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News Briefs 27-03-2009

“Sometimes a great notion…”

Super-size thanks to GT and RPJ

Quote of the Day:

“The answer is never the answer. What’s really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you’ll always be seeking…”

Ken Kesey

  1. earth hour
    Earth Hour is BS Hour.

    Some people feel good by not wasting electricity with their lights at home for 1 hour. Instead they go out to eat, burning gasoline, or burning electricity in their hybrid cars.

    Or they light candles, burn gas on barbecues, or other such things.

    I say stop faking it – drive less, combine trips, dress for the weather.

    And quit with the traffic jams. Don’t run red lights, think about the flow of traffic. Not just your own progress in the next 10 seconds. Give up 5 seconds to get there 5 minutes earlier.

    —-
    It is not how fast you go
    it is when you get there.

      1. It is symbolic
        It’s not meant to actually make a significant difference in the energy consumed.

        It’s supposed to show that humanity can join together to solve this problem.

        It’s supposed to show that we care.

        It is… a ritual.

        —–
        It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
        It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

        Red Pill Junkie

          1. Well C’mon
            It’s a start!

            Maybe next year, instead of an hour, we go for an entire day.

            And maybe the year after that we go for an entire weekend 🙂

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

      2. sure
        The tag line applies to many things. Travelling, racing (a travelling simulation). Or planning.

        Suppose you are in Madrid, and you need to go to Rome. The first step for some people is to go get a map, and maybe some airline tickets.

        Other people start running in the general direction of Italy, because they are in a hurry. That is, it they know where Italy is, if they don’t know it they run in some random direction.

        —-
        It is not how fast you go
        it is when you get there.

  2. déjà vu
    I don’t know. Seem to me these experiments are only successful in re-creating only a few of the multi-dimensional aspect of that experience. The investigator who links it with stomach ache—how different ailments can get the same result, pain in your belly—is probably right. With me, it’s often several things that trigger the effect; it’s not only the familiarity of the setting I’m in, but also other things like the people I’m with, and a very specific chain of words said by someone or myself, that causes me to say “Whoa… I’ve lived this before”. It’s a whole tapestry of things, not just 1 or 2.

    And yeah, some screwing up in our brain’s wiring might be involved. But what if we address the possibility that Time really doesn’t exist, as some physicists posit? That we all live in an eternal NOW and that the arrow of time is just a construct of our consciousness?

    Then maybe déjà vu would be explained as the brain ‘skipping ahead’ of that flow, and looking at the middle of the picture before it’s supposed to happen. So the obviously the feeling of weirdness would be understandable.

    Maybe people with epilepsy or schizophrenia are more prone to experience the world with a ‘Dr. Manhattan’ POV 🙂

    —–
    It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
    It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

    Red Pill Junkie

    1. Deja Vu
      I would postulate that humans have genetic memory. Our ancestor’s memories are physically implanted into our DNA at the moment of conception. To my mind, Deja Vu is simply our mind finding a way to access that stored data. We get a momentary glimpse through the eyes of one of our ancestors. That’s the reason it all seems so real, because at some time in the past, it was.

      Respects,
      Gwedd

  3. Earth Hour/Mirth Hour
    My neighbors and I made a point of turning on every light in our houses to protest the idiocy of “Earth Hour”. The street looked like Christmas! All this stupid idea of “Earth Hour” shows is that the Great Gorical and his climate-change snake oil salesmen can dance a lot of human lemmings around at his pleasure. The man left his own spotlights on at his Tennessee home, you know? Couldn’t be bothered to turn off the multi-thousand candle power lamps he uses to illuminate his property.

    The impact of humans upon climate change is right up there with other fairey tales, and I refuse to restrain my lifestyle because of the pathetic rants of a bunch of neo-luddite dirt worshipers.

    Respects,
    Gwedd

    1. not this year, but
      The last time this was advertised, 1 or 2 years ago, I treated is as the hour of power. I turned on everything that would not burn down the house, and then I left so that it was useless.

      —-
      It is not how fast you go
      it is when you get there.

      1. I really don’t know what to say to such flippancy
        Your gestures and comments about this global energy problem. And the disregard you have for others is just cold and nasty! You have no idea how good you have it. And how little others have.

        1. How little others have
          Perhaps if some of the “less well off” others were to risk there lives for freedom they might well be able to advance their personal well being. As history has repeatedly shown, those nations that prosper most are the ones whose citizens take control of their governments so that they have the freedom to pursue their futures.

          Not one single free nation has ever experienced starvation. In every case where it has occurred, in the past century, it is because food was used as a weapon by a tyrannical and/or despotic regime.

          I am all for lending a hand up, but I am through supporting hand outs to other peoples and nations who fail to see the advantage of advancing past the status quo.

          The worst abomination, though, is the United Nations which acts an enabling agent to ensure that misery and poverty remain at current levels so as to be able to suck in tens of billions of dollars to waste om graft and corruption. UN forces have repeatedly demonstrated that their primary skills include rape and sexual abuse of children.

          When the “third world” nations act in some manner to throw off the yokes of their oppressors, to denounce mysoginistic religious practices, and work to take control of their collective futures, then helping hands ought to be offered. Until then, I refuse to be a part of enabling the status quo.

          Respects,
          Gwedd

          1. Gwedd you may be the Status Quo
            Millions went hungry (and starved) during the great depression in this “free country”. And millions go hungry every night in our “free country” today. Many now are living in tent cities. Starvation may begin again in this “free country” Might want to volunteer more in your own community and see that need around you, I do! You must be the change you wish to be in the world. We must walk our talk. But then again maybe you do volunteer, and give to your community. I just believe your view point is simplistic. There are more people living in poverty in the free country of the US then there were 8 years ago. And I have not seen any UN reps roaming the streets.

            And are you confusing the UN with the Catholic Church;)?

            I just know I have a lot. And giving to family, friends, and my fellow man, does me no harm. I’m not leaving this planet with any more stuff then when I got here. If turning off lights in a symbolic gesture, makes you mad. Fine. If nothing else I saved a few pennies on my electric bill.

        2. beahving reasonably
          My individual energy consumption is actually quite low. All year, not just for one hour. Because I behave reasonably all year.

          So I don’t like to be lectured by organizations who have no idea what I am doing.

          Furthermore, the eco movements are now so established as political organizations, they will never accept that any solutions can be found, other than sitting in the dark.

          Bladerunner, I do know how rich we are. If you have a place to stay, enough to eat, and nobody is shooting at you – well, you are doing above average.

          —-
          It is not how fast you go
          it is when you get there.

          1. It’s always the same
            Always in the history of the world, the few people that are mindful of doing the right thing are punished by the actions of the people who don’t give a sh*t.

            Here in Mexico, it is mandatory to take your car to a certified verification center every six months to assert that the engine maintains a reasonable level of pollutants emission. Failure to comply results in a very steep fine.

            Also, automobiles that are over 10 years old are not allowed to circulate every day of the week, no matter how efficient or pollutant-free the engine is.

            So it’s always a question that if you don’t do something for the good of the rest voluntarily, sooner or later the powers at be will force you to comply.

            Nobody here is saying that Earth Hour should be mandatory, just as nobody is suggesting your should just play along for that one short hour with the green-heads and just forget about the environment during the other 364 days.

            I think the crux of this idea is to test just how united we people can become to a common goal without the need of government or institutional coercion.

            Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to join it because you think you’re already doing more than your share to address the problem of Climate Change and the energy crisis. It’s fine to object a movement; I for example reject many of the premises of the Mexican Teleton, that ever year seeks to gather millions to aid people with cerebral palsy— my objection lies in the sense that there could be other causes and groups in equal right to deserve the kind of media attention this particular event receives.

            But I also think that just thinking this is all just a ‘fascist scam’ to brainwash the gullible masses into believing the fake threats of global warming is disingenuous.

            Just because Al Gore might be an a**hole, doesn’t give us the right to dismiss the problem altogether. If we’re looking for causes that are spearheaded by saint-like perfect individuals, we might end up disappointed, as there are no such individuals.

            What there are, are just causes.

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          2. thinking and praying and doing
            Well everyone, I actually do things.

            I am not much of a follower, nor I am a leader. I would not even go so far as calling myself an individualist.

            I am just me, and I do what I consider is in the best interest of humanity. Or course also was is in the best interest of my survival.

            However if there is some organization, such as a political party, or a church, or an environmental movement who demand that I follow an abritrary ritual – they can put it where the sun don’t shine.

            Which is perhaps appropriate with the hour of no light 😉

            —-
            It is not how fast you go
            it is when you get there.

          3. ‘Demand’ being the operative word here…
            As far as I know, no one ‘demanded’ that everyone turned off their lights that day.

            It was ‘encouraged’, ‘asked’, ‘pleaded’, ‘promoted’, etc. But there were no death threats involved 🙂

            PS: On that particular day my family was celebrating my sister’s birthday. We turned off the lights, the TV and the stereo. My father even wnt outside to turn off the breaker switch. And yes, we did feel a bit like idiots considering the rest of the neighbors kept the blasting sound of a nearby party.

            And I confess: We didn’t even manage to make it to the full hour—GASP!— by the 50th minute my dad went out again and turned all the lights back on. So maybe Al Gore doesn’t think too highly of me right now… dear God! 😛

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          4. practice
            Well my point is this:

            The Eco-Hour people preach, for a ceremony of one hour per year or so.

            I practice all year.

            So I do in fact reserve the right to make fun of these people.

            —-
            It is not how fast you go
            it is when you get there.

          5. Ok, but
            You would like the rest of us to follow in your example, of less preach and more action, would you not?

            And how would that be accomplished, if those all-to-rare occasions when people do get together and do want to participate, are criticized?

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          6. carnival
            To be sure I am not an ascetic, nor am I a saint.

            My point is that I behave half-way responsible all the time. Well, almost.

            So I don’t accept being criticized when I, in turn am critical of people who are only responsible on special occasions.

            On the other hand the crowd who sits in the dark for 60 minutes on Earth Hour are similar to the crowd who gets drunk on St. Patrick’s Day or New Years Eve.

            When they have no idea what the meaning is for these occasions, or the purpose.

            So this particular fake behave-yourself occasion is my personal carnival.

            Besides, I have only done that once, and looking at my energy bill, nobody kows the difference.

            —-
            It is not how fast you go
            it is when you get there.

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