Christopher McKitterick's Blog, page 37
June 8, 2011
Astro-Porn of the Day: HUGEST Solar Eruption Ever Recorded!
Holy-the-Sun-is-exploding, Batman!
Click the image to see NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory article on the event - and FRAKKING AMAZING VIDEOS.
An almost unimaginably huge mushroom of belched plasma exploded from the Sun and almost immediately plummeted back onto the surface yesterday, launching perhaps the largest amount of solar material into space ever recorded. The solar flare itself was only considered a "moderate" event (sorry, but the cell-phone network will likely survive), though the volume of the eruption was the most we've ever seen. Space observatories in the past year recorded about 70 such solar flares, each roughly ten times weaker than "extreme" flares, of which only two have occurred since 2007.
What shocked scientists was the unusual amount of material that bubbled up, expanded, and collapsed over roughly half the surface area of the Sun. The event's simultaneous launch of particles into space is called a coronal mass ejection.
"This totally caught us by surprise. There wasn't much going on with this spot, but as it came from behind the Sun, all of a sudden there was a flare and huge ejection of particles," said NASA astrophysicist Phillip Chamberlin. "We've never seen a CME this enormous." That's what she said! (Apologies, but someone had to....)
Chris
Click the image to see NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory article on the event - and FRAKKING AMAZING VIDEOS.
An almost unimaginably huge mushroom of belched plasma exploded from the Sun and almost immediately plummeted back onto the surface yesterday, launching perhaps the largest amount of solar material into space ever recorded. The solar flare itself was only considered a "moderate" event (sorry, but the cell-phone network will likely survive), though the volume of the eruption was the most we've ever seen. Space observatories in the past year recorded about 70 such solar flares, each roughly ten times weaker than "extreme" flares, of which only two have occurred since 2007.
What shocked scientists was the unusual amount of material that bubbled up, expanded, and collapsed over roughly half the surface area of the Sun. The event's simultaneous launch of particles into space is called a coronal mass ejection.
"This totally caught us by surprise. There wasn't much going on with this spot, but as it came from behind the Sun, all of a sudden there was a flare and huge ejection of particles," said NASA astrophysicist Phillip Chamberlin. "We've never seen a CME this enormous." That's what she said! (Apologies, but someone had to....)
Chris
The greatest music video ever made.
This is one of the most-moving things I've ever seen. This kind of brilliance and cooperation - and all of it on a volunteer basis by what seems to be most of the city of Grand Rapids - restores my faith in humankind. Plus, it's one of the most powerful songs of all time. If you were offline during Memorial Day weekend like me (at the lovely ConQuest SF party convention), you might have missed it.
Roger Ebert calls it "the greatest music video ever made." WATCH NOW!
I teared up almost immediately and had to wipe my eyes almost constantly at the beauty of what it took to make this happen, with hundreds (thousands?) of people spontaneously getting together to declare their unity and delight together.
*smiling*
Chris
Roger Ebert calls it "the greatest music video ever made." WATCH NOW!
I teared up almost immediately and had to wipe my eyes almost constantly at the beauty of what it took to make this happen, with hundreds (thousands?) of people spontaneously getting together to declare their unity and delight together.
*smiling*
Chris
June 7, 2011
Hot-rod Newport progress report.
Over the past few days, I've made a lot of progress on the 4-door Mopar of DOOOOM: torqued down the headers and installed the valley pan, intake manifold, valve covers and gaskets, Boss EFI throttle unit (carburetor-thingy), lower pulley, and associated bits. Also cleaned up a bunch of minor rust and painted things up all pretty-like. Check it out:
You may recall my mentioning that every part has required customization, right? Well, last night I spent a while grinding out one of the lower-pulley bolt-holes so it would mate with the aftermarket liquid-core balancer. Today I had to ream out one of the carburetor-mounting holes on the intake, as the threads were damaged. Oh, and when I went to install the valve covers, I discovered that the passenger-side piece barely fits when the intake manifold is installed - to install or remove it requires a sort of Jenga approach. Plus the heater core cannot be plumbed. That'll be interesting when it comes time to final-adjust the rocker arms.
So I'm very close to turning the key! All that's left is wiring and plumbing it, hooking up the exhaust and radiator, and working out the inevitable leaks and bugs. Sadly, it will not be done in time to road-test prior to the drive to Colorado this week. But soon, very soon now!
Chris
You may recall my mentioning that every part has required customization, right? Well, last night I spent a while grinding out one of the lower-pulley bolt-holes so it would mate with the aftermarket liquid-core balancer. Today I had to ream out one of the carburetor-mounting holes on the intake, as the threads were damaged. Oh, and when I went to install the valve covers, I discovered that the passenger-side piece barely fits when the intake manifold is installed - to install or remove it requires a sort of Jenga approach. Plus the heater core cannot be plumbed. That'll be interesting when it comes time to final-adjust the rocker arms.
So I'm very close to turning the key! All that's left is wiring and plumbing it, hooking up the exhaust and radiator, and working out the inevitable leaks and bugs. Sadly, it will not be done in time to road-test prior to the drive to Colorado this week. But soon, very soon now!
Chris
June 6, 2011
Station Discovered on Mars!
This is pretty entertaining: "Armchair astronaut" David Martines claims to have discovered a mysterious structure on the surface of Mars by using Google Earth (well, Google Mars). His YouTube video of the "station" has racked up 852,000 views so far; in it, he claims to have discovered the anomaly while examining Mars using Google's handy tool, and estimates its size to be 700 feet by 150 feet. Check out his simulated voyage to Mars in the vid:
Perhaps this suggests why so many missions to Mars were destined to fail.... Here's what it looks like:
Click the image to see the Daily Mail article.
One news source points out the "red and blue painted stripes" on the station's structure. Hm. Last I checked, NASA hasn't yet responded to the announcement, but we can expect to hear from them soon. If not... I say silence = knowledge! ;-)
Secret alien science station, secret Space Defense Services outpost, or something more mundane? So: A poll!
View Poll: Space Station on Mars?
PS: Is it just me, or are many people experiencing failures of the interwebs - specifically, I can't see iframes, videos, and many images, including descriptions on eBay. I use IE7 and Firefox on Windows 7, and both are experiencing the same failure... perhaps something to do with Mars Station?
Chris
Perhaps this suggests why so many missions to Mars were destined to fail.... Here's what it looks like:
Click the image to see the Daily Mail article.
One news source points out the "red and blue painted stripes" on the station's structure. Hm. Last I checked, NASA hasn't yet responded to the announcement, but we can expect to hear from them soon. If not... I say silence = knowledge! ;-)
Secret alien science station, secret Space Defense Services outpost, or something more mundane? So: A poll!
View Poll: Space Station on Mars?
PS: Is it just me, or are many people experiencing failures of the interwebs - specifically, I can't see iframes, videos, and many images, including descriptions on eBay. I use IE7 and Firefox on Windows 7, and both are experiencing the same failure... perhaps something to do with Mars Station?
Chris
June 4, 2011
How to service a modern Vespa's spark plug and air filter - the easy way.
...and by "easy," I mean you have to jack up the scooter. Seriously! The way Vespa made this machine leaves no space between the body and the spark plug to remove the thing - or even access it, really. Here's how you access the spark plug and air filter on a modern Vespa. Even though it looks a bit scary, it's pretty simple, really:
1) Open the seat, remove the tub, and center the handlebar.
Seat up, easy access.
2) Position a jack beneath the engine-pivot, being careful to balance it properly. BE VERY CAREFUL or you could hurt yourself or your scoot! I used a wide-base jack with a piece of 2x4 across the pivot, and jiggered it until I found good balance. A safer way to do this would be with a proper motorcycle jack, but I had no problem.
3) Remove the lower bolt of the rear suspension unit. The locknut is 17mm and the bolt is 14mm.
That single bolt at the end of the shock is the only thing holding your engine and rear wheel in place. A leeeetle scary to consider.
4) Remove the spark-plug wire or else it'll tear while you jack the scoot. I suspect the people who last serviced my machine neglected to do this (more on that in a second...). I found that it was easier to remove the coil section than to try to pull the rubber boot - no space! See what I mean?
Just barely visible at the upper-right of the engine stuff is a black nub: That's the spark plug wire. Good luck accessing that with the scoot flat on the ground.
4a) To remove the coil unit, first pull the engine-head service cover, a little panel that sits between your heels as you're riding. It's a single screw. Now you'll see the single bolt that hold the coil in place; remove that, then pull the two color-coded wires. See this pic for details:
Here's where you'll find what appears to be the coil - where the spark plug wire leads. Big silver finned thing to the right is the engine head.
5) Jack the scoot slowly while holding the body or else it could tip. It'll remain pretty stable if you have the jack centered, because the rear engine unit and wheel remain on the ground. Also keep an eye on the wires and other hoses, checking with each jacking step to ensure nothing is binding or pulling. I found I didn't need to move anything, but things could get tight depending on how your Vespa was manufactured. Here's what it looks like all jacked up:
Jacked up and ready to service.
6) Now you can easily access the spark plug, the air filter, and many bits and pieces that are filthy but you couldn't clean due to their being hidden by bodywork.
Now you can access the plug! And here it is, yoinked from the head. Notice how much more room is available with the scoot jacked up.
7) While working, don't forget that the Vespa is balanced on a jack! Hold the body if you're torquing on something.
8) Clean the air filter with soap and water, dry, then re-oil with air-cleaner oil.
9) Replace the spark plug: The S150 uses an NGK CR7EB or Autolite 4303. The Autolite is more available at an auto-parts store, but you'll need to keep the wide tip from the NGK and screw it onto the top of the Autolite before installing it. Use a little anti-seize lubricant on the middle of the spark-plug threads to prevent it from rusting in place and to ease installation and later replacement.
10) SLOWLY lower the scoot, watching to make sure nothing gets pinched while keeping it balanced and centered. It'll wobble as its center of gravity shifts: Don't panic! Watch the bottom of the shock unit, as that can get caught in the inner fender. I balanced the scoot by holding the shock-unit's spring and guiding it into its mount on the engine unit.
11) When the holes line up, slip the bolt back in place and re-attach the locknut.
Ready to rock!
Viola, you've just serviced your modern Vespa!
_______________
This is my primary transportation, so when something goes wrong, I fix it right away. Last night, it stopped running in the middle of a busy intersection and I had to push it home about a mile. Turns out that the culprit was a broken spark-plug wire, which I stripped, soldered, then wrapped and re-installed. I suspect that the last folks who serviced it (suring the 1000-mile service last fall) neglected to pull the wire before jacking the scoot, thus tearing the wire and leading to the frequent poor running that I've had to deal with since. Well, it's fixed now.
Now let's see if I have the energy to work on the Newport....
Chris
1) Open the seat, remove the tub, and center the handlebar.
Seat up, easy access.
2) Position a jack beneath the engine-pivot, being careful to balance it properly. BE VERY CAREFUL or you could hurt yourself or your scoot! I used a wide-base jack with a piece of 2x4 across the pivot, and jiggered it until I found good balance. A safer way to do this would be with a proper motorcycle jack, but I had no problem.
3) Remove the lower bolt of the rear suspension unit. The locknut is 17mm and the bolt is 14mm.
That single bolt at the end of the shock is the only thing holding your engine and rear wheel in place. A leeeetle scary to consider.
4) Remove the spark-plug wire or else it'll tear while you jack the scoot. I suspect the people who last serviced my machine neglected to do this (more on that in a second...). I found that it was easier to remove the coil section than to try to pull the rubber boot - no space! See what I mean?
Just barely visible at the upper-right of the engine stuff is a black nub: That's the spark plug wire. Good luck accessing that with the scoot flat on the ground.
4a) To remove the coil unit, first pull the engine-head service cover, a little panel that sits between your heels as you're riding. It's a single screw. Now you'll see the single bolt that hold the coil in place; remove that, then pull the two color-coded wires. See this pic for details:
Here's where you'll find what appears to be the coil - where the spark plug wire leads. Big silver finned thing to the right is the engine head.
5) Jack the scoot slowly while holding the body or else it could tip. It'll remain pretty stable if you have the jack centered, because the rear engine unit and wheel remain on the ground. Also keep an eye on the wires and other hoses, checking with each jacking step to ensure nothing is binding or pulling. I found I didn't need to move anything, but things could get tight depending on how your Vespa was manufactured. Here's what it looks like all jacked up:
Jacked up and ready to service.
6) Now you can easily access the spark plug, the air filter, and many bits and pieces that are filthy but you couldn't clean due to their being hidden by bodywork.
Now you can access the plug! And here it is, yoinked from the head. Notice how much more room is available with the scoot jacked up.
7) While working, don't forget that the Vespa is balanced on a jack! Hold the body if you're torquing on something.
8) Clean the air filter with soap and water, dry, then re-oil with air-cleaner oil.
9) Replace the spark plug: The S150 uses an NGK CR7EB or Autolite 4303. The Autolite is more available at an auto-parts store, but you'll need to keep the wide tip from the NGK and screw it onto the top of the Autolite before installing it. Use a little anti-seize lubricant on the middle of the spark-plug threads to prevent it from rusting in place and to ease installation and later replacement.
10) SLOWLY lower the scoot, watching to make sure nothing gets pinched while keeping it balanced and centered. It'll wobble as its center of gravity shifts: Don't panic! Watch the bottom of the shock unit, as that can get caught in the inner fender. I balanced the scoot by holding the shock-unit's spring and guiding it into its mount on the engine unit.
11) When the holes line up, slip the bolt back in place and re-attach the locknut.
Ready to rock!
Viola, you've just serviced your modern Vespa!
_______________
This is my primary transportation, so when something goes wrong, I fix it right away. Last night, it stopped running in the middle of a busy intersection and I had to push it home about a mile. Turns out that the culprit was a broken spark-plug wire, which I stripped, soldered, then wrapped and re-installed. I suspect that the last folks who serviced it (suring the 1000-mile service last fall) neglected to pull the wire before jacking the scoot, thus tearing the wire and leading to the frequent poor running that I've had to deal with since. Well, it's fixed now.
Now let's see if I have the energy to work on the Newport....
Chris
June 3, 2011
Astro-Porn of the Day: Supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy!
For the second time in six years, a star has exploded in the Whirlpool Galaxy. Don't worry about it baking off our atmosphere or frying our satellites, because it's about 23 million light-years from the Milky Way Galaxy where we live. More good news: anyone with a medium- to large telescope under dark skies can find it, and the new supernova should remain visible for the next few weeks. Check out the boom in this animated gif:
Click the image to see the Astro Bob article on the supernova.
French observer Stéphane Lamotte Bailey created this animated image of the Whirlpool Galaxy's new supernova using images he took with an 8-inch telescope on May 30 (before) and June 2 (BOOM). This is a type II supernova, which we get when a massive star rapidly collapses, leading to the most violent explosion one sees in a galaxy. By "massive," I mean a star at least 9–50 times the mass of the Sun (no worries for our star). Type II supernovae mainly go boom in the spiral arms of galaxies.
The first hint of this supernova appeared on May 31st, when French amateur Anne Riou noticed a previously unobserved 14th-magnitude star in her CCD images of the galaxy. She recorded it again the following evening. By then the robotic Palomar Transient Factory and the Galaxy Zoo's supernova hunters had also detected it, and French observer Stéphane Lamotte Bailey imaged it. It's too early to tell if the supernova is brightening or fading.
What's a supernova look like up close? Check out this photo of SN 2006gy by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes. "This was a truly monstrous explosion, 100 times more energetic than a typical supernova," said Nathan Smith of the University of California at Berkeley, who led a team of astronomers from California and Texas. "That means the star that exploded might have been as massive as a star can get, about 150 times that of our sun. We've never seen that before."
Click the image to see the NASA page about this largest-ever observed supernova.
Supernovae provide the building-blocks for everything we enjoy in our daily lives, from the minerals in the Earth's crust to the materials needed to build life. They are the generators of the universe, turning primal stuff like hydrogen and helium into everything else. Supernovae are the true Philosopher's Stone, magic and power and light, capable also of destroying everything fragile within many light-years of the explosion.
How about a pretty, full-color shot courtesy of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope?
Click the image to see the NASA article on this Whirlpool Galaxy photo.
You might have noticed in the image above that the Whirlpool Galaxy (aka Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194) is a spiral galaxy colliding with a smaller partner-galaxy, NGC 5195. This famous interacting pair are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and you can even spot the two galaxies with binoculars under dark skies.
Charles Messier (creator of the Messier Catalog of 110 of the best astro-objects in the sky) discovered the Whirlpool Galaxy in 1774 (hence the "M51" designation). Check out this fantastic visual catalog of the Messier objects:
[image error]
Click the image to see the Wiki Messier Catalog article.
Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Méchain. Lord Rosse was the first to discover the spiral nature of the Whirpool using a 72-inch reflecting telescope he constructed at Birr Castle in Ireland. Sometimes M51 is used to refer to the pair of galaxies, in which case the individual galaxies may be referred to as M51A (NGC 5194) and M51B (NGC 5195).
Where do you find the Whirlpool Galaxy? Just a little under the tip of the Big Dipper's handle. Check out this handy map:
Click the image to see the Astro Bob article.
A spectograph taken with the Keck telescope on June 2 reveals that, after allowing for the Whirpool Galaxy's motion away from us at 600 kps, part of the blast is racing Earthward at high speed. "The shock wave has material moving at a variety of different speeds typically faster farther out," explains team member Bradley Cenko. "The hydrogen that we see moving toward us at 17,600 kps is probably a pretty good proxy for the fastest material in the outflow." You don't say, sir. Sometimes I think scientists become inured to just how FREAKING AMAZING is the stuff they're talking about. We're talking a plume of boom that can wipe worlds clean of the virus that the Matrix Agents also call, "life."
The supernova that exploded in another of the Whirlpool Galaxy's arms six years ago was also a Type II supernova. A third, somewhat-brighter detonation occurred in 1994: three supernovae in 17 years!
Chris
Click the image to see the Astro Bob article on the supernova.
French observer Stéphane Lamotte Bailey created this animated image of the Whirlpool Galaxy's new supernova using images he took with an 8-inch telescope on May 30 (before) and June 2 (BOOM). This is a type II supernova, which we get when a massive star rapidly collapses, leading to the most violent explosion one sees in a galaxy. By "massive," I mean a star at least 9–50 times the mass of the Sun (no worries for our star). Type II supernovae mainly go boom in the spiral arms of galaxies.
The first hint of this supernova appeared on May 31st, when French amateur Anne Riou noticed a previously unobserved 14th-magnitude star in her CCD images of the galaxy. She recorded it again the following evening. By then the robotic Palomar Transient Factory and the Galaxy Zoo's supernova hunters had also detected it, and French observer Stéphane Lamotte Bailey imaged it. It's too early to tell if the supernova is brightening or fading.
What's a supernova look like up close? Check out this photo of SN 2006gy by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes. "This was a truly monstrous explosion, 100 times more energetic than a typical supernova," said Nathan Smith of the University of California at Berkeley, who led a team of astronomers from California and Texas. "That means the star that exploded might have been as massive as a star can get, about 150 times that of our sun. We've never seen that before."
Click the image to see the NASA page about this largest-ever observed supernova.
Supernovae provide the building-blocks for everything we enjoy in our daily lives, from the minerals in the Earth's crust to the materials needed to build life. They are the generators of the universe, turning primal stuff like hydrogen and helium into everything else. Supernovae are the true Philosopher's Stone, magic and power and light, capable also of destroying everything fragile within many light-years of the explosion.
How about a pretty, full-color shot courtesy of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope?
Click the image to see the NASA article on this Whirlpool Galaxy photo.
You might have noticed in the image above that the Whirlpool Galaxy (aka Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194) is a spiral galaxy colliding with a smaller partner-galaxy, NGC 5195. This famous interacting pair are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and you can even spot the two galaxies with binoculars under dark skies.
Charles Messier (creator of the Messier Catalog of 110 of the best astro-objects in the sky) discovered the Whirlpool Galaxy in 1774 (hence the "M51" designation). Check out this fantastic visual catalog of the Messier objects:
[image error]
Click the image to see the Wiki Messier Catalog article.
Its companion galaxy, NGC 5195, was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Méchain. Lord Rosse was the first to discover the spiral nature of the Whirpool using a 72-inch reflecting telescope he constructed at Birr Castle in Ireland. Sometimes M51 is used to refer to the pair of galaxies, in which case the individual galaxies may be referred to as M51A (NGC 5194) and M51B (NGC 5195).
Where do you find the Whirlpool Galaxy? Just a little under the tip of the Big Dipper's handle. Check out this handy map:
Click the image to see the Astro Bob article.
A spectograph taken with the Keck telescope on June 2 reveals that, after allowing for the Whirpool Galaxy's motion away from us at 600 kps, part of the blast is racing Earthward at high speed. "The shock wave has material moving at a variety of different speeds typically faster farther out," explains team member Bradley Cenko. "The hydrogen that we see moving toward us at 17,600 kps is probably a pretty good proxy for the fastest material in the outflow." You don't say, sir. Sometimes I think scientists become inured to just how FREAKING AMAZING is the stuff they're talking about. We're talking a plume of boom that can wipe worlds clean of the virus that the Matrix Agents also call, "life."
The supernova that exploded in another of the Whirlpool Galaxy's arms six years ago was also a Type II supernova. A third, somewhat-brighter detonation occurred in 1994: three supernovae in 17 years!
Chris
May 23, 2011
Hot-Rod Newport Progress!
Here's how I spent my summer vacation... er, the weekend after finals: building a big-block Mopar engine! Getting closer to hooking up fuel and spark and seeing if it runs. Check it out:
Here's how she looks right now. Almost time to bolt up the water pump and intake!
Here's me grinding the camshaft bolts for the 383. Every part so far has needed to be customized in this build. EVERY part. Yes, EVEN THE BOLTS. They were rubbing against the front timing cover, along with the cam button (which I also had to chop and grind down). When I get some time, I'm going to write up a fully illustrated build for this engine so others can save mountains of time and heartache when duplicating it.
I want to get back out in the garage, but this afternoon is for grading finals... well, for a while more, maybe.... This morning was mowing, chopping branches, chopping intruding fence-vines and vines creeping up trees, and so forth before today's storms begin. I think all the rain has something to do with the explosion of green growth lately.
Maybe just a few more papers, then ENGINE BUILDING HOORAY!
Chris
Here's how she looks right now. Almost time to bolt up the water pump and intake!
Here's me grinding the camshaft bolts for the 383. Every part so far has needed to be customized in this build. EVERY part. Yes, EVEN THE BOLTS. They were rubbing against the front timing cover, along with the cam button (which I also had to chop and grind down). When I get some time, I'm going to write up a fully illustrated build for this engine so others can save mountains of time and heartache when duplicating it.
I want to get back out in the garage, but this afternoon is for grading finals... well, for a while more, maybe.... This morning was mowing, chopping branches, chopping intruding fence-vines and vines creeping up trees, and so forth before today's storms begin. I think all the rain has something to do with the explosion of green growth lately.
Maybe just a few more papers, then ENGINE BUILDING HOORAY!
Chris
May 19, 2011
CDC Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide
In case you missed it (the site has been swamped for a day), the CDC has posted a helpful "Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide."
Click the image to see the CDC's page.
Enjoy!
Chris
Click the image to see the CDC's page.
Enjoy!
Chris
May 17, 2011
Help me understand Americans: Are we becoming a fascist state?
This is not a rhetorical question.
I really want to understand what is going on inside the minds of American conservative Republicans. I could point to a billion examples of how people who call themselves "libertarians" or "Republicans" (the right wing of the party) are the first to try to legislate morality, legislate how we can spend our money, where we can go, what we can do, and so on. That is, they want to put the government into personal business. I won't even get into how they seem to support corporations over people lately, even though corporations look much more like governments than individual people do.
Libertarians and conservatives are both groups that I once understood to support the notions of "Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone" and "Government out of my business," among other things. They complain about the "nanny state that liberals want to impose," and they fear "socialism," which - if you listen to their cries - they clearly don't understand.
They way they behave sounds less like their chosen political identifiers and much more like fascism. Here's the Wikipedia definition of fascism, which is pretty good:
Fascists advocate the creation of a totalitarian single-party state that seeks the mass mobilization of a nation through indoctrination, physical education, and family policy including eugenics. Fascists seek to purge forces and ideas deemed to be the cause of decadence and degeneration and produce their nation's rebirth based on commitment to the national community based on organic unity where individuals are bound together by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and "blood." Fascists believe that a nation requires strong leadership, singular collective identity, and the will and ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong. Fascist governments forbid and suppress opposition to the state. Fascists promote violence and war as actions that create national regeneration, spirit and vitality. Fascists exalt militarism as providing positive transformation in society, in providing spiritual renovation, education, instilling of a will to dominate in people's character, and creating national comradeship through military service.
Let's examine this point-by-point. First sentence:
Remember the "Permanent Majority" the Republicans desired and still believe they can attain? Check. Can't get more thorough indoctrination than creating a news empire dedicated to spreading your word, plus using the Church to glorify your views and vilify the enemy. Check. Family policy - goodness, name a Republican in office who believes in a woman's right to choose, who supports same-sex marriage, and who supports alternate family structures. Check. Mouth-frothing fears about decadence and degeneration? Check. Nationalistic fervor with exclusion of peoples from other cultures? Check. Every word in the next sentence - and here I include the war-hawk "liberals" (What's that term again? Can be from either party...), too - fits. Check. Next sentence: "Free Speech Zones," anyone? Check. Next sentence as the previous one: Check. Because I feel uncomfortable and un-American even saying that the last sentence is a check suggests that it's also true of our entire culture. Finally, USA PATRIOT Act, anyone?
Whatever happened to the dream that was the United States of America, home of liberty, land of the free, beacon of potential? Whatever happened to the dream of the USA as a symbol of the good that humans can build, the shape of the perfect society, the "melting pot," where ideas could grow and develop? Hell, whatever happened to our mantle as ethical leader of the world?
Please help me understand what's going on in this country, because I don't want to believe we're becoming a fascist state.
And if we are, what can we do to stop it?
Chris
I really want to understand what is going on inside the minds of American conservative Republicans. I could point to a billion examples of how people who call themselves "libertarians" or "Republicans" (the right wing of the party) are the first to try to legislate morality, legislate how we can spend our money, where we can go, what we can do, and so on. That is, they want to put the government into personal business. I won't even get into how they seem to support corporations over people lately, even though corporations look much more like governments than individual people do.
Libertarians and conservatives are both groups that I once understood to support the notions of "Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone" and "Government out of my business," among other things. They complain about the "nanny state that liberals want to impose," and they fear "socialism," which - if you listen to their cries - they clearly don't understand.
They way they behave sounds less like their chosen political identifiers and much more like fascism. Here's the Wikipedia definition of fascism, which is pretty good:
Fascists advocate the creation of a totalitarian single-party state that seeks the mass mobilization of a nation through indoctrination, physical education, and family policy including eugenics. Fascists seek to purge forces and ideas deemed to be the cause of decadence and degeneration and produce their nation's rebirth based on commitment to the national community based on organic unity where individuals are bound together by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and "blood." Fascists believe that a nation requires strong leadership, singular collective identity, and the will and ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong. Fascist governments forbid and suppress opposition to the state. Fascists promote violence and war as actions that create national regeneration, spirit and vitality. Fascists exalt militarism as providing positive transformation in society, in providing spiritual renovation, education, instilling of a will to dominate in people's character, and creating national comradeship through military service.
Let's examine this point-by-point. First sentence:
Remember the "Permanent Majority" the Republicans desired and still believe they can attain? Check. Can't get more thorough indoctrination than creating a news empire dedicated to spreading your word, plus using the Church to glorify your views and vilify the enemy. Check. Family policy - goodness, name a Republican in office who believes in a woman's right to choose, who supports same-sex marriage, and who supports alternate family structures. Check. Mouth-frothing fears about decadence and degeneration? Check. Nationalistic fervor with exclusion of peoples from other cultures? Check. Every word in the next sentence - and here I include the war-hawk "liberals" (What's that term again? Can be from either party...), too - fits. Check. Next sentence: "Free Speech Zones," anyone? Check. Next sentence as the previous one: Check. Because I feel uncomfortable and un-American even saying that the last sentence is a check suggests that it's also true of our entire culture. Finally, USA PATRIOT Act, anyone?
Whatever happened to the dream that was the United States of America, home of liberty, land of the free, beacon of potential? Whatever happened to the dream of the USA as a symbol of the good that humans can build, the shape of the perfect society, the "melting pot," where ideas could grow and develop? Hell, whatever happened to our mantle as ethical leader of the world?
Please help me understand what's going on in this country, because I don't want to believe we're becoming a fascist state.
And if we are, what can we do to stop it?
Chris
May 16, 2011
Hunting Down the Value of Social Media
Author Monica Valentinelli shares an essay about the value of social media and how its presence and absence affects her writing. I have discovered pretty much the same things whenever I've taken a break from LJ/FB/Twit/etc, and I bet I'm not the only one. Unless you're seriously addicted, I don't think you need to go cold-turkey as Valentinelli did - a day or two off, and you'll discover whether you're addicted or not.
Speaking of which, off goes teh interwebs! I'm off to wrap up some work stuff and then get some of my own work done. I won't be gone for months, though - more like hours ;-)
Chris
Speaking of which, off goes teh interwebs! I'm off to wrap up some work stuff and then get some of my own work done. I won't be gone for months, though - more like hours ;-)
Chris
Christopher McKitterick's Blog
This is my long-lived LiveJournal blog (http://mckitterick.livejournal.com), but if you really want to stay in touch, check out my Tumblr and Facebook pages.
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