Fishy Beginnings

It was with great pleasure that I read of the discovery of a fossil representing an amphibious basal ichthyosaur. The ichthyosaurs were "fish-lizards", basically the "reptilian" ("reptile" being an outdated term due to paraphyly) equivalent of the mammalian cetaceans. The ichthyosaurs eventually evolved to become so committed to a solely aquatic existence that, while some early forms gave birth on land, the more derived forms gave birth to live young underwater. The ichthyosaurs became a diverse group of critters, featuring such amazing beasts as the huge-eyed Ophthalmosaurus, which probably dove into the stygian darkness of deep waters, and the sperm whale-sized Shonisaurus

The discovery of a primitive ichthyosaur that could function on land much like a seal is significant because it potentially allows paleontologists to determine what terrestrial lineage the transition ichthyosaur evolved from.

Recently, many gaps in the evolutionary history of whales have been filled in. To see a similar expansion of our knowledge of another great lineage's "back to the sea" trajectory makes me positively giddy. Despite the bleatings and blatherings of creationists, the gaps in the great chain of being keep getting filled in, making for a more complete evolutionary narrative.

Spunk-N-Spice Latte

I can't stop laughing at the unintentional comedy stylings of Pastor James Manning, the barking lunatic who said that Starbucks is putting "sodomite semen" in its coffee. Here's the money quote, in all of its lunatic glory:


“My suspicion is that they’re getting this semen from sodomites. That’s what my suspicion is. My suspicion is that semen, like cord blood, has millions and millions of little zygotes in it, and it flavors up the coffee. And it makes you think you’re having a good time drinking that cup of latte with the semen in it.”


Never mind that he sounds like he's speaking with the voice of experience (he seems like one of those "so deep in the closet he's cavorting with Aslan Assslam" self-haters)- the pastor goes beyond run-of-the-mill homophobia, going full-on jizz libel:


“Starbucks will be found to be perverting its customers and perverting human sexuality. As if drinking Starbucks is some sort of a sacrificial ritual bath where they kill the innocent babies and drink their blood in some of these meetings that are had by these fraternal or sorority groups. Starbucks has, for years, been using sexual fluids to prosper at their businesses, and the truth is now coming out.”


Sodomite semen, baby blood... he sure has a lurid imagination regarding the dietary habits of the Illuminati. I bet he believes that there's an energy drink called Spawndo: "It's got electrolytes zygotes!" As commentor "Drunk Spock" put it: "It has what plants sodomites crave!" At any rate, the sodomite semen coffee drink is perfect for lactose intolerant people, even if it's not for vegans... instead of ordering a soy latte, why not do as Pastor Manning does and order a boy latte?

Check out the comment thread on the story, there's a wealth of win there!

WTF, Voters?

Reading the 2014 Voter Turnout statistics, I'd have to say that I'm pretty appalled. Maine had the highest turnout, a whopping 59.3% of eligible voters. Indiana weighed in at an abysmal 36%. I just don't get it, the vote is the most precious thing that a citizen of These United States possesses. I know that people are swamped at work, and that obstacles have been placed in the way of certain voters in certain districts, but I don't this sufficiently explains how low the participation in the election was.

I can't wrap my head around the wholesale apathy that afflicts this nation. I, myself, love to vote... I have friends working the poll site, I enjoy the act of casting a ballot (though it doesn't have the same visceral appeal of using one of the old-school mechanical voting machines), and most of all I enjoy having agency. I just don't get the whole "sitting it out" thing. Am I the freak here?

Out of the Hot Zone and Cooling His Heels

A couple of weeks ago, my mom flew to Italy because my brother Vincenzo was deployed to Liberia to build medical infrastructure to combat the Ebola outbreak, so his wife needed help taking care of the kids. Vin's deployment is over, and he is back in Italy, undergoing a three-week quarantine. Predictably, the DoD didn't provide civilian clothes or even pajamas, so my sister-in-law had to pack a bag for him and take it to post.

Mom has extended her Italy visit so that she'll be around when Vin gets out of quarantine. I've said it before, and I will say it again, but the fact that the DoD is the go-to agency to respond to a healthcare crisis demonstrates how broken our State Department is. At least guys like Vin, who is super-competent and has a genuine appreciation for the African people he has worked with for the past few years, are on the job.

I'm very proud of Vin.

Local Voting Chicanery

I headed over to my polling place, which is across the street from my house, shortly after noon today. As usual, I had absolutely no difficulty in voting. I gave my name to the poll worker and signed the voters' ledger, with no need to show identification. I know a bunch of the poll workers, so it was a social call as well as a civic duty and an opportunity to exercise my rights as a citizen. As an added bonus, there was a bake sale to benefit the PTA of the school which served as polling place... one dollar cupcakes for the win!

One of this year's developments in local politics has been the creation of a "third way" so-called Women's Equality Party to undermine support for the genuinely progressive Working Families Party. It was a real dirtbag move, because Cuomo received the support of the Working Families Party... it was particularly cynical because, in order for the party to achieve the fifty-thousand votes that it needs in order to remain on a ballot line for the next four years, its supporters have to vote for Cuomo. Talk about having your detractors over a barrel!

Such national sounding boards as The Nation, Daily Kos and Move On have criticized Cuomo's cynical move. In a particularly off-putting move, the name of the party makes criticism of such seem scummy... I mean, what kind of jerk is against women's equality?

I have to say, I held my nose as I voted for Cuomo, and voted a straight Working Families Party ticket. I'm not happy with Cuomo, but I couldn't take the chance that NY State's genuinely progressive party gets dropped from the ballot. Yeah, over a barrel...

Some People Try to Pick Up Girls and Get Called 'Asshole"

One of the big media stories last week was the Hollaback video depicting catcalling of a woman who happened to be out walking while female, preceded by a hidden camera operator. I'm a dude, I haven't been catcalled very often... one memorable occasion that occurred in my twenties was while biking, when a fourteen year old girl greeted me with a sing-song, "Hi, Irish boy!" It was cute, she was a sweet kid, and I replied, "Hi back at ya, colleen!" The imbalance of power in this case was so much in my favor that it was a harmless, even a charming occasion. If I had been the one initiating the conversation, it would have been creepy and intimidating.

I've never been one to catcall, I see it as a ridiculous exercise, fit only for making women upset and men foolish. Also, looking like the guy in my profile pic, I know I can come across as somewhat fierce and intimidating looking... while I can easily snap into "Big Bad Bald Bastard" mode, my general attitude on the street is one of threat-minimization. I make an effort to at least acknowledge the presence of others on the street, with a nod or a greeting, but I make sure to maintain eye-contact, rather than going all Tex Avery wolf. Basically, I try to live by the motto "don't be a dick" most of the time... if some woman wants your attention, she'll know how to get it.

A lot has been made of the fact that the majority of the catcallers on the video were black and latino men of "lower status". The fact that footage of white harassers didn't make it to the final video is disturbing, but I'd also offer that lower-class black and latino men live more of their lives in the public view- they aren't insulated from the general gaze by office entry-control or the gates of private clubs. Upper-class men are probably more likely to engage in workplace harassment than street-harassment. Like most of the sins of the wealthy, the sexual peccadilloes of the wealthy are less obvious than those of the poor, even if they are more serious.

I don't have any prescription to fix the problem, other than, "Dudes, don't be dicks." Basically, this post is a great excuse to post a video for Pablo Picasso by The Modern Lovers, which is basically the theme song for this video:





I never knew that David Bowie did a cover version of the song... I bet David Bowie never tried to pick up girls and got called 'asshole' either:

All Saints' Day Damned

It's been a l-o-n-g time since I've posted a video by the Damned. Being a child of the radio rather than the T.V., I never knew that there was a video for the song Grimly Fiendish, from the 1985 Phantasmagoria album. The song's strange, bouncy vibe is served well by an "Addams Family"esque video (better yet, it's like "Grimly meets Gorey):





The Damned's later sound is a far cry from the gloriously raw punk of their early releases:





I missed a bit about a tempest-in-a-teapot regarding members of the Damned turning on the Christmas lights of the city of Cambridge. It makes perfect sense to me, though, as Captain Sensible sang one of my favorite Christmas songs.