Amazing Blue Marble

Lunar Earth View

GARDEN PLANET

Humans, egotists that we are, make much of us -- our evolution. There are some things almost as remarkable, happening in the background that we take for granted. We’ve given so much focus to the actors, we’ve paid no attention to the stage itself. And what a remarkable stage it is. Here are some factors that make this planet so unusual, in ways unusually good for life:

 We have a binary planet system – with a satellite moon a third as large as Earth
 The moon gives us ocean tides which contribute to tectonic plate shift and continental drift
 The preceding gives us continents, which give us land life
 The moon also helps to give Earth a 24 hour rotation period, evening the temperature and creating diurnal living systems
 Relative constant temperature, averaging @ 70 degrees, and a moderate 1 atmosphere of pressure
 Enough volcanic activity to initially create a thick atmosphere, which itself long ago condensed into a life-giving saltwater ocean that now covers 75% of the planet.
 A strong magnetosphere - blocks solar wind, helps contain the atmosphere
 80% Nitrogen/ 20% oxygen atmosphere that sustains plant and animal life
 Mountain formations, that give us a fresh water cycle
 Clouds which distribute water and block UV rays
 Deciduous trees, whose discarded leaves provide a natural fertilizer, top soil and blanket warmth for winter seasons

And there are many other things beyond what’s listed here – things we take for granted. Life processes affect some of these things – such as air composition and topsoil conditions. But several of the above phenomena preceded the appearance of life on Earth – moon, oceans, magnetosphere. Other things are independent of life processes, but greatly influence life’s evolution – such as land mass formation and fresh water cycles. It’s almost as if the planet were specially designed with life in mind. In fact, the happy circumstances that led to this are unlikely to happen by accident, or even at all.

A HAPPY ACCIDENT?

Believe in constructive accidents if you want, but my own intuition is that design was more a factor than good fortune. The early Earth was an identical twin to Venus as it is now – a nasty cauldron of high-pressure heat. The conditions leading to life were as unlikely in one setting as the other. But Earth became the amazing, blue marble while Venus continues to boil. If you believe in intelligent design, it’s not a much further step to say that God designed life’s setting as well as life itself.

An inspiration for this article is “The Ages of Gaia” by James Lovelock. His take is that the Earth is itself like an organism, but one that came about by a throw of the dice. I myself see a more direct intelligence involved, but people who have a more agnostic or Darwinian approach may find Lovelock’s book an excellent read. Whatever the case, Earth is amazing. This gorgeous planet came about – somehow – and its mysteries are as profound as the mysteries surrounding the animals and humans that now populate it.

Embrace Your Inner Trash

Does that thing got a hemi?

I have to agree with what Ann Landers once said. Class has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with how you carry yourself. Along the same lines, "white trash" is not a designation conferred by lack of money -- but a status conferred by behavior. There are matters of both style and substance, which can help make this determination. I have two categories -- one is major red flags, and one is warning indicators. I myself must be somewhat trashy, because I fit several of the minor indicators. Not trying to horn in on Jeff Foxworthy’s routine, here are my trash flags:

MAJOR RED FLAGS

1) Modular housing - If your house was manufactured, enough said
2) Ownership of pit bull dog; also ownership of any farm animal (sheep, rooster, goat) as a pet
3) Pickup truck equipped with: fog lights, roll bar, mud flaps, gun rack, confederate flag, or ultra high suspension; also Ford F250 or F350, when you didn't even need a Ford F150.
4) Mullet hair style, tattoos before they were even popular
5) Indoor furniture, appliances, old cars or other objects inappropriate to a front yard, in the front yard
6) Credit card viewed as free money; charged up to the max and only 'minimum amount due' ever paid.
7) Holding beer, unless asleep or eating.
8) Smoking cigarette, unless asleep or eating.
9) Complicated relationships with ex, current and future spouses

MINOR FLAGS

1) Processed food, spray-on cheese in pantry
2) Lazee Boy recliner
3) Artwork that is singing bass or dogs playing poker
4) Furniture with laminate surface, couches with Herculon ™ or other artificial fabrics
5) Most clothes bought at: Wal Mart, Target, Sam's, Kohl's, Mervin's or Academy Surplus
6) Wallpaper in every room (helps if it clashes), signs with religious slogans on wall or throw pillows
7) Fake flowers and fake ficus trees
8) Pet dander and dust bunnies everywhere

I myself fall guilty to items 1, 4, 5 and 8 under 'minor flags'. It is hard to extricate all the signs of trashiness, and be totally tasteful. I know a couple of people that escape all these flags, and they bore the hell out of me. Visiting their homes, I feel like I'm at a museum with yellow taped furniture. The overall message to glean from all this is to be yourself, be unpretentious and embrace your inner hillbilly. Life is too short to be emotionally constipated, prim and proper. Far better to commit the occasional faux pas, and relax. And that relaxed trashy person -- if it's congruent with who you really are -- is the best person of all.

The Company We Keep

It's raining cats and dogs

Today's blog is offbeat, and that's how I like them. Am contemplating those companion animals that we call pets. For most of the Western world, dogs and cats are our pets of choice. There is a cultural aspect to this, because in China and Indonesia dogs and cats are food; crickets are pets. In western culture, we have many other pets – gerbils, parrots, and goldfish – but with a few exceptions, nothing that is as universally liked or accepted as dogs and cats. Also hardly any other such animals that we allow to roam freely in our houses and yards outside of a cage. It is interesting that our closest relatives in the animal kingdom – monkeys and apes, are not even close to pet status. Apes terrify humans, and must be kept in highly secure enclosures; monkeys (e.g., squirrel monkeys) can be kept as pets by a few brave souls, but are disruptive and difficult to house train.

Still other animals – raccoons, ferrets, and skunks, have some of the personality that we like but have kept some of their wild ways – they may run, burrow, attack, put out scents and do other things we can’t do indoors. And so – we are left with dogs and cats. What is interesting about dogs and cats is that they’re diminutive, cute versions of animals that would just as soon eat us for dinner (wolves and lions, that is). Nature dialed it way back, and gave us small, cute versions of the carnivores whose fierceness we so admire. Dogs discovered early on that they ate a lot better when they followed human encampments and scavenged the carrion brought down by humans. Cats likewise discovered that human grain repositories were a great place to catch mice. The less threatening (i.e., small and cute) renditions of these carnivores became our adored pets.

There seems to be a gender affiliation with cats and dogs. Dogs are trainable and used for hunting. Cats are graceful and aloof, hardly ever assigned to specific tasks other than maybe catching rodents in a barn. Look at Redbook or Martha Stewart Living – the pages will overflow with cat food ads. Look at male-oriented hobby magazines and you’re more likely to see ads for Alpo dog food. The gender association is very ingrained, even in our language. Women are said to have catfights or be catty. Witches were once thought to morph back and forth into cats. And a vulgar slang for the female anatomy is none other than a cat synonym. (Need I mention Pussy Galore from Goldfinger?) On the other hand, a bad real estate investment is a “dog” and an unkind woman is a “bitch”.

Could it be that maybe these two species represent some of our own character extremes? Women with flame red nail polish and cabaret eye makeup can indeed evoke a feline spirit. A group of men wearing sweats, guzzling beer and watching sports together calls to mind a canine pack. And so … maybe cats and dogs are more universal than we thought. The gender-species connection is intriguing – I’m dogged by the possibilities. How to cat-egorize these groups, I’m not so sure. All I can say is, the animal you hold in your lap is saying much more than “woof” or “meow”. The company we keep, whether it has two or four legs, might say something much more profound about us.

The South Has Risen Again

Robert E. Lee

In 2004, we elected George W. Bush, a very conservative man, to a second term of office. In spite of Bush's duplicity about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, slow and too-measured responses to terrorism and 9/11, flagging economy, etc, Americans decisively returned him to office. His opponent John Kerry gave a muddled, sometimes contradictory response to how he would handle Iraq. Perhaps more significant, John Kerry did not fit the profile of Democrats who have won since Dixiecrats started merging into the GOP, circa 1964. Here is that profile:

- Hails from a former Confederate State
- Mainstream Protestant (Baptist or Methodist)
- Anglo
- Speaks with a decided southern or southwestern accent, slightly folksy
- Centrist approach to politics

LBJ, Carter and Clinton all fit this profile -- centrist Southern, pro-business "regular guys". Non-Southerners like Kerry and Dukakis seem to have style impediments at the outset. Oddly, the only chance that non-Southerners now have at the Oval Office is within the Republican Party. Republicans can hail from a wider geographic range because their motives are not "suspect"; Republican candidates are not viewed as likely to give away the store or initiate big spending programs. Interesting to note, the general public went along with many of the social buttressing and big spending programs started by presidents (most of them Democratic) prior to the late 60's:

- Social Security
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- FDIC
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Interstate highway system
- NASA, Moon program

Unfortunately, where the Democrats started to lose altitude was in race-related issues of the 1960's. The following are also initiatives started primarily under Democratic administrations, and which create acrimony even to this day:

- Affirmative Action
- School Integration
- Food stamps
- Civil Rights Act
- EEOC
- Fair Housing Act
- Section 8 Housing

In the Reconstruction South, the Ku Klux Klan avowed, "The South will rise again", as they terrorized carpetbaggers and black people. That's an echo no one wants to hear. When you review the history books, it's true that the North had a decisive military victory over the South in 1865. Much of the South was laid waste, and then it was occupied over the next decade. But if victory is measured by changes of heart or attitude, Robert E. Lee is riding high in 2005. Lip service is given to civil rights, but when push comes to shove, even in northern states, a racial status quo is preferred to any social engineering legislation. Unfortunately, from the standpoint of evolving race relations, the advancement of minorities will probably be at a slower pace -- not by any legislated mandate.

WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO - POLITICALLY SPEAKING

The Democratic Party is currently lost - no telling if it can ever find itself again. Howard Dean was made chairman and the liberal lightening rod, Hillary Clinton, is seen as the front runner for 2008. The Southern centrist formula has been lost in the shuffle. My own prediction is that Republicans will probably reign for another 4 or 5 administrations. The mindset of the country seems to be toward conservatism, and the 9/11 attack only cements it. We now actually have a Republican president who adheres somewhat to my Southern formula above. (George W. wouldn't exactly qualify as centrist, and his family is actually from the Northeast). Democrats are steering in the wrong direction to regain ground any time soon. So for moderate liberals like me, is there any hope at all? Yes - probably in the liberal wing of the GOP. But I'm loath to join that party. I'll cheer the liberal Republicans from the sideline - and hope that common sense returns at some point. The South has risen again, and I'm not just whistling Dixie.

Revisiting Oz

Surrender Dorothy

The Wizard of Oz (MGM 1939) is one of my favorite movies, of all time. Much of the magic in this movie lies in the creative genius of the moviemakers -- not just the textual imagery of L. Frank Baum's novel. Oz is also perhaps one of the most quoted, beloved movies in anyone's book. The quotes are too many to list all, but here are some good ones:

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore".
"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?".
"There's no place like home".
"Surrender Dorothy!". (writing in sky)
"I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too".

This movie didn't come off without a hitch. Director George Cukor was replaced with Victor Fleming midway through the filming, but not without Cukor making two important fixes. Judy Garland's character was initially buxom, blonde and wearing a lot of makeup. Cukor deemed that inappropriate for a little Kansas girl. At 15, Garland really was buxom, and probably 5 years older than the role in the book, but still -- Cukor had a point. Initially, the wicked witch was also a stunning brunette beauty -- casting was probably influenced by the beautiful evil queen in Snow White. Cukor thought that Margaret Hamilton's snarling visage was more convincing -- also people wouldn't want to see a beautiful woman cackle or melt. Oz brought together some of the finest acting, directing, song-writing talents ever, to one MGM movie set. It's hard to say how much less it would be if you took away any part of it (for example) Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger or the songs of Harold Arlen.

Everyone sees some type of morality tale, some type of symbolic presence in the movie -- and I'm no exception! :-) Many people liken the Wizard to God, but my own symbol scheme is a bit different:

Ruby slippers - symbolize ultimate truth, which is mostly unobtainable and useless to someone with inferior, selfish motives
Emerald City - Man's limited concept of Heaven; also it might symbolize what money can buy
The Wizard - Man's limited concept of God; his angry mockup might also be some type of indictment of organized religion
The Yellow Brick Road - Symbolizes a path of righteousness, recommended good behavior (i.e. 10 commandments, Golden Rule)
Good Witch Glenda - God, actually - the source of ultimate knowledge and Dorothy's real rescuer. (Recall that the Wizard's hot air balloon doesn't work).

There are many other things in the movie (munchkins, cowardly lion, etc) that can also be symbolic of something, but this blog can only go a few paragraphs or I wear out. The movie presented such fantastic flip side to the ordinary view of life -- a monochrome Kansas gave way to a technicolor Oz. The Kansas farm hands had alter egos as a scare crow, a tin man and a cowardly lion.

Couple of things to note. When Dorothy’s house first lands in Oz, it crushes the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy is unaware, and when she steps into Oz, someone is already mad at her (The Wicked Witch of the West). This is so much like my life – I visit some place, and someone is already pissed off. Dorothy asks the Good Witch at the end, “Why did we have to go through all of this? Why didn’t you just have me click my heels to begin with?” The witch replies, “You wouldn’t have believed me”. Some of us have to be shown. Over or under the rainbow, Wizard of Oz is one of the most thought-provoking, enjoyable, witty-remark inducing movies ever made.

Bloatware

Greetings, I'm your next OS release

I use my computer for a number of things, (other than downloading porn, thank you :-) ). I use Microsoft Money for budgeting. Use MS Office for correspondence and Christmas cards. Use Internet Explorer extensively for online shopping - placing and tracking orders. I use iTunes to manage music and HP Photo shop for my digital photos. AOL gives me email for my communication needs.

Must say though, with the exception of a few "breakthrough" apps like iTunes, the way I use my PC, and what I require of it change very little over the years. Excel offered me everything I needed with Office 95. The same can be said for most of the other apps that I mentioned above – my needs haven’t changed much in 10 years. In earlier years, my computer would groan and struggle with a computation, or with loading in a file. “You need more RAM,” my techie friend would tell me. As most Americans, my hardware upgrades coincide with major OS software upgrades: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP. When you can’t even install the new OS on your existing PC, time to upgrade memory or buy a new PC.

The fact is, when you upgrade, you’ll also be adding new OS and complementary software. And guess what? It still runs slow! That’s because new programs become voracious with each new release, making a larger footprint and consuming more memory. With Office releases, I’ll cite the three most touted improvements of recent years:

Visual Basic for applications
Internet Web Authoring
Collaboration software

I have absolutely no need for any of these. But I get them without asking, as part of the “standard offering”. My software becomes buggy, gigantic and bloated for no good reason. I dub this phenomenon “The Bloatware Phenomenon”. Now look what we are faced with. MS is planning its Longhorn release and Apple just came out with Tiger. Both companies have decided we need new “metaphors” and “paradigms” for data management. The old file and folder is too mundane. (Be very afraid when somebody changes your metaphors). We also seem to have a desperate need for “widgets” that give us weather and stock quotes. I have 4 easily clickable web sites to give that same info, but the widget appears to be the way to go now. Adding insult to injury, the OS upgrades frequently (maybe always?) bring along things that darken your experience – things you didn’t ask for. How about a complicated Windows Registry, time-consuming automated file indexing, license enforcement, and installation restrictions. Some of these “improvements” are for Microsoft’s benefit, not yours.


Break out the TUMS

So…. I have Office 2003 now. My relatively new, high-powered HP desktop PC, is brought to its knees when I even click on the startup icon. My bloatware theory stands. Am I looking forward to any more new releases of anything at all? Pardon my French, but HELL, no. What is needed now is a moratorium on all improvements. I’ve enjoyed the relatively long reign of Windows XP (2001-2005, and still counting). The marketing managers for new releases should have to submit to public polygraphs: “Is this really an improvement?” “Are you just trying to sell more crap?” The polygraph would run off the chart. The alternative is for a user to remain Stone Age, using the older OS, but you’ll soon be forced by new software releases to assimilate. So, pass the TUMS. Longhorn will be coming out next year, like it or not.