This post is mainly to say goodbye. The last week or so has been a bit stressful for me. My sister (whom I have a joint mortgage with, for our house) has apparently fallen into financial ruin. I've spent everyday of the last week going over her finances and realizing there is no way out. She is the most responsible person I know of when it comes to money. Unfortuneately between her credit card bills (which she only uses for emergency bills we didn't expect) and her deteriating health, there is no way she'll be able to pay all her bills... she needs to double her income to stay afloat. Even with my help that's not possible.
I'm not griping I'm just trying to explain to those who are interested why you won't hear from me for a while. I have to concentrate on my family (I live with her and 2 of my younger siblings).
I spend more time on this blog than I should or even have to. The problem I've found with the internet is that people think it replaces face-to-face conversation. It does not. We spend 30-40% of our time explaining what we meant to say as opposed to understanding the message. How many times have you posted something and then spent the rest of the thread trying to get others to understand what you were saying. The internet is an incomplete medium when compared to actually meeting someone and spending quality time with them. I'm not knocking the net, it has allowed people seperated by a globe to communicate with one another; but I spend 1-2 hours trying to come up with a post that will get across what I mean and not allowing it to be misinterpeted. It's not just because I lack the ability to express myself; or my lack of formal education. I watch Crazyman and Richard (two minds I respect) spend an inordinate amount of time trying to explain what they said 2 weeks ago instead of progressing the conversation to the next level.
I was raised and born by manipulative people. I have spent most of my life (since I was 15) trianing that out of me. I want to express honest opinions and recieve objective feedback. The problem I have with the internet is it is to easy to coach a post to get the response you desire. In order to police myself I spend an hour...minimum... typing my post, and rethinking it just to avoid coaching the response I want from you folks. Look to your most recent posts and you may find yourself guilty of such things. Not lying per-se, but gearing what you DO say to hear the response you wish. Using what you know those here will say about situations that do not pertain to most of them.
The worst part of it for me is that despite the time and precaution I take; I still find myself manipulating the conversation to suit my desired goal. Until you meet me and sit down for coffee with me face to face... possibly on multiple occasions; you will not know me. I feel wrong pretending you would. Too many things I've posted here, I believe in a general sense. Specific situations... once you know all the details can change how one views the case. Many of you seem to have a firm strong belief in their view of the world and how it works. Good for you, I wish I was so settled. I just feel uncomfortable with putting my thoughts in such a permanent form when I'm still determining my own moral outlook.
In the end I need to focus on what is going on with the people and family around me for now. I'll drop by and maybe take peek from time to time, but I need to focus on what is before me... thank you for the time we did have. Hopefully I'll be back at some point in the distant future.
Some of you have my e-mail address, so feel free to drop me a line if you want to talk to me specifically. Otherwise, good luck and good travels.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
heartfelt laughter
*sigh* I can't figure out how to embed the video. *rolls eyes*
Since 99.99% of you are on faster Internet connection than me downloading shouldn't be a problem. ;-)
I hope you find this as adorable as I did. Thank you Richard for a thoroughly delightful laugh, warmed my heart.
I remember when my kids were at that age. I know they would find absolutely the most astonishingly simple things amusing and would giggle themselves silly over it.
Oh- watch out for the comments underneath. A couple of the people are abominably cruel for no apparent reason other than to throw mud at the innocent. What is wrong with people like that? Anyone here have any insight at all as to why people behave that way? It is completely uncalled for.
Since 99.99% of you are on faster Internet connection than me downloading shouldn't be a problem. ;-)
I hope you find this as adorable as I did. Thank you Richard for a thoroughly delightful laugh, warmed my heart.
I remember when my kids were at that age. I know they would find absolutely the most astonishingly simple things amusing and would giggle themselves silly over it.
Oh- watch out for the comments underneath. A couple of the people are abominably cruel for no apparent reason other than to throw mud at the innocent. What is wrong with people like that? Anyone here have any insight at all as to why people behave that way? It is completely uncalled for.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
lessons from B5
A friend of mine recommended that I give the Babylong 5 tv series a try. Fortunately for me, the public library had the series readily available. Being the left to right sort of person that I am, I watched all 5 seasons in order. There were many times when a character would say something profound enough that I would reach for the pause button and capture the thought. Yes, I'm that much of a nerd, I actually take the time to capture good quotes. B5 was riddled with them and I would love to give the series a rewatch and capture more of them.
The relevant one for this week was said by the character Marcus, a ranger steeped in wisdom, knowledge, and skilled in battle.
I used to think that it was awful that life was so unfair.
Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair? And all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them?"
So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.
~Marcus, ranger, Babylon 5
At least when bad things happen in life, it is not because we are being punished for misdeeds. It is simply that sometimes.... poop happens and all you can do is find a shovel, step into your waders, and slog through it.
The relevant one for this week was said by the character Marcus, a ranger steeped in wisdom, knowledge, and skilled in battle.
I used to think that it was awful that life was so unfair.
Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair? And all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them?"
So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.
~Marcus, ranger, Babylon 5
At least when bad things happen in life, it is not because we are being punished for misdeeds. It is simply that sometimes.... poop happens and all you can do is find a shovel, step into your waders, and slog through it.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Johnny- guest blogger: Evolution
A new member of the Aussie Atheist Forum, Freediver, has jumped into the pool and dropped this little gem.
Freediver said..."Evolution is not a scientific theory!
Evolution should not be taught in high school science classes because it is not a scientific theory. It fails the requirement of falsifiability that is the litmus test for judging whether an investigation is scientific.
The modern scientific method is defined in terms of hypotheses, theories and laws. The difference between each is the level of acceptance in the scientific community. What they all have in common is that they must be falsifiable. This means that it must be possible to run an experiment that would prove the theory (or hypothesis or law) wrong, if it were not true."
Johnny replied...
It is naive to think that falsification is the only thing that makes science, science.
Falsificationism is not abused by antievolutionists invoking it as a rigid standard for rational discourse; rather, it is abused when they use it as a rigid standard for deciding what belongs to the realm of science. The demarcation between science and non-science is a very thorny issue that is not sufficiently addressed by falsificationism.
It is a naive view of falsification to expect that whenever we encounter data that are contrary to what is predicted by the hypothesis being tested, that we must discard the general concept behind that hypothesis. This is an exceedingly important point to understand because, while at face value it seems counterintuitive, it does not violate any rule of logic.
The structure of scientific epistemology acknowledges
1) General Concepts
2) Specific Models and
3) Observations.
EG...
1)General Concept= Darwinian evolution
2)Specific Model= Continuity of the fossil record and
3)Observation= (for falsification) Discontinuity of the fossil record.
When the predicted observation is not found, then one needs to examine either the Specific Model and/or the General Concept. Often one can reasonably make the equation fit simply by changing the specific model and retaining the general concept. Thus, the prediction of gradual evolution might be substituted with a prediction of punctuated evolution.
Science, therefore, often does not directly test the General Concepts. Rather, it often tests Specific Models and a number of Specific Models can support any General Concept. So, while the General Concept of Darwinian evolution may not be falsifiable, it also is not the direct object of scientific inquiry. The Specific Models of Darwinian evolution are what is tested by science and these are what need to be falsifiable.
Simply put Freediver, evolution as a concept is undeniable (unless you are wearing god goggles) and also unfalsifiable. It is the mechanism of evolution ie. the theory, that is what needs to be testable.
Look past your nose and you will see that there is lots of repeatable experimentation in the field of evolutionary biology here is a start for you.
Freediver said..."Evolution is not a scientific theory!
Evolution should not be taught in high school science classes because it is not a scientific theory. It fails the requirement of falsifiability that is the litmus test for judging whether an investigation is scientific.
The modern scientific method is defined in terms of hypotheses, theories and laws. The difference between each is the level of acceptance in the scientific community. What they all have in common is that they must be falsifiable. This means that it must be possible to run an experiment that would prove the theory (or hypothesis or law) wrong, if it were not true."
Johnny replied...
It is naive to think that falsification is the only thing that makes science, science.
Falsificationism is not abused by antievolutionists invoking it as a rigid standard for rational discourse; rather, it is abused when they use it as a rigid standard for deciding what belongs to the realm of science. The demarcation between science and non-science is a very thorny issue that is not sufficiently addressed by falsificationism.
It is a naive view of falsification to expect that whenever we encounter data that are contrary to what is predicted by the hypothesis being tested, that we must discard the general concept behind that hypothesis. This is an exceedingly important point to understand because, while at face value it seems counterintuitive, it does not violate any rule of logic.
The structure of scientific epistemology acknowledges
1) General Concepts
2) Specific Models and
3) Observations.
EG...
1)General Concept= Darwinian evolution
2)Specific Model= Continuity of the fossil record and
3)Observation= (for falsification) Discontinuity of the fossil record.
When the predicted observation is not found, then one needs to examine either the Specific Model and/or the General Concept. Often one can reasonably make the equation fit simply by changing the specific model and retaining the general concept. Thus, the prediction of gradual evolution might be substituted with a prediction of punctuated evolution.
Science, therefore, often does not directly test the General Concepts. Rather, it often tests Specific Models and a number of Specific Models can support any General Concept. So, while the General Concept of Darwinian evolution may not be falsifiable, it also is not the direct object of scientific inquiry. The Specific Models of Darwinian evolution are what is tested by science and these are what need to be falsifiable.
Simply put Freediver, evolution as a concept is undeniable (unless you are wearing god goggles) and also unfalsifiable. It is the mechanism of evolution ie. the theory, that is what needs to be testable.
Look past your nose and you will see that there is lots of repeatable experimentation in the field of evolutionary biology here is a start for you.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Hmmmmmm
Fiery opens with Mother Nature: the World's Biggest Polluter
T&A counters with Do Volcanoes Cause Global Warming?
Reg Golb's riposte Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific Consensus
and There Is NO Man-Made Global Warming
Richard enters the fray with 19,000 Scientists sign Global Warming Petition and Termite Farts
Saturday, November 3, 2007
happiness: theirs or mine
When you love someone, their happiness becomes like unto your own. The smile on their face becomes the one on your own.
Yet when does the delight in their happiness become a responsibility to maintain it? How does one fight the compulsion to keep another happy at the expense of your own happiness? How do you weigh the consequences of finding your own happiness when you know it will cause unhappiness to those that you love? When is it ok to choose your own happiness over someone else's?
Long have I caused my parents distress and perceived myself as a disappointment to them. They have not said so, in so many words, yet I know that the life I live and the choices I've made are not the ones they wanted me to make.
I find myself approaching a crossroad. A crossroad that has the potential to bring me great happiness and contentment the like of which I've never known but only dreamt of. Yet if I take that path, Mom will cry, Dad will be saddened, their happiness diminished. For that path will lead me far from my home, far from the place of my birth. And it will not be an easy path. It is fraught with challenges, obstacles, change.
I do not want to remain on the path I am on and die regretting the life I might have led had I but stepped onto the crossroads and taken a chance on a dream of my own.
The alternative is to continue on as I am now, knowing full well that when I have walked this path to completion I will look back with regret for what might have been, but could not be.
Yet what if I am wrong? What if the path at the crossroads leads to disappointment, disillusionment? Then again, what if it does not? Is it worth the risk, to take the chance? Are the consequences of reaching for happiness and not getting it irrevercible?
What is the alternative to maintaining the current path? If nothing changes...regret.
Yet when does the delight in their happiness become a responsibility to maintain it? How does one fight the compulsion to keep another happy at the expense of your own happiness? How do you weigh the consequences of finding your own happiness when you know it will cause unhappiness to those that you love? When is it ok to choose your own happiness over someone else's?
Long have I caused my parents distress and perceived myself as a disappointment to them. They have not said so, in so many words, yet I know that the life I live and the choices I've made are not the ones they wanted me to make.
I find myself approaching a crossroad. A crossroad that has the potential to bring me great happiness and contentment the like of which I've never known but only dreamt of. Yet if I take that path, Mom will cry, Dad will be saddened, their happiness diminished. For that path will lead me far from my home, far from the place of my birth. And it will not be an easy path. It is fraught with challenges, obstacles, change.
I do not want to remain on the path I am on and die regretting the life I might have led had I but stepped onto the crossroads and taken a chance on a dream of my own.
The alternative is to continue on as I am now, knowing full well that when I have walked this path to completion I will look back with regret for what might have been, but could not be.
Yet what if I am wrong? What if the path at the crossroads leads to disappointment, disillusionment? Then again, what if it does not? Is it worth the risk, to take the chance? Are the consequences of reaching for happiness and not getting it irrevercible?
What is the alternative to maintaining the current path? If nothing changes...regret.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
open forum 7
October was a month of extremes. It had some of the highest highs I have had in years, and some pretty darn low lows as well. Inspite of the rather grim present, the future looks bright, hope blooms on the horizon.
It has now become a tradition here on my blog that on the first of each month I put up an open forum.
There have been times when visiting other blogs that I wanted to ask the blog owner a question off topic, but never really knew where to put it. I didn't want to be just bust into an on-going comment-conversation.
So- This post is the opportunity for any of my readers to broach a subject, ask a personal question, bring up a topic, talk about whatever is on your mind...
It is after all an open forum, speak your piece!
It has now become a tradition here on my blog that on the first of each month I put up an open forum.
There have been times when visiting other blogs that I wanted to ask the blog owner a question off topic, but never really knew where to put it. I didn't want to be just bust into an on-going comment-conversation.
So- This post is the opportunity for any of my readers to broach a subject, ask a personal question, bring up a topic, talk about whatever is on your mind...
It is after all an open forum, speak your piece!
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