dimland radio 11-7-15 show notes

A Little Detour...

I hadn't planned on it, but something sent me down a different track of thought at the top of the show. I reminisced about the old days of going to Paul Bunyan Land in Brainerd, MN. I talked about how, to a child, the park was very impressive, but when Amy and I went in 2002 or so, the park had lost much of its luster and was much more modest than I remembered.

 

Paul was still impressive though.

 

The park closed down at the end of that season that Amy and I visited. However, Paul and much of the other "attractions" of the park moved down the road a piece to join up with Pioneer Village. Amy and I brought our son Hayden there for his birthday just a few years ago. Paul's display was redone and looked much better.

 

Paul from the olden days.

 

 

The more recent Paul.

Tainted Halloween Candy?

 
It seems each year we hear about tainted Halloween candy. Tainted either by drugs or razor blades or pins and needles. And each year, many of the claims turn out to not be true.

 

This year was no exception. (From Snopes.) There was even an untrue claim of needles in candy bars from Brainerd, MN! Ahhh! That story may have been what sent me on the unplanned talk about Paul Bunyan Land.

 

The mind is a terrible thing.

 

Pedantic Moment: Character With Asperger's On Law & Order: Criminal Intent

 
Not exactly a timely topic, but I had seen an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent the other night that featured a character with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's is on the autism spectrum and is considered to be on the high functioning end.

The character barely functioned socially. I figured he was a half a step up the scale from Dustin Hoffman's Raymond from Rain Man. This guy was very damned awkward socially, which is why I had such a hard time believing he had been married and had sired two kids!

His wife divorced him to marry one of the partners of the law firm at which she worked as a paralegal. We never see the ex-wife or the fellow she moved on with, but I figure she must have had something on the ball to hook up with a rich, powerful lawyer. So, how is it she was ever attracted to such a neurotic, tick-laden, frightened, pattern obsessed, socially inept man as Wally Stevens?

Also, a point made in the show was that Stevens was never diagnosed, so he went through life that way. He had never gone to a doctor ever in his life? Maybe they wouldn't have tagged him with Asperger's, a recently defined condition at the time; but surely any medical doctor worth his salt would have noted something was odd and refer him to a proper medical authority.

Yes, I know. I should repeat to myself, "It's just a show, I should really just relax."

 

What Are The Odds...

 

...That my name would be mentioned on the Skepticality podcast during their The Odds Must Be Crazy segment? Well, pretty good since I did send them a story.

 

I was working my night job and listening to Skepticality when I heard my name and story. I think I jumped a little as I didn't expect to hear John Rael say my name.

 

Very cool!

 

Vitriol From The Left Is Still Vitriol

  

A frequent topic on my show it seems, most of my Facebook friend are politically left, so I see a lot of pro-Democrat and liberal issues stories and memes. I also see a fair amount of vitriol hurled at Republicans and conservatives.

 

Recently, a FB friend was completely baffled that Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, could be some charitable in his comments about people suffering from drug addiction. My friend couldn't wrap his head around a GOP member having empathy. He posted a link to a Huffington Post story and asked how sometimes "Repiglicans" can break with their usual 'greedy, vile asshole" ways and have some compassion.

 

I gave him an answer:

 

Because, as difficult as it is for some to believe (those who might use terms such as Repiglicans, for example) people we disagree with politically are just as human as we are. They are just as capable of compassion and empathy. But, as humans, we have a tendency to adopt the "us versus them" mentality. The out group isn't us. They should be shunned, ridiclued, dehumanized because they aren't part of our group.

 

Racists tend to do this. Sexists tend to do this. Religious groups against other religious groups tend to do this. The nonreligious against the religious and vice versa tend to do this. It's part of human nature.

 

But, as Rosie said to Charlie in The African Queen, "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above."

 

I see this kind of uncharitable attitude toward the political out group daily all through my FB feed. Coming from both sides of the political aisle; however, since most of my FB friends are on the left, I tend to see more ugliness coming from that direction. Which is disappointing as it's the left who seem to pride themselves on appreciating nuance. It was the left that criticized Pres. George W Bush because he didn't do nuance.

 

Well, from what I see on a daily basis, some (I won't say all because I won't play the "us versus them" game) of my friends on the left don't do nuance either. At least when it comes to Repiglicans.

 

I don't know if my message got through.

 

Movie Recommendations: Blackthorn (2011)

Magnolia Pictures

 

An very good Western that is currently streaming on Netflix. It stars Sam Shepard as James Blackthorn, an aging breeder of horses who lives quietly in Bolivia. But, he does have a past. He is, in actuality, the notorious Butch Cassidy and contrary to what the world believes his is quite alive.

Set in the 1920s, some 27 years after Butch was supposed to have died, Blackthorn learns of the death of an old love and decides it's time to return to America.

The trip doesn't go according to plan...

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Spy World' by Wall of Voodoo & 'This World Over' by XTC

Second ad break bumpers: 'Spirits In The Material World' by The Police &  'New World Man' By Rush

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com
 
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