Preview

(6)

Damn that was fun! I still have not remembered the other poem (etc) but it was a very long poem with four lines per stanza. I'll remember it eventually.

Time for me to wrap this up. I continue to cogitate now and then on memories of the various 'psychologists and psychiatrists' I have had the unfortunate experience of meeting over the years, and I intend to present a little something on the subject next week.

The Limbo Overpopulation Problem

(5)

me: But what about those embryos which have been frozen? What is their status? Those embryos can either be used for scientific research or can be implanted in human females, eventually to become human children. What about THOSE embryos?
god: Frozen embryos? You can freeze embryos?!
me: There must be thousands of frozen embryos, maybe millions.
god: If you thaw them out do they work?
me: Don't you watch tv?
god: Answer the question!
me: Yes they work.
god: Whoa! Maybe I've been creating too many souls. That might explain the Limbo over-population problem!
me: I think you better start watching tv.

Protoplasm Rots

(4)

me: But it seems so unfair! Why keep a helpless being with no prospects sequestered for all of eternity? It seems monstrous.
god: That's the way it is.

Omar:
(Better oh better Cancel from the Scroll
Of Universe one Luckless Human Soul
Than drop by drop Enlarge the Flood that rolls
Hoarser with Anguish as the Ages Roll)

god: Did you hear something?
me: Can you tell me what happens to an embryonic soul whose 'protoplasm' has been 'sacrificed' in the name of research? Is its fate somehow different?
god: There is no difference.
me: Then will you grant me that in the case of scientific research the 'protoplasm' involved served a higher purpose than it would have otherwise have served?
god: What do you mean?
me: I mean that in any case the 'protoplasm' rots.
god: Protoplasm always eventually rots. What is your point?

Rehabilitation?

(3)

me: I think I do see.
god: You are a case of self-esteem run amok.
me: Tell me: do you create a soul for each and every embryo?
god: No. I create a soul for each and every Human embryo.
me: Does it always 'work out'? What about the common case of spontaneous abortion.
god: It is unfortunate.
me: But what happens to the aborted soul?
god: It goes to Limbo.
me: What does it do in Limbo?
god: It just sits there.
me: Are you telling me that you have not created some sort of rehabilitation program for such souls?
god: You want me to rehabilitate a fetus?

Historicity?

(2)

me: 'scuse me while I get another beer. (Whoa! The word, 'historicity' just came up on the McLaughlin Group as I passed through the living room. Better look it up.)
god: Historicity means 'historical authenticity.'
me: Hmm.
god: You want to talk about embryos?
me: Exactly. Tell me about embryos.
god: You're asking the wrong person. You need to consult somebody in the biological sciences.
me: But don't You create embryos?
god: Not exactly. You create embryos.
me: Then what is the problem with some Christians regarding stem cell research?
god: You create the embryo; I create the soul of the embryo.
me: I see.
god: No, you don't see.

Only a Possibility

(1)

Well, that was fun. Literature (along with Chemistry) was my favorite class in High School. Some other favorite poems were, The Raven, The Ancient Mariner, (etc)

I think it's best to leave poor Allah et alli alone for a while, but offhand I don't have a substitute theme. I am 'working' (occasionally phantasizing) on an encounter with 'representatives of the psychological sciences.' Eheh. I have in mind some of the folks at Kaiser Permanente with whom I have had the bad luck to come into contact. But it would be a bit premature to do it now.

The big news of the day is about Bill Frist's change of heart regarding stem cell research. I like the idea. I like it not because I think I will eventually benefit - I doubt that - but because it seems to me to be the right course of action. In my view all life is 'equal' and there is nothing special about human life given the current context (a human-dominated planet which is losing species at an alarming rate). To me an embryo is only a possibility and a human embryo is only another human possibility. The idea of using 'the possible' to benefit 'the actual' is appealing.

Hmm. Could this be a subject for another interview with WHTZSNM? Let's try it.

Sudan

(11)

Ten beers. I began around 1630. I faithfully pursued my 3.2 committment until fairly recently (about 2300) and now I am ready to chuck it. I have drunk one 'serving' of whiskey and I aim to drink one more 'serving.' What I do after that will forever remain unknown.

But apparently not. I'm still here. I was just watching my latest recording of The 700 Club which featured an African Bishop: The story was a sort of follow-up to the recent fiasco in Sudan where the US Secretary of State and her entourage were 'slighted' by Sudanese security officials. The story in question featured an African Bishop, Gassis (ga-sees). Pat was absent for this story but his son did a creditable job. The story was so engaging that I instructed tivo to save it until further notice.

Nighty-night.

The Moving Finger Writes; and Having Writ, Moves on

(11)

Ten beers. I began around 1630. I faithfully pursued my 3.2 commitment until fairly recently (about 2300) and now I am ready to chuck it. I have drunk one 'serving' of whiskey and I aim to drink one more 'serving.' What I do after that will forever remain unknown.

(just after I wrote the above there was an orchestral sound from Windows (boom) and I discovered that my connection had failed. I had no trouble re-connecting.)

So here I am, with my second and last serving of whiskey in hand. (By the way, the Recover Post worked in this particular case.)

I leave you with the most famous saying of Omar Khayyam:

The Moving Finger writes; and having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety not Wit,
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out one word of it.

How Could I Fail to Notice?

(10)

Well, folks, I can tell you that I was not surprised to hear that latest objection. As I have watched all the (American) video of Muslim men bowing down at Mosque Services I was struck by the fact that there were no 'laggards' so to say: all went down in unison. It was as if nobody wanted to be caught 'checking out the butt in front of him.'

Armed with this knowlege I asked Allah:

me: Do you think some of the worshippers might notice my panty lines?
al: Not exactly.
me: Then what is the problem?
al: The problem is ME. How could I fail to notice?

The Problem With Pantylines

(9)

Time for me to gather my courage and conjure up another interview with Allah.

al: Not YOU again!
me: Yep. I am woefully ignorant of your interesting religion and I was wondering whether You considered me to be a viable convert to the same.
al: You don't look at all promising.
me: Why do you say that?
al: You are a well-known (tap) infidel.
me: OK, but is there no salvation for infidels?
al: Probably not in your case. You are known as being anti-circumcision.
me: True. But in the theoretical case that I would change my mind, would I qualify?
al: I don't think so. I know you well.
me: Please enlighten me.
al: You would never qualify for worship.
me: In the Mosque?
al: Nowhere. The problem is your pantylines.

The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets

(8)

This leaves me alone (tap) with The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. According to the WEMS Allah was the male replacement for Al-Lat, who was part of the Female Trinity along with Kore (or Q're The Virgin) and Al-Uzza, The Powerful One, the triad known as, Manat, The three-fold Moon.

At Mecca the Goddess 'was Shaybah or Sheeba, the Old Woman, worshipped as an aniconic (black, cone-shaped) stone like the Goddess of the Scythian Amazons' (WEMS).

According to WEMS, doctrines attributed to Mohammed simply reversed the ancient Matriarchal System in favor of men. I could go on and on but you get the idea.

No Pussy in Paradise

(7)

After a lengthy interview with Omar I began to sense that he was becoming overheated. So I decided to ask him one more question and then end the interview:

me: Can you tell me in simple terms whether there is Pussy in the Muslim Paradise?
om:
Myself when young did eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint, and heard great argument
'Bout Pussy in Heaven: but evermore
Came out by the same Door where in I went.
(translation: No pussy in paradise. Get it on Earth while you can.)

And with that, my part of the interview was ended. Lucifer talked with Omar for a brief time and then Ohmar Khayyam went poof like Doctor Presken. I was left alone with Lucifer.

me: Do you know why Omar was sweating so much?
lu: He isn't used to our temperatures.
me: Do you mean...?
lu: Yes. He lives in a ten degree environment.
me: Celcius?
Lucifer: Kelvin.
me: Poor guy!
lu: Not any more. I put him in touch with Einstein.

A Glorious Moment

(6)

(Boy this is fun! 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam' has been a favorite of mine since High School. Another favorite is, 'The Garden of Proserpine' by Swinburne, also learned in High School. I don't think the priest who taught that (literature) class had the remotest idea how those two poems would affect me.)

me: Could you expound a bit on your last advice?
om:
Ah, make the most of what Ye yet may spend,
Before Ye too into the Dust descend;
Dust onto Dust, and under Dust, to lie,
Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer and - sans End.
(translation: live for today)
om:
A Moment's Halt - a momentary Taste
Of Being from the Well amid the Waste -
And Lo! the phantom Caravan has reached
The Nothing it set out from - Oh, make haste!
(translation: your life is a glorious moment in the midst of Eternal Nothing)

The Prophet's Paradise

(5)

I liked Omar right away. I could see that we were in some sense 'kindred spirits,' although I was a dunce at mathematics. I could tell that Lucifer also liked the old poet. 'The ice broken,' so to say, I wondered about the Muslim Paradise. I wondered whether the Muslim Paradise was any more valuable than the Judeo-Christian Paradise. I broached the initial question with:

me: Can you tell us from your perspective how we on Earth should live our lives?
om:
Some for the Glories of This World; and some
Sigh for the Prophet's Paradise to come;
Ah, take the Cash and let the Credit go,
Nor heed the rumble of a distant Drum!
(translation: none needed)
me: Do you mean that the religious life is worthless?
om:
Alike to those who for To-day prepare,
And those who after some To-morrow stare,
A Muezzin from the Tower of Darkness of darkness cries,
"Fools! Your reward is neither Here nor There!"
(translation: none needed)

Not Lost in Translation

(4)

I questioned Lucifer about Omar Khayyam. Seems he lived in the eleventh(?) century. He was a Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer, and was instrumental in refining the calendar. Lucifer advised me that Omar liked to speak in verses which were somewhat obscure and warned me that I should employ the services of a translator. He suggested himself for that job.
I accepted.

om:
There was the Door to which I found no Key;
There was the Veil through I might not see;
Some little talk of Me and Thee
There was - and then no more of Thee and Me.
(translation: Welcome to my world.)
me: They tell me you are a mathematician who refined the calander.
om:
Ah, but my Computations, People say,
Reduced the Year to better reckoning? - Nay,
'Twas only striking from the Calendar
Unborn Tomorrow, and dead Yesterday.
(translation: That is correct.)

Omar Khayyam

(3)

Which fact only highlights my ignorance of the Muslim religion. Guess I'll have to do some more research. But I suspect that Muslim women do indeed eventually find their way to Paradise, and the question begs to be asked: what will they find there?

In my quest to discover some answers concerning the Muslim Paradise I consulted Lucifer again:

me: Are you familiar with the Muslim Paradise?
lu: Not very. What do you need to know?
me: Are there women there?
lu: Not many.
me: Why not many?
lu: Only virgins are allowed.
me: What about all the non-virgins?
lu: Non-virgins go to Hell.
me: That seems unbelievably vicious. Are you sure?
lu: Sure. But Hell is Hell: very comfortable. Those women are lucky.
me: I find this difficult to believe.
lu: May I refer you to a Muslim man in Heaven? Perhaps he can verify my view.
me: Sure. Who?
lu: Omar Khayyam.

Another Interview

(2)

Allah has had a week to calm down. Maybe we can talk...

al: Not you again!
me: Unfortunately. I promise not to mention the unmentionable this time.
al: See that you don't.
me: I was doing some research on the Muslim Paradise, today. I was wondering whether you could verify some of my findings.
al: I might. I might not.
me: Is it true that suicide bombers are rewarded in Heaven?
al: True.
me: With seventy virgins?
al: True.
me: Are female suicide bombers so rewarded?
al: Females?
me: Yes. Don't females also go to the Muslim Paradise?

At this point Allah went poof again.

Know What I Mean?

(1)

Rats! No national news tonight because of some local fire. All three 'network stations' are covering it. Too bad at least one of them didn't have the good sense to put on some national news instead. I did find the fire interesting, for about ten seconds.

So I am stuck with no new notes. Luckily I did some research on Google today. I was interested in the Koran's description of Heaven. I found only a brief reference to a 'palace' with 70 virgins, each of whom had her very own private room. It must have been a reference to the Muslim male paradise. I was left wondering whether Muslim women ever went to heaven.

I was also interested in 'Mosque etiquette.' Having never seen video of muslim women doing the 'bow down,' I wondered whether they were even allowed to pray at the Mosque. I admit that my research was very sketchy due to time constraints, but it seemed to me that Muslim women were not allowed inside Mosques to pray. Did I get that right? Some further research seemed to indicate that that state of affairs is under reconsideration in Western Cultures, and that women are, or soon will be, able to pray alongside men if they are, as a group, separated by 'an aisle.'
I suppose the purpose of this separation is to discourage 'tardy prostrations.' You know what I mean?

Acid is a New World

(8)

Time for me to wrap this up. The second movement just began and I am reminded of the Absolute Beauty which flooded me at those times. Beyond words. I used to lay there on the couch in total ecstacy as I listened to that music. Acid is a New World.

Who is Al-Lat?

(7)

So Allah went poof just like Doctor Presken, presumably for different reasons. Presumably. I have the strange feeling that I will meet Allah again sometime in the future. I look forward to that meeting because I have some interesting questions to ask him, among them, the question of the identity of 'Al-Lat.'

Poof

(6)

I think I'm on my ninth beer but I'm not sure. My notes suggest, for a next subject, an interview with Allah. But is that wise? Who would I offend with such an interview? Would I have to fear for my life? Is Allah dangerous (tap)?

I'll try it:

me: Hello there.
allah: Hi.
me: I have a few questions from the point of view of Infidels.
allah: You are an infidel?
me: Sorry.
allah: Pleased to meet you! I have always wanted to talk to an actual infidel!
me: Does this mean you are willing to answer my questions?
allah: We'll see. What is your first question?
me: Have you ever heard of the Jewish god, WHTZSNM?
allah: I have so heard.
me: Ever met Him?
allah: Never met him.
me: I am curious about a certain aspect of Islam relating to the male penis. My question is this: Does Islam require circumcision?
allah: Absolutely.
me: No exceptions?
allah: None.
me: None whatsoever?
allah: None whatsoever.
me: Are you circumcised?

Simple as That

(5)

I'm playing BS#6. Tony Blankley, on The McLaughlin Group, just said something to the effect that a poll of Muslims in Britain suggested that 60 percent of them would rather live under 'sharia' than under British Law. If true, that is astonishing! Sharia? Sheeit!

My take on that poll goes back to the well-known phenomenon of 'penis envy:' European Muslims live in the midst of a largely uncircumcised society. (The second movement is now playing. I LOVED this music as glorious ultra-colorful visions of absolute beauty played in my visual cortex.) Where was I?

Ah yes: penis envy. European Muslims suffer from Penis Envy. That is their problem. American Muslims, on the other hand, do not suffer so much. The reason is that American Jewry has succeeded in circumcising the majority of American males for 'health reasons.' Therefore American Muslims, as they sniff the crotches around them, do not find the intolerable odor, and as a result are less Penis-Envious. It is as simple as that.

Earth?

(4)

This might be an appropriate time to cook up another interview with god. Does god watch The 700 Club?

me: I'll get right to the point: do You watch The 700 Club?
god: What is 'The 700 Club?'
me: A Christian TV show.
god: I never watch TV.
me: So you've never heard of Pat Robertson?
god: There are a lot of Pat Robertsons. Which one do you mean?
me: He's a former lawyer.
god: I need more specific information.
me: Pat Robertson. He runs a religious TV show on Earth. Has millions of followers.
god: Earth?

One Wonders

(3)

In the Wednesday show Pat suggests that, '...apparently The Lord has answered the prayers of His people, at least in measure...' and later that '...God has answered the prayers of His people without question.'

What are we to make of this? Is the thyroid cancer affecting Justice Rehnquist god's answer to Operation Supreme Court Freedom? Are the family tragedies of Justice O'connor an example of god's 'mighty arm?' One wonders.

Divine Assassination?

(2)

Wednesday's 700 Club was interesting. Pat Robertson announced a continuance of Operation Supreme Court Freedom beginning August first. The orininal operation began just after July 4th 2003 as a call to pray for the Supreme Court, that it may have a 'change of balance' favorable to right wing Christian Nuttery. The original operation was limited to 21 days, but the continuance will be in effect for the entire month of August 2005.

Pat then replayed his prayer inaugurating the operation, and I was amazed. At one point Pat reminds god that, 'God Almight You are God!' Is that appropriate? I mean, doesn't god realize that already? Does god need to be reminded? Is Pat really talking to god here?

Somewhat later Pat says (presumably to god), 'In the name of Jesus show your mighty arm!' I thought, 'Whoa. This sounds a little like a call for divine assassination. Is this appropriate?'

Pat then tempts God with the words, 'Father, we'll praise you... display Your Power to the people!'

Trip Music

(1)

KVOD was playing Beethoven's sixth symphony as I drove around on the way to KSS today. I get lucky once in a while and today was the day. As I listened to it and compared the version I was hearing with the version I remembered I was again struck by how different 'identical' pieces of music can be (being gassed here). Every conductor has a unique point of view. BS#6 was my 'trip music' back in the late (being gassed again) '70s. I only played the first side (of a 33 rpm platter) during the most intense part of the trip, and saved the other side for when I was 'coming down.' I avoided the 'thunderstorm scene' because it was way too violent for acid. I still don't like it.

Me, Idiot

(10)

I must tell you now that you will find no quotes from Einstein here. I know that you love Einstein. So do I. But the remainder of my talk with Einstein must forever remain secret.

I can tell you this: Einstein remained faintly amused by my questions. He was particularly amused by my interest in his escape from Hell. Perhaps he detected in me a desire to know something forbidden. If that is the case he was right.

Einstein refused to answer my unasked questions in that regard, preferring to simply smile at me as if I were an idiot.

A Loophole in the Universe

(9)

Well, folks, my interview with Einstein went on and on for many minutes, and at the end of the interview Einstein admitted that he had escaped from Heaven. He refused to explain the exact nature of how he had escaped. He told me that he had found a 'loophole in the universe' and that many folks would make use of that loophole in the future, and that therefore the information was of 'ultimate importance' (being gassed here with lung gas). He ended the interview soon after, and I was left in the dark.

I have to admit that I liked Einstein in spite of his hairdo. He seemed to be totally incapable of guile. Possibly that is why God found him so attractive.

Before he left me I asked him the inevitable question: 'In view of the fact that you do not believe in Judaism, how do you view religious infant circumcision?'

Longing for Hell

(8)

(Well, folks, I still feel intellectually capable, so I will continue for the moment.)

me: Did you really feel such cold temperatures?
einstein: I felt it spiritually.
me: How did you respond to speaking Latin?
einstein: I hate latin!
me: What most displeased you about Heaven?
einstein: God displeased me most of all.
me: Howso?
einstein: God seemed to take special notice of me soon after I arrived in Heaven, and within 30 minutes of my arrival He began to roll dice. It seemed to me that He was ignoring all the Latin praises going on around Him and focusing instead on me. I began to feel very creepy.
me: God actually rolled dice?
einstein: Yes. God rolled dice time and time again in my presence and after several years of this I began to get the impression that Heaven was not what it was cooked up to be.
me: You began to regret being in Heaven?
einstein: Very much so. In fact I longed for Hell.

Kelvin

(7)

After extensive questions concerning physics I sensed that Einstein was on the verge of becoming bored, and so I asked the great physicist why he did not recommend Heaven. His reply was startling:

einstein: I do not recommend Heaven because I've been there. I didn't like it at all.
me: You?! You went to Heaven?!
einstein: I did indeed.
me: Can you tell me why you didn't like Heaven?
einstein: Well first of all Heaven is cold, about ten degrees.
me: Celsius? Oh, that's chilly.
einstein: Not Celsius.
me: Fahrenheit? That's below freezing.
einstein: Kelvin.

Einstein the Determinist

(6)

(After one glass of whiskey I've decided to go back to 3.2 beer. Screw next weekend.)

The interview with Einstein was absolutely fascinating. I even got to ask him a few questions about stuff which has not yet been resolved by modern physics. Einstein gave me hints to the answers with the caveat that I had to promise never to reveal either the hints or the source. I agreed.

Eventually the discussion got around to why Einstein did not recommend Heaven. Before I reveal the interview I need to make it clear that, contrary to modern Christian propaganda, Einstein was not a 'believer.' It is true that Einstein once said that, 'God does not play dice.' That much is true. But Einstein was using the term, 'God,' metaphorically. Einstein really meant something like, 'Mother Nature.' His intent on that occasion was to express his disagreement with the relatively new science of Quantum Mechanics, which suggested that, at the atomic level, Uncertainty Ruled.

You see, Einstein was at bottom a Determinist and could not abide the notion that Nature was essentially unpredictable.

Not Exactly

(5)

I've decided to switch to Whiskey and leave the last half of my 12-pack for next Friday night. I have alloted myself one half-pint of whiskey. By the end of the evening I will be drunk as a skunk.

My interview with Lucifer continued for a while, and the discussion centered around my reluctance to believe that Heaven would not be a good idea. Near the end of the discussion Lucifer saw that I would need additional 'testimony' in that regard and offered to put me in touch with Einstein. I accepted immediately, of course, being a great admirer of Einstein.

(The problem with whiskey is that you tend to drink it way too fast. After only a few minutes I have finished my first glass of whiskey.)

After a short delay I was pleasantly surprised by Albert Einstein in the flesh (so to say).

einstein: Pleased to meet you. I've heard that you are interested in modern physics.
me: Pleased to meet you too. It's true that I have an interest in physics, but you were recommended by Lucifer as an advisor concerning the advisability of going to Heaven.
einstein: I understand.
me: So I ask you: is it advisable to go to Heaven?
einstein: Not exactly.

Yet Another Interview

(4)

I've discovered an amazing fact: 3.2 beer is more than adequate to power this blog! I am now beginning my sixth 3.2 Natural Light and am buzzing my brains out! Where was I? Ah yes: investigating the beneficial aspects of circumcision. God has admitted that His 'contract' with the Chosen People was designed to limit their sexual pleasure to some extent. And near the end of the interview I sensed that god's last remark was a good point to end the encounter, so I did.

But I had some unanswered questions. I didn't want to bother god again so soon, therefore I resorted to conjuring up another interview with Lucifer:

me: I trust you have reviewed my voice recording of the 'god interview?'
lucifer: I have.
me: What do you make of it?
lucifer: God is being unusually honest. I think he likes you.
me: Really!?
lucifer: That is my impression.
me: Is that good or bad?
lucifer: Bad.
me: Why so? Why is that bad?
lucifer: There is a small chance you will end up in Heaven. That's bad.
me: Please explain.
lucifer: You wouldn't like it in Heaven.
me: Why not?
lucifer: Do you like Latin?
me: Hate it.
lucifer: They only speak Latin in Heaven. The first thing they do to you is teach you Latin.
me: Please go on.
lucifer: Then they teach you the magic litany.
me: Magic litany?
lucifer: Praises. God is apparently addicted to Latin praises, and so in Heaven they chant lots of Latin praises.

Another Interview

(3)

The previous subject got me to wondering about god's opinion concerning AIDS and circumcision. Everybody knows that god instituted circumcision among Jewish men as a 'sign of the Covenant' between god and his Chosen People. Everybody knows that the practice of circumcision spread beyond the Chosen People to the Unchosen People around them: the Arabs who would later become Muslims. Everybody knows that. Few people know that circumcision would eventually spread to South Korea(!) But I digress.

I was interested in an interview with god. I summoned Him.

me: Thank You for showing up again.
god: Get to the point.
me: Have you read the African AIDS/Circumcision study? Do you know what I'm talking about?
god: I'm not exactly an idiot. Of course I've read it.
me: Then my question for You concerns the exact mechanism behind (lung gas) the observed effect. Does circumcision tend to increase abstinence?
god: Duhhhh...
me: You will be pleased to know that we agree on this.
god: Nothing you do pleases ME, mister Dogerty.
me: Be that as it may, is it reasonable for me to conclude that your insistence on circumcision for your Chosen People was designed to ultimately protect them from AIDS?
god: Nonsense. I sent AIDS to Earth as a punishment for fornication.
me: That seems reasonable. Is it also reasonable to suggest that Your hatred of fornication was behind the institution of circumcision?
god: I am beginning to warm up to you. Slightly.

The Circumcision Cult is Alive in Africa

(2)

I was reading on the MSNBC web site today about how some of the folks who are in the business of fighting AIDS in Africa have come up with a study to determine whether male circumcision is beneficial in preventing AIDS. Not surprisingly (to me at least), the study concluded that male circumcision is indeed beneficial in that regard. The exact prevention mechanism was not revealed, however. If I remember the article correctly, the study group circumcised half of a study population of sexually active African men, then checked them all for AIDS some appropriate time later. The results seemed to indicate that the circumcised group was less likely to contract AIDS. Duhhhh...

It is well known in the uncircumcised community that circumcision desensitizes the penis, thus making copulation less pleasurable. Is it possible that some of those unfortunates lost some degree of interest in sex after they had been circumcised? If so, is it not possible that the result of this loss of interest resulted in a lower AIDS rate? And what about those unfortunate new circumcates who realized far too late that their circumcision was a horrible mistake? Is it not unreasonable to postulate that some of them were so determined to 'make lemonade' so to say, that they gave up sex altogether in an attempt to validate their voluntary mutilation?

These are only two possible interpretations of the African AIDS/Circumcision Study. There may be more. But if the eventual result of the study suggests that penile mutilation is somewhat helpful in preventing AIDS if Africa, then I would suggest that logic be carried to conclusion:
cut off the whole damned thing!

Fooling With Blogger

(1)

Been fooling around with the Blogger editor on my other blog. There is a small bug (or two) in that editor but with a little practice I was able to work around it (them). My interest was mostly in the fonts, bold, italic, and color aspects of the editor. I like the color especially, and my posts may as a result become a little more 'psychedelic.' (Note to Blogger: you may find it profitable to check out Creative Writer, a children's word processor. Creative Writer came gratis with my first modern computer, and I soon abandoned Word Salad and my Apple II+ in favor of CW, and began writing my 'drog' with it. I recommend it highly even for 'adults.')

Sexual Considerations

(7)

The big news today is that Sandra Day O'connor is retiring from the Supreme Court. This leaves only one woman in the midst of that august male body. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but it seems to me that the president has little choice but to recommend a same-sex replacement.

Women are coming of age everywhere in defiance of what I call 'Western Religion' (Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism), and it seems to me that this president has a unique opportunity to validate this universal female emergence with a viable female candidate.

I am, of course, totally ignorant of possible female candidates, but I do claim to be an excellent advisor regarding sexual considerations.

Personal Mysticism

(6)

So I find myself sympathizing with Tom Cruise's (there is a tap from above whenever I misspell (tap) anything) ideas. Time is, along with booze, taking its toll on my higher faculties, and so I will for now abandon the story of my unfortunate encounters with 'persons of psychological knowlege.' But I'll be back.

For now I should admit that I would eventually go on to do powerful psychoactive drugs, but that those drugs would be entirely self-prescribed. I would research those drugs extensively before I tried them. The drugs were Marijuana and LSD, of course, and I found them to be very efficatious, especially in the little-known realm of personal mysticism.

Monster

(5)

I made an appointment with the good doctor, and some time later I found myself in his office, bursting with anticipation: what would this new psychological adventure yield?

The doctor turned out to be disappointing. He was a boring twit. I had no idea what to talk about but I filled the 50-minute-hour with personal trivia. At the end of the session the good doctor recommended a drug. The name of the drug escapes me now but I recognized it (from my psychology class) as an extremely powerful psychoactive drug, reserved for very disturbed patients. The alarm bells went off in my head at that point and I thanked the good doctor, noting that it was a comfort to realize that there was some sort of chemical help available for me, but that I was not quite ready yet to begin a drug regimen.

I left his office thinking that I might just have escaped a monster.

An Actual Psychiatrist

(4)

So Pat Robertson's viewers have their work cut out for them.

The famous Matt Lauer interview with Tom Cruise will not go away, and I find myself thinking about the various representatives of the 'psychological sciences' that I have been unfortunate enough to encounter in my long life.

My introduction to 'psychology' came in a college course in Salina Kansas back in about 1962. I was an airman based at Schilling AFB, and was taking night time college courses offered by a local Kansas college (Bethany?). I loved Psychology. I took Sociology and loved it too. My grades were much higher than the ones I managed to eke out in high school, probably because I found the subject matter fascinating as opposed to utterly boring.

My very first encounter with a 'psychiatrist' was something of a lark: I had discovered a lump on my ribs and had visited my physician (tap). His examination revealed that it was not cancer at all but actually a normal physical attribute. I felt extremely silly. He suggested that I see a psychiatrist. He handed me the phone number of a 'highly recommended professional.'

You, no doubt, would immediately have found a new doctor. But I was sooooo naive in those days. Also, I was intrigued: what would it be like to talk to an actual psychiatrist?

Science is Public

(3)

Since seeing the previously mentioned installment of the 700 Club I have been thinking about how to construct such an experiment. How would it be possible to design a foolproof experiment? Nothing like it has ever been attempted so far as I know. At least nothing very public. Certainly there have been millions, perhaps billions, maybe trillions, of private experiments done in that regard. I myself performed one or two such experiments many years ago. In those experiments I 'detected no God.'

But I do not doubt at all that others have 'detected God' in their personal experiments.

What we are looking for here is a public experiment. Various folks can detect God or not detect God in their private experiments, but those results tend to cancel each other. Most folks would not accept the results of another's private experiment. Science is public. So we need a public experiment. If science is ever to prove the existence of God it must do so in a very public way: it must produce an understandable experiment, the results of which unambiguously demonstrate that God exists.

Detecting God

(2)

Perhaps Pat is disappointed with science because it has not yet come up with a scientific test for the existence of God. Yes. That must be it. There is no scientific test sensitive enough (yet) to detect God. Science can detect one part per billion of certain chemicals and elements, but has not yet designed a test which will detect God, even in massive quantities. God is supposed to be everywhere, but scientists can't seem to find him.

Perhaps Pat should call, publicly, on the 700 Club, for modern science to immediately begin a massive search for God. Perhaps Pat should demand - yes, DEMAND - that modern science immediately begin work on an experiment to detect God. Possibly Pat could conduct a contest among his viewers: a scholorship would be awarded to the viewer who proposed the best scientific experiment designed to detect God. Famous scientists could be recruited as judges. Such a contest would no doubt boost ratings tremendously.

Secular and Atheistic

(1)

The other blog is coming along fairly well. I think I'm slowly beginning to paint a picture of what is going on.

Pat Robertson had an interesting rant against Evolution on the 700 Club, Thursday. He called the theory a '...weak... flawed doctrine... shot full of holes, which has been adopted by secular science as a religion.' He suggested that 'a million missing links' would be needed to make sense of the fossil record as it now stands. He ranted on and on for several minutes. Clearly, Pat Robertson is not a fan of Evolution.

In my opinion Pat is guilty of the most fundamental sort of 'category mistake.' Science and Religion are two entirely different categories, yet Pat insists on mixing them up in one larger category which he has not defined. Would 'knowlege' be a good name for such a category? Probably not. Scientific knowlege and religious knowlege are clearly different kinds of knowlege as things now stand.

Pat accuses scientists of being 'secular' and 'atheistic' as if that were some sort of travesty. Pat doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that science is necessarily 'secular and atheistic.'