Reality split

Yesterday, I had a chance to talk to D., an old friend of mine (one of my ex-fiances, as a matter of fact). We talked about a number of topics, but we mostly came back to his problems with his wife J. (he is depressed, so I was trying to help him in that regard, not to badmouth his wife). He spoke of a facet of their arguing, wherein J. never admits that she was wrong, even after proof has been presented to that fact. This lack of ever apologizing is deepening the rift between them, & D. is exasperated.

To me, this recalled a small online scuffle I had recently at DailyKos in a thread about the Dr. Laura incident. One of the posters didn't understand why people in the thread seemed to be avoiding using specific epithets--it's an adult conversation, and all participating were adults, so the use shouldn't shock anyone. Others as well as myself tried to get this person to see that it would be oxymoronic for the participants to use such epithets in a discussion admonishing Dr. Laura for broadcasting them in the first place. The poster in question refused to back off his point, which was distinct & counter to the one of sensitivity that the handful of us tried to advance. I replied to him, "Sometimes winning an argument loses sight of the larger picture."

In order to get to that statement, though, I thought I'd reference the Dr. Laura controversy first. D. had no idea such an instance had occurred. D. watches FOXNews pretty much exclusively, so the fact that he hadn't heard about it indicates to me that FOX minimized or completely neglected to cover the story.

A recent This Modern World, "They Denied Reality", illustrates the point pretty well. Where is the United States headed? How can we citizens chart the future when we can't even establish consensus (political) reality?

(no subject)

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Georgia scientists: Gulf oil not gone, 80 pct remains

People Who Cannot Escape a System Are Likely to Defend the Status Quo

Chinese meditation technique boosts brain function: study -- "Imaging tests showed a greater number of connections in the anterior cingulate -- the part of the brain which regulates emotion and behavior -- among those who practiced meditation compared to subjects in the control group."

Dark chocolate can be good for the heart, study says -- "[A U.S. study] found those eating chocolate once or twice a week cut the risk of developing heart failure by a third, but those eating it every day did not benefit."

Bacteria can 'smell' their environment, research shows

Num! Oh, um . . . .

I've been instructed recently to observe a heart-healthy diet. In the ensuing near-month, I have done a good job of altering certain elements of my diet, though I still have an inordinate attachment to chocolate.

What's the most unhealthy item in your diet?

(no subject)

Blagojevich guilty on just 1 count as Feds vow retrial