Bureaucracy

In Douglas Adam's book 'The Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy' the Earth was in fact a vast supercomputer designed to answer the 'ultimate question' (you know, of life, the universe and everything) but 5 minutes before it was to complete it's program it was demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. 'Ah well' sighs Slartibartfast, the planet engineer, 'That's bureaucracy for you..'

I mention this because we now have in Australia a real-life example of bureaucratic stupidity in action.

The ACMA has established a list of so-called blacklisted web-sites, and if your web page links to one you're up for heavy fines and possibly imprisonment. Now neglecting the facts concerning internet censorship and stifling of freedom of speech and so-on, the really stupid thing about it is that the list itself is secret. So you're not allowed to link to a blacklisted site even if you don't know that site has been blacklisted. That's bureaucracy for you.

I appreciate some sites may be deplorable and it can be argued we're better off without them. But how far will it go ? Will dissenting political comment be banned ? Criticism of our 'leaders'? Dr Kevorkians page ? The fact the list is kept secret means we'll never know. The whole thing smells like big brother to me. This sort of thing may be common in China (as in their 'Great Firewall') but in a country like Australia where freedom of speech is held paramount it just goes against the grain.

The great liberator is knowledge. There are too many secrets. No single state can control the entirety of the internet, but they sure as hell seem to be trying. If they succeed it will be a step backwards. Oh well, that's bureaucracy for you.

Fallout 3

Set in the year 2277, 200 years after nuclear armeggedon

I've been playing this game for a few weeks now, and I must say that it's probably the best game I've ever played. For it's depth, scope, references, and execution it gets 10 out of 10 from me.

Now considering what's been happening in the middle east recently, and as recorded history has demonstrated, warfare appears sadly to be a recurrent aspect of the human condition, and when coupled with advanced nuclear weapons technology, and those with a will to unleash them .. well, extinction becomes a real possibility. One thing I came across in this game I find bitingly poignant, (and apparently a nod to Ray Bradbury's sci-fi novel 'There will come soft rains') -

In a house in the ruins of washington DC, there is a still functioning 'servant robot'. This robot may be activated from a computer terminal nearby, and when the option to 'Read junior a bed-time story' is selected, the robot activates, goes upstairs to a child's bedroom, where a small skeleton lies on the bed, and recites this poem -


There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
And frogs in the pool singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;
Robins will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;
And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Boobah

One of the most bizarre and mind boggling TV shows I've ever seen is a childrens program called 'Boobah' .. I can't decide if it's been made by extra-terrestrial aliens or someone who has had one too many bad acid trips.

The five main porcine furry characters arrive from the sky in a ball of light with a rainbow contrail, awaken with a 'pfft' noise, and after pocking their large dome heads out of what looks suspicially like a foreskin, scan their eyes left and right with a ratchety clacking sound. they then proceed to run around in circles, bumping chaotically off each other untill a childs voice shouts their names, at which point one by one they stop and stand at attention.

And their names, unpronounceable .. something like 'gumbah' and 'zumbah' and 'zimzimzimbah' to name a few.

Then they perform a most poorly choreographed and executed dance routine, to the 'tune' of a clonking repetitous rhythm accompanied by what can only be described as farting noises. During the dance they take turns running up to the camera, scan their eyes left and right (accompanied by the ratcheting sound), and then flash the lights in their eyebrows a few times (yes you read right), run back and continue with the dancing.

The rythm increases in tempo and the dancing becomes more hectic untill they are again bumping chaotically of each other, at which point they rise into the air, make a lot of 'Weee!' noises, form a parachute style formation in the air, excrete a stream of white material from their heads (??) which mixes together and spins in the center, while acompanied by a 'Doo..Doo..Dooodoodoodoodoodoodoodoo' sound.

Next we have a small child in a room that looks like a cross between the inside of a lava lamp and a Jackson Pollock painting, who retrieves a gift wrapped box floating in midair as the narrator proclaims 'A present for the story people'

Next a segment with characters such as 'Mr Man', 'Mrs Lady', 'Granpapa' and so on, who try to undertake some mundane activity such as posting a letter, while the narrators dead-pan delivery gives us such gems as 'Oh, it's a letterbox' or 'It's Mr Man' or even 'It doesn't fit' Finally the narrator announces 'Goodbye', the story people wave, and we move on.

After some more bizarre and inexplicable shenanigans from the crew of the spaceship 'boobah', they climb back into their 'flight seats' Have one last ratchet-eye scan of their surroundings, one last flash of the eyebrow-lights (signalling all is well no doubt), give a final farewell fart as their heads retract back into their foreskins, rotate faster and faster until a blur, then lift off and fly over the horizen with their characteristic rainbow contrail following behind. As they fly off a child stands in the foreground watching, jumping up and down, waving and saying 'boobah' over and over again. Roll credits.

Don't try to see who produces the show or the country of origin in the credits, it doesn't say, but could very well be along the lines of 'copyright (c) Zeta reticulii c/o- the horsehead nebula, galactic co-ordinates +110, -12.'

if you haven't seen 'Boobah' I would strongly recommend you do at least once, but I warn you, your life may never be the same again.

Boobah currently screens on ABC 2 at 7:30am on saturday mornings.

Gladiators

Returning to the 7 network (yawn). The bios of the new gladiators was given in the latest episode of 'TV week' - I've decided to include a little more info for each one ...

BIONICA
Named after an obscure B-grade sci-fi flick, Bionica's motto is 'harder, faster, Stronger' as this phrase is often heard eminating from her bedroom at night. Bionica excels at the game of Powerball, but has yet to win any money.

THUNDER
Thunder was named by the elders (ie the show's producers). the name 'Thunder' may be steeped in fable and mythology, but clues where given early in his life when he was given the name 'You little fart'

TANK
Tank has arms like cannons and is prone to sporadic verbal outbursts of 'Sir Yes Sir'. Tank apparently personifies the fact that body and brain mass are usually in inverse proportion.

NOMAD
Named after the non-descript toyota people-mover, Nomad claims to be 'The king of the rings'. If by 'Ring' he means 'Anal sphincter', then who am I to argue ?

SCAR
Scar is known for the scars across his chest, and is often seen to slap his hand across it while shouting 'Scar'. Why he does this remains a mystery, but it has been speculated he does this to indicate the scar is causing him some discomfort. Shockingly it appears the scars are self-inflicted.

OLYMPIA
Olympia in a previous life was an olympic pole-vaulter, and has been included in the gladiator ranks in the hope of pole-vaulting the show into higher ratings.

ANGEL
Arguably the most attractive of the gladiators, Angel is best known for the feathers in hair. Where the feathers originate remain a mystery, but the fact that several nearby chicken coups show evidence of disturbance at night offers a possible clue.

OUTLAW
Outlaw professes to be somewhat of a maverick. He also claims his long hair is made from the hair of wolves he has hunted down and fought. His designer stubble then must be made from the hair of rabbits and small rodents he hunted down when he was feeling slightly peckish.

VIPER
Misnamed 'Viper', Viper is in fact an eastern european with a lisp who previously stood at traffic lights and wiped car windows for money with her electric blue hair-mop. When spotted by a talent scout she proclaimed 'I am ze viper'. when asked if she would like to be a gladiator, Viper replied 'Vot iz Zat?'

NITRO
Some debate centers on the origin of Nitro's name. Some say she is named for 'Nitroglycerine', a highly volatile and unstable chemical. Others suggest Nitro was named for 'Nitrous Oxide', a colourless gas that dulls the senses and induces sporadic fits of hysterical laughter.

KOUTA
Kouta is an ex AFL football player who excels at the game of aerial ping-pong. Unfortunately aerial ping-pong is not one of the games played in the gladiator arena, and coupled with the fact Kouta praises fair play and sportsmanship, the reason for his unlikely inclusion in the gladiator ranks remains a mystery.

AMAZON
Much as it could be said that the Amazon jungle is 'the land that time forgot' Amazon could be described as possesing'The hair that time forgot', firmly rooted as it is in the punk fashion of the early 1980's. Judging by the obvious amount of hair spray Amazons hair may in fact be an as yet unrevealed secret weapon.

HUNTER
One of Hunters signature moves is said to be the 'spider-man', a tactical move that comprises a complex sideways shuffling motion, followed by retreating under the nearest refridgerator at the slightest sign of any provocation.

DESTINY
Some suggest Destiny is distantly related to Ellie-Mae Clampett, but the voracity of this claim remains disputed. Destiny claims to believe 'all things happen for a reason' and while the true destiny of Destiny remains to be revealed, it will no doubt come about as the result of a good reason.

Ignorance is bliss

OK, some brainless vandal smashed my car window .. why ? To rifle through the glove box and then take NOTHING ... not the stereo, not the e-tag, they even left my sunnies. I suspect they were looking for a GPS unit, they seem all the rage for thieves these days .. from now on I'm gonna park my car with the glove and console boxes OPEN .. so they can see I don't have one.

I keep hearing from Malcolm Turnbull about how labor shouldn't say that interests rates will probably continue to rise - beacuse he thinks it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Don't mention the elephant Malcolm !! Just keep us all in the dark and feed us B.S. - yeah the libs had that down to a fine art. God save us from people who withold information for our own sake ! As they say the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. It's all rather orwellian. But I'd rather be warned if I'm about to step into a hole before I fall into it, thanks very much. It's a bit like Jack Nicholson's character - 'You can't handle the truth' !! I say, Yes we can. To be forewarned is to be fore-armed

One other thing about interest rates .. In the economy (as well as many other things) there is a phenomenon called 'hysterisis'. I heard someone say 'See ? I told you interest rates would rise under labor!' When I mentioned hysterisis their eyes glazed over and they faded out (Or rather I should say their ONE eye faded out). Hysterisis is defined as 'The lagging of an effect behind it's cause..' Put your foot on the brake and there is a definite delay between pressure on the pedal on the car slowing down - same thing in the economy but the delay is months or even years rather than the milliseconds with the brake pedal example. My point is the current interest rates are an effect of the Liberal coalition policies, not Labor's ! Give them a chance, they've only just got into power! I don't want to go into lengthy explanations of how interest rates are a blunt tool used to control inflation and growth (not my field anyway) but I do want to say let's gave Labor a year or two before judgeing their handling of the economy.

Lastly, Shaun Macellef (sp??) made the very good point .. if no currency is based on the gold standard anymore but only judge their value in relation to other currencies, doesn't that mean that all currencies are ultimately worthless ? - absolutely true. The whole world of economics seems to me to be a house of straw built on shifting sand, and that's a worrying thought.

But .. Let's not tell the people that one eh Malcolm ? As George Orwell once said, Ignorance is bliss.

Scientific Limericks

Time to lighten the mood.

Many years ago 'Omni' magazine ran a competition for 'scientific limericks'. There were many entries, but these ones managed to permanently lodge themselves in my brain for some reason.


A voice from the UFO cried
'To the smartest we'll give a free ride!'
Several men voulanteered
but the ship disappeared
with a whale and two dolphins inside

'The universe is curved!' noted Fred,
an astronomer learned and read.
'This scope has such power
I've just spent an hour
examining the back of my head!'.

'Don't you know where all this is leading ?
This nightmare of selective breeding ?'
He spat on the ground
and then turned around
and continued on with his weeding.

Sorry

Hmmm, Pissing in the wind. No, more like whistling in the dark. Something to do with the 'theory of mind' ? No man is an island, yet each is the center of their own universe. Who was it that said 'We perceive reality in much the same way as a man in a cave perceives the world outside by watching the shadows on the wall' no wonder there are as many viewpoints as those who experience them !!

Pos on, no negatron. Oh well, we cannot know light if we don't know dark, but light is better than darkness, can't deny that. Bang your head against the wall or be persistant. Which breaks first, the wall or your head ? The pain is an attempt to tell you, 'stop doing that !'

So I stop - but then am left behind ! Don't want that either !
Don't leave me! Don't abandon me! Ahh, but such is life, friends come and friends go, and you can't be friends with everyone.

It's no accident I took the handle 'evangelion' - Shinji Ikari, me in my darkest moments.

I slap myself across my face, 'Wake up! Snap out of it! you can't have what you want until you want what you have!'

Pos on, no negatron. Sounds like good advice to me.

Now that I've finally convinced you I'm a space cadet, I'll come back to Earth for a minute.

How brilliant is it we finally have some reconciliation with the indigenous peoples of this country! John Howard didn't dare show his face, the creep. I'm being more impressed with Kevin Rudd's performance as each day passes. Saying sorry wasn't so hard was it ? And look at the outpuring of emotion from those 2 little words. Let the healing begin.

Heidi Murkoff

If you know me, and do a little digging, it wouldn't be hard to figure who I'm talking about. But out of respect for her, and her privacy, She shall remain nameless.

Now if someone tells you they're currently reading Heidi Murkoff, it can only really mean one thing. And if I'm not adding 2+2 and getting 5, then it's really big news and I'm really happy for her.

Now when I first discovered this, I wanted to plaster it everywhere, I'm so happy for her ! but something prevented me, I don't know, It's just something about the way it was obliquely mentioned, not straight out, sort of reserved. Almost like 'Well here it is, if you figure it out then good for you.' I'm sure others have made the connection, but I've heard nothing. Am I the first ? I sort of doubt it. And if I'm not, and they're keeping it quiet, why would I want to be the one to reveal it to all and sundry ??

First I thought of an obscure post on her page, but no, that was too obvious. Then I thought of something similar on NC, but no, I don't want to do that either. I thought of a private message to her, but I'm reluctant to do that because she's never responded to me in the past and the last private message I sent went unread untill it expired. So you know I got the impression she doesn't want me to message her privately at all. The only place I have is here. So I wanted to make mention of it here, this is sort of like my private retreat, I feel safe here, if anyone ever comes here I never know, maybe they do, maybe they don't.

but anyway as pathetic as that sounds this post isn't really about me, it's about her, and the possible very good news of hers, I'm absolutely foocking stoked if it's true, There's nothing really I can do or say to assure her it's all gonna be ok, she may be feeling a little apprehensive about it (who wouldn't) but I don't really feel in the position to do that, not while it's still in this ambigous unrevealed state.

Aww gawd I'm waffling.
All I want to say is CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!

RIP Heath Ledger

I wanna say goodbye to Heath Ledger. I didn't know him personally, but he seemed like a genuine nice guy, one of natures gentleman. It's a sad loss.

I also want to comment on two peripheral issues surrounding Heaths untimely death.

Drug Companies -
There'e some speculation that a particular type of sleeping drug contributed in some way. I won't comment on that as the jury is still out but the problem with drug companies is that they are run entirely on the profit motive. The humanitarian cause has gone out the window. I don't begrudge them (or any company) making profits but the commercialization of the health industry has had such consequences as the refusal to produce life saving drugs when they are considered 'not commercially viable' (as in when only a small number of people have that particular ailment). They are not above a little manipulation of the media and of even straight out denial if one of their drugs has been found to have severe side-effects. There is also the practice of pricing many drugs beyond the reach of many of those in thirld world countries (and those in the US without health insurance) who desperately need them. They often actively persecute smaller companies for making the same drugs available at lower cost. They claim they need to recoup their Research and Development costs but it is a fact that most research on new drugs is carried out in academic institutions, the US taxpayer is effectively funding the majority of drug research, and yet the multinationals claim as much profit as the market can bear. We are talking about peoples health and well being here and leaving medicine solely to the whim of market forces seems totally inhumane to me.

Papparazi -
The Papparazi hounded Heath in Australia and due to their actions Heath chose to leave Australia permanently. I won't forget the scene I saw where a few paparazzi squirted him with water pistols as a form a 'payback' for Heath allegedly spitting at them at some previous point in time. What a stupid, childish and ridiculous thing to do. Onya guys! The paperazzi can sometimes behave so badly it amounts to nothing less than harassment, chasing people around, sticking a camera in their face at every opportunity, is it any wonder some celebs get so pissed off ? Wouldn't you ? It's just a game to them of course, and they justify themselves by saying 'Well if people didn't buy the magazines we wouldn't do it...' Sorry guys that argument doesn't wash. That same argument's been used by everyone from drug traffickers to kiddie porn peddlers, there's a market for lots of things and although gossip mags aren't illegal, harrasment and invasion of privacy is. some of them do the right thing of course, but those that don't who are money hungry and will resort to the lowest of tactics to get the 'money shot' are worthy of nothing more than contempt.

Randoms 2

I hate it when you're walking on wet concrete at night and you accidentally stand on a snail and it squishes up between your toes.

Some people think I'm a 'space cadet'. I disagree, and so does my invisible friend, the one with the propellor cap.

I seem to be ignored a lot on forums, if not I'm being shot down. That can be depressing. I'm not into comment wars.

I go all shy sometimes.

I find myself standing on a hill waving a flag, it can get lonely up there by myself, but idealism, principles and stubborness keep me there - the fool on the hill.

My favourite poem -


Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
I wish that man would go away


The shortest poem in the english language -

(concerning the ancient relationship between human beings and parasitic blood-sucking insects, specifically fleas)


Adam had'em


What the hell use are mosquitoes in the grand scheme of things anyway ?

That's all. I'm in a strange mood.

Merry Christmas.

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time to bring out and dust off the tinsel and baubles and hang them up where appropriate. Here's a few I like to bring out avery year ...

Celebrities Lament (Away in a manger)
Away with that stranger
what's there in his head ?
I think that he likes me
just wants me in bed

I don't know his name
but I do know that face
I don't think I like this
I'll carry some mace!

Cats Lament (Silent night)
Holy light, holy sound.
What's that smell?
crackers around.
Watch those kids they'll stick one up your arse
and that big tall one can run really fast
It's hard being a cat on cracker ni-ight!
It's hard being a cat on cracker night.

Area 51 Lament (Hark! the herald angels)
Hark! the herald eggheads sing
"Bring that strange confounded thing!
We don't know what it was made for
strange with it's lights and a bell that rings!
Some say it was made by aliens
Falalah lalalah lah-lah-lah
We say it's made by Australians
Falalalalah lah-lah lah lah."

Santas Lament (Jingle bells)
Jingle bells, Santa smells
kids have come all day
Oh what fun a shopping mall
ten days 'till christmas day eh?

What was that? Barbie bratz?
What the hell are those?
what's that odour rising up?
And leave the beard alone!

Peace and goodwill to all.

It was time...

Congratulations and Thank You to the people of Australia for rejecting the coalition and voting in the Rudd/Labor government!

No rabbits out of hats this time for Mr Howard and people seem to have rejected workchoices, ignored the 'Unionist' boogeyman fear campaign, and no, Australia is not going to suffer an economic collapse either. the sky did fall in though, right on the heads of the coalition!

In a way I do feel sorry for them, they seem to be completely shell-shocked. Well it might not have come as such a surprise if they weren't blinded by Mr Howards idealogically driven agenda. Some weren't I suspect, but their acquiescence made them complicit so they have no-one to blame but themselves.

A lot of right wing commentators labelled anyone who criticized the coalition as being 'Howard Haters', well I can assure anyone that there of plenty of those who hate Labor! I listened to the right-wing radio station 2GB for a few days after the election (just to hear what was being said) and the amount of vitriol and fury expressed by a lot of callers toward Labor left any 'Howard-Hating' commentary I read or heard in the dust! And this wasn't backed up by anything rational either, just full-on hate verging on noise pollution. it was disgraceful and hypocritical. I don't mind sensible debate but if they're just gonna rant and rave about nothing then they're not going to influence anybody. But if that's the outlet for their rage then so be it. Get it out, get over it, and let's start making this country the best that it can be. But as for me, I don't think I'll be tuning to 2GB again anytime soon.

Forgiveness

Sorry if I come across a bit preachy here, but I do believe it's a valid and worthwhile thing to consider ...


Lets say you're in a loving relationship and the sun is shining and the birds are singing and everything is indeed hunky dory. Then something happens, your lover transgresses in some way, some unforgiveable way. what they did was so bad, it is unforgiveable. What happens then ? The love you had for them quickly diminishes, and can easily turn to hate. The more you think about it, the more angry and hurt you become. It can literally eat you up inside.

It is generally agreed the forgiveness in this situation is the best thing you can do. but you might ask yourself why? why should I ? They are in the wrong, why do I have to be noble about it ?

Now before I answer that question, I'm not saying you should forgive and forget. If the transgression was so bad for you that it has ruined the relationship, then so be it. I am not in any way saying you should pretend like that thing never happened. That is NOT forgiveness. That is denial. A denial of a very real and valid interpretation. It may be the transgression was only slight. Not enough to destroy the relationship, but certainly damage it, and it remains there, in the back of your mind.

So why forgive ? because the pain and hurt and hatred can LITERALLY eat you up. you can LITERALLY damage your own health. Harbouring a festering load of negative emotion can make you physically sick. and you certainly won't be as happy as you could be in your life by carrying all that baggage around. Remember, forgiveness is not forgive and forget. You can forgive someone for stealing money from you, but that doesn't mean you not going to be careful with your money around them. I you're current partner betrays your trust, that doesn't mean you can't end the relationship !

Forgiveness is not some grand act of self sacrifice in the name of some noble cause, that is not forgiveness, that is indulgence. The act of forgiveness simply allows you to free yourself of all the negativity people tend to collect. Forgiveness has direct and very real benefits for yourself. When you can truly forgive people their transgressions you will be happier, healthier, life and love will flow joyously, don't we all want that ?

Now if the transgression was only slight, enough to upset you but not enough to end the relationship, make clear to them how it affected you, without being judgemental, and ask them to commit to you that they will not do that thing again, and then forgive them. If they agree but still do it again, well I guess you might realize it's time to move on, and forgive them for breaking their commitment. It's just the person they are. And we are all different.

And this not only applies to failed romantic relationships, but to ALL relationships, including the relationship you have with yourself. If you've done something wrong, make the commitment never to do that thing again, and give yourself the freedom that forgiveness can provide.

Practice forgiveness - It's like a muscle, it gets easier the more you exercise it, and it can be as easy as saying "You're an asshole, but I forgive you" any negativity you have will dissapate. They can still be assholes, the world is full of them, but to paraphrase a very wise person " forgive the assholes, for they not what they do ... "

Or to put it another way, holding a grudge is like poisoning yourself and hoping the other person gets sick.

..and here endeth the lesson...

Little lost alien

A woman in the states has reported a close encounter with an alien grey. She reported that it appeared in a manhole, with the manhole cover balanced on it's head. Now I keep an open mind about such things, but really, someone's taking the piss. What i want to know is,

Why was it in the sewers ? Maybe it had lost it's anal probe, and was hoping to find it down there somewhere. Or perhaps the teleportation equipment was in need of calibration, and so depositing it in the sewer instead of the street.

What's with the manhole cover ? Those things are heavy! and the alien greys are all reportedly pretty scrawny. Pretty good trick. Perhaps it wasn't actually a manhole cover, for all I know flat metallic hats might be the height of alien fashion this summer.

Poor little bugger! maybe it was on it's way to the alien equivalent of the melbourne cup, resplendant in new metallic flat-hat, but due to a transportation error found itself in a mid-western US sewer instead, oh dear.

Windfarms, computers and conservatism

Meh, I'm over all that stuff below now, life's too short to hold a grudge, and it may be I got the wrong end of the sticj anyway ...

I read in the paper the federal government has knocked on the head a windfarm project for victoria, the reason ? It posed a threat to and endangered parrot that has never been seen in the area. So the Tamar river pulp mill gets the go ahead despite significant ecological damage but the windfarm is rejected because of a parrot ? It's rubbish of course, the nuclear / clean coal alternative is the governments agenda, windfarms don't seem to fit in with that. What a shame.

Melbourne University once made the most efficient solar cells available in the world, but now apparently Germany has the lead in the technology. there was just no government support for solar technology research, again, what a shame.

They must think solar and wind are 'airy fairy' or something, not worthwhile of serious consideration. well it is, 'cos it's the future. The trouble with conservatives, they can't look forward beyond the next budget, or if they do, can only consider what exists now, they seem incapable of any imagination at all.

Case in point - in the 1940's, the chief of IBM infamously declared ".. the world wide market for computers will only be a handfull .." (or words to that effect). We laugh now because computers are everywhere, billions of them exist today. but I dare say he was a conservative!

Myspace thought police ??

I link to this site from my myspace profile. The next day after posting the 'God of the Gaps' post below, the link to here from myspace has been blocked !!

I tried emailing Tom to find out what's going on - but he's away, so no possibility to clear things up there. I'm wondering though, why has it been blocked ?

It may be an error, but I somehow doubt it. More likely, someone objected,
and so it was blocked, pretty damn quick too. maybe the site I referenced below, maybe someone else, who knows ?

How weak and pitiful that there was no communication to me, no attempt to dispute or discuss my opinion, This is typical of the mindset of the fundamentalist, any dissenting view is simply ignored at best, censored at worst. What a disgrace.

Whoever it was, if they're reading this, I will only say there are none so blind as those that won't see, none so deaf as those who won't hear. And none that are so weak that they are not willing to defend their beliefs, but merely seek to silence those who have different viewpoints.

How disgusting.

God of the Gaps

I found this website trying to prove the existance of God using scientific methods, I sent this email to them, and yeah I'm probably asking for trouble haha.

here's the link -
www.annointed-one.net/atheism.html

Here we go, the 'God of the Gaps' argument again. When current scientific theory fails to explain something, God is invoked to fill the gap. What a petty and narrow minded view of God. As scientific knowledge increases, God gets squeezed out and pushed into a corner, no wonder those who hold this view seem to think science is somehow 'Anti-God'.

My argument is this - God wants us to have faith, and if you have proof, you don't need faith. ergo, this 'god of the gaps' idea is contrary to Gods desire !

In reality, science is simply a methodology by which we can predict the outcomes of physical processes, incomplete as it is. Hoewever it has nothing whatsoever to say about the existance of God. By making it do so you are merely highlighting your own doubt and lack of faith !

Science works, unfortunately this doesn't sit well with the God of the gaps philosophy. So we have creationism, intelligent design, and other faith related matters masked with pseudo-science and obfuscation, in an attempt to redress this mis-interpreted imbalance.

There is no conflict, if I want my car fixed, I take it to a mechanic. If I want to know about physical processes in the universe, I will turn to science. If I want to know about spiritual matters, I will consult a holy man. Different domains, different aspects of life.

Using science in an attempt to prove/disprove the existance of God went out with the 'Counting the angels on the head of a pin' and similar ideas. Get real. Stop using the chevrolet workshop manual to try to explain why someone has a headache. What you are promoting makes about as much sense.

Meaning of Life Part 1

hmmm.. been a while.
Existentialist crisis? mid-life crisis? who knows?
Nah, not really.

I was given a catholic school education. My motto in my youth may as well have been 'question authority'

Catholic school taught me about God and Jesus and so-on and so-forth. When I was old to enough to understand such things I had on the one hand church religion and the great philosophers on the other, philosophy telling me of the great mystery of existance and the church with the far too glib and simplistic answers to life's mysteries. Not only that but other religions with different but similarly glib answers, each confident in their own 'Truth' being the 'only truth'. Well I was not so confident.

It slowly dawned on me most established religions used myth and poorly interpreted historical events to establish a religious dogma, the primary purpose of which is societal control. Historically straddling the transition between monarchistic fiefdoms and the modern representational democratic method of societal control and regulation during the middle ages. The 'religions' I thought that came closest to quantifying the nature of existance were the eastern religions, particularly buddhism.

So religion was largely a disappointment for me as far as answering the fundamental questions of existance, and the 'truth' (if such a thing exists) of it may be unknowable within existance - In Douglas Adams' book "hithhikers guide to the galaxy" the ultimate answer to the ultimate question was not the enigmatic '42' as first declared but rather that-

"...if the ultimate question and the ultimate answer were to exist in the same universe at the same time, they will cancel each other out and that universe will then cease to exist... "

Who to turn to then other than the greatest philosophical minds of a generation? Monty Python! In the movie "The meaning of life" their answer was

"..Not much, just have fun and try to be good to each other..."

What I'm left with though is that there is something within us, within all people, and as far as I know all creation, that searches for such things, a search perhaps for what has been lost, motivating the founders of religion, of those who seek the answers, like the philosphers who speculate on existance, and for me as I try to follow and make sense of all, there is some larger dimension to us, something bigger than we know. There is something .. 'extra' involved in all this, the root and basis of all religious and spriritual thought.

As in Jethro Tull's album 'Aqualung'

" ...and in the beginning man created God, but the spirit that caused men to create his God lived on in all men, even within Aqualung, but he saw it not. But for christ's sake he'd better start looking. "

Paris Hilton

Haha poor Paris Hilton! oh man, some were saying she was really a clever person in disguise and going to jail had re-arranged her priorities and so on - but I didn't see any of that on the Larry King interview -

LK - And you did read the bible when you where in jail ?
PH - (solemnly) Yes I did.
LK - Which passage did you like ?
PH - umm .. well .. it was all pretty good ...

I'm sorry Paris just be the bubbleheaded heiress we all know you to be, It's been working for you so far, the serious Paris just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. Hahaha I Laugh My Head Off.

But a big but, If Paris IS genuine and does want to straighten up and make a positive contribution, and it's not some publicists idea of a good angle to play for spin, Then I'm all for it and say Hooray for Paris! And keep it up! Listen to your heart, every human being has one. Oh and it wouldn't hurt to use that brain occassionally either ...

Complacency is not an option.

Shirley Maclean, a very interesting lady with very unorthodox beliefs. Fascinating in many ways. I remember she was being interviewed one time about re-incarnation, and why so many 'spirits' are walking around on the earth as human beings at this particular time in history - to which she replied 'These are very interesting times, we all want to see and experience what's going to happen' what exactly she was referring to she didn't elaborate on, but from various things I've read and heard about the year 2015 is going to be very interesting ....

I can't understand the nay-sayers attitude to global warming, sure the predicitons may be wrong, but if there is even the smallest chance they could be right then there MUST be some action taken, to argue about economics when confronted by global climate change sounds a little too much like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic to me.

And despite reassurances I believe global oil production has peaked, and yes science may find a viable alternative but if not, consider there is practically no aspect of modern society that doesn't rely on it. Not just petrol or diesel, but plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, industrial chemicals, and many other things are derived directly or indirectly from crude oil. It's interesting to note that like the bronze age and the Iron age, and the steam age immediatly preceeding this, we are now in what can only be called the 'Oil Age' and one day it will run out, not if, but when. Then what?

Sorry if this sounds a bit bleak, and I admit I'm playing devil's advocate, but we gotta start thinking about these things. We can overcome the problems, if we recognize and plan for them. Complacency is not an option!