Ya know those idiots who seem to want to focus on what your family is doing wrong? They’re at it again.
They’ve come up with a “naughty or nice” list concerning the language that retailers use in their holiday advertisements. If a company uses “Merry Christmas” they are said to be “Christmas-friendly” retailers. If they use “Happy Holidays” then they are deemed “Christmas-offensive”, those who use both phrases are said to be “Christmas-negligent.”
This is one of the dumber things I’ve heard, a group of people who are supposedly followers of Jesus are going to selectively procure their materialism by standards of the faith? Ah yes, I vividly remember sitting in Sunday School to hear the parable of where Jesus wanted to buy his ipod from. Remember how Peter was all like “My lord, let’s go to Best Buy” and Jesus said “Nay naïve! Verily I say unto thee that he who doth not use ‘Christmas’ in their holiday advertisements shall never know the glories of Heaven.”
FoF went so far as to send out letters that basically stated we could boycott you if you don’t change your wording. Gap’s response? “So”, I’m paraphrasing of course.
I just hate this type of stuff. One, it doesn’t even fit your own meaning of Christmas, good will towards men and what not. Second, why do the xtians insist on acting like Christmas is their holiday? Oh right, because they teach their kids lies about the holiday and they just keep getting passed down.
To any Christians reading this, #1) points for bravery, well done, and #2) do you not find it odd that the Pagans (gasp!) had their biggest holidays in late December and somewhere around March / April. Then the Christians drove out the heathen pagans so that they could make their holidays most important which just so happen to also be in late December and around March / April? Look it up!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Religion v Atheism in the Battle for Visual Perception Supremacy
There was an interesting study done at Leiden University in the Netherlands concerning the visual techniques of both atheists and Dutch Calvinists. The point of the study was to prove whether or not religious differences might skew perception. I’m surprised anyone pondered this, of course it skews perception.
The findings show that the Calvinists were able to pick out smaller shapes 30 milliseconds faster than atheists on average.
I have no problem with this, it doesn’t upset me because it doesn’t really prove much. The problem I have is with the conclusions the researchers draw.
My favorite is this one from one of the lead scientists:
“He suggests it may even be a cognitive consequence of their religion and speculates that Calvinists might be more inward looking than atheists because they have lived their whole lives with an emphasis on minding their own business.”
Hmmm, now I’ll be honest, Dutch Calvinism is a little outside of my range of expertise on religion, but, I can say with some certainty that no religion has ever minded its own business.
The conclusions seem decidedly slanted toward religion rather than science. Maybe the atheists were slower because they were taking in the whole picture while the Calvinists faith led them to look for something they believed was there without knowing it.
Personally, I don’t know what this means, or what it might even imply, I just thought it was interesting and that I’d pass it on.
The findings show that the Calvinists were able to pick out smaller shapes 30 milliseconds faster than atheists on average.
I have no problem with this, it doesn’t upset me because it doesn’t really prove much. The problem I have is with the conclusions the researchers draw.
My favorite is this one from one of the lead scientists:
“He suggests it may even be a cognitive consequence of their religion and speculates that Calvinists might be more inward looking than atheists because they have lived their whole lives with an emphasis on minding their own business.”
Hmmm, now I’ll be honest, Dutch Calvinism is a little outside of my range of expertise on religion, but, I can say with some certainty that no religion has ever minded its own business.
The conclusions seem decidedly slanted toward religion rather than science. Maybe the atheists were slower because they were taking in the whole picture while the Calvinists faith led them to look for something they believed was there without knowing it.
Personally, I don’t know what this means, or what it might even imply, I just thought it was interesting and that I’d pass it on.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wonderful News... From Space!
According to this story from NPR (and I’m sure there are better sites out there for this but I’m pressed for time) we now have actual photos of extrasolar planets.
This is amazing, before now planets from other stars had only been detected by indirect methods, typically by watching for a “wobble” caused by the gravitational forces on the star itself. But now to have actual photographs of other planets is phenomenal.
In this picture the two dots show where the planet was in 2004 and then again in 2006. The planet orbits a star known as Formalhaut which is about 25 light years from earth and the planet is known as Formalhaut b. It is a gas giant, much larger than Jupiter and it orbits about a 100 times farther from its sun than earth does from ours.
It is believed to be a shepherd planet keeping the massive dust ring from the star neat and tidy much like the shepherd moons of Saturn keeps its rings nice and tight. The planet itself is also believed to have rings of its own.
Allegedly, a team of international astronomers has stated that they’ve found a small solar system orbiting star HR 8799. There are three gas like planets, each of which is at least 5 times larger than Jupiter orbiting this star.
To me this brings up a good question about god and evolution. What possible purpose could there be for other solar systems? If one reads the bible its clear to see that man on this planet is the focus so why the possibility of more life? And if there is no life then what is the point of the extra creation?
Even in our own solar system the other 7 planets are useless to mankind in a strictly religious sense. They’re not habitable and even if they were there’s no way to even get to them really other than Mars maybe.
It just makes no sense, evolution answers why these planets are here in the fact that matter reacts to gravity and forms these things. But according to the bible god would have had to create these seemingly for no reason.
This is amazing, before now planets from other stars had only been detected by indirect methods, typically by watching for a “wobble” caused by the gravitational forces on the star itself. But now to have actual photographs of other planets is phenomenal.
In this picture the two dots show where the planet was in 2004 and then again in 2006. The planet orbits a star known as Formalhaut which is about 25 light years from earth and the planet is known as Formalhaut b. It is a gas giant, much larger than Jupiter and it orbits about a 100 times farther from its sun than earth does from ours.
It is believed to be a shepherd planet keeping the massive dust ring from the star neat and tidy much like the shepherd moons of Saturn keeps its rings nice and tight. The planet itself is also believed to have rings of its own.
Allegedly, a team of international astronomers has stated that they’ve found a small solar system orbiting star HR 8799. There are three gas like planets, each of which is at least 5 times larger than Jupiter orbiting this star.
To me this brings up a good question about god and evolution. What possible purpose could there be for other solar systems? If one reads the bible its clear to see that man on this planet is the focus so why the possibility of more life? And if there is no life then what is the point of the extra creation?
Even in our own solar system the other 7 planets are useless to mankind in a strictly religious sense. They’re not habitable and even if they were there’s no way to even get to them really other than Mars maybe.
It just makes no sense, evolution answers why these planets are here in the fact that matter reacts to gravity and forms these things. But according to the bible god would have had to create these seemingly for no reason.
In my opinion this is just another victory for science that will mostly go unrecognized by the rest of this country.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
History
Well it appears to be happening. I don't know when you're reading this but I'm writing it in the moment.
Obama is winning, and it feels good.
I've heard about it for so long, seen the articles, the headlines, the commercials and after a time I became desensitized to it. But, as I was sitting here I realized that I should appreciate this moment.
As much as he's said the word "hope", as many times as I've laughed at jokes made about that use of "hope" I must admit that it does give me hope.
I'm proud to be American at the moment, to see that some of the ideals are still there. It's been said before, from slavery to the White House in about 150 years. From segregation to the highest symbol of integration in 50 years.
I'm not making this about race, that's really not the point. The point is that a society changed. Rather quickly by history's standards I'd say. It takes a long time for even majority hatred to dissipate.
But it seems to be actually happening. Take a moment to think about that when you're watching the debates, and take a moment later to reflect on it. You saw history as it happened, you know where you were, what you were doing and you can always remember how proud you were of a people for doing the right thing even with a reputation for doing the wrong.
Early congratulations to Obama, and the rest of us.
Obama is winning, and it feels good.
I've heard about it for so long, seen the articles, the headlines, the commercials and after a time I became desensitized to it. But, as I was sitting here I realized that I should appreciate this moment.
As much as he's said the word "hope", as many times as I've laughed at jokes made about that use of "hope" I must admit that it does give me hope.
I'm proud to be American at the moment, to see that some of the ideals are still there. It's been said before, from slavery to the White House in about 150 years. From segregation to the highest symbol of integration in 50 years.
I'm not making this about race, that's really not the point. The point is that a society changed. Rather quickly by history's standards I'd say. It takes a long time for even majority hatred to dissipate.
But it seems to be actually happening. Take a moment to think about that when you're watching the debates, and take a moment later to reflect on it. You saw history as it happened, you know where you were, what you were doing and you can always remember how proud you were of a people for doing the right thing even with a reputation for doing the wrong.
Early congratulations to Obama, and the rest of us.
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