Maybe We Will

I did not stay up for the speeches.  I waited.  I just now watched Obama’s acceptance speech. Not a victory speech.  An acceptance speech.  There is a difference.  He hasn’t really won anything.  Yet. I cannot remember the last time I felt a tingle run through me at the words…

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Meandering in Portland at night

I'm still attending a consumer law conference in Portland Oregon. After today's sessions, I took a walk in the dark. As I often do, I brought my small consumer grade camera with me(SD1100IS). Here are some of the things I noticed while walking through downtown Portland tonight. Who would have…

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Pallin’ around with…huh?

I am not sure what is more troubling - Palin dodging this question, or doing it sitting right next to John McCain. Anyone else think they see the realization that his campaign is hurtling over the bridge to nowhere flash over his face?  Perhaps I am imagining things. This is…

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Naturalism is Shaping the Utilitarian Values of Our Society

This title is an incisive quote from our regular responder, Karl K. My personal and immediate response to this statement is, “Duh”. Naturalism, or the acceptance of the results and conclusions from the application of the Scientific Method, has created huge advances in the survival and comfort of all humanity. In the couple of centuries since the Enlightenment, more progress has been made toward that goal than in the previous 50 centuries under theistic ruling philosophies. There is great utility for society as a whole in following naturalistic views.

However, then Karl proceeds with the following non-sequitur:

Can I therefore assume that you would concede the point that if somebody has to die to solve some of the world’s problems it should be people like ERIK who preach religious dogma in a manner that offends you. In fact this would apply to anyone who says interpretive science needs to be knocked out of its prominent position in our secular society be they Christian, Muslim, Hindu, […]

Actually, evolutionary theories (one subset of naturalistic conclusions) prove that variety (a wide bell curve in every characteristic) is necessary to the long term survival of societies, as well as species. Only people with narrow world views advocate eliminating non-aggressive adversaries. Genocide is practiced by theists, not naturalists. Usually by theists of the newly-formed personality-cult sort as with Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. These cult leaders claim to be scientific to the world, yet the first thing they do is purge actual scientists and …

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You deserve it

I’m traveling back home after spending an incredibly quiet and stress-free five days on Nantucket.   For those of you who are not familiar, Nantucket, part of Massachusetts, is an island in the Atlantic Ocean.  October is the off-peak season on Nantucket, meaning that the Island is much quieter than it is during the summer.  This week, I was able to experience the perfect storm of quietude. While the entire island was relatively devoid of people because of the season, I was utterly, almost sinfully, able to spend my five days in an especially quiet corner of Nantucket, in a beach house owned by my wife’s family. I was the only person occupying the house. My wife urged me to go, to get away from “everything.”  My co-workers at work were equally generous with their encouragement and support.

I truly did “get away from it all.” The sun and the moon were my only clocks.  I spent my time reading, writing, walking on beaches, shooting photos, eating simple fun food (can of chili, anyone), beach-combing, enjoying the 60 degree daytime high, not shaving, playing the guitar, staring at the horizon, staring at the horizon again, listening to the waves, and watching the seagulls sail by. Although I did quite a bit of reading and writing (which I also do at home), I had long uninterrupted stretches of time in which to do this work, rather fighting for an hour or two here and there.  I had my own desk where I …

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