Thursday, January 31, 2002
Since I mentioned Sept. 11th, here's another opinion, this is a quote from Anne Graham Lotz (Yup, Billy's daughter)...
(Paraphrase)
"I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are; but for years we've been shaking our fist at God, telling him to get out of our schools, to get out of our government, to get out of our marketplaces, and to get out of our lives; and being the gentleman that he is, I believe that he has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us his blessing and his protection if we demand he leave us alone?"
Isn't that nice? Its our own fault that all those innocent people died, even the god fearing in the buildings and on the planes? But the surprising part about it really is how she doesn't assume free will. That's how most every Christian defends the question of how god can sit idlely by while unspeakable acts of evil are wrought upon the innocent thru out the globe. It's said that one of god's gifts is free will and we are masters of our own fate. We reap what we sow in biblical terms. Well that's just a wheelbarrow full of crap ain't it. Tommorrow, if I can find the bloody thing, I'm going to post Richard Dawkins take on what I think is the real reason this tragedy occured, religious fanatisicm. It's funny and poignant, stay tuned.
In the meantime, if you want to read the the whole gist of Anne Lotz's interview on the Early Show, press'er below ..
Anne Lotz Interview with Jane Clayson on CBS's Early Show Sept. 13, 2001
(Paraphrase)
"I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are; but for years we've been shaking our fist at God, telling him to get out of our schools, to get out of our government, to get out of our marketplaces, and to get out of our lives; and being the gentleman that he is, I believe that he has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us his blessing and his protection if we demand he leave us alone?"
Isn't that nice? Its our own fault that all those innocent people died, even the god fearing in the buildings and on the planes? But the surprising part about it really is how she doesn't assume free will. That's how most every Christian defends the question of how god can sit idlely by while unspeakable acts of evil are wrought upon the innocent thru out the globe. It's said that one of god's gifts is free will and we are masters of our own fate. We reap what we sow in biblical terms. Well that's just a wheelbarrow full of crap ain't it. Tommorrow, if I can find the bloody thing, I'm going to post Richard Dawkins take on what I think is the real reason this tragedy occured, religious fanatisicm. It's funny and poignant, stay tuned.
In the meantime, if you want to read the the whole gist of Anne Lotz's interview on the Early Show, press'er below ..
Anne Lotz Interview with Jane Clayson on CBS's Early Show Sept. 13, 2001
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
There seems to be alot of post Sept. 11th religious opining I've noted. A tragedy of this magnitude against civilians and the actual televising of such an event would be enough to even make the faithful question. In our local newspaper there's actually been some letters to the editor supporting atheism, unheard of not too long ago. I wonder how many "closet atheists" there are really? I know I've often been prevented from speaking of it amongst family and friends for fear of offending them or sometimes even of presenting yourself in a lesser light. To expand on that last point, how many politicians would admit to being a non-believer? I've never heard of such a thing as to do so could be political suicide. It's really so ingrained from birth in alot of familys that to get to an atheistic point of view is difficult. How many of you were told at a very young age that you'd better believe in god or be condemned to eternal damnation? Given those choices it's pretty easy isn't it. To try and discuss the issue is very difficult with believers as well. The whole god thing really can't be based on "reason", it only makes sense on pure "faith". How can one argue against faith?
Saturday, January 26, 2002
"... don't ya know there ain't no devil there's just God when he's drunk" Tom Waits
Over the past few years I've been a part of many many email discussions on god and religion in general. I didn't really stop to think about it much before that and I was probably on the fence more or less an agnostic. Combining those discussions with my later in life interest in Astronomy have jolted me into atheism I would say. I've read more about Science, more about religion, more about others thoughts and beliefs on the subject. So how did I come down on the other side of the fence? Well, it's a long story that'll be drawn out here but let's start with a visual aid. Have a look HERE . Have a boo at the little red galaxy down there, it's estimated to be over 9 billion years away. Just stop and contemplate that for a few minutes and our place in the universe as human beings.
I can't decribe it any better than Richard Feynman so I'm just gonna quote him verbatim instead: "It is a great adventure to contemplate the universe, to think of what it means without man - as it was for the great part of it's long history, as it is in the great majority of places. When this objective view is finally attained, and the mystery and majesty of matter are appreciated, to then turn the objective eye back on man viewed as matter, to see life as part of the universal mystery of greatest depth, is to sense an experience which is rarely described. It usually ends in laughter, delight in the futility of trying to understand. These scientific views end in awe and mystery, lost at the edge in uncertainty, but they appear to be so deep and so impressive that the theory that is all arranged simply as a stage for God to watch man's struggle for good and evil seems to be inadequate".
Richard Feynman was one of the 20th century's greatest physicists and greatest minds winning the Nobel prize in 1965. To learn more about Feynman I found a coupla decent sites.
Dalton's Interesting People
Feynman Online
Over the past few years I've been a part of many many email discussions on god and religion in general. I didn't really stop to think about it much before that and I was probably on the fence more or less an agnostic. Combining those discussions with my later in life interest in Astronomy have jolted me into atheism I would say. I've read more about Science, more about religion, more about others thoughts and beliefs on the subject. So how did I come down on the other side of the fence? Well, it's a long story that'll be drawn out here but let's start with a visual aid. Have a look HERE . Have a boo at the little red galaxy down there, it's estimated to be over 9 billion years away. Just stop and contemplate that for a few minutes and our place in the universe as human beings.
I can't decribe it any better than Richard Feynman so I'm just gonna quote him verbatim instead: "It is a great adventure to contemplate the universe, to think of what it means without man - as it was for the great part of it's long history, as it is in the great majority of places. When this objective view is finally attained, and the mystery and majesty of matter are appreciated, to then turn the objective eye back on man viewed as matter, to see life as part of the universal mystery of greatest depth, is to sense an experience which is rarely described. It usually ends in laughter, delight in the futility of trying to understand. These scientific views end in awe and mystery, lost at the edge in uncertainty, but they appear to be so deep and so impressive that the theory that is all arranged simply as a stage for God to watch man's struggle for good and evil seems to be inadequate".
Richard Feynman was one of the 20th century's greatest physicists and greatest minds winning the Nobel prize in 1965. To learn more about Feynman I found a coupla decent sites.
Dalton's Interesting People
Feynman Online
Opus TV Critic
I'll try not to go on and on about how Buffy is the best show on TV okay? But it's hard not too LOL. Anyway, the new year has been marred by reruns so far but there's a new ep this week. Also, if I've ever gotten you even mildly interested the SPACE channel here in Canada reruns the show weeknights at 8pm. Beginning this Monday, January 28th they will be starting all over again with Season 1.
I'm not one to watch awards shows much but I did hear some griping over the winners of some Golden Globes recently. I was aghast at reading that Charlie Sheen had won best comedic actor on tv. Egads, anyone ever watch Spin City and see how wooden he and Locklear are compared to the rest of the cast? I admit to not watching very many shows anymore due to the time contraints of family and whatever. I tape everything I want to watch and go from there. I know Frasier has grown a little long in the tooth but really ... we think that Kelsey Grammar is Frasier, we know that David Hyde Pierce is Niles, and we're sure in our minds that John Mahoney is Martin Crane. I think to convince an audience that they are the characters they portray is surely a sign of great acting.
I also want to get a plug in for Who's Line is it Anyway . I'm constantly amazed at the talent and intelligence it must take to do improv. Alot of people are on the Wayne Brady train as the most talented of the 3 regulars but really, they're all equally adept at different parts of the show and on any given episode you'll have to watch your bladder control.
Last but not least, here in Canada, The Man Show is on tonight at 9:30. That's Saturdays on the Comedy Network. I can pretty much guarantee that your wife or girlfriend is gonna hate the show ... but you'll nod knowingly my friends. There's some clips floating around the Internet featuring The Man Show Boy which are classic bits of comedy. Him trying to buy beer, him selling beer at a stand, and the kid trying to pick up girls in a park ... hilarious.
I'll try not to go on and on about how Buffy is the best show on TV okay? But it's hard not too LOL. Anyway, the new year has been marred by reruns so far but there's a new ep this week. Also, if I've ever gotten you even mildly interested the SPACE channel here in Canada reruns the show weeknights at 8pm. Beginning this Monday, January 28th they will be starting all over again with Season 1.
I'm not one to watch awards shows much but I did hear some griping over the winners of some Golden Globes recently. I was aghast at reading that Charlie Sheen had won best comedic actor on tv. Egads, anyone ever watch Spin City and see how wooden he and Locklear are compared to the rest of the cast? I admit to not watching very many shows anymore due to the time contraints of family and whatever. I tape everything I want to watch and go from there. I know Frasier has grown a little long in the tooth but really ... we think that Kelsey Grammar is Frasier, we know that David Hyde Pierce is Niles, and we're sure in our minds that John Mahoney is Martin Crane. I think to convince an audience that they are the characters they portray is surely a sign of great acting.
I also want to get a plug in for Who's Line is it Anyway . I'm constantly amazed at the talent and intelligence it must take to do improv. Alot of people are on the Wayne Brady train as the most talented of the 3 regulars but really, they're all equally adept at different parts of the show and on any given episode you'll have to watch your bladder control.
Last but not least, here in Canada, The Man Show is on tonight at 9:30. That's Saturdays on the Comedy Network. I can pretty much guarantee that your wife or girlfriend is gonna hate the show ... but you'll nod knowingly my friends. There's some clips floating around the Internet featuring The Man Show Boy which are classic bits of comedy. Him trying to buy beer, him selling beer at a stand, and the kid trying to pick up girls in a park ... hilarious.
Thursday, January 24, 2002
Anyone catch Enterprise this week and the Dear Doctor episode? It was pretty good and that's my take on the series so far, it's pretty good but no great episodes yet. But then it took the other incarnations of Star Trek awhile to get moving too and I'm not sure Voyager ever did unless you wanna argue that it immediately got better when Seven of Nine joined (and you'll get no argument from me LOL).
I digress, it featured Doctor Phlox in a diary episode. I find him to be the most interesting character so far although I'm sure there would be some votes for Tits'Po (we males are so easily brought into a show ehl. To nitpick some more though the idea has been rehashed how many times now? That's the only thing about each series is the sporadic similarity in stories. Who recalls the STNG episode where Data does the same thing where he's recording a message while we see him living the activities he's recording? The human characters are just never very interesting though are they? I'm not sure if that's on purpose or just the way we view the show? Maybe it's because they can write stories more easily with alien characters and how they interact with humans. Again, the similarities of Dear Doctor and the Data episode come to mind. Both episodes featured a part where they were struggling with what it means to be human. Oh, wait, some more nitpicking, you knew that the Prime Directive was gonna get a mention soon and I even predicted it in an email awhile back but that was like shooting fish in a barrel. But why would Archer say it's only a matter of time before they (Earth) tell him what he can and cannot do out there? Too obvious a reference...
I digress, it featured Doctor Phlox in a diary episode. I find him to be the most interesting character so far although I'm sure there would be some votes for Tits'Po (we males are so easily brought into a show ehl. To nitpick some more though the idea has been rehashed how many times now? That's the only thing about each series is the sporadic similarity in stories. Who recalls the STNG episode where Data does the same thing where he's recording a message while we see him living the activities he's recording? The human characters are just never very interesting though are they? I'm not sure if that's on purpose or just the way we view the show? Maybe it's because they can write stories more easily with alien characters and how they interact with humans. Again, the similarities of Dear Doctor and the Data episode come to mind. Both episodes featured a part where they were struggling with what it means to be human. Oh, wait, some more nitpicking, you knew that the Prime Directive was gonna get a mention soon and I even predicted it in an email awhile back but that was like shooting fish in a barrel. But why would Archer say it's only a matter of time before they (Earth) tell him what he can and cannot do out there? Too obvious a reference...
Wednesday, January 23, 2002
Well I did say I wanted to opine on religion but I'm not there yet. For those not party to my previous emails over the last few years on the subject then let me update you by saying I definitely come down on the side of atheism. I recently sent out a link to an article by Crispin Sartwell that was written for the LA Times and reprinted afterwards in dozens if not hundreds of newspapers across the country. It's an ode to the "Doubting Thomases" of the world. You can read the text of the article here. I just wanted to link that thing in for posterity.
Caught this clip on Everybody Loves Raymond where Ray is sucking up to his wife and she finally says, "Okay Ray, what do you want, sex or golf?" Made me laugh, just like at my house.
Sunday, January 20, 2002
So I'm gonna start withsome really controversial eh. My shower habits... okay not that controversial. Since moving and having 2 showers to choose from my darling normally has exclusive run of one shower while I take the other. This makes it more convenient to get moving in the morning and get to work time-wise. However, the caulking is coming apart from my tub and the tiles so I've taken to showering in t'other one this week. So what's my problem you may ask ... well, the hard part about showering in my wife's annointed area is actually getting into the shower without tripping over bottles. I know what you're think'in, I'm drinking in the shower again but no, these are bottles of whatever ya like of the shower variety, shampoo's, foam, etc.. I last counted 6 bottles, a loufa (that right?), a glove used as a defoliant is it?, and 2 old razors that any self-respecting man wouldn't use to shave the fuzz off a peach. Last I checked they didn't call'em "Keepsake" razors did they? And 6 bottles? I've brought my one bottle into the mix and I know what it is but I've got to be careful as I may accidently wash my hair in some peach scented body wash and head off to work. Not that I mind being peachy scented it's just, well, you know, the looks you get from your decidingly male boss. And about that defoliant glove ... guys, not a good idea ... I won't say anymore than that.
Saturday, January 19, 2002
Okay, so there's gotta be a first post right? It's all gotta start somewhere I figure. So here's the thing ... this is gonna be the place for me to rant, rave, complain, well, you know the drill well by now if you've been party to my endless emails on gov't, science, entertainment, religion, insert topic here, etc ...
Anyone can comment by clicking on the luvly comment line below each post. It'll bring up a comments window where you can rant, rave, complain, oh you know what.
The art of "bloggin" is of course, a very common internet fad these days and the whole thing, while perhaps therapeutic, is at best an exercise in self importance. But hey, that's right up my alley eh :o)
Anyone can comment by clicking on the luvly comment line below each post. It'll bring up a comments window where you can rant, rave, complain, oh you know what.
The art of "bloggin" is of course, a very common internet fad these days and the whole thing, while perhaps therapeutic, is at best an exercise in self importance. But hey, that's right up my alley eh :o)
