Woohoo!

What a great night! I now live in a blue state! Finally, we'll get to see some real leadership in this country. At long, long last, we can move forward on a new energy economy, peace through diplomacy and soft power, a real health care system, broader educational opportunities, a new corporate and government ethic, and bringing science and technology back to prominence.

Going Down

It's been fun, but this blog is clearly comatose. It may (or may not) wake up some sunny day.

The Worth A Click links (over in the right panel) will continue to update whenever I find something out there that's funny or interesting (to me). The easiest way to see those, though, is by picking up their RSS feed (to see them on your homepage, for example, rather than coming back to the blog). I'd be happy to help you arrange that, for those so desirin'.

Bye bye, blog blog!

What happened in New Hampshire?

How could it be that, with Obama's double digit lead in the polls going into Tuesday's primaries, he ended up losing the state? Three possibilities are suspect, all strange:

1. Hillary's "human moment" (see it on youtube) turned the tide overnight. Admired by some, derided as "Nixonian self-pity" by others, when you parse out the sub-populations it does appear possible that she truly moved women to suddenly change their vote. A pollster has shown that the discrepancy between earlier polls and the final result is concentrated in the group of educated women voters. I guess it's not too crazy to imagine that these ladies suddenly felt some gender solidarity and voted with their hearts. I guess that wouldn't be too terrible, either.
2. But what if she didn't really win? In a developing story, questions are being raised about significant discrepancies between machine-counted and hand-counted votes—more than enough to have changed the result. For now it's just a blogosphere conspiracy, but if there's even a kernel of truth to it we should all fear for American democracy. N.H. was, after all, using the infamous Diebold Accuvote© system. I'm glad, at least, the machines were decertified in Colorado.
3. And finally, a pundit has demonstrated how the order of candidates on the primary ballots probably had a 3% effect. Apparently the order had historically been randomized precinct to precinct, but this time was uniform and alphabetical, with Clinton near the top of the ballot statewide. Hey, now that's not fair!

Bottom line: those crazy granite heads...!

Edit (Thursday):
Mom raises a very interesting point in the comments about race and gender in the election—worth a lot of thought and discussion. One of my reactions happens to be in the form of yet another strange possibility that should be added to the list above. This possibility is a bit disturbing, but it's common enough to have a name (the Bradley effect): it is the phenomenon of people claiming they would vote for a black candidate in public polls but, in the privacy of a voting booth, would not (and do not). If that's what happened, well, let's just say I'd rather be called a cheese head than a granite head. If it messes with your head like it does mine, check out the Reverse Bradley Effect and the Reverse Bradley Effect Variation (holy race and gender, Batman).

The Posse

It's a bit disturbing that a project such as the American Freedom Campaign really needs to exist these days. Their raison d'être is summed up in the following pledge (which you may sign at their website):

We are Americans, and in our America we do not torture, we do not imprison people without charge or legal remedy, we do not tap people's phones and emails without a court order, and above all we do not give any President unchecked power. I pledge to fight to protect and defend the Constitution from assault by any President.

Yet it appears that such assertions must no longer be taken for granted.

If you doubt its necessity, you might consider watching this talk by author Naomi Wolf, called "10 Steps to Fascism" (48 minutes long). She discusses not only examples of these "10 Steps" in history's most famous fascist states, but also, more relevantly, points to manifestations of them here and now. (You may prefer to read her article.) The first 4 in this recipe are

1. invoke fear (terrorism?)
2. create a prison system outside of the rule of law (Guantanamo?)
3. create a paramilitary force (Blackwater?)
4. create a surveilence apparatus over citizens

A disturbing example of step 3, which has not been covered in mainstream media nor even discussed by Congress, is known as "Presidential Directive 51," and was signed by President Bush in May of this year. This directive (to the degree that it is public, being partially classified) provides for continuity of federal government and preparation for martial law in the event of some "extraordinary disruption" to civil society. The directive (along with the Military Commissions Act and the Warner Defense Authorization Act) abridges, among other things, the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which forbade the military from acting as law enforcement. (That Act, Wikipedia explains, is also the origin of the "Sheriff's posse" of the Old West.) The Act's intention was to ensure that the federal government patrol only the nation's borders, letting the states take care of their own territories. Now Bush and Cheney will take care of you when they decide to declare martial law.

Our only alternative is to remember and reinforce the principle that governments must be subordinate to their citizens. As Thomas Paine wrote,

It has been thought... that government is a compact between those who govern and those who are governed; but this cannot be true, because it is putting the effect before the cause; for as man must have existed before governments existed, there necessarily was a time when governments did not exist, and consequently there could originally exist no governors to form such a compact with. The fact therefore must be, that the individuals themselves, each in his own personal and sovereign right, entered into a compact with each other to produce a government: and this is the only mode in which governments have a right to arise, and the only principle on which they have a right to exist.

Or then again, maybe we'd be better off if we just let someone else make the laws.

On a personal note: thanks, Paulsons, for giving us a great Thanksgiving! Here are few photos (sorry, didn't take many). It'd be great, Erik, if you could share yours...! Just upload them to picasa or flickr or something. Barbara and I are doing fine. The magic of modern medicine has been of little help so far in our effort to make a baby, so we're turning instead to the magic of mystical power stones (or any other alternative that pops up). We just watched a pretty good movie on DVD. You've probably already seen it -- can you guess what it is from this quote?

"Tell me, do you think there's anything wrong with your mind, really?"
"Not a thing, Doc. I'm a goddamn marvel of modern science."

I got a ticket for the holidaze—home from Dec 21 to Jan 1!

Bob Sfougarakis Tetragonopantelonis

That, apparently, is what the Greeks call Spongebob.

So, I'm thinking every other week makes more sense for posting to this blog. I'm starting to figure this out. I have to find the balance between (1) wanting to write about ideas and politics and all things interesting, (2) not having a lot of time to write, and (3) not having much of an audience (thanks, Erik and Cliff for visiting).

It's sad but true that I've been working a lot, with little free time. I really want to find a job and lifestyle that allows for some relaxation, reading, drinking, hanging, and that sort of stuff. But I'm still giving this job some "settling in" time, allowing myself to work a bit harder now until I learn how to do it more efficiently. Barbara works a lot, too, but should be much better off next semester. If things don't ease up, we still have Plan B: move up to the mountains and raise goats.

We had a little Halloween here. Handed out candy to the kids. Barbara was Little Red Riding Hood and I was, um, a woman. I had a hard time answering the question 'who are you?' because I was really just a dude done up in his wife's dress and makeup. Easy costume (except, that is, for the torture of rubbing a charcoal pencil in my eye -- how the hell do the ladies do it?), and fun to get in touch with my feminine side (shoulda seen me dance). Here are a couple of photos of that (along with a couple from the CU football game yesterday, when some Navy jets did a flyover for Veteran's Day).

I'd love to see the kids in their Halloween getups. Please post some photos (Chris and Erik)!

On an unrelated note, I read a nice article the other day that helped clear up some of the misinformation that's flying around with respect to tax policy. Statistics, as they say, are damned lies, and taxes and spending numbers can be spun into any argument. So to help out, here are five hard facts that should set the tone for a healthy debate:

• As a group, the rich pay a greater share of taxes than in the past.
• The affluent are paying more of the taxes because they're making so much more money.
• Corporate taxes have dropped significantly in recent decades.
• The nation's total tax bill hasn't changed much over the years.
• The budget deficit is worse than either party says it is.

The full article, explaining these statements, is worth the read; you can see it here.

On a related note, the New York Times has recently abandoned its subscription-only columnist section. They're all free now. I would highly recommend checking out Paul Krugman's articles -- great liberal fodder. This one, from last week, is particularly nice: Fearing Fear Itself.

You know, a great way to keep up on what Krugman (or others) write -- without having to check the NY Times (or whatever) website -- is to use an RSS reader (Google's reader is best). You can also use it to see updates to all the blogs you keep up with (well, at least Cliff's and mine, right?, or maybe a funny cartoon). It's very easy to do. Just set up the RSS Reader (check out reader.google.com), then when you visit a blog you'll see the RSS symbol near the webpage's address (it's the orange square with a white dot and two arcs in it -- see it up there?). Click that symbol and you can have the blog/column appear in Google Reader only when it updates, along with all your other subscriptions. If you use the iGoogle homepage, you can see them right there too. Very convenient.

Ok, I've written too much. We'll be home in two weeks!

Snow

It snowed today! Five flakes, but hey, nuf to get me excited. And that is it for today. (I don't know if I can keep this up, Mom.)

And now for something completely different...

A short while ago, Terry Jones (one of the Monty Python crew) visted Boulder and presented his film Life of Brian, "a motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilized world, and severely annoy the other third." Barbara and I went to see the movie (again) and to hear him talk about its production and other things Python. He had some funny stories. He talked about how Brian was banned in some places, including Norway. Apparently that was good for Swedish theatres -- they would advertise it as "the movie too funny to be shown in Norway!" Jones was, among many other roles, Brian's mother, Sir Bedevere in the Holy Grail ( "and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped") and, of course, the man with three buttocks.

That movie has generated some interesting conversation. Barbara laughed when she saw it and brought it home for her (far more conservative and life-long Catholic) parents to see. Her dad was not impressed. Chris has argued convincingly that the Mary's virgin pregnancy was more likely similar to that of Brian's mother: a rape that could not be acknowledged. (Correct me, Chris, if you've been misrepresented.) I've always thought that the way Brian ends up as Messiah (inadvertently having to perform with the local crop of prophets) was probably a fair depiction of the people's starvation for some spiritual guidance -- a ground so fertile that Jebus could found a religion that would last two thousand years.

Ok, that's my mental expurgation for the week. And now, for something completely different, I will leave you with this curiosity: lift a foot and make clockwise circles with it; now write the number six in the air; ohmygod, your foot is now rotating counterclockwise!

Hello again

I was kind of giving up on this blog thing when an actual reader said I should post again. Wow! (Thanks, Mom.)

It's been busy here as Barbara and I figure out our new jobs. She's teaching three senior-level Spanish classes, preparing them from scratch. I'm learning how students learn Physics. The project I'm working on (called PhET) has been getting plenty of attention (including a recent award), so that's exciting.

Politics are getting more interesting as the primaries begin to loom. I'm still open to all candidates, but the only sign I have is "Obama 08!" I guess I also still have some Kucinich memorabilia from 2004. Hillary has come out with a great health care plan (essentially Edwards' plan, but that's a good one). She has scared me a bit with her belligerence toward Iran. Does she have to prove she's as tough as the single-minded Giuliani? Unlike Rudy, Obama has stopped wearing the American flag lapel pin, noticing that it had become "a substitute for true patriotism."

Here's an idea: find out who your candidate really is by answering some simple questions about your opinions, then learn who is aligned with you. You can do it at this site. You may be surprised!

Ok, I realize I can't complain about having no readers if I have no content. So I'll try to do my part. I'll probably post on weekends. If you do read this, you might consider leaving a comment so I know I'm not speaking to the Void. In the meantime, the links over on the panel at the right ("worth a click") should update almost daily. I link there to funny and interesting stuff I run across out on the wild interwebs.

Till the next post, oh Void!

Here's to Our Health

I thought I'd write here about (what I believe is) the biggest issue of the 2008 elections: national health care. It is outrageous to me that the US spends far more per capita on health care than any other developed nation, all of whom have universal health care, and yet we do not provide basic care (let alone preventative care) to millions of our citizens.

It's a simple matter of principle: our health should not be contingent on companies making a buck. The capitalist system (which happens to be Giuliani's "solution") does not work for this industry, just as we know it doesn't work for fire and police services. (See all the candidates' positions here.) On a personal note, I've been extra wrangled about this issue since Barbara and I have been dropping a good deal of money on IUI here in Berkeley.

There are thousands of horror stories about our broken system, but I'll just point out one interesting fact (from this study): it seems that although Americans were the "tallest in the world between colonial times and the middle of the 20th century," we have now "become shorter (and fatter) than Western and Northern Europeans. In fact, the U.S. population is currently at the bottom end of the height distribution in advanced industrial countries." The significance is that "height is indicative of how well the human organism thrives in its socioeconomic environment." Looking for why, the authors suspect the poor "health-care system, as well as the relatively weak welfare safety net." Like it or not, we now have to look up to the Europeans.

So what is the obstacle to change? A fantastically wealthy industry (especially Big Pharma) spreading fear of universal coverage.

I happen to have a copy of Michael Moore's new documentary, Sicko, and will mail a DVD out to Paulson headquarters in Amery. Although the film is a bit propagandistic (not as bad as Fahrenheit 9-11), I think it pushes the right buttons. I hope you see it and share it and get people thinking about the issue. If anyone else reading this would like a copy, drop me an email and I'll send you a DVD in the mail. Here's a little gem I pulled from the film: a 50 second audio clip of a famous actor warning of the dire consequences of government controlled medicine.

The economist (and NY Times columnist) Paul Krugman concludes that "this is a test. The only things standing in the way of universal health care are the fear-mongering and influence-buying of interest groups. If we can’t overcome those forces here, there’s not much hope for America’s future."

Back to Boogaloo

Just wanted to post here to say that the job offer in Boulder came through, so Barbara and I will be moving back there at the end of August. Feelings about it are mixed... we love Boulder but we also would have liked to try something new. Berkeley has been beddy beddy good to us. Now only two months remain if you'd like to come on out and visit the beautiful Bay Area! I also wanted to say that my in-laws had a smashing time here in the US of A. Photographic evidence follows. (Well, not literally 'smashing', nor is there proof of anything being actually 'smashed', suffice it to say that the photos do demonstrate a...) (GET ON WITH IT!) (...oh yes, the photos. Here they are.)

Wedding Video

In my first attempt at video editing, I put together most of the video that Chris (and others) filmed for our wedding along with some photos. Here's the result. It's 22 minutes long, and breaks down as follows: Part 1: Ceremony (starts at 0:00) Part 2: Congratulations (starts at 7:22) Part 3: Celebration (starts at 13:00) Part 4: New Year's Day (starts at 20:30)

Google Map "street view"

Have ya seen? Google maps (the one that does the satellite view and directions and stuff) has added a new feature called "street view" for some of the bigger city streets and roads. You can virtually head up and down the streets, looking either way at the buildings and folks. You can, for example, check out the taqueria I had lunch at today in Berkeley (and wander up to campus from there, if you like). Some people have been debating the privacy issues, others have been trying to spot the cars that are taking all the photos for the map. Coming soon to a neighborhood near you... Here's a short (rather silly) video demo of the feature. (The funniest part of that video is the way he says "Aw, Man!" the same way I say it when quoting Dad quoting Andrew.) And here's a gallery of (accidentally) interesting photos taken by the project.

Bay Area Photos

Wedding Photos

Compiled by Bárbara

Navidades Wisconsin

Canoes on the Namekagon

Photos from Summer, 2006

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