Mathematical Reflexes

One of the blogs I read regularly posted a reference to a Nature article about a correlation between a kind of mental reflex and mathematical acuity.

Take the NYT test

I got 14 out of 15 just like the blog author.  

How about you?

Midnight Conversations

[Actually 1:30 AM Conversations...]

"Daddy?"

"Yes"

"Daddy?"

"Yes."

"Daddy?"

"Yes..."

"Daddy?  Woody missing his arm."

"But they can sew it back on."

"Daddy?  Ellie's arm."

"Does it need a kiss?"

"Yes Daddy... Thank you Daddy."

Ugly Taste

[Unrelated forward: I've always found phrases like that, "ugly taste," -- phrases that mix sensory adjectives with a differen sense -- interesting.  I'm reading (via audible during my commute) Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  He does an outstanding job of this in a lot of different places.  In particular, there's one character who has the ability to communicate with wolves, but the wolves think in images and senses rather than distinct ideas, and senses that are different than human ones.  So, it's interesting to read.  There was a Star Trek episode kind of like that, too, where an alien race spoke in metaphor and allusion rather than with the same kind of "logical" sentence structures that we use in most human languages.]

I was watching Giuliani and Palin on the RNC tonight.  As Giuliani stood, back dropped by a twin-tower absent skyline of New York and spewed ridicule after ridule of Obama, the DNC, and anyone idiot enough to support him, I couldn't picture anything more than a school yard bully.  His language was ugly.  Admitedly I come from a different value-perspective, but some of his "jokes" didn't make any sense to me.  For instance, why is it so funny to the entire hall gathered there that Obama was a community organizer.  I guess I come from such a different place.  According to wikipedia, McCain stood up for other guys getting bullied at the Naval Academy.  Sure hope he stands up for Obama against Giuliani!  It nearly made me sick to my stomach that all the people at the RNC were laughing their heads off... not just cheering the superiority of their candidate, but laughing at the seemingly ridiculousness of the democratic candidate.  Wow.  How ugly.  Even if they believe someone isn't suited for a job, what kind of people make fun of that other person and laugh at their expense.  It made me sick.  Sick.

I don't have any respect for that kind of behavior.

I admit I want to go back and watch the DNC speaches.  I want to make sure I'm be fair in my emotional reaction.  It doesn't seem, in my memory, that the democratic speakers ridiculed and made fun of McCain, though.  They said "he is wrong about what we need to do."  They afforded McCain some decency.  Giuliani, and Palin to some less extent, just plowed into Obama and poked fun at him like his was only 1/2 human.  And everyone gathered laughed and laughed.

As I write, it makes me not just want to vomit, but want to go shake Giuliani.  That kind of bullying behavior actually makes me want to be violent.  ARG!

I hope there aren't too many people out there that think that kind of behavior is acceptable.  If McCain does get elected, I hope that the behavior of his party's strongest supporters doesn't rub off on him and that his a protector of the bullied.  

There's a Christian value question: "Do you put down and laugh at people who you believe to be at a disadvantage, or do you respect them for their contributions, their courage, and their potential?"