NFL Predictions

For the conference finals, New England and Philadelphia.
For the Super Bowl, New England.

The Founding Fathers and Christianity....

"As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." --Treaty of Tripoli, 1797
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"And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in shewing that religion & Govt will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together." --James Madison, 10 July 1822
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"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State." --Thomas Jefferson, 1 January 1802
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". . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." --Art. VI, Sec. 3,U.S. Constitution
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"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my church. "
"Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifiying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity. " --Thomas Paine, The Age Of Reason.
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"If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. These found it wrong in the Bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves both here [England] and in New England." --Ben Franklin, Toleration.
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"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."
"What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not." --James Madison, 1785
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"The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.
". . . Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind." --John Adams, Defence of the United States Constitution, 1788
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"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!" --John Adams

Go

The Japanese board game,that is. I got hooked on it some years back, but never played until I got online. Still not great, rarely break above 20 kyu (very weak).

Hopefully will become a stronger player.

If you're interested in Go, the best site to check out is http://senseis.xmp.net Sensei's Library, the Go Wiki, There are several real-time and turn-based/play by email servers, the main one I play at is Dragon Go Server http://www.dragongoserver.net .

For those who read manga, you'll know of Hikaru no Go...the whole of the manga is based on Go.

Variety....oughta come back

Was watching the Ed Sullivan DVD set with The Beatles. This type of variety show should still have a place on broadcast TV. It would kinda be "new" again, the comedies are all the same now, so are the dramas. And the "reality" series are scraping the underside of the bottom of the barrel.

The good thing for variety is just that, it's varied. There may be stuff you don't like, conversely, there'll be stuff you like. Something for everyone.

Hopefully, it can come back, and we can be rid of some reality shows...

Formula 1 2005--Another bad step

The stupid things F1 does to itself.

Now we get Sunday qualifying, gee, no one ehre in the USA will watch F1 at 3 AM. They've already made Friday nothing but a glorified test day, now it looks as if Saturday shall be the same.

And all of this because UK F1 "news" and "fan" sites cannot handle that simply Schumi is the best driver there has ever been in F1 history. I mean, why begrudge the truth??

Red Bull has already made its' fatal error in signing Coulthard. Ironic to think its just like when predecessors Jaguar took over...and promptly signed Irvine. Face it, Coulthard's well past his best-by date. I'd have prferred a team of Liuzzi and Klein.

Also, CBS is going to air 4 races this season. I do not see them doing as good of a job as Speed does. Bernie shouls understand, American broadcast TV can only do ultrasimple motosport like NASCAR. You have to wonder how many affiliates will clear it...

My pick for the title is the no-brainer: For the 8th time, Michael Schumacher. I see 90 wins falling quickly, and he'll pass 100 in 2006.

Genesis' Fall Of Man---the reality...

What I feel the truth with the Adam and Eve/ Fall Of Man story in Genesis is that it is not about the beginning of "sin", but of conciousness. Man, prior to the eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (for want of a better term), had no understanding or capacity to understand. Then with the eating, man awoke and began to sense and think about the world around him.

Before long, man began to question why he was and what was his reason. This event is the birth of philosophy (including as it is a form of philosophy, Religion). This, truly, is the Dawn of the Age of Man.

There are similar stories of this nature in non-Biblical mythologies as well, such as the story of Prometheus, whom by giving Man fire, was able to elevate them above the level of animals and wake up their sense of the concious.

Without "the fall of man" the wonders of the world of today would never have been.

Evolution case in Georgia, sanity wins

A Federal Judge in georgia ruled against Cobb County's putting stickers in Science texts saying Evolution is not a fact ,and to "expplore it with an open mind" (hard for Southern Fundies).

I think it's a good ruling, am sick of Creationism/Intellegent Design.

The problem the Fundies have is this: They need the Bible to be 100% accurate in their minds. Nothing in Evolution is anti-god. They also have the worse need of thinking god put them here for a specific purpose and are thus superior to other creatures and humans who don't share their narrow view.

Beatles Capitol CD's....

....have had them since issue. I still can't see why Brits and purists are still upset over the US versions and mixes being on CD, as the Capitol stuff sounds great, In some cases better than the UK mixes, which are dryer, and in the case of the Please Please Me/ With The Beatles stereo, too much spread out.

Hopefully, Volume 2 will be out later this year, can't wait for The Early Beatles, Beatles VI, Help! or the US Rubber Soul on CD.

Law & Order 1-12

The main plot was OK, with the rap producer being killed. Trial as normal. The weord part was the way Serena leaves (fired....first one on there I can remember). Then the twist....Serena asks if it's because she's a lesbian.

Dennis Farina: I guess Fontana's a good character, but after being spoiled by 12 years of Briscoe, no one is going to look good by comparison. I miss Jerry Orbach, still saddened with his death.