Yes, I’m still running for the US Congress and if you’ve noticed that this blog has not been updated as much as it once was, that is why.  It’s taking up a lot of my time, but I will still try to add fresh content to this site.

One thing that certainly needs to be mentioned is that the campaign still is very much in need of donations.   We’ve received a few very generous contributions, but it has proven to be an extremely expensive endeavor.   If you can chip in a few dollars or a few hundred, it will help a great deal.   I cannot take any donations from those outside the United States (unless you’re a US citizen living abroad.)   That is simply federal election law.  There has always been concern that foreign interests could influence US politics, so it is illegal to in any way fund a US campaign.

There is now also a campaign store, where bumper stickers, shirts and so on can be purchased.  Because a portion of these purchases goes to the campaign, they can also only be purchased by US citizens.   If there’s a lot of demand for them from outside the US, we’ll consider allowing foreign citizens to buy them at cost, thus avoiding that problem, but as it stands that’s not currently being offered.  Really, I don’t see much reason why someone outside the US would want the campaign gear, anyway.

There are some things that anyone can do to help out, including foreign nationals and those who might not have a lot of money.  Some of the things that can be done are listed here.

The campaign needs help getting the word out on social media.   We also are trying to get news submitted to various sites to get more attention.  It helps a lot when such submissions come from multiple parties.

One thing we really need is a Wikipedia entry for the candidacy.  It’s really better if that kind of thing is done by a third party, not associated officially with the campaign.  It makes the article more credible and avoids it looking like it’s been written entirely by the campaign for good PR.   If it has multiple authors and editors, that is even better.  I certainly don’t want to write it myself, because that makes it look like little more than a self-produced advertisement.

We also need residents of Connecticut and especially the Third District who can help out in some other ways.

I really hate to do this, and I realize that it’s a bit unprofessional to openly ask for help with editing a page that is not even officially up.  However, as readers here may know, I’m not the best speller in the world, although I may well be the worst.

I am about to launch a website for my bid for the US Congress.   However, I’m sure it has spelling errors in it and I can’t find them alone.   Paying for editing would be expensive and likely delay things even more.   That’s why I am asking to crowd source it from anyone kind enough to point them out.  I can be e-mailed or you can just point them out in the comments here.

The website (which is still not up as the main page) can be found at http://www.packard2012.org/test/

Once I am pretty sure there are no horribly embarrassing spelling errors I’ll move it to being the main page of the site.

I know that there are also parts of it that are lacking.   It does not have a full photo gallery yet, the donations service is still pending on having the account finalized.  The “policies” section needs a few additional ones added.  I’m aware of that and working to add them.  Right now what I need help with is spelling.

Thanks to anyone who will help out.

I am very very saddened to say that Christopher Hitchens has lost his battle with cancer.   He was 62 years old.   He was diagnosed more than a year ago, and while there was at least a slim hope of beating the cancer, we all have known for some time that this day was likely to be soon upon us.

Hitchens was an illuminating, if controversial force who contributed much to the world, especially in the areas of ethical and religious debate.   Despite his deteriorating health, he managed to continue his irreverent and pointed public commentary almost to the very end.

I first met Christopher Hitchens at Tam-5.  Sadly I never got a picture with him, but at least I shook his hand.  He was not able to make the next two Tam’s for various reasons and then he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which prevented him from attending many more conferences.

I’m sorry I did not get to know him better, though many of my close friends did.   We appreciate his contributions enormously and will miss him.

For those involved in skepticism, secularism and related areas, this is a sad day.

I realize I have been rather quiet about the run for the US Congress.  It turns out that it has taken a lot more time and effort just to do the basics and get things setup.  I just got the website hosting account setup a few days ago.  I hope to have the full website up soon, probably by the end of the week if things go according to plan.

In the meantime, I have a temporary page up that has little more than a logo, but just the same, if you’d like to bookmark it and admire the logo you can do so at:

packard2012.org

This blog post is to serve as the official public notice that I will be running in the race for the United States Congress for the 3rd District of the State of Connecticut.  It is my intent to run as a Republican and will be running in the primary.

At this point my campaign and committee has not yet been recognized as an official campaign by the Federal Election Commission or that of the State, but that is pending and should happen very shortly.  As I finalize the paperwork, I will need to find others who will be part of the campaign committee.  If you happen to live in the state of Connecticut and would like to be part of the committee, please contact me, but hurry because the committee may be finalized shortly.  After that, adding members will require amending the paperwork, and I can’t promise when that could happen.

The first tentative committee meeting will be held this coming Saturday.   It will be in the New Haven area, although the venue for the meeting has not yet been finalized.

In the next week, a website as well as social media pages on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter will come online.   The first campaign statements will also be released on the website.

The biggest thing I need right now are donations.   US citizens can donate up to $2500.

Please send a check or money order to:

Packard 2012
939 Dixwell Avenue – Unit 9
Hamden, CT 06437

Please make checks out to “Stephen Packard” and write “US Congress Campaign” in the memo field of the check.  In the near future I will be able to accept checks made out to the campaign, which should happen very shortly, once all the official paperwork for the committee has been completed and accepted by the appropriate agencies.  In the mean time, please make the checks out to me but use the memo field to indicate that it is for the congressional campaign.

I realize that most would prefer to make donations via credit card or some other means, and that will be coming shortly, but the first $5000 donated requires some specific documentation, and the easiest way to do this is to accept it in a paper form and copy the checks for submission as documentation of the donations.   Alternate means of donating are coming soon.

There is one other thing I need help with.   I need a motto.   Here are some ideas, but please feel free to add your own if you can think of one.

• Increase America’s Ability To Do Work
• Energize America
• Energize the Economy, Empower the People
• Reverse the Political Entropy
• Energy For a Bright Future
• Push it to the Limit, the Carnot Limit
• Energy Should Be Dense, Politicians Shouldn’t Be
• Energy is Wealth
• Over Time, Energy Is Power
• The Pro-Thermodynamics Candidate
• My Platform Is Thermodynamics
• The Energy To Work For You

And I need to figure out the logo.   Here are some ideas.

• The name with an orbiting ball (electron) or two, implying the Bohr model of the atom.
• A logo incorporating a lightning bolt
• A logo incorporating gears, possibly with some reference to American industry and fortitude
• A logo incorporating a light bulb

Even as the US Mars Science Laboratory was sent on its way to the red planet, another ambitious mars mission died in orbit this week.

The Russian Phobos-Grunt mission was to be the first sample-return mission to the mars system.   The probe was not intended to land on mars.  Instead, it would include a lander bound for the martian moon Phobos and an orbiter.   The lander would include a series of scientific experiments along with a soil-collection system, capable of recovering 200 grams of material for return to earth.   Taking soil from Phobos is a bit easier than from mars, since the moon has less gravity and thus lifting off for the return to earth would be much easier. While Phobos may not be mars, it would still be an amazing achievement to bring back material from the vicinity of mars and a step toward conducting sample return missions on other moons in the solar system and eventually on mars itself.

Although Russian-lead, the probe was an international effort.  It carried an independent mars orbiter, Yinghuo-1 from the Chinese Space Agency.  It was to be the first Chinese interplanetary spacecraft.   It also carried a privately-funded experiment by the Planetary Society, which was aimed at proving whether bacteria could survive the trip between planets.  The European Space Agency also contributed to the program and provided assistance in the telemetry and ground-segment of the mission.

The probe lifted off successfully on November 9 and entered “parking orbit” around the earth.  From there it was supposed to preform systems tests and then fire a rocket engine to send it out of earth orbit and onto mars.  Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the probe did not respond to commands.   Initially it sent back a series of weak signals which appeared to show it had entered safe mode, indicating some kind of systems failure or disrupting event.   Attempts by Russian controllers to send commands to the spacecraft failed to elicit a response and only a few weak signals were detected by ground receivers.

Additional efforts by Russian and European agencies to reestablish communications with the spacecraft have now officially ended.  Last week, ground stations in Australia did manage to pick up a weak signal from the spacecraft, but since then it has been completely silent.   It may be some sort of power systems problem which has resulted in the probe failing to obtain the necessary electricity to run systems from the solar panels, leaving it only the remaining energy in on board batteries.   Right now, it’s not certain what caused the mission to be lost.

The probe will likely return to earth some time in the next few months, as its orbit degrades.   Some concern has been expressed about the toxic hydrazine propellant onboard, but that’s unlikely to reach the ground.  In all likelihood, the tanks of the spacecraft will be breached up and the hydrazine burned up before it gets anywhere near the surface of earth.

The Soviet and now Russian space program has a long history of successful unmanned planetary probes, including some very impressive missions to Venus as well as lunar probes and missions to comets.  Yet it has suffered some extremely bad luck when it comes to mars.  Of the nineteen Russian missions to mars, dating back to 1960, not a single one has been entirely successful, with many exploding on launch or failing to successfully reach martian orbit.

There’s something a little ironic about the Soviet Union never being able to get to the red planet.

It’s no secret that I complain a lot about government policies.   Well, not long ago I was complaining about government policies (as I so often do) when my friend Hal Bidlack made a suggestion.  He thought that it was pretty easy to make these suggestions and complaints but that if I really cared and I really didn’t like the current candidates I should put up or shut up and actually run for office.   Well, it’s a bit hard to argue with that, especially because Hal himself ran for Congress.

I thought about it and the more I did the more I realized he had a point.  I’m not an experienced politician by any means and running might be a long shot, but the more I think about how I feel about the US and how it’s being run the more I realize I should at least make an effort to do something about it.  Worst case scenario is I can always say I tried.

So call me a fool, but at this point I’m seriously considering it.  In fact, I plan on making a formal decision by the end of the month.  Right now that makes me a “prospective candidate” or a “possible candidate.”

(more…)

I’d like to make something clear:  No posts or opinions expressed here are bought.   In fact, you can’t buy them because they’re not for sale.   I’m willing to post guest content from time to time, but only if I consider it to be something I can stand behind.  Furthermore, it’s always labeled as such and attributed to the proper creator.

That is why I am so downright offended by this e-mail:

Subject: Guest editorial on depletedcranium.com

Hi,

Could we purchase advertising on depletedcranium.com?

We could pay you $195 for a guest editorial about my client’s site (http://www.NAME OF A MEDICAL PRODUCT SITE.com/) and payment can be made by PayPal (or check delivered via FedEx US/Canada only).

I know time is valuable these days and I appreciate yours.

Sincerely,
NAME REMOVED
Marketing Assistant

Yep, that’s what I got. Of course, it had the actual name of the site and the name of the marketing assistant.

Obviously I did not actually accept this offer, but when I declined I was then responded to with another e-mail explaining that they understood that I was declining but then offering me $315 if I should happen to change my mind. Well, honestly, I could use $315, but not bad enough to take a blatant advertisement and pass it off as an editorial.

As for the site, it was not a blatantly quack-related site. It was basically a site about cosmetic surgery which would be used to find cosmetic surgeons in an area for those looking for cosmetic procedures. I suppose it could have been worked into this site and looked believable, perhaps by starting off by saying how some surgeons are quacks and then stating that people should go to this site for referrals to qualified ones.

However, if I did that, I’m not sure I could ever feel clean no matter how many showers I took.

So I must pose the question to any others who have blogs: Has anyone else ever gotten this kind of solicitation? Is this a common way of advertising?

Finally, I should add that while I’ve never actually published anything here for money and have no intention of it, I have to admit that it’s not impossible that I could be bought off – but it’s going to take a real real real lot of money.   So I’ll give this warning: if ever you see an article posted here that seems questionable and the next article posted is about my personal experiences in shopping for a private jet, moving to a private island or becoming a space tourist, you may assume that I have sold out

If you happen to live in the Northeastern United States and are involved in skepticism and science advocacy, you probably know the name Julia Galef.   In fact, even if you don’t live in the Northeastern United States and are involved in skepticism and science advocacy, you may know the name.

Julia is a writer, blogger, speaker and skeptic who has managed to become an important figure in public engagement in just a couple of years of involvement.   She’s been heavily involved in the establishment of the New York City Skeptics and contributed enormously to events like NECSS.   She also regularly hosts their podcast and has an excellent blog which she shares with her brother Jesse.

I’ve always liked Julia’s writing and addresses a lot.  She provides excellent intellectual analysis, but her style is light and entertaining, which is very important in making it accessible and maintaining broad appeal.  She has a great sense of humor which she manages to weave into her commentary very cleverly and subtly, making it all the more entertaining to read.

Julia is also exactly the kind of person who skepticism needs the most.   The stereotype of the skeptic is generally a rather stuck-up, old bitter white male, and Julia is none of those (well, except she is Caucasian, but none of the others.)  Rather, she’s the kind of engaging, youthful face of an ever expanding and inclusive movement.   Julia is also not prone to limiting things to the more traditional venues for skepticism.   Recently she wrote of her trip to Burningman, the kind of event one typically does not associate with skeptic types.

But unfortunately, this post is not simply about gushing over how great Julia is and how much everyone appreciates her seemingly limitless enthusiasm for empirical skepticism and science in popular culture.

I recently found out that Julia had been badly injured in a household accident.   She received some very serious burns after knocking over a pot of deep-frying oil, and has second and third degree burns over most of her legs.  Julia has been in the hospital for more than a week and is expected to be there for at least another week to ten days.  She stated that she will be “regrowing my skin and relearning to walk.”

(Note: I feel okay saying this because she has posted it on her public Facebook account and the topic has been discussed on forums and boards, so I’m pretty sure she’s not keeping it a secret.)

Like everyone else who heard this news, I was shocked and saddened that such a horrific accident had happened to such an admirable person.   In fact, I figured that my best wishes for her recovery deserved, at the very least, a blog post.

As for everyone else:

Since I know Julia is passionate about her contributions to skepticism, why don’t you go check out her blog and podcast.  Not only is the content great, but like any other author, I’m sure she loves having her stuff read.   Also, be sure to leave her some love in the comments, because she really needs it right now.

Keep on getting better, Julia, and if your moral starts to wane, remember how many of us appreciate what you do and are enthusiastically waiting to see you again, once you are fully recovered!

If you have been reading this blog for any period of time you have probably noticed that recently there have not been as many posts as normal.   There’s a reason for this:  I recently moved into a new place, and, as tends to be the case with moving, it’s turned out to be a bigger job than I thought.   First it was signing the lease and finalizing the documents.  Then it was moving stuff in.  Then came putting up blinds, hanging pictures and rolling out rugs.   After that I had to deal with the gas company, the cable company (who had to come twice because the junction box was in an area that required the building maintenance guy to access), and other service providers.   Then I had to go change my address at the DMV, the bank, the insurance company and everyone else who had my address on file.

Finally, I have recently been feeling like most of the work with moving was over and I could get back to posting as often as I normally do.

Now this…

Hurricane Irene is predicted to arrive in my area early Sunday, although tropical storm force winds and heavy wind may be here by tomorrow (Saturday).   All computer models and forecasts now predict a direct or near direct hit for my area (Southern Connecticut).   By the time it gets here it will likely be a strong category 1 or possibly a category 2 storm.  This will be the first hurricane to strike this area since Hurricane Bob in 1991.

I really do not expect anything catastrophic.   I’m reasonably near the coast, but well above sea level and there are no dikes or pump stations required to keep my area dry.   My building is well built of masonry and my family’s house is reasonably strong and sheltered.   Everything is insured and there’s nothing too fragile outdoors.

Still, it’s likely that there will be power outages and some roads may be impassable.   Internet is likely to be down (although I can get it by my wireless phone, as long as service is not interrupted).   The ground is fairly saturated so flooding is highly likely.  There’s always the chance that things could be worse than that.

Therefore, I’ll be spending the next day or so making various preparations for the possibility of extended power outages or other contingencies.

Thus, probably not so many posts for the next day and after that, we’ll see how things play out…