Early Onset of Night

slobaum:

slobaum:

early-onset-of-night:

…

I like the idea, though, of me being a lot of mes, billions of mes, and of not being an island, a separate thing from the incorrectly termed Outside World. I am the environment, not just in it. It flows through me and in me and out of me.

That’s cool, huh?

This is a beautiful idea to me. AND ties in to my “science and religion are wholly intertwined” philosophy.

My friend Jason of FeignedCreativity.blogspot.com had this brilliant nugget to add to the convo:

One of the major problems with our current state is that we have separated ourselves from nature, made a barrier where there is none. This is due in large part to Christianity moving spirituality from nature and moving it to some unearthly plain far removed from the trees and water.

This false duality has led to a society that doesn’t make a connection between pollution, resource depletion, GMOs, Trans-fat, and obesity, cancer rates, and cardiovascular disease.

We are so ignorant as to think we can destroy the world and still live in it. The bible says man has dominion over the earth, right? It’s actually the other way around.

I agree. Also, on the other side, there is arrogance. Man’s arrogance in believing he can destroy the Earth. If we pollute the hell out of everything and the sea levels rise ten feet, and millions of species die off (including us, most likely), the Earth will still be here. New species will evolve and we will be but a memory, like the dinosaurs. Once before in our planetary history there was a great die-off. 95% of all living things died. Now look. We can only change the world, not kill it. Even if we continue to pump CO2 in the air, things will only change. There was a time on this planet when there was no ice, none. Palm trees grew near the poles and swamps and water were everywhere.

Our disconnect and disregard for nature will only harm ourselves in the end.

Friends with benefits

According to the Scientific American I am reading, we are not only covered in germs, but filled with them too. In fact, the germs on and in our bodies outnumber our very own cells, ten-to-one. This means that of all the cells that make you up, only 10% of them are “you”.

What I wanna know is WHO’S REALLY IN CONTROL?

If you think about it, you are not you—or rather the you you are is plural rather than singular. This point would be harder hitting perhaps in another language. In English, you is both singular and plural (except in New Jersey).

But, then again, maybe that’s the actual point. You are an ecosystem, a cellular social network, a “microbiome”. Just you and your bugs.

What’s really funny about this are germ-o-phobes. You know, the people who open doors with napkins and wear not only rubber gloves but also condoms when masturbating. You see them around, clutching their anti-bacterial spray bottles, doing all they can to build up the resistance of generally harmless household bacteria so that they will one day rise up kill us all.

Thanks a lot, dorks. How about not being so swayed by advertising for once?

I like the idea, though, of me being a lot of mes, billions of mes, and of not being an island, a separate thing from the incorrectly termed Outside World. I am the environment, not just in it. It flows through me and in me and out of me.

That’s cool, huh?

BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR WILL OCCUR THIS WEEKEND

The moon will officially become full Saturday, May 5th at 9:35 p.m. Mountain Time. This is also when the moon will be closest to Earth, called the lunar perigee. Whenever the moon’s fullness coincides with its perigee, we have what has been nicknamed a ‘supermoon’.

Cool, huh?

But, wait, there’s more. Not only does the moon’s perigee coincide with the full moon this month, but this perigee will be the closest to Earth of any this year. In other words, it’s the perigee of perigees. Of all the times in 2012 that the moon will be closest to the Earth, this time will be the closest of all. It’s the closest of close moons. As it passes overhead in the dark sky, bulbous and bright, you will be able to to hear a slight whooshing sound.

For reals.

Because of all this closeness and fullness, the moon will be 16% brighter than normal, so eye protection may be necessary.

The last supermoon occurred in March 2011. That’s it in the picture above, taken by a guy named Tim McCord. Look how fucking close it is. Jesus.

The best way to view this month’s supermoon is by stepping away from your computer and actually going outside to look at it, and the best time to do that is just after it rises or just before it sets. It will appear even bigger then, filling the whole sky with its cold, creepy moonness.

Yay!

Share this on Facebook. Help spread the word about the really big moon!

Now you know…

Just discovered that this is a real medical journal. Um, specific much?

Damn.

Gut Pathogens is the official publication of the International Society for Genomic and Evolutionary Microbiology and encompasses all aspects of the biology and pathogenesis of bacterial, parasitic and viral infections of the gut, including their diagnosis and clinical management.

This month’s centerfold is Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and vomiting. Campylobacter jejuni enjoys strong men who don’t come on too strong, shopping with girlfriends, and poetry. Its dreams are to finish college and help the poor, except on Friday and Saturday nights, which are reserved for clubbing.

I love that logo.

Welcome to America, everybody.