Life Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

Donald Sterling – Banned for Life

From ESPN:

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling also was fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments.

“I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him,” Silver said.

The rebuke, which came three days after the scandal broke, is the harshest penalty ever issued by the league and one of the stiffest punishments ever given to an owner in professional sports.

I think that this was the right thing to do. It didn’t happen as fast as I would have wanted, but it happened. It is a clear statement that the NBA will not tolerate this kind of behavior. To me this appears to be a victory for a new and better tomorrow.

By ecthompsonmd|2014-05-01T07:03:04-04:00April 29th, 2014|Sports|Comments Off

Rodney King dead at age 47

Rodney King is dead at age 47. I would like to tell you that Rodney King lived a full life, but I would be lying. I would like to tell you that Rodney King was a unique individual. He might have been, but I don’t know. Unfortunately, I think that Rodney King is a symbol of the hopelessness that many inner-city minorities feel. In spite of his “celebrity,” Rodney King really couldn’t turn that into anything that resembled a meaningful job or money. He was under-educated. He had problems with substance abuse. He was married twice and had three daughters. Rodney King will be forever associated with the LA Riots. I’m sorry, but I find his life to be very sad.

By ecthompsonmd|2012-06-20T01:16:09-04:00June 19th, 2012|Domestic Issues, Poverty, Race|3 Comments

Organic Chemistry Takes Place In The Void Of Space

The excellent New Scientist Magazine reports that organic chemistry takes places on asteroids that are flying around in space.

(Above–The asteroid known as 951 Gaspra. Here are some facts about asteroids.)

From New Scientist—

“For the first time, rocks from an asteroid have been shown to power the synthesis of life’s essential chemicals. The asteroid in question fell to Earth on 28 September 1969, landing on the outskirts of the village of Murchison in Victoria, Australia. Tests showed it was laced with amino acids and some of the chemicals found in our genetic material. The discovery suggested that space was not the chemically sterile place it was once thought to be, and that organic chemistry was widespread. It hinted that the molecules life needed to get started could have been produced in space, before dropping to Earth.”

I find this discovery encouraging. Positive–even “creative”— things can happen in an environment as hostile as outer space.

I don’t know about you, but I often feel I must be on the moon or in another galaxy, because surely the crazy and mean-spirited behavior I witness and read about each day cannot be of this Earth.

I’m glad that even in what might seem to be a void, hopeful things can happen.

So when you feel you are in a void of decency because of some barbaric public policy idea, or in an intellectual void because everything you are hearing makes so little sense, just think of all those asteroids flying around brewing up various chemicals and amino acids.

It is almost always possible to make some kind of progress.

By admin|2011-05-24T23:22:08-04:00May 24th, 2011|NASA, Science|Comments Off