New Level of Ass Clownery!

Well it seems I've managed to make a complete ass of myself yet again, but in all fairness I've taken it to a completely new astronomical level. So never let it be said that I've repeated past mistakes.

Wow, WTF was I thinking? Clearly I was not. On the plus side of things I have more rewards points on my REI Visa Card, yay for year end dividends! Oh wait what? I could have just bought those things directly for cheaper? Oh whatever... its more fun with rewards points. =P

Happy Darwin Day!!

Happy Darwin Day Everybody!!!

If you know me at all, you will know that one of my biggest passions is Evolution. I cannot get enough of it. Every time I see an article in National Geographic about Evolution, I am compelled to pick it up. One of my favorites was the 2004 November issue[1], which boldly stated on its cover “Was Darwin Wrong?” When you turned to the front page of the article, the response was “NO!” I own the Origin of Species (and in all honesty have read about ½ of it. Hey! You try reading scientific articles and tell me how well you do! And for you religious fanatics that plan on using this against me, how many of you have read the bible in it entirety? I've probably come closer than you have.) But I don’t need the Origin of Species alone to tell me that Evolution is real, besides our understanding of Evolution has vastly changed since Darwin’s day.

You will note I have left off the words “Theory of” because I strongly and firmly know that Evolution as a broad concept happens; it is real. Not just a mere idea of how things work, but it is what happens and it is happening today, now, as we speak. And until somebody gives me a living breathing being that appeared out of no where, with no prior ancestors, I will refer to Evolution as such. I will be the first to admit, however, that the details of Evolution are not fully understood and that the Evolution we understand today is not the Evolution that Darwin described 150 years ago.

But that is the beauty of it all! That is the Scientific Process! We observe, we record, we conjecture. And we continue to do so, refining our definitions, understanding the deviations, and adjusting. Science is dynamic, it changes –there are disagreements, but that is the point, discussion, and observation. Science truly is The Great Debate.

Today marks Darwin’s 200^th Birthday (and Abraham Lincoln… odd coincidence) but I think it is a day worth celebrating. Darwin’s contributions to the scientific community have been so great, that even today it continues to cause ripples in our social and cultural fabric. He has struck so fundamentally into our beliefs that even today people are scared. A sign of true greatness. Galileo and his support of heliocentrism had a similar affect, but today we accept that as fact.

I think at the heart of this debate, Evolution vs. Creation Theory / Intelligent Design is the fear of change. Evolution clearly states that the world as we know it changes, it has changed, and will continue to change. Judeo-Christian beliefs suggest however “the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved.”[2] Not so change friendly.

Is change so scary, so devastating to the human psyche that we are compelled to squash it and rub it out of existence? History shows us, that is the typical response, however, even after change humanity and the world continue to exist. So why not embrace change and Evolution which attempts to describe the mechanisms of change? Old habits die hard, I guess.

My biggest pet peeve about this whole debate is that Religion is seeking to destroy Evolution, while Evolution has done nothing to threaten Religion. Evolution and Darwin did not set out to destroy people’s faith, but only sought to better explain the world that we see. While I have my own gripes about Religion, I believe that Evolution and Religion can coexist if they understand the different planes they supposed to be in. Evolution is in the realm of the observable and verifiable. Religion belongs in the realm of the unexplainable and the unseen.

My other concern is how vehemently people attempt to deny Evolution; is their faith so weak that they fear Evolution will erode it? Perhaps those individuals need to reconsider what faith is.

I know I get very frustrated when I encounter others who do not believe in Evolution; they probably feel the same when they realize I don’t believe in their god. However, Evolution is an ever changing idea, unlike Religion, and I accept those changes with demonstrable evidence. To me personally Evolution has always been something that made sense. Why not? Change happens. So maybe in that paradigm Evolution is like my own religion; and as we know two religions cannot coexist. But at least I have evidence of mine!

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[1] http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0411/feature1/fulltext.html

[2] The Bible, 1 Chronicles 16:30

War... an outdated tool of politics

I've been saying for a few (2+?) years now that, while the military remains a necessity in today geopolitical scene, it has become obsolete tool for political pressure. War, has become a thing of the past, barbaric, crude. Its like trying to use a saw instead of a scalpel.

This NY Times article is a great example of what I'm trying to get at. Its late and I want to sleep, so I'll keep this short. But the point is, no matter the amount of military might that we have; all of the guns in the world won't solve this problem. Like western medicine, the guns here only treat the symptoms... and fail to get at the source (that's a whole other topic on its own). But yeah only through economics can we truly resolve this problem.

Now the true Challenge begins

Congratulations President-Elect Obama. You have fought the good fight and come through on top. While the campaign has been long and arduous, the true challenge begins in 77 days.

Mr. Obama you face a nation divide, a nation in despair, and a nation in decline. If you like challenges... I don't believe it gets much harder than this. You have stood before this country and led us to believe that you can bring about change and bring back prosperity. Now you must actually lead us there.

You were not my first pick, but I supported and support you now because I believe you are the best one to take the necessary actions. Now that your fate has been sealed, I will watch even more closely as will the rest of the world. And most importantly History will watch you closely. You ran an excellent campaign but only time will tell how great a president you are.

There are some that would suggest that not all of these people can be wrong in picking you to lead our nation. I'd like to remind them that it was a majority of the country that elected our previous president; whom we mostly agree was not the best decision we (as a country) have made. Let that be a reminder to you, Mr. Obama, that we have all placed our faith and hope in you.

And begins the next chapter.

The Day of Reckoning...

For the last two years America has been in a debate about its future, tomorrow that debate will come to an end and decision will be made. Our future begins tomorrow. In the latter half of this time my parents and I have been in an ideological struggle, debating back and forth who will be best to lead this country. In the course of these arguments we did come to two agreements; The American Empire is in decline and Sarah Palin is a horrible choice for VP.

The latter speaks for itself. The first I'll address a little more. America has been the dominant force in the world for the last half century or so. Our progress in technology and large capable work force was the driving power behind our dominance. While we weren't looking a new player has come into town and has well over 3 times the capability we have. Needless to say this new player is China.

China's population is almost (if not already) 4 times the US and they graduate more college educated engineers than we do college graduates.... period. The decline of the American empire is inevitable. What this means I'll address later.

Back to my parents. They have consistently targeted Obama for his lack of experience in government and an executive leadership role. While I cannot deny Mr. Obama's record, I can tell you running the country is far larger than one man. He will accountable for all the major decisions and policies but the running of the country will come down to his staff and ultimately the party. With that in mind, can we really stand another 4 (or 8) years of the Republican party?

Thier latest accusation has been about his statements spreading the wealth. They compare these statements to the ones made by the communists during the beginning of the Vietnam War. I cannot speak for what was said then, but I can acknowledge the similar ideologies between Mr. Obama's spreading the wealth and the idealistic goals of Marxism. Marxism, by the way, is drastically different in ideology than in practice (aka Communism).

I think what they have forgotten is that Communism is not just about the spreading of wealth but also about control. Control of the people, their thoughts, their ideas, their expression. I'm fairly certain that Mr. Obama and the Democratic Party is not in favor of that. I'm not sure I can same for the Republican Party. Wasn't it the current administration that allowed intelligence agencies to spy on the American people? I'm pretty sure it was them that requested search queries from Google, Yahoo, etc. If anybody has wanted control over its own people, it has been the Republican Party...

My parents have also targeted Mr. Obama's plans to sit down and initiate talks with Iran. They some how equate this as giving in to them. But I asked what are the alternatives? War, right? Well I should hope that we have learned our lesson from unilaterally deciding to invade a country without the support of the international community. When did the "Mission Accomplished" speech on the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN occur? May 2003? What year is it now?

While I'm not a fan of the Iranians and personally believe that they are irrational and not much progress would occur from negotiations/talks... I do believe that we should at least give it a try. War, as we have seen has become a political tool of the past. It remains as necessity in extreme cases and defense will always remain but as we have seen from the various conflicts around the world it generally is frowned upon. Economics is the new tool and it is far more effective in my opinion. But war should be a thing of the past. With that in mind, what party do you believe would make the right choice with Iran?

The arguments are long for and against each candidate. I respect their views and sometimes understand their opinion. But they have warned me to accept the consequences of my actions in the future. I gladly stand by my decision based on the information I had available when I made it. I just ask that they accept responsibility for the last 8 years that got us here.

Grr...?

Mildly annoyed right now, take it back - really annoyed... but anyways it's been a running joke that being single has been better for me than anything else, ha ha. But really I was thinking about it, I've been single for quite sometime and it hasn't done me jack - leaving San Diego has been the triggering factor. I'm happier, I'm in better shape, I'm in a better place - since leaving San Diego. I guess it really was time to move on.

Some passing thoughts... wait what were they?

About two weeks ago I was at yet another wedding - no, not everybody I know is getting married... just most - no this was a 'gig' for my photography side. And I realized it was nice to be able to share in these two strangers celebration. It was a little odd since I didn't know them at all, but watching them you could really see an emotional bond between the two... and it made me smile.

I guess its true people go to weddings because they want to believe that they are in the presence of true love. (I think that's from Wedding Crashers...) I'm not fan of the institution of 'marriage' and though many would describe me as jaded (myself included) a small part of me still hopes that there is such thing as love.

I'm not really sure what's the point of this post. I had some revelation while I was at the wedding... but after two weeks, those epiphanies... they just seem to fade.

Anyways, on my previous topic of friendships... I attempted to reach out to a lost friend... lost doesn't seem like the correct word. Former? One-time friend. Alas - I digress - I haven't gotten a response. I'm not sure that I expected one; it would have been nice to have a resolution so easily... but repairing the past rarely is. I'm afraid that so much time has gone by that neither party really cares about the solution... I guess - at least - the ball is no longer in my court...