Existential Ennui

~ Searching for Meaning Amid the Chaos

Existential Ennui

Category Archives: Paleontology

From Whence Came We?

12 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by Sherry in Astronomy, Evolution, fundamentalism, God, Human Biology, Inspirational, Non-Believers, Paleontology, Philosophy

≈ 4 Comments

titles-in-evolutionary-biology-L-5dgnEbFrom an early age, I wondered about where I came from. Perhaps it is why fairy tales failed to trigger my imagination, for I took such things literally and soon discovered that they didn’t live up to logical expectations.

Take Santa Claus. I loved Christmas more than any holiday as a child, and of course I believed in Santa as all young children do who are raised in the Christmas culture. I was not plagued by older siblings who told me it was phooey, or well-meaning adults who “slipped” and brought that belief to a screeching halt.

No, I figured it out all alone, one pre-Christmas night as I lay in bed, trying to will Christmas morning a more hurried arrival. Ignore all that problem of reindeer and flying, and just how much any sleigh could carry, the time just made no sense. Even with a full 24-hours across the globe, Santa would have to travel faster than fast to visit all us boys and girls. I started with just my own “neighborhood” of about one square mile. Why it would take at least an hour, but even it only took 15 minutes to visit a few hundred homes, why there was the city, and then the state, and then all the states, and then ALL of Canada, and then Europe, and even those awful Ruskies had children, and that was a BIG country too.

Well, that is one story, but eventually that grew to all the other questions that needed answering about how the earth came to be, and how the moon came to be, and how humans came to be. I systematically investigated all these things from childhood to adulthood, getting more and more sophisticated answers surely. I became a student of sorts of astronomy and later cosmology, and paleontology. I read books about these subjects for fun, marveling at great mysteries.

I became of course no authority, and understood only up to a point, for sooner or later much of this turns into mathematical equations far beyond my learning. But I got the scientific answers for the most part. As I matured, and developed some sense of a spiritual life, God entered the equation as well, and over the years I discerned that these are really two questions. One demands reproducible proof; the another a philosophical elegance of argument.

Of course the argument rages on, with fundamentalists entering where they do not belong, and atheists peppering them with irrefutable logic at most turns. Both are wrong, because as I said, one does not really relate to the other except when one (the fundamentalists) demands that the Bible be used as a scientific text, and the other (the atheist) insists that all believers are fundamentalists.

Science, in the area of cosmology does posit that there may be unknowables, forever unknowable. Brain scientists question the ability of the brain to know itself in all it’s complexity. There may be limits therefore to human knowledge. If there are, then God has the place of “unmoved mover” as Aristotle suggested.

Fundamentalists fundamentally don’t understand or don’t choose to understand things like the 2nd law of thermodynamics for instance. Sooner or later, in an attempt to sound scientific, a fundamentalist while draw herself up and point out that Darwin’s evolutionary theory violates it. Now, if pressed, she would not have a clue as to why, but she read it somewhere in one of her “how to stump your evolutionary friends” and prove Darwin wrong. Of course it does not, because entropy only works in closed systems. The earth is not a closed system because it is being bombarded continuously with solar radiation (energy).

This is only their second best argument, for their first is always, “if we evolved from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?” Well, my fine airhead, it’s because we didn’t evolve from monkeys, and nobody ever said we did, except another uninformed fundamentalist. First, we are related to apes, not monkeys (and there is a rather big difference), and second we are not evolved from them, but actually share way way back, a common ancestor. We both branched off in different directions (picture the fork in the road), one leading to life in the savannah and mountains, another covering the earth and developing bigger and more complex brains.

Why do I rehash all this?

Why because there has been a significant breakthrough as of late. And it’s worth your time to learn about it. The results are far from in, and it may not prove to be what the author thinks it may be. But it has the scientific world of evolutionary biology and probably physics as well in a tizzy as other research facilities begin the wonderful process of devising experiments to test out the new hypothesis.

As people like myself, and hopefully you as well know, evolutionary theory does not purport to explain “how life began” a common mis-argument of the fundamentalist sort. Such a thing is called abiogenesis. Evolutionary theory has to do with how species change over time due to natural selection. However, a rather smart guy has offered an explanation of “how life began” in a sense, and it involves that 2nd law we talked about earlier.

He posits, by way of mathematical equations, that replication of cells may be a response to infusions of energy (the sun) into the primordial soup. In other words, life arises as a methodological answer  to the desire to “even” out or reduce the heat of the energy. Because the 2nd law suggests that energy dissipates across the spectrum of the system seeking equanimity, replication of cells actually fosters that law England claims.

If this is true, then it is the underlying foundation of Darwin’s theory, and of course it means that life is what is to be expected in the universe, and not at all a rarity.

Of course, not everyone agrees that Jeremy England is right.

That is what science is all about. There is and will be, as I said, plenty of testing and experimentation to determine whether his hypothesis is correct. But it’s exciting news to anyone who, like I, is always wondering and asking “how and why”.

*Do read the article. It’s not that long.

primordial-soup_02

 

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Items to Make You Queen of the Watercooler Next Week

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by Sherry in Astronomy, Brain Vacuuming, Congress, Crap I Learned, Dinosaurs, Essays, Evolution, GOP, Health care, Human Biology, Paleontology, Philosophy, Physics, teabaggers, War/Military, Zoology

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

brain, dinosaurs, education, evolution, GOP, humans, life, meaning, philosophers, physics, quantum mechanics, teabaggers, War, what you should read, words

large_overworkedSee that’s me. I mean, imagine a woman instead of a man, and that’s me. I’m spend hours reading just so that you don’t have to. I mean you can if you want to of course. God forbid that fine education goes to waste, but I have burned up the Intertubes in an effort to find all the news that you missed.

And I read it all. And some of it was crap upon further inspection, and so I ditched it. And the rest, well you gotta know this stuff. Especially if you want all your friends and aunt Tilde to think you are just a real smart ass. (meant in the kindest way of course)

So, let’s get to it, in no particular order.

Paul Krugman has a fine op-ed in the NYTimes detailing the crazy party, AKA, the GOP. What he says is very true. The GOP argument for deliberately toying with the very health of our economy goes something like this: I have put a gun to your head and demanded your money or your life. If you refuse to give me your money, it’s your fault that you’re dead. I gave you the option to live after all!

On the other hand, this may all go to prove that one can actually get admitted to Harvard and get through it with flying colors and still be utterly and profoundly stupid. Ted Cruz may be set to be one of the most spectacular blazing super nova that sputtered out in record time in the history of horses asses, err, super novae.

¶

If it is true that humans have an individualized predisposition to violence, is it equally true that humans in community have a predisposition to violence in the form of war? It seems many assume this to be true. But evolutionary biologist, David P. Barash argues that this may in fact not be true. The latter may be only a capacity rather than an adaptation. Want to learn more? If you don’t think it matters, think again. We base our defense systems on assumptions of what other groups are likely to do. If we assume all people are driven to war to achieve ends, we build a different defense system than if we do not. And we’ve sure got the tax bills to reflect that.

¶

I know that most of you are just thrilled every time you get a chance to read about quantum mechanics, I mean what self-respecting grease monkey or grocery check out lady  isn’t obsessed with the working of the universe at the extra-tiny scale? Ever heard of an aplituhedron? I bet not. It all means that all the complicated mathematical twists and turns are eliminated as well as the super computer to do the computations. Now little Bobby can explain the most complicated sub-particle interaction with nothing more than a pencil and paper again!

If you are going, uhh, okay so what? Well, you all know that physicists have been since the beginning of time, trying to join the big universe with the small universe (macro and micro forces?) and it has just never fit well, and well, the don’t call it the elegant universe for nothing. Everybody who knows this stuff figured the answer would eventually be simple. This might be it. I’m not a physicist as you might have guessed by now.

I mean this is simply delicious early fall reading. Get to it.  🙂

¶

Now I know you will love this one. There is a new book out there that you probably will want to get. I can imagine about half a dozen of you will be on Amazon in moments. It’s called Holy Shit: A Brief History of Swearing, by Melissa Mohr. Colin Burrows review of the book is worth the reading. Now read it your grouthead gnat snapper!

Steven Pinker from Harvard has written a book that details how we are becoming less violent as societies over time. He also argues that the world would be better led by science than by the humanities. Some beg to differ. A great essay from The Berlin Review of Books, and Gloria Origgi, A Reply to Steven Picker’s Scientific Manifesto.

¶

overworked4111Love words? Lots of words? Okay.

The American Scholar has a fun essay called Is There a Word for That? Words are being made up all the time, but you knew that. Want to know who created some words we now take for granted? Who is responsible for katydid? Or neologize ? Or Anglophobia? Blurb? Gerrymander? Bromide? Oh I bet I got your attention now.

Similarly, if you have ever remembered the quote but not the quoter, and the more you looked the harder it got? Who Really Sad That? You would be surprised at how often we get the attribution wrong. Amaze your friends by correcting their quotes!

“Whoever is not a socialist when he is 20 has no heart; whoever is not a conservative when he is 30 has no brain.” Usually attributed to Churchill. Actually? Nobody knows.

Enter the fine world of WAS–Wrongly Attributed Statements.

¶

I betcha thought that the human mind created the gear, that round thingie that has “teeth” and meshes with other objects similarly constructed? That together makes things turn and other things go up and down and maybe side to side? You would be wrong. Scientists have found a gear in nature for the very first time. And YOU are some of the first non-specialists to know that, so don’t you feel so very proud?

A cute little guy called a planthopper (he has a very important scientific name you need not memorize) has a couple of gears in his back legs that mesh together and then when he calls on them to, spin backward sending him off on a leap across the earth that looks pretty fun. I’m sure it made sense to him too in terms of escaping predators or getting up as high as he wanted to feed. It’s called evolution folks. There is a little embedded video so you can watch him go!

¶

Must a life be meaningful in order to be happy? Do we prefer meaningfulness over happiness if we can’t have both? They are not the same by the way. Happiness in part is getting what you want or need in life. Meaningfulness can have zero to do with this. Similarly happy people report that health is essential, yet health has nothing to do with meaningful lives. Happiness is apparent in the now, while meaningfulness tends to be a future assessment. This is a long article but one that raises lots of questions to think about. Well worth your time.

¶

Nautilus brings us the ever-beloved essay on dinosaurs. The discovery and explanation of our bird predecessors have had a varied history as scientists working from small numbers of bones, continually revised their thinking of these creatures over time. As is usual, it is the unsung tiny dinosaurs that have done the most to correct our understanding over time of what these cuties looked like and how they lived. For the kid in all of us, this article will satisfy. I still wish there had been Brontosaurus, they were so neat!

¶

With the advent of all the cute devices we have now from phones to tablets to readers to computers, all with calendars and reminders of one sort or another, there is less and less reason to have to memorize things. Nobody has to write down a phone number or address. The call is registered, switch it to contacts and it’s saved forever. Enter an address in your Google maps app, and you don’t need to record that address again. And maybe, just maybe that’s a good thing. Memorization may be a much over-rated thing. Curious? Read on.

¶

How many late night gab fests have lingered long into the night over the ever-present question– Why was Spinoza excommunicated anyway? I mean this guy was ostracized with a big O, like in members of the congregation being order to be no closer that four cubits to the man. That’s some serious excommunication! Worse, payment of a fine served to dissolve most bans. Spinoza’s was life long. Spinoza himself never spoke of the harem, most of his works and fame came long after it. What is as interesting as why is by whom: Jews who had escaped forced Catholicism in Spain and Portugal and once free in Amsterdam, practiced a form of Judaism that was anything but normative. All in all, quite fascinating.

Happy reading everyone, and to all a good day!

books

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And What of Humans?

07 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by Sherry in An Island in the Storm, Essays, Evolution, Human Biology, Paleontology, Psychology, science, Sociology, Zoology

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

apes, evolution, humanity, paleontology, science, Zoology

We watched a repeat of a PBS show last night entitled Ape Genius. And I got to thinking, as I usually do, about what it is that makes us human.

Those who are against allowing access to abortion to those that choose it, always claim that it is axiomatic that “life begins at conception.” And in a sense I suppose they are right. When sperm enters egg, the process that will potentially result in a human being undoubtedly begins.

But is that human life? The Court has of course decided in Roe v Wade that a different definition should be used: viability outside the womb–when a fetus can exist on its own–breathe basically–then we have a legal human being.

In our early exploration of human origins, paleontologists came to the conclusion that what separated humans from animals was the making and using of tools. One human ancestor was even named as such–Homo Habilis–handy man. Today we know that other animals make and use tools, and so we can no longer define ourselves by that grouping.

Today we know that chimps make tools, they fashion “fishing poles” to gain termites, and they also fashion spears made from long narrow branches which they sharpen at one end and poke into tree hollows where their favorite food, Bush Babies, nest during the day. If the spear comes out bloody, they rip the tree open and get their meal.

One might conclude that humans can learn new skills and this is what makes them special. But most chimps can be shown a process involving several steps, and quickly follow suit. They can also figure out how to enlist the help of others, even humans to help them get a treat. They will co-operate in securing a food which neither can get alone.

Chimps are social beings, they play, they physically interact beyond that required for child rearing and sexual activity. They, like some other mammals grieve the loss of members of their group.

One bonobo chimp has a vocabulary of over three thousand words. You can direct her to locate, within sight or out of sight, various objects and place them in other places. Chimps can learn numbers and can “count”, and even come to learn the sequential aspect of counting.

One of the most fascinating tests I saw was where a box was presented and the “teacher” went through a number of steps, the last of which was to poke a stick into a hole and fish out a treat. Children and chimps did equally well in following the steps. Then the box was replaced by the same kind of box except that it was transparent. The teacher went through the same sequence of steps again.

But now things changed. The chimps realized that most of the steps had zero to do with the getting of the treat. They quickly abandoned all the steps except the last one. The children, however, even though they could clearly see that most of the steps were just “hocus pocus” and had nothing to do with getting to the treat, continued to do as they had been shown.

Were the chimps smarter?

It might seem so, but in fact, it showed the difference between chimp and human. Chimps don’t see themselves as teachers of new skills, nor do they see others as teachers. They merely mimic behaviors that lead to an end they wish. When they can see that parts of that mimicry are unnecessary, the stop wasting the time doing it.

Humans, on the other hand, recognize themselves as students, and they recognize adults as teachers. They do as instructed because they perceive their lesser position and the deference due the adult teacher. They in essence perceive that there may be reasons they don’t yet perceive, for doing what seem unnecessary steps.

Similarly, an ape may “learn” words and be able to identify symbols with words, but it is all a means to very specific ends. They follow instructions (anticipating rewards) or they “ask” for things–usually food. You can teach an ape to correctly identify a cloud or rain, but it will never ask you if you think the clouds look like an oncoming storm.

It, doesn’t, in other words, participate in a conversation. It does not really anticipate what you mean, seek clarification, or respond to your thoughts.

All of this gives us pause as we try to figure out when and why humans become something unique among the animal kingdom. The more we study chimps and other high-functioning mammals, the more winding the road to what separates us from them.

Most assuredly, it leads to the inescapable conclusion that evolution is the driving means by which life changed and adapted. So little, be it genetic or practically, separates us from some members of the mammal world. Yet the outcome of whatever small differences exist, is a mammoth gulf. No chimp has built a car or computer, let alone created knowing art.  

The philosopher calls us to “know ourselves”. And only when we truly do, will we, I fear, be able to see that our likeness as humans so far outstrips our otherness. Carl Sagan once hoped that seeing ourselves as the “little blue dot” would help confirm that idea upon the human psyche. Sadly that didn’t really happen. Perhaps our continued study of our nearest relatives may lead us to that. One can but hope.

 

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Are We All Nuts?

06 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by Sherry in Budget, GOP, Humor, Judiciary, Media, Michelle Backmann, Paleontology, Psychology, Satire, science, Sociology, teabaggers, What's Up?, Zoology

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Casey Anthony, debt crisis, gay rights, GOP, justice, Media, Michele Bachmann, paleontology, science, wombats

The latest in our public obsession with sensational murder cases has ended. Casey Anthony was found not guilty of all of the major charges, and those she was convicted of, well, she has basically already served the sentence.

Almost all of the talking heads had it as a slam dunk for the prosecution. I too expected that she would be convicted of the less serious manslaughter offense. I also suspected there was a fair amount of error in the record and a reversal might also ensue.

So it was a shock to most, and immediately all the cable stations went into a full-court press about this unbelievable outcome. That horror of all horrors, Nancy Grace must have pulled out every hair on her head. Her “reports” which I assiduously avoided as best I could, fairly boiled over with venom and snarling accusation. No doubt she is busy screaming travesty in her shower this morning.

What didn’t surprise me were the hoards outside the courtroom and in various locations where cable TV was running (Applebee’s anybody?), and their reaction. Unspeakable moans, tears, and all manner of fist shaking was seen. How could this have happened?

And while I expected this reaction, part of me shook my head in wonder. What is wrong with these people? How do ordinary? people become invested in these cases when they have no personal involvement with any of the participants? I’m told people planned vacations around this event, and traveled hundreds of miles to be in on the trial theatrics.

Are these people just nuts? Do they not have lives? Are they sick? I sat there, sanctimoniously I might add. I am a lawyer by training and I would not hazard an opinion on this one. But that was because I rather intentionally avoided watching it. I realized that some of these poor souls had in fact watched every blessed moment, and they felt entitled to an opinion.

I then recalled an embarrassing truth. I had watched a fair amount of the OJ trial. I surely had an opinion, and to this day, am quite certain of his guilt. So am I any different? I have to wonder.

So my arrogance was deflated.

Questions arise. Do we infuse these cases with something they are not? Are these exceptional cases? Or only media induced high-profile circuses? Does the wild attention given them contribute to incorrect findings? Does everyone perform to the intrusive camera? Does this change the entire dynamic of a trial?

I suspect there are plenty of psychologists asking those very questions and formulating experimental models to test those hypotheses that seem reasonable.

So what do you think?

♦

I must say, that as more media attention comes Michele “Crazy” Bachmann’s way, I get happier. She has a trail of anti-gay wackoness that is stunningly sick. She claims that her own half-sister who is gay leads a “sad life” and is in the hands of Satan. That will get you so far down the road with the rational American public.

Her hubby is even worse if that is possible. His “Christian” therapy center is widely understood to try to de-gay folks, and it’s entirely possible that he has received Medicaid monies to do so.

When you add it all up, the queen of the Teanuts will be destroyed in a general election, but she might be like a certain little girl who wandered into a house and found one bed “just right”. If the wackonuts continue to control the GOP, she could be “just right” with them.

♦

 Climate change is the culprit! I know there are deniers out there, but Australian scientists think that the demise of the giant wombat was caused by climate changes, and not from over-hunting. The mega-marsupial, about the size of a four-wheel drive car, was a plant eater, so don’t get your knickers in a twist if you are headed to Aussieland for a vacation.

Still and all, if you wander around Queensland, be sure to keep an eye out for more skeletons of this humongous creature, that passed out of existence some 50,000 years ago.

Cutie doncha think?

♦

I think the GOP is in big trouble. Their boy the budget czar, Ryan, is about the third most hated Rethuglian in the country only behind Newt and Sarah. Everybody, except the extremely crazy are running from him as fast as they can. They are sort of getting the idea that Merika wants nothing to do with Medicare or Medicaid tinkering.

Saner heads, if there really are any, are sickened by what has happened to the once proud party of Lincoln. I can’t say that I agree often with David Brooks, the conservative columnist, but I have to say I do agree with his assessment of things in his latest op-ed in the NYTimes, The Mother of All No-Brainers.

Basically, Brooks argues that the GOP may well squander the best of all opportunities, in the name of rabid ideological protest. In other words, let the country go down the drain if it means we can eradicate that awful “otherness” that inhabits the White House.

Brooks is spot on here. His words are the harshest I’ve read from a conservative, while Bachmann, in Iowa on the 4th, taunted her Teanut fans that they were being likened to hillbillies by the Democrats. Brooks might argue that the Teanuts are far far below the intellectual level of your average hillbilly. Read the editorial, and you may well agree that the GOP has stepped in its own elephant poo.

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All the News that Can Be Got Between Noon and Noon-fifteen

16 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by Sherry in Corporate America, Essays, Health care, Humor, Media, Michelle Backmann, Paleontology, Satire, teabaggers, Voting, What's Up?

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

banking, consumer protection, GOP, Health care, Humor, Medicare, Michele Bachmann, paleontology, Ryan plan, voting rights

I know that the fine business of news reporting once upon a time was an honorable craft. I know that because I have heard and read about Edward R. Murrow and I remember Walter Cronkite. You know, reporters who actually spent time tracking down a story that was important.

Today, we have almost none of those types at least in the media. It’s all a dog and pony show now. Make sure it’s got all the bells and whistles, keep it short, make the video entertaining. Fluff it up.

One of the reasons that I was for an early resignation by Anthony Weiner, was not because of the hideousness of his crime, but because he would prove to be a distraction since the media would opt for the easy story–sex sells, and we all know it.

Weiner shares the spotlight with the trial of a mother for the death of her child. For several hours a day we are informed of the last detail of mom and dad’s testimony as well as about the new forensic science of “smell”. (There is a sealed can of “death” odor in case you missed it.)

Given these propensities, it comes as no surprise that the crazy Bachmann woman is getting just loads of press since the “debate” of a couple of nights ago. Albeit, some suggest that her bar was lower than a master limbo dancer could get under in the first place, but she got high marks for “having a command” of the facts, and being aggressive. Somehow that has catapulted her into the race as a viable candidate.

I suggest that this is only in the minds of the media asswipes who muse over such things while sipping that appletini at a long lunch. She’s fun, controversial, and easy to cover. The fact that if you were to look at her numbers nationally, she ranks in the barely negligible range, is of no matter. It is important that she is looking good in Iowa.

Well, let me inform you that Iowa is, nowadays, no bellweather of Republicanism. It is a rogue state of insanity produced by the strange animal known as caucus. See, we don’t all go to the polls and vote here in our primary. No, those of us who have a few hours to waste, go and sit with a bunch of other people with time on their hands (or very very serious interests in who gets the nod), and we argue, and argue and argue until the “caucus” for that district reaches a consensus. Since many of the folks are neighbors and friends, well, you can see the possibilities. Bottom line, caucuses wildly don’t reflect the average voter in the state. They do represent very special interests.

That Bachmann will do well in Iowa’s caucuses is correct. That it means much of anything is entirely another thing.

So, in the interests of not getting all wacked out of shape over this Bachmann “surge” let us recall that the woman is an idiot, second only to that fine piece of work, the Wasilla Witch. If you need reminding, then take a look at this list of Bachmannian crazy. Surely the domkoffs of the GOPpery are not this insane? Or stop by Politicususa and read their summary of the lady’s right-wing evangelical nuttery.

♦

 It probably goes without saying to the crowd that comes around here to read the news that the Ryan plan is awful–simply awful. It screws the elderly and no amount of saying it doesn’t will change that fact. Republicans are simply lying when they claim otherwise. What the CBO tells us, is that worse, it will raise costs astronomically. A good report on all this at Crooks and Liars today.

♦

Let me see if I can remember this correctly. Once upon a time banks had no regulation to speak of. This was back in the Bushy years. And they overreached, and then the entire economy teetered on the edge of destruction. Now the GOPers are determined that the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency shall have no money and nobody to run it, because banks need to be left unfettered to do their thing. Yeah, makes sense. Once again, the Rethuglians in Congress show us just how little they are interested in people. Who would think that anyone would be against protecting consumers except the fat cats who are trying to screw them–oh yeah, that would be the Repuklicans wouldn’t it?

♦

Couldn’t resist this little gem fromPolitical Irony:

♦

We’ve been reporting here now and again about voter suppression laws being enacted in GOP controlled states throughout the US. USA Today has done an editorial on the subject, calling a spade a spade. Again, there are no real issues with voter fraud here or anywhere. This is just a GOP dirty trick to suppress largely Democratic voters who are students, poor and the elderly. Note that in no case do these new suppression laws address absentee voting which is universally considered more open to fraud, but which the GOP deems most likely to be cast by Republicans.

♦

And just cuz you need to know this stuff, some stuff on evolution and the failure of mankind to make much evolutionary progress in the last 40-50 thousand years, go read this great article. It’s a great new book by one of the leaders in the field of evolution and man. It’s called the Origin of Our Species.

♦

What’s on the stove: chicken cacciatore, salad, bread

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Founding Fathers Opposed Darwin!

09 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by Sherry in American History, Election 2012, Environment, Evolution, Founding Fathers, Health care, Herman Cain, History, Humor, Immigration, LifeStyle, Paleontology, Philosophy, Psychology, Rick Santorum, Satire, Uncategorized, What's Up?

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

American History, Anthony Weiner, boredom, David Barton, early humans, evolution, founding fathers, Health care, Herman Cain, immigration, lifestyle, Neandertals, paleontology, philosophy, psychology, Rick Santorum, science, self

Shocking? I guess it should be given the fact that Darwin didn’t publish his seminal work until 1859, more than half a century after our government was formed.

That is the claim however of the pseudo-historian David Barton. And he claims that no less of a questionable religionist than Thomas Paine, who died the same year that Darwin was born, argued that creationism must be taught in the schools.

If all of this leaves you a bit skeptical, well, Barton has plenty of other ideas that would make a big business  CEO grin from ear to ear. Jesus was opposed to minimum wage laws, and therefore unions, as well as progressive income taxes.

Even more shocking Mr. Barton explains the real impetus for the revolution was not economic, but a persistent dedication to the eradication of slavery. Somehow, England ultimately beat us to the punch on that, but no matter, it’s the thought that counts.

You can read all this and watch the actual interview wherein Barton espouses his unique “history” by following the link.

♦

Herman “step ‘n fetch it” Cain is busy these days, yakking up the airways with his bizarre understanding of the world. He too has a slippery grasp on history as he reminded us to “read that small section of the constitution” wherein we were promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Except that that little phrase doesn’t come from the constitution, but rather from the Declaration of Independence.

Cain then went on to and pontificated that as President, he would not sign any bills longer than three pages. Given that much of any bill deals with its impact on a plethora of other agencies and legislation and regulations and interfaces are essential for all these things to work together, this presents quite a problem. It suggests that Cain would end up signing zero bills. It also suggests Cain has no sense whatsoever of how the government operates.

Now Cain explains how he would deal with the problem at the border with Mexico–a wall, akin to the Great Wall, and one with a companion moat, and yes, filled with alligators!

Cain appears to subscribe to the Palin school of knowledge–just say what seems sensible to you, even when its demonstrable that you are not a very sensible person.

♦

“To thine own self be true?” Okay, but how exactly is one to determine who the true self is? It’s a lot harder question than you might have thought. Depending on what standard you use, you can end up at quite different conclusions. A very thoughtful article by Joshua Knobe.

♦

That leave you bored? Well join the club. Boredom is a human condition, no matter what anyone says. Even animals get bored. Boredom can be normal or abnormal, situational or existential. So if you find yourself bored, then read all about this subject! Nothing could be less boring.

♦

Memo to Antony Weiner: Dude, don’t miss the next meeting of “How I threw away my life”. Lots of your favorites will be there! Tiger Woods will offer the first testimonial. Also, a good move would be to check into rehab forthwith. That tends to get a sympathy vote. Sex addiction is the hottest trending rehab these days.

♦

When I was growing up, to call someone an Neandertal was essentially to call them something just barely above the level of ape. Today, our understanding is vastly superior, and we find that most of our old assumptions were wrong. Neandertal DNA shows up in some parts of today’s populations. And there is no evidence that Neandertals were in conflict with more modern man.

♦

These chin-ups are sure to pay off in the future!

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If you aren’t totally tired of Weiner jokes, then bop on over to Political Irony and see the late night comedians do their thing.
♦
Ricky “don’t google me” Santorum, just can’t stop being a boob. It’s his nature. He has told Johnny McCain that he don’t know nothin’ bout no torture, said that climate change is a patent absurdity, claimed he would make marriage inequality the center of his campaign, and so forth. Now in the growing Republican revision of history, he tells us that the D-Day invasion occurred precisely to insure the American right to private health care. Yes, he said that:
 
Almost 60,000 average Americans had the courage to go out and charge those beaches on Normandy, to drop out of airplanes who knows where, and take on the battle for freedom. … Those Americans risked everything so they could make that decision on their health care plan.
 
Yes, my friends, the ultimate nutjob said that.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Related articles
  • Lying For Jesus: David Barton (scotteriology.wordpress.com)
  • You know, David Barton has a reputation for inventing quotes, but this is ridiculous (scienceblogs.com)
  • Herman Cain’s Immigration Plan: A Great Wall of China and Alligators in a Moat (alternet.org)
  • FYI – Most Neandertals were right-handers. (jwitness.wordpress.com)

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Patting Myself on the Back

21 Saturday Aug 2010

Posted by Sherry in Barack Obama, Democrats, Essays, fundamentalism, Humor, Media, Muslim, Non-Believers, Paleontology, racism, Satire, science, teabaggers, The Wackos, What's Up?

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

atheists, Barack Obama, Fox News Channel, Franklin Graham, fundamentalists, Muslims, nature, paleontology, Politics, racism, Republican, science

The truth is, I believe in dressing well, even for a day at the computer. As you can see, even a hat is de rigueur in my world.

I went on yesterday about veiled conspiracies to subvert the economic recovery by corporations (banks and otherwise), giving up short-term gains to insure a Republican victory this November. I think I’m mostly right.

Veiled or unveiled, I suspect they don’t much care at this point. Fox certainly doesn’t after it’s gift of a cool mill to the GOP. They don’t bother any more with even a pretence at “fair and balanced.”

Why? Oh quite simple really.  They know that their simple-minded audience can’t add two and two and come up remotely close to a correct answer. They can and do lie at will. The right doesn’t listen to the left, preferring to roll in the swill of their moral rightness on everything. Their base doesn’t care one whit that they are playing politics, in fact they agree with it. Just as they agreed with Fox’s promotion of all things tea partyish.

Why I disagree with parts of the next article, especially as to who is owed all the blame, I think there is something to be said for RCP’s article The Lost Promise of Barack Obama. Democrats bear a good deal of blame for their own downfall, which seems more and more likely this November.

 Nobody can get a snark on better than our friends at Urantia Sojourn. This one particularly struck me as both cogent and well researched. The branding of all non-whites as “other” is reaching epidemic proportions in America. Will we stop it before it is too late?

It seems to me that part of being responsible as a human beings is to be willing to criticize yourself, as American, Democrat, religious believer, etc. Being an apologist is simply dangerous, and once discovered takes all the power from your voice. The must read of today is this one: [note that this link is weird–the text is half way down, it looks like a Pakistan military site, but the full text is in a comment–3quarksdaily had no better linkage]

Harvard University offers an award known as the Robert F. Kennedy Public Service award. It’s first Muslim recipient and only second South Asia one, went to Mir Ibrahim Rahman. His remarks are food for deep thought for all of us in the US. They were made at Harvard Commencement. As I said, the text is embedded in a comment I believe, but still it is worth the effort to get to it.

Goodness knows I’ve had my problems with atheists. The NEW ones at least. I find them about as irrational and pompous as fundamentalists. More and more I keep finding that many equate, and frankly always have, the rabid atheist with the fundamentalist. Both talk of certainty about things that are anything but certain.

A great post by Reza Aslan at the Washington Post lays this out extraordinarily well. Much thanks to Mystical Seeker at Find and Ye Shall Seek. Much whine from the atheists in the comments.

The profession of butcher is older than we thought! At least 800,000 years to be exact. Ha! And to think that butcher shops are going out of style and have been for decades now. You would think that they would be revered places, beginnings of our illustrious history as tool makers and users. Read it all at Butchering Dinner 3.4 Million Years Ago.

And then there are times when it’s very embarrassing to be a Christian–when you have to be in the same religion as Franklin Graham. This Muslim hater is beyond the pale. Even his father had enough sense to at least apologize when caught being anti-Semitic. The son now drivels on about how Obama came from “Muslim seed” and “says he has accepted Jesus Christ”.  What a piece of work.

Amy Sullivan has a most interesting take on why polls claim that 1/4 of Americans “think” Obama is a Muslim. Worth your time to read this one.

Meanwhile, James Taranto, writing for the Wall Street Journal (Murdock’s baby remember) writes a convoluted piece that suggests that liberals do these polls all for the purpose of calling the right names for their beliefs, and in the process fail to do it, but make themselves look mean and small for calling out the right wing nuts. Understand that? Neither did I. If you got to comments you will find that ALL believe Obama is a Muslim there. Too funny.

And that’s a wrap.

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