On different note entirely from below, my bike is listed. Also, I had a sweet idea regarding the seat for my next bike. I want to make it from some pretty figured hardwood. I would especially like to make it from some book-matched flame/curly maple. I have also considered clear-lacquered purpleheart. If I do maple, I am torn between the idea of a transparent bright blue finish or a straight clear finish. The blue, done right, would have an iridescent look that would sparkle, but the light creamy color of the natural wood is beautiful and would make a sweet contrast to the rest of the bike.
I would make the whole bike black except for the wheels. I would make them bright blue. The seat would either be blue maple or creamy maple. Blue flame maple is AWESOME. Anyway, it would be ridiculously sweet no matter how you spin it.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Close-minded rant about close-minded people
So I only recently discovered Lou Dobbs, and I like his stance on the 2nd amendment. However, today I was watching as he was covering a story in Texas involving the state legislature passing a bill changing the language of public school science books to merely imply that macro evolution might not be correct.
First off, to be perfectly clear, I have real issues with common ancestry. Natural selection and localized adaptation is fine with me, and I get warm fuzzies regarding the same. I am not saying that I know for a fact that Darwinian evolution did not happen, but I don't think it did. If I come across what I consider irrefutable evidence, I am open to reconsider.
I think it is astounding that some so-called atheists have so much faith in some utterly ridiculous "theories." They could honestly teach Judeo-Christian and Muslim people a thing or two about blind faith. The Big Bang Theory - fine, ok. Whatever. But spontaneous life? Really?!? The theories I have heard from people who have proclaimed to think their way away from religion are mind-blowing. I heard one guy saying some organic compounds piggy-backing on mutating growing crystals may have made life. One guy, the author of a book called The God Delusion, actually said - straight-faced, ming you - that perhaps some earlier race of super-intelligent beingsmay have made life before disappearing from view. Than he reiterated how ridiculous the idea of a Supreme Being must seem to intelligent, non-stupid people. I am not a swearer, but WTF?
Our country has some crazy kind of bigotry and autocratic sqaushing of ideas. You can teach whatever you want about the origin of life and the universe as long as there is nothing intelligent or sentient in the mix. I recently watched a documentary (Expelled, by Ben Stein - wonderful if you want to know) that presented an interesting case for the black-balling and ostracism of academics and educators who even suggest the notion of Intelligent Design. Admittedly, the show was a viewpoint, and it did not pretend to present the "truth" about the origin of everything. Stein wanted only to illuminate the prevalent practice of ripping on proponents of Intelligent Design.
People who believe that evolution is not perfectly solid and gospel are painted by the "best and brightest" as stupid, ignorant, and *gasp* even religious! Did you know that religion makes all subscribers mindless zombie zealots? Who are the perpetrators of this garbage? Think of a large scientific organization or publication. Yep, them too. Now think of a not-directly-Christian-university. Also them. The National Science Foundation. The Smithsonian Institute. State and Federal governments. The wool is being pulled by loud hands.
One talking head on Lou Dobbs tonight from the University of Texas complained that the mention that evolution is not a perfectly sufficient explanation of life and the mention that other plausible theories may, in fact, be plausible meant the advocate of such must be religious. He said that the proposed law in Texas was a ploy by proponents of ID to promulgate religion. Really?!? WTF?
There is a lot of freedom in our country. There are some weird "freedoms" ever threatening to be allowed. Somehow, though, science is not allowed freedom. It has a very Communist vibe to me. You can teach and study whatever you want as long as you tow the party line. You would think that science and technology are given nearly free rein, but not only are people reined in; they are cut off.
I am fine with evolution being taught IF the holes are taught, too. If scientists are so sure of what is, they will NEVER find anything that contradicts. Evolution is not a complete theory, and people far smarter than me have pointed out way better issues than I am capable of. I point to things like quantized "species," no continuous fossil record of ANYTHING, the ridiculous nature of radio-carbon dating, and all the assumptions that cannot be applied to everything.
If the things we assume are constants really are, then what about the moon? It is moving away from the earth at a constant rate. When the dinosaurs were here "65 million years ago" (I doubt and question everything), the moon would have been attached to the earth. I certainly doubt that. The earth's rotation is slowing, too. Again, back in the dino-days, the earth would have been spinning so fast as to send some dino-satellites to exit velocity. More of the doubt here.
Our knowledge is so tenuous and based on faulty research and assumptions of so many people with like agendas that I don't believe an honest thinker can do anything but ask the tough questions. So what if it turns out we don't know as much as we thought? Does it change how much we know? NO! Only how much we know we know - and that couldn't matter any less.
I fully plan on having my kids indoctrinated with counter-indoctrination. Maybe their teachers won't like them. I want my girls to have the satisfaction of searching for real fact and truth and never settling for the status quo. People need to ask questions. Not buying macro-evolution does not mean you think that the earth and everything on it was created in 6 24-hour periods. I think that idea is a bit preposterous and unfounded, really. Sure, if the Bible was originally in English, you could be excused to buying into that notion, but it wasn't.
What can we do? Can I take on the establishment and have my voice heard? Probably not. No, I'm gonna go with definitely not. Can a bunch of precocious children, students, readers, voters, and citizens make their voices heard? Absolutely. I don't honestly expect much in my life. It will not be my life's work. I fully intend to be more focused on making fast cars faster than on dispelling myths about the clientele of ID's real tenets.
Quick little connected global warming soapbox: I am so sick of hearing athletes and movie stars tell me that man is responsible for global warming or climate change or whatever the experts are calling it these days. I am even tired of hearing that oil is from dinosaurs or any other living thing as a fact when the FACT is we don't know. Accept it. Be responsible with resources and pollution, too. It can all work in harmony together. Love earth, but it give it some credit, too.
Remember, April 22 is earth day. Show some love.
First off, to be perfectly clear, I have real issues with common ancestry. Natural selection and localized adaptation is fine with me, and I get warm fuzzies regarding the same. I am not saying that I know for a fact that Darwinian evolution did not happen, but I don't think it did. If I come across what I consider irrefutable evidence, I am open to reconsider.
I think it is astounding that some so-called atheists have so much faith in some utterly ridiculous "theories." They could honestly teach Judeo-Christian and Muslim people a thing or two about blind faith. The Big Bang Theory - fine, ok. Whatever. But spontaneous life? Really?!? The theories I have heard from people who have proclaimed to think their way away from religion are mind-blowing. I heard one guy saying some organic compounds piggy-backing on mutating growing crystals may have made life. One guy, the author of a book called The God Delusion, actually said - straight-faced, ming you - that perhaps some earlier race of super-intelligent beingsmay have made life before disappearing from view. Than he reiterated how ridiculous the idea of a Supreme Being must seem to intelligent, non-stupid people. I am not a swearer, but WTF?
Our country has some crazy kind of bigotry and autocratic sqaushing of ideas. You can teach whatever you want about the origin of life and the universe as long as there is nothing intelligent or sentient in the mix. I recently watched a documentary (Expelled, by Ben Stein - wonderful if you want to know) that presented an interesting case for the black-balling and ostracism of academics and educators who even suggest the notion of Intelligent Design. Admittedly, the show was a viewpoint, and it did not pretend to present the "truth" about the origin of everything. Stein wanted only to illuminate the prevalent practice of ripping on proponents of Intelligent Design.
People who believe that evolution is not perfectly solid and gospel are painted by the "best and brightest" as stupid, ignorant, and *gasp* even religious! Did you know that religion makes all subscribers mindless zombie zealots? Who are the perpetrators of this garbage? Think of a large scientific organization or publication. Yep, them too. Now think of a not-directly-Christian-university. Also them. The National Science Foundation. The Smithsonian Institute. State and Federal governments. The wool is being pulled by loud hands.
One talking head on Lou Dobbs tonight from the University of Texas complained that the mention that evolution is not a perfectly sufficient explanation of life and the mention that other plausible theories may, in fact, be plausible meant the advocate of such must be religious. He said that the proposed law in Texas was a ploy by proponents of ID to promulgate religion. Really?!? WTF?
There is a lot of freedom in our country. There are some weird "freedoms" ever threatening to be allowed. Somehow, though, science is not allowed freedom. It has a very Communist vibe to me. You can teach and study whatever you want as long as you tow the party line. You would think that science and technology are given nearly free rein, but not only are people reined in; they are cut off.
I am fine with evolution being taught IF the holes are taught, too. If scientists are so sure of what is, they will NEVER find anything that contradicts. Evolution is not a complete theory, and people far smarter than me have pointed out way better issues than I am capable of. I point to things like quantized "species," no continuous fossil record of ANYTHING, the ridiculous nature of radio-carbon dating, and all the assumptions that cannot be applied to everything.
If the things we assume are constants really are, then what about the moon? It is moving away from the earth at a constant rate. When the dinosaurs were here "65 million years ago" (I doubt and question everything), the moon would have been attached to the earth. I certainly doubt that. The earth's rotation is slowing, too. Again, back in the dino-days, the earth would have been spinning so fast as to send some dino-satellites to exit velocity. More of the doubt here.
Our knowledge is so tenuous and based on faulty research and assumptions of so many people with like agendas that I don't believe an honest thinker can do anything but ask the tough questions. So what if it turns out we don't know as much as we thought? Does it change how much we know? NO! Only how much we know we know - and that couldn't matter any less.
I fully plan on having my kids indoctrinated with counter-indoctrination. Maybe their teachers won't like them. I want my girls to have the satisfaction of searching for real fact and truth and never settling for the status quo. People need to ask questions. Not buying macro-evolution does not mean you think that the earth and everything on it was created in 6 24-hour periods. I think that idea is a bit preposterous and unfounded, really. Sure, if the Bible was originally in English, you could be excused to buying into that notion, but it wasn't.
What can we do? Can I take on the establishment and have my voice heard? Probably not. No, I'm gonna go with definitely not. Can a bunch of precocious children, students, readers, voters, and citizens make their voices heard? Absolutely. I don't honestly expect much in my life. It will not be my life's work. I fully intend to be more focused on making fast cars faster than on dispelling myths about the clientele of ID's real tenets.
Quick little connected global warming soapbox: I am so sick of hearing athletes and movie stars tell me that man is responsible for global warming or climate change or whatever the experts are calling it these days. I am even tired of hearing that oil is from dinosaurs or any other living thing as a fact when the FACT is we don't know. Accept it. Be responsible with resources and pollution, too. It can all work in harmony together. Love earth, but it give it some credit, too.
Remember, April 22 is earth day. Show some love.
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