There were just a few things I really wanted to do this year. One was to take guitar lessons and start playing more regularly. I start lessons on Monday. :)
The other was to pick up French...but I haven't found any French speaking clubs, etc. I'll keep searching.
Finally, I wanted to spend more time in the yard...it's early yet...but I'm spending 30 minutes to an hour each day around the pond, etc. Fun stuff.
How are yours going?
Friday, April 21, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
8th grade math
| You Passed 8th Grade Math |
 Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct! |
I have no idea which one is wrong! I wonder if they have a problem in their code...once question is listed with "None of the above" as the second option...when there are two value below it. Weird.
"What if" versus "I believe"
I've read a few books or seen a few books lately that really got the cognitive juices going.
Did anyone read, The Intimate Life of Abraham Lincoln? I was simply blown away at even the idea of the late President Lincoln being gay, or bi for that matter. It is a really interesting read. There are lots of letters, etc. that back up some of the authors conclusions...but so many folks who read the book (even more that have never read it) simpy say, "I don't believe that!".
How can they deny the evidence...sure, ignore the conclusion...but to not acknowledge the evidence is really frightening. Isn't being open minded about gathering all the facts you can and then form your conclusion...leaving room that others may conclude things differently?
How about, The Jesus Papers? Some of the concepts are simply astounding. The history of how the Bible came into being, etc. really revealed some ignorance on my part. "I believe" tended to get trumped quite often with "the fact is this". I wouldn't say it shook my religious beliefs as much as it made me ponder many of the things that are quoted completely out of context.
I had one Christian tell me, long, long ago, that she didn't believe in "thermal dynamics" simply because she refused to believe that God would create anything she didn't understand. She was obviously very young in her faith and knowledge of both the Bible and the world. There are hundreds of millions of things that we'll never be able to grasp. The fact that she is still on spiritual milk, rather than meat, wasn't a surprise to me. :)
Did anyone read, The Intimate Life of Abraham Lincoln? I was simply blown away at even the idea of the late President Lincoln being gay, or bi for that matter. It is a really interesting read. There are lots of letters, etc. that back up some of the authors conclusions...but so many folks who read the book (even more that have never read it) simpy say, "I don't believe that!".
How can they deny the evidence...sure, ignore the conclusion...but to not acknowledge the evidence is really frightening. Isn't being open minded about gathering all the facts you can and then form your conclusion...leaving room that others may conclude things differently?
How about, The Jesus Papers? Some of the concepts are simply astounding. The history of how the Bible came into being, etc. really revealed some ignorance on my part. "I believe" tended to get trumped quite often with "the fact is this". I wouldn't say it shook my religious beliefs as much as it made me ponder many of the things that are quoted completely out of context.
I had one Christian tell me, long, long ago, that she didn't believe in "thermal dynamics" simply because she refused to believe that God would create anything she didn't understand. She was obviously very young in her faith and knowledge of both the Bible and the world. There are hundreds of millions of things that we'll never be able to grasp. The fact that she is still on spiritual milk, rather than meat, wasn't a surprise to me. :)
Monday, April 10, 2006
Conspiracy Theory...
Perhaps the world is really more complex than I realized. Perhaps, the higher up government officials, and those even higher than that, are secretly plotting, strategizing, and thinking about both short-term and long-term effects of things.
Have you ever wondered why so many sitcoms, dramas, etc. have three or more kids per family...even though the national average is still two? Why don't 50% of married folks on these shows get a divorce...it's 50% nationally (actually a bit higher now)? What about those with ashma? Arthritis? Even diabetes? Where are all of those folks? What about overweight folks...or those that struggle with staying in shape by keeping a strict diet and going to the gym or running?
I know these aren't appealing concepts...that sexuality sells...as does one big happy family. But at what point does our entertainment and fantasies affect our realities?
Is there some conspiracy to have more kids than just two? If so...why? Is our economy and growth that closely linked to having more kids than fewer kids?
Have you ever wondered what would happen if folks realized that cell phones really are a nicety...not anything more? For the majority of us, an internet connection isn't needed either...we could live without it. A new car or car with less than 100K miles...not really a necessity at all. The lesser quality of American cars kind of reenforces these ideas...those cars rarely last like a Japanese or European car. Why? Why do American car companies want us to either a) buy a new car every 50K miles...or b) put tons of maintenance costs into our American cars? It just seems weird to me. Don't 3-year leases imply that most folks really shouldn't own a car more than 3 years before changing them out? Don't 1 year warranties imply that the product probably won't really last reliably more than a year? Even cell phone contracts being one year, sometimes two years implies that we should get a new plan and new phone at the end of that time...but do we really need one?
What if America realized it didn't need to consume as much as it did? It would be a global impact. Everything from food, to clothes, to cars, to cell phones...why do we have this desire to consume (shop, eat, have the "newest", keep up with the "Jones", etc)? And how much of that is fed to us rather than it being selfgenerated?
Just random thoughts on a Monday morning.
Have you ever wondered why so many sitcoms, dramas, etc. have three or more kids per family...even though the national average is still two? Why don't 50% of married folks on these shows get a divorce...it's 50% nationally (actually a bit higher now)? What about those with ashma? Arthritis? Even diabetes? Where are all of those folks? What about overweight folks...or those that struggle with staying in shape by keeping a strict diet and going to the gym or running?
I know these aren't appealing concepts...that sexuality sells...as does one big happy family. But at what point does our entertainment and fantasies affect our realities?
Is there some conspiracy to have more kids than just two? If so...why? Is our economy and growth that closely linked to having more kids than fewer kids?
Have you ever wondered what would happen if folks realized that cell phones really are a nicety...not anything more? For the majority of us, an internet connection isn't needed either...we could live without it. A new car or car with less than 100K miles...not really a necessity at all. The lesser quality of American cars kind of reenforces these ideas...those cars rarely last like a Japanese or European car. Why? Why do American car companies want us to either a) buy a new car every 50K miles...or b) put tons of maintenance costs into our American cars? It just seems weird to me. Don't 3-year leases imply that most folks really shouldn't own a car more than 3 years before changing them out? Don't 1 year warranties imply that the product probably won't really last reliably more than a year? Even cell phone contracts being one year, sometimes two years implies that we should get a new plan and new phone at the end of that time...but do we really need one?
What if America realized it didn't need to consume as much as it did? It would be a global impact. Everything from food, to clothes, to cars, to cell phones...why do we have this desire to consume (shop, eat, have the "newest", keep up with the "Jones", etc)? And how much of that is fed to us rather than it being selfgenerated?
Just random thoughts on a Monday morning.
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