Who do you thank for being spared?

I appreciate Cynical-Chris’ response to the above video:

Thanking a god for surviving a tragedy when other people died is the height of religious solipsism.

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Don’t eat hot dogs and other conspiracy theories

A friend on Facebook posted this article on the Institute for Natural Healing’s interpretation of a World Cancer Research Fund article that suggests that processed meat consumption causes certain kinds of cancer.

The Natural Healing article reports:

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has completed a detailed review of more than 7,000 clinical studies covering links between diet and cancer.¹ Bottom line: Processed meats are too dangerous for human consumption. Consumers should stop buying and eating all processed meat products for the rest of their lives.

Later, Natural Healing updates their article with a response to World Cancer’s response saying:

The World Cancer Research Fund caught wind of our article. Thanks to everyone who has been spreading the word! As they put it, they were “in no way involved in the production of the article.” And they weren’t. We read their review and drew the only logical, possible conclusion. Their official response… “The articles talking about processed meat being ‘too dangerous for human consumption’ are unhelpful and scaremongering.” Yet in the very same online post, they tell you to avoid processed meat because it can cause bowel cancer! We’re sorry. But if a food is directly linked to 4,000 cases of bowel cancer in the UK alone (according to their stats), it is indeed “too dangerous for human consumption.”

I get all of this. I see that you shouldn’t eat too much red meat. Avoid processed meats.

It’s not rocket science. My doctor recommends the same thing.

What Natural Healing does is scaremongering. No bones about it.

Even the comments are loaded with people claiming to be scientists and biologists who chastise the writers of the article for unfounded declarations.

Just after the post on facebook with this article, there was another guy who posted this one called, “Why rational people buy into conspiracy theories.“

Instead, the amygdala jump-starts the rest of the brain into analytical overdrive — prompting repeated reassessments of information in an attempt to create a coherent and understandable narrative, to understand what just happened, what threats still exist and what should be done now. This may be a useful way to understand how, writ large, the brain’s capacity for generating new narratives after shocking events can contribute to so much paranoia in this country.

As humans, we search for “truths”. Hell, Talulah searches for truths. If every day I ask her to drop the ball at a certain spot that she’s never dropped it before, she starts dropping it there without me asking.

We search for repetition and meaning.

We are Pavlov’s dogs.

We’re also damn good at doing things that aren’t good for us, whether we know they are or not.

Read up on the two articles above and let me know what you’re response is.

another day, another photograph

photo shoot today resulted in something like this.

Love these guys.

 

The timing of posting this photo of Judy Garland and Liza as a baby seems odd

 

After the tornado earlier this week, seeing this photo posted at I have seen the whole of the Internet stirred something in my being. The tornado in the Wizard of Oz transported Dorothy to a magical place of wonder and (dis)allusion [self-sic].

Isn’t it weird that the science camp has been saying that weird weather and more severe storms is evidence of global warming.

While some with religious views are validated by old manuscripted ideas that there will be more storms in the end times.

I wish those people affected in Oaklahoma were transported to a magical place without witches or flying monkeys … and definitely not lions, or tigers, or bears …

Oh my.

 

 

52-stories above Chicago

Fifty-two stories high, city noises fade and vistas expand. Chicago, June 1967.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES L. STANFIELD, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

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How do you confuse a liberal? The answer is easy!

As you already know, we were traveling over the weekend in Texas.

Going into the trip, I knew my views conflicted with some of Bill’s friends’ views. It’s neither here nor there. I’m used to having views that conflict. I’m not a believer. Most people are. I am a liberal. Lots of people in Texas are not.

And while I have people in my family who openly convey their views and act on their faith and religion, I willfully decline expression unless it’s on this blog. It’s not worth it.

I guess you can say by abstaining from belief practices, I’m practicing my world view. I disagree, though. I go to church when I’m with a church goer. I bow my head and say amen with a prayerful person.

So this weekend was no different than spending it with some of my North Carolina or even my Michigan family.

I thought maybe something would come up that would cause me to retaliate. For the most part, the trip was tame.

I wasn’t nearby when one guy — who had just arrived about 10 minutes previous — was sitting with several Chicago folks including Tina.

Suddenly I heard, “Whoa!!!” and “Oh my goodness!” I think there was a “Wow!!!” Then I heard someone say, “There is no political discussion this weekend.”

Apparently one guy had asked, “Do you know how to confuse a liberal?” And the answer was “With reason and logic.”

Tina was the one that said, “Whoa!!!” Our host was the one who said, “There will be no political discussions this weekend.”

It bothered me that a stranger would walk into a room of Chicagoans and within 10 minutes, make a joke about their potential views. That doesn’t seem very reasoned or logical. If you want to make friends, it seems one would try a little harder.

Take this other guy for example. He waited an entire 24-hours before putting on his t-shirt that read “Infidel” in both Arabic and English. “Nice T-shirt,” I said when I read it.

“Thanks,” he said with a smirk. “We don’t take to their kind around here.”

I assumed their kind was referring to Muslims and here was a deserted location 20 miles from civilization.

We almost started a conversation, but all the Chicago folks let it slide. There was talk of killing muslims, and even then, we rolled our eyes.

For the most part, the Texans were proud of their heritage and made no bones about their gun-lovin’ ways. And why not? They were in the safety of 25,000 acres of country lovin’, white-majority, male-dominated, scorpion-infested, snake-ridden land.

I have to point out that shooting guns is fun. If I lived there, I would consider owning one. Maybe one of those pink 38-Specials. Light weight and the color of my belly.

I feel a little guilty because at one point, a Chicagoan sat down to shoot a sniper rifle. When we saw he was left handed, everyone jabbed him with a comment or two about being a leftie or south pawed.

As it grew quiet, I said, “You know, Nick, you’re going to hell.”

I sensed a little “Huh” moment from our Texan compadres, but no one responded verbally.

It’s no mystery that lefties are hell-bound. Just like me, apparently.

Of course, I am a confused liberal. I’m dimwitted and support unpopular views. Or something.

Tina took the above graffiti photo in a restaurant outside of Dallas. Love how it reflects accurately the oppositional views found in our southern states. You don’t find many people around here who do not accept evolution.

I’ll leave you with this: how do you confuse a conservative? You can’t. They’re cocksure they’re right.

Whoever’s in charge of nature is a jerk

Image via NY times. Click image to see more of Mother Nature’s destruction.

Mother Nature — whoever that is – killed 51 (fifty-fucking-one) people using a mile-wide tornado near Oklahoma City. Seven of them were children.

Seven.

People who kill children are considered monsters.

Seven.

One is too many.

Seven.

S E V E N. 

Story here. 

More destruction photos proving jerkiness here.

****UPDATE****

The death toll has been lowered to 24.

Still too many.

But still.

Deep in the Heart … Texas Photo Essay Day 1, part 1

Over the weekend, Tina and I flew out to Texas.

This will be the beginning of a few part photo essay.

Enjoy!

Monday nooner: Chicks with Guns … a coffee-table book

“Chicks with Guns,” a picture book by Lindsay McCrum.

Sold where all fine literature isn’t.

Honk, honk. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.

It’s quite the book. Flip through at the link above.

Finally, a book on witchcraft I can use

Learning something new keeps the mind fit and active.

Why not a book on Practical Witchcraft today called, “How to hurt people”?

I mean, seriously.

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