Man I wish I could do something like this..
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
31in31 - May 19th - "Nothing To Say"
Today, I have nothing to say, so instead, here's a video that I thought was pretty funny.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
31in31 - May 18th - "Fear God"
Ecclesiastes 12:13
"13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man."
As I was reading this book, I came across this verse, which happens to be the second to last verse of the book. After looking up a few references, I checked the dictionary for the word "Fear" this is what I found:
1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.
3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
4. reverential awe, esp. toward God.
5. that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which a person is afraid: Cancer is a common fear. –verb (used with object)
6. to regard with fear; be afraid of.
7. to have reverential awe of.
8. Archaic. to experience fear in (oneself). –verb (used without object)
9. to have fear; be afraid.
According to the Dictionary, Fear means Fear unless it means Awe. Here's the definition of Awe:
1. an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures.
2. Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
3. Obsolete. fear or dread.
2. Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
3. Obsolete. fear or dread.
A definition of "Fear of God" from a site
Many have the tendency of minimizing the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A Biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin, and fearing His judgment on sin – even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents prevented, hopefully, some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore, seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.
What was Ecclesiastes about then? To me it says this: Without God, life has no meaning, With God, life has meaning, but we better live a life that pleases God, and live in fear of this discipline.
Live a life with no meaning, or live a life of fear. Pick one.
AS
Live a life with no meaning, or live a life of fear. Pick one.
AS
Saturday, May 17, 2008
31in31 - May 17th "The Teapot Take 2"
I must have hit a note there with a few people on my last post, first of all quoting an "idiot and a fool" apparently makes an argument moot. (Ad Hominem..). My point of it was to see "agnosticism" from a different view. It's been mentioned on this blog via the comments, that one should choose to believe or choose not to believe, but don't choose not to choose, which, as this story shows to be the better option.
Friday, May 16, 2008
31in31 - May 16th -"Parable of the Celestial Teapot"
Quoting Bertrand Russell..
"Many orthodox people speak as though it were the
business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather
than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a
mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and
Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an
elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my
assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is
too small to be revealed even by our most powerful
telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my
assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption
on the part of human reason to doubt it, I
should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however,
the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in
ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday,
and instilled into the minds of children at school,
hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark
of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of
the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor
in an earlier time."
Thoughts?
"Many orthodox people speak as though it were the
business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather
than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a
mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and
Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an
elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my
assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is
too small to be revealed even by our most powerful
telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my
assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption
on the part of human reason to doubt it, I
should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however,
the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in
ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday,
and instilled into the minds of children at school,
hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark
of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of
the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor
in an earlier time."
Thoughts?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
31in31 - May 15th - "ET OK"
It would seem the Vatican has just come out saying, "It's OK believe in Aliens"
Right on the coat tails of the UK releasing hundreds of pages pertaining UFO investigations..
Just though it'd be interesting.
Alex.
Right on the coat tails of the UK releasing hundreds of pages pertaining UFO investigations..
Just though it'd be interesting.
Alex.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
31in31 - May 14th - "In Response to Darren's Post"
This post is in response to Darren's post found here.
Darren,
First of all, the premise of not believing in something due to lack of credible evidence was not mine, it was yours.
Allow me to quote you from the previous post:
"I don't believe in UFO's. It has nothing to do with the Bible or that I see them as some kind of threat to my Christian perspective. I simply don't believe that we have any credible evidence that they exist. Yet."
And then you say this in the current post:
"And if that is the case, then I reject your premise that I only believe in something with credible evidence."
I have to ask you.. which one is it?
Second of all you make these claims:
“Looking at it as empirically as possible, just comparing the sheer number of believers, the historical accuracy of many events in the Bible, the number of people who claim to have had 'close encounters' with UFO's vs 'close encounters' with god. Add to this the physical evidence all around us that, even many atheists admit, points to an intelligent designer, or cohesive force holding everything together.”
A whole lot of things in here, I’ll break it down.
Historical Accuracy of Many Events in the Bible
Are you talking about the Moabite Stone? The Jehu Obelisk? The Babylonian Chronicle?
I think a well researched discussion on what exactly the accuracies are purported to be might be a good one indeed. It will also give us a chance to discuss the inaccuracies.
Sheer Numbers of Believers
Believing anything based on a “sheer number” is known as the “Ad Populum” fallacy. A belief in a claim should never be based on the number of people that approve of the claim.
Physical Evidence All Around Us [Pointing to Intelligent Design]
This would be another great discussion to have, showcasing the physical evidence of intelligent design! Of course, physical evidence would imply just that.. which should be in abundance as it is “all around us” I mean the smoking gun, right here.. all around us. Let’s discuss. It should be assumed though, although apparently unnecessarily, that the lack of science able to prove something does not and should not point to physical evidence of “intelligent design”. But I’m sure you already know that.
Also, an Atheist would never believe in what they believe if they agreed to what you are talking of here, or they can’t call themselves “Atheists”.
A Cohesive Force Holding Everything Together
This is an interesting one. I am sure you have heard of string theory, tiny little stings, vibrating around, slipping in and out of dimensions.. anyway, this theory, could be proven as early as this summer in large particle accelerators across seas, may just be the beginning to understanding everything, the force which holds everything together, or “Unification”, the theory of everything, the brain child of Einstein.
Darren,
First of all, the premise of not believing in something due to lack of credible evidence was not mine, it was yours.
Allow me to quote you from the previous post:
"I don't believe in UFO's. It has nothing to do with the Bible or that I see them as some kind of threat to my Christian perspective. I simply don't believe that we have any credible evidence that they exist. Yet."
And then you say this in the current post:
"And if that is the case, then I reject your premise that I only believe in something with credible evidence."
I have to ask you.. which one is it?
Second of all you make these claims:
“Looking at it as empirically as possible, just comparing the sheer number of believers, the historical accuracy of many events in the Bible, the number of people who claim to have had 'close encounters' with UFO's vs 'close encounters' with god. Add to this the physical evidence all around us that, even many atheists admit, points to an intelligent designer, or cohesive force holding everything together.”
A whole lot of things in here, I’ll break it down.
Historical Accuracy of Many Events in the Bible
Are you talking about the Moabite Stone? The Jehu Obelisk? The Babylonian Chronicle?
I think a well researched discussion on what exactly the accuracies are purported to be might be a good one indeed. It will also give us a chance to discuss the inaccuracies.
Sheer Numbers of Believers
Believing anything based on a “sheer number” is known as the “Ad Populum” fallacy. A belief in a claim should never be based on the number of people that approve of the claim.
Physical Evidence All Around Us [Pointing to Intelligent Design]
This would be another great discussion to have, showcasing the physical evidence of intelligent design! Of course, physical evidence would imply just that.. which should be in abundance as it is “all around us” I mean the smoking gun, right here.. all around us. Let’s discuss. It should be assumed though, although apparently unnecessarily, that the lack of science able to prove something does not and should not point to physical evidence of “intelligent design”. But I’m sure you already know that.
Also, an Atheist would never believe in what they believe if they agreed to what you are talking of here, or they can’t call themselves “Atheists”.
A Cohesive Force Holding Everything Together
This is an interesting one. I am sure you have heard of string theory, tiny little stings, vibrating around, slipping in and out of dimensions.. anyway, this theory, could be proven as early as this summer in large particle accelerators across seas, may just be the beginning to understanding everything, the force which holds everything together, or “Unification”, the theory of everything, the brain child of Einstein.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
31in31 - May 13th - "In Response to Dan #3"
Dan's Entry of May 12th entitled "What's the Question Again?" I made this comment:
You are locking yourself up in a fallacious argument here. Although it IS fair to say that your belief system is rational to you, it is completely unfair to say that something that is not rational to you must be irrational for everyone. In this context, rationality is a methodology one uses as a mechanism to form conclusion, based on his or her "reason". Due to the nature of varying reasons (subject of belief), it is completely possible for two people to have complete rational thoughts and arrive at completely different conclusions, and perhaps this means conclusions that fall out of YOUR three “rational” choices.I do appreciate what you are doing here, being as you are telling us why YOU believe what you do, but to say that someone who in your mind is irrational in their belief try to defend it “must do so without the benefit of reason or logic or standards or facts” is just ridiculous. What is irrational to you maybe rational to others, and their opinions are just as defendable using benefits of reason, logic, standards and facts.
You are locking yourself up in a fallacious argument here. Although it IS fair to say that your belief system is rational to you, it is completely unfair to say that something that is not rational to you must be irrational for everyone. In this context, rationality is a methodology one uses as a mechanism to form conclusion, based on his or her "reason". Due to the nature of varying reasons (subject of belief), it is completely possible for two people to have complete rational thoughts and arrive at completely different conclusions, and perhaps this means conclusions that fall out of YOUR three “rational” choices.I do appreciate what you are doing here, being as you are telling us why YOU believe what you do, but to say that someone who in your mind is irrational in their belief try to defend it “must do so without the benefit of reason or logic or standards or facts” is just ridiculous. What is irrational to you maybe rational to others, and their opinions are just as defendable using benefits of reason, logic, standards and facts.
Monday, May 12, 2008
31in31 - May 12th - "Response to The Beginning of the Beginning"
In response to Dan's "The Beginning of the Beginning" posted this morning.
I am glad to be able to get the philosophical juices flowing, as was my intent for anyone reading these posts and who show even a small bit of interest in these posts. Allowing the thought process to flow is what I feel to be not only important, but crucial to anyone with a conviction. Knowing exactly why you believe in something helps justify the belief's existence, helps justify the way you live your life, the reason you go to church, the reason you choose the method of raising your children, and the justification for judgements we put on non believers or people of different beliefs, just to name a few. Without this conviction, without having a solid answer to "why", you risk being considered a follower, a conformer, an inherited believer, or worse, you risk being challenged without having the answers. If you are a believer in God, or in Allah, or in a Benevolent One or a believer in any of the other many many gods, and are living your life in service to your chosen creator, I call you to task. I call you to put aside the fears you might have about approaching this, to roll up your sleeves, and to put down your books and your DVDs, to think past your years of schooling and your years of indoctrination. I call you to use your common sense, your intuition. I call you to really think outside the box, or the bubble if you will.
My First Thought Challenge: "The New Human"
You are a brand new human, just becoming into being. You are not a child though. You started out your human life as an adult, how you came to be is obviously NOT important here. You are standing on the ground somewhere on the earth, location not a factor, as a matter of fact, neither does your race, your sex, or the language you speak. You have no history, or at least none that you know of. The first item on your agenda (besides getting clothed) is figuring out why you exist. Where and how do you find your answer?
I understand this is not an easy thing to do, and I applaud Dan for being willing to take the challenge in a rather public forum, but of course anyone is welcome.
I am glad to be able to get the philosophical juices flowing, as was my intent for anyone reading these posts and who show even a small bit of interest in these posts. Allowing the thought process to flow is what I feel to be not only important, but crucial to anyone with a conviction. Knowing exactly why you believe in something helps justify the belief's existence, helps justify the way you live your life, the reason you go to church, the reason you choose the method of raising your children, and the justification for judgements we put on non believers or people of different beliefs, just to name a few. Without this conviction, without having a solid answer to "why", you risk being considered a follower, a conformer, an inherited believer, or worse, you risk being challenged without having the answers. If you are a believer in God, or in Allah, or in a Benevolent One or a believer in any of the other many many gods, and are living your life in service to your chosen creator, I call you to task. I call you to put aside the fears you might have about approaching this, to roll up your sleeves, and to put down your books and your DVDs, to think past your years of schooling and your years of indoctrination. I call you to use your common sense, your intuition. I call you to really think outside the box, or the bubble if you will.
My First Thought Challenge: "The New Human"
You are a brand new human, just becoming into being. You are not a child though. You started out your human life as an adult, how you came to be is obviously NOT important here. You are standing on the ground somewhere on the earth, location not a factor, as a matter of fact, neither does your race, your sex, or the language you speak. You have no history, or at least none that you know of. The first item on your agenda (besides getting clothed) is figuring out why you exist. Where and how do you find your answer?
I understand this is not an easy thing to do, and I applaud Dan for being willing to take the challenge in a rather public forum, but of course anyone is welcome.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
31in31 - May 11th - "Jonesing"
In order to fulfill my promise I owe the blog a post today. This blog entry is coming off my blackberry so it will lack the links, spellcheck, etc..
Todays entry is thanks to James D. He asked me if I have ever heard of the word "Jonesing".. I had to admit that I have never heard of the word. I asked what it was all about, apparently its a replacement for the word "craving" and most often used in the addiction world. For example:
Dude, you got any green? Im jonesing for a hit.
Or
Man that pot was soooo good, im totally jonesing for some grub.
Or
Cathy V might say.. Im all wacked out, jonesing for brew, french press style.
Todays entry is thanks to James D. He asked me if I have ever heard of the word "Jonesing".. I had to admit that I have never heard of the word. I asked what it was all about, apparently its a replacement for the word "craving" and most often used in the addiction world. For example:
Dude, you got any green? Im jonesing for a hit.
Or
Man that pot was soooo good, im totally jonesing for some grub.
Or
Cathy V might say.. Im all wacked out, jonesing for brew, french press style.
I think im gonna make a bumper sticker... "Jonesing for the Truth"
AS
Saturday, May 10, 2008
31in31 - May 10th - "Soup n' Samich Contest"
Yesterday Missy proposed a "Soup and Sandwich" contest to myself and all bloggers linked on my front page, including herself, Dan V, Darren C, Matt W and yours truly. Four of the five have a noted love for food, two of us have won contests and one.. one of us likes to kill cats. I kind of feel for Matty in this contest, I don't think i have ever tasted his cooking before, and to be honest have no idea if he even cooks (well besides cats with tazers). Anyway, in the spirit of the event I would like to encourage Matt to participate.
Here's my bet on what will be made:
Darren: "Saffron Kobe Tenderloin Sandwiches with Japanese Matsuke Mushroom / White Truffle Soup" (average cost $229.00 per plate) Wine: One of the bottles recovered from the Titanic.
Missy: "Sugary Swiss Chocolate melted in Whipped Cream Caramel Ciabatta with a bowl of liquified candy corn reduction sweetened with a condensed yolk of thirty nine easter cream eggs sprinkled with Icing Sugar and deepfried in Pepsi until brown. Wine: Ice Wine (with added honey)
Dan: "Organic Wheat Grass Tofu and Celery Stalk in between a few slices of Multigrain Unlevened Oatmeal enriched Kosher Bread served with a bowl of South East Asian Lentil Soup totalling a whopping negative 400 calories, you actually burn more calories eating it. Wine: Organic Bottle of Pinot served in a chilled glass with a raw egg and more wheat grass.
Alex: "The UFO" A samich / soup combo so out of this world, it must remain TOP SECRET until full disclosure. Wine: I would know this, but due to the compartmentalization of secrets it won't be revealed even to me until full disclosure.
Matt: "Peanut Butter and Jam with Campbells Tomato soup (with the "add milk" option)" Wine: Milk
Looking forward to it boys! (and girl)
AS
Oh and FORSURE Tanya should be a judge.. that's a no brainer. I think we should not allow spouses of participants as judges and recommend these:
M & J J
N & T V
R & G D
J & Y M
J & C D
Just off the top of my head.
Here's my bet on what will be made:
Darren: "Saffron Kobe Tenderloin Sandwiches with Japanese Matsuke Mushroom / White Truffle Soup" (average cost $229.00 per plate) Wine: One of the bottles recovered from the Titanic.
Missy: "Sugary Swiss Chocolate melted in Whipped Cream Caramel Ciabatta with a bowl of liquified candy corn reduction sweetened with a condensed yolk of thirty nine easter cream eggs sprinkled with Icing Sugar and deepfried in Pepsi until brown. Wine: Ice Wine (with added honey)
Dan: "Organic Wheat Grass Tofu and Celery Stalk in between a few slices of Multigrain Unlevened Oatmeal enriched Kosher Bread served with a bowl of South East Asian Lentil Soup totalling a whopping negative 400 calories, you actually burn more calories eating it. Wine: Organic Bottle of Pinot served in a chilled glass with a raw egg and more wheat grass.
Alex: "The UFO" A samich / soup combo so out of this world, it must remain TOP SECRET until full disclosure. Wine: I would know this, but due to the compartmentalization of secrets it won't be revealed even to me until full disclosure.
Matt: "Peanut Butter and Jam with Campbells Tomato soup (with the "add milk" option)" Wine: Milk
Looking forward to it boys! (and girl)
AS
Oh and FORSURE Tanya should be a judge.. that's a no brainer. I think we should not allow spouses of participants as judges and recommend these:
M & J J
N & T V
R & G D
J & Y M
J & C D
Just off the top of my head.
Friday, May 9, 2008
31in31 - May 9th - "Hard Truth"
In Missy fashion I have a quote:
"Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy. And in the final tolling it often turns out that the facts are more comforting than the fantasy."
Carl Sagan
Discuss?
"Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy. And in the final tolling it often turns out that the facts are more comforting than the fantasy."
Carl Sagan
Discuss?
Thursday, May 8, 2008
31in31 - May 8th - "In Response to Dan's Comments"
In the "UFO" blog entry entitled "31in31 - May 7th - "The Letter U" " Steely Dan left a comment of which I would like to highlight. If you haven't read the original post, it's the one right below this one, or just click here.
Dan's Comment in it's entirety:
First off thanks for the great comment, this is what I always hope to see when I post something of this nature. If you don't mind, and I sincerely hope you don't, I would like to take a few lines out and discuss a little.
Dan writes:
I find it interesting that you immediately went into a faith defensive posture with this, almost as a guilty party admits to NOT participating in a crime prior to even being questioned. What baffles me is how people belonging to a Structured Religious Belief System can honestly believe we are not alone in this universe and NOT have it shake a foundation. No where in the bible does it make mention of life on other planets. Does this mean that the other planets have their own bibles which make no mention of what happened on this planet we call earth? I would like to know just how you can have absolutely no reason of conflict on this?
Dan writes:
This comment surprised me a little. Conspiracy theories aside, do you actually think the governments of the world cannot keep secrets of any grade equal to or higher than a sexual act? I would disagree one hundred and sixty nine percent. First of all, the people of North America (notice I'm not American bashing here, but tempted to) are addicted to sex and smut to very high degrees, making these very hard secrets to keep. (Linda Tripp) I hope you had some degree of tongue-in-cheekedness with this comment. Through vehicles of misinformation and strict compartmentalization, governments are not only good at keeping secrets, they wrote the book on it.
Now take possible secrets about ET; Many many government employees have purportedly exposed this secret, but they are quickly labelled as quacks, and due to the unfortunate nature of the material not being sexually interesting enough and highly unbelievable in a country which stamps "In God We Trust" on their coins. They are not taken seriously by the general public, the public which looks side to side to check the reaction of others before coming to their own "opinion". Apparently eye witness testimony doesn't mean much until it's thrown on the television screen above the "CNN" channel marker without the typical smirk of bias on the face of the anchor.
Dan writes:
Well although I would almost certainly agree with what you say here, it really has nothing to do with what I was talking about. (I do find it interesting however, that you mention the term "climate change" is replacing "global warming". Justifiably so, as it has been recently found through ocean temperature mapping projects there has been a cooling rather than a warming. )
Those people that are of the belief that the "earth is in danger" are of the belief that humans are dying at record rates through disease and hunger, not to mention the wars and genocides occurring everyday, killing untold thousands, justified and motivated by race and religion. Perhaps stating the "earth is in danger" is not correct. It should be replaced with "humanity is in danger"
Dan writes:
Why it is fantastic for believers to have to reconcile faith with scientific facts? It is certainly not an easy thing for the Christian community to find congruency with science, never has. Take evolution as an example. This was a major shake up for the Christian community in it's day, science proving the earth's age as being somewhat more than 6000 years old. The reconciliation of this concept was not fantastic by any stretch. Now the generally accepted and adopted belief amongst Christians is an extremely confusing hybrid "evo-creationism" leaving the remainder of the literal Christians reconciling things such as 100 million year old dinosaurs bones as "put there by God to test our faith".
That being said, I am unsure which definition of "fantastic" you were meaning to use here, was it "extravagantly fanciful; marvelous" or "imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational"? OK OK, I'm a little tongue in cheek here, I realize the definition is the first, based on the fact that you think of it as a "great topic" to which I would agree wholeheartedly.
Dan, Feel free to comment, or better yet feel free to quote me on your blog and we can have a back and forth. And anyone else out there with thoughts on this topic, feel free to comment or quote me on your blogs. Just remember to be respectful.
AS
Update - Dan's Response to THIS post is located here (Http://strangershereourselves.blogspot.com)
BTW, welcome back to your blog.. I still hope the key fit! ;-)
Dan's Comment in it's entirety:
I think they made a movie about this kind of thing from the Left Coast city of Hollywood. Men-in-Black or something?I am open to the idea of life beyond our current knowledge, other planets etc. And I find no reason that this should conflict with my Christian faith. The idea that it
could has always baffled me (am I missing something?). Nor did the movie Contact (similar subject) shake my world view. It would indeed be a waste of space and extremely arrogant to think we are alone in God's Creation.That being said, the idea of any goverment being able to keep contact with aliens a secret makes the coffee come out of my nose. We couldn't keep a BJ in the most secure room on the planet (the Oval) secret, but this is has been hush hush for years?In addition, I find the prevailing theory that increased sightings of ETUFO's is further evidence of abnormal "global warming" (err, "climate change", is the new good-for-all-seasons term, I guess) to be hilarious. Great post Alex. I think it is a great topic. In fact any topic that asks us to reconcile our faith with scientific facts is fantastic for us as believers.
First off thanks for the great comment, this is what I always hope to see when I post something of this nature. If you don't mind, and I sincerely hope you don't, I would like to take a few lines out and discuss a little.
Dan writes:
"I am open to the idea of life beyond our current knowledge, other planets etc.
And I find no reason that this should conflict with my Christian faith. The idea
that it could has always baffled me (am I missing something?)." Nor did the movie Contact (similar subject) shake my world view. It would indeed be a waste of space and extremely arrogant to think we are alone in God's Creation.
I find it interesting that you immediately went into a faith defensive posture with this, almost as a guilty party admits to NOT participating in a crime prior to even being questioned. What baffles me is how people belonging to a Structured Religious Belief System can honestly believe we are not alone in this universe and NOT have it shake a foundation. No where in the bible does it make mention of life on other planets. Does this mean that the other planets have their own bibles which make no mention of what happened on this planet we call earth? I would like to know just how you can have absolutely no reason of conflict on this?
Dan writes:
"That being said, the idea of any goverment [sic] being able to keep contact with aliens a secret makes the coffee come out of my nose. We couldn't keep a BJ in the most secure room on the planet (the Oval) secret, but this is has been hush hush for
years?"
This comment surprised me a little. Conspiracy theories aside, do you actually think the governments of the world cannot keep secrets of any grade equal to or higher than a sexual act? I would disagree one hundred and sixty nine percent. First of all, the people of North America (notice I'm not American bashing here, but tempted to) are addicted to sex and smut to very high degrees, making these very hard secrets to keep. (Linda Tripp) I hope you had some degree of tongue-in-cheekedness with this comment. Through vehicles of misinformation and strict compartmentalization, governments are not only good at keeping secrets, they wrote the book on it.
Now take possible secrets about ET; Many many government employees have purportedly exposed this secret, but they are quickly labelled as quacks, and due to the unfortunate nature of the material not being sexually interesting enough and highly unbelievable in a country which stamps "In God We Trust" on their coins. They are not taken seriously by the general public, the public which looks side to side to check the reaction of others before coming to their own "opinion". Apparently eye witness testimony doesn't mean much until it's thrown on the television screen above the "CNN" channel marker without the typical smirk of bias on the face of the anchor.
Dan writes:
"In addition, I find the prevailing theory that increased sightings of ETUFO's is further evidence of abnormal "global warming" (err, "climate change", is the new good-for-all-seasons term, I guess) to be hilarious."
Well although I would almost certainly agree with what you say here, it really has nothing to do with what I was talking about. (I do find it interesting however, that you mention the term "climate change" is replacing "global warming". Justifiably so, as it has been recently found through ocean temperature mapping projects there has been a cooling rather than a warming. )
Those people that are of the belief that the "earth is in danger" are of the belief that humans are dying at record rates through disease and hunger, not to mention the wars and genocides occurring everyday, killing untold thousands, justified and motivated by race and religion. Perhaps stating the "earth is in danger" is not correct. It should be replaced with "humanity is in danger"
Dan writes:
I think it is a great topic. In fact any topic that asks us to reconcile our faith with scientific facts is fantastic for us as believers.
Why it is fantastic for believers to have to reconcile faith with scientific facts? It is certainly not an easy thing for the Christian community to find congruency with science, never has. Take evolution as an example. This was a major shake up for the Christian community in it's day, science proving the earth's age as being somewhat more than 6000 years old. The reconciliation of this concept was not fantastic by any stretch. Now the generally accepted and adopted belief amongst Christians is an extremely confusing hybrid "evo-creationism" leaving the remainder of the literal Christians reconciling things such as 100 million year old dinosaurs bones as "put there by God to test our faith".
That being said, I am unsure which definition of "fantastic" you were meaning to use here, was it "extravagantly fanciful; marvelous" or "imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational"? OK OK, I'm a little tongue in cheek here, I realize the definition is the first, based on the fact that you think of it as a "great topic" to which I would agree wholeheartedly.
Dan, Feel free to comment, or better yet feel free to quote me on your blog and we can have a back and forth. And anyone else out there with thoughts on this topic, feel free to comment or quote me on your blogs. Just remember to be respectful.
AS
Update - Dan's Response to THIS post is located here (Http://strangershereourselves.blogspot.com)
BTW, welcome back to your blog.. I still hope the key fit! ;-)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
31in31 - May 7th - "The Letter U"
U is for UFO.Let's discuss. Are there UFO's? One could answer quite simply "yes of course, by it's definition there are plenty of Unidentified Flying Objects all around us everyday".. but this is not what I'm writing about. I'm writing about the real McCoy, the grand pappy of them all.. the Extra Terrestrial UFOs. The method of travel chosen by intelligent beings inhabiting other planets to our planet.
Since Ray and Mark's sighting in Feb of this year, documented in a comment on THIS blog entry, I've been feverishly researching this phenomena to a point of obsession. The amount of information out there on the net is astounding, not to mention the published books and other media on the subject known as ufology, exopolitics, exobiology, etc.. I've become as close to an expert one can get being educated purely on research and hearsay, never having a close encounter myself, I remain cautiously open minded.
What I would like to do here is throw a couple of links at you of current events strictly relating to ufology. If you don't already know, ufo "sightings" have been increasing at a massive rate globally, so much so that the evidence is staggering. I'm not just talking about fuzzy videos and crappy pictures, there have been a few mass sightings.. unexplainable stuff.. but that's just the beginning. The main thing being empathically discussed now is disclosure.
There are many websites and books being published on the hot topic of disclosure. In a nut shell, this is what it is being said: Alien races have been visiting earth for many many years. Most of the governments know about them and have been in communication with them but have kept this secret for many good reasons. The governments have had compliance and cooperation with the alien races up until recently, where it's thought that the alien races think the general population of the earth now need to know of their existence and to prove that we are not alone. Why this push on disclosure is of massive discussion and debate, no one is really sure but the generally accepted speculation is that planet earth is in danger, and that we need help. The governments are being pushed to full disclosure with the help of the aliens, but are very reluctant to for obvious reasons, the two largest of course being religious and economical (not to mention political of course).
This topic is huge. But if you are interested in this kind of thing, here is one link you should look at. It is by far the most popular and visited site pertaining to ufology:
Here's another interesting read:
Majestic Documents
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
31in31 - May 6th - "Crash and Burn"
Please join me in welcoming Missy to the wonderful and egomanical world of blogs! You can find her blog right... over... here. Whoops, I mean here. Crap.. something is wrong with my links.. oh wait HERE it is!
http://miss-adventures-eh.blogspot.com/
I am in overload, two friends building blogs in one week? I LIKE! Matt is still having some crash and burn problems on his blog, but you know what, we'll just give him some time. Matt, today's video goes out to you.
Missy, I look forward to seeing what you can come up with! If you like I can throw out a few challenges, and maybe you can help me with finishing off the alphabet. I have "U" pretty much complete.. but I'm assuming you might be able to do "M" a better justice.
I'm playing around with RSS and ATOM feeds today in an attempt to be alerted via email when a post is made on a blog I'm watching. It may come as a surprise but I have never used feeds yet. Anyone out there use feeds? Comment on it.. I have subscribed to the blogs in my hit list using Google's Reader program.
News of the Day
71 years ago today, May 6th 1937, The Hindenburg, the pride of Germany's Third Reich, crashed killing 36 people.
Video of the Day
Take care and be safe out there.
AS
http://miss-adventures-eh.blogspot.com/
I am in overload, two friends building blogs in one week? I LIKE! Matt is still having some crash and burn problems on his blog, but you know what, we'll just give him some time. Matt, today's video goes out to you.
Missy, I look forward to seeing what you can come up with! If you like I can throw out a few challenges, and maybe you can help me with finishing off the alphabet. I have "U" pretty much complete.. but I'm assuming you might be able to do "M" a better justice.
I'm playing around with RSS and ATOM feeds today in an attempt to be alerted via email when a post is made on a blog I'm watching. It may come as a surprise but I have never used feeds yet. Anyone out there use feeds? Comment on it.. I have subscribed to the blogs in my hit list using Google's Reader program.
News of the Day
71 years ago today, May 6th 1937, The Hindenburg, the pride of Germany's Third Reich, crashed killing 36 people.
Video of the Day
Take care and be safe out there.
AS
Monday, May 5, 2008
31in31 - May 5th - "Stuck On This Island"
Well hello and welcome to blog land Darren! For those who don't know, Darren C (aka The BigDC) started up his own blog on the weekend.. finally!
DC, a very accomplished and successful chef, beer drinker, guitar hero master and one of the greatest intellectual thinkers of the 21st century has decided to share of his most intimate collection of thoughts and meanderings at "Stuck on This Island" blog hosted by blogger.
I'm hoping we'll be seeing the recipe for things such as "The Pulled Pork Samich" or "The Man Burger" or even the prized (but easily beatable) "Contest Winning Chili"
Look forward to seeing you raise the blog bar Darren! ;-)
That being said.. here is a small list of other people that would raise the bar on their own blogs:
Tanya S
I know she already said she wouldn't do it, but the only excuse should be cause she's writing a book or two or studying for her PhD.
Leona S
A blog entitled "Living with Alex" should have more than enough material for a blog and might be a good way to vent with tons of rants ;-)
Ray S
There's a hidden bottle of pharmaceuticals here that once the child proof safety top is uncapped can reveal an overdose of something highly entertaining and yet medicinal at the same time.
Joylaine J
Two words - Photo Blog.
Chris / Missy W
I'm thinking MOVIE blog? or using the formula: Mundane + Missy = Interesting, Interesting + Missy = (Over the Top)2
Dan / Jen V
I know you already have a blog, but it needs defibrillation! Blogging about new places you find good foods / wines etc.. come on, you know it.
Matt, you're blog is also in need of a little firecracker. "But we have a BABY.." not gonna work.
News of the Day
Families feel the effects of blogs' candid comments
Video of the Day
Here is a guy who decided to try something new in his life. He started a Video Blog on Youtube and his first entry pulled in 2.8 million hits with 12,ooo comments. If you watch his second video he talks about how overwhelming this was.
DC, a very accomplished and successful chef, beer drinker, guitar hero master and one of the greatest intellectual thinkers of the 21st century has decided to share of his most intimate collection of thoughts and meanderings at "Stuck on This Island" blog hosted by blogger.
I'm hoping we'll be seeing the recipe for things such as "The Pulled Pork Samich" or "The Man Burger" or even the prized (but easily beatable) "Contest Winning Chili"
Look forward to seeing you raise the blog bar Darren! ;-)
That being said.. here is a small list of other people that would raise the bar on their own blogs:
Tanya S
I know she already said she wouldn't do it, but the only excuse should be cause she's writing a book or two or studying for her PhD.
Leona S
A blog entitled "Living with Alex" should have more than enough material for a blog and might be a good way to vent with tons of rants ;-)
Ray S
There's a hidden bottle of pharmaceuticals here that once the child proof safety top is uncapped can reveal an overdose of something highly entertaining and yet medicinal at the same time.
Joylaine J
Two words - Photo Blog.
Chris / Missy W
I'm thinking MOVIE blog? or using the formula: Mundane + Missy = Interesting, Interesting + Missy = (Over the Top)2
Dan / Jen V
I know you already have a blog, but it needs defibrillation! Blogging about new places you find good foods / wines etc.. come on, you know it.
Matt, you're blog is also in need of a little firecracker. "But we have a BABY.." not gonna work.
News of the Day
Families feel the effects of blogs' candid comments
Video of the Day
Here is a guy who decided to try something new in his life. He started a Video Blog on Youtube and his first entry pulled in 2.8 million hits with 12,ooo comments. If you watch his second video he talks about how overwhelming this was.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
31in31 - May 4th - "Sneezes"
News of the Day
Sneeze Fetish?
Video of the Day
A panda sneezes and scares the heck outta the momma bear.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
31in31 - May 3rd - "Cloverfield"
Well its early saturday morning here in great Vancouver, and I'll be on a plane soon back to Calgary. To all those family members who read this blog and wonder why the heck i didn't call, it's been busy, real busy. I didn't even have a chance to eat any sushi, which (has to be a first). No sushi, damn.
Just finished watching "Cloverfield". Chris W, you and I are watching this one again on the big screen. I might just have to put it in my top 10!! After such horrible reviews I have postponed watching it, but when you're at a hotel, it's midnight and you can't sleep.. there's really no excuse not to, and I was totally surprised! Still buzzin.. intense..
News of the Day
A great day in Cuba.. Cubans are finally allowed to buy computers.. Yes you heard me right. But the bad bad internet is still a big no no. What fun is a PC without the Internet?
Video of the Day
Just finished watching "Cloverfield". Chris W, you and I are watching this one again on the big screen. I might just have to put it in my top 10!! After such horrible reviews I have postponed watching it, but when you're at a hotel, it's midnight and you can't sleep.. there's really no excuse not to, and I was totally surprised! Still buzzin.. intense..
News of the Day
A great day in Cuba.. Cubans are finally allowed to buy computers.. Yes you heard me right. But the bad bad internet is still a big no no. What fun is a PC without the Internet?
Video of the Day
Friday, May 2, 2008
31in31 - May 2nd - "Eat My Hat"
So I'm coming back from a dinner last night, and one thing more constant about Vancouver than fine dining is the ever present homeless people begging for money for one thing or another. I was a little intrigued with this scraggly bearded man who came up to me, you got to hand it to these people for constantly coming up with something new to try to get drug or booze money. I saw him approaching me, and instinctively attempt to subvert his interception. He jinked left, I jinked opposite, he then locked in and I was unable to avoid any longer. This is how the conversation went, keeping in mind I had a few glasses of wine for dinner and was feeling "fine".
He starts, "Mister, Do you have a few bucks for me? I am so hungry I could eat my hat"
I said, "Eat your hat? Man, you have to be pretty hungry" His hat, a baseball type with a rainbow on it, only it didn't look a rainbow anymore it looked like a old piece of bacon, almost edible I thought grimly.
"Yea, I'm pretty damn hungry, got a few bucks?" he responded, obviously wanting to get to the point.
"I'll tell you what I'll do" I said smugly, "I'll give you five bucks, you give me your hat.. that way, you can eat, and you don't have to eat your hat." At the time I thought this was a good idea, but as I write this I'm thinking I should have just gave the better default answer.
"OK Mister, here ya go" he says as he lifts the dirty hat off his head with an even dirtier hand. He stretches it out and hands it to me, jutting it toward me in a dagger like motion. I took a look inside the hat from hell, and knew I had to stay away from it, I was calling his bluff after all.. and now he was calling mine. "Here you go" he says louder. I dug in my pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill, threw it in the hat.
"Keep the hat" I said, and walked away.. The moral of the story is, if someone is actually hungry enough to eat a hat, they be hungry enough to sell it..
Even during my time of enlightenment, I can be such a dumb ass.
Alex.
Stupid News Story of the Day
Thanks to Mr David Suzuki, Vancouver restaurants could stop serving wild salmon.. Click Here
Stupid Video of the Day
How is this real??
He starts, "Mister, Do you have a few bucks for me? I am so hungry I could eat my hat"
I said, "Eat your hat? Man, you have to be pretty hungry" His hat, a baseball type with a rainbow on it, only it didn't look a rainbow anymore it looked like a old piece of bacon, almost edible I thought grimly.
"Yea, I'm pretty damn hungry, got a few bucks?" he responded, obviously wanting to get to the point.
"I'll tell you what I'll do" I said smugly, "I'll give you five bucks, you give me your hat.. that way, you can eat, and you don't have to eat your hat." At the time I thought this was a good idea, but as I write this I'm thinking I should have just gave the better default answer.
"OK Mister, here ya go" he says as he lifts the dirty hat off his head with an even dirtier hand. He stretches it out and hands it to me, jutting it toward me in a dagger like motion. I took a look inside the hat from hell, and knew I had to stay away from it, I was calling his bluff after all.. and now he was calling mine. "Here you go" he says louder. I dug in my pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill, threw it in the hat.
"Keep the hat" I said, and walked away.. The moral of the story is, if someone is actually hungry enough to eat a hat, they be hungry enough to sell it..
Even during my time of enlightenment, I can be such a dumb ass.
Alex.
Stupid News Story of the Day
Thanks to Mr David Suzuki, Vancouver restaurants could stop serving wild salmon.. Click Here
Stupid Video of the Day
How is this real??
Thursday, May 1, 2008
31in31 - May 1st - "The Banana Leaf"
In Vancouver again for the next few days, and every time I come here I am amazed at the differences from Calgary. I could mention the climate, the fact that it's almost summer here compared to cowtown, but the one thing that always sets this place apart from others is the good freakin eats.
Last night I went to this small shoebox sized restaurant called "The Banana Leaf" specializing in Malaysian cuisine. It was a recommendation by a coworker of mine who lives in Vancouver, so I sprung on the opportunity to try something that wasn't sushi, and it was no disappointment. I urge you try this place if ever you find yourself in Vancouver and in the mood for some spicy food! Below are some details.
Banana Leaf Vancouver
Daily Blog Features:
Stupid News Story of the Day
A 911 operator falls asleep during a call.. Check it out
Stupid Video if the Day
Everyone has at least one stupid story like this in their life..
Last night I went to this small shoebox sized restaurant called "The Banana Leaf" specializing in Malaysian cuisine. It was a recommendation by a coworker of mine who lives in Vancouver, so I sprung on the opportunity to try something that wasn't sushi, and it was no disappointment. I urge you try this place if ever you find yourself in Vancouver and in the mood for some spicy food! Below are some details.
Banana Leaf Vancouver
Daily Blog Features:
Stupid News Story of the Day
A 911 operator falls asleep during a call.. Check it out
Stupid Video if the Day
Everyone has at least one stupid story like this in their life..
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