This blog will be mostly links. I tried to catch up on a couple days of New York Times this morning.

I also haven’t done my morning reading yet. I think I’m half way there to getting rested up mentally. I am looking forward to three more days away this week, visiting my brother, Mark, and his wife, Leigh.

I had a very good time there last week. Lots of good food, good conversation and booze. I was surprised that my blood pressure was low this morning. I took it at the grocery store last night and it was high. I didn’t take my blood pressure kit with me.

The facts that neither side wants to admit about gun control | The Fifth Column

I have been thinking a lot about this column. It does give one pause that the material to build a gun is readily available for about $20. But this article seems to contradict other understandings of how regulating guns DOES effect violence and crime. But I think the author is on to something by saying the gun discussion is missing the larger point.

My question is if our problem is a culture of violence, how in the world does one go about changing that? I don’t have a clear idea, but I am thinking about this a bit differently.

And then there’s this link from yesterday:

Gun Violence Archive

These people are trying to keep track of gun violence in the USA. There is no denying that we have more mass murders and gun incidents than is acceptable in a civilized society.

So whether there is a statistical connection between the presence of unregulated guns and crime is not swaying me away from the need for regulation and also keeping track of our society’s violence.

Rampage Killings Linger in Memory, but Toll of Gun Violence Is Constant – NYT

This article says that 60 people a day kill themselves in the USA with guns. It’s not clear where this data comes from. What a troubling statistic.

Gail Zappa, Keeper of Her Rock Star Husband’s Legacy, Dies at 70 – The New Yor

Frank Zappa died in 1993 and did not ever get up to speed with the whole copyright/fair use thing. After reading this obit, I suspect Gail Zappa has had a lot to do with the tight restrictions (and very expensive scores) on Frank’s music. I wonder if that will change. Probably not.

It’s All Benghazi – The New York Times

One of the reasons I read Krugman regularly is that he keeps the drumbeat of challenging misinformation.

Putin’s Imperial Adventure in Syria – The New York Times

Although a particularly eloquent online reader comment challenges the writer of this article (and may be correct in his criticism of an incomplete picture that omits Western Imperialism in the area), I still found the rehearsal of unfamiliar and familiar history helpful and enlightening.

We All Get ‘Free Stuff’ From the Government – The New York Times

One of the comments on this article challenges that we get “free stuff” if we pay taxes. I think the whole discussion misses the concept of citizenship and the social contract altogether.

Judge Picks Voting Map in Florida – The New York Times

Although keeping track of State laws can be like watching paint dry, it’s still very very important that our gerrymandering cease. Some slightly hopeful news form Florida.

Is Money Corrupting Research? – The New York Times

Yes.