Possible or Impossible?
Love her or loathe her, Lady Gaga is impossible to ignore.
[Napoleon Perdis, "Going Gaga for Lady Gaga: Makeup Lessons of a Pop Diva", Huffington Post, 17 December 2009.]
Um, not true, actually.
In: All, Briefly Noted, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
Things We're Not
I just got a call asking if I was the Humane Society.
— James Howard
I once had a phone conversation that went like this:
Lady: Hello, I'm calling for Purple Heart.
Me: I think you have the wrong number.
Lady: What makes you think that?
Me: Because I'm not Purple Heart.
Lady: No, no, I'm Purple Heart.
Me: Oh, I see!
Not quite so dramatic as the time when a woman called soliciting donations for "Special Olympics". I declined.* She exclaimed: "What have you got against crippled children!"
But amusing, to me at least.
———-
* For good reason. This was maybe two decades ago, at a time when there were "Olympics this" and "Olympics that", "Olympics" absolutely everywhere. And yet the founders of the International Gay Games (the world's largest sporting event) were being sued by the International Olympic Committee who objected to the appearance of "Olympics" in the phrase "Gay Olympics" — they couldn't let the word "Olympics" be used by just anybody. I was pissed about that when the rude woman called on behalf of "Special Olympics".
BBC Claims: Not Embarrassed by Own Stupidity
The BBC like to be on top of current issues and engage their public by running opinion polls at their website, generating some interactive excitement for their public discussion boards.
More than a few jaws around the internet dropped in surprise, horror, and disgust at yesterday's poll question. Perhaps you've heard of it by now:
Yes, yes, we instantly recognized that it was a reference the now notorious proposed bill in Uganda through which some hope to institute a death penalty for homosexuality. It's thought by many to be a decidedly christian idea, both in Uganda and elsewhere.
Evidently the BBC decided to tackle the issue and get them some insight on such a delicate, "controversial" issue. I think I don't even need to draw any parallels to questions with similar formulations to make the point that this poll question was prima facie a stupid, offensive, and all-around bad idea, no matter how good it sounded at the editorial-board meeting.
Gosh, I don't really find myself mollified by this heartfelt non-apology either:
The programme was a legitimate and responsible attempt to support a challenging discussion about proposed legislation that advocates the death penalty for those who undertake certain homosexual activities in Uganda – an important issue where the BBC can provide a platform for debate that otherwise would not exist across the continent and beyond.
–from statement on the matter by Peter Horrocks, director BBC World Service
(All excerpts from Mike Tidmus, "Should BBC execs face execution?", Mike Tidmus : A Blog from San Diego, 17 December 2009.)
Right, here's another "issue" that should be "debated". As I've said before, I actually do take it personally.
But this isn't even my point. My point was going to be the chuckle I got over this (no doubt representative) contribution to the "debate" from the BBC's forum:
Chris from Guildford, UK said: “If homosexuality is natural, as we are forced to believe, how can they sustain the species? I suggest all gays are put on a remote island somewhere and left for a generation – afterwhich, theoretically there shoild (sic) be none left!”
Sorry, I had to stop typing for a minute–the palm of my hand keeps flying to my forehead when I read that.
Is there really any wonder left that we, the militant gays and lesbians of the secret homosexual agenda, think our opponents–well–utterly stupid sometimes?
Chris from Guilford just doesn't seem to realize that we'd be perfectly happy to have our own remote island somewhere where we could enjoy life away from all the really, really dumb guys who seem to believe that gay and lesbian people can't have children!
Do you want to tell Chris, or shall I, that gay and lesbian people are perfectly capable of conceiving and bearing children–even the old-fashioned way!–and that we've been doing it, oh, since the beginning of time?
In fact, to belabor the point a bit, and to try to be a bit more offensive to stupid straight boys, mightn't it be preferable for people, gays and lesbians who can have children, to choose to have children?
I can't say I find it offensive but I am continually amazed when even the stupidist boy-girl couple are congratulated for achieving pregnancy. Really, it's not rocket science and I think the future of the species would be safe with us.
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity, Feeling Peevish
James on Christie
From her new book, Talking About Detective Fiction, P.D. James is quoted in the New York Times* saying, of the overrated Agatha Christie:
Perhaps her greatest strength was that she never overstepped the limits of her talent.
———-
* Janet Maslin, "Mysteries of Crime Fiction? P. D. James Is on the Case", New York Times, 6 December 2009.
In: All, Briefly Noted, Common-Place Book
Staying Creative
Thanks, I'm pretty sure, to Alex Ross ("Unquiet Thoughts", his blog), I read what I found an interesting piece by composer Anne Gosfield ("The Score: Advice to Young Composers", New York Times, 5 December 2009).
She said in her introduction that, via an email interview, she was surprised by the question "Any advice for young composers?" It seems that part of the reason she was surprised is that she thinks of herself as a "young" composer, but–well, we aging people feel that pretty frequently. Sometime I'll go through all those "that made me feel old" anecdotes.
I liked her advice, which I found oddly useful despite it's rather philosophical self-help sound; evidently what she said aligned well with what I think myself, but it's very helpful to see your thoughts written in someone else's words sometimes! This is creativity that we're talking about here and it can be hard to pin down and specify just how to do it. For creative types, useful advice can be ideas that stimulate other ideas and trains of thought.
In this case I think "creative types" could be rather broad, too, to include artists of all types and scientists of all types, to address the two halves of my own brain. Here are the maxims she wrote down, ideas that struck me as useful points for reflection. If you'd like to read the paragraph that accompanied each one with Ms. Gosfield's ideas about how they apply to being a "young composer", follow the link above.
- Always consider yourself a young composer.
- Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
- Details count.
- Be willing to put yourself and your music on the line.
- Avoid well-worn paths.
- Don’t fear rejection.
- Don’t assume you know what’s accessible to the audience and what isn’t.
- If you chose to study composition, spend your time in school studying what you can’t learn in a club or a garage.
- Make sure you’re always doing some work that is yours and yours alone — not composed for the approval of teachers or colleagues.
- Never discount the power of the library.
- Remain curious and ask questions.
- Allow yourself to be led down the garden path.
- Make music, and make music happen.
In: All, Common-Place Book, Personal Notebook, Wanderings
Intro Physics Courses Save Lives
Following a series of links (first, then, finally) got me to this "old physics joke" related by one Craig Moe (in 2001).
Honestly, I'd never heard this one, so it struck me as a real knee-slapper. I'm still giggling.
A physics professor's teaching an introductory course, and going over kinectics in mind-numbing detail, when a pre-med student yells in exasperation, "How is this shit useful?" (I know, an asshole pre-med. Who could imagine such a thing?) The professor, without turning around, responds "It saves lives."
The lecture continues for a couple of minutes, until the same pre-med student asks "How does this help save lives?" The professor, again without turning around, replies "It keeps ignoramuses like you out of med school."
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science
Why Delay Civil Equality?
Timothy Kincaid, reflecting on the idea that yet another state–New Jersey–is considering the civil rights issue of implementing marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples, finds that there is no real "debate" left, a position you know I'd reached some time ago.
Oddly, we hear more and more opponents speaking in terms of "not being there yet", or of things "moving too quickly". That "yet" is revealing, don't you think? We recently posted an excerpt from an editorial in a New Jersey paper whose headline spoke in terms of "inevitability" for marriage equality, and did it without flashing lights or sirens or much objection, treating it as a universally recognized truth.
And thus we are left with the unanswerable question: why do opponents of marriage equality feel it is vital for them to delay its implementation as long as possible? It's a fantastic waste of resources and an intolerable and unjustifiable mistreatment of a group of US citizens who want to be treated fairly and who are themselves tired of "special rights" for heterosexual couples. As I've said before, I'm tired of being a wedge issue.
As this [marriage-equality] debate plays out across the nation, I am finding that for me this is becoming less of a “agree to disagree” issue.
I am no longer willing to accept as a credible position that I am inferior to other citizens, that my rights are not equal to thier and I am not qualified to determine to whom I should be married.
I no longer see this as “a slowly shifting cultural perspective”. I no longer find that “good people just haven’t gotten there yet”. I can no longer accept that others have “their own moral beliefs which have to be respected.”
There are no credible arguments that argue in favor of a need for discrimination against gay couples. This has become abundantly evident in the debates in the New York Senate and the New Jersey Judiciary Committee. Those who opposed equality either did so silently – I suspect shamefully – or couched their objection in the language of bigotry.
Opponents of equality are left with nothing more than an appeal to their own religion, their own biases, or those of their constituents. No principled objections are made because none exist.
[excerpted from Timothy Kincaid, "New Jersey marriage vote delayed", Box Turtle Bulletin, 9 December 2009.]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Personal Notebook
Episcopal Bishops In NJ Support Marriage Equality
The Episcopal Church in America continues to demonstrate its support for civil rights and human dignity.
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey [Bishop] George Councell, Episcopal Diocese of Newark Bishop Mark Beckwith and other Episcopalians joined more than 1,000 others in Trenton Dec. 7 to urge the New Jersey state Senate to pass a marriage equality bill.
[…]
Councell, whom the committee called to testify together with Beckwith, told the senators that the gay and lesbian couples "are treasures of our church, whose support, loyalty and dedication bless and enrich our congregations and the communities that they serve." He said that his support of the bill stemmed from the teaching of the Baptismal Covenant to "strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being" and "the values of the Episcopal Church — as expressed through the actions of our General Convention over the past 30 years.""I am compelled to support equal protection under the law for all, and especially for those whose rights and dignity are threatened or limited," he added.
Beckwith told the committee that "I pray that the marriage bill passes — so that all couples who have engaged in a lifelong union can have their unions recognized."
"Homosexuality is not an issue of lifestyle; it is a matter of identity," he said. "We don't choose our identity; we are challenged to claim our identity as God's gift to us. The church that I have chosen to serve is about the mission of helping all of God's children claim and celebrate their identity as imago dei — as created in the image of God."
[excerpted from: Mary Frances Schjonberg, "NEW JERSEY, NEWARK: Bishops call for passage of state 'marriage-equality' bill", Episcopal Life Online, December 08, 2009]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Voting on Civil Rights
Some will argue that we [in New Jersey] need a referendum on the issue, as if the legal rights of a minority should be subject to approval by the majority. A historical note: When the Supreme Court struck down state bans on interracial marriage, 73 percent of American were opposed to mixed marriage, according to a Gallup poll.
[excerpted from the editorial "Gay marriage: The unstoppable march for gay rights", The Star-Ledger [NJ], 6 December 2009.]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Christmas Oddities
Isaac was obsessed today with finding another 15 feet of the silver garland he was using on the blue tree this year. We finally found some, I'm happy to say, so he's bearable to be around tonight.
Anyway, our travels took us to Lowe's hardware store where two items in the seasonal shop caught my eye.
One was what they described as a "Tripod Tree", an outdoor decoration (actually, a "pair" in two different sizes) that looked rather like a camera tripod with flashing lights on the legs and a star with hyperactive flashing lights on the top. Trouble for me was that this "tripod" had five legs. I'm not sure I could get past that.
However, the pièce de résistance for me was the "Pre-Lit Soft Tinsel Pig" ("Cochonnet illuminé "), happily labeled for "Indoor and Outdoor Use". Please note: this pig had wings and — oh look, it's in Lowe's online catalog, at least for the moment (here). A further note: the online catalog indicates that the pig is animated. Yours for only $58, presumably only so long as supplies last.
In: All, Laughing Matters, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
Episcopal Presiding Bishop's Statement on Ugandan Situation
We recently mentioned the deplorable attempt by factions in Uganda to pass a bill that would impose unconscionable punishment on gay and lesbian people. We also mentioned, all too briefly, how the fires of homophobia are being fanned by American anti-gay forces: some radical evangelical clergy and related elements of the so-called "ex-gay" political movement, not to mention other anti-gay forces with political motivations.
In our country the anti-equality voices of the Catholic and Mormon churches have become very loud and strident in political initiatives over the past year, misleading some into thinking that "freedom of religion" does not allow for the option of supporting and welcoming gay and lesbian people.
So, as a reminder that some Christian denominations do indeed welcome all to their table who wish to be there, "all" explicitly to include gay and lesbian people, here in its entirety is today's statement by Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.
———-
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori concerning proposed bill in Uganda
December 04, 2009
The following is the statement of Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori concerning proposed private member’s bill on homosexuality in the Parliament of Uganda:
The Episcopal Church joins many other Christians and people of faith in urging the safeguarding of human rights everywhere. We do so in the understanding that “efforts to criminalize homosexual behavior are incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (General Convention 2006, Resolution D005).
This has been the repeated and vehement position of Anglican bodies, including several Lambeth Conferences. The Primates’ Meeting, in the midst of severe controversy over issues of homosexuality, nevertheless noted that, as Anglicans, “we assure homosexual people that they are children of God, loved and valued by him, and deserving of the best we can give of pastoral care and friendship” (Primates’ Communiqué, Dromantine, 2005).
The Episcopal Church represents multiple and varied cultural contexts (the United States and 15 other nations), and as a Church we affirm that the public scapegoating of any category of persons, in any context, is anathema. We are deeply concerned about the potential impingement on basic human rights represented by the private member’s bill in the Ugandan Parliament.
In the United States and elsewhere, we note that changed laws do help to shift public opinion and urge a more humane response to difference. The Hate Crimes Act recently passed in the United States is one example, as are the many pieces of civil rights legislation that have slowly changed American public behavior, especially in the area of race relations. We note the distance our own culture still needs to travel in removing discriminatory practice from social interactions, yet we have also seen how changed hearts and minds have followed legal sanctions on discriminatory behavior.
We give thanks for the clear position of the United States government on human rights, for the State Department’s annual human rights report on Uganda, which observes that the existing colonial-era law on same-sex relations is a societal abuse of human rights, and for the State Department’s publicly voiced opposition to the present bill. We urge the United States government to grant adequate access to the U.S. asylum system for those fleeing persecution on the basis of homosexuality or gender identity, to work with other governments, international organizations, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to provide adequate protection for these asylum seekers, and to oppose any attempts at extradition under a law such as that proposed in Uganda.
Finally, we note that much of the current climate of fear, rejection, and antagonism toward gay and lesbian persons in African nations has been stirred by members and former members of our own Church. We note further that attempts to export the culture wars of North America to another context represent the very worst of colonial behavior. We deeply lament this reality, and repent of any way in which we have participated in this sin.
We call on all Episcopalians to seek their own conversion toward an ability to see the image of God in the face of every neighbor, of whatever race, gender, sexual orientation, theological position, or creed. God has created us in myriad diversity, and no one sort or condition of human being can fully reflect the divine. Only the whole human race begins to be an adequate mirror of the divine.
We urge continued prayer for those who live in fear of the implications of this kind of injustice and discrimination, and as a Church, commit ourselves anew to seek partnerships with the Church of Uganda, or any portion thereof, in serving the mission of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That Gospel is larger than any party or faction. It is only in mutual service and recognition that we will begin to mend our divisions.
We are grateful for the willingness of the Anglican Communion Office and Lambeth Palace to hear this plea on behalf of all God’s people, and urge their continued assistance in seeking greater justice. We note the impediments this legislation would pose to the ability to continue a Listening Process in which all of the Anglican Communion is currently engaged.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Faaabulosity
2010 Science Book Challenge
Gosh, would you look at the date: December already! How time flies when one is enjoying reading some nonfiction books for the Science Book Challenge!
Indeed, it's that time of year again (a little past, actually) when we announce the opening of our annual Science Book Challenge, this time for calendar year 2010. This is our third year already.
The official home page is here. As a new thing this year (meaning I finally figured out how), you can also sign up for the challenge by joining our Science Book Challenge 2010 Facebook group. That would be the place to go if you want to talk with other challengers, write on our wall, upload a picture of yourself reading a science book, ask some questions — whatever! It's just another weapon in our arsenal, part of our insidious plot to ensnare more people in the self-edifying act of reading about science, and then writing about it. Don't forget: writing a note about the books you've read is an important part of the challenge. Even more don't forget: please let us know when you've written a note so we can add it to our growing collection.
The Challenge for 2009 was very successful, with a gratifying number of new challengers compared to 2008–about 3 times as many. Now the heat is on: can we get 3 times as many this year and sign up 200 challengers?
Of course we can, but y'all are going to have to help spread the word and publicize the challenge. This is all in aid of furthering the science-literacy mission of Ars Hermeneutica, the nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt company that is my life these days. (Yes, you can certainly contribute money — we can always use money — but I'd really like your participation.)
I'm hoping this year to add two more challenge features: add incentives for challengers, and reorganize the book-note collection with new software that will facilitate expanded browsing functionality. That will take money, for which we'll be writing proposals; contact me if you'd like to help.
Now, to help you in your publicity, we have the gorgeous new "Science Book Challenge 2010" graphic (seen everywhere above). Use it freely on your blog, or anyplace else webpages are served, to let people know about the challenge, and don't forget to include a link to the challenge homepage please.
The beautiful image that I used for the graphic is actually a photograph, taken by Gavan Mitchell and Phil Taylor (source) using the Schlieren technique, a method that reveals temperature & density differences in the air. What you see in the photograph is convection currents in air above the flame of the butane lighter.
The Schlieren phenomenon has been known for several centuries, apparently used as an analytical tool since Schlieren photography was invented by the German physicist August Toepler in 1864 to study supersonic motion. It involves focuses light and a knife edge to block the beam partly, probably creating interference fringes in the wave-front of the light that are very sensitive to density variations* in the illuminated medium.
Back when I was in graduate school and we discussed Schlieren photography, nobody really understood in detail how it works. We could wave our hands and say it was interferometry and such (like I did above), but now one knew how to design an optical system from first principles, nor quite how to adjust the mysterious knife-edge that was so necessary to the system. It still seems somewhat mysterious, but here are two pages where people have a go at explaining (one and two).
Regardless, it makes for some fascinating and revealing photographs.
But enough of that. Let's get reading!
———-
* Actually, it's going to be controlled by changes in index of refraction, but those changes are brought about by changes in density through thermal expansion in this instance. In other words, it's basically an interferometric technique to reveal small density variations.
In: All, Books, It's Only Rocket Science
Moyers on Obama's Afghanistan Strategy
Sometimes I say I'm a Bill Moyers groupie, but I'm thinking that might not be quite accurate. "Groupie" suggests that I idolize Mr. Moyers and laud whatever comes out of his mouth because I am enamored of his celebrity. However, that's not really the case. I listen to Bill Moyers and hear a great deal of wisdom worth listening too, and my esteem is renewed afresh each time.
For instance, here are some of Mr. Moyers' remarks on Obama's plans to escalate the war in Afghanistan. Recall that Moyers started his public life as press secretary to Lyndon Johnson; Vietnam is his context for comparison.
Now in a different world, at a different time, and with a different president, we face the prospect of enlarging a different war. But once again we’re fighting in remote provinces against an enemy who can bleed us slowly and wait us out, because he will still be there when we are gone.
Once again, we are caught between warring factions in a country where other foreign powers fail before us. Once again, every setback brings a call for more troops, although no one can say how long they will be there or what it means to win. Once again, the government we are trying to help is hopelessly corrupt and incompetent.
And once again, a President pushing for critical change at home is being pressured to stop dithering, be tough, show he’s got the guts, by sending young people seven thousand miles from home to fight and die, while their own country is coming apart.
And once again, the loudest case for enlarging the war is being made by those who will not have to fight it, who will be safely in their beds while the war grinds on. And once again, a small circle of advisers debates the course of action, but one man will make the decision.
We will never know what would have happened if Lyndon Johnson had said no to more war. We know what happened because he said yes.
[from Bill Moyers' Journal, via Ari, "Historical analogies are deprecated, but…", The Edge of the American West, 30 November 2009.]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Plus Ca Change...
Deadly Silence on Ugandan Homophobia
For the past year or two the cauldron of homophobia in Uganda has been boiling, stoked and stirred by American career anti-gays who apparently aren't getting enough satisfaction our of American voters on oppressing homosexuals.
The current situation has gone much, much too far.
The incursion of anti-gays into Uganda to stir up homophobia was first noted here back in early March 2009. As most readers are aware, the situation has gone from bad to worse to completely fucking nuts.
Egged on by American fundamentalist Christians, the Ugandan Parliament is now poised to pass a draconian law that would not only punish the “crime of homosexuality” with lengthy prison terms, it would also provide the death penalty for repeat offenders and for people living with HIV/AIDS who so much as touch another individual with “intent to commit homosexuality.”
[more at Mike Tidmus, "The Obama Admin’s superFAIL on Uganda", Mike Tidmus Blog, 30 November 2009.]
Sadly, it's quite possible that many people reading this have had no idea this was going on; as many have said and seen, the international inattention to these dreadful circumstances has been so low-key as to be invisible and inaudible. Mike Tidmus, in the post linked to above, is taking note that the Obama administration seems to have nothing to say about the situation. And below, Timothy Kincaid notes that while "Pastor" Rick Warren has meddled in every political question he could squeeze his way into in the last year, he claims an odd neutrality on this question.
The truth is that while Rick Warren speaks of loving gay people, he doesn’t care if they are executed in Uganda for being gay. Or, at least, he doesn’t care enough to make the slightest effort to stop it.
I guess his life is “driven” by some other “purpose”.
[more at Timothy Kincaid, "Rick Warren refuses to oppose Uganda’s 'Kill Gays' bill", 30 November 2009.]
How can one love the sinner but hate the sin, when hating the sin kills the sinner?
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity, Feeling Peevish
The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009
Way back in July 2006 I wrote ("National Portrait Gallery I") about a spontaneous visit Isaac & I made to the National Portrait Gallery (here in Washington, DC) where we happened upon an exhibition of 100 or so finalists from the 2005 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. (The competition home page.)
The winners and finalists of the 2009 competition (if I remember accurately, the competition is held every 2 years) were recently announced. I saw the NPG's announcement on Facebook, where they have a nice photo album of winners and the winning portraits. There is a link there to the gallery of portraits by all the finalists; there's also a link for the looking at the competition home page I linked above.
They're worth a look. When we saw the last exhibition (evidently missing the one from the 2007 competition) I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I said then, and it's still true, I love figurative art and portraits are probably my favorite form. To see so much vitality and fresh ideas in portraiture in that one exhibition was energizing. I am looking forward to making the trek downtown to see this latest group of portraits.
I also feel–a little bit–personally involved in this year's competition. Last fall, which is to say in 2008, I suffered a fit of hubris and actually entered the competition. I didn't have great expectations of being a finalist but, with 100 finalists chosen from about 3000 entries, I thought my odds at a little over 3% were much better than odds against funding proposals I've submitted and won with, so I was in.
Alas, my lack of expectations for winning were fully met, but I still feel better for having entered. I still think my entry, this portrait of my friend John that appears below* (or use this link if it doesn't), is an excellent portrait and one of the best photographs I've taken. (And before you mention it, yes, I do see a number of ways to crop it and manipulate its color values, but I finally decided to leave it in this natural, out-of-the-camera state.)
———
*John was one of 10 people who went with Isaac & me in June 2007 for a ten-day visit to Tuscany. Our base camp was the Hotel Duomo in Pisa, which we found a delightful place to say (the hotel and Pisa both). We made two day-long excursions, by train, into Florence, where it must have been at least 10°F hotter than the already hot Pisa.
On this day it was just past noon and we were exhausted from the heat when we ducked into this little pizzeria, where it was dark and relatively cool. We had some refreshing drinks and we were starting to perk up a bit because lunch was on its way. I suspect John is simply listening to Isaac (sitting to John's left) tell a story, but his glance and expression look to me as intriguing and enigmatic as the Mona Lisa's.
Although you can't quite see it in this size, the salads that Isaac & I had were being assembled right then by the women taking ingredients from behind the lighted glass cases in the background.
In: All, Music & Art, Personal Notebook
Radio Netherlands & Me
As I've mentioned before (there's no reason for you to remember it), Wednesday nights on our local classical radio station (WBJC, Baltimore), at 11pm, is the time when we enjoy listening to Live at the Concertgebouw, featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra but also bring us chamber-music and solo-performance programs at times. The program is a production of Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW).
The programming and the performances are top-notch, diverse, and adventurous–all reasons we enjoy listening. But the icing on this broadcast cake is getting to listen to Hans Haffmans, the regular announcer for the program. Four years ago (four years!) I wrote in this space (here) about my personal appreciation for Haffmas' mellifluous voice, his beautiful accent, and his skill at pronouncing even the most difficult composer's names.
Well, imagine my surprise and delight at discovering that my piece about Mr. Haffmans has achieved the official status of a link at RNW in their announcement for this week's program (On air: 24 November 2009 8:00 – 1 December 2009 7:00) glossing the name of Haffmans himself!
I don't want you to miss it; it appears at the top of the blurb, quoting HH himself:
“Since her debut at the Concertgebouw in 1997 Janine Jansen is nothing short of a true star in Holland and today she is internationally recognised as one of the great violinists of our time…” [RNW host Hans Haffmans]
The program is one I will enjoy hearing:
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Sakari Oramo, conductor – Janine Jansen, violin
MAGNUS LINDBERG: CHORALE
LEOS JANACEK: TARAS BULBA
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH: VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN A MINOR OP. 77
I am really chuffed about this, because I really do admire Haffmans' announcing and I really do enjoy the broadcasts.
Perhaps now would be the best time for me to mention to my friends at RNW that I am available to serve as Mr. Haffmans' guest co-announcer.
In: All, Music & Art, Personal Notebook
Reading Louise Penny
My current bedtime mystery reading is A Rule Against Murder, by Louise Penny. Let's make that Canadian Louse Penny, for all my friends needing a suggestion for their Canadian Reading Challenge.
Ms. Penny's books are set mostly in the village of Three Pines, Quebec, a village populated with the expected eccentric characters, some of whom kill each other now and then. Despite their eccentricities, they are nevertheless rather believable characters, and all are interesting if not lovable. Her cast of investigators is headed up by the quiet, strong, but enigmatic Armand Gamache.
I find her writing and plotting — storytelling in general — most agreeable and satisfying. Her style is leisurely, playful, literate, and has just the right number of perfect little metaphors to suit my taste. Thrillers are often described as "page turners"; might Penny's books be "page lingerers"? My urge to find out what happens next is continuously tempered by my desire to savor every word she's used to tell us what has happened.
Okay, so you're clear that I like her books very much. This is the fourth I've read; fortunately I have one more waiting when I finish this one.
But right now I just wanted to relate a funny little moment that made me chuckle last night during my reading. This mother, Marianna, has come into her hotel room to find that her child, Bean (of indeterminate gender), has fallen asleep while reading.
But then so much about Bean wasn't normal. To call in a psychologist now, well, it felt a bit like trying to outrun a tidal wave of odd, thought Marianna. She lifted Bean's hand off the book and smiled as she laid it on the floor. [pp. 40–41]
I could only laugh at the image of Marianna laying Bean's hand on the floor. But — far more sinister! — why is she smiling as she does so?
In: All, Books, Laughing Matters
Einstein & Cell Phones
From Bob Park's "What's New", a pedantic opportunity for me. First: cell phones & brain cancer (cue ominous music):
BRAIN CANCER: OF COURSE CELL PHONES ARE DANGEROUS!
Cell phones may lead to neural atrophy as mindless chatter is substituted for coherent information, but they don't cause brain cancer. This week, however, a doctoral thesis at a university in Sweden suggested that cell phones are linked to some brain cancers. It went around the world in Science Daily on Wednesday. This imaginary link is "discovered" about every five years or so. Photons induce cancer by the photoelectric effect, breaking chemical bonds and creating mutant strands of DNA.In 2001, I was invited to write an editorial on cell phone hazards for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI, Vol. 93, Feb 7, 2001, p. 166). I pointed out that the photoelectric effect would require photon energies at the extreme blue end of the visible spectrum, which is why it's the ultraviolet rays in sunlight that cause skin cancer. Microwave photons are about 10,000 times less energetic.
In a classic 2001 op-ed, LBL physicist Robert Cahn observed that Albert Einstein discovered in 1905 that microwaves couldn't cause cancer. The cell phone scare was launched in 1993 on the Larry King Live Show, which is not peer reviewed. It almost strangled the infant cell-phone industry in its crib, but researchers found nothing.
[Robert L. Park, "What's New", 13 November 2009.]
My bold, of course. The first time I read this I didn't even think that it might sound a bit unbelievable to credit Einstein with the discovery that cell-phone RF cannot cause cancer, but that's because I knew what he was referring to: the "photoelectric effect".
In that remarkable year 1905, Einstein published papers on three topics: special relativity, Brownian motion, and the photoelectric effect. When Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1921 (which he received in 1922; see here), the citation read:
"for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect" [source]
It had been known for some time that when ultraviolet light fell on certain metals, an electrical current was produced, i.e., electrons were energized enough to be ejected from the metal atoms. There was, however, a profound mystery involved. It was obvious that it was the energy of the light falling on the metal that produced the effect, but for any effect to be seen the energy of the light had to be above a certain threshold. This defied expectations that lower-energy light should produce the effect provided the light was intense enough.
Einstein's answer to the quandary was to use the idea that light traveled in discrete bundles of energy (photons), where the energy of each individual photon depended on the wavelength of the light (shorter wavelength = more energetic photons; ultraviolet photons are more energetic than infra-red photons).
To produce an electron through the photoelectric effect, individual photons must each have enough energy to kick the electron out of the atom. If individual photons have less than the ionization energy then no photo-electrons are produced regardless of the intensity of light (i.e., the number of photons falling on the metal).
The key phrase going through Park's head when he wrote the bit above, then, was something like "microwave radiation is non-ionizing", meaning that individual photons in the radio-frequency stream to and from cell phones have less energy than it takes to ionize (kick an electron out of) atoms in DNA molecules. In other words,
Radiowave energy at the power level used by most cell phones, is not ionizing, and our understanding of cancer is that, in general, ionizing radiation is what is required for radiation to cause or contribute to cancer. [source, with more lengthy discussion]
No matter the intensity of the radiation coming out of the cell phone, no matter its proximity to your brain, the individual photons are not energetic enough to ionize atoms in your body. In fact, the photons' energy is about a million times smaller than it must be to cause ionization.
This is the situation in the heads of scientists who so readily poo-poo the notion that cell phone radiation (oooh, radiation!) is cooking your brain (not true) and causing cancerous tumors. There's no chance of ionization going on, ionization is thought to be a necessary factor in radiation-induced cancers, so there's no plausible mechanism.
Happily, I was able to locate that editorial by Robert Cahn mentioned by Park: "Einstein, Your Cell Phone and You", San Francisco Chronicle, 3o August 2000. Even more happily, it's brief, easy to read, and explains the whole thing much better than I did.
In: All, Eureka!, It's Only Rocket Science
EDOW Pride!
Following up on my previous note about support for marriage equality by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington–and its inclusive attitude generally towards LGBT people–this short note: the Episcopal Diocese of Washington is launching a new project / website: EDOW Pride!
Quoting from the welcome page:
With many congregations being served by Women, Persons of Color, or by an Openly Gay or Lesbian priest, the diocese is a place of welcome for all. The diversity is reflected in the wide array of worship styles and parish life within our faith communities.
[…]
EDOW Pride is a ministry in the Diocese of Washington tailored to the needs of our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender members.We work within our home parishes to foster a place of welcome for all, gay or straight.
As I've mentioned our family has a close relationship with the Diocese, since Isaac is employed by them in his day job, and I am happy to acknowledge that the Diocese pays for my health-care insurance as Isaac's domestic partner (a relationship status already recognized in Washington, DC).
Having a ministry that is explicitly geared towards welcoming GLBT people is an idea that, in other places and at other times, might simply sound silly and unnecessary. Unfortunately, in our place and our time, it seems almost dangerously bold. Imagine that. In a social and political environment where many church denominations — Catholic, Mormon, evangelical — actively work to poison the public atmosphere towards GLBT people, it even leads this atheist to commend the Diocese for taking this welcome, public step in support of the many, many people who feel estranged from their faith community.
This EDOW Pride! website is very new and, I understand, has made its appearance a little sooner than anticipated, perhaps to counter the rather uncharitable (un-Christian?) public reaction of Catholic Charities to the pending marriage-equality bill in DC.
And so, I should be charitable towards the new website, but humor can be a positive thing, and I was amused by this text on the photo album page:
National Equality March
Eliquatuero dip numsan vent lam, conum facillum init lut doloreet ullametuero od tet adit, commod tatummy feug tiam velit praese exer aute enit alit, veliqua modit dolorer.
Had the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, I wondered, suddenly taken a unilateral move to return to a Latin liturgy?
No, I rather suspect that it's just a bit of remaining Lorem ipsum (about, or enjoy the Lorem ipsum generator).
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Episcopal Bishop Favors Marriage Equality in DC
Last week there was the news that Catholic Charities, an organization that administers some of Washington, DC's services to the poor, abused, and hungry, threatened to suspend its activities if the DC City Council passed a proposed bill establishing marriage equality in the District. Apparently they feared actually having to provide services to, or benefits for, icky same-sex couples. Of course we know that the Vatican is aligned with the Mormon Church on the issue of marriage equality, both churches spending hundreds of thousands of dollars (possibly millions) to keep marriage equality from becoming law in several states.
It was an opportunity for me to point out, again, that the Catholic Church, despite its name, does not speak for all denominations by any means, although the haters have recently had the loudest voices and would like you to believe that they do speak for all.
In particular, most of the Episcopal Church, at least in America, has made headlines by being supportive of equality for gays and lesbians. It struck me that the kerfuffle with Catholic Charities (who, most recently, tried to extort anti-gay legislation from Massachusetts with a simlar tactic, but failed to do so) was the perfect opportunity for the Episcopal Diocese of DC to step in and declare their sensible belief in equality for all by taking up the charity administration.
They haven't done that, but today the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC, John Chane, announced support for marriage equality:
BISHOP CHANE ANNOUNCES SUPPORT OF DC’s SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LEGISLATION
The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, today announced his support for legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. Chane made his endorsement in a column on the Web site of The Washington Post.
Noting that recent media coverage has pitted conservative Christians against liberal secularists, the bishop articulated a Christian case for same-sex marriage.
“I would say respectfully to my fellow Christians that people who deny others the blessings they claim for themselves should not assume they speak for the Almighty,” Chane said. “The church has deepened its understanding of the way in which faithful couples experience and embody the love of the creator for creation. In so doing, it has put itself in a position to consider whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
“Theologically, therefore, Christian support for same-sex marriage is not a dramatic break with tradition, but a recognition that the church’s understanding of marriage has changed dramatically over 2,000 years. “
Chane also praised the D.C. Council for its sensitivity to issues of religious liberty.
“[I]t's important to emphasize that the actions taken by the D.C. Council do not address the religious meaning of marriage at all,” he wrote. “The proposed legislation would not force any congregation to change its religious teachings or bless any couple. Our current laws do not force any denomination to offer religious blessing to second marriages, yet those marriages, like interfaith marriages, are equal in the sight of the law even though some churches do not consider them religiously valid.
“D.C.’s proposed marriage equality law explicitly protects the religious liberty of those who believe that God’s love can be reflected in the loving commitment between two people of the same sex and of those who do not find God there. This is as it should be in a society so deeply rooted in the principles of religious freedom and equality under the law.”
Like many Episcopal bishops, Chane permits the clergy in his diocese to bless same-sex relationships. He said the diocese is examining the church’s canons to determine whether priests will be allowed to sign marriage licenses if same-sex marriage becomes legal.
[via Church House News, the mailing list of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington; see also the 12 November 2009 "Statement of Bishop John Bryson Chane on faith-based organizations and same-sex marriage legislation".]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity