| 300+ Proofs of God's Existence |
[Aug. 26th, 2005|10:40 am] |
The whole Kansas School Board / Creationism(ID) / Flying Spaghetti Monster thing has me engrossed - personally I'd very much like to be able to find a spiritual community to become a part of that would give my life some sort of regular religious rhythm. However nothing gets me turned off to the whole idea more than seeing the kind of political, nonsensical, someones-making-a-quick-buck stuff that goes on in so many of them.
I hope this won't offend anyone. Well not really if it offends you I'm not sorry. Faith is faith, logic is logic, science is science and they don't need to be friends. Thus, this list:
http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm
Anyway, my favorite so far is #11:
ARGUMENT FROM CREATION
(1) If evolution is false, then creationism is true, and therefore God exists.
(2) Evolution can't be true, since I lack the mental capacity to understand it; moreover, to accept its truth would cause me to be uncomfortable
(3) Therefore, God exists.
#98 is similar, and depressing. How arrogant - you'd think looking back on all the foolish things that we've believed to be true over the centuries, the countless beliefs that are laughable today just because nobody had the guts to say "gee, I don't know. lets try to continuously apply the scientific method to this problem til we have a better understanding!"
I actually did hear this one at the zoo, someone waxing poetic about the beauty of the South American Penguin:
ARGUMENT FROM DESIGN (II), aka GOD OF THE GAPS, aka TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (IV)
(1) Isn't X amazing!
(2) I don't understand how X could be, without something else (that I don't really understand either) making or doing X.
(3) This something else must be God because I can't come up with a better explanation.
(4) Therefore, God exists.
Other gems: #40:
ARGUMENT FROM POST-DEATH EXPERIENCE
(1) Person X died an Atheist.
(2) He now realizes his mistake. (!!!! HAHA!)
(3) Therefore, God exists.
#94
ARGUMENT FROM TEEN CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
(1) God is so totally awesome, dude, and if you would pretend that Creed and POD were good bands, you would realize that.
(2) Also, our Youth Group leader Skip once, like, cured a broken leg using only the power of the almighty Lord.
(3) Therefore, God exists. |
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| Murphy '04 |
[Aug. 1st, 2004|07:47 pm] |
Hey, everyone I talk to about politics seems to echo the idea that neither party really inspires them. This leads to some good discussions. It often ends up depressing though - but gets fun when we all say "what WE would do!" So come on, thats what democracy is about - it's what Washington envisioned, not a country of parties but of individuals. So I hope others (DAVE!) will follow my lead and make their own platform. Be as radical or moderate as you want. Mine for instance is pretty retardedly impossible - a mixture of rights-trampling and granting.
Shoot me down, tell me whats stupid or whats great - but DON'T say what 'could never happen' or 'is too radical' - thats what got us into this mess in the first place. I want to read some good ones too.
Murphy's Plan for America in 2004
1. National Security
We live in a world that has unlocked the mysteries of so much of the universe. We can create new life forms, split the atom, communicate instantly across the globe. We are totally insecure. No western, liberal nation can allow the existence of repressive, uneducated regimes abroad. The risk simply has become too great. Nuclear weapons will end up in the hands of terrorists and rogue states, and in the coming decades so will genetically engineered superviruses, nanotech plagues, and hordes of cheap, economically destructive computer viruses.
My plan: Complete Western Domination. Multiculturalism is great inasmuch as every ideology values all human life, freedom, and education. Civilizations that want power but do not wish to share these values cannot be allowed. The United States, joined by NATO states, India, Japan, Australia and Russia and China must create a superbloc to immediately exert force on just about everyone else. Hopefully most nations will recognize the futility of fighting back and will back down, have revolutions etc. If not, the superbloc attacks and institutes martial law. Imagine Iraq as it is now except all over the world. And imagine this lasts 20 years. It will be terrible, millions will die. It will be worth it to prevent billions dying at the hands of madmen.
This will also come with a significant curtailing of civil rights. Free speech can be tolerated, but we will embrace a surveilance society. Criminals, ex-combatants and agitators will be permanently tagged with RFID chips. New international and national spy agencies will share data. Information will be made freely available on the internet. Everyone will be able to look at the files kept by everyone else regarding security. Find out you're wrongly being tracked? Tough. It's better than nanobots eating your liver. A secondary oversight agency will attempt to curtail the abuses sure to come with this system. I know its crummy, but we can't allow a world-ending event before we get off planet.
This will obviously cost a lot and require manpower. We'll take a cue from the Israeli's and require mandatory military service for 2 years of all citizens upon graduation high school or before their 19th birthday. Only the severely disabled will be exempted. Just to be cool like Starship Troopers you can't vote until you're done with the 2 years service, and if you continue on your vote counts twice. Voting is mandatory, failure to vote is a 1st degree misdemeanor.
All nonviolent prisoners will also be drafted. Time served in the army will credit towards release. Upon completion of 2 years all nonviolent drug offenders will have their sentences commuted.
The draft will also be reinstated for particularly tough months/years. No exemptions of course. Also it will be opened to all citizens up to 50 years of age in good health.
Also my beloved "Ministry of Dangerous Missions" will be created. To beat suicide bombers at their own game, the terminally ill, nursing home residents, soon-to-be-executed etc. will, after psychological evaulations, be allowed to engage in particularly risky missions (i.e. HALO parachuting into foreign leader's compounds, setting explosives inside foreign weapons factories, etc. Stuff you probably won't return alive from) This is of course totally volunteer in a weird Philip K. Dick sort of way.
Also we will withdraw from all nuclear treaties and state clearly a policy of using strategic and tactical nuclear weapons if and when we see fit. I don't see why MAD stops working when its just AD.
Space will be immediately weaponized. Kinetic energy missile systems along with high power lasers and missile shields are a must. We'll see how terrorists like having tungsten rods hitting their bases at 25,000 mph.
2. The Economy
A little simpler here.
Retain the existing progressive income tax system. Help break corporations stranglehold on markets by introducing corporate recertification laws and by granting massive tax cuts to small businesses. Begin punishing corporate bandits harshly. Hard time in nasty prisons.
Nobody can live on minimum wage without teaming up anyway. Repeal minimum wage laws. It only serves to hurt the people who need to work most and drives the poor even further underground.
Eliminate all foreign trade barriers. Stop retributive tarrifs, end the cycle of tit-for-tat taxing by being the bigger man. It'll eventually bankrupt protective states anyways. Black and grey markets will step in when needed.
Legalize and regulate prostitution, recreational drug use and gambling. Continue to prosecute pimps, loan sharks and dealers who ignore regulations. This will create new tax revenue at the same time decreasing the prison population, decriminalizing addicts, and reducing the need for police. We'll need them overseas anyways.
Stimulate the economy and help the environment by offering 10 years of 100% tax relief to General Motors and Ford if they can produce a 100% fossil fuel free vehicle line by 2014. This will ignite technology and growth just as the space race did in the 60s. Environmentalists will be happy, we will be freer to exercise our might abroad, millions of jobs will be made, we can drive 400 hp cars again, and some exectives will get to do coke off the asses of hundreds of prostitutes - legally.
Move to a 100% cashless economy by 2014. Anonymous cash-cards can replace currency easily. The money saved on printing money can go to setting up card swipes on parking meters.
Break all unions. I have no idea how to do this. Pinkertons?
3. Education
Federalize all primary and secondary public education. Taxes will be drawn from a national sales tax and redistributed in blocks to the states based solely on school age population. Individual localities or states may raise additional taxes. Charter schools will be outlawed. They've already failed. Emphasis on magnet schools as well as a reintroduction of trade schools and technical training.
Allow 4 years of totally tax deductible college education per child per household.
4. Health Care
100% free health care for all children to the age of 18. Children should not be punished for their parents poverty or for our bloated system.
After 18, all citizens are enrolled in a national health care plan. A separate health court will be created for oversight. I know, it sucks, but see what happens to private health insurance when genetic testing becomes really feasible.
Damages from malpractice suits will be severely curtailed.
5. Space
Develop orbital ladder system and begin construction of space based shipyards. Suspend manned spaceflight while redirecting money towards theoritical near or faster-than-light speed travel. There's no point in kicking around on some dusty rocks if we can spend our time finding new earth. |
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| Back on the online! |
[Sep. 2nd, 2003|09:57 pm] |
I've got the interweb back again! Alltell DSL is actually decently fast - I'm pleasantly surprised, although my belkin router works about just as poorly as on SBC which is to say not at all. Oh well, I want to do a dual-band wifi anyway. In fact I think i'd like to set up room mic's and have my own version of the STNG computer.
So we're all moved into the new place in twinsburg. It's so much nicer than timber-hole. Quiet, don't even need the AC, there's a ceiling fan in every room and great crossbreezes.
We need to carpet the basement and redo the kitchen floor but other than that it's in great shape, and the basement IS finished, just not carpeted.
I'm going to take some photos of the place and get em up soon... |
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| Mazeltov! |
[Jul. 26th, 2003|10:40 pm] |
Went to Mark & Chrissies Engagement Surprise of Chrissy Party tonight! It was fun, saw Dave Grant and Chris Grossman and Bill and Mike S. and Button and Nick and Mark and Chrissie and the whole booker clan & mr bookers new knee... phew
Anyway congrats to the happy couple. The next year will go really fast, so get ready.
The best part of the party was getting the great WJHS gossip... good stuff. I really want to go to the reunion.
Got a great new book yesterday, on B.Hess from MSMs suggestion "Designing With Web Standards" - I really think it's got some amazing points about where web design needs to go to properly prepare for the future. Its got me inspired about what I do at any rate. |
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| Oh fried food... |
[Jun. 29th, 2003|10:51 am] |
Michele's been down at the Canal Fulton "Olde Canal Days" this weekend. I had a lot of work to catch up on saturday but when I went down last night it was absurd. For those of you that don't go to town fairs a lot and think they're neat or quaint or fun - you're wrong. They're dirty and boring, filled with the victims of fetal alcohol syndrome and fried food.
Fried carbs, fried fats, fried protein. It doesn't matter. You want starchy? Get a $4 tub of thick cut french fries (sold by 4 competing vendors) - want some veggies
? Fried onions, peppers, shrooms and carrots. Yes carrots.
Want fried meat? No problem? Want fried bananas? Sure. Hot dogs? Yeah. Don't forget your jack-daniels' in a spray can for the fried pork sandwiches.
Apparantly the only way these people know how to transfer heat is via 8 gallons of lard. I saw some horribly burned individuals who claimed they had figured out how to fry water at long last...
After going to dozens of these things it gets so old.... still it was nice and warm last night and pretty comfortable. |
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| giddie up jingle horse pick up your feet |
[Dec. 24th, 2002|09:25 pm] |
thanks dave! for the wonderful gift! I'm sorry i havent posted here lately. I really need to do a big update and get back on the ball. I have been reading regularly though. Maybe daily lj posts should be my new years resolution.
merry xmas all |
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| elect jesus as your lord |
[Oct. 31st, 2002|08:07 pm] |
there were "elect jesus as your lord" doorknob-fliers on EVERY door at my apartment building. it was filthy. they were probably all over timbertop.
how about "don't kill any more trees you prosetylzing bastards for congress"?
I wonder if he'll win. Any early polls? |
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| I mean, COME ON |
[Oct. 15th, 2002|11:15 pm] |
Ok, now this guy's dad is the Sultan of Brunei. The richest man in the world. He has an obscene amount of toys. This kid is destined to be the 30th sultan. They own all the oil in the country, and at least according to THEIR propoganda they are decent enough a monarchy. They supposedly provide free health care and housing etc.
BUT THEIR WEBSITES SUCK! They are totally lame! HAHA!
http://www.crownprince.bn/Level1.asp?Category=english
http://www.bruneisultan.com |
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| Sweet! |
[Oct. 15th, 2002|08:01 pm] |
Opel Eco-Speedster
This is a pure show car to
demonstrate Opel's eco-technology. The Eco-Speedster, as indicated by its
name, is an eco-friendly Speedster. On the one hand, it achieves a combined
fuel consumption of 2.5 litres / 100km, or 113mpg. On the other thand,
it can top 155mph.
Base on the Speedster (=
Vauxhall VX220), Opel's engineers work on 3 area to achieve a low fuel
consumption and high top speed:
1) Reduce drag coefficient
from 0.38 to 0.20. As you can see, the Eco-Speedster is smoother than regular
Speedster and has a F40-like rear window. It also has a flat bottom.
2) Reduce frontal area to
1.6m2. This is implemented by lowering the waistlines and narrowing the
cockpit.
3) Employs a fuel efficient
turbo diesel engine. This is Fiat's new Multi-jet 1.3-litre four-cylinder,
with variable geometry turbo and higher boost to produce 112hp (compare
with the production version's 70hp).
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