Looks like they capped it!

Well, it would be wrong of me to not mention a success - no matter how long awaited - in dealing with the oil spill. But, as you can see, a temporary measure to stop the oil from spewing out of the ocean floor into the Gulf of Mexico seems to have actually worked. Good!

Recording my music

I've been trying for the past month or so to record my music and sell it online. Earl Brackett (whom in a previous life was known to me as "Chip") turned me on to the site www.broadjam.com. Here composers, performers, and arrangers - all independent - post their music for review by fellow Broadjam members and sometimes place their music for sale. There are also opportunities to submit individual tracks for placement in television shows, movies, video games, in-flight DVDs, you name it. So, I got a Broadjam membership.

I've recorded three pieces so far, and posted them on my page. Two of them I have entered into licensing contests. It typically costs about $15.00 to enter a piece into a contest, so I have only done this twice. I got good reviews for my music. It remains to be seen if mine will be selected out of the thousands that must be entered into these contests.

I have listed all three of my selections for sale. It costs 99 cents to download, and I get 80 cents per sale. I will see that money quarterly, assuming that I make at least $20.00 in sales and I request it once a quarter. So far, one person has downloaded my music.

One of the pieces is "For the Gulf", a unique piece for hammered dulcimer with lots of 9th and 11th chords, which I dedicated to the Gulf of Mexico. It's a tranquil piece, which explores the beauty of the Gulf, from the waves that play on top of the water to its majestic depths. It's not about the current polluting of the Gulf waters, but a tribute to its beauty. It's gotten good reviews.

You can find my music at www.broadjam.com/lmkirwan. Enjoy, and please take the music with you if you like!

Here's a news item about the first attempted 24 hour flight of a solar powered plane, taking place as of this writing:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100707/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_switzerland_solar_adventure

Critical thought or emotional manipulation?

There is in our current culture a lack of knowledge on how to reflect critically, or even how to think critically, which has had a deleterious effect on our society, especially politically. In a talk given at the Music Personnel Conference 45 of the Association of Music Personnel in Public Radio, Lorna Ozman revealed how emotional appeals are more successful than intellectual appeals in persuading people, and are being used more often in everything from public radio fundraisers to political speeches. Short term memory resides in the left side of the brain, where logic takes place. Long term memory resides in the right side of the brain, where emotions are. If someone wants to say something that is memorable, they should appeal to the emotions of the listeners. Messages nowadays are less about facts and figures and more about the emotional reasons to take action.

Also, attention spans are shrinking. Sound bites have shrunk from 45 seconds in 1968 to 8 seconds today, according to Ozman. This is distressing. We are forgetting how to think critically, and instead are being emotionally manipulated by members the media, and are reacting emotionally when it comes time to make our most important decisions - what to buy, who to buy from, what policies to support, who to vote for.

Ever wonder why so many of us bought SUVs in the 90s? These were gas guzzling behemoths; it wasn't a smart buy, and with the average American family not exceeding 5 people, it wasn't a necessary buy. But advertisements for these vehicles appealed to our emotions. A bride ignores worried phone messages from her mother as she drives through the backwoods to the voice of the announcer saying, "Get away from it all in our new Isuzu Rodeo SUV." "It's never too late to have a happy childhood," says the announcer as a child in a mud puddle grows up to run his V6 Isuzu Rodeo through the mud. Neato! I'll buy one. Forget environmental concerns and my wallet. I want a Fun-mobile with a powerful engine. And when the price of a tank of gas rose to $3.00, you couldn't give those things away.

It's our own fault that they take this approach. We failed to watch news programs that were informative and challenging, and instead tuned into fluff and entertainment. In the end, the advertisers and the politicians gave us what they knew we wanted. We need to teach ourselves how to reflect critically, and then, by engaging in critical reflection, make it a part of our society again.

Case In Point: Unemployed Need Not Apply

Follow this link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Outofwork-job-applicants-told-cnnm-3498252371.html?x=0. It is exactly the opposite of the Social Justice teachings that I posted before.

Seven Major Themes of Catholic Social Teaching

(This is particularly for my Catholic friends who might find this surprising!):

1) Life and Dignity of the Human Person - human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.

2) Family, Community, and the Common Good - Being social beings, the ways in which we organize ourselves - economically politically, etc - affects not only isolated individuals but all of those in the network of human life. Participation in society is both a right and a duty. Seek the common good, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

3) Rights and Responsibilities - Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Therefore, certain duties and responsibilities are held collectively by the community, and should promote human dignity and flourishing.

4) Option for the Poor and Vulnerable - here things might get surprising! We are to put, as a society, the needs of the poor and vulnerable first (Mt 25:31-46). How many of us put ourselves first, saying that people are poor because they deserve it, and therefore I shouldn't have to bail them out?

5) Solidarity - All human beings are linked in a web of life that is more fundamental than national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are to pursue justice and peace based on our essential similarity as beings created in the Image of God.

6) Work and Participation - all people have the right to participate in the economic, political and cultural life of society. Human dignity requires that all people be assured a minimal level of participation in society. When we work, we don't just work; it is a form of continuing participate in God's creation. The dignity of such work requires that a person has a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization of joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

7) Care for God's Creation - we do not really own God's creation; we are stewards of it. The goods of the Earth are intended for the benefit of all.

Congressman Assaults Student on Washington Sidewalk