Random Thoughts

Interesting Upcoming Film by Ben Stein... Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed

Gary Gore — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:02:51 -0500

Ben Stein is releasing a new documentary that looks to challenge those in the scientific and educational community who wish to quiet discussion in these professions about the idea we are the products of a creator and not just lucky to be here by mere chance and unfathomable probability.

This is a subject I've been very interested in. It goes beyond just the teaching of evolution in our school systems. It actually goes to the total abandonment of the scientific method and tenants of open mindedness in the field.

In persecuting those who are open to the idea of creationism, the scientific community has now made the switch from having to be defensive and take caution in the types of subjects they breach and theories they propose, to now being the persecutor and stiflers of ideas and speech.

Soapbox. Off.

http://www.expelledthemovie.com

Raves, Rants and Idle Curiosity

Drew McKissick — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Who decided that Republican states would be “red” and Democrat states would be “blue”? Is this just the result of the colors that network news shows chose to use on national maps in the 2000 election night coverage? And how did hey all decide on the same colors? I do seem to recall forty-nine states being colored blue for Ronald Reagan in 1984, so it wasn’t always that way. On the other hand, I suppose states that have a majority of people that would vote Democrat for President have a right to be blue.

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Why is it that you have to search for the Sunday comics? Am I the only one who remembers a time when the comics were an actual section of the newspaper that was folded just like every other section? It was usually the innermost section, which would serve as a wrapper of sorts for all of the sales circulars that were included in the Sunday paper. No more. Now it is hidden amongst the circulars, like some sort of buried treasure, to be used as bait to lure us in among the advertisements.

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Why do people who don’t wear boots wear bootleg jeans? Sometimes with flip-flops no less. And aren’t flip-flops kind of the opposite of boots, or about as close as you can get from boots without going barefoot?

And while we’re talking flip-flops, why does everyone seem to think that it’s OK to wear them absolutely everywhere? And I do mean everywhere. Like that visit to the White House last year by the national champion girl’s lacrosse team from Northwestern University. There they were on the lawn of the White House, getting their photo-op with the President, with half of them wearing flip-flops. Don’t’ these people have parents? What happened to that inner voice people used to come equipped with that make them want to try a little harder before going out in public?

While it is true, and is being duly noted in survey after survey, that Americans are getting fatter, when did it become fashionable to accentuate it? Specifically, why do some people tend to wear clothes that highlight every jelly roll and love handle? Other than their purely utilitarian purposes, clothes are normally used to help make the wearer look good, or at least better. So what gives?

And what about the steady downward progression of unspoken societal dress codes that lead people to go about their everyday public business dressed like they just finished cutting the grass? On the other hand, it does tend to make those who actually dress presentable more likely to stand out from the crowd.

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We have no shame in society anymore, at least partly due to the fact that we have too many people shaming those who are inclined to shame others. In other words, the only shameful practice is that of judging other people’s behavior based upon one’s own values, or even collective societal values. And the only intolerance that’s tolerated is that which is directed at, well, intolerance.

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For all of the complaining that people and politicians do about the cost of prescription drugs, you would think someone would seriously propose reinstituting the ban on advertising such drugs on television, (unless of course I am missing something and those ads are free and don’t influence drug prices). It’s the same logic for banning cigarette ads. More people smoke, get sick, use health care, drive up insurance, etc.

For that matter, we could propose the same ban on attorney advertising. More ads equals more lawsuits equals higher costs to society, etc.. And is it a coincidence that we are the most litigious society in the world as well as the most medicated?

And is it just me, or do those pharmaceutical ads seem to be getting more and more descriptive with each passing day? Is there any bodily function that we can all agree we would rather not have advertised during dinner or when children may be watching…or even at all? Can’t any areas of our lives be roped off as being an “uncouth-free zone”

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Why is it that you can’t find shoelaces to exactly match the one’s that just broke at the same store where you bought the shoes to begin with? And is this just a conspiracy to get you to go ahead and buy new shoes?

Why are so many drivers brave enough to tailgate another vehicle at high speeds, but not brave enough to pass? Or do they enjoy impatiently fuming, while only a continual half-second from flying through the windshield?

Where have all the hot airline stewardesses gone? And what’s with the escalating number of dudes pushing the beverage cart? And does this explain the existence of Hooters Air?

I see Alec Baldwin has a new TV show now. Isn’t he supposed to be living in Canada somewhere with Michael Moore?

And do some people seriously believe that Karl Rove secretly conspired to bring down the price of gas just in time for the election? And if so, can we get them all identified and put into a special national database for sales leads?

Random Thoughts and Observations

Drew McKissick — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0500

From the windmills of my mind…

What causes people to have such a complete lack of consideration for others as to not only take cell phone calls in movie theaters, but to actually MAKE them? To say nothing of having the phone turned on to begin with.

How is it that people have become so attached to something that barely existed a dozen years ago (in a mass consumer sense) and they act as though they cannot live without it nor be away from it? Do they really love the idea of always being available to interruption so much? It seems to me that, in many ways, technology has added, rather than detracted from the amount of stress people endure in their daily lives.

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Why has text messaging become such a phenomenon? And why am I so completely annoyed by it? Maybe because it is so inconvenient, at least in terms of responding to such a message. Keep in mind that the sender of such a message is almost surely doing so from a cell phone from which they could have easily (and more quickly) made a call, delivered their message, received a response and had any other interaction that might be necessary before the exchange is complete. With a text message however, (at least those that require a response), the sender expects you to type out such response on a 10 digit keypad, awkwardly thumbing your way through three letters or so for each number on the pad, essentially defeating the supposed “convenience” of the medium altogether. It just seems to me to be an inconsiderate thing to do to the recipient, especially when a simple call or voice mail would suffice.

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Advancing technology has increased the rate at which the pace of change is possible as well as occurs in practice. The quicker things change, the quicker customers grow tired of what’s on hand and look for the “next thing”. This cycle is continually getting smaller, shorter and faster.

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Market standards of accountability are much more objective and useful than government standards.----------

Consumers have benefited from one de-regulation after another, (tele-com for example), and there is no evidence to suggest that de-regulation, (or more to the point “de-monopolization”) of education would prove less beneficial. If you pay for child care or day care and then take advantage of a tax credit later, it was still “your” money, not the government’s – just as if you had put fifty dollars in the collection plate on Sunday and then deducted it from your taxes next April. How would credits for private education be any different? And why do liberals fear them so?----------

Why is it people are quicker to complain than to act, especially where politics is concerned? Why is it, regardless of what political party may be in power at any given time, public opinion polls will usually show at least a substantial minority of people who think that the country is on the “wrong track”, while those same polls would demonstrate that only about half of those who complain actually vote? Their slogan should be, “I care, I’m just not going to do anything about it”.----------

Why are the so-called “extremists” (on both the left and right) most likely to become involved in our political system? Or rather, why is it that those activists who are involved in our political system are labeled as “extremists” by those who aren’t involved? And when is the last time you ever encountered an activist “moderate”? I think it is a case of people’s levels of activism being fairly proportional to their level of passion or commitment to their views, if they have any, other than apathy that is.----------

Why is there so much focus on safety laws which force you to strap yourself into your vehicle rather than focusing on keeping you from having a wreck in the first place? Does it make sense to spend so much time and effort on legally forcing me to protect myself from injuries that result in encounters with idiots rather than legally forcing those idiots to be less idiotic? You know, those who drive with one hand (or knee) while talking on a cell phone, changing the CD player, putting on make-up or punching keys on a blackberry, rather than keeping both hands on the wheel. Is this an admission that us non-idiots are more likely to be compliant with the law? At a minimum, maybe it gives a helping hand to “natural selection”.