Book Preview - "The Future"

Al Gore recently taped an in-depth interview about his new book, "The Future" for PBS.  Vice President Gore is one of my favorite thinkers, picking himself up after the most bizarre and undemocratic Presidential campaign in history - note that Jeffrey Brown says "Since he conceded the 2000  presidential election...".  (He did after all win the popular vote by a comfortable margin only to have the Supremes 'appoint' Bush  based on the archaic and un-democratic Electoral College.)

In his new book, he tackles some of the major changes in the world - changes which Washington DC in general and Congress in particular (still governing from the 1950s) has ignored.   The first part sees Jeffrey Brown pressing him about the sale of his TV network to Al-Jazeera...but in many ways that network has evolved into one of the most trusted and credible news sources in the world.  VP Gore's views are fairly focused, and as you will see Jeffrey doesn't let him off easy on the larger questions...something typical of PBS that you won't find on any cable news channel. 

I particularly liked his comments on the fact that the American citizenry has largely lost any influence over their Congressional representatives -- the folks in Washington know that it is only important to keep the money flowing from lobbyists by keeping them happy.  That money will help them buy any amount of false advertising for their next campaign and sway the gullible voters into reelecting them. 

  

Watch Al Gore's 'Future' Tackles Technology, Global Economy on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

The second part of the interview zeroes in on the climate-change myopia that has occupied Washington for the last decade or so.  Some revealing facts in here that you probably won't hear elsewhere...or unless you plan to read his book, which I will certainly be doing. 



Happy thinking!

The Truth Can Kill You

The insurance industry "death panels" (the insurance companies) hate this guy.  He's a former top industry executive that decided to tell the truth in his book and elsewhere like this column.  I plan to read his book soon, and I am sure that it will make fascinating...and maddening reading.

Religion - Bah Humbug!

One thing I am pretty much an irredeemable Scrooge on is organized religion of any type.  I just can't get past all of the evil suffering and destruction wreaked by some group thinking they are the "true faith" on the rest of humanity.

While this reaches back to the dishonest and horrible "Christian Crusades" it continues throughout he current fundamentalist Islamic wave surging in the Middle East (which is largely a result of US 'foreign policy'  -- but that is for another time). 

The latest comes from the mess in Mali.  The historic city of Timbuktu (yes, that one) housed a library that had a rich trove of historic documents dating back to the 12th century and even beyond.  Here is a 2003 PBS report from the library that was apparently destroyed by Islamists as they were leaving the city.

Watch Timbuktu on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Unfortunately, it may largely be gone now.

Studying the Universe

Very interesting conjecture about the leading edge of physics research.  If you don't follow this entirely - that is normal and expected (or it may mean you need to spend less time on 'reality TV' and more on just 'reality').

This may actually make your brain hurt....but that is the point of this blog!

F-35 Continues to Self-Destruct

Just when you think an "all-purpose" fighter (that apparently is being delivered sans any guns and even allies don't want) and has become one of the worst Pentagon boondoggles of all of their boondoggles...it manages to get worse.

Congress (Senate) Continues to Self-Destruct

Not only are we treated to news that the Senate has severely reformed itself (by slapping its own wrist with a feather), but they also performed a pair of rather embarrassing fiasco-hearings on the "Benghazi affair" in which Secretary Clinton not only came out as better informed, but also shut down the pompous asses with a resounding "what difference does it make?" pointing out how ridiculous it is to be armchair quarterbacking a situation from the Senate in which unfortunately Americans did die...but the Senate could not have prevented, and probably no amount of extra "security" could have affected.

The World In Your Palm

This is just one of those cool, mind-bending things I like to think about.  One of those things that makes you glad to be human...even if there are all kinds of practical barriers to actually using it.  Only true thinkers would come up with something like this.....and its fun to let your mind wander. 

The first place mine went was to the end of that great novel and movie "Fahrenheit 451", where the people had all "become" a book to preserve it from the idiots who wanted to burn them.

The Second Term Begins

Second terms in our political system are often only about two years along before the next presidential election overshadows everything.  However, Obama's second inaugural speech promises at least some interesting possibilities.  It was a much more realistic speech than his first which was full of hope and bold pronouncements.  I think he learned if nothing else the very real limitations of presidential power in the US during his first term.   Unless you have both houses of Congress firmly on your side...absolutely nothing is going to happen.

I think what may occur and the wiser Republicans like Boehner are already realizing, is that through his more assertive stance since the election, his high popularity and personal likability he could do a lot of damage to the Republicans chances in the national arena.  By highlighting the "anti-middle class, anti-poor, anti-elderly, anti-minority, and automatic weapons everywhere" stances of the Republican right even if he doesn't get exactly what he wants, President Obama could set them up for further failure in 2016...and beyond.   The unfathomable, twisted process that somehow declared Romney the Republican candidate is even more of a disaster in hindsight....

Shields and Brooks talk a little bit about this at the end of their interesting (as usual) analysis after the inaugural speech.



    

Watch Shields and Brooks: Sure-Footed Obama Lays Out Long Game on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Learn When to Hold 'Em

The NRA really needs to learn when to shut up!  They are doing their "cause" no favors and are alienating a lot of people (including current allies in positions of power) or those that used to be at least neutral on the subject of reasonable gun control. 

And now it turns out that far from being the beacon of reasonableness in firearms knowledge that they would have us believe, the NRA in fact has been using its purse and influence to suppress any research or fact-finding.  What's the matter folks...afraid of some facts? Here are some facts for you:

In 1968, Martin Luther King (aged 39) and Robert Kennedy (age 42) were shot.  42 years after those murders 1,260,703  Americans have died by firearms - including suicides, the largest portion of that number.  (And coincidentally far more American deaths than all the misbegotten "wars" the US has gotten into in that same period).

Do you suppose this has any relation to the fact that 50% of all the firearms in the world are in the US? 

Nahhh.. couldn't be because the NRA doesn't say it is so (or allow the CDC to dig into the facts)!

Given that they really lost big in this last election (only 0.83% of their massive contributions went to winning candidates), maybe its time to just be quiet, lick some self-inflicted wounds, and think about what is good for the US as a whole for a change?

Real Photography

This is an amazing video by and about an amazing person.  I am old enough to have found my love of photography in a cold, smelly darkroom that tended toward light leaks and made for impossible temperature control because it was in the basement.  But it taught me a lot about light and shadow, and painting with both.  Unfortunately the digital age has robbed most photographers of this basic knowledge and instinct for light and how it behaves. 

Ian Ruhter has gone back to the very earliest days of 'wet plate' photography -- take a look at the detail and warmth of his images and think about what we have lost for the convenience of a bunch of silicon circuits....


SILVER & LIGHT from Ian Ruhter : Alchemist on Vimeo.

When Did Collaboration Become a Dirty Word?

Tom Friedman looks at how the inside-out unreal DC politician's view of things is totally at odds with what is well-proven and works elsewhere.

Worth Watching

...and thinking about:

Pentagon Sinkhole III

The giant money sucking sound that is the Pentagon continues.  This time they have invented a new term for "pour even more money on us" --- "lack of maturity" when describing the hapless F-35 fiasco....the plane pilots won't fly, the Canadians have bailed on and apparently no one wants to put any guns on yet. 

Sure...the Current Health Care System

...is working just fine.....

Gun Buybacks and "Logic"

There are a few scattered gun buy back programs being announced or pursued by local governments and law enforcement, primarily because Washington DC is in its usual paralyzed state...largely by the torrent of NRA money flowing through the halls of Congress.  This is bringing out some people who don't mind showing their ignorance...of either simple mathematical probability or logic, or both.

It is impossible to gauge the effectiveness of a gun buyback program in advance because it is not possible to tell if a particular gun belongs to a nut case, or will be stolen by or belong to one in the future.  It is impossible to gauge the effectiveness of a buyback after the fact, because once a gun is destroyed...the probability is absolutely zero that it will ever be used to take a life or multiple lives. 

Likewise, it is dangerous to assume cause and effect afterwards.  Australia had a quite successful gun buy back after a mass shooting outraged the country (and their politicians actually work for the people they represent).  They have not had a mass shooting since...but can the two be linked?  Not necessarily nor with any certainty, although they also outlawed semi-automatic assault weapons permanently at the same time so there are multiple factors at work here.

The only unassailable truth is that if the 'right' gun is part of a buy back, it can save many, many lives.  If Nancy Lanza had decided that she really didn't need to own a death-dealing assault-style semi-automatic weapon in time, not only would many innocent children and adults be alive...but she might be as well although it seems there were plenty of other weapons in easy reach of Adam Lanza. 

People who try to equate through logic or probability the effects of a gun buy back are the same gullible idiots who keep the casinos in Las Vegas so profitably afloat.  It doesn't matter how many times you have flipped a coin and how many results have been the same -- every flip is still a 50/50 proposition.

Susan Cain on Bloomberg Law

I am going to read Susan Cain's book which I received for Christmas as soon as I finish a couple of library books I am into.  I want to give her book my full attention once I start and am really anticipating a meaningful and informative read. 

This is Susan in an appearance earlier on Bloomberg Law - she was a Wall Street lawyer (of all things) for several years, and she talks about how she 'discovered' the high number of introverts in law (of all professions).   A very interesting discussion - Happy Thinking!

Republicans Really Are From Mars

I was trying during the election stupid season to find reasons for the Repubs' seeming intent on self-destruction and losing elections.  But I guess maybe...they really are from somewhere else, because they sure don't get it!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/01/03/a-katrina-echo-in-sandy-anger/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/01/03/house-republicans-block-violence-against-women-act-remain-determined-to-ignore-women/