Entry: The politics of me :)

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Entry: Happy birthday to me.....

Ok....it's official. I'm 30 years old. All of the warranties on my body have expired and the next milestone I have to look forward to is the one where I start to collect social security. :)

So, what did I do for my birthday weekend? Not much, really. Still had a good time. My mother decided to come over during the day Friday and clean the heck out of parts of my house. Is anyone else out there scared of having their mother find something embarrassing while rummaging through things? It's a constant fear that I live with. :)

Friday evening, I attended a full moon hash at West Ashley High School. I even got named at this event. My hash name is officially "Bobby Boucher" (pronounced "boo-shay"). They thought this a fitting name since I'm the only one who's always drinking water. It also looks like I'm registered and all set to go to the upcoming NC/SC interhash in a few weeks. I'm looking quite forward to it since Mike and a couple of other friends are going to be here in Chucktown. Good times will be had! :)

Saturday evening, I was supposed to go to see 'Spiderman 3', but the person who was taking me out that night talked too much during dinner and we ended up missing the movie. Therefore, we went back to my place and watched 'Monster House'. That is a really good movie for anyone out there with any inkling of imagination.

Sunday evening...more of the same. Another friend took me out to dinner at IHOP and then we went to go see 'Pirates of the Caribbean 3'. It was ok. I'd have to say that it was my least favorite of the three movies. It was definitely worth the see though. :)

Why the pagan route?

BEFORE YOU READ... Ok. Some folks have had some difficulty digesting this post. It is important that you understand that I am *not* bashing *any* religion, condoning any, NOR advocating science. This is simply my modest attempt at standing up for the "little guy" who always seems to get picked on by his bigger brothers (so to speak). And yes...I'm *still* agnostic!



Am I a pagan? No.
Do people consider me to be a pagan? No.
Do I practice any pagan rituals? Again...no.

So, why talk about it? Well...to put it simply, it seems like I've been having theological discussions with a lot of people of late and the subject of paganism usually enters the fray (much to the chagrin of the other person(s) ).

Although I'm hardly a practicing pagan, I find that its foundations are (what I consider to be) a perfect counter-example of what I find wrong with faith-based dogmas.

Before anyone starts sending me hate mail and other nasty-grams, please keep in mind that I respect everybody's right to their own religious convictions and traditions. Although agnostic, I would go kicking and screaming to the grave to preserve man's right to freedom-of-religion.

The primary issue that I have with faith-based religions is the method by which they arrive at conclusions. I didn't realize how huge of a deal this was to me until I found myself describing it to a friend recently.
I'm not going to turn this into another one of those 'Science vs. Religion' speeches that people are so fond of giving these days. However, I would like to mention the scientific method. I don't credit science for the creation or discovery of that method. I do credit science for using it though. Personally, I think that the name is somewhat unjustified and that this particular method could apply to pretty much anything....not just scientific inquiry.

Here is an example that I gave someone recently.

[BEGIN EXAMPLE]
Susan is watching TV and hears the weather man say that there is a 100% chance of rain at 5pm. She has great faith in the weather man. At 4:59pm, she looks up and notices that there isn't a cloud in the sky and that the sun is shining brightly. There are two potential thoughts that enter Susan's mind at this moment.

1. The weather man must have been mistaken.
...or...
2. The weather man is still correct. Clouds must really not be necessary for there to be rain.
[END EXAMPLE]

Most people (including Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc) would look at #2 and think that Susan would have to be smoking some serious hash to arrive at that conclusion.

Well...oddly enough, #2 should actually sound very family to most faith-based religions. Again, before anyone starts pelting me with fruit and rotten eggs, let me explain.

Per the scientific method, Susan would look up, notice the lack of any cloud cover, and compare that against the premise that led her to believe that clouds were required for rain. She would think that the lack of clouds does NOT support the weather man's assertion (premise) and therefore, he MUST be mistaken.

However, in the case of #2, Susan decides that her faith in the weather man is well placed and that, if the premise does not support the weather man's prediction, the premise MUST invariably be wrong.

Again...it seems like she's smoking a pipe, but that's her faith talking. Again (disclaimer time)...I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH FAITH....I simply do not subscribe to the concept of BLIND faith.

In science, if the premises do not support a conclusion, then the CONCLUSION must be incorrect. In faith, if the premises do not support a conclusion, then the PREMISE(S) must be incorrect. Personally, I like seeing evidence (for lack of a better word) for myself and drawing conclusions that are supported BY that evidence.

Let's use Catholicism as an example (as I hide behind the counter to avoid the rotten fruit that is about to be thrown at me). If I were to find a historically-rel event piece of literature that did not support my current belief structure, I would simply think..."Hmm...maybe I'm not completely correct and need to re-evaluate a few details". However, the Vatican would simply say that the document is either fake, irrelevant, or heretical. ANYTHING that challenges their perception of faith simply can NOT be correct. The conclusion is unimpeachably written in stone and if the evidence doesn't support it, then the evidence is bogus. To me, that's like saying "I think you shot your wife. The DNA evidence goes toward your innocence, but since I believe that you did it, you get the chair anyway.".

Ok...on to the pagans! :)
Again....why the pagan route? Simple. Pagan chicks are hot!!!

Ok...jokes aside....

All knowledge that I have on the concept of pagan tradition is very general. I've read about some of the major forms - Shamanism, Druidism, and everyone's favorite, Wicca. I don't claim to be an expert on any of them but have a pretty good working knowledge of the high-level similarities between them.

To be blunt....pagan traditions are founded on observation (or so they appear to be). They observe the sun, the moon, the placement of both and the amount of time that each rules the sky. They observe the crops, the weather, and even the fertility of the human body. You could walk up to someone in a Muslim place of worship and claim that the Earth is the mother (or father, or god, or whatever) of mankind. They would look at you like you had two heads and say something to the effect of "Ummm....no. That would be Allah (praise be unto him)."

How far-fetched is the idea of the earth-as-creator concept? Not as far-fetched as I once thought. Genesis tells that we are created in God's own image. Not trying to spark a debate here, but what would God need with fingers? How about ears? A tongue? How about a rectum?

The more I thought about it, the more the similarities between the human form and the Earth became apparent. The earth has a circulatory system (oceans, lakes, rivers, etc), the earth has a respiratory system (the atmosphere, which, interestingly enough, has annually fluctuating inverse-proportions between oxygen and carbon dioxide). The Earth has flesh (land). The earth ages and shows signs of that age (plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, continental drift). Our bodies are literally made up of elements and compounds that are provided from the planet. In a way, the Earth LITERALLY birthed us (and it's kind of hard to argue that it didn't).

I find it humorous that people think that the above observable similarities are simply a figment of imagination and that I must be drunk because we are OBVIOUSLY in the image of a being whom 6 billion people can't agree on, has only conflicting written texts, and is pretty much passed on from generation to generation through word-of-mouth (man's mouth, no less) through parable and story. Yeah. What was *I* thinking??? :)

I'm not saying that pagans are right or that Christians/Muslims are wrong. I'm simply saying that nobody can begrudge any pagans who subscribe to the above. Their belief is based on observation that anyone can argue about, but yet nobody can deny the existence of.

Do you hate me yet? ;)

"But we have the 5 pillars of Islam, the 10 commandments, and the 8-fold path."
Yes...your point being? (and I mention the Buddhist 8-fold path lightly since most don't consider it to be a religion).

What is the first rule of Wicca? Anybody? Anybody? Here are some choices...
1. Thou shalt sacrifice goats on a monthly basis
2. Thou shalt fornicate with no thought of reprehension
3. Thou shalt make potions
4. Thou shalt effect the actions of others using spells
...and my personal favorite...
5. Thou shalt worship the devil

If you actually gave any credence to any of the above, then your ignorance precedes you.

The first (and often, ONLY) rule of Wicca is, "Do no harm".

Very interesting. That one rule could potentially encompass 6 of the commandments all by itself. Plus, based on the path of Wicca that someone chooses to walk on, the extent of that rule is up to interpretation. Liberal Wickens could simply take it to mean "Do no harm to your fellow man" or "Do no harm to the earth or her beasts". Other, more conservative ones, may go so far as to say "Do no harm to yourself in the consumption of substance and the use of body". Again...interpretation.

Of all the groups that I've encountered (and I've spent time with quite a few), the two I liked most were Pagan and Unitarian. They really consider tolerance to be an integral part of the their foundation. They give reverence to the concept of "A stranger is simply a friend whom you haven't met yet". They're perfectly content to believe what they believe and to respect their fellow man. Again, I know there are always exceptions, but still.

You know...I've rambled on quite a bit here and have other things I need to get done, so I'm going to have to end the topic here.

If I have any more thoughts on the subject, I'll post them. Till then, hasta luego! :)

Memorial Day Weekend '07

Ah yes...yet another in a long list of interesting things that I've done with Mike.

This weekend was the annual Hedon hash event that was held just outside of Atlanta. It was interesting (to say the least). This year's title was "Hedon XXI: Barely Legal". I can't believe that they've been doing that for so many years. Talk about stamina!

The last hashing entry I made was here.

If you don't know what hashing is, I'm sure you can find some posts that I've done previously that do a pretty good job of explaining it. It's really fun being in a situation where you can simply walk up to anybody and start a conversation with them and they will be happy to have it even if they don't know you.

This event had a lot of the same as the last one...
1. Merriment
2. The "A stranger is simply a friend you haven't met" philosophy
3. The drinking games
4. Some nudity (ALL on the part of others. I'm way too bashful for that kind of thing)
5. Trail
6. Trail injuries
7. Trail stories
8. Costumes
9. People making friends they'll keep in touch with forever
10. People making mistakes they'll regret forever (just ask "....... the wonder boy")
11. People wondering why someone like me would ever attend an event like that

I have the following comments to dispense about certain people.... (and names will be alterred to protect anonymity). ;)

• Thanks to "Rockman" for the invite. A blast was had by all.
• Again, my thanks go out to "Kitty" (hey....I ALTERRED it...don't complain!!). She is the epitomy of someone who knows how to bust out and have a good time while not sacrificing her sensibilities or altering her personality in the process (the latter of which irks me more than most other things on this earth). She's also a really good person. That's not a combination you run into every day. All of that, PLUS the ability to deal with me makes her the VIP of the party as far as I'm concerned.
• To "Dr. Wench"....we may have had a sarcastically rocky start, but you turned out to be alright. Of course, that was mainly due to your ability to stroke my ego whenever I needed it in your attempts to make peace. ;) "Grape Ape" will be a happy guy.
• To Dr. Wench's unbelievably self-focused sister (for whom I could not come up with a clever code name)....I would like to take you out to dinner the next time I see you.
• To "Mamms"...as always, you are a very warm person (in the non-perverse context). You always know how to add the right kind of flavor to a situation. I'm glad I got to see you again. This certainly won't be the last time. :)

I don't know what people had a harder time believing....that I didn't actually drink or that a person's body could be THAT white underneath their shirt. I'm quite proud of my Hank Hill farmer's tan. BWAHAHAH!!!! :)

I learned something new about myself this weekend. I learned that there actually are situations where I will genuinely panic if I can't locate a way out. That kinda sucked, but at least it was short-lived. Muchas gracias to Tracy and Kitty for helping me through that one.

I'm tired and, although have much more to write, choose to stop now. I'm sure that pictures are sure to follow, so stay tuned! :)

Super Spartan Bros.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

I guess you'd have to be a real child of the 80s to really appreciate this.

I've told various people over the last few years about the pictures of the import documentation that I saw for the first Apollo moon rocks. Here is one such picture. It's not as high-res as the ones I saw before, but it's probably good enough.

These documents show how the moon rocks from the first Apollo mission to land on the moon had to go through customs in Hawaii before they were allowed into the United States. Gotta love beurocracy! :)

Picture: If only we could all be so lucky...

You should take a moment to click on the above picture and look. There were many things in the series that struck me as being profound; everything from the two trees to the progression of the day from dawn until dusk. I may be the only person who understands what I mean when I say this, but I think that sometimes, sorrow can be a progressed form of joy.

Then again, I always was weird. ;)

Entry: Pics of the day

Whenever you're getting horrible service at the grocery store, just imagine where the employees are off wasting their time.

This guy turned a stuffed beaver into a PC chassis. How wrong is that??

This one is for the number nerds.

That's awesome.

Now, supposedly, the above pictures will reverse if you take 8 steps back from your screen. I was able to duplicate the effect just by squinting my eyes.

The sad thing is that there probably isn't anybody who reads that sign.

How would you like to be the one to catch THAT fish??

I thought I was the only one who ever laughed at that picture.

Entry: Wisdom in an interesting place

I was reading a text today and had some excerpts that I felt like sharing with you...

"Among us, there are many different practices and many points of view. No single one of us has all the answers to who and what we are. Respect each person's individual choices and beliefs. Learn about them and share what you know. Our diversity is our strength, and we should not allow misunderstanding to weaken our community."

"Give respect to those who have earned it. Anyone can claim a title, but a true leader will prove him or herself through dedication, hard work, and great deeds. Even so, leaders should be guides and not dictators. Look to them as examples, but always decide for yourself what you must do."

"Know that there are repercussions to every action, and that you alone are responsible for your decisions. Educate yourself about risky behaviors, then always act with wisdom and common sense. Do not allow others to abuse you, but also, do not selfishly abuse."

"Reach out to others in your community. Exchange ideas, information, and support. Be hospitable to others, and appreciate hospitality when it is extended to you. Do not engage in illegal activity,"

Would you care to take a guess what the source is for those passages? Was it the Koran (sp?) ? Nope. Was it the Torah? Uh uh. The book of 'Common Sense' (by Thomas Payne)? Try again. The bible? Heavens no . (pun intended)

The excerpts came from 'The Black Veil'. For those who don't know, that is a publication maintained by Michelle Belanger for the purpose of defining rules of conduct for modern day Vampires. Bwahahah!! It is a ruleset that is used widely around the world today.

( DISCLAIMER: I am not a "vampire" nor have I ever claimed to be one. I do not follow their practices nor their lifestyles. A man can appreciate the mountain without actually being a mountain himself. )

But seriously...why is it so hard to find texts that lecture common sense? You know...the kind of resource that talks about the responsibilities of each person in maintaining his/her life in this massive world with 6 billion other people with whom they have to share and whom they should respect. It's interesting that one has to go to a text like this to find it. I think it's rather amusing that I would probably tell my nephews to seek wisdom from the vampires before the the Christians, Muslims, Jews, or any other organized religion.

( The one obvious exception to that last statement would be the Tao of Programming ) :-p

Entry: A letter to a patriot

Dear esteemed patriot,

We live in odd times.

Our armed forces are deployed oversees to battle a continuing insurgency that we have yet been able to quell. It is a brutal engagement which we often seem ill-equipped to fight regardless of what the media reports. Our enemies have been using tactics that are abhorrent (to say the least) and that fly in the face of decency. The enemy has shown a complete abandon of their ability to wage battles in today's civilized warfare. Our generals say that we can handle the insurgency but they have yet to be able to deliver on their promises. They simply were not prepared to enter into a dispute with a people on their own soil who possess such a terrible resolve. Granted...there are those in their midst who side with us and remain loyal to our cause, but they are often silenced by those who do not share their convictions.

What is also disturbing is that we are now uncovering evidence that certain other nations (with whom we are not on the best terms) are covertly providing aid to our enemy. This is an added dimension to this conflict which is hardly welcomed. I never thought that this fight would ever cause us to become estranged from other nations.

I honestly don't understand what the enemy thinks that they are going to lose by fighting this war against us. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. All we want is to ensure that the land is instilled with the same quality and "evolved" society that we have long enjoyed here in our own country. Unfortunately, they really don't understand what we are trying to do and what we are trying to give them. They see it as mere interference in territories which we supposedly have no right to govern.

The enemy is wrong and we will make them understand. We can ill afford to allow these vagabond militias to dictate the future of that territory in defiance of our will. It threatens to shatter our credibility and our authority in the world today. We will overcome. Make no mistake...our resolve is strong and will endure.

Until we talk again....

Cordially yours,

King George III

The year of our Lord, Seventeen-Hundred and Seventy-Nine

Article: US Constitution FAQ

This is really interesting. Someone took the time to compile a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the US constitutions. Everything from what to do if asked to identify yourself by police to 'Are Police Allowed to Lie'. That last one seems like a no-brainer to me, but the answer turned out to take a spin that I really hadn't considered.

Article: Colossal squid netted

Is that not cool?? Some fisherman were fortunate enough to net a Colossal Squid whilst fishing for toothfish. This post may bore 95% of people out there, but it's things like this that fascinate the heck out of me. I should have been a marine biologist.

Article: Cute animal posts

Ok....so maybe these animals aren't so cute afterall. But they're all worth mentioning.

This is a link to some video shots of a dog that was born with no fore legs. It walks upright like a person and is considered to be the only bipedal canine in the world. You really should check this one out. This dog is hela-cool!

In that same link is a video of a viscious attack bunny chasing a snake up a tree. I have never seen such a thing. It rather reminds me of that killer rabbit in Monty Python's 'Holy Grail' movie (picture can be seen above).

Here is a link to a picture of a test that was returned to a student with some rather interesting notes appended to it by the professor. If only all professors were this cool! :)

And, last but not least, here are some detailed instructions on how to take a nice fluffy stuffed cat and turn it into a hideous terminator-cyborg looking turn signal indicator for your car. Pictures included.

Article: The psycho Valentines fling

Have you ever hooked up with a woman and have her tie you to the bed only to have her take out a knife, put a few slashes on your body, and start drinking your blood? Not just that, but don't you also hate it when you manage to free yourself from the bed only to be chased with a pickax?

THIS guy does. :)

Yeah. I really hate those days.

Article: Top Web Tools for College Students

Here is a list of some nifty website resources that college students would probably find most useful. I particularly liked the Ottobib site. Where were these things when *I* was in college???

Picture: Sheesh!!

What in the world happened here???

Article: Priest sells own church

This is hilarious. A priest up and sold his church one day wihtout anyone else's knowledge. Why did he do this? Well, apparently, it was so that he could afford the new laptop and BMW. :)

I'd also be interested to know HOW he did it given that he doesn't personally own the church (unless this is a circumstance that I'm not familiar with.

The truly BEST part of the story is that the priest probably isn't going to serve a sentence more than the time served so far because he has agreed (via a deal with the authorities) to testify AGAINST former confessors who just happen to be in the same jail with him.

I wonder which level of hell Dante would put THIS guy at. :)

Articles: Cool 'History of War' websites

I recently ran across a couple of pages at the 'Maps of War' website. I thought that they were pretty neat animations.

One of them shows the various empires which ruled the European and Middle Eastern areas over the centuries.

Another is an animation of the various military conflicts that the US has been a part of over the course of American history.

Article: Awesome Homeland Security signs

Someone (with too much spare time and a great sense of humor) decided one day that many of the signs put out by the Dept. of Homeland Security are somewhat ambiguous in nature. They took it upon themselves to suggest some possible meanings for some of these illustrations. For instance, the picture here could mean "If you have set yourself on fire, do not run."

Article: How to survive a horror movie

I think the title says it all. Check out these rules for surviving a horror movie. These are among my favorites....

• Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.
• If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not speak, or if they speak to you using a voice which is not their own, shoot them immediately. It will save you the grief in the long run. *NOTE* It will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared.
• As a general rule, don’t solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.
• If you are searching for something which caused a loud noise and you find out it’s just the cat, leave the room immediatey if you value your life.
• If you find a town which looks deserted, it’s probably for a good reason. Take the hint and stay away.
• Don’t fool around with recombinant DNA technology unless you’re sure you know what you are doing.
• Never listen to music that contains staccato shrieking violins.
• If you are a woman, never strip and take a shower in slow motion.
• If you sense something is behind you, don’t bother turning around to check. Just run.
• If someone tells you to do or not to something (example: DON’T fall asleep, DON’T go out there, DON’T go look for the homicidal-chainsaw-wielding psychopath by yourself) by all means, LISTEN TO THEM!!
• A small town’s little summer celebration might sound like fun. But if you hear the locals say things like, “Why you’re the guest of honor! We couldn’t even have the barbecue with out you!”, run like hell.
• Always be nice to the shy, quiet, unpopular girl in school.
• Never buy your kid a toy that talks back.
• Never watch a horror movie while you’re in a horror movie.
• Never wait until you NEED the gun to check and see if it’s loaded.