They are convinced that there is a Hierarchy in life and that perfect people are always right. That is right, they believe that there is an inherent class system ingrained into reality itself. How many rings there are may vary but the people at the top are always right. A card carrying true believer Democrat Party member exists in a state of depression. They feel that they are at the bottom of the Hierarchy and they are mad at the world itself. The only thing greater than their hatred for the world is their hatred for themselves for being so worthless. That is what they think. Of course they are awesome, beautiful, and perfect people as the Creator views everyone. Yet we are talking about people who are not in touch with the Creator and firmly believe the Creator does not exist or hate the Creator. They hate themselves so much that they "must" get others to love them to feel the void they feel inside. Of course the void is always there and so they must convince everyone that they are right.

Perfect people help others, are full of love, and are always right. They feel a "need" to help everyone see that they are right. Socialism is a natural conduit for this as it centralizes power to a few. This is how they see they can "force" everyone to be helped. They rationalize this by projecting their internal hatred on anyone who disagrees with them. This is why Democrats are almost always intolerant of anyone who disagrees with them. The mere idea that someone may disagree with them is to suggest that they are on the lower ring of life and therefore worthless, because they are not always right and therefore can not be on the top ring.. This could not be farther from the truth but this is what they see.

This is why the only way to fight socialists is with Love in your mind and kindness in your heart. Whether you fall or not does not matter. What matters is that you make the conscious effort to send pure love to them in your mind. When you talk to a socialist, Democrat, compliment them and show them how much you love and care for them. It is important to maintain that you 'do' disagree with them but do not focus on that or bring it up. Any time it comes up try to change the topic because we need to get their mind off hating themselves. We need to trick their mind to love themself. To do that just takes time and love. As the saying goes: if you hear something enough times, you begin to believe it. It is important, as well, to be patient and let them grow on their own time. Everything happens with perfect timing.

Having just finished an internship at the New Zealand Herald, I can safely say I’m working my way into the right career. I enjoyed every minute of the two-week stint, from the despair when the deadline was approaching and the story had stalled (why won’t you pick up the phone/call me back!), to the elation when at the last minute it all fell into place. Maybe that is a feeling that seasoned journalists lose after some time on the job, but that was a real thrill for me. Thankfully the chief reporter gave me heaps to do and I got more published than I expected. The Herald has been running a series on “Unsung heroes”, asking for the public to nominate an exceptional volunteer they know and awarding the winners a cruise. The other intern and I had the privilege of meeting and talking to many of these people and telling their stories. Many of these people are truly inspiring. These are the sorts of people we should admire and aspire to be like, not celebrities or socialites. Not all of us can put in the hours that most of these volunteers do, but we should either give a small amount of time or donate some of the money needed to support their work. I know I am guilty of not always handing over loose change (that I will only spend on beer or burgers) to fundraisers on the street and outside shops, even being somewhat annoyed by having to try avoid them (it depends on my mood, I am usually nice, but sometimes I can be really shitty!). Now I know how important those funds are to these volunteers and their organisations, and the difference their hard work makes to society and those in need. The least we can give such dedicated people is our support.

Ce inseamna o imbratisare, o apropiere de intensitate maxima, m'a invatat pentru prima data, acum ceva ani buni, prietena mea Danielita, care acum e in Anglia. Pentru asta si nu numai, desi e departe, ea va ramane in sufletul meu toata viata. Avem amintiri asa de frumoase, incat acum, desi sunt putin cam trista, ma face sa zambesc! Pentru felul ei de a fi, pentru rasul ei molipsitor, pentru imbratisarile ei, pentru empatia ei, pentru tot ce a fost frumos ii multumesc! Mi'e atat de dor de ea incat as vrea sa o imbratisez mult si bine, sa'mi bag nasul in parul ei cret si sa o pupacesc. :)
In concluzie: HAI SA NE IMBRATISAM, dar nu oricum, ci cu tot sufletul, cu toata simtirea noastra! Sa o facem ca si cum ar fi ultima imbratisare! Sa extragi din imbratisarea aia totul, pentru ati ajunge pana...data viitoare! :)

PS: De la Alex am luat'o iar eu i'o dau donsoarei
(despre leapsa asta vorbeam hihi )

Raeka

Dear (Name Redacted),

ASTHMA SUFFERERS - Earn $100 cash!


Blue Study: We are looking for men and women with a high school education or less, who currently treat their asthma with the following medication: XOLAIR. We are interested only in your opinions; thera are no sales involved and all information is kept confidential. Please call 410-583-9991 and reference the BLUE study to see if you qualify!

Date: Monday, July 14, 2008
Incentive: $100 cash
Times: Various start times depending on qualification.

**This is only an invitation to see if you qualify. Please call to be screened for participation.**

I'm being good today. It's a study I only technically don't qualify for but wish I could. I'm one medication short of taking it really. Anyway, the Marketing firm is called 'Baltimore Research' and they're up on Bellona Avenue in Towson, MD. If you qualify, getting there is quite annoying but probably easier in a car. Just drive north on Charles Street from GMBC and hit the left onto Bellona Avenue (The HORIZONTAL/EAST-WEST Bellona Avenue) below the Beltway (so I've been told. I'm not a driver). You should see a business park. Go down to the light colored 'Residential' looking business park and you're there.

They've got great furnishings, lovely artwork, and (if you get the same building as I did when I went) free Hershey's Kisses! Be sure to arrive early and take your knitting/crochet!

I hope you enjoy the $100.00USD, whoever you are. Just for the record, I get nothing out of this other than the satisfaction of knowing that someone, somewhere, got $100.00USD for an hour or so of questions. Pay the goodness forward please and have a great day. :)

When I was on holiday, the light of my life had the brilliant idea to sort the books I prepared to read while abroad, back in where they were stored. And of course, I didn't notice that until we arrived at our hotel. Since I need absolutely a book to read on the beach, I headed to the local library, and chose one book really without looking at it. After I read the summary, I realized I chose a book about Hitler. But not a biography. Really a story about what would have been his life if he had succeeded in the Fine Art Academy instead of turning into what he became.

In the end of the book, the author, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt explains how he managed to finish that book, and has a little theory about how we live our sexuality. He divides the people in two categories: those who have a self-centered sexuality, and those who have an altruist sexuality. The first one just have sex to get his own pleasure, while the second one gets his pleasure in giving it to his partner. The first one doesn't necessarily need a partner for reaching his pleasure.

So, a question popped into my head when I read that: is it possible to determine in advance in which category your potential lover would fall? I would say yes. When you have in front of you a person who only talks about himself/herself, and considers that the world revolves around him/her, chances are you will have a self-centered lover. For the second one, well, if he/she's caring for you, there are chances he/she will fall in the second category.

Yet, most of my friends told me they met a lot of exceptions to that paradigm. "I dated this guy who was absolutely charming in the outside world, very caring and everything. But when we ended in the bedroom, I had in front of me a guy who was good for nothing, and let me do all the job. Zero initiative, and a terrible lover. He even punched me accidentally when he tried to change position" one of my friends said. "He was charming and everything with me, until he had sex with me. All he wanted was to get laid. And no, he wasn't looking to give me pleasure, just do his thing and that was it" another one said. "You have to make a distinction between the guy who just plays it like a king in the public life and the private person. Sometimes, you can have a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a person like that. My ex was like that: when you see him the first time, you will think he's an arrogant and selfish guy, but that's the image he wants to give to the others. In the intimacy, it's a whole new story. I was really touched I discovered that side of him, a side he wouldn't let anybody see. He showed me a vulnerable side of him. I was expecting to have a self-centered lover with him, but he proved me wrong" another one said. "You can tell that if he's at ease with his body, of if he's not. A man who's comfortable with his body knows how it works and will have a better understanding of yours. So far, no man has ever proved me wrong on this" another one said.

So, in which category would you fall? And can you determine that in advance in the others?

• Jessica Sandin (Bellevue High School)
• Chelsea Cox (Western High School)
• Emily Harris (Chelsea High School)
• Jennifer Shaffer (Camden-Frontier High School)
• Jacob Johnson (Hanover-Horton High School)
• Maria Taylor (Jonesville High School)
• Ryan Linderman (Northwest High School)
• Luke Clore (Hanover-Horton High School)
• Adam Watson (Union City High)
• Jacob Heller (Bellevue High School)

Remarkably, we gave out scholarships to students in all four of the counties we serve.

Congratulations to our 10 winners. Look for information on next year's scholarship contest around the first of the year.

Hope pentru ca asa te simti cateodata ... ca o papadie intr-un camp cu ierburi uscate. M-am gandit sa fac tulpina verde , dar ar deveni banala.In sfarsit... as putea sa aberez cativa ani despre conceptul asta... lumea lipsita de speranta , o adiere de vant sacrifica papadia pentru intregul camp. Sau papadia ca si artist , si vantul ajutor pentru raspandirea creatilor...

Or at least an idealist?

I belong to a site called Idealist.org. It's a great networking site for nonprofits, volunteer opportunities, and getting to know other responsibility-minded people. Employers can find employees, do-gooders can find a place to expend all that altruistic energy, and every gets a big, fat karmic boost from the whole deal.
Why not check it out? Unless, of course, you hate kittens.

And sunshine.

And freedom.

http://www.idealist.org

Suppression of the innate immune response and inhibition of activation of phagocytes that would otherwise kill the parasites has long been established as mechanisms of immune evasion and persistence among Leishmania parasites.

In their paper, van Zandbergen et al. have indicated presence of a high ratio (more than 40%) of apoptotic cells in the metacyclic/stationary phage parasites. They have characterized these cells by occurrence of phosphatidyl serine (PS) in the outer leaflet of plasma membrane as well as PS-binding protein Anexin A5(AnxA5). The majority of AnxA5+ cells have been shown to be apoptotic and different in morphology to infective parasites and they have shown that depletion of these apoptotic cells from the infective population substantially abrogates infectivity.

Apoptotic cells induce production of TGF-beta and IL-10 which are anti-inflammatory cytokines; these cytokines are produced as well by neutrophils when they phagocyte apoptotic Leishmania. Apoptotic parasites also hamper secretion of TNF-alpha, all of which results in inactivation of neutrophils and later macrophages and their inability to kill the phagocytosed parasites.

This is an interesting example of altruism among single-cell populations; the authors have suggested that apoptosis is probably triggered in late log phase and stationary phase promastigotes in the sandfly midgut due to nutrient depletion prior to their entry into the mammalian host.

]]> http://thepharmacy.wordpress.com/?p=262 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:30:30 +0000 Doc http://thepharmacy.wordpress.com/?p=262

Those who enjoyed the previous post clips on John Galt can get more in Image Therapy.

The clips are a dramatization of John Galt's full speech on morality in the novel. They were made by XCowboy2 and along with Rand's words are an impressive collage on morality.

Check out John Galt's speech in Image Therapy here.

Author Ayn Rand's works were controversial for their time and continue to stir minds today. Her works are today classified as the exemplars of the principles of the philosophy of Objectivism, also coined by Rand.

A controversial position of Rand's philosophy is a critique of morality and altruism--much of which is the content of many religious themes and movements nowadays.

Consider the questions:

• Why is it moral to serve the happiness of others but not your own?
• Why is it immoral for you to desire, but moral for others to do so?

Here's a clip which is a reading of the speech of John Galt--Rand's character in her novel: Atlas Shrugged--which details a discussion of these and other questions regarding morality.

Having a critical mind is an attribute of objectivism.

In another of Rand's works: The Fountainhead, her character the architect Howard Roark is on trial for destroying a building that he designed. His courtroom defense is an outline of more principles: Man lives for himself, not for others.

Man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress
- Ayn Rand

Here is a clip of a movie adaptation of Rand's novel, with Roark portrayed by Gary Cooper:

With his pen weighing heavily in his superbly shaped, manly yet delicate hand, Zontar has very bad news to impart. Zontar may have to cease his blog forthwith to circumstances beyond his control. The shocking truth is Zontar is in prison. "What!? I hear you asking in your trembling, incredulous voice. "What is Zontar, the sweetest, most amenable alien to ever walk the face of Earth doing in jail? Oh no Zontar! This can't be happening!! And to lose your magnificent blog which changed my life with its incredible wisdom and brilliance! I shall kill myself rather than live in a world that doesn't include my daily dose of Zontar!!"

Dearest minion, Zontar is very touched by your concern for his well being. Fear not, because Zontar is very resilient. He will do everything possible to continue his brilliance from behind prison bars. He has connections and even this very entry has been smuggled out. I will endure all torture and humiliation to continue my mission.

I also urge you not to worry about Zontar's safety. Zontar has become very good friends with a most delightful and witty companion by the name of Bubba.

Bubba has promised to be my protector in this very savage and brutal place, and all he asks in return is that I become his "ass bitch". Zontar, being from a distant galaxy and not totally versed in the intricacies of American slang, was not sure exactly what he meant, but Zontar assumes it must be a very good thing. Zontar was flattered.

How did the magnificent Zontar, paragon of manly beauty, the sine qua non of brilliance, wind up in a prison?

Zontar went to the great state of Alabama as to open an adult toy store. "Why, oh mighty Zontar, would you voluntary go to one of the cultural meccas of western civilization to open a sleaze shop shop which caters to the basest of venal human lusts?" Zontar did this to make a stand. He heard about the Alabama law which prohibits the sale of the delightful Earth toy called "dildos". The punishment for such an infraction is stiff (no pun intended): One year in jail and a ten thousand dollar fine. Zontar thought if he were to be arrested for this, his would be a cause celebre. Millions of outraged Americans would be protesting this unjust law and the ACLU, the NAACP, PETA and Greenpeace would all converge upon the court and demand that this ridiculous statute be repealed.

So Zontar went to the Heart of Dixie and opened a delightful little shop he called "Zontar's House of Pleasure". My most favored stock included the "Orgasmo",

the "Alien Tickler"

and the ever popular "Comealot", based on the legend of King Arthur.

For the few brief hours Zontar's emporium was opened, he had several comely southern belles come in and eye my wondrous inventory. The look in their eyes was one of delight, but also of fear. They dared not purchase one of my magic implements lest they be hauled away to the penal institute (again, no pun is intended.) But they all lurked away back to their dreary little lives, having to rely on the questionable prowess of their menfolk to satisfy their natural desires.

It was not long before the jackbooted thugs of the Alabama State Patrol raided my shop, locked me in handcuffs and put me in jail. While incarcerated those first few nights I was waiting for the ACLU et al to come to my rescue. Alas, there was no knight in shining armor to come to my rescue. I was summarily brought to trial, found guilty and sentenced to prison, which is where I sit now writing to you at great risk. It is night, with no sound except the disgusting farts emanating out of Bubba while he sleeps the sleep of the scum. There is no worse smell in creation than a prison fart. It is a putrid mixture of the hideous prison food, mixed with terror and despair.

Lest you think Alabama is alone in its enlightenment, my cousins Coitus and Fecus both served hard time for trafficking in dildos in Texas. Here's a photo of them while incarcerated.

Happily both are out of prison now, but are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I fear they shall never be the same.

This is the dark night of Zontar's soul. I await the response of you, loyal and devoted reader to rescue your Zontar.

Zontar is most worried about his beloved 23,222,432 wife Uvula, who is sitting at home alone, waiting for her sugar alien daddy to come back to her.

My heart truly breaks for her and for you my minions. Zontar is strong. Zontar is asking you to be strong as well.

Hail Altruistic Fighter for Orgasmic Rights for All!

Hail Zontar!!

           ~" Nu am inlocuit de multa vreme bateriile si ceasul meu arata tot felul de ore fistichii."

           ~ In fata garii, era o mamica cu fetita ei. Pe trotuar, niste gugustiuci. Un batranel se apropie, prinde gugustiucul (cred ca era pui sau probabil era bolnavior) si i-l da fetitei. Nu se cunosteau. Dar a vazut-o cum il urmarea cu privirea. Aveau niste zambete asa de frumoase... toti trei: batranelul, fetita si mamica. De fapt, parca zambea si gugustiucul.

           ~ Am incurcat borcanele. La propriu, nu la figurat. Imi facusem niste culori pentru o compozitie si in timp ce lucram, nu mi-am dat seama ca luasem culoarea care era cu vre-o doua tonuri mai deschisa. Tempera, cand e uda, e cu vre-o doua, trei tonuri mai inchisa. Si cum pusesem culoarea, uda fiind, parea ca e cea buna. Dar cand se usca... E rau sa incurci borcanele. Si la propriu si la figurat.

            ~ Cum iti dai seama ca e sesiune? Pai... Daca trebuie sa muti acul de la curea cu cel putin o gaura, daca nu chiar mai multe spre dreapta; daca stai la scoala mai mult decat stai acasa si tot nu e suficient; daca nu mai stii in ce zi a saptamanii te aflii, pentru ca azi-noapte nu ai dormit si nu mai stii daca azi e ieri sau azi e... azi.

            ~ "Prost sa fii, noroc ca esti."    Autor necunoscut

            ~ Un gest frumos: am fost la botezul unui prieten si in loc sa se intoarca acasa cu bratul plin de flori, ne-a data noua, prietenilor lui, cate un fir. Sa imparta bucuria. Da, i-au ramas destule. Dar nu stiu daca in locul lui as fi fost atat de altruista. Merg pe principiul "Cadourile nu se dau". 

Recovery allows us to feel. Whether I was using food, alcohol or drugs, none of them totally managed to numb out the feelings, but they did succeed in making them foggy und unclear. Today, regardless of what those feelings are, whether they are about me or someone else, I can really feel them: joy, sadness, grief, excitement, anticipation, frustration, confusion, anger, etc. I have sympathy, empathy, compassion and love for those in my life, and for those I’ve only heard about.

Through trudging that long path of recovery, I was given the gift of life. I was given a second chance. They say recovery is about being selfish, about learning to put the focus on your self. The remarkable thing is, once this happened, I was much better able to focus on others as well. When I was younger, I was ashamed and didn’t want to appear conceited or overly confident. Unfortunately, I only saw the extremes: total self-involvement vs. total altruism. Today I have attained that happy medium, which includes caring for self and others. Like that old saying goes: You can’t love others until you love yourself!

He used to drive a taxi. One woman was grateful he did.

That story is well worth the time to read it. Click on the link. After all, each of us is dying. We might learn something.

I have decided to just post quotes as normal blog entries instead of using pages, which is something else regulars would have noticed. In my zeal to create the original quote pages, though, I added a few to the list that didn't exactly deserve to be there for one reason or another. Normally I've been reposting quotes here because I like them, but this one... not so much.

C. S. Lewis
"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

Where the hell did Lewis come up with that one? Friendship has no survival value?

I wonder how a soldier would feel about that! "Hey, Marine, would you rather be up against the enemy with a bunch of your comrades or all by yourself?" Wonder what he'd say?

Really, I find this quote to be kind of depressing. Considering how famous he is, I would expect Lewis to at least demonstrate basic intellectual competence. And yet he goes off and says something stupid like that.

What makes this worse, is if he's making the argument I think he is: "since friendship has no survival value it couldn't originate through evolution, and since people have features that couldn't have originated through evolution, then they must have been specially created." Give me a friggin' break.

I hope I'm just being paranoid. That could very well be the case, that little quote is short and apparently only part of a passage, as the ellipsis indicates. But I've heard that argument before, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's what Lewis was driving at.

Anyway, taking that assumption and running with it, I'd like to respond to the idea. Friendship, a feeling of fondness aimed at another person. A simplistic definition, but would you agree that that's the gist of the idea? Okay, now think about a stranger, you don't know them, you don't have any fondness for them, but you also have no reason to dislike them either.

Abyssal wonders...
Would you be more likely to share food with in a time of famine with your friend or some stranger, who for all you know could be waiting to kill you in your sleep?

Still have that image? Good. Now, imagine your best friend standing next to Stranger. Who would you be more likely to share food with in a time of famine, your friend, who you share a bond of friendship with, or, some stranger, who for all you know could be waiting to kill you in your sleep?

Who are you more likely to risk your life for to help if he's being attacked? On the flip side, do you think Stranger is more likely than your friend to offer you shelter if your house burnt down?

Seeing that when it comes down to the brass tacks, having friends can affect your ability to acquire the basic necessities; food, safety, water, shelter, and all the rest. Now when you reflect on this, can it really be sanely asserted that friendship offers "no survival value," and that there would be no evolutionary advantage given?

More info can be found at Wikipedia's article on altruism.

When man's most brilliant children speak of peace,
They do so in a most deceitful way.
With one hand they give us a golden fleece.
But, with the other, all of us, they slay.

When Armageddon dawned all men still loved,
Mankind, and beast, and tree and clear blue sky.
But then, these man brought blasts came and proved,
The best for life that man could do was die.

With mister Noble's gifts and Einstein's too,
Seeming love turns suddenly to proven hate,
That renders pulsing life to stinking goo.
Is this for me and you? Is this our fate?

We need no villains with their subtle shifts,
With heroes such as these to bring us gifts.

Over my lifetime I have met and personally known many noteworthy people some of whom have been responsible for bringing humanity to the current desperate situation. Without any exception they were wonderful people and made fine companions. Unfortunately the problems which they have brought upon us are totally beyond coping with by any means we presently have available. My only suggestion for humanities possibly surviving the coming Doomsday is the Lifehaven Strategy. I will be the first to proclaim that this strategy is the ultimate of grasping at straws. But what else are we to do? For a highly advanced intelligent species which has created the technical sophistication capable of annihilating itself there needs to be a fall back plan. A Plan B, or perhaps a better term would be a Plan Z or Plan Omega or The Omega Plan or Lifehaven. The Lifehaven Strategy is a plan to give humanity a second chance. Clearly we have muffed this one because CO2 accumulation and other stresses of overpopulation will soon choke humanity into extreme actions and these will precipitate a Doomsday disaster. We desperately need: A glimmer of hope where there is no hope. A seed of new life in a desolate land. A star to wandering bark on a trackless sea. Anything . . . . . . . Wax poetic, wax silly, wax totally crazy but find a way!

When I reread the sonnet above which I wrote sometime in the 1980s and published it I think in late 1994 within a pamphlet Proba - Pass It On, I had a major quibble. The people I personally knew were very honest people. Scientist type people. The kind of people who need to be honest and straightforward with their work to be successful. They need to make their assumptions and findings as clear and as testable as humanly possible, to expose their ideas totally. Philosophically at least, they want their work to be falsifiable! They don't want it to be falsified, of course, but they want it to be presented in such a way that everyone believes that it can be falsified. To a person involved in scientific research to be challenged by something unknown and even unsuspected by anyone at the time of its publication and then to be found correct in its statements relative to this new test is the epitome of triumphs. The trait of honesty permeates the scientific community.

The opening line of the sonnet calls these scientists deceitful and what they have produced as proof of their deceitfulness. It implies a proof of some deep underlying hatefulness lurking in these people's souls. Well, I didn't believe it at the time and I don't believe it now. They were fine and loving people both to their friends and to humanity at large. There is an underlying substance of nature which has certain qualities which these people are endeavoring to explore and to reveal to humanity. It is, in general, for humanity's enlightenment and progress toward a better world for which they were striving.

The problem is that the world doesn't care what we do. It doesn't care if we explode Hydrogen bombs. It doesn't care if we annihilate all humanity and even all life. We try to humanize it with seemingly caring and loving names like Mother Nature to fool ourselves into thinking that the world is benign and looking out for our welfare. But that is a dreamy fabrication created to obscure our utter meaninglessness in that dimension. We have a pleasant and totally dependent relationship with nature as with out mothers but on its side there is no affection, no caring, no sentimental hope for humanity to better itself and to go on to some heavenly place and no emotional attachment to you. It just is what it is, doing what it does, obeying its own laws, some of which are randomly applied at random times at random places. We do have a place in the natural order of things but the emotional caring about these relationships is wholly ours.

Alfred Nobel certainly had a close relationship with homicide on a massive scale, earning a vast fortune in the explosives industry. The young Albert Einstein didn't have any known homicidal tendencies but by middle age he was a close associate with Fritz Haber the while he was creating various war gases which killed thousands. Haber's wife was so guilt ridden about her husband's work that in protest she shot herself in the heart with his revolver. A few years later Einstein initiated the development of the atomic bomb with a proposal to President Roosevelt. Einstein is also credited with perfecting the American torpedoes which sank nearly all of the Japanese ships during WW II. Oh, well, it was war, the apologists proclaim. No it's not; it's homicide on a massive scale where these villains didn't pull the trigger they just coldly put the triggers up to the fingers of terrified people. They weren't guilty because they were not the final decision makers and didn't personally kill any one. But I deny that, because they knew full well what they were doing and could have chosen not to do it. They also knew that if they didn't do what they did that those things would be delayed in coming into existence, perhaps forever. They were the last un-terrified persons in the chain of events bringing these awful things into use and which they knew would kill, who knows, millions, billions perhaps everyone. They should be condemned for it not praised. And since these weapons will be with us forevermore it is homicide of the worst kind —  a genocide of people that are yet unborn perhaps for a thousand years perhaps forevermore. These are the people we still call heroes. Nonsense — they are monsters of the worst kind, intelligent, moral people behaving in monstrous ways. I hesitate to damn these good people but I certainly do damn what they have done.

When man first spoke to man, how great the stride,
For what was learned by one was help to all;
And one in need could beckon to his side
Another's hand to help this first man's fall.

Then we did learn to write and bind our thoughts
Through time and space, on parchment, stone and clay,
Thus we may recall what was once forgot,
And long dead men live with us here today.

But these dead men are soon to die for good,
And live no more in future thoughts of man;
For past thoughts can not be understood,
When there is no more man to understand.

Although the helping hand seemed quite kind,
In the end it brought the end of mankind.

The ability to cry out warnings goes deep into the animal heritage and to some degree into the vegetable world as well but for most living things it is only a warning cry. A loud piercing cry of LOOKOUT with perhaps some chemical odors of fear which generally warn of some predator being nearby. With some animals this has become more specific, with warnings, like: snake, raptor, cat, etc. which permit the others of their species to take more appropriate evasive action. The ability to solicit help is quite different and limited, probably not going beyond the HOWL "I am in trouble." But with humans this cry for help has become much more specific to the situation, such as, "Help me, I've fallen in this ditch and I can't get up," as the Scottish philosopher David Hume uttered to a passing charwoman. She refused to help him, because he was a disciple of the Devil, until he recited the Lord's Prayer to prove he wasn't. So, he did that recitation flawlessly and then she helped him out of the ditch. This illustrates a terrific advance in communication because if there was any heritability in either the calling for help or the rendering it, these actions would tend to be passed on and become part of the human genome. These qualities have obviously reached rather rarefied levels of development, even in the lowest class of people, as Hume discovered. Strangely this helpfulness has not been incorporated into Western law, so a person under our legal system has absolutely no obligation to help another in the slightest way. Even more strangely, laws had to be created to protect the Good Samaritan from the victim's legal suit for injuries sustained before this helpful person came to the rescue.

With the creation of writing came the ability to communicate thoughts across time and space and the wisdom of humanity could be remembered better and communicated by the rare great thinkers to any common man who could then read and interpret the concepts. With the advent of a complete alphabet of clear transfer of sound to script came the ability to communicate accurately anything that could be said. And soon the thoughts developed beyond that first statement of a new idea because the written thought could be refined by the original speaker or his followers to the best possible rendition of the concept underlying the words. Then along came the internet and Wikipedia where those refined thoughts could be further clarified and made available to anyone in the world with access to the readily available equipment. With all of these refinements we living humans have ready access to much, perhaps soon to be most, of the entire store of wisdom of humanity. Whether we access it or what we do with that wisdom, knowledge, facts and data is largely left up to us as individuals.

However, if the Lifehaven Strategy isn't implemented soon the future world will exist without human beings. If there is nobody to read and to understand these materials, all of this accumulated experience, which we value so dearly, is going to be lost. Without other humans, the Hope diamond, Hamlet by Shakespeare, and your human body are just valueless lumps of carbon and other stuff scattered about and slowly returning to the random matter from which they came. Although the day may come when Ray Kurzweil's robots possess all of the qualities of empathy which we humans presently possess it doesn't give me the same feeling of personal value. Being loved by a robot, even a very kind one, just isn't as satisfying as being valued by a human being, even a rather nasty one. On the other hand I haven't met a really nice robot just yet. Maybe a superwoman like Helen Greiner will come to the rescue and create one.

In any case between Szilard, Kurzweil and Greiner who are the epitome of leaders in this headlong march into a Brave New World (I hesitate to use the word Brave), I remain cheerful. Why? Simply because it feels better to be cheerful than to be miserable and I am soon going to be gone anyway. Why not have a pleasant life even in the face of oblivion? It bothers me to observe people behaving in ways that will bring about their early exit from this world but then here in Berkeley the weather is usually beautiful and I have a few curious companions, so living is easy to enjoy. I have even learned to love the occasional rain and the nastiness.

Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Expert Guest: Dr. Stephen Post

Broadcast and podcast:
5-19-08 on webtalkradio.net
after 5-27-08 podcast availabe at: altruism

I remember one of the songs my twins listened to just a few years ago said, when you help someone smaller, you make you feel taller. Clergy urge us to be generous and do good deeds. But what does science say about altruism and helping others? Dr. Stephen Post has done extensive research on love and doing good. Dr. Post is a bioethics professor at Case Western Reserve University, President of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, and author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People. He has shown that the Fountain of Youth has been inside us all the time. And while becoming a more loving, giving person won’t make you live forever, his research shows that it will help you live a longer, healthier, happier life. In the first part of the show we will look at love, happiness, and what makes a good life. In the second part of the show we will get specific about how to live a more loving live.

In the first part of the show, we will focus on how to know what colors enhance your appearance. In the second part of the show we will look at how our ideal colors shift with age and how to stay in style. We’ll also look at issues like fit, texture, patterns, and accessories. Her website is www.whygoodthingshappen.com

Teaching at a city school means students can leave the building during the day, and often we leave at the same time. If I suspect they’re headed where I am—the Starbucks across the street and down the block—is it rude to pass them well before we arrive?

The line to Starbucks isn’t physical. It’s a perception—an imaginary point where the civility of lining up takes effect. And it’s conceptual—a question of what a line IS anyway and why it matters where it is or whether it is.

And that line can also be philosophical. Are all lines human inventions? Is there a neo-platonic notion of linedness…or am I just being foolish?

In high school and college I worked in a movie theatre. Because ribbon mazes weren’t in widespread use then, I couldn’t rely on customers to wait for the next server. Every shift, a few people missed seeing a line or walked past it to stand expectantly at the counter. In that situation, I decided who was next, weighing the claims on my attention. “First-come First-served” usually worked, but, as my focus centered on the person right in front of me, I didn’t always notice the last person in line when a new person walked up. And, okay, part of me always wanted to penalize the line-breaker. Occasionally I left someone so long they departed with a huff.

To be fair, the lines weren’t always easy to identify but, once people witnessed the success of bellying up to the counter, any notion of “a line” disappeared entirely. I hated that.

I believe in lines and am sometimes miffed when a car swerves onto the shoulder to skirt patiently waiting vehicles. I politely alert other customers to lines and am suitably appalled when I’m ignored. I let ties to the line-up point go to the other person, believing myself the soul of courtesy.

Yet, I also join my family already in line and might let a friend in too, if one suddenly appeared. Sometimes, when the highway narrows, I zip down the disappearing lane telling myself all the other drivers are silly not to take advantage of it while it’s there. I think, someone will let me in.

I can always come up with a reason the law of taking turns doesn’t apply to moi.

On my Starbucks trips, the minute I emerge from the school with a student in front of me, the internal war begins. Do I slow down—and, really, do they have to be so pokey—or do I speed up—and, really, do I have to be so competitive, in such a big hurry?

This debate makes me think lines aren’t created by ribbons. They are created by the people in line, those who’ve made a tacit agreement that, though cuing up will slow them down, turns are still the best way. They are an exercise in temporarily putting others before ourselves.

But I also wonder. In the absence of those ribbons mazes, are all bets off? If lines are emblems of self-restraint, are they as suspect as other rosy visions of human nature?

I’ve been teaching absolutism and the Enlightenment in my history class this week, and, in the battle between Hobbes and Locke, Locke has been taking a beating. He's reeling. While some of my students find Locke’s social compact inspiring, others suspect he’s fooling himself when he says we’ll give up some individual liberty in trust to leaders who live to serve us. Hobbes, they say, sees people straight—humans only care about getting theirs. These students are also taking biology and tell me social biologists would agree. It’s only in us to survive. We live to reproduce, they tell me, and any more complicated motive ultimately comes back to that. Collective behavior lasts only as long as it agrees with that all-consuming drive.

Well, if scientists say it, I’m a fool to disagree, but I’d rather Locke was right. In any case, in the absence of absolute, irrefutable proof, I’d rather live as if Locke were right. Though ignoring my own Hobbesian brutishness seems perilous, I can’t give up trying.

Some people are never in line. They explain shortcuts and “expediencies” by saying no one stopped them—until you’re made to do something, you can do what you want. Maybe, but I’m not sure I want to live in a world where not getting a turn is your own fault.

I’ll accept my Hobbesian lapses, but I don’t want aggression to rule all. I guess I’ll have to be in the line to Starbucks…always.

Linux Africa distributors have come up with a way to help provide Internet connections and software access which will save a lot of money. The basic idea is that a single software or Internet connection can be used for up to 10 PCs.

Patrick Mathenge is the CEO of Mullard Electronic Limited, which is a firm trading in hardware and software, and which is a big part of the entrepreneurship of the project in Kenya. Mathenge says they offer two different systems, a Desktop Multiplier, which is suitable for normal office and general use and a Discover station for public computing. The Discover option allows administrators to control access and user accounts, as is generally how things work in any public lab.

I have felt for a long time that the most effective way to bring technological advancement and development to poorer (particularly African) countries is through cellphones. I thought that because ownership of cell phones is far more prevalent in Africa than ownership of PCs, it would make more sense to focus on optimizing mobile technology for the masses. This Linux venture in Kenya made me re-think that.

As I understand it, through this initiative, open source developers are finding ways to increase the effectiveness of accessibility where money for software is limited. So even though the software might not be open source, the concept of increased, cheaper distribution also carries the heart of the open source movement. Altruism.

 When was the last time you helped an old lady carry her cans of cat food to her car for no reason at all? Maybe there was a cute member of the opposite sex watching, maybe the old lady was the heir to some great fortune and now her insolent grandchildren have just pissed her of the point of writing them out of her will. Now she needs someone nice to give her expansive mansion. The chances are small, but so is the cost of helping her. At any rate you can feel good about it when she smiles gratefully. Hey that’s a reward (even if she doesn’t give you a big shiny nickel for it). I like thinking of myself as a good person – it’s useful – it helps out with the old karma accounting. And, last week, when you bought your friend that double espresso, mocha, with sprinkles, and whip cream and suffered both the financial and emasculating setbacks, why did you do that? Could it be that a) it made you feel good b) your friend would probably buy you a beer later that night c) hey, you might need a good job reference sometime in the future. Regardless, it wasn’t for not.

 Even Mother Thereasa wasn’t altruistic in the Wikipedia sense of the word. She was doing it because of the sweet kickbacks she was getting from God. But, hey - that’s what relationships are all about, give a little, take a little so that you help each other progress. In my mind, altruism is along the lines of comparative advantage – we all benefit by partaking.

 By establishing that there is some value to our "good" deeds, we can begin to account for it when we evaluate our decisions. It is not hard to conclude that there are also negative consequences to "bad" deeds. So, I submit, that it is with this matrix that we can begin to delve into the ethical complex of businesses or further into the individuals that make the day-to-day decisions. The opportunity cost of doing someone a fovor is that, given the chance, they may not return the favor. Favors tend to accumulate and escalate, so you often ultimately get back more than you put in.

 This may seem overtly cold and calculating to some who believe that you shouldn’t need a reason to do good (besides that disembodied all knowing consciousness in the sky), and it may seem overly idealistic and Disney-bookesque to others. Yet, its really neither, it’s a reason to do good, and this reason is worth recognizing because recognizing it ultimately leads to doing more good and that’s, err… good.

1.) Science & Religion

See The Big Questions in Science and Religion, Creative Tension, Science and Religion, and dozens of other titles

2.) The Influences of Buddhism on Science

See Tibetan Buddhism and Modern Physics 

3.) Mankind's natural inclination towards belief

See Something There

4.) Overflowing Love

See Pure Unlimited Love, Science of Love, Unlimited Love, etc. 

5.) Selfishness vs. Altruism

See Research on Altruism and Love, The Altruism Reader, The Altruistic Species, etc.