Suicide, Libertarianism, and Religion -or- Why “No man is an island.”

FACT:
Las Vegas has the highest metropolitan suicide rate in the U.S.

“I’ll add that there’s one more feature here, of Las Vegas, which I think bears mentioning. And that is what I kinda’ think of as a sort of “frontier culture” mentality among residents, and I think, even among visitors.

“That Las Vegas is this sort of place of place of total license. You know… its the ‘Wild West,’ it’s an open frontier for all kinds of immorality and exploration of vice, and… the entire self-branding of Las Vegas as this place where that is not only tolerated, but actually sanctioned.

“You know, the “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” kind of mentality – produces, I think, a kind of… sort of libertarian ethos of ‘go it alone, do it yourself.’ And help seeking in this sort of framework is perhaps not accepted or valorized the way it is other parts of the country.

“These kind of cultural arguments are always very hard to make. They always sound deeply unscientific. But, in a lot ways, I think that’s exactly where a lot of the explanatory power comes from… is in this understanding the culture and values underlying people’s behavioral sense.”

- Matt Wray, sociologist, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, and co-author of a 2008 paper entitled “Leaving Las Vegas: Exposure to Las Vegas and Risk of Suicide” / excerpted from Freakonomics Radio, episode #92 “Gambling With Your Life,” released April 27, 2011

Of late, attention has been increasingly given to the suicide rate of veterans returning home from the horrors of war in the Middle East, specifically, from their numerous extended tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While in retrospect, many acknowledge that

Royal New Zealand Navy finds huge floating pumice field in Pacific; Monowai Seamount volcano thought to have erupted

This news item is certainly fascinating, and there’s another fascinating observation in the stories that follow the leading one by CNN.

I think they’re quite noticeable.

See if you notice them.

Observations follow at the conclusion.

—

‘Weirdest thing’ floats in South Pacific

By Todd Sperry, CNN
updated 10:36 PM EDT, Fri August 10, 2012

Officials reported the floating rock shelf to be 250 nautical miles long by 30 nautical miles wide.

(CNN) — Pumice, the lightweight stone used to smooth skin, is usually found in beauty salons, but on Thursday sailors from New Zealand‘s Royal Navy found nearly 10,000 square miles of the lava rock bobbing on the surface of the South Pacific Ocean.

By comparison, the state of Rhode Island comprises approximately 1,200 square miles.

Described by one sailor who witnessed it as

From Homeless to Harvard: North Carolina teen gets Ivy League full ride scholarship

To read of this story causes several emotions and thoughts to arise within me.

One, is of sorrow and pity.

Another, is of relief that the community pitched in to assist.

Another is of joy that she is on a trajectory for success.

Yet another is of frustration that these scenarios exist… and do so largely without others’ knowledge.

Even another is of a tinge of anger, for the injustice.

While another is of pride for her resolute attitude and dogged determination.

On the whole, however, it is a “happy ending” to an otherwise difficult, even horrifically tragic story. And it is precisely those kind of success stories we so love to hear. The stories of those whom have overcome adversity – to have excelled despite the most severe adversity, even affliction – is the type of success story, the proverbial Horatio Alger story, that we Americans and all people, love to hear.

—

From scrubbing floors to Ivy League: Homeless student to go to dream college

By Vivian Kuo, CNN

updated 9:14 AM EDT, Fri June 8, 2012

Lawndale, North Carolina (CNN) — It’s before sunrise, and the janitor at Burns High School has already been down the length of a hallway, cleaning and sweeping classrooms before the day begins.

This particular janitor is painstakingly methodical, even as she administers a mental quiz on an upcoming test. Her name is Dawn Loggins, a straight-A senior at the very school she cleans.

On this day, she maneuvers a long-handled push broom between rows of desks. She stops to pick up a hardened, chewed piece of gum. “This annoys me, because there’s a trash can right here,” she says.

The worst, she says, is snuff cans in urinals. “It’s just rude and pointless.”

With her long, straight dark blonde hair and black-rimmed glasses, Dawn looks a bit like Avril Lavigne. But her life is a far cry from that of a privileged pop star.

She was homeless at the start of the school year, abandoned by her drug-abusing parents. The teachers and others in town pitched in — donating clothes and providing medical and dental care. She got the janitorial job through a school workforce assistance program.

She’s grateful for the work. But it’s where she’s going next, beyond the walls of Burns, that excites her most. She applied to four colleges within North Carolina and one dream university. She’ll graduate soon before heading off, leaving her dust pan behind.

Dawn Loggins is working as a janitor to make ends meet.

For now, there’s

Paul Ryan calls Pentagon Generals liars

Wow.

Just, wow.

Ryan apologizes to nation’s top general for questioning Pentagon‘s truthfulness

By Alexander Bolton – 04/01/12 10:33 AM ET

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Sunday he has apologized to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey for claiming military leaders had not honestly stated their budget requirements.

Speaking at a recent policy forum, Ryan suggested the nation’s top generals had downplayed their funding needs to accommodate President Obama’s goal of reducing defense spending.

“We don’t think the generals are giving us their true advice. We don’t think generals believe that their budget is really the right budget,” Ryan said at the event last week.Dempsey swiftly pushed back against Ryan’s comment.

“There’s a difference between having someone say they don’t believe what you said versus … calling us, collectively, liars,” Dempsey said. ”My response is I stand by my testimony. This was very much a strategy-driven process to which we mapped the budget.”

Ryan backpedalled

Mitt & Wealthy Republicans out of touch with Average Americans?

Mitt?

Hello?

Mitt?

Earth to Mitt.

Come in, Mitt.

You’re out of touch, Mitt.

From George Romney To Mitt, A Shrinking Tax Rate

by Scott Horsley and Tamara Keith
- February 24, 2012Mitt Romney gave a major economic speech Friday, in which he stressed his plan to lower personal income taxes.

Romney’s own taxes became an issue last month, when he acknowledged paying a lower tax rate than many middle-class families.

iPhone Photography Tips & Tricks II

In the previous iPhone photography Tips & Tricks entry, I shared instructions and examples on how to use the iPhone‘s 5x zoom.

In this entry, you’ll see actual screenshots of the zoom adjustments, along with another useful built-in photography help.

Screenshot of the activated built-in Zoom feature on the iPhone. The photo's a bit fuzzy, because it's tough to get a screenshot quickly while maintaining a composition!

Recall that the iPhone’s zoom feature may be accessed two ways: 1.) by a

Donald Trump-hosted Republican “debate” now has TWO candidates

Face it Don.

You’re an idiot, and the American public knows it.

The very fact that the NewsMax “news” organization hosted it and made their whacko choice should speak volumes.

And even if the TrumpDump weren’t such a blithering idiotic, grandstanding nincompoop, the very fact that

BUSTED!! Colorado Pedophile Author Indicted in Florida for Amazon.com Book

Phillip Greaves, the man whom authored and sold a “how-to” book for pedophiles has been arrested in Colorado, and extradited to Florida to face charges.

Man who wrote ‘how-to’ for pedophiles arrested

By the CNN Wire Staff

December 20, 2010 3:42 p.m. EST

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/20/florida.obscenity.arrest/index.html?hpt=T1

(CNN) — The man behind a controversial book considered a “how-to” guide for pedophiles was arrested in Colorado, officials in Florida said Monday.

“You cannot engage or depict children in a harmful relationship,” said Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd as he described the Florida obscenity statute that officials used to charge Phillip Greaves with distribution of obscene material depicting minors engaged in harmful conduct.

The self-published author was arrested in Pueblo, Colorado, on a Florida felony warrant after

WikiLeaks: Insurance Company Internal Documents Show Problems

Dear Employees:

It has been brought to management’s attention that some individuals throughout the company have been

Amazon.com defends selling Pedophile “how to” Guide

*!*WARNING*!*

Sick news ahead!

In a sure-to-go-viral Internet-based campaign, recent revelations have uncovered evidence that online retail book selling giant Amazon.com is once again distributing a ‘how-to’ guide for pedophiles.

Amazon.com is defending their actions of distributing the Kindle electronic reader guide, and in an interview with Business Insider web magazine, responded by saying,