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May 28, 2005 Here are some Nuggets, brief responses and things of interest to me that don't require their own lengthy and rambling articles. My first attempt at something like this is here. This time, Firefly notes, about getting published, Republicans that prove me wrong, Michael John McCrae, envy and Thomas Keyes, and some quotes. I've bolded the start of each section so you can scroll to whatever may interest you. Thanks to some email tips/corrections, here are some Firefly notes. I wrote an article about Firely and got a fact about Earth wrong – in that future fictional universe, Earth is referred as “Earth that was”, I however mistakingly mentioned it belonged to the Alliance. The Sci-Fi channel is going to be airing Firefly – check local listings and watch it you are interested in seeing the movie based on the series, Serenity, when it opens in September. I've read a few pieces here lately about getting published. I've always tossed around the idea that someday I'd like to write a book; many have this notion, even folks who don't write on a regular basis like we do here. Of course, everybody knows that it's no easy feat to become a famous or wealthy author, but hearing these first hand accounts is, well, a bit disheartening to say the least – it sort of shatters the fantasy a bit and maybe the hope. I've started writing several science fiction stories that I may try to morph into something substantial at some point. Good luck to the lot of us. Just when I think there is no hope for the elephant party, I'm reminded that elephants are intelligent animals. The Republican controlled House passed a stem cell research bill! Bush said he would veto it, but at least there are some Republicans that aren't bought and sold by the Christian Right. I often mix 'Republican' with 'Conservative' with 'Religious Right' when I write articles – I need to watch that. Some politicians on that side are intelligent after all. A few points about Michael John McCrae's piece found here. Science and religion do not have to be at odds - here is my issue: I believe science shoots itself in the foot by
ignoring scripture in preference to their own
imaginations and theories. Ever hear of the “Big
Bang”. How about the unproven “Theory of Evolution”?
These “fictionalized” accounts of the beginnings of
existence are overlooked by the fellow looking for
“truth”.
Does science “shoot itself in the foot” by ignoring scripture, or ignoring certain interpretations of scripture? Most Christians have no issue with either theory. Modern science is a collection of theories, and theories are generally not “proven”. The theory of electromagnetism, which gives us electricity and related technologies, is not proven. Theories explain facts. Electromagnetism explains why we feel pain when we put our tongue on a 9V battery, and evolution explains the fact that life changes gradually over time. I wrote an article about these distinctions. Saying that something is a scientific theory means something – it means, among other things, that it has evidence and works in practice. Christians should avoid associating their beliefs on the misunderstanding of science. Forget about feet - those who believe that evolution is a myth are shooting themselves in the head; this is no different than insisting that disease is a myth, as the 'Christian Scientist' sect asserts. I envy Thomas Keyes. How wonderful it would be to spend my days traveling the world and learning about anything and everything. I've done just a little bit of traveling and love all of it. Even those things which annoy seasoned travelers, such as air-travel and language barriers, are still novel and interesting to me – missing trains in Europe because I didn't know the word for “track” wasn't a bother, it was great fun! If I had the means, I would likely be on the move all the time. Here are some quotes: "Enlightenment is man's leaving his self-caused immaturity. Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another. Such immaturity is self-caused if its cause is not lack of intelligence, but by lack of determination and courage to use one's intelligence without being guided by another. The motto of enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own intelligence!" -- Immanuel Kant “Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effects of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites.” -- Thomas Jefferson ------------ About the author Frederick Smith: I enjoy writing about the positive virtues of humanism - humanists are the good guys. Email: dahlek65@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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