A Terminal System

America either has the best health care in the world or the worst of the developed nations. It is either a proud bastion of capitalism that our Kenyan president and his liberal elites are trying to destroy through socialism, or it is a greedy and broken den of thieves decimating the livelihoods of those Americans who are unfortunate enough to get sick. The Affordable Care Act (most often called by its quippy nickname, “Obamacare”) is being challenged in the Supreme Court. The court is expected give its ruling on the subject in the next few days, but there are many emotions involved in this touchy subject no matter the result.

I had a recent run-in with the health care system that left me on the fence, both challenging and reinforcing the various expectations I had about the status quo. One afternoon about a month ago, I noticed some mild but still unpleasant stomach cramps. I assumed I’d eaten something bad, or perhaps was just having a reaction to stress, so I ignored it and went about my day. But by midnight, I was in so much pain I couldn’t even stand up straight...

Read more at: http://theinclusive.net/article.php?id=751

Photography: "Seagull Afternoon"

Seagulls resting on pilings on a beautiful day by the ocean.  I love the way the sun illuminates the clouds.

Available for purchase: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/seagull-afternoon-casey-berger.html

Photography: "Lavender Sunshine"

Beautiful wildflowers in Malibu on a sunny California day.

Available for purchase on my site: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/lavender-sunshine-casey-berger.html

Dolphins and Aliens

If humans were sea creatures, dolphins, not dogs, would probably be man’s best friend. They are widely recognized as one of the most intelligent species on earth. They are playful, show signs of altruism to their own species and to others, and have even been known to use tools. They have fascinated biologists for years, but now they’ve caught the attention of an astrophysicist who believes they may be the key to a challenging puzzle in the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life.

As someone who is very interested in languages and linguistics, I have always wondered how we would cross that vast divide between human and alien. Alien life is likely to have little common ground with humans upon which to build a mutual understanding. On Earth, an obscure tribe with an unknown language has at least some tools with which to communicate with newcomers. There are hand gestures, shared areas of knowledge, and – most importantly – facial expressions, the ultimate universal language. Within the same species, there will always be commonalities – keys to communication built into our DNA.

But how could we possibly communicate with aliens – beings that might bear no passing resemblance to us, who may or may not have a gesturing ability that we would recognize, and whose appearance may be so foreign as to be indecipherable? Without common ground, how will we know if they are intelligent or even have a language to decode?

Read more at The Inclusive: http://theinclusive.net/article.php?id=713

Healthy Shrimp in Garlic White Wine Sauce

A lightened up version of a classic Italian recipe.  I made this for dinner yesterday and it hit the spot.  This recipe has 2/3 the calories and half the fat and saturated fat of the original dish, but it lacks nothing in flavor:

Photography: "Casa Battlò"

One of my favorite photos - taken in Casa Battlò, a house designed by Antoni Gaudí, in Barcelona.

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Photography: "View from La Alhambra"

A view from a window in La Alhambra, a beautiful palace in Granada, Spain.

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Photography: "Transit of Venus"

The Venus transit, taken with a Canon Rebel EOS T1i, with an ND400 filter and f/22 aperture.

Before the transit

First sighting of Venus!

The Transit of Venus

Today, we will have the opportunity to experience something that truly deserves the over-used phrase "once in a lifetime."  Venus will be passing directly between Earth and the sun and will be visible with the correct equipment.  The next time this particular phenomenon will occur will be in 2117 - 105 years in the future.  Even with all the advancements in modern medicine, it's unlikely that anyone will be around long enough to see this event twice.

Photography: "Dreamer"

Photograph of the "Free At Last" sculpture honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on Boston University's campus.

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