Another break..

Just a week or two ago I "went green". Today it looks like Im leaving.

Ive come and gone before and Im not sure if this will be longer or shorter than before. My gut says this might just be it.. but, as Carl Sagan once said, I try not to think with my gut (and besides Ive mostly worked off my gut!)

Lots of cool people here and to them I say "thanks for talking".

As always, I can be contacted at: vetamur2005@yahoo.co.jp

No need to reply here I wont see it, I actually am leaving. I just wanted to leave a quick note because I know its sometimes nice to know what happened to people when we suddenly dont hear from them.

Take care everyone and thanks again.

Veta Mur

Arthur C. Clarkes "magic" quote

OK..I kind of want to deal with a pet peeve of mine.

People often are found of quoting Arthur C. Clarkes quote on technologically advanced societies appearing to have magic to less advanced societies.

Arthur C. Clarke was often spot on with things.. but hes not infallible. Its a quote..not a law of nature.

And (no stoning me please) on this issue Arthur C. Clarke is likely wrong. It depends on WHERE the encounter occured of course. But the premise relies on on a societies underlying assumptions.

Aliens demonstrating fantastic levels of tech in uneducated areas will undoubtedly appear as wizards.

But in modern educated societies, the inhabitants (while no less awed or afraid) would probably understand it as a tech difference.. we know, we think about, we see in movies all the time..
Anything from teleportation to shape changing.. we would most likely think was science.. not magic..

Ok. Just wanted to get that off my chest. Lol.

Of Darwin, his finches, your blood, and ants.

Summer here and the heart turns to..laziness. Earlier this month I came back from my last project for a while. It took something out of me and Im just taking it easy for a while and so I thought I would put a bit more effort into my posts here again.

I decided to start a thread on Darwinism. Just in the title I am somewhat making my point. I will explain. A lot of people (certainly the majority) in the field have taken to calling it "Neo-Darwinism". This title emphasizes the gaps in Darwins theory, the largest being that he didnt know the MECHANISM for his theory to work, genes. But outside of that, a lot of people are impressed by how LITTLE Darwin had wrong, and if "neo" is used at all it needs a particularly small "n"..not a capital. I leave it out.

On to the point.. a lot of people have attacked or dismissed Darwinism on this very board..in this very section. "A mere theory" .. "A guess".. and worse.

So, Im going to talk about different types of evidence. Rather than simply list proofs..rather boring..I will give nice, story-like examples that illustrate the depth of the evidence, the huge variety of interconnectedness it explains, the utter lack of any other viable explanation.

For my my first example Im torn between two examples. One Ive talked about before but dont mind writing again.. haemoglobin. The other example Id like to write about and open up to discussion is "Hymenoptera".. ants, bees, and wasps (but not termites).

So.. shall we talk about blood or ants and how they show evolution?

Preventable deaths..

From CNN, etc: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/19/faith....s.ap/index.html
GLADSTONE, Oregon (AP) -- Authorities say a teenager from a faith-healing family died from an illness that could have been easily treated, just a few months after a toddler cousin of his died in a case that has led to criminal charges.

Tuesday's death of 16-year-old Neil Beagley, however, may not be a crime because Oregon law allows minors 14 and older to decide for themselves whether to accept medical treatment.

"All of the interviews from last night are that he did in fact refuse treatment," police Sgt. Lynne Benton said Wednesday. "Unless we can disprove that, charges probably won't be filed in this case."

An autopsy Wednesday showed Beagley died of heart failure caused by a urinary tract blockage.

He likely had a congenital condition that constricted his urinary tract where the bladder empties into the urethra, and the condition of his organs indicates he had multiple blockages during his life, said Dr. Clifford Nelson, deputy state medical examiner for Clackamas County.

"You just build up so much urea in your bloodstream that it begins to poison your organs, and the heart is particularly susceptible," Nelson said.

Nelson said a catheter would have saved the boy's life. If the condition had been dealt with earlier, a urologist could easily have removed the blockage and avoided the kidney damage that came with the repeated illnesses, Nelson said.

Benton said a board member of the Followers of Christ church contacted the authorities after Beagley died at his family's home. The teen had been sick about a week, and church members and his family had gathered to pray Sunday when his condition worsened, Benton said.

In March, the boy's 15-month-old cousin Ava Worthington died at home from bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection.

Her parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, also belong to the church. They have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and criminal mistreatment, and their defense attorneys have indicated they will use a religious freedom defense.

After earlier deaths involving children of Followers of Christ believers, a 1999 Oregon law struck down religious shields for parents who treat their children solely with prayer. No one had been prosecuted under it until the Worthingtons' case.

Members and former members of the church in Oregon City have told The Oregonian newspaper in previous interviews that the congregation has 1,200 people. It has no apparent ties to other congregations or any mainstream denomination.
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It reminds me of that story.. a guy is drowning after his boat sinks.. another boat comes by and tries to help..he refuses help saying "God will save me!".. ANOTHER boat comes up to him and again he refuses help, gasping while drowning "No..Jesus will save me!". Then he drowns..dies..gets to Heaven..and immediately confronts God. "HEY!! I BELIEVED in you.. I counted on you to help me!!" What happened??" and God says "What do you mean?? I sent you two boats!!"

The point being why dont they just assume their god is answering their prayers by granting humans the ability to do medical research???

Sigh.

Luckily we got rid of Saddam.. what a safer world

Second article on the page.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/?page=2