Two weeks ago at Philcon, I got it recorded, and today uploaded it to my computer.Turns out that at present, Blogger provides no way to post an audio file directly in a blog, so I'll have to find a service to host it as a podcast.

Talk on Psychology and Social Change

2010-11-18T21:04:00.005-05:00

Lucky I learned about this — it was almost by accident. Nick Cooney will be speaking Friday on his new book, Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Tell Us About Spreading Social Change at Grindcore House, a new vegan café in South Philly: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=158039280898401&index=1

Halloween and Election Day: The Hidden Connections

2010-10-31T21:35:00.005-05:00

I've spent most of this weekend strolling the streets of Roxborough, leaving doorhangers for labor candidate for state representative Hugh Giordano. This has given me plenty of time to think, and today a profound insight came to me about the relationship between Halloween and Election Day.For some years I'd noticed the temporal proximity of the two days, and certain parallels. I'd come to refer

Cultism Is About Psychological Manipulation, Not Doctrine

2010-10-26T20:12:00.002-05:00

I've been having a discussion turning partly on this point with another atheist. You can read it here: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151629424879710&id=504226569

Quote of the Month

2010-10-24T21:52:00.001-05:00

"Where there is equality there can be sanity." -- George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-four, page 181 (Signet Classic edition)

Leave the Ghost, Take the Pizza

2010-09-18T11:45:00.002-05:00

I went to Fluid again last night, where they were having a party featuring soca among other musics. I've loved soca for years, since becoming acquainted with it from the old show "Rhythms on Trade Winds" on WKDU. But this was the first time I'd been to a soca party.I asked another woman to dance at this party, and this time she did dance with me for a bit.When I took a break for a snack at the