Good AM, folks!
Word Watch: "soar" and "skyrocket." Probably not the first time this tired pair has made the Watch, but every time gasoline prices rise, they return, like swallows to Capistrano, to the media's lazy lexicon.
Unhappy Newsies:
Another article re reporters' opinions of the two Prez campaigns, both of which are ill-serving us.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8C836088-D953-46EB-9B4B-322D6A2CF339
I'll be on the west coast tomorrow until Monday, so not sure I'll be any help in posting LTEs until next week. Happy NFL season kickoff.
ReplyDeleteWordly, have a safe trip.
DeleteHope you enjoy your trip, Wordly! You'll be living the "early to bed, early to rise" advise with the time difference.
Delete"Delving deeper"
ReplyDeleteThe "theory" of the "big bang" would explain only the distribution of mass and energy spread throughout the universe or multiverse. The distribution of matter does not equal life. No one has been able to take an element or elements from the Periodic Table and create biological life.
The complexity of a human cell and its contents are difficult to fathom (the electrical charge of the cell wall, Na-K pump, ATP, DNA, RNA, mitochondria, amino acids, chromosomes, genes, and the processes of mitosis, meiosis and protein synthesis). How does a natural process even produce a cell wall to hold the contents? I wonder which came first, the cell wall or its contents, kind of like the chicken and the egg. How does life emanate from inert matter?
The evolutionists Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins argue that suboptimal designs exist. They imply this is an argument against intelligent design. This is a self-contradictory position since natural selection would eliminate suboptimalities.
Our world is interpreted by the eye of the beholder. One can choose to believe he evolved from algae and another from design. I do not believe in the supernatural by default and would ask the following questions: explain blue stars, the explosion of human genetic diversity 5,000 years ago, statistical population growth based on an evolutionary time frame, and brine concentration in our oceans. I personally cannot connect the dots to trace my lineage to a pond. My original question, "Where did the matter/singularity come from?" still stands.
JOHN P. PRUITT
Winston-Salem
"The 'built it' question"
Who built it and how?
Mitt Romney in his criticisms of President Obama for stating that we rarely stand alone said that if a student made the honor roll he would not credit the school-bus driver. Now, if our school-bus drivers are not making contributions, I have to ask, why are we paying them, buying the buses and gasoline and paying for their maintenance? Maybe eliminating this expense is part of the "wasteful spending" that Romney and crowd are so fond of saying they will stop.
No! Wait, they can't do that as it would increase the unemployment rolls and add to the 12 million jobs Romney says he will create without any mention of how he plans to do so.
I could go on, but I need to stop now as my head is spinning.
PAUL D. WHITSON
Advance
"A stand on gays"
DeleteIt was good news to read in the Aug. 31 Journal that NBC affiliate KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, Utah, will not air the new comedy series, "The New Normal" (which glorifies homosexuality) ("Salt Lake City station declines 'New Normal' "). Shame on WXII-TV for not taking a stand and for airing the series.
News of recent months does not reflect such a turn to God. Wickedness of our national and lower-level leaders is front-page news, and no one sees anything wrong. Presidents of recent memory disgraced the office and make no apology.
The one who sits in the office of president of the United States has honored homosexuals, filling his staff and advisors with those who practice a lifestyle God wastes no words in calling an abomination.
We hear constantly of churches or ministries or Christian workers being fined, jailed or hampered for distributing Gospel literature or having prayer meetings in their private homes, while others are free to do anything they want as long as there is no Christian flavor to it.
Are we at a time when America has forgotten God?
REID JOYCE
Winston-Salem
"Change of belief"
The writer of the letter "Higgs boson and designers" (Aug. 12) commended the writer of the letter "Complexity and order" (Aug. 1) for being interested in science but suggested he should have delved deeper instead of asking whether there could be such a thing as a designer of the universe. The writer stated flatly that nothing we have learned through science has suggested there could be anything supernatural.
Anthony Flew was the foremost philosopher of atheism in the 20th century, by the almost unanimous agreement of his peers. A professor at Oxford, England, he vigorously and effectively argued the atheist position publicly and in writing for over 50 years. Flew published a book in 2007, "There Is A God." He became convinced not just that there is such a thing as the supernatural but that there is a God.
What led him to this change of belief? Science. As detailed in his book, a number of discoveries in recent years led Flew to his conclusion.
ROBERT A. LONG
Advance
Maybe deities do exist. David Koch, chairman of Americans for Prosperity breaks from GOP on gay marriage, taxes, defense cuts.
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80483.html#ixzz25alhzp4A
Since I am not a theologian, or a scientist.....maybe Wordly has an extra seat to spare?
ReplyDelete"Soar and skyrocket" in a little while, my caffein level should "soar" high enough to deal with that Politico link. Fair enough criticisms in it, but the journalism "profession" should start by looking in the mirror.
ReplyDeleteA good side by side to the politico piece is found by James Taranto on the “Pinocchio Press" WSJ.com from a couple days ago.
DeleteThe politico piece is right on the money. The Taranto piece makes some good points, but, as always, is driven by Taranto's usual right wing slanted bullshit.
DeleteHe and his puppet masters at the WSJ can twist and turn Paul Ryan's statement about the Wisconsin factory any way they want...he still told an outright lie, and has continued to do so every day since. he is just another Pee Pee party lowlife.
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1, 4: Two attempts to mix philosophy/religion with science.(sigh) I'm not sure why Mr. Pruitt has theory in quotes unless he, like the majority of Americans, is scientifically illiterate and doesn't understand that a science theory has been peer reviewed and verified. The Big Bang Theory has to do with cosmology, the origins of life is dealt with by the study of abiogenesis, while the study of how life got to where it is today is covered by evolutionary biology. A biology course at any of our fine local colleges (Wake Forest, WSSU, UNCG, High Point, NC A&T) would answer Mr. Pruitt's questions concerning the workings of the cell and how evolution works. Mr. Pruitt's last paragraph suggests a basic understanding of science period is needed in order for him to understand which branch of science is which. You have to understand which dots to connect first and which can or cannot be connected. Btw...since writing (and by default record keeping) has only been around ~4000 years, you will be hard pressed to trace your lineage "to a pond". As for Mr. Long's contention about science leading to a belief in God; that is certainly possible, however, science is concerned with how things work in the physical realm and leaves spiritual matters up to religion and philosophy. Beliefs such as I.D. belong in philosophy classes rather than science classes because they are not falsifiable and therefore not science.
LTE 2: There are a couple of school bus drivers I recall fondly. By safely transporting me to and from school every day, I would say they played a role in my education, especially when it came to an education in the opposite sex when we would sit in the very back of the bus. Fond memories...
LTE 3: WXII did take a stand for recognizing gay people do exist and should be free to live their lives by airing the series. The US is not a theocracy. People in the US are free to worship as they please, however, that does not mean everyone has to agree with how you worship, accept whatever literature you hand out, or that you can interfere with a business's operations through your religious practices. That gay people exist in the open is not the problem. It's attitudes displayed by people such as Mr. Joyce that is the problem.
LTE #1 & 4 – The “complexity” nonsense is taught as “science” at Calvary Baptist and other so-called Christian schools, so we can expect a certain percentage of the population to chant their rote lessons now and then.
ReplyDeleteWhat fascinates me it that so much time and money is put into a school that teaches ignorance.
As to Dr. Flew, we have to make allowances for the fact that he was 81 when he published his last book. When you get old, sometimes all that complex wiring misfires now and then.
To me, there is little difference between many christians and all atheists. One believes that they can “prove” the existence of god, the other believes that they can “disprove” the existence of god, which neither can do.
The agnostic is aware of that fact, but takes no interest in the debate.
LTE #2 – I know nothing about school buses.
We walked to school every day, uphill both ways, wading through deep snow while sweating under the blazing sun.
LTE #3 – Poor old Reid Joyce, condemned forever to repeat the same message, only to be ignored by we heathens.
“We hear constantly of churches or ministries or Christian workers being fined, jailed or hampered for distributing Gospel literature or having prayer meetings in their private homes, while others are free to do anything they want as long as there is no Christian flavor to it.”
Interesting. Wonder where he hears such nonsense. Ah, I know…Dunce News Service.
I did hear through that fruitcake war criminal Congressman down in Florida that there are exactly one thousand, seven hundred and fourteen gay communists working in the White House.
OT, you left out "barefooted" from the walk-to-school, and the mileage, at least 10 miles one way.
ReplyDeleteWow, you know that story too, huh?
DeleteIndeed, it was barefooted and at least ten miles, sometimes more when we took a shortcut.
I thought the same thing. Rush never misses a chance to make a fool out of himself though.
DeleteI always have to keep that in mind.
Glenn Beck treated like a 'dog' on American Airlines.
ReplyDeleteAny bets on whether or not this flight attendant was gay?
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/09/05/glenn-beck-american-airlines/?intcmp=features
Good news. A Winston Salem police officer shot an armed robber armed with a shotgun.
ReplyDeleteI guess this happened back on August 17. At any rate, good job Det. Poe.
Who says good people with guns can't do good things? Guess who? Yep, the forum NW. That's who.
http://www.wxii12.com/news/local-news/piedmont/Police-release-photo-of-Powell-Motorsports-suspect/-/10703612/16491404/-/a5f2t8/-/index.html
Democrats knew that couldn't fill the 75,000 seat stadium, so they move meetng.
ReplyDeleteWise move. It would be a little embarrassing if the whole country saw that support for Obama is waning.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/05/breaking-obamas-speech-to-move-indoors/?hpt=hp_t2
2016: Obama's America
ReplyDeleteThis movie is now playing. I'm going to see it. I double dee dare you liberals to go see it.
Liberal bigots 'boo' putting 'God' back into Democrat platform.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.examiner.com/article/democrats-boo-restoration-of-god-jerusalem-to-party-platform
As always, Dunce is more than willing to bare his ass for all to see, whether he is at the Y, in a public toilet, at the El Gato Negro in the ABCs or on this forum.
ReplyDeleteBank of America Stadium, or Panther Stadium as the locals call it, seats 73,778 for football. But once the Secret Service had completed its study of the stadium, about 9,000 seats had been eliminated for security reasons. So the Democrats printed 65,000 tickets for the President’s acceptance speech. Those were all taken as soon as they were made available. And another 19,000 people had listed themselves on the stand-by list.
Ironically, the remains of Hurricane Isaac, which caused cancellation of the first day of the Republican convention in Tampa last week, is now generating strong storms in the Charlotte area. Last night there was a huge downpour in Charlotte that dumped almost an inch of rain on the city in less than two hours. More rain was forecast for tomorrow evening.
Earlier today, the organizers announced that the President’s speech would go on as scheduled, “Rain or shine” unless the forecast for tomorrow evening changed. This afternoon, the forecast did change, from just rain to thunderstorms, so they had no choice but to move the event indoors.
There never was a problem with filling the stadium. But unlike a fool like the Dunce, intelligent people have more sense than to risk people’s lives.
There are only three levels of dumb that I know of: dumb, dumber and dumbest. I guess we’ll just have to come up with a new category for Dunce. How about irrelevant?
BTW, saw "2016" a few weeks ago at a free private showing downtown. About 80 intelligent, educated people on hand.
ReplyDeleteSome fell asleep. Some giggled or even laughed out loud at the more ridiculous parts. Most just left early, because it was really boring. I was one of those, so I cannot tell you who dunnit. My guess would be Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick.
I do highly recommend it for anyone who has not yet graduated from middle school. If you have been held back a grade or two, you will enjoy it even more.
Others who should see it are all illiterates, Chicken Little Sky is Falling types and all who spend most of their waking hours surfing the internet sewers while nuking Chik-fil-A sandwiches from their freezers.
In fact it is right up your ass...I mean, alley. Two thumbs up there as well.
OT, how many of those tix were scooped up as large blocks and issued to the Dems' angels and special interest groups?
DeleteOh, Jesus! Sounds like some of you-know-who's bullshit.
DeleteI'm not even sure what you are referring to. Since you replied to my post about "2016" I would assume that that is what you are referring to. In that case, there were no tickets...admission by invitation only.
This was done by a small group of us who live downtown and regularly produce lectures, round tables, film showings and other events for our own information. Beats the hell out of relying on Fox and WSJ and the other crackpots. Most of our gatherings have nothing to do with national politics and the attendees are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, independents and probably an anarchist or two...we don't really discuss labels...that's for the dunces of the world.
If, on the other hand, you are referring to the President's speech at the convention, those tickets were free and available to anyone, first come, first served. The whole point is to have an enthusiastic audience.
Certainly Romney would never have dared to schedule his acceptance speech for the "Ray Jay" in Tampa, because he would never have come close to filling the almost 65,000 seats...they'd have been dragging the homeless in from the shelters.
I was referring to the speech, not the movie, and I am sure that large blocks were distributed for the purpose of busing people in, with some left over for individuals. One way or another, the stadium would have been pretty well full. And yes, weather is a valid reason to relocate. This is an iffy time of year for outdoor events.
DeleteAs for Romney, I'm sure they could also have funded a stadium full. Those super-PAC's can buy a lot, on either side of the spectrum.
Got that wrong. As always, in every election, Obama campaign volunteers had first dibs on tickets, one per volunteer. That accounted for over half of all tickets distributed and no need to bus any of them anywhere. Some, maybe half of the rest, went to select groups of supporters. The other half went to the public, and there were 19,000 left over who bothered to sign up for stand-by tickets, no doubt fewer than 10% of those who wanted tickets.
DeleteRomney's acceptance speech was given at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, seating capacity 19,500, which was nowhere near full. It's easier to hide empty seats indoors.
The fact of the matter is that there are millions of people who would like to hear President Obama speak live, whereas you would probably have a hard time finding 84,000 people anywhere who want to hear the RomneyBot speak.
In case of doubt, consult the Gallup Poll, which has been polling about acceptance speeches since 1996. Almost all of those speeches have polled over 50% to the good. Romney's speech last week polled a pitiful 38% to the good, the second worst since Gallup started asking. His pathetic wife Anne, with her self pitying harangue, did better.