And so this is Christmas ...

Time again to decorate trees, give and receive gifts and watch the MY SO-CALLED LIFE Christmas episode (see last year's blog). Merry Christmas to all! I've included a few pics of our iconic modern heroes celebrating the holidays.

I saw a sign on a local church that said JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. But a lot of people who aren't Christians still honor the holidays. Christmas is really a secular holiday, and not because any atheists or agnostics have declared a "war on Christmas;" Christmas hasn't changed into a secular holiday ~ it always was. There are two big advantages in seeing it that way.

First, it is a celebration of a very real, non-mythological event, the Winter Solstice. It's the day (December 21 actually) that the Earth's orbit takes it farthest from the Sun. The Solstice has been celebrated since the dawn of time, not because it's the beginning of Winter or the coldest day of the year, but because it marks the end of our retreat from the Sun and the beginning of the end of the dark and cold. So that sign of the church is wrong: the season is the reason for the season; always has been and always will.

Second, we have a set of perfectly good secular myths in Santa Claus, Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch, Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, Frosty, Rudolph and all the rest. As I've said before, the best thing about these stories is that we love them, but we know they are not true. We don't hate, fight or discriminate over them. For a wonderful Christmas fable, watch

https://www.hulu.com/watch/9fe890ae-2270-496b-8f40-2112b528d020

What Christmas means to most people, I think, is the spirit of sharing, of common humanity. We have that in common with the ancient pagans who huddled together in caves awaiting the end of Winter, and with everyone else. The seasons, represented by the Solstice, still affect us all and may so even more if environmental warnings are true. The caring, giving and sense of community are what's important about Christmas, certainly not whether you beleive in a holy man allegedly born this time of year. To divide over which myth to beleive in dishonors our distant ancestors and our brotherhood with each other. As Danielle complains in "So-Called Angels,"

"Why are we talking about religion? It's Christmas!"

UFOs are real; that is, there are sightings of things that have not been identified. The whole thing is  based on a sighting by Kenneth Arnold in 1947 that was probably a flight of pelicans and 50s science fiction movies. Arnold described a flight of wedge-shaped objects that flew like saucers skimmed over water. The newspapers got it wrong and called them “flying saucers”, and everyone started seeing saucers and discs. Tropes like missing time, buried memories and alien implants all appeared in 50s films like INVADERS FROM MARS and KILLERS FROM SPACE before anybody reported them in real life; and abductees reported boarding the ship by a ramp, like in the movies, but once STAR TREK came on, they reported being beamed aboard. The people who made the first crop circles admitted it was a hoax. Dr Simon, who brought out abductees Betty and Barney Hills’ abduction story under hypnosis, diagnosed that those were not real memories but a delusion brought on by Betty’s lifelong obsession with UFOs and Barney’s submissiveness to her will. UFOlogists who have brought out other abduction memories don’t tell us that hypnosis does not bring out truth, but only what the hypnotized person thinks the hypnotist wants to hear.  

UFO doesn’t mean alien spaceship; it only means unidentified. Every UFO sighting that has been properly investigated has proved to atmospheric phenomena like lenticular clouds (below), misidentified aircraft, drones, birds, stars, planets, reflections of ground lights, mirages or outright hoaxes. In several cases where clear photos of flying saucers were produced, the miniature models the photographer used were found. There is a known condition called sleep paralysis that causes people to wake unable to move with a strong feeling of being watched; in the middle ages this was blamed on witches - now it’s aliens.

UFOlogists - who have never studied a UFO, only witnesses' stories - have come up with a clever excuse for not having any proof (NOTE: stories, reports, anecdotes, testimony and hearsay are not proof): the government is hiding the truth. Of course they have no proof that the government is hiding anything either.

Think about it. If UFOlogists actually believe in aliens, why haven’t they ever tried to prove it? Have repeat abductees wear a wire. Set up a broadcast signal in their homes such that if the alarm stops, they’d know that aliens were interfering with electronics. Have response teams ready to catch the aliens in the act. They don’t, because they know nothing would happen and they’d be proven wrong.

There is no reason to fear aliens once you understand that they are not real.

WILLA SNAP AND THE CLOCKWERK BOY

 I buy a lot of books on Amazon. This one is the best purchase I've made! I am a slow reader. It can take me  4-5 weeks to finish a book (mainly because I get distracted by reading other things). Willa Snap and the Clockwerk Boy is 348 pages long but I  couldn't put it down. It has everything: endearing characters, mysteries that lead to more mysteries, a wonderful and imaginative world to explore … or rather to settle, not entirely comfortably, into.

 It would be easy to say that Willa is a steampunk Harry Potter or Enola Holmes, but that's not true. Where Rowling works with traditional magic and Springer with Victorian literature, Mr Due has created his own world that is not steampunk, or magic, or superscience, though it has elements of all of those. Plus dragons and talking cats.

 I was carrying the book with me and was at the hospital when I got to the hideous surprise at the beginning of Chapter Eighteen, and was so stunned that I had to tell half the people there about it.

 Due (through Willa) doesn't tell a story ~ he takes you to Grandeur and its different burgs, winds you through his world of  clockwerks, Idiots, Idiot Geniuses, elefantkin, BrainBoxes, WatchitMapCallits, minidirigies, BrainRents and bippies When the time machine starts up, all its whirling, spinning, careening parts got so confusing that I forgot I was reading about it and just experienced it. I felt full after dining at The Jolly Rajah's Man-o'-War o' Pancakes.

 And then the final chapter, where we learn that all this has been a setup for the real story. I'm saving up my dolleurs for book 2. Can't wait to return to Grandeur!

  I had a discussuin on Quora/ about atheism and I'm posting part of it here because I fiink that it explains what I believe.  

 The original qost said that  atheists “really hate being put under a microscope and being observed by an outsider” or that we think that atheism is beyond analysis, and that theists are "nasty trolls".

I do hate being told what I thin k or believe by non-registered telepaths.

In a way he's right" atheism is beyond  analysis because it is not a belief system or a philosophy, it's just not accepting the beliefs of religion. But I think that II and probably most others would want atheism to be examined so that outsiders can understand that it makes more sense than religion.

The reply was that atheism is too clean,, high-minded and perfect;  reality is "dirty, messy and embarassing". Here's where I summed up my belief. 

 " ... Yes ~ reality is dirty and messy, but in a way we can do something about it. Atheism does not r

equire any high in the clouds thinking, it’s about accepting reality as it is, dirt and warts and all. 

Religion tells us that the universe is a grand and glorious creation ~ look at the stars and the trees and 

the rainbows; ignore cancer and predators and floods and famine and war. Religion tells us that we are

filthy sinners who need to bend to a savior to be saved, from ourselves Atheism, or maybe 

more properly humanism, tells us that we are rational, evolved beings with nobility in us. We can face r

eality as it is and decide to improve it. Religion has told us to ignore realities like evolution, the Big Bang, 

disease, heliocentric round Earth. climate change... Humanism says we can accept and DO something 

about it. Vaccines not prayers, cure disease,; psychiatry cures mental illness, not exorcisms. We have 

overcome a lot of the ills that the gods tell us are just fine: slavery, racism, rape, child trafficking, 

homophobia, misogyny, mental illness, war. We haven’t eliminated all those evils but we’re getting there. 

We have decided in spite of the gods that such things are wrong. We invented science to understand the 

universe by exploring, observing and testing instead of making up stories

You are also wrong if you think that atheists see believers as “nasty trolls”. Your motives are pure. You believe what you believe and you want us to see your truth. Some of you honestly believe that you are saving our souls from Hell.

As they say on TALK HEATHEN … We don’t hate you. We just think you’re wrong."

 WHY SUPERHEROES?

su·per·he·ro

/ˈso͞opərˌhirō/

noun

• 1.a benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman.
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

    A fun idea. but that's all, right? No real use in life.

    Superman can't save you in an airplane crash. Batman can't stop crime. Wonder Woman can't end war. 

Iron Man  can't invent new technology. 

    We-ell ... they can't, not directly  We want those things, we have to do them ourselves. What superheroes can do is inspire us. 

    It doesn't matter how hard you try, you'll never run as fast as The Flash. Work out as much as you will, you'll never be as strong as Superman. You'll never fly or even leap as high as Spider-man. 

BUT.

    Try and run, work out, train well ~ try to leap and of course you'll never do those things ... but you will try harder, run a little faster, be a little stronger, leap a little higher and farther. 

    Study as hard and deeply as you want, you'll never be as smart as Tony Stark or Banner You won't invent armored suits, time travel or quantum displacement. But you'll be a little smarter, know a little more ~ and maybe make a small breakthrough that will lead somebody to another breakthrough and another ... You might even discover a minor moon or asteroid or a new star or evidence that leads to a rogue planet. 

    Study criminal science, forensics, chemistry, psychology ~ everything that Sherlock Holmes or Batman know, you won't be able to deduce answers, solve mysteries or apply logic like those fictional detectives But you'll know a little more, 

    Work for peace with love and truth and reason. You won't end war or hate or bigotry. But your attitude may help you resolve a small dispute. Your reason may impress someone else. You may create a small ripple that may spread. It may have results down the line that you won't ever realize.

    Take all the daring saves and incredible escapes. Nobody is going to fall out of an exploding plane, save people and battle bad guys on the way down, survive certain death from colliding debris numberless times.  But you might fight a little harder, persevere a little more. hold on a little longer, take a desperate chance. And such things may make a difference.

    Even the ones who do impossible things: that no amount of training or study or will can achieve: Harry Potter, Doctor Strange, Green Lantern ... Magic or superscience that doesn't exist... can still inspire us to try harder, persevere longer, believe in ourselves. 

Never feel guilty for loving superheroes, on film or in comics. They are as useful as any myth.

13 Reasons To Doubt Aliens

I answered a comment on Quora with a 13 point response to "13 Reasons To Belive in Aliens" at http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/03/13-reasons-to-believe-aliens-are-real.html I worked for several hours and then somebody reported it and without contacting me Quora deleted it. I canceled my Quora account but since I didn't want that work to be wasted I'm posting it here.

I was disappointed in “13 Reasons To believe in Aliens”. Was hoping to find some really challenging material to delve into. None of these reasons hold water – except to believe in life somewhere in the millions of galaxies and billions of stars that we know about. Nothing to make anyone think “they” are or ever have been here, and nothing resembling proof.

1 The Government Literally Just Admitted It’s Taking UFOs Seriously

~ Not aliens but UFOs: UNIDENTIFIED Flying Objects. In fact they changed the designation to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena to indicate that they may not be “objects” at all. That allows for atmospheric phenomena like temperature inversions and noctiluscent clouds, radar glitches, delusions and more. It also includes objects but a lot of false reports have been attributed to stars, planets, birds and conventional aircraft. The government is taking the sightings seriously – but not aliens.

2. Harry Reid Says We’re Not Taking Them Seriously Enough

~He does, but what does he know? In Logic this is a form of false reasoning called Argument from Authority. He was interested in “science, and in helping the American public understand what the hell is going on”, and from a security viewpoint. I have yet to find an interview where he even mentions the possibility of aliens. In fact he said he didn't want to talk about “little green men”.

3. Scientists Are Suddenly Much More Bullish About the Possibility of Life Out There

~Obviously, as we find more and more Earthlike planets, scientists are more convinced that life exists out there Out there – they said nothing about aliens here, and nothing to do with UFOs.

4. THEY’RE ESPECIALLY BULLISH ABOUT THESE PLANETS

~ See 3 above; this is one “reason” split into two. Again, they're talking life on other planets – possibly microbial life - not aliens visiting here.

5. AND THERE IS “DOCUMENTATION”

~Seriously? Some people drew some pictures??

6. THAT “ASTEROID” LOOKS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE A ROCKET SHIP

~ … but is really just an asteroid. It has shown characteristics we'd expect from a natural comet-like object ejected from a distant solar system. In fact the “looks like a rocket ship” shape argues against it being an alien vessel. Rockets are insufficient for traveling the distances between stars.

7. THESE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE ARE OBSESSED (THEY ARE ALSO ALL MEN)

~They are “obsessed” with space travel, searching for primitive life in the Solar system and finding intelligent signals with SETI. Again, this has nothing to do with UFOs or aliens on Earth.

8. AS ARE SOME PROMINENT MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT FOLKS

~Again, Argument from Authority. Prominent people are just as subject to false beliefs as anybody else. Notice that none of them has any solid evidence.

9. (AND THIS GENIUS THINKS HE CAN TALK TO THEM)

~That's totally misleading. Wolfram speculates on how to communicate with hypothetical aliens. He never claimed he talked to them.

10. THERE HAVE BEEN ENOUGH WELL-KNOWN ENCOUNTERS TO FILL ENCYCLOPEDIAS

!Besides the obvious fact that the number of people who claim something does not make it any more true, (Argument from Popularity; thousands of kids who believe in Santa Claus does not make him real), many of these well-known encounters have been investigated and put to rest. Of course the documentaries and UFO books tend to cover up that part.

Barney and Betty Hill for one: Their abduction was recovered by regressive hypnosis, but the doctor who brought it out stated that the memories were not real but a fantasy based on Betty's dreams. Betty was obsessed with UFOs and hoping to see one well before their “encounter”. Even UFOlogist John Oswald stated, "She is not really seeing UFOs, but she is calling them that." On the night they went out together, "Mrs. Hill was unable to distinguish between a landed UFO and a streetlight". Barney drew a picture of an alien from that week's Outer Limits show but changed his description when he overheard Betty's story. Barney saw a row of windows with beings looking out. From the direction he was looking, and the time and date, it now seems clear that he saw the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway. Its cars are a pretty close match for what he described and for the picture he also drew.

12. WE EVEN HAVE SOME PRETTY DEVELOPED THEORIES ABOUT WHY WE HAVEN’T HEARD FROM ET YET

~Again, speculation about “out there”. Nothing to do with aliens here.

13. AND IN THE MEANTIME, ALIENS CAN BE WHATEVER WE WANT THEM TO BE

How is that supposed to be a reason to believe? Notice how it states that reports began becoming more coherent and similar in the 40s and 50s? That's when pulp magazines and movies began popularizing aliens. The tall blond men and women were straight out of Amazing Stories, and the 50s movies introduced most of the tropes of UFOlogy – before people began imagining them in real life. Missing time, repressed memories, big eyes, alien implants had appeared in films like It Came From Outer Space, Killers From Space and Invaders From Mars and the urban legend that is UFOs swallowed them up. It is very telling that until Star Trek came on, abductees went aboard UFOs on ramps like in those films, but after Star Trek people reported being “beamed” aboard.

Whistleblower

Democrats' response I want to see: :"Mr President, the nation's intelligence agencies have determined that opposing nations have been and are interfering with America's elections and thus our democracy. The y have received a report duly filed under our whistleblower procedures which the Inspector General has affirmed is both credible and urgent, yet the Director of National Intelligence has refused to cooperate with the legal requirement to turn said complaint over to Congress. Indications are that the complaint involves an attempt to coerce the Ukrainian government to interfere with our 2020 election - an act which Mr Giulianni has admitted to. It appears evident that the sole reason for blocking this complaint would be to cover up an illegal act or acts,, We do not regard the Department of Justice opinion that a sitting president may not be investigated as binding in any way. Therefore, we, the House Intelligence Committee, the House of Representatives and the people of the United States DEMAND that you have the full and unredacted complaint given to the Congress immediately, as the law requires, that we may ascertain the innocence of all involved, or failing that, that you step down from the office of President of the United States."
If Ukraine is not confirmed, that sentence can bee omitted.
The Democrats must stop bringing a knife to a gunfight. Republicans are playing hardball. We need to bring on an Endgame.