Death to the Guinea Worm
I read a heartwarming story yesterday, about the Guinea Worm. But for the sake of common decency, I'm not going to post pictures on the blog. For those brave souls who want to see a picture,
look here.
The Guinea Worm used to be a horrible problem in African countries. The disease, also called
dracunculiasis causes severe pain and suffering to millions. They breed in standing water and feed on human hosts, and are a difficult problem for those who must use open water for survival. In the disease, both male and female worms are consumed, and the males soon die after mating. The female, on the other hand, grows to nearly 3 feet long, burrowing into the host's legs, where they start to lay their eggs and produce young, painfully infecting and swelling the leg in the process. Eventually, the wound opens, and the mother burrows out of the wound to give her babies room to leave. The
complete life cycle is here.
Removing these nasty things can take up to 3 months, and it is excruciatingly painful. Also, any human that gets infected will usually go to the water to immerse the wound, which not only eases the pain, but also releases thousands of eggs back into the water for another round of hell.
The good news is that this human parasite is almost eradicated! There were no complicated drugs and no pesticides used to acheive this. Instead, health officials literally went from village to village, spreading two simple memes: Filter you water with tightly woven mesh, and resist the urge to enter the water during the painful stages of the disease.
That's it.
These small, cultural variations in health and treatment went from mother to mother, villiage to villiage. It has been incredibly sucessful. The WTO estimates that by 2009, this human parasite will literally be eliminated, taking its rightful place with smallpox as a critter slain by human ingenuity and sheer preserverence.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to every health official that had a part in this 25 year struggle! Huzzah!
Optometry
I went to see the eye doctor today. Lately, I have been getting headaches after long bouts at the computer, some of them behind my eyes, and some have been very bad. I figured it was time for a new prescription anyway, so I scheduled an appointment.
I have never had good vision, and over the years, it has gotten worse. The problem is exacerbated (
GRE here I come!) by two very different qualities. My left eye has terrible nearsightetness and astigmatism, while my right eye is almost normal. They don't work well together, and for some reason my bad left eye has always been the dominant eye. Needless to say, their inability to work together has caused alot of problems, and has contributed to a steady decline in my vision over the years.
Anyway, the visit was a success. I learned quite a bit about the eyes and my problems with near-sighted focusing. Furthermore, I think the doctor figured some solutions out for me. In addition to a number of ergonomic changes I'll be making at my workstation, I'm getting a new pair of prescription reading glasses on Thursday. They are meant to take some of the pressure off of my eyes when they're trying to focus up close, and I am supposed to use them for reading and computer use. Problem is solved. . . at least I hope!!
Oh yeah, something of light to moderate concern: He couldn't get my right eye to 20/20, and did a cornea topography. I've never had one before, and it turns out my right cornea is very misshapen. I am supposed to see him again in a year to see if it's gotten any worse. Right now, he isn't able to tell if it's been a life-long problem, or a recent event. We both agreed that since I've known that my left eye was dominate through earlier exams, it means that the problem has most likely been there for years, and is not the beginning of a physical decline. :/
The Static Moon
Apparently, the moon dust found on the moon is statically charged.
This article from Science Daily explains more.
I would like to think that this very unusual behavior is the result of sensitivity to conscious attention. After all, the moon serves as a symbol of so many things here on earth, in mythology, custom, romance etc.
If billions of conscious entities gaze at an physical object with awe and wonder for a million years, is it possible that its properties can be affected by that very fascination?
The GRE approaches
I am scheduled to take the GRE on December 10th, and so far, most of the test prep is going very well. The math stuf has always been easy for me, and I am pretty good at reading comprehension, and analogies. I am also working on my essay skills, and am trying to fix many of the impetuous problems that I have with my organization.
On the other hand, I stink at vocabulary. After a second practice test today, I know this is going to me a major diatribe for me. I bought a book a couple of weeks ago that's meant to help me satiate my vocabulary. After 30+ years of implacable speaking, I am just now learning how often I articulate words.
For example, I learned about the word "capricious" today. I always used it in a way that means "to cause willful harm to others," but actually, it's closer to "changes mind whimsically/often." I have dissembled this word a hundred times over the years, and every time it's had a onerous connotation. But technically, there's nothing inherently negative about it, so it explains how I can consistently vaccilate.
::forehead on table::
::forehead on table::
Hey Kids!
Special BONUS Game in this post!! Your Uncle Platypus Chris misused 7 words in the above post. How many can you find? If you can help help him before his GRE, you get a plethora of spectacularific prizes, including. . . an autographed copy of Deluxe Scrabble, a dog-eared Webster's Dictonary, and a pint full of Uncle Platypus Chris' very own panic sweat!
Hurry hurry, don't delay!!!
Christmas Specials
Tis the season for Christmas Specials. . . I'm looking forward to "A Charlie Brown Chrismas" yet again this year. I love it. Linus' voice is more peaceful and soothing than Mr. Rogers on a quart of NyQuil.
Anyway, National Lampoon has posted the
10 least sucessful Christmas specials of all time. Among the gems are "Ayn Rand's A Selfish Christmas" and "A Canadian Christmas with David Cronenberg."
Very funny! :)
Ecology vs. Religion - Part I
I just read an article on teh CNN website a few hours ago:
"Ocean and so-called greenhouse gas levels are rising faster than they have for thousands of years, according to two reports published on Thursday that are likely to fuel debate on global warming. The full article is
here.
I have had a number of reactions to this debate over the last few years, and I think I may have had an epiphany.
To begin, the article states that "carbon dioxide emissions come mainly from burning coal and other fossil fuels in power plants, factories and automobiles." We all know that. We also know that if we continue on our present course, it is inevitable that humans will do enough damage to destroy our own habitat.
Alot of blame is being placed on the current use of fossil fuels. Granted, we can destroy small regions through waste or mismanagement, making them uninhabitable to humans. Sadly, due to political and social reasons, we often force populations to live in such conditions. This is a travesty. But, but we can never do any permenant damge to the ecology on a global scale. At least not with fossil fuels.
What we fail to remember is that fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources. Use will decrease naturally as the costs of production exceed the value of the produced goods. It's already beginning with $2+/gallon prices (in America), and over the course of the next 15 years, we'll see the demand for fossil fuels dwindle away to nothing as refineries simply go out of business.
The real question is to ask how threatened the global environment would be if every single possible once of our nonrenewable resources were consumed. This is, by default, the worst case scenario. Here's a little bit of info from the
ETE online series (I love NASA!)
"Even if emissions of CO2 stay the same as they are now, concentrations of atmospheric CO2 will increase to 700 ppm by 2100. As a result, mean global temperatures will increase by 3.5 °F (1.9 °C) over the next 100 years."
Remember, this is 100 years worth of projection. At the current rates of consumption, we have a best case scenario estimate of 50 years (
U. of Mich. study) before every drop is gone. Considering the rising expense as supplies dwindle, I predict that we'll naturally stop using it long before this "best case" scenario occurs.
So, to answer the real question. . .how bad will this impact be if it were all used up? So far, I can't find any details. After spending alot of time looking, it has become clear that nobody really knows anything, and the the amount of fear/passion in the writer seems to be inversly proportional to the projected statistics. There are some hazy predicitons about a decrease in some soil moisture, a bit heavier rainfall, and an increase in sea levels by 2 feet or so, but it is diffcult to know what deserves specific mention. Hopefully, I can piece something together at a future date.
Unfortuately, I haven't even gotten to the real reason for this post. . . a comparison between religion and environmentalism. This discussion will continue in Part II. . . stay tuned.
Pilgrims
Pilgrims are people who travel to foreign lands, risking unknown perils to pay homage to a specific location. The reasons for this journey are usually religious or spiritual in nature, and in most cases there is no business or recreation conducted.
The locations for a pilgramage can be almost anything. Sometimes, it is to some small shrine or holy site, but it can also be in the middle of teeming thousands, as the pigrim struggles to lay a hand or get a direct glimpse of what he has traveled so far to witness.
In celebration of Thanksgiving, I would like to post a few images of pilgrims:
And of course, what series of images would be complete. . .
without an American version of a pilgrim:
Happy Thanksgiving!
On Writing - II
I've quit trying to catch up the NaNoWRio novel. I fell so far behind, the idea of catching up is just to daunting. I've started to force it to the point of incomprehensibility. I reread the last paragrpah I wrote, and it was so full of errors and bad grammer, I just said "The hell with it." My final word count right now is around 19,000 words.
I have learned alot though.
1. My idea was too heavy. I had this idea rattling around for awhile, but I think it's just going to require planning and a concrete outline. Back in college, I was told that dialogue is my strength. . . the first three chapters have none. Not one spoken word. It should be restructured to play to my strengths. Plus, a NanNoWriMo novel is the kind of excericse that requires many dynamic characters, who can interact with each other and be immersed in a varied world. My idea tanked because its themes required constructed memory, solitiude, and vast amounts of passing time.
2. I have a screenwriter's mindset. At least right now. I have written a few screenlpays over the years, and I tend to think about my ideas in visual scenes. It like in D&D. . . some people express their creativity by giving 2,500 words on the history, leadership chain, calander, etc. of a knightly order. Boring. I just want one of them to give a little speech, then fall heroically defending a wall or something. I tend to think in moods, moments, and set pieces. I'm going to read some more books and pay attention to the details, pacing, and so on. . . rereading my own pages, I could tell that I was trying to hard to make a dramatic/emotional impact with every line and every scene. Sometimes, your just describing a rabbit, and that's it, right?
3. I need discipline. Despite my continued zealousness toward writing, I still lack this. This doesn't just involve forcing yourself to start writing, but also knowing when to stop. I still think of this as a footrace, instead of a steady rhythm. The problem is, you will never see a marathon runner go the distance if he starts the race sprinting as fast as he can. This is getting better. . . but I'm still not there yet.
4. Set aside the time. This year, I started NanoWriMo in a months of trips, work, other projects, and a ton of distractions. Next year, I will make sure my slate is clean before I start.
Even in failure, I enjoyed the process. It was my first attempt at writing that much prose in one work. I am still proud of myself for trying, and I know what I need to do to get 'em next year. In the meantime, I'm still working on everything else, including short stories, and keeping myself busy at the computer screen. A writer writes (and so does a waiter).
The Weather Report
The temperature here finally dropped into the fifties. Apparantly, we're having some knid of cold snap right now, and I'm going to relish it. I feel like I've been living in a a sheen of nasty sweat since I moved here.
Ironcailly, I went to the local grocery store last night, still wearing shorts (it was about 62 degrees at the time), and everybody there was bundled up in jeans and jackets. I saw a couple heavy winter coats. . . no joke.
I live in a strange town.
The Turtle
One of the world's oldest living animals, Harriet the tortoise, celebrated her
175th birthday on Tuesday -- with a pink hibiscus flower cake at her retirement home in northern Australia.
To celebrate this special day, here are some quotes. Are they related? You decide:
"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time." - Albert Camus
"Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it." - Henry David Thoreau
"The best scientist is open to experience and begins with romance - the idea that anything is possible." - Ray Bradbury
"In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order." - Carl Jung
"I don't believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates." - T.S. Eliot
"Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why." - Kurt Vonnegut
"Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration." - Kahlil Gibran
On Writing
This has been a busy couple of days. I am desperately trying to catch up the word count in my NaNoWriMo submission. I got an E_mail from the website the other day, saying that the second week is when you're supposed to run out of steam. This is the unfettered truth, because floudered I have. I still plan on slogging through it anyway, though.
Also, I have gotten past "first draft" mode on two full manuscripts for a magazine. I was way over my projected word count for both, and am in the process of breaking my own heart. One is still a little over, but within acceptable limits. The other one has been a souce of frustration. I'm probably going to have to ask the editors about it, and find out what their policy/standards/requiremetnss/whatever are.
My writing plan this next week is to turn in both manuscripts, finish the inital outline on another one, get a few more mag. proposals out before they all get backed-up up in my brain, and catch up NaNoWriMo starting tomorrow. This means that I need to average almost 4,000 words each day this week. Work is very light this week, so with no revisions, and no looking back. . . it might be possible.
Sad Tuesday
Two things occured today that made me sad. . .
1.
A Feast for Crows. I starting reading this series about two years ago. I had heard about it for along time, but I kept putting it off. Finally, I just sat down and struggled through the first two hundred pages. . . then, by some miracle, it started to flow like sweet, sweet honey and turned into my second all-time favorite fantasy story after Lord of the Rings. This series is truly amazing. Today was the release date in stores for teh highly anticipated 4th book. Jackie ordered it for me over a month ago, and now it's due to arrive any day. I was just hoping that today would be that day.
2.
Civilization IV. I am not big on video games. . . at least not anymore. I have a Playstation 1 and when I'm bored, I'll play some Madden Football '01, or maybe rehash Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The exception to this general malaise is Civilization III. . . I was a hardcore junkie for a while, averaging a full game every week (for those that haven't played, all full game takes between 20-40 hours, depending on how long you're at war). Today, I still devote a good 5+ hours a month to playing it, with multiple campaigns (currently the Greeks and a horrible showing with the Iraqois). Anyway, I almost went out and bought this game today, but then I saw that a majority of reviews on Amazon.com had given it one star/no stars, based on a number of dramatic bugs and flaws. I have a feeling that I may still have to wait awhile for this one.
I hope the wait for both of these titles will be worth it.
Melodramatic Song
I've been fiddling with these chords for a long time, and I finally wrote some lyrics this morning. It's till a littel awkward, and may evolve as it's played.
I haven't done anthing specific with tab. I am just fiddling around at the end of the neck in Am. Doing a little solo that way, at the end of the second chorus, sounds good too.
Anyway, here it is in its full, melodramatic glory:
Verse
Am
Dm
Em7 – Am
Chorus
F – C
F – C
F – C – Dm - Am
Why do Birds Fly?
Verse 1
Why do they dress
Just to impress?
Why’s it seem like a waste?
Pick up one more shift
Through these temporal rifts
And keep up a good face.
When governments fall
The cathode tubes call
And answer we will.
Why do so many care
Why do they sit and stare
Why can’t we get our fill?
These problems of race
Abstractions of face
The wars come and go.
Can we get along?
This "Titanic" throng
When they’ll stop I don’t know.
Chorus
Why do birds fly and why -
Do I want to soar above them?
Why do wolves cry and why -
Can’t I understand their song?
I only have one moment left
Till the asking's gone.
Verse 2
A vast ocean of space
Surrounds every place
Covers all you can see.
These quantum mistakes
Small invisible flakes
One immense tapestry.
Planets spin like a top
But where does it stop?
Dizzy foolish ask on
Math adds up the signs
And destiny finds
That forever goes on
More questions to ask:
The cosmos is vast
Time lost in the haze.
But why in the end
All your close friends
Can seem farther away?
Chorus
Verse 3 (short)
But behind all the curtain
The wizard is certain
A thing learned as we go.
This life isn’t long
One very short song
And we don’t want to know.
Chorus and Out
Intelligent Design - A Solution
I just read another article on this sujbect, and I don't have the strength to post it. Seriously, the lawyers on this case, and well as the kansas school boards and other sound-boarding poliicians, are showing their inability to serve the public as leaders.
Honestly, does anyone with high level of intelligence and education actually "buy" intelligent design as a scientific priciple? IT is not science. I find it hard to believe that they actually don't understand this themselves. This is a case of pandering to the will of the proles like a bunch scard kids, rather than standing up and defending what intelligence and common sense demand.
Based on this, could there be a way to fulfill "God's agenda" in a modern day classroom? Futhermore, is there a way to reconcile common sense? Absolutely.
Teach IT in literature classes.
IT is not a vaid scientific priciple for understanding the physics of existence, but it's still a valid philosophy. As a holder of a degree in English Education, I would have been more than happy to teach IT in my classroom, and I think you would find many, many in the field who'd relish the opportunity to create such an exciting debate.
And even better, it actually applies to the subject. How can you teach Dante's Inferno without a discussion of Intelligent Design? How can you teach Shakespeare?
Why stop there. As a trained English teacher, I would be more than happy to have a whole Unit on the Bible. Just examining the rich history of the King James version and it's public use, with the simplified 11,000 word lexicon, the use of the printing press, the social cimate and dissatisfaction with the Church, the rise of protestant thought. . . all the concepts and social philosophies that it introduces, like public health, census taking, law building, social resposibility, etc. . . Plus, all of the negative influeces on social thought, such as fueling intolerance, suppressed roles of women and minorities, homophobia, and so on. My swarthy little brain seethes at the oportunity to sponsor such a debate in a classroom.
This truth is, the Bible stands is the most widely printed and distributed work of literature in the history of civilization. Is it science? No. Is it true? Who cares. . . it's still a philosophy with widely felt influences. I'd bet there are thousands of English teachers who would revel at the opportunity to teach it.
English teacher could even drop the whole "IT" catch-phrase, and go right back to calling it "Creationism."
To anyone's knowledge, has this compromise ever been broached publicly? Furthermore, with the careers of so many frightened politicians on the line, would they even care? After all, they're banking their careers on pandering to a popilation that can't find Israel on a globe.
Michael Brown is a Wuss
Rep. Charlie Melancon, whose district south of New Orleans was devastated by the hurricane, posted a
sampling of e-mails written by Federal Emergency Management chief Michael Brown on his Web site on Wednesday.
I have to say that this is just lame. If you can forgive the blatent misuse of his position (which you can't), forget about the cavalier attitude toward those in need (which is reprehensible), and symapthize with a man wh ois in way over his head (which is no excuse). . . then tell me this:
Why didn't Brown just act in his own best interest? One E-mail advised him to "roll up his sleeves to the elbows," just like the president does, becasue it makes you look more hard-working. Why didn't he JUST work harder? The crisis was an opportunity. . . a career builder. If anything else, Mr. Brown could have come out of that terrible situation seen as a leader of men, someone who couldtake charge when teh going got tough. Plus, along the way, he could have even done some good for a lot of people. He could have written his own ticket.
Mayor Guliani was voted man of the year because he busted his ass after 9-11. Why didn't Brown do the same?
Because he's a Wuss.
Flu Debates
This
Washington Post article makes the claim that our country's fear of the flu is unneccesary given the facts and past history. However, the threat of a worldwide flu Pandemic is very real.
I understand what Dubyah is trying to do as well, and I understand what prompted the Washington Post to publish this article. As with most of Dubaya's half-baked schemes, no one should agree with it. He's taking another fear-based threat, and trying to hammer out an agenda that makes him look good. Just like Iraq, the joke's on us . . . a 20 million shot stockpile for Americans is absolutely useless against a global Pandemic. But short-term thinking shows that he's fighting the good fight, caring about American's, blah blah blah. . .
The problem with the article is that it underplays the issue. Pandemics are a real threat to globally-connected, tightly-packed human beings. I think that writing any article that tries to downplay this fact to serve as counterpoint to Bush's agenda is a pretty shallow thing to do.
Furthermore, the article misses the boat. One of the big selling points is to show a graphic that highlights the rise in flu vaccine vs. the yearly deaths from flu. While the use for flu vaccine has risen dramatically, the actual deaths have remained static. Therefore, you can claim that there is no proof that flu vaccines are doing anything helpful.
Unfortunately, this chart is like comparing apples to oranges. The last Pandemic flu in our history, 1918, is the last time we had any appropriate data to use for comparison. And it's effects speak for itself. Granted - medicine is better now than it was in 1918, but urban populations are much denser and the ability for the infected to travel long distances has improved many times over.
Personally, I am very happy that the chart shows vaccine use on a dramatic rise. If anything else, just consider current vaccinations as a yearly fire drill, preparing the world for the big one. For currently un-deadly flu strains, as far as I'm concenred, we could just fill syringes with water. As long as the process for distributing the vaccine, and making the vaccine, continue to improve then who cares?
To fight a Pandemic, the organization, supplies, and adminstrative infrastructure have to be in place, and they have to be routine. This means a yearly vaccination for everybody. Instead of worrying about political agendas, I think it's time to pull our concern for science-based public health out of the urinal, and start thinking about the future.
National Novel Writing Month
Well, I'm doing it. I have to average about 1,700 words a day, to reach 50K by November 30th. Considering that I probably average about a grand right now, I figured I night as well give it a try. I almost did it last year, but I couldn't muster up the courage.
As far as ideas go, I have quite a few. About two years ago, I started an idea journal - a single Word file where I keep all of my strange ideas for stories. I still update it from time to time (though lately I've been keeping a second mini-journal for D&D magazime proposal queries). In that 7 page mix of short idea paragraphs, there are about 6 novels . . . I've decided to write one of those. No outline, no research. . . just going for it.
My
NaNoWriMo profile has more informaiton regarding, and includes my daily progress.
Blog post word count: 153 (multiply this by ten, and I'm done for today!)
