you’re only as old as you feel

posted on April 15, 2008
filed under uncategorized | 8 comments

Oh, this is rich. Yes, I may be a nontheist now, but even as a believer the thought of the world NOT being billions of years old was a non-issue. Lately, the Young Earth Creationists have come back into view for me (for various reasons). I could go on AT LENGTH about these people, but that is best left for those still within the Christian tradition to deal with. But to state the Bible is true and literal, and ANYTHING else you see that says otherwise is false… I’m not sure what clinical mental disorder that is, but it probably has a name.

So as long as we’re taking the entire Bible literally, I think a page from Landover Baptist’s theology is appropriate:

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Two-year-old tantrum in the store? Teenage angst? College boy too big for his britches? There’s always an answer.

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this land is your land

posted on April 6, 2008
filed under musings, opinion | leave a comment

“Candidates are told stories by people all the time, and it’s common for candidates to retell those stories. It’s not always possible to fully vet them, but we try.” — Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee (link)

Perhaps then, the proper choice is to not tell the story.

So here are the seeming truisms of modern U.S. political activity:

Your friend that is telling you this or that about politics is in some way misinformed (that includes this)
Your candidate is in some way lying
Your candidate’s primary concern is winning
Your candidate’s lifestyle is nothing like yours
Your candidate does not represent most of your values
Your candidate, if successful, will implement none or almost none of their campaign promises
Your candidate, historically, will either do something bad or nothing
Your candidate will drive some sort of wedge between you and someone you love

Nevertheless, you live in the most successful democracy in the history of mankind (assuming you are in the United States - statistically, based on my web server statistics, you are), and there is currently no democratically-elected government that is even close to offering the number of services ours does for the amount of taxes that we pay.

Our car may be misfiring and the exhaust may be smoking, but dang if everybody else doesn’t want a ride at some point.

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upgrades

posted on April 3, 2008
filed under musings, opinion, technology | leave a comment

In response to a Twitter entry, I was reminded of an exchange I had this morning from a user:

I need to download a new version of Microsoft…

I immediately thought; “oh, we ALL need a new version of Microsoft….”

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the green muse

posted on March 27, 2008
filed under food, musings | leave a comment

I’ve been wanting to for quite some time - ever since I found out it was illegal (or at least the distribution of it was, which is no longer true), that some of the most notable writers of the Victorian and Romantic periods were fans, and that the culture that surrounded it was worth experiencing, even if it were based around a myth. I am talking about Absinthe. After its demonization in Europe in the late 19th Century, as well as one case of faulty inductive reasoning by the authorities, it went underground, and though it continued to be produced, it quickly gained the reputation of being more dangerous than moonshine during Prohibition (whether cut with Methyl alcohol or distilled through lead-soldered car radiators). An event that both furthered this perception and caused an awakening of interest was an article in Nature magazine in 1975 stating the similarity of the thujone (a chemical in Wormwood, the ingredient of “interest” in Absinthe) molecule to the THC (active ingredient in marijuana and hashish) molecule. No studies were actually done, however, and the similarity has proven to be just structural. Nevertheless, the mystique grew - which was for the better, since the increased attention was what ultimately relegated the purported baleful effects of thujone to the mythology heap.

My own experience with it, however, was much like what Hemingway described as “brain-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy.” After even one glass of Scotch - my favorite spirit - I tend to mellow out, slow down, and relax. This glass of Absinthe, however, seemed to put my mind into overdrive - thoughts were coming at a mile a minute. It is worth noting at this juncture two points: one, I had looked forward to this moment for some time, both for the cultural experience, plus the notion that Absinthe would indeed cause a more “lucid” intoxication. The second point is that I was watching a show on “Brain Fitness” at the time, which is a topic that already causes my mind to race (indeed, my mind generally races on its own, with no need for chemical help - most of the time, the chemicals are to slow it down). It may have thus been a self-caused lucidity; the realization of a long-awaited goal mixed with the alcohol providing a rush of endorphins to the system. As far as the taste goes, although I generally quite enjoy other Anise-flavored drinks (Anisette, Ouzo), this was not particularly tasty. It is a very herbal drink, but pales in comparison with the herb flavor of Jägermeister, of which I am a big fan (which, ironically, has an associated rumor - false, of course - that it has opiates in it). The louche is the most interesting thing - the transition of greenish-clear liquid to milky opalescence from the dissolution of a suspended sugar cube by cold spring water.

It was an interesting moment - once you’ve done it, you realize that the hype is far greater than the experience, but the fact that you’ve done it still rests comfortably. Kind of like traveling abroad, reaching the top of a mountain, or getting your degree - you look back and it was no big deal, but the anticipation makes the experience that much more enjoyable - and you can say “yeah, I’ve done that.”

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the roman question

posted on March 25, 2008
filed under opinion, religion | 3 comments

So after the Easter homily is complete, I am left with two questions, one based on simple logic, and one based on deeper study of military customs of antiquity.

The first question: why would Pilate “wash his hands” of the affair and then turn around and apply his personal seal to the tomb? “Yeah, honey, I know you told me to have nothing to do with this, and that’s what I thought at first - but then I decided to pin the reputation of my governorship on it.”

Second question is more rhetorical: how much is your reputation worth? The priests go to the guards and persuade them (bribe them) to say that Jesus’ followers stole the body while the soldiers were asleep. How much do you charge for copping to dereliction of duty? In a Roman army where, after the Centurion has dealt with your action, your fellow soldiers (whom will have taken your lack of security rather personally) beat the living daylights out of you (a la “Full Metal Jacket“), no less. I imagine the priest, bags of silver in hand, approaching the soldiers - the response would likely be the guards tightening their grip around the grip of their gladii, a steel look into the eyes of the cleric and stating in true Laconian fashion: “we don’t fall asleep.”

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rooftop of the world

posted on March 16, 2008
filed under ethics, opinion, religion | leave a comment

The lead story today (at least at the moment) on CNN is about the recent violence that has left scores of people dead in Tibet (link to article). This is not really news to anyone familiar with the history of Communist China since the “Cultural Revolution” - since 1959, China has asserted violent control over the Tibetan region. Historically, the bulk of Tibetan land has indeed been under Chinese authority for some time. PRC policy, however, has been anything but benevolent. The Dalai Lama (spiritual leader of the Tibetan people) has a standing arrest warrant simply for existing. Violence in Tibet since the 1959 imposition of control has been resistive, much in the way that it was in the U.K. in Ireland, in South Africa under Apartheid, and the United States during colonization and westward expansion.

A careful analysis gets to the root of the cause - Buddhism is incompatible with Chinese Communism. Indeed, the Dalai Lama has himself submitted that Chinese rule is not necessarily objectionable (link to interview); it is the freedom which China denies to its people that is missing. What the West offers to citizens is the unparalleled ability to speak out (if not also an imperative to do so) - regardless of one’s opinion of the war in Iraq, there are those who must speak out against it. There would be no balance if dissent was squelched. Yes, the cacophony inevitable in such a society is distracting; the noise serves as a “fitness routine” to assist those who would take advantage of the West’s freedoms to actively filter the incoming information in order to hone their own intellectual acuity.

“Freedom To” and “Freedom From” are incompatible. I do not want to be evangelized by Christians (quite frankly, you as a Christian do not want to try). However, I understand that, for me to encourage a free society, there is a level at which I must submit to their right to do so. To demand otherwise is abridgment of their own freedom. If a government can make a moral decision, this is something China must do - let the “Party” denounce Buddhism as just another opiate; let the government insure that its people - history laid aside - are allowed and encouraged to involve themselves in that which means most to them, and indeed strengthens the very fiber out which the cloth of the nation is woven.

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the postman always sends twice

posted on March 14, 2008
filed under musings, shopping | leave a comment

I just found this e-card company. Most are cute, some are sentimental, but this site seems to capture my snarky side pretty well. Here’s a particularly personal example:

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mea culpa

posted on March 13, 2008
filed under musings, technology | leave a comment

Had no idea my RSS feed was broken. To those to whom this matters, my apologies.

If you don’t understand the above line, think about flowers and have a nice day.

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atheism - ur doin it rong

posted on March 13, 2008
filed under religion | leave a comment

So the pastor at the Presbyterian church where I sing in Carmen’s choir asked me to do readings on Easter morning. And he knows I’m a nontheist. And being who I am, I said yes.

I wasn’t a good believer, and now I’m not even a good non-believer.

Check out this kid - he has the courage to define himself, and he’s thirteen.

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the big guy

posted on March 12, 2008
filed under religion | leave a comment

I can’t believe I’ve not written about this on my site yet. If you have not seen it, you are missing one of the funniest things ever to grace a browser on the Intertubes. See it, fall in love with it, then watch the rest of the Mr. Deity episodes on crackle.com.

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