The Old Days of Taking Food Safety for Granted

Those days never existed ;)

But we seem to be innundated with stories about food borne pathogens. This is the latest from Reuters. It covers the salmonella outbreak:

"Investigators are still trying to find the source of the contamination. Health officials said last Friday they expected more people to become ill because the outbreak is probably still under way."

Food poisoning is not news. So far, 756 people in 34 states are infected, according to the article.

Why is this news?

Relativism and Absolutism Interchangeable with Some

I had an argument with a friend about the concepts of good and evil. She's convinced that evil is a term that implies absolute morals, which she then argues don't exist. Ok, that's her opinion and she's entitled to it. She explained that there are varying degrees of bad behavior that are related to different states of development. In her view, a child molester isn't necessarily evil. He or she could be a person with severe problems.

I say that there are actions that are good, and actions that are evil. For me, pedophilia is evil. I'm not saying that there aren't mitigating factors that relate to why someone becomes evil, but I do believe that even if a person was affected by mitigating factors, a knowledge of right and wrong allows that person to make a choice to cave in to temptation to commit evil, or to resist the urge. I don't believe that humans are run entirely by instinct and training. We can make decisions about our behavior.

I believe we make choices that are good and evil, even though I concede that sometimes ignorance can lead to evil action.

Where my friend shocked me was her assertion that very little progress is occuring with race relations in America. I said that we'd come a long way since the civil rights marches of the 1960's. She said that - I'm paraphrasing - we would only have significant progress when racism was abolished altogether.

So a pedophile is only a little off - not evil - because his behavior is bad relative to societal norms. But we haven't made racial progress (relative to the hell of mid-twentieth century Mississippi) because we haven't absolutely eradicated racism.

I hold the individual to absolute standards and the collective to relative measurements of progress. Her thinking is the exact opposite. There is a chasm of thought between us on this that we may never bridge.

It's that type of thinking that makes my eyes gloss over and gives me a headache. Sexually molesting a child isn't evil, but the failure to eradicate racism in its entirety is. Good grief.

Please think clearly, and thanks for reading.

Unreliable Sources...

This from the Boston Herald:

"The Gloucester teen baby mama drama took two hits yesterday, as a pregnant teen told “Good Morning America” there was no pact at the North Shore school where 17 girls are expecting and the head of the school’s day-care center denied telling a Time magazine reporter that one of her employees had heard of the pact.

Five days after the magazine’s sensational pregnancy pact expose hit the Web, Time reporter Kathleen Kingsbury followed up with a second story on Monday after the Gloucester mayor said there was no evidence of a pact." Full Story Here

A friend of a friend won't accept anything as a fact unless it comes from the "Mainstream Media." I find it maddening when people make statements like that. Facts can be established by a variety of sources. My problem with much of the media right now is accuracy and a lack of thoughtful investigation. Think about it, many major news stories in the last ten years or so have been brought on by new media.

Drudge broke the Clinton/Lewinsky story. Bloggers exposed Dan Rather's fake documents. Al Franken would have gotten almost no attention on his tax problems, were it not for a guy with a laptop and an agenda in Minnesota.

The blog American Thinker is doing excellent background work on Barack Obama. I'm still waiting for resourceful Democrat leaning bloggers to pick up the slack left by John McCain - and there's a lot of it out there.

But the corporate media is not only factually challenged; it also appears to be bereft of ideas for research. Anyone looking at the candidate's financial reports in detail? What about other stories outside of politics? How much are we missing because news isn't being reported?

That's a question that may be answered too late for our comfort. Thanks for reading.

Why are we so scared?

I go through the news and I see articles like this one on consumer confidence, this one on a potential war with Iran and the news that nearly 1 in 10 of us have diabetes. Want some real fun? Look up the word happiness in a news aggregator. I got headlines about job satisfaction, economic security and oddball headlines of many stripes. A few tidbits in all.

Then I typed in "Murder." You guessed it: 10 pages of murder from around the world with more to go. I got sick of it. Look at the top stories on any news page. Politics, violence, terror and fears of disease, famine and catastrophe are the top stories.

Is it really all about ratings? Hardly. If it were, the news programs would look like American Idol or some other silliness. Most people don't follow the news. Many get their news from headlines.

WORLD AT BRINK OF WAR! or Economic Outlook is Grim or Climate Change will Kill Us All! are all some people read, day in and day out. Have you ever stopped to think about who really benefits from those headlines? Why should we be so afraid?

Is the world less safe today than when Genghis Khan was sweeping across a good chunk of it? Are we in more danger than when Krakatoa caused massive global climate change and the never-ending winter for a year? Why should we be so scared?

If you are willing to go through the answers, the evidence points to economic gains for government, some portions of the business sector and, of course, the media outlets. But we are also distracted from other important stories. Did you know that Wal-Mart is facing 80 class action suits related to employees being mistreated? Not important, right? After all, that's just a bunch of people we don't know crying about a problem we can't fix. Or that's what we're told.

Wonder who's buying up the "eco-friendly" energy markets? Why, in the span of one year did we go from a conservative movement that despised the mention of global warming to Pat Robertson and Newt Gingrich advocating for drastic efforts to battle climate change?

It's nuts. Or is it?

Wonder why you're either "right" or "left" in this country anymore? There's more to this than meets the eye. No, I can't wrap this up for you neatly. If I could, I'd run for office. I guess I'd just like for you to question your fear.

We fear each other. We don't know each other. That's an odd state of affairs.

Think about it, and thanks for reading.

What's with the name I chose?

Digger. Ok, I should say that this has NOTHING to do with the summer of love. The "diggers" were a bunch of blood-sucking parasites who stole from people and gave what they stole away. That's how the story went, anyway.

I chose the name for two reasons:

1. I have a knack for finding information.

2. I'm trying to learn more about myself.

Yes, it is a weak play on words, but I decided to start this late at night and I was trying to figure out what to use. The moral: drink lots of coffee at night if you're starting a blog.

What Am I Doing With This Blog?

I'm writing to you. I hope that we can communicate back and forth. Going back to the credentials thing, I don't care if you have any or not. I'd like for this venture to become a meritocracy of ideas.

You can judge me on my words if you like. I'd far prefer that you communicate with me when you have something you'd like to add, or subtract from what I'm saying.

I'm not selling anything here.

You won't find ads. I'm not pitching books. I have ZERO certifications in psychology, counseling, or any kind of advice giving fields. Well, none that would apply here anyway.

Yes, I do have sites that make money and I have a job. This little venture is a labor of love. What I want from it is to talk with you. Does that sound strange? It did to me at first. But I think sometimes the greatest miracles derive from the oddest of pursuits. Maybe I want a miracle. That would be nice.

But I'm happy to settle for the idea that something is driving me to write this that I can't really explain, so if it isn't interesting to you, no problem. I hope you find a site you love to read. If you aren't sure whether you find this interesting, play along for a week or two and see what happens. If you like what you see, my only request is that you tell me so.

That is the best explanation I can give.

Who Am I?

I used to begin tossing around credentials at this question. I was happy to tell people what I did, what I thought, or even what they should think of me. The sad result of that was that I was nothing more than a set of credentials, thoughts and a person who wanted desperately for other people to perceive me in a way with which I was comfortable. I was more of a notion than a person.

Now, I can comfortably say that I am a human being. I regard my existence as special. I was put here, as you were, for a reason. I have some ideas why, but if I am honest with you, as I intend to be throughout this experience, I'm just trying to work things out. I am a man of faith, lacking in dogma and working to find conviction.

If that sounds confusing, hah! Try living it! I believe in one God. I have no religion to call my own. My morality is evolving as I work to determine what I'm able to understand about morality. Yes, I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but I didn't promise answers, I said I'd be honest.

Did God cut a deal with Moses? Looks like it, right up until the kill the gay people, slavery or odd meal rules parts. What about Jesus? I grew up with him, and think much of what he says is great. I have no way in the world to connect with Eastern religions on a personal level. Islam is one I'm willing to discard, solely on the objections of those who left it at peril to life and limb. Most cults are obviously bunk.

What's with all the God talk when I discuss who I am? That's the kicker. I think I'm a weak fascimile of God, as is every other human being on earth. I think we're special. I think we are all in this imperfect mess together and that the only way I can truly connect with God is to connect with you.

OUCH! That's another kicker. I have one heck of a time connecting to you. There are many reasons why, and maybe some day I'll go into some. You can assume that this blog is the beginning. I'm trying to connect with you.

So who am I? I'm me. I'm like you in many ways. In some ways, we're nothing alike. I hope that helps you understand me a little better.

The Power of Ideas

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word "idea" in this way:

"a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations". Full Definition Here.

I love this definition. It packs excellent value into a minimalist structure. It is both enlightening and demands more questions. It also portrays a view of the universe that is more nuanced than meets the eye.

First, we are directed to the description of a "transcendent entity". While neuro-science would likely classify an idea as a series of electrical pulses travelling through synapses, the more complete representation of the linguists is to assign an identity to the idea. It isn't entirely anthropomorphic - defining it as an entity leaves room for the imagination - but it allows us to sculpt something tangible in our minds. The notion that an idea is transcendent is even more important.

Like many things fashioned by the human brain, the idea does transcend anything physical around us. Our best ideas are often only represented in the completion of processes and actions and have few tangible representations at all. Love is an idea that is often transmitted from one person to the next with actions that leave no permanent evidence of the emotion. A hug from a friend or an acquaintance can be forgotten. A hug from someone we love can be remembered for as long as memory serves us.

And if we stopped at transcendent entity, we'd have an ethereal concept before us. But we continue with the definition to "real pattern" which plants ideas in the more accessible realm of our existence. A real pattern doesn't allow for much deviation in interpretation. Whether patterns of numbers, or structures, or sounds, a pattern is as concrete as we can conceive. We thrive in patterns and understand the universe around us through assembling patterns - even when the patterns sometimes are our own constructs, not a true representation of what we observe.

Which brings us to the final concept we must embrace to understand an idea, that is "existing things are imperfect representations". It could be argued that by including the words "real patterns," imperfect representations became de facto extensions of the definition. We are imperfect, as is the world around us. Our understanding of things is by nature, imperfect. Many have attempted to achieve perfection in almost every form of human endeavors. We remain imperfect, even after eons of efforts to eradicate the blemishes of that state of being.

All of this makes the idea even more important. It is our one way to transcend the limits of our own imperfections. Ideas allow nearly hairless bipedal post primates to live comfortably in the arctic. Ideas convert silence into symphonies on the backs of strings and blasted by carbon dioxide through varying shaped tubes. Ideas put post primates into outer space and onto other celestial bodies.

Only a fool would discount, or undervalue, the power of an idea.

But the most compelling aspect of the idea to me, is that it is the human conduit to someone, or something that is perfect. If we can imagine perfection while surrounded by the hell of wars, plagues, natural catasrophes, mortal misfortunes and general human indecency, then we might - no matter how remote the possibility - be shepherded to it. And no matter how imperfect our imagination of perfection may be, the fact that we attempt to quantify that which we cannot comprehend argues that the notion does not derive naturally from our experience, but was placed within us as a guiding light - or even as a last hope to combat despair.

So ideas, then, represent to me a divine spark. They are the calling cards of hope and comfort, the tools of enterprise and assistance, and the requisite evidence of our veiled destiny. But they are not good of themselves.

In the hands of evil, ideas can construct machines of destruction. Concentration camps were imperfect - thank God - representations of Nazi aspirations with regard to the Jews. For all the hugs and kisses love can stir, hate can provide frightful numbers of punches and kicks. And then there are the ideas that we don't even know are evil.

I am convinced that Karl Marx was two parts buffoon to one part envious slacker. Had he fully contemplated the concentration of power - which his writings demonstrate he did not do - into a single state entity, he would have understood that the risks associated with communism outweighed any rewards it may have provided. I could list thousands of ideas that were drenched with the best intentions and produced awful results. One humorous representation of this was on the television show WKRP in Cincinnati, when the idea of a Thanksgiving Day Turkey drop led to disastrous consequences. Many of my own "best" ideas have had less than successful conclusions.

All of this leads me to a final thought. While we are imperfect, our ideas can allow us to connect at a higher level. When we work to communicate notions of perfection with one another, we connect on a level we cannot achieve by any other means. In fact, one mistake that is frequently made is to compare current circumstances with perfection and to be dissatisfied. That isn't what I want. What I do want is to communicate with you about those things we can achieve and strive to be better. We can't be perfect, but we can use our ideas to move us a few notches in that direction. That's what I want this blog to do and what I hope we can do together.

Thanks for reading.

The First Post

This blog is here for us. I write posts. You can add comments, criticisms or your own ideas. I'm working things out as I go. You can join me.

Please avoid ad hominem and nastiness. If you have a difference of opinion, fine. Name calling won't enforce or affirm your position. It'll just make you seem like a person who can't think.

Thanks for reading.