Are we Alone in the Universe?

By Madeleine Kando

Common sense tells us that the idea of being alone in the universe is infinitesimally small. There are thousands of solar systems in the Milky Way alone, and in the visible universe there are trillions of galaxies. And that is just the observable Universe. The real universe is quadrillions of times bigger, because it is constantly expanding. Therefore, it is statistically improbable that we are alone. A human’s chances of being born are one in 400 trillion, but if life on earth is the only form of life in the Universe, that chance becomes unbelievably small.

The size of the Universe is not the only variable that determines whether there is life out there. How many other planets could support life? If there is other life somewhere out there, is it intelligent? Is it near enough to us that we could ever make contact? In 1961 American astrophysicist Frank D. Drake devised a simple equation that could determine whether extraterrestrial intelligence is possible.

The equation is made up of seven variables, each of which represents an unknown quantity. When combined, they produce an estimate of the number of civilizations we might be able to make contact with in our galaxy. 

Here’s a breakdown of all the factors: In the Milky Way, stars form at a rate of R*. Some (fp) of those stars have planets, but a smaller percentage (ne) of those planets are capable of supporting life, and an even smaller percentage (f1) of those actually develop at least basic life. A fraction (fi) of those planets with any life may develop intelligent life. And of those intelligent life forms, an even smaller fraction (fc) will have the technology to communicate with us. The final factor in the Drake equation accounts for how long (L) these intelligent, technologically advanced civilizations will exist before they self-destruct or otherwise disappear. 

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Anonymity

By Madeleine Kando

Historically, there are many reasons to be ‘anonymous’. It guarantees free speech by protecting the individual from persecution. Many famous writers and thinkers wrote under a pseudonym. Voltaire’s real name was François-Marie Arouet. Additionally, less savory occupations required people to be anonymous: the executioner at the guillotine is hooded. The bank robber or thief covers his face with a black ski mask. Kuklux Klan members wear hoods to hide their identity.

But how do you interact with someone who does not have an identity? If a person rings your doorbell and starts a conversation, it is normal to expect some kind of response. But would you react differently if that person were wearing a ski mask?

In the online world, there are three ways to identify a user: 1)    by its identity, i.e. his name and possibly other identifying facts. 2)    By using a pseudonym: the user’s true identity is masked, but not impossible to trace. 3)    As anonymous. The user’s true identity is masked, such that any actions by that user cannot be traced to a person.

Posting under your own identity makes you accountable for what you write. Even writing under a pseudonym, without being held personally accountable, the writer has to maintain a consistent "identity". Anonymous however, falls beyond the term ‘accountability’, since there is no one to hold accountable.

Credibility: The more identity is revealed, the more credible the writing is. Kierkegaard had very little regard for anonymity: ‘An anonymous author by the help of the press (read: internet) can day by day find occasion to say whatever he pleases to say, and what perhaps he would be very far from having the courage to say as an individual; that every time he opens his mouth he at once is addressing thousands of thousands; that he can get ten thousand times ten thousand to repeat after him what he has said—and with all this nobody has any responsibility.’

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A Time Jump?

Tom Kando 

It’s been a stressful period. Most people would probably agree. My desire is that we can resume our lives and return to some degree of normalcy and harmony. Let us also continue to hope for the best, for America and for the world. 

For now, I present this brief anecdote, in an attempt to provide some levity and some entertainment. This experience did truly happen: 

I recently had an experience which curiously seemed to be a case of time travel..I dreamed something which happened later. This happened a few weeks ago: 

One morning, when I got up at my usual time, I could remember a few details of a dream I had just had that night: I had dreamed about Tom Jones, the famous Welsh sixties popular singer. I only remembered one thing about this dream: Tom Jones was singing his famous 1965 song “It’s not unusual” 

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Taxes Should be Raised

Tom Kando 

There is much to worry about. The wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine, hurricanes in Florida, etc. One thing I often worry about is America’s out-of-control federal deficit. 

On that issue, both of our parties and both of our presidential candidates are likely to continue to do the wrong thing. They are likely to continue to grow the deficit. 

A  Republican government would probably increase the federal deficit much more than a Democratic administration would. The past clearly shows this. The previous administration's  tax cuts (primarily for the super rich) added astronomical all-time records to the deficit. Generally, Republicans increase the national deficit more than Democrats. Republicans are driving the country toward bankruptcy more than Democrats, even though both parties contribute to this, and even though Democrats are supposed to be the ones who want to spend as much as possible on social programs.

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Traveling to the Past

By Madeleine Kando

If you are one of our faithful readers who might be wondering why I haven't posted for a while, rest assured: I haven’t expired or gotten sick, which would be a valid reason for not posting (and not such a far-fetched possibility at my age).

Granted, my regularity of posting has dwindled over the previous year: pressure of working seven days a week and so on. (That’s a lie, I am happily retired). It couldn’t be blogger’s block since writing is something I enjoy, (to the chagrin of some of you, who are more sensitive to the mediocrity of my writing).

The truth is, my silence is due to a side step into my past. A friend of mine (whose name will rename undisclosed) let me borrow his time machine and I landed in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century. This was not a random choice, mind you. I wanted to find out what the hell by grandparents were up to.

While I was away, I discovered that living in the present is not the only option we have. Despite the horrors of that time - a lot of wars and dead bodies floating in the Danube - taking a break from the present can be invigorating. Living in the past is a lot safer, since you don’t have to make choices of who to vote for, what to spend your money on or which college to send your kids to. It has already been decided for you. And it is much less stressful since you know what the outcome will be, good or bad.

Of course there is the ever-present looming shadow of regret, but regret is not the past. It is the present. Come to think of it, the present is an awfully stressful, high blood pressure raising demon. Think about it. Don’t we all try to find a break from the present? Even the chipmunks with their cheeks full of seeds and the birds fighting for a perch on my birdfeeders take a break from the ever present. It’s called sleeping.

So, if you are suffering from Trumpitis, Harrisitis, Tendonitis or Presentitis, take my advice. Go visit the past. Not only will it give you a well-deserved vacation, but you might actually come back with a suitcase full of stuff that you thought you had lost forever. leave comment here Read more...

The King’s New Hair

by Madeleine Kando

Many years ago there was a King of a mighty country who was so enamored of his hair, that his big palace was chock full of mirrors. He loved walking down the long, golden-studded hallways, looking left and right to admire his reflection. Sometimes he ended up with cramps in his neck, but a good night’s sleep in his huge canopy bed with the mirror on the ceiling took care of that.

This King did not care about reviewing his army or attending important meetings. All his servants, cooks, and numerous gardeners were told to carry a mirror around and whenever they crossed the King’s path, they kneeled and held up the mirror, so his highness could admire his ever-so-beloved hair.

Unfortunately, since hair is no great friend of aging, our beloved ruler found to his horror that his hair was starting to grow dangerously thin.

He spent most of his time experimenting on which side of his head his increasingly sparse hair should be combed. His Advisor in Chief had once commented on how regal he looked when his sparse hair was combed to the left, so from that moment on, everyone in his royal presence had to wear their hair to the left. 

Many strangers came to curry favors of the great King. Russian Kings, Chinese Ambassadors, and North Korean Diplomats were seen entering the Palace, carrying large mirrors.

One day, among these many guests, came a barber from a faraway land. He let it be known that he could create the most magnificent hairdos. Not only were his scissors and combs uncommonly fine, but also once he had created a hairstyle, he said, the masterpiece would be invisible to anyone who was unusually stupid or not fit for office.

‘Wouldn’t that be incredible?’ the King thought, ‘This barber can make my hair abundant, flowing gorgeously in the wind, just like my mother liked it. I will be the envy of all and I will immediately know who is unfit for their job, in other words, who did not agree with me!’

The next morning, the barber (his name was Figaro), was summoned to the royal bedchamber and got ready to perform his incredible craft. ‘Your majesty’ he said humbly, ‘I must warn you. I have to shave your head before I can create a new beautiful hairstyle. This is the secret ingredient of my oh-so-incredible craft.’

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America and the Olympics. How the U.S. Does it

Tom Kando 

Once again we went through an Olympics dominated by the US. 

I am not writing this piece to engage in chauvinism. Nor do I need to rehash the various obvious explanations for America’s advantage, such as population size and wealth. In a previous post (see Olympics), I showed that in proportion to population, small countries do much better than large ones: In 2016, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Denmark and Slovenia were all in the top ten medal winners. The US ranked #39 in the world, and China ranked #77. 

Bu now, I want to suggest a factor which has not been focused upon very much, namely the uniquely American DUAL system of athletic achievement: 

In the US, athletic achievement is cultivated and rewarded (1) at the amateur level in schools, and (2) at the professional level. 

To my knowledge, no other country has such a dual reward system. Of course, many countries have vibrant amateur sports, and in many countries the government supports athletics. The most extreme form of this was the Soviet model. Throughout much of the twentieth century, the USSR and East Germany used to garner the highest number of medals because sports were supported so lavishly by their government. Today, China probably provides generous government support for sports, as do probably many other countries as well. 

Clearly, the more money is spent on sports and on athletic training by a given country - from whatever source - the more medals that country will garner. 

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Different Differences

Tom Kando 

One of my sociological interests consists of differences between people. Diversity, if you will. People differ in innumerable ways. Some differences are physical, some mental, some are inevitable, some are achieved. Some are due to nature, some to nurture. And then, we often rank people according to a particular variable, for example athletic performance, or wealth. We know who the world champions are in various sports, who the world’s richest people and who the world’s greatest violin players are.

There could be a “Sociology of differentiation and ranking.” This is not necessarily a pretty business. It is also the realm of inequality, racism, winners and losers. And you might wonder whether it makes sense to compare apples and oranges. 

The most striking aspect of “differences” and “inequality” is this: For some variables, the “top dog” is only a couple of times “better” or “higher” than the bottom dog. However, in other respects, some individuals outdo others MILLIONS of times. 

Consider the magnitude of the top-to-bottom range of any variable. The range can be enormous - or not - depending on what it is that we measure. 

People can be compared and ranked on a scale of any attribute - wealth, income, body weight and size, intelligence, strength, how fast you can run, how fast you can put together the rubik cube, etc.. The Guinness Book of World Records lists many world records of facts and achievements. 

Consider three kinds of characteristics for which we often compare and rank people: (1) physical characteristics, (2) technology-assisted records, and (3) acquired characteristics. A few examples: 1. Physical characteristics:

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A New Americanism

By Madeleine Kando

I am an immigrant who has turned into an American over the past 50 years.

All my childhood I was a political refugee from the East Block. First, in France, then in Holland. I finally wrote to Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and asked her for Dutch citizenship. She told me to send her a hundred guilders and she sent me back a Dutch passport.

I expected something special to happen, a carillon bursting forth from the ‘Wester Church’, whose steeple I could see from my rear windows. Or confetti raining down on my head, but all that fell was the usual dreary Dutch rain. I didn’t feel more Dutch than before. In fact, I realized at the tender age of 20, that Holland was not going to be my final destination.

I tried London for a while, a beautiful city where I could disappear and become totally anonymous. Then on to Malaga, but the southern European culture did not fit my personality, whatever that was. So instead of trying out different countries, I decided to change continents.

I moved to the US in the late 60s. In those days, moving to America literally felt like moving to the ‘New World’, a world so vast that you were guaranteed to find yourself, if not in New England, then somewhere else.

The thing that attracted me the most, was the knowledge that 15.7% of people here are born somewhere else. That's about 53 million people, more than the entire population of many countries, such as Canada, Poland, or Spain.

But the US has always been a country divided. The South and the North are still almost like two countries. The “tribalism” is not just North vs. South. As Heather Cox Richardson demonstrated in How the South Won the Civil War,  reactionary nationalism is thriving in other regions as well, for example, the West (Cowboy country).

Surprisingly, this division hasn’t caused it to break entirely in two. Maybe because of its size, America can accommodate this division, like two brothers fighting under the protection of their mother’s large hoop skirt.

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A Tale of Survival

Tom Kando

Dear Readers:

Here is a trailer for my book: 'A Tale of Survival'. It is available on Amazon. If you are interested in writing a review, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

leave comment here

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