Why so big?

I'm a huge fan of science. I have always had to ask why is this what causes that. The hallmarks of a true scientist. Recently, I have been participating in a few projects at Zooniverse primarily in astronomy. Looking at all the stars and galaxies millions of light-years away makes me wonder, "Are we alone?" My answer is, "we can't be!" I mean, look at the shear volume of the universe! All those stars with sooo many planets!

Without getting in too deep of a religious discussion, why did God great such a horrendously huge place just for Man? It's mindbogglingly! I'm not so much asking the Almighty why, but I think that it is part of human nature to ask that question. I mean, we have made such a mess of this place and he gave us so much more to play in?!?! You would think that we could do what we needed to do in a star system sized universe. Why so big?

Here's an example...

 
In this picture of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, every fuzzy spot is a galaxy. This is looking back as far as we can see with current technology. Now, try and convince me we are alone in the universe.

More Newsworthy Than the Zimmerman/Martin Affair

The news media have spent so much time on the Zimmerman trial that Americans have not been clued to more crimes that would be more newsworthy. I have a few to share. You can look them up.

• Wisconsin man found guilty of killing his three daughters. His trial started in March and he is awaiting sentencing. (Just heard about this today!)
• Dzhokhar Tsamaev was arraigned for the four deaths in Boston during the Boston Marathon. There have been a few motions and he has plead "Not Guilty." I've seen 10 minutes of coverage on this.
• Aaron Hernandez has been charged with murder and under investigation for more. Apparently, he wasn't as big a start as OJ. The news coverage suddenly dropped on this one, much like a quarterback with butter fingers.
• There have been 59 murders in Kansas City. Has no one outside of Missouri heard about this? Seems newsworthy to me. I know, the majority of victims were black males so apparently no one cares. 
• The number of homicides in Chicago has reached 200 and NONE of them have rated national coverage. In one night, two kids were killed! A whopping 80% of the victims were black and that isn't worth of national news!

Come on folks! Do you want the news or circuses? The new media is more likely to provide little in the way of REAL news. They focus on what causes the greatest tension, unrest or shock 'n awe.

There was a time in America

Oh America, America...

Paula Deen has been "fired" from major retail stores because she allegedly called someone a "Nigger" nearly 3 decades ago. Liberals were outraged!

The vice president of the National Education Association (NEA), Lily Eskelsen Garcia allegedly said that gun supporters are going to Hell. Silence from Liberals.

Lil Wayne was filmed allegedly dancing on the US flag.  According to FoxNews, Lil Wayne said the flag never touched the ground. That is not what the video shows. Again, Silence from the Liberals.

It is okay, according to liberal thinking, for a person to die in their home at the hands of a criminal. The conservatives disagree, saying one should be able to defend their home by any means necessary.

There is such a wide gap between what is considered left and right opinions. While Lil Wayne is free to express himself, it should not be done at the expense of everything that gives him that right. Ms Garcia (I really don't know if is Miss, Mrs, Ms or what) can have all the opinion she wants, but I bet she scream and hollers when the Westboro Baptist Church says homosexuals are going to Hell. Paula Deen uttered something she shouldn't have 27 years ago. She was given no chance that she could have tempered her language since then.

I am all for having differences in opinions. I am not for opinions are are totally inflexible and hurtful. Name calling and condemnation is not how adults act and do nothing but cause problems. As a nation, we need to grow thicker skins. We need to realize that all the "accept all, love all, equality all" is a fantasy. Humans are genetically engineered to notice differences and to treat differences cautiously. Just because we want to cast away our feelings, it just doesn't work. We relish in our differences! We exalt differences. Unfortunately, we still have the little biological baggage to content with. Man can work together with differences like tools in a socket set. Each piece is different, but each serve their own function and all are necessary to get a job done.

Ancient Aliens on TV

In a few posts, I have been critical of Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. I must admit that I do watch the show and look forward to new episodes. It's enjoyable and requires to ask questions about our world. However, any one watching Ancient Aliens should be cautious about some of the claims made. Do not take content at face value. It is important to do research about the topics covered. You must ask questions to fully understand what is being presented. I recently watch a show on YouTube called Ancient Aliens Debunked. This focuses on the "factual" information put forward by the producers of the show. Many of the claims on Ancient Aliens are challenged and it raises the question, "Are they for real?"

There are people who actually believe everything purported by ancient alien supporters. They believe aliens have visited Earth like others believe in God. They are just as adamant about their beliefs and any Christian. The beliefs are different yet just as valid as any other belief. In fact, they offer much more in the way of evidence that Christians are able to produce. There are thousands of photos of "flying saucers" but not one  of God. You can laugh, but it is true.

Do your own research. Have an open mind whether you are on one side or the other. You just can't call someone crazy without knowing what they are talking about.

Words of UFOlogy

When watching television programming like Ancient Aliens, and recently America's Book of Secrets, there are a few words that you need pay attention to when spoken. These select words and short phrases provide clues to the ethereal nature of UFOlogy and the proof of alien visitation on Earth.Let's get started...

"I think" 

Well, if you ever heard someone say "I think it's raining" only to look out a window and see that it wasn't, then you understand the usage of "I think." The usage of "I think" provides no evidence of truth. NONE! If you walk outside in July in Tennessee, you will think it is hot and muggy. You ave making a decision based on what you perceive as local atmospheric conditions with no empirical data. However, you can go get a thermometer and a hygrometer to measure how hot and muggy it is. Yet, you don't "know" until you measure it. Say, you are in the backyard one evening and see a curious light in the sky. If you think you are seeing a flying saucer, you are making a decision without any evidence. In fact, you are making that decision on, to plainly put it, ignorance.

Of course, it does get muddles when someone has read books, seen pictures and videos about aliens and their technology. The information being presented has to be weighed with filters to make sure the the information provided is based on fact and not what other people think. If you accept what someone else thinks without looking at their evidence, then you are doing so blindly. For instance...several years ago, the Vatican released a story that the existence of alien life does not contradict the belief in God. A comment was made on a television production that the reason the Vatican made this move was to get ahead of the information curve when the secret about the existence of life elsewhere in the universe AND it was prefaced by "I think." Was the thought based on information made available from the Pope or was the comment made with an assumption without direct evidence to why the Vatican made the announcement?

"Has to be" or "Had to be"

"I went fishing one time and I caught what had to be the biggest bass ever caught." How many times have your heard that one. Do you have a database of bass records and a measuring tape? Unless you do, you have no idea if you caught "the biggest bass ever." Of course, it makes excellent story telling. That's it. There is absolutely no proof that you did catch that huge fish. Let's say that again substituting a few words..."I was in my yard and I saw what had to be a flying saucer." Just how many flying saucers have you seen? Never seen one? It is kind of hard to determine something is a flying saucer if you have never seen one. To be fair, if you see a literal "flying saucer," it is entirely within the realm of possibility. But, wouldn't one say, it was a flying saucer instead of saying it "had to be"?

"Possible"

Any thing is possible. Any thing! However, not all things that are possible are probable. There is a possibility that a meteor is doing to crash down on my head the next time I walk out the door. Fortunately for me, the probability of that happening are very low. It is entirely possible, and probable, that life exists elsewhere in the universe. Yet, there is absolutely no evidence that life does exist beyond our solar system. It is important to understand the difference between what is possible and what is probable.

"IF...then"

It has been speculated that "if" is one of the most commonly used words in the English language. When you couple "then" with "if," you have guesses or assumptions.You will commonly hear, "If there is alien life in the universe, then they would visit Earth." Really? On what information do you base that statement? There are many factors to determine whether or not an alien race would visit. They could be more backward that we are. They could not care about Earth and the creatures living on it. So, naturally, that "If...then" statement is based on no evidential facts. That statement is based on arrogance.

"Suggests"

Finally, we hear statements like "the evidence suggests" this or that.The two words don't really go together. If the evidence is there, then it would do more than suggest. Evidence shows proof of something happening and would not suggest anything. If there were evidence of alien visitation, then there would be no need for suggestion. We would know, by default, that we have been visited by aliens.

I know. This topic is one for debate. Some people use words like "I think" and use "if...then" statements to convince others of their beliefs. Somethings you can take for granted because of knowledgeable personal experience. Other things we can take at face value because of documented evidence. Somethings, like alien spacecraft visiting us, takes a little more evidence than what can be suggested to.

Keep looking up. I do!


The photo is copyrighted material from The Guardian newspaper.

Martyrs don't run

Mr Snowden,

We appreciate your sharing the information about the IRS using it's resources to pry into American lives. However, it is time for you to come home. The role of a martyr means that you have to sacrifice yourself. You've done your deed. Now, you must come home and face judgement. You wanted to show your bravery  by whistle blowing. Martyrs don't run. Martyrs aren't cowards.

If you want to dance, you must pay for the music.