So what the (bleep) is going on with vaccine distribution? Around here in some counties, we have too much, it seems and in others too little. I have friends of all ages getting poked because enough people don't want it in their jurisdiction and the various institutions don't want their unused portions to go bad.
Most of the older folks I know have gotten at least the first shot but so have increasing numbers of the 30-somethings in my orbit. There's certain chaos around here; those that really want it can get it in one town, but not in another.
Hint: If you're underaged and want it, go to Trump country.
It's as if there is a different sense of urgency place by place.
Then again, the more I find out about the state of affairs of our world in general and also about the state of science, our best tool for understanding them, the more I lean into the theory that we really don't know all that much about anything, so to speak.
And on the topic of speaking, the Wall Street Journal has a fascinating piece this weekend suggesting that when and if we should encounter an intelligent alien species, their language could well be understandable to us. Why?
Well, the theory of evolution would indicate that any forms of communication that might develop would likely favor certain traits on any planet in the universe, therefore all babbling ought to be similar in structure.
Maybe that's why when it comes to understanding foreign languages in faraway places without having mastered them, I find that I can more easily grasp Russian after copious amounts of vodka or Japanese after sufficient servings of sake.
"Cheers" is universal, whether it goes by Nostrovia! ("Na Zdorovie") or Kanpai! (乾杯). I figure we'll know things are headed in the right direction with any aliens we encounter as long as we are toasting each other over whatever fermented substance they prefer rather than shooting each other's brains out.
But not to get distracted from the main point, which is how much of what we think we know do we actually, you know, *know*. I would have at least listed the basics -- time, space, death -- until I encountered quantum mechanics. This branch of physics basically throws everything up for grabs, particularly time, space and death.
That astronauts age slower when far enough up there carves a giant hole in the notion of aging, that's for sure. It's as if the mythical Fountain of Youth is somewhere around the International Space Station. If so, beam me up...
And who, pray tell, can explain what consciousness is, or where our soul goes when we die? This gets so far out there according to quantum mechanics that you might as well bring God back into the discussion. At least God's got a pretty good library on the main topics.
At some tender age, I'm not sure which one exactly, I started reading the Bible. You could say I'm rather weird because I read the whole thing. For a crowd-sourced project, it's got some pretty impressive content here and there. I'll append a few choice comments on the nature of time down where I usually cite music lyrics.
Unfortunately, from the point of view of the faithful flock, it didn't end up convincing me much of anything, except that we really don't know anything.
But that gets me back to quantum mechanics. If even God seems confused about these big questions, what are we to make of the news, which is full of time, space and death? The operative question is "Is any of this real?"
* Myanmar junta is committing 'mass murder,' UN official alleges after 100-plus killed in one day (CNN)
* As U.S. manufacturers hit their stride, vaccine scarcity will soon turn to plenty as much of the world goes begging. And vaccine makers need answers now about what to do with the coming surplus. (NYT)
* Biden invites Russia, China to first global climate talks (AP)
* Far-Right Extremists Move From ‘Stop the Steal’ to Stop the Vaccine (NYT)
* Republicans fixate on nonsense arguments against D.C. statehood while denying a basic right (Editorial Board/WaPo)
* Former Trump chief of staff calls ex-President's Capitol riot claims 'manifestly false' (CNN)
* Hundreds march in L.A.’s Koreatown as part of ‘Stop Asian Hate’ rallies across the country (LAT)
* 2 Dead And At Least 8 Others Wounded In 'Chaotic' Virginia Beach Shootings (NPR)
* Ten people were arrested in the city of Bristol in southwest England on Friday after protests over a new policing bill turned violent with people throwing glass bottles and bricks at officers, police said in a statement. (Reuters)
* Indigenous Australians Are Skeptical About Covid-19 Vaccines, and They’re Hard to Reach (WSJ)
* If U.S. troops leave before any deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government, the militant group will take over much of the country, an intelligence assessment predicted. (NYT)
* NRA faces internal woes as it girds for new gun control fight (WaPo)
* Alien Languages May Not Be Entirely Alien to Us -- Evolution should favor some universal traits in the emergence of any form of communication on any planet. (WSJ)
* Supporters of Gun Control Assail Biden Over Delay on Action (NYT)
* Andrew Cuomo is plummeting, and there’s no one left to catch him (WaPo)
* CalOSHA was notified 18 that Foster Farms workers were hospitalized and six died in connection to the company’s Cherry plant in Fresno, where a Covid-19 outbreak last year infected at least 193 people. Five of the workers died around the time of the outbreak, data show. (KQED)
* Parakeet Unaware Its Companionship The Only Thing Stopping Man From Committing One Of Bloodiest Acts In American History (The Onion)
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"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
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