User:Peter Chastain
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This user page is a stub. I will turn it into something better later. For now, let me just say that I became a Wikipedia editor on 7 October 2006. My interests include, but are not limited to, the life sciences, the Spanish language, and Judaism. I enjoy nitpicking text to improve its grammar, structure, and clarity, so most of my editing activity on Wikipedia will probably involve cleaning up, rather than creating original content. On weekends I like to go hiking and camping, usually with a local LGBT activity section of the Sierra Club.
In 1964, I took the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey and Strong Interest Inventory. One of those tests (I have forgotten which) asked questions about what I would rather do (e.g., watch an execution or collect stamps) and compared my answers with those of people who were happily employed in various occupations. The results indicated that I had the most in common with librarians. At the time, I was taking pre-engineering classes at a junior college. After some detours to bible college and back, I got a BSEE degree from UC Davis. Then I got interested in psychology and went for a MA in psychology from San Jose State, before finally settling into computer programming. However, a favorite activity, on or off the job, has been to point people to where they can find answers to their questions. I love being a reference librarian, though I have never been employed as such. It seems to me that helping people find answers is what Wikipedia is all about. I also enjoy recommending books and have written a few Amazon book reviews.
I am a registered Democrat and an ACLU member and tend to be somewhat liberal, especially in areas of environmental conservation, public health, education, and personal liberties. I was once an evangelical Christian, at a time when my Christian friends were not very involved in politics, because they thought the Rapture would occur so soon that political involvement was irrelevant, but now I find myself opposing them on many issues. I am a proud member of the Service Employees International Union, Local 715, but I resent its high-pressure advocacy of political candidates, not all of whom I support. In my opinion, the most urgent problem of our time is environmental degradation and our race toward possibly irreversable damage to the earth, which could render all other problems moot.
My e-mail address is chastain@sbcglobal.net.
