The concepts of Charles Darwin and his Origin of Species need no introduction. The ideas contained in his writings, and the ensuing embellishments, are the foundations that modern science is built on in its efforts to better understand the world and indeed everything in it. The idea that a linear process of change has shaped the world is generally given to be the reason behind life as we know it. (I realise that this is a distinctly condensed outline of the theories with a million omissions, but I am also presuming that whoever is reading this will have at least a basic understanding of the theory)
However, it seems that there are a number of folks who are less than keen on the idea, and the momentum to try to sully not only the implications of Darwinist theory, but the intrinsic scientific value of the theory, is growing.
From reading the blog of Rush Limbaugh, (whose blog I discovered in turn from that of the BBC’s North America editor Justin Webb), I found out about Ben Stein’s upcoming movie Expelled: The Movie. Which has a horrendously American title for a start. The basic premise of said film is that academics and scientists are being persecuted for suggesting that there is evidence of design in nature.
After watching a particularly morose trailer for the film, in which Stein mumbles on in his dull monotone about how science is rejecting the idea of design, I was struck by a number of points he raises. Firstly, any instance of him mentioning ’Darwin’ or existing theories is presented in connection with... an image of the Holocaust. Yes, he seems to be claiming that Darwinism is dangerous. And that all it ultimately leads to is academic suffocation and genocide. He even goes so far as to state that the theory of evolution is to blame for Communism and ’planned parenthood’. I, for one, am absolutely intrigued to find out exactly how.
Secondly, the idea of an ageing public speaker who wrote speeches for such bastions of truth as Richard Nixon being the most important ’rebel’ of his generation who ’blows the horn on suppression’ as the website slogans suggest is absolutely laughable. On top of that, isn’t it entirely hypocritical to call yourself a bringer of truth and balanced arguments when you’re essentially encouraging intelligent design (or creationism, as some folks would call it); a school of thought that has precious little, if any, scientific credibility?
Indeed, is it any wonder that scientists are unlikely to consider a version of evolutionary theory that brings forth little or no evidence other than flashy graphics of ancient sketches? Reviewer Dan Whipple, who has been lucky enough to see/endure the film, notes that the only evidence for intelligent design is based on a ’cartoon version of evolutionary theory’ and a ’remarkable lack of evidence for its case’. I’m clearly not alone in thinking that the film’s subtitle No Intelligence Allowed now seems painfully ironic.
I’m not one who rejects opinions and viewpoints out of hand, and I haven’t seen the movie, but what does annoy me about things like this is that people like Mr Stein seem very keen to replace 150-odd years of careful scientific analysis and countless thousands of hours of research in order to forcibly instate a doctrine that has no basis in fact that can be proven by the same methods it claims are substantiating the counter-evidence.
The mainstream media in America, such as Limbaugh himself, seems to be all too keen to objectify ’these people on the left’, and whilst simultaneously charging them with being afraid of evidence, claims that:
We, on the other hand, recognize that our greatness, who we are, our potential, our ambition, our desire, comes from God, and as part of our Creation, this natural yearning to be free and to practice liberty. That is how we think this country came to be great.
So it goes on, it seems. Fundamentalist Christianity and American jingoism going hand in hand to make the world a duller, less enlightened place. While Expelled is probably fairly harmless and may only succeed in preaching to a converted who are already deadly certain about their beliefs, it is unquestionably a product of a movement that is both expanding rapidly in its scope and actively seeking to mislead people.
Escape. The word itself conjures images of emergence, of a freedom from oppression. Peeling back the the grey sky and the grey earth of the city to emerge like the scent from a flower.
To be carried, to take the weight from my feet. Take me away to the scorched earth, to the deep snow, to the sea.
It's all I seem to think about.
I'm not alone. Some are removing themselves by choice, escaping into other minds and other people. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7246072.stm
Others are forcibly removing themselves from life. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7246003.stm
Either way, we're doing something dreadfully wrong to ourselves and others. Maybe it's a matter of ideology. Maybe imposing freedom is no better than curtailing it. Maybe it's the way we've replaced 'freedom from' with 'freedom to'.
Who knows?
Namah Parvati Pataye Hare Hare Namah Parvati Pataye Hare Hare Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva Shiva Shiva Shankara Mahadeva
... and I might post it again, but fuck it, it's probably one of Bob's best. I think the second lines of every stanza really emphasise the mood of the whole song, and they're certainly the most cutting and insightful.
I hate myself for lovin' you and the weakness that it showed You were just a painted face on a trip down Suicide Road. The stage was set, the lights went out all around the old hotel, I hate myself for lovin' you and I'm glad the curtain fell.
I hate that foolish game we played and the need that was expressed And the mercy that you showed to me, who ever would have guessed? I went out on Lower Broadway and I felt that place within, That hollow place where martyrs weep and angels play with sin.
Heard your songs of freedom and man forever stripped, Acting out his folly while his back is being whipped. Like a slave in orbit, he's beaten 'til he's tame, All for a moment's glory and it's a dirty, rotten shame.
There are those who worship loneliness, I'm not one of them, In this age of fibreglass I'm searching for a gem. The crystal ball up on the wall hasn't shown me nothing yet, I've paid the price of solitude, but at least I'm out of debt.
Can't recall a useful thing you ever did for me 'Cept pat me on the back one time when I was on my knees. We stared into each other's eyes 'til one of us would break, No use to apologize, what diff'rence would it make?
So sing your praise of progress and of the Doom Machine, The naked truth is still taboo whenever it can be seen. Lady Luck, who shines on me, will tell you where I'm at, I hate myself for lovin' you, but I should get over that.
Well you ask me if I'll forget my baby. I guess I will, someday. I don't like it but I guess things happen that way. You ask me if I'll get along. I guess I will, someway. I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.
God gave me that girl to lean on, then she put me on my own. Heaven help me be a man and have the strength to stand alone. I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.
You ask me if I'll miss her kisses. I guess I will, everyday. I don't like it but I guess things happen that way. You ask me if I'll find another. I don't know. I can't say. I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.
God gave me that girl to lean on, then she put me on my own. Heaven help me be a man and have the strength to stand alone. I don't like it but I guess things happen that way.
This kind of sound makes sense to me at the moment. Life is about love, last minutes and lost evenings, about fire in our bellies and furtive little feelings, and the aching amplitudes that set our needles all a-flickering, and help us with remembering that the only thing that's left to do is live.
After all the loving and the losing, the heroes and the pioneers, the only thing that's left to do is get another round in at the bar.
Creationism, the drinking age and the feral youth.
One thing I really enjoy is reading a good newspaper. It is quite astonishing as to how little valuable information about the world we live in filters through other media, particularly online and on television. Today's Independent on Sunday presented more than a few examples of this.
The first of these was a report by the wonderfully sceptical David Usborne on Kentucky's new $27m 'Creation Museum'.
Cute logo eh? What this essentially means, bizarrely, is that this 'museum' is pedalling a version of world history that presents dinosaurs, lions and humans living peacefully, side by side in the Garden of Eden. Here's a shot of this:
It also manipulates geology to claim that the flood that prompted Noah's Ark was the reason for the Grand Canyon and the fossil record. Even the exhibits have signs instructing visitors that 'Thou shalt not touch'. No, this is not a fabrication, it is (for want of a better phrase) the God's honest truth.
This seemingly baffling and amusing story is immensely revealing about the nature of the conflict that is currently dividing America. The museum's founder, Ken Ham, is also the president of Answers In Genesis, a Young Earth creationist outfit. His unapologetic claims that 'They will never find something that will scientifically disprove what is the clear teaching in the Bible' and that 'the Ten Commandments are not where they should be' in American public life typify his 'world 'view. In fact, his dismissal of evolution makes him more hard-line than the Pope, who at least acknowledges that 'scientific tests... enrich our understanding of life and being' and that the evolution vs creation debate is 'an absurdity'.
What of the public reaction? Well, on one day in July, the museum received 100,000 visitors. This is an unsurprising figure considering the recent Gallup poll that suggested that a fraction under 50% of Americans of which there are roughly (302,280,000) believe that 'God created humans pretty much in their present form in the past 10,000 years or so'. Even breaking this question down is revealing. Firstly, at least this percentage believe without question that God created man and that the world is no older than 10,000 years old. Within this, a further percentage must agree with Mr Ham's idea that the world was created 6000 years ago.
I'm not suggesting that these people aren't allowed to believe whatever the hell they like. I actively encourage that, but I'm just astounded at the way they've gathered together such disparate elements with such conviction in order to assert a 'truth'. It wasn't too long ago that such hardliners questioned the relevance of the fossil records and prehistoric life. It does seem to be a swift turn-around, and one that has struck a chord with Christian Middle America.
I wonder what Mr Dawkins would make of it all. Haha.
Another story making plenty of headlines is the so-called 'feral youth' that is plaguing the news and terrorising people who believe everything they see on ITV News. In the space of a week, we've seen two fatal murders and widespread efforts to raise the drinking age to 21 and for new measures to force wayward children into care. These are, as per usual, totalitarian knee-jerk reactions from our wonderful media and establishment
I read a government report today that mapped out by region what percentage of Year 10s (yes, year 10s) consume 7 units or more of alcohol in a week. Confusing, non? Well, the figures make for obvious reading. In the North East of England, the figures are as high as 26%... but in London, it drops to only 8%. Hmm. Could that be evidence of a correlation between investment in youth projects and a lowered rate of youth narcotic abuse? Well I never.
The problem with underage drinking lies partly with the parents, but also partly in other areas that need drastic improvement, such as the thoroughly inept school system and years of underinvestment in young people. Raising the drinking age to 21 and other such laughable proposals do nothing but attempt to rally against the symptoms, rather than the causes. There is, after all, a reason why Britain came near the bottom of a Europe-wide list detailing good and bad countries to grow up in, and its a problem we desperately need to address. It goes without saying that eventually, pissed off kids become extremely pissed off adults.
Live Earth fallout, Jihad, a boy named Hell and the weather.
So, Live Earth is over. Thank God for that. Quote of the day came from Chris Rock, who despite being one of the hosts of the event, astutely claimed that
"this will do for global warming what Live 8 did for ending world hunger."
So true. Turns out it wasn't even very well-watched: ..StartFragment --> Live Earth pulled less than a third of the audience for last week's Concert for Diana. Maybe, just maybe, people don't much like James Blunt et al preaching to them... or Madonna encouraging motherfuckers to jump up and down to save the planet. The inane stupidity of the event would be laughable if it wasn't so austere and superficial.
Even this lot had an insurmountable task in lightening the mood:
Elsewhere, after what seems like an absolute age, this lot have finally been found guilty:
Was their guilt ever in question? I really don't envy the lawyer who had to defend this lot.. 'the bombs weren't supposed to go off, they were just a protest'? That shit just doesn't flush.
Hopefully, they'll be locked up in the most disgusting prison in the country until their demise without any hope of ever getting bail.
Mr Hell is the kind of name you'd expect to hear from the likes of Lordi. I have yet to confirm its Austrian origins, though i'd be intrigued to know if there's truth there ;) Anyway, if this kid was Hell only by name, and not nature, surely its a non-issue... :p
The weather is continuing to be schizophrenic... if my camera would stop being a fool, I could demonstrate the exact nature of the weird skies we're getting here at the moment.
A question of sport, Live Earth and the strange meteorological state
Since I've been back at home, I've had some time to watch TV. Most of the TV channels are flooded with American tripe, but the constant references on said programmes to 'sport' makes me wonder about the boundaries of the term.
Does truck racing constitute a 'sport'? Can a rodeo be considered a 'sporting event'? How about the fine American leisure pursuit of monster trucks? I am by no means convinced. I'm well aware of the fact that Americans do things a little differently to...well, the rest of the world, possibly with the exception of Canada... but still. If the primary proponents of the sport have difficulty peeling themselves from the seat of their similarly oversized vehicle, I'd have to call the title of 'sport' into question.
I haven't mentioned it until now, primarily because it gets me pretty angry, but this weekend will see another onslaught of television, mobile phone and internet coverage from Wembley Stadium for the utterly farcical Live Earth gigs.
Firstly, the name is stupid. At least Live 8 was at least a passable pun, but this seems like a really poor attempt to cash in on the wave of St Geldof influenced charity... which it patently isn't. What this series of concerts is in reality is a hypocritical ego massage for a group of fairly helpless musicians who are feeling guilty about having spent a lifetime racking up countless air miles and lavishly (and unwittingly, it should be said) wasting resources.
The inherent hypocrisy of the concerts is clear: in flying the musicians (as well as their equipment and predictably huge entourages) across the world in order to play the gigs, massive amounts of fuel will be spent on ferrying people to the concerts, televising the shows and advertising it. Yes, the fuel that is causing the problem that the concerts are about. Hmm.
I could go on and on, but you probably get the picture. And what will it serve to do? Raise awareness among Westerners who are already painfully aware of these problems through corporate greenwash and also, bizarre weather...
... which brings me onto my final point. What the hell is going on with the weather at the moment?! Not only was there serious flooding in East Anglia and the North of England last month, there was a hailstorm in the South of England today.
Hail in July. Yes, hail. Frozen water. In July.
This picture was taken in Streatham Hill:
It's a very strange set of circumstances. This picture, taken at Wimbledon today, accurately surmises the weather we had here. Despite the fact it was sunny with periodic showers, and the sun was pleasantly warm when it was out, the sky was thick with dark, oppressive clouds. I did on a number of occasions notice lightning, and it seemed at times as if the sky was taunting us, like we were lucky that the weather wasn't much worse.
At the same time, Southern Europe is baking. 40-45 degrees in the Mediterranean Sea at the moment. These are strange times indeed...
Currently
listening
:
The Contino Sessions
By
Death in Vegas
Release date: 14 September, 1999
All change: clockwork terrorism, cigarettes and politics
This has been a busy old week.
Firstly, all change at number 10 as Gordon Brown is the new Prime Minister and promptly reshuffles the most important and powerful Cabinet positions. And all without a democratic vote of any kind. Hmm. Still, onwards.
I'm divided about it. Something about the event (synthetic as the hype may be) encourages optimism for change. Ultimately, its still a Labour government, and the faces are the same as were elected two years ago at the General Election, but maybe a change will do politics some good. However, the policies are pretty much the same and several other things won't change too much.
On a random side note, has anyone noticed how much Gordon Brown looks like Monty Python's Terry Jones?
Uncanny, non?
All this aside, the appointment of Tony Blair as Middle East Envoy is astounding and insane, to put it simply. This the man who arrogantly pursued a course of subserviance to America and compliance with its aggressive intent to enforce democracy on sovereign nations, who barely acted when Israel invaded and practically demolished Jordan... to say the lunatics are running the asylum is probably accurate, but the fact that it is laughable should not detract from the fact that its a very depressing fact to recount.
All this, of course has taken a relative backseat in comparison with the latest raft of terrorist attacks in Britain. I suppose it was relatively inevitable that techniques such as car-bombing would reach would-be Islamic terrorists in the West. These kinds of car-bombs are very different animals to those planted by the IRA... the inclusion of 60 litres of petrol, and worse, nails, is a very frightening development. Without intending to sound like a Sun journalist, we are once again indebted to our brave and vigilant Emergency services for their frankly astonishing work. Interesting note that not many people have picked up on: the Tiger Tiger nightclub was running a 'Ladies Night' on the Thursdat evening, and previous convicted terrorists have mentioned bombing nightclubs in order to kill the 'sluts dancing around'. Possible motive (among many others)?
As I write, details are still emerging about the Scottish attacks, but they look similarly frightening. Quite what motivates a man to get in a vehicle full of petrol and try to blow themselves and many innocent people is still quite beyond my comprehension.
Anyway, what is it about these terrorists? Do they just work in the summer or what? Heh.
On a more personal note, I finally moved out of Halls today. For the second time. I will miss good old Monte, but onwards! Pictures to follow when I can find my camera...
Currently
listening
:
Beggar's Oil
By
Kelly Joe Phelps
Release date: 05 February, 2002
Cold War II, crowdsurfing Catholics, Stradivarius and home
Wow. Politically, things in Europe are becoming difficult, and it mainly involves Russia.
For a start, the whole Litvinenko thing is still rumbling on, with the suspect saying he was being made 'a scapegoat', and the Russian official line being that accusing Russia is 'foolish'. For a start, that's a fairly large diplomatic stumbling block, and I very much doubt that British investigators will ever solve that case.. far too much finger pointing and old allegiances that it will take forever to uncover, let alone form a decent case with.
More significant, however, is Russia's recent missile testing, the details of which can be found here, but in basic terms, Russia disagrees with what it sees as being a US military encroachment on its former Soviet satellites, and plans to aim missiles at Europe in protest.
That's a fairly serious thing to do. I can, to an extent, understand Russian sentiments here. The American military presence around the world is absolutely alarming, and a statistic I read a while ago suggests that they have a notable military presence in 130 of the world's 190-odd recognised countries. So in 130 different countries across the world, there is a group of American soldiers. So it's pretty much understandable that you wouldn't want the world's most hated military force encroaching on your space with all its weaponry.
American reasoning is, as ever, dubious over the matter as well. They claim they want to build bases in the Czech Republic and Poland (and also the UK!) in order to prevent attack from Iran and North Korea. Surely, that in itself is questionable when you consider that the US was supposed to be taking a peaceful and diplomatic line against these countries, or 'rogue states' or whatever name the US want to give them this week. Wouldn't they see that as a direct affront? Furthermore, wouldn't it give them valuable psychological ammunition in proving American militarism is aimed directly at their territories and interests?
However, Russia doesn't get off guilt-free on this one. As the US has stated, Putin's government has been marred by limited democratic reform and questionable political moves throughout Putin's stay, and his attempt to run for a (theoretically illegal) third term raised some eyebrows.
I can't help but think that overall this is two old enemies still jostling for position on the world stage, and that above all, Putin and Bush's successors will be the ones to decide the outcome of this new political disagreement.
As far as life goes at the moment, exams are coming to an end at last after dragging on for a month, and after that, I'll be off home to recharge my batteries and generally escape for a bit. For the moment, I should be reading up on some Freud... and it continues to amuse me that I've read far more Freud on this English course than I ever did on my Psychology course. Funny old world eh?
Currently
listening
:
Complete Collection
By
Robert Johnson
Release date: 12 December, 2001
