Solar fares

A real picture, of the transit of Venus across the sun, and a plane that got caught between the Moon and New York City.

The Wanderers

From the front porch of Gondolin, late March 2012 - a cool occurrence where Venus is higher in the sky than Jupiter, the two bright lights you see here. The tight star group above Venus is the Pleiades, or, The Seven Sisters. The best constellation. But I'm not here to wax rhapsodic about the Pleiades, not tonight at least. Rather, I give you artsy shaky pictures of Venus and Jupiter, with Venus at the top:

All pictures about 90 second exposures, on a tripod, and I moved the tripod in the observed patterns to produce the triptastic trails.

Try it yourself! It's fun. I imagine you could get quite good at it, and draw a picture with the points of light. I shall endeavor to try again.

Merry New Year!

Note the movement from the sunset below. It's days respectable. This is Halloween sunset above.

Here's the stream of which I spoke before. Check it out:

Managed and manicured. Let my water go - I try and help.

There is but one

World Devourer, and The Silver Surfer is His Herald. But also Nova, Gabriel, Morg (The Executioner), and Firelord, among others.

Are Ye right with Galactus, mortal? If not, get yourself so soon, as He's hungry, and He could return at any time. Maybe in 6 weeks?

Zod's just a Kryptonian thug, by the way.

Sagan Day 2012

Happy Sagan Day! 2012 as a Mayan Apocalypse means nothing, by the way. Let's get that out of the way immediately.  But I will still use it for humorous effect.

Turning more Vulcan by the year.

Carl took ZERO bullshit. That was his thing - see, that's the thing with science. No bullshit. Ever, for any reason, at any time, ever. Antithetical to the very enterprise. Whereas Religion is clearly built on lies. Consider that, Godlings.

The proof is always in the pudding.

Also:  Not a College Republican, though everyone from the 50's looks the part.

Kenyan Communists

I find myself in an odd place, politically (among many other areas). I'd like to think of myself as "Conservative", as in, "To Conserve". This would be the earth, money, resources, pain, etc. However, the so called "Conservative" party in America today is anything but. The Republicans are hardcore radicals bent on destroying this country. In order to save it, they'd tell you in a moment of candor.

Thus, I vote Democrat, for the sole reason that they are the only thing standing in the way of Republican rule and utter destruction for us all.

We've all heard the shit they've flung at Obama. It's neverending. Hate peddlers, fear junkies, moral toads need not rule us, people! Let go of your hate, and vote against these people everywhere and at all times and on all lines of the ballot. The Republican party and its philosophies must be destroyed - literally, for the safety of everyone on the planet.

Is that dire enough? Stark enough choice? Vote - against Republicans.

Tagg, you're it

That's Tagg Romney on the lower left, who said after the second debate (in regards the paraphrased question "how did you like your Dad getting his ass kicked?"):

Jump out of your seat and you want to rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at him.

The picture is after the 3rd debate, in which Barack Obama also kicked Mitt Romney's ass.

Can you guess the whisper? I bet it's conciliatory. Obama is a far better man than you or I. He's remarkable, amazing. Michelle also too, though not so conciliatory. Look at that smirk!

And then there's the Romneys to the right. Smug as fuck.

That this election appears to have tightened mightily solely over the first debate (Which I thought Romney did win but Obama did fine) is totally unexplainable to me. How? Why? WTF? And so all the polls are now tightened, and worry spreads across the reality based community.

But don't worry. GOTV. Make calls. Give money. Vote. Do something - together we are far more powerful than rich pricks like Romney, et al.

Go Obama!

Vote Obama, and all Democrats. Or, in other words, never vote Republican.

Animal Memeorama '12

If all the bad shit that happens = 100, what percentage of said bad shit happens whilst the actor is drunk? 70%? 80? It's up there, for alcohol unleashes man's natural animal, and declares: Run amok!

Serious frog doesn't drink nor smoke. What he does is get things done, healthy and happy. But so boring, right? Cuz if it

Then it should be done! Is that not our genes declaring "More!"? And they run the show. So if feels good man, do it.

The collective future of animal life on earth depends on each of us pursuing our pleasure. Sex, and all attendant behaviors, which are legion. But oh noes1! Say the religious fussbodies! Sexy time is only between married turtles, otherwise it's a sin. And drinking and the Rock and/or Roll? Blasphemy! Hellfire! Yadda yadda, leave a pamphlet.

Committed

Fervor and commitment create the same in others, spreading like fire and thus culture is made, over time. The inspirational nature of the spiritual occasion gives it more or less power, so you better put on a good show. Pass these lessons on and let them cook in the oven of time and voila, Religion.

Also, I am dreading the inevitable increase in "WORLD TO END 2012 MAYA APOCALYPSE REPENT!!!" talk. I saw an ad for Ameritrade or some such investment company and they directly referenced 12/21/12, the DAY OF DOOM. Reversal of gravity, apparently, which would actually be an awesome way to end the world. But it's not going to happen!

I once dabbled in 2012 dreaming, having read all about the Mayan calendar decades ago. But back then, no one else much knew, so it was cool. But now? LAME!

No, now I know and understand Science, and thus have moved past all mythological answers to real questions. The world might end on 12/21/12 - but it could also end tomorrow. Or a billion years from now - it will end one day, our world at least. An asteroid, a volcano, a cosmic ray, lots of ways. But I bet it won't end on 12/21/12 and if by some strange chance it did, that still proves nothing about Mayan religion of Gods. It might speak to their astronomy, however doubtful.


But! The very idea of it - and this meme has grown wings and will soar ever higher in the sky as we approach the dread date - aye! This very idea will be self creating, as lost, lonely people latch onto it and try to make it real. Hoarding, looting, general mayhem could happen as fear mongers in the media ratchet up the tension.

Wait and see. I had a vision.

Fired up

Dated, but still appropriate. The Obama signal is lit, get off your ass and out into the streets. If you're not fired up about this upcoming election in November, you're not paying attention. You should be if not - there's some serious shit at stake. There are some straight up villains vying for Power over the World. And your life. They must be stopped, and Barack Obama (and whatever Democrat is running for your local seats) is our only hope. Here's a rogues gallery:

Man behind the curtain. There's lots of them - the billionaires, the corporations, the political operators, the agents in the field. This is "The Turd", face of the so called "brains" of the evil Republican Party. He's not really that smart.

The Voice. "Rusty Sharpe". Agitator and disseminator of the Brain's talking points of the day. Everything about media control is part of Operation FUDD - Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt, and Disinformation. It's Republican 101. It works.

Generic Southern Cracker. Usually used as henchmen, of varying degrees. Can be counted on to stir things up on command, or unleash righteous whines when things don't go their way.

The Destroyer. The face of power, wreaking a mighty path of destruction wherever they lay their gaze. Sometimes presented in a pleasing package, sometimes not, but underneath is always the same - tear down any social program or anything else not directly benefiting the men behind the curtain.

The Grifters. Come in many flavors, usually from Southern cracker stock, but also occasionally a plutocrat steps into the race to assuage their sociopathic egos. Remember Steve Forbes?

The Moralizers. Monsters of a different stripe. Almost always wimpy and weak, yet physical strength is not required in this War. If they gain power over you, everything in your life will  become theirs.

Criminals. The lot of them. I bet there's very few Republicans who have not broken some serious law. And I'm serious here - we're dealing with a group of psychopaths, bent on destroying this country and the World. Sound dramatic? It should - these are the stakes! Do you want the World to slide further down into poisoinous hate? Or rather rise up in friendship and peace? Choose!

I choose Barack Obama. Our only hope.

And realistically, barring some external catastrophe, I give President Obama a 90% chance of re-election. I'm that confident. While Evil, the Republicans have seemingly, laughingly, started to believe their own FUDD, and have devolved to a pack of Morans and clowns. All these guys are toast against Big O.

And for that, I am thankful. Yet not resting - it's time to get to work.

The Age of Propaganda

We've entered an ironic age - we have all these forms of media, for information, and yet a sizable percentage of the population believes in lies as facts instead of empirical truths. As long as the Other Tribe is for it, their against it, whatever it is.

Tribe over truth. It's very strange, and yet probably pervasive throughout history.

The difference today is the media, now used as sophisticated propaganda and marketing tools, worldwide. Their 24/7 influence can shape the opinions of many to such an extant that they will un/knowingly accept propaganda as fact, and any word otherwise, treason.

Crazy times.
Objectively a very interesting time to be alive - we're all very lucky.
Maybe.

Redshirt's Top 10 Predictions for 2012

Check back in before 12/21/12 to see how correct I was (don't bother checking after, as there will be no Interwebs after that, right?). Not in any particular order:

1. This Mayan Apocalypse nonsense will get increasingly insufferable, with, for example, pseudo scientific "documentaries" on the National Geographic channel and the like. "Some say the world will end this year; others disagree. Lets examine both sides of the issue..."
2. The Repuglicans get even crazier. This presidential election is going to be horrific, for the Repuglicans are an absolute joke and a real threat to America and the world, and yet they're already gauranteed about 42% of the vote. The MSM led by Newscorp will do their best to supply the remaining amounts.
3. That said, Obama wins re-election 53% to 46% against Willard "Magic Underpants" Romney.
4. Global Warming continues unabated, with ever more diverse freak weather incidents around the world. Repuglicans still able to stop all progress worldwide.
5. No new major wars!
6. The World economy continues a slow but steady recovery, yet the fundamental issues that caused all the trouble remain, looming over the horizon. China continues to get rich as heck.
7. And yet, China starts to see serious internal dissent, based on two factors: Economic imbalances between urban/rural populations, and climate change.
8. Alternatives for fossil fuels go mainstream, heralding a new future for energy consumption worldwide (bacteria produced diesel fuel).
9. Tons more exoplanets discovered. Most folks don't care. Kepler defunded because of narrow Repuglican control of congress.
10. Jesus still doesn't return, though certainly many people will predict so, jumping in on the revenue potentials of 2012.

Got any predictions? Post 'em in the comments!

And a request! If you like this blog, please click the "Join this site" button to the right and be sure to get all your Redshirt's Laments posthaste!

Good luck everyone! It's going to be a great year overall, and if we're not all dead, the future is bright!

New Year's Eve in the Dawn of Apocalypse

Happy New Years! One of my favorite holidays, tainted only by the fact it's based on a Christian calendar. But I can rise above that. Of all the holidays, people are most open and friendly on this night, willing to kiss strangers in the Common - when else does that happen? Mardi Gras in New Orleans, perhaps. The best night - Halloween might run some competition, but it gets a little too serious and demanding. New Year's is all about the part-aying. But don't drink and drive kids! Except on rural country roads, then it's cool.

And why not drink and drive? We've got less than a year left before the dreaded MAYAN APOCALYPSE! December 21, 2012, and the World ends, by some means which is not clear. But there's a cosmic alignment involved for sure. So feast and and be merry while ye can, for surely DOOM is nigh.

I'll admit I used to half believe in this Mayan Apocalypse bullshit - but it was a long time ago, 1998 or so, and I happened upon a Weekly World News article that was quite convincing. After further research, it seemed likely the world would end in 2012, due to a MAGNETIC POLAR SHIFT.  Because it's true, the magnetic poles on Earth do shift on semi-regular schedules, with North becoming South and South North. Think what that would do to our electronics were it to happen? Frazizzled.

There are lots of ways, in fact, our World (that being our human existence, and not the World itself) could easily end, tomorrow in fact. Herewith is REDSHIRTS TOP TEN APOCALYPSES (not in order):

1. Asteroid Impact. This is inevitable. It will happen at some point, the only question is when. Tomorrow? A million years? Sometime in between? Who knows. We might have years of warning, or, even with our awesome technology, a killer asteroid could sneak up on us unawares and be on our doorstep in days.
2. Super Volcano. Also inevitable. There are a dozen or so super volcanoes on Earth that when they explode, are powerful enough to darken the skies with ash for years. Can you imagine how tough it would be to live on this planet without sunlight for 10 years? We'd starve.
3. Nuclear War. The most likely doomsday scenario. All it takes is some dumb Repuglican with his/her finger on the button and we're all doomed.
4. Solar storm. Also inevitable. Our reliance on electronics would cripple most of so called "modern" society. If strong enough, could toast most living things.
5. Gamma Ray Burst. If a star of certain mass goes supernova and happens to have one of its poles pointed directly at us, we could be in the line of a sight of a high mass, super powerful gamma ray burst that would fry most life on Earth.
6. Global Warming. Happening right now. The real deal and we'll find out how well we can deal with Change - no thanks, once again, to Repuglicans, the crazy fucks.
7. Magnetic Polar Shift. Also inevitable. An event that would have zero impact on a tribe living in the Amazonian rainforest, but which would devastate "modern" society.
8. Ice Age. One of the consequences of global warming could be a new ice age, ironically. Snowball Earth would freeze most life to death.
9. Geologic Instability. Also inevitable. Imagine all the plates of Earth undergoing a vibratory effect that levels anything over 30 feet tall.
10. Super Virus. A bacteria that proves lethal to any human that comes into contact. Easily enough to conceive of, and gosh darn we've got people researching the subject worldwide.

Scared? You should be (but of course shouldn't be). Life is a tenuous proposition on this planet, and we could be shaken off like so much lice. And so, take nothing for granted! There is nothing permanent here at all, in the least bit. Every moment is a gift and you should treat it that way. Let us pray:

Dear ambiguous New Age God, give my Chakras the Crystaline Energy to survive the coming Tribulation.

I don't believe in a prophesied apocalypse at all anymore, in case you can't tell. I worship Science now and believe you me, it's the only Faith that delivers.

Tribal Beats

Thesis: Tribal allegiances allow cognitive dissonances to flourish with little impediment, since support of the Tribe - whatever it's for - trumps all other considerations. 


I view "tribalism" in all its many flavors as one of humanity's greatest burdens. It served us well, way back in the day, but now it seems only useful for violence and hate, to pit one group against another. In fact, one could see the whole of human history as the story of a Tribe, and the expansion of the definition of tribe. America, for instance, is a polyglot hodgepodge of different races, religions, regions, etc. But, due to effective mythology, we're bound up in a tribe called "America", and this, ultimately, allows all the other dissonances to be subsumed, though we all know they're still there. 


So, the goal for a hopeful future is quite clear: Expand the definition of Tribe. An alien invasion would be very helpful towards this goal! 

Let's take a tour of one of the sub-tribes of America: The Wingnuts:

Note the many references to putting things in one's ass. No projection here, I'm sure!

 "Palin-Coulter 2012". For real, I assume. Ha! If I thought that were in any way possible, I'd start buying Mayan Futures stat.

 Just for reference, so you know what "Truck Nutz" are, or in this case "Skittle Car Nutz". Also, I appreciate the parking job. No BIG GUMMINT gonna tell me where to park!

Now, I feel as if the Wingnut and his many bumper stickers is closely related to an old favorite: Crazy religious nut.

I'm sure there's a close tribal allegiance between the two, in parts.

 What I find kinda interesting is I think these people exist in every culture at all times. I just wonder how they used to express themselves before cars. Rambling around the town square in a horse and buggy, maybe? One thing's consistent though:

 We're all Brothers and Sisters in Christ's love. Well, except for all the sinners, pagans, heathens, harlots. etc.... They can all burn in EVERLASTING HELLFIRE!

Barack Obama Appreciation Station

You may have noticed a precipitous drop in political postings here at old Redshirt's Lament, and there's a good reason for that: I can't stand politics any more. I don't watch any news, I've stopped reading most of the political sites, and I've not read a newspaper in over a decade. That said, I still faithfully read The Economist, so I am well aware of what's happening in the world. I just skip the politics sections. Why?


Because I know all I need to know, and there's no point in trying to learn anything more. In summary: The Republican Party is actively evil, and will do everything they can to wreck America and the World. Only one man stands against them: Obama. The Democratic Party has many good people in it, but also many corporate shills and weak-spined cowards, so they can be counted on to reliably fold in the face of whatever particular crazy the Wingnuts are manufacturing that day.


And to be 100% clear: I still LOVE Obama - in fact, more than ever. He's everything I knew he'd be when I spent thousands of dollars towards his election, and actually got involved in politics - I knocked on doors! I made phone calls. And I will do it again in 2012. Till then, I rest easy in my relative ignorance, knowing Obama's there, working on my behalf. 

 
And with that, here's a bunch of Obama pictures. 

(Yeah, right - Whoomp! There it is)

 Who's more star struck here?

 These pics are near and dear my heart - taken last summer during Obama's weekend "vacation" in Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor Maine. I was born right down the road, so I consider this my homeland, and it was a great source of pride to see and read about his trip. I wish I could have visited at the same time.

 Not only is Barack a great President, but he appears to be a perfect Father as well. 

 Suck on it, racist wingnuts.

 Uh-oh, Vlad! Someone might be in the running for your "World's Sexiest Leader" title. Better hit the gym - I saw a lot of flab in those shirtless, by the river pics.