Jay's Reason

Europa is the smallest of Jupiter's four major (Galilean) moons.  As best we can tell it is covered by a thick icy surface that shields a large liquid saline salt water ocean from Jupiter's lethal radiation. Plumes of water that escape the icy surface would indicate subsurface geological activity, and thus a source of heat for Europa's ocean. Why does this matter? It means that, based on what we know about Europa, and about microscopic life's ability to thrive in similar environments here on Earth, Jupiter's moon could theoretically harbor life. And, if it did, it would, ironically, be another step like the ones that got Galileo in hot water (and house arrest) with the ruling religious authorities of his day. It would be one more small step for mankind toward the realization that the universe does not revolve around human beings. In the story of civilization thus far, we have written ourselves into the lead roles, the main characters. We are why everything else i...

Nearly two hundred years ago a poem was published that impacted my life more than any poem ever written. Each December, for the first nine years of my life, I looked forward in childlike wonder to a visit from a jolly old man/elf with the ability to bring me things I wanted; things he and his workers had made, and stamped with the brand names of major manufacturers; things that he was able to transport from the polar regions of the planet via a flying sleigh, pulled by flying reindeer; a sleigh that also carried gifts requested by every boy and girl on the planet; delivered in one magical night. He entered my house through the chimney of the fireplace. The fact that I lived in a house with no fireplace or chimney did not prevent him from doing so. I left him milk and a Mr. Goodbar on the kitchen table, and he never failed to eat and drink my offering of gratitude. I would see him at malls, and on street corners throughout the month of December. The fact that he should be busy making pr...

If you don't recognize the title of this blog, review your ancient Bee Gee's history. "Choose your words wisely." - Traditional "Think before you speak." - Traditional "The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil."  - Biblical proverb "Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity." - Biblical proverb "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt." - attributed to Abraham Lincoln, and others “Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” - Benjamin Franklin “He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.” - Confucius “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” - Plato           I have always had a great respect and ad...

Yes. It really is “all in my head.” Since I’ve had the responsibility of dealing at close range with “dementia meets bipolar disorder” for the past few years, I’ve thought more and more about how our brains work...or don’t. So, while I readily admit I have no more expertise in neurology than the next person, I think a lot about how we historically (and presently) have misconstrued and misunderstood so many things related to our brains. For example, phrases like "you're just imagining things," or "you're just hearing things" as explanations for hallucinations have long been a dismissive approach to what can be very real and serious mental disorders. The key word being "just."  Going back in time, yet still not totally absent in the present, there is the idea that supernatural forces or demonic entities were causes of  behavior we now know to be related to neurological disorders and chemical imbalances in the brain. I think part of humanity’s struggl...

This is my first blog. If you're not familiar with the title reference, please watch the stop motion animated classic "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." Hermey was a misfit, and because in this blog I'll address opinions and beliefs that do not fit nicely into any one social, cultural, political, or religious block, I can relate to Hermey. Conversations at the dinner table or at gatherings of family and friends become awkward for me when they drift into matters of strongly held opinions or beliefs. I try to remain silent, as I most assuredly will find myself in the minority at some point in the conversation, and like myself, most people do not enter these conversations seeking to be informed or enlightened. My purpose is not to persuade or convince.  I'm simply using this blog as an outlet to gather thoughts and put them into tangible forms. I don't like using social media for those purposes, and I don't want to, and will not, engage in debate here.  Feel...