Linux Lessons: Let’s Get Started

I was very much in the dark on the demand of people wanting to use Linux, but speaking, writing, debating with a few of my friends revealed the most horrendous excuse of why they never did. Ready? They were afraid to ask questions in the fear of looking stupid. Some even bought already built laptops from a vendor that does it.

Seriously?

You are shunning the best OS on the market, one that’s not only free but will make your old piece of crap run like lightening because you don’t want to look stupid? Repeat after me: No one knows everything. As much experience as I have, as many of different flavors, versions, customizations I’ve run with Linux, I probably still know maybe less than I should. To me, learning is most of the fun.

Enough of that, I’ve decided to put these little tidbits together so people will at least start looking and hopefully start doing it. It’s not that hard, folks!

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A Doctor on How Physicians Face the End of Life

Interesting article in WSJ, which was the most popular of the day. My complaint of American culture has always been on the topic of death. We don’t discuss it much, we tend to avoid it like… well, like death, and then when it does happen to our friends or family, we are immobilized by the shock of it. It then takes months, even years, to come out of the psychological depression.

It’s no wonder when a disease like cancer comes along and we try to grasp on to every single promise, hope, and idea of beating it, even if the odds are low and the quality of life is on the torture gauge. This is why I believe this article on how doctors choose to die is important.

Doctors don’t want to die any more than anyone else does. But they usually have talked about the limits of modern medicine with their families. They want to make sure that, when the time comes, no heroic measures are taken. During their last moments, they know, for instance, that they don’t want someone breaking their ribs by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (which is what happens when CPR is done

I’ve worked in a hospital for years so when you see reality vs. what is portrayed on television shows, you get it. There’s no miracles — or at least they are not as numerous. Here’s an excellent example: CPR

 A study by Susan Diem and others of how CPR is portrayed on TV found that it was successful in 75% of the cases and that 67% of the TV patients went home. In reality, a 2010 study of more than 95,000 cases of CPR found that only 8% of patients survived for more than one month. Of these, only about 3% could lead a mostly normal life.

via A Doctor on How Physicians Face the End of Life – WSJ.com.

Frances Farmer Was Lobotomized

I have many stories in my queue in the site ReadItLater.com Most of them are a miss as far as being interesting, but that’s fine; the hits are worth the misses. One such hit I came across very recently is this story on Frances Farmer. Frances Farmer was an actress, described at times as the next Greta Garbo and had a lot of potential in Hollywood. And then she imploded in her life and her career.

I read one paragraph but wanted more background on her. So I went to the first place I usually set off to: Wikipedia. It’s a short write up but a good one. I read from the beginning and didn’t stop till the end. I lie, I did stop, I stopped at this passage:

Farmer recounted her stay in the state asylum as “unbearable terror”: “I was raped by orderlies, gnawed on by rats and poisoned by tainted food. I was chained in padded cells, strapped into strait-jackets and half-drowned in ice baths.”[7]

The Scientology-related advocacy group the Citizens Commission on Human Rights reported the following about Western State Hospital: “Conditions were barbaric. Both criminals and the mentally retarded were crowded together, their meals thrown on the floor to be fought over. Farmer was subjected to regular and continuous electroshock. In addition, she was prostituted to soldiers from the local military base and raped and abused by the orderlies. One of the most vivid recollections of some veterans of the institution would be the sight of Frances Farmer being held down by the orderlies and raped by drunken gangs of soldiers.

Wait, what? How did a person go from Greta Garbo-shoes-filler to this? Seems like there were events that lead up to and there were multiple rights circumvented that had her lose her civil rights and rights to speak for herself.

  • No lawyer at the sentencing by the Police Judge
  • No re-evaluations after her initial release and re-institutionalization
  • Cops barging in to her hotel room and being shocked that she didn’t want to go anywhere after taking sleeping pills and being in the nude in bed.

There are smaller instances of the above but how does this happen in America? Even the 30′s-40′s America? She came out from being locked up eventually, and by happenstance of a stroke to her “mom” who had custody rights over her. What is surprising for me is that she was able to do stuff after this, be on Broadway, stage, even some movies… Still, what a waste of a human life that comes from a simple/complex thing like a broken heart?

Of course, I’ve finished the article and I am happy that she did get some happiness afterwards, I just don’t have a good feeling about what was done to her by others–aside from what happened to her at the institutions. So while the title is misleading — she wasn’t technically lobotomized — she did have a life/career crash and I am not totally excusing her, just wanted to have a happy ending in a tragic life. I don’t think I got one.

 

Hate Thy Neighbor

Love this story, not for the obvious but how time and time again proves that familiarity breeds contempt and how neighboring countries (or in this case, technically the same country) just hate each other. You have similar feelings towards Mexicans coming here with “anchor babies”. Ukraine Poland hatred (which is ancient). Serbia/Croatia, Italy/Sicily, any Middle Eastern country, Russia and most of the former Soviet republics. I could go on but you catch the drift.

But the seven million residents of Hong Kong increasingly fear that mainlanders are challenging them for services, for property and to some extent for their cultural identity. Many suspect that wealthier mainlanders see Hong Kong as an escape option, for their children if not themselves, should confidence in China’s future fade.

via Mainland Chinese Flock to Hong Kong to Have Babies – NYTimes.com.

Supreme Court to Hear Affirmative Action Case

This is good news. Racism is racism no matter how you paint it and color it.

The consequences of such a decision would be striking. It would, all sides agree, reduce the number of African-American and Latino students at nearly every selective college and graduate school, with more Asian-American and white students gaining entrance instead.

I can almost hear the lamentation of NYTimes from statement. Asians and whites getting in to colleges based on merit? The horror!

via Supreme Court to Hear Affirmative Action Case – NYTimes.com.

How Muslims, Christians, and Jews are Viewed

Interesting poll conducted and there’s a few surprises here.

The first surprise is the obvious one. While the Western countries have a more favorable view of non-Christians, that’s not what the Muslim countries view (especially Jews) are. As a matter of fact, the numbers are dismal. You would think Lebanon, which does have a large Christian population, be more tolerant of Jews.

Another surprise (to many not to me) here is that Democracy doesn’t automatically buy you tolerance. Take a look at Democratic Turkey’s tolerance of Jews.

And finally, Russia’s numbers of Jews being 63 which is 1% higher than the Muslims. I am not advocating intolerance of Muslims, of course, but Russia has been ravaged by terrorism from Chechnya, including some pretty big and public attacks on the Bolshoi Theatre, Subways, even school that had many children as victims. And yet, the Jews favor is just that much higher. Speaking from personal experience, Russia remains one of the more anti-Semitic countries outside of the Muslim world.

Let’s take a look at the characteristic issues that Muslims have of Westerners and vice versa:

Even here we see more tolerant views from Westerners on Muslims vs. Muslims on Westerners.

This is a multi-page report from Pew, so be sure to read the entire thing.

Muslim-Western Tensions Persist | Pew Global Attitudes Project

 

 

Men Are Buying Fashion Accessories After Slow Recession Sales – NYTimes.com

The male shopper, who pretty much was missing at the onset of the recession, is buying again. And to the delight of retailers, he is not just stocking up on suits and dress shirts, but also doing something women have been doing for years: binging on accessories.

Bracelets. Bags. Hats. Umbrellas.

Seriously, New York Times? Men have been paying bills, paying for their little girls’ outfits, paying for their kid’s college education. Paying mortgages, lighting, computer services/internet. I could list things ad nauseum. Why would you write something as frivolous as this?

I am sorry, but real men do not look like your inset:

 

via Men Are Buying Fashion Accessories After Slow Recession Sales – NYTimes.com.

Iran Raid Seen as Complex Task for Israeli Military – NYTimes.com

Should Israel decide to launch a strike on Iran, its pilots would have to fly more than 1,000 miles across unfriendly airspace, refuel in the air en route, fight off Iran’s air defenses, attack multiple underground sites simultaneously — and use at least 100 planes.

Good article but I am one of those who believe there will be no strike. No deal either but the Israelis are too alone in the world to do this. No more of an underdog status and certainly not even US friendly the way they used to be.

 

via Iran Raid Seen as Complex Task for Israeli Military – NYTimes.com.

The Boy Who Heard Too Much

It began, as it always did, with a phone call to 911. “Now listen here,” the caller demanded, his voice frantic. “I’ve got two people here held hostage, all right? Now, you know what happens to people that are held hostage? It’s not like on the movies or nothing, you understand that?”

“OK,” the 911 operator said.

“One of them here’s name is Danielle, and her father,” the caller continued. “And the reason why I’m doing this is because her father raped my sister.”

One of those must reads if you like fictionalized reality (and this is a true story). Unfortunately, I am one of those that don’t believe that a disability gives you a right to be an ass.

 

via The Boy Who Heard Too Much.