tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69124192024-03-07T22:15:50.581-05:00Talking to a WallMy public life and private musings from 2004-2008.Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-54596482757924583152011-01-11T15:07:00.002-05:002011-01-11T15:12:40.839-05:00ArchivedThis blog is no longer actively maintained, but I'm keeping it around for posterity and for some of the good posts it contains (see the "My Favorite Posts" list on the right).If the favorite posts interest you, please follow to my new blog Disentangled Reality.Though fair warning—there is some angsty and slightly over-the-top material here.Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-79940103800806736382008-06-30T00:12:00.001-04:002008-06-30T00:13:39.330-04:00Can we afford even one more day?Our Republic, as envisioned by the Founding Fathers, was intended to prevent us from being in the situation we find ourselves in. If everything worked as intended, Bush would never have been selected in 2000, re-elected in 2004, or would have been impeached by the end of 2007.But everything has failed us. Our economy is declining. We're deep in debt. Our troops are bogged down in the Middle East.Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-215081666409079942007-10-18T15:19:00.000-04:002007-11-20T11:09:49.809-05:00'Race' and EvolutionJames Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double-helix, said in a recent interview that, effectively, blacks are, on average, less intelligent than other races. Here's the quote (via the ABC News link above) from an article quoting Dr. Watson:"He says that he is 'inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa' because 'all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the sameNicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-31882506064023903752007-08-05T00:53:00.000-04:002007-08-05T01:18:04.317-04:00Damned if we do...Recently I've been thinking about the situation in Iraq, and struggling. I hate this war as much as the next person; I was against it from the beginning. It has weakened us domestically and internationally, and it has strengthened our enemies. I've wanted us to get out of there for a long time now... but I'm no longer as confident of that option anymore. Would leaving truly be the end of our Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-4538698066812225362007-07-06T21:55:00.000-04:002007-07-08T21:12:12.143-04:00ImmigrationIt's been a while, hasn't it? I'd like to talk about immigration policy in the United States, specifically the legislation which was recently rejected in Congress twice in the past two months.First let's explore some of the principles underlying the issue. "We are a country of immigrants," is a commonly-heard phrase, but what does it really mean? At the simplest level, it means that the vast Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-47349391528175315222007-01-06T01:43:00.000-05:002007-01-06T04:33:30.340-05:00Surge and a Dictator's DeathRead: "He takes his secrets to the grave. Our complicity dies with him." Robert Fisk, The IndependentRead/Watch: "Olbermann: Special comment about 'sacrifice'" Countdown w/Keith Olbermann, MSNBCIt's unbelievable that we've reached this point. Over 3,000 U.S. troops killed on the battlefield. Many thousands of Iraqis have lost their lives. Nearly 47,000 U.S. troops, and God only knows how many Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-78092476509836667992006-12-23T18:23:00.000-05:002007-01-06T01:01:52.148-05:00RevitalizationThis tropical-background (pictured above) will be what I use for a bit; let's see if it'll stick. Thank you to Digital Blasphemy for the background image, called "Tropic of Capricorn (2006)" which I used here.I'm not entirely happy with the whole layout. It's not as polished as I'd like, but I don't have the time I'd need to invest to really make it shine.Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1153550822146980362006-07-22T02:42:00.000-04:002007-01-06T20:15:01.593-05:00Nice Guy SyndromeOkay so it's been awhile. But that's okay, because the 5 people that read this probably know what's been up with me anyway.------------I'm glad to see there's at least one person out there who recognizes the plight of us nice guys (click the title.) I especially like the following part (ignore the focus on "getting laid" here; it's valid for relationships as well):And perhaps more disturbing, theNicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1135463855543494852005-12-30T17:23:00.000-05:002007-01-06T00:55:11.821-05:00To Everything There Is A Season, and a Time to Every Purpose Under HeavenIt is often said that religion gives our lives purpose and meaning that would not otherwise be there, and this is one reason why religious people tend to reject the naturalist explanations of science when science conflicts with (or is perceived to conflict with) their religious beliefs. Often, science is seen by these people as atheistic and non-purposeful.Now it is worth noting that while Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1131519016161757722005-11-09T01:49:00.000-05:002005-11-23T10:22:58.993-05:00The 20-year-old VirginYour Ultimate Purity Test 2.0 Score Is... Your Score:Average For All UsersAverage For All Straight Liberal Single Pink-Skinned 17 to 23-Year old Males(153 total) Dating69.23%33.3%33.71%Flirts mildly, then runs away Self-Lovin'68.18%61.68%53.83%Master of your domain Shamelessness95.16%78.01%84.6%Has yet to see self in mirror Sex Drive95.24%76.01%80.75%Monks are envious Straightness98.15%40.47%Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1129787563799126612005-10-20T14:40:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:26:30.438-05:00An Objective View of RealityThe other day my friend Miki and I got into a debate over whether there is such a thing as an "objective reality." She was telling me about a discussion about altered states of reality in her Antro class.Example: In order to pass into adulthood, males in a certain Native American tribe went out into the wilderness, in solitude, to fast until they entered an 'altered state of reality' in which Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1127262471494957042005-09-20T20:27:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:27:39.265-05:00Bureau of the Public Debt : FAQ 4.2 - How do you make a contribution to reduce the debt?This is just too good. ^Click the title^As of 9/16, the debt was $7,919,996,476,821.03, aka ~$7.9 trillion.Can you imagine Bush going door-to-door asking for donations?"Your $100 contribution will bring us just $7,919,996,476,721.03 away from our goal! If you donate right now, we'll also throw in bioweapons-certified duct-tape, science-proof earmuffs, and a box of official Presidential M&Ms!"Oh Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1125917561499094792005-09-05T06:52:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:28:50.912-05:00"A National Disgrace" | The Rachel Maddow Show | Air America RadioRead this short essay, please: "A National Disgrace"We do need a new government. And fast.Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1125849546806714102005-09-04T11:11:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:30:14.542-05:00The Taming of the ShrubContracts are being handed out by the military to help restore their bases in the South. Guess who? Yup, that's right, Halliburton, the company that Cheney had never told to stop sending him money. And another thing, do you know why those people stuck in the convention center in New Orleans didn't have any food or water? The so-called Department of Homeland Security ordered the Red Cross not to Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1125619028898569752005-09-01T16:49:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:38:32.269-05:00What God giveth, God can taketh awayUpdate: I left out how Bush has cut funding for the Veterans Administration and has cut veterans benefits since he came into office, while we're starting to see the first homeless Iraq vets on the streets. There's just so much he's done that one can't even begin to list everything they've done which is dragging us down.A man who claims to be doing God's work and who claims to talk to Him Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1124977897262872912005-08-25T09:18:00.000-04:002005-08-25T09:51:37.296-04:00Weird DreamI had a really weird dream last night, which involved an adobe city and people going around with assault rifles, constantly fearing being attacked by snipers. I had bad aim, as it seemed like I was aiming with a mouse and not with my arms. Along the way I saw someone on the rooftops and it was someone from my high school, who also had a gun, and we were both wary of each other even when we Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1124037717616886222005-08-14T12:41:00.000-04:002007-01-06T13:16:58.878-05:00Boston Globe Letter to the Editor Regarding Intelligent DesignThe Boston Globe - Intelligent design's doubt: Is evolution the full story?To the Editor:In Sunday’s article “Intelligent design’s doubt: Is evolution the full story?” the writer states that “even if it were accepted that evolution had been assisted by some designer, intelligent design cannot say who or what the designer is.” This statement is misleading on its face and is used by intelligent Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1123548094349315322005-08-08T20:41:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:40:07.564-05:00The Revolution is NowMeetWithCindy.orgEveryone (and I know there aren't many of you), go check out that website and see what this one woman is doing. Cindy Sheehan is the mother of a soldier who died in Iraq, and she is camping outside of Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch until he meets with her. Why is she doing this? Because she wants to know why Bush sent her son to die in Iraq, she wants to know what the "noble cause"Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1123392662883106342005-08-07T01:22:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:40:33.308-05:00"We are the Counterculture. You will be made an individual. Resistance is futile."One of my friends was complaining on her blog that the counterculture people she knew were critical of some of the things she did which were 'mainstream', that she wasn't being an individual. I posted a really long comment on her blog, and as she and I both loved my use of metaphor in my description of what was going on, and as I in general was happy with my reply, I thought I'd post it here. NotNicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1123013112617147442005-08-02T15:06:00.000-04:002007-01-06T01:27:04.084-05:00Requiescat in PaceI've never really known anyone who has died. My grandfather died about 8 years ago, but I wasn't very close to him. One of my second cousins died last year of brain cancer, but I also only knew her a little bit. Death has never really touched me close to home before.That changed when I looked at the front page of today's paper. I took the paper out of it's plastic bag and set it down to peruse. INicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1122749240405750212005-07-30T14:20:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:40:58.750-05:00The Heavens Are ShiftingMajor news in space this week. We now have a 10th planet, and a lake of water ice has been found in a crater on Mars. Just look to the left! Incredible sight, isn't it? Water does exist on Mars, and that means it's very likely that we might find evidence of old life, or possibly even life living deeper in the soil. (story)And yes, we do have a 10th planet too! 2003UB313 is it's current name, Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1122494596850206352005-07-27T15:37:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:41:30.184-05:00Help! I'm drowning in idiocy and ignorance!I can't believe this. I just can't believe this. How can there be so much idiocy in the world? How can people possibly think like this?Here's an example, one person's response to the Doonesbury comic I mentioned previously which was posted on Doonesbury's website (http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/blowback/):"I was disappointed in today's strip. You place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1121610523778005482005-07-17T09:54:00.000-04:002005-07-17T23:01:40.306-04:00St. Paul's Alumni Day!As an aside, just keep reading Doonesbury here to get your day-by-day dose of thought about just what's wrong with things today.Yesterday was St. Paul's School Advanced Studies Program Alumni Day (what a mouthful!). Unfortunately it was extremely hot and humid out, and I was in it for way too long, and probably hadn't been drinking enough water. So for the better part of the last two-thirds of Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1121459219516679392005-07-15T16:26:00.000-04:002007-01-06T12:44:31.569-05:00It's the stem cells. I hear their cries.If you haven't read it already, check out this Doonesbury comic from last Sunday.Stem cells hold much promise for many treatments for debilitating diseases, and our country is falling behind in stem cell research. Even if other kinds of stem cells which "don't involve the destruction of an embryo" might be possible, it is ludicrous to categorically rule out stem cell research before it is Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6912419.post-1118381866898216732005-06-10T01:18:00.000-04:002005-06-10T01:45:55.530-04:00Summer UpdateSoon there are going to be some changes around here... Like my title is too depressing. As this is my blog, representing my life, the title must reflect my current feelings and such. I like the Avalon line and the "nickofcamelot" address only because it's awesome, and picked the title to go with that... I must give this some thought. Any suggestions are welcome!Of course, any changes here would Nicholas Bauer, PhDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08982746202093179349noreply@blogger.com1