A Few More Republicans Fly the Coop (II)

To answer your immediate and undying question: No I won't skewer Cain. He missed my wrath by a day, but nonetheless would have been a fantastic addition to my analysis of this multidimensional circus that is the republican party. Lets get on with it folks!

Some Republicans Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (I)

(updated below)

Hey sports fans. It's me again. Back from a workload induced hiatus to provide you with another fascinating installment of my blog. As this will be the last of the Mohicans and thus the last chance for you to send me hate mail/comments, this will be my analysis of the republican field. Buckle up.

Facebook? What is that?

First, I have a confession. I don't have a Facebook profile any more. The reasons are varied and have to do with my undiagnosed psychosis, so leave it at that. I understand the social networking phenomenon as a technological and cultural agent of change and respect that, however it is for examples like the case I'm about to describe that I don't use those things any longer.

I'm referring to this case study. The basic ethical question raised from this particular instance is what are the ethical boundaries that need to be drawn when dealing with reporting and Facebook. In the case, Bailey, the reporter, friended a suspect's former girlfriend in the murder investigation in order to gain access to her "walled garden" of posts. Del Rocco, the ex-girlfriend, posts some colorful and insightful comments in regards to the case. The reporter and the editor hit the gambit of what is private and what is semi-private or public.

I'm going to take a very relativistic stance on this issue, and I hope that I don't fall off this limb. There is a certain amount of privacy that one can assume throughout their life, that much should be guaranteed to everyone. However, in reference to Facebook, unless the individual is engaged in private interpersonal communication, the messages are not private. I realize there are numerous settings that Facebook allows for its users, but when it comes to posting things on your Facebook wall, all communication is public. As far as the responsibility that Bailey had to identify herself as a reporter when requesting a friendship with Del Rocco, there is none. Bailey has done nothing against the law, or Facebook terms of use. As far as ethically, this represents no breach of privacy for Del Rocco, as the information is public as I discussed earlier.

From the editor's point of view, there is a wide amount of leeway that I'm going to grant. Again, referencing the determination that all information posted on social networks is public, the editor has the direct responsibility to determine the relevance of the posts, and their value to the story should not be tainted ethically. Bass, the editor, would not be breaching Del Rocco's privacy by publishing her posts, unless they were somehow gotten by nefarious means. i.e. hacking into her phone, private interpersonal communication, email. But in this case, none of that occurred. The most that anyone could say that was possibly egregious was that Bailey hadn't identified herself as a reporter. Even then, that is a debatable point.

Your take? I loved everyone else's views on this issue. Sorry that I was nearly two hours late. I neglected to realize the due date was Saturday, I thought I had another day. Have a good weekend!

On bacteria and economics

I want to begin this post by asking a philosophical question. If you had the absolute power, either overtly or covertly, to distribute wealth amongst the people of your nation, then how large a discrepancy would you allow between the richest and the poorest?

Attack of the Job Killers!

(updated below)

The ongoing outbreak of Listeria got me thinking about food safety, regulation, and the government's place in society. All large topics indeed. But the truth is that I had a personal insight when I was listening to a radio newscast on the outbreak. It hit me that I wouldn't be here without microscopic bugs and regulation.

What's Happening Brother?

The other day I was really down in the dumps. Disappointment, frustration, and boredom conferred to offer me a horrible cup of coffee. I would remain down, drinking my crappy coffee, until I was confronted with a vast epiphany. All the world came together. Brothers and sisters who had once grown apart were now together. Obama and Boehner no doubt played another round of golf. The moon and stars conferred to offer me a lighted path. Eternal enemies assisted one another as allies. It seemed as if all of nature had extended its glorious hand to me for the warmest of greetings. What's going on?

Marvin Gaye, that's what.

The Age of Plastic

Five thousand years from now a geologist will chip away at a rock formation. Cracking the outer layer will reveal the various strata of sedimentation. Igneous rock formed on top of metamorphic rock which itself formed on limestone, etc. This will be expected by the geologist. However, less than an inch from the top is something unanticipated.

Blog report

(updated below)

So sorry for my absence over the last few weeks. I have two new posts upcoming in the next day or so, as well as 5 others planned and/or outlined. Hope you're doing well. Come back for those posts on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. Cheers.

A Grand Social Experiment (II)

Welcome to part two of my series of posts on experimental governance. After the break I'm going to conceptualize a social experiment. Read more to find out if I'm successful. 

A Grand Social Experiment (I)

This will be a part of a series of posts on a inquisitive concept: Can you experimentally govern?

Republican (r)Evolution

(updated twice below)

When a certain debate question is posed to the Republican candidates at whichever forum and among whoever is debating, I will immediately wince, groan, and shake my fists. The question? "Do you believe in evolution?"

A word on references and posts

I'd like to admit that I used too many on the last post. I'm trying to blend a sufficient amount of informed scientific information into a news blog. It might be peculiar for a few weeks, but over time the correct balance of citation and referencing will be found. In other words, no one will look them up anyway or read this post. Have a nice night.

Update: More thinking of the overall direction of the posts. Will definitely refine for next post, which will come out tomorrow. More Mary Roach and less Pollan or Hawking I think.

Sustainable Globalism

I had a high school teacher who asked us a simple question one day in class:

"What did it take for you to be here today?"

On the surface you can assume it's a fairly straight forward question. Most likely a parent, friend, bus driver, or you were the one responsible to get you to that class that arbitrary day. On a small enough scale, that is true. You were physically transported to that class through whatever means. That is what it took for you to be there. Most of us live on this scale; it's practical, selfish, reasonable, and completely functional. However, it doesn't answer the question.

Redesigned

New look, if you couldn't tell already. Finished updating except for minor style elements. Expect first post next week. I'll try to put as much time and effort into them as possible. Make them as thorough and informative as possible. This should continue through till December, until which point I'll most likely abandon the blog once more.

UPDATE: I don't know why I keep proclaiming this the new look. It's fluid people. Things could be dramatically different in a few days.

UPDATE II: I think I'm going to stop writing more HTML for a few days. Come back and see if I like it or not.

Darren Strikes Back

This blog is going to be refashioned, updates to come.

UPDATE: Can not decide what topic to focus the blog on. I would say science or some such, but then I'd bore half the audience, and the other half would never read it. I would also say an economics and politics blog, but doesn't everyone have an economics and politics blog? The reason I say that, and I hope this isn't true, is this question. What would I bring to the table, that hasn't been done dozens of other times? Most likely not enough to justify writing such.

I read some of those old posts from 2009. My writing has improved. I think. It's that weird thing when you read your past writings and you realize that your thinking and point of view has changed. I guess that is what experience and time does to you.

Besides all that, I have to come up with something by tomorrow. This post will no doubt count against me. Who knows. Fun times. I need to get my mind straight. Maybe that is the topic. My own personal insanity. But that isn't newsworthy unless I follow the notorious of our history and commit some heinous act. I won't. (To the FBI agent who has to read this because I triggered a few key words on your NSA/RAY BEAM OF DEATH MACHINE, hello.)

UPDATE II: I've been tinkering with the HTML for a few minutes now. It's good practice. In other news, the blog will be temporarily devoted to science in politics. Expect a new title for the blog to go along with the redesigns and tinkering.