America: the Land of the Free or the Censored?

It has been a tradition since our the founding of our nation to be the bastion of freedom in the world. Yet time and time again, it seems that those who drape themselves in the American flag, scream their devotion to our great country, and terrorize anyone who stands in their way seem to bury the real truth.

Case in point, after 60 years, a story from the good ole days of WWII is finally surfacing. About the after effects of the atomic strike on Nagasaki, Japan, our "glorious" general MacArthur and the always trustworthy US government carefully censored, or more accurately buried the articles. Even with the Freedom of Information Act (passed way back in the 1970's!), it has taken this long for the story to come to light.

Sort of makes one wonder, what other stories are still buried in the past, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq...hell, even major domestic news that the government censors in this country absolutely refuse to release. It took Sen. Paul Wellstone months of work to finally get our own government to admit to the chemical weapons spraying of a major part of Minneapolis in WWII to test its effectiveness.

What it all boils down to, is if we simply accept the government propoganda, lies, distortions, and censorship, or stand up and refuse to accept this behavior. Our greatest cultural legacy is in fact, freedom, so why voluntarily turn a blind eye to the freedom of being told the truth by our own government?

Chinese Book of Changes: the I Ching

This was a paper I wrote to a professor at the university instructing him on what he was teaching. Though I think this is just as religious phooey as killing chickens, take a read if you're interested.

The I Ching (also known as the Chinese Book of Changes) is a daoist guide to divination and magic. Rising from a mysterious past, it is rumored that the system described in the I Ching predates writing, and was recorded later in it's history. Although there have been numerous translations and interpretations of this ancient text, the truth is that the I Ching is merely a guide to the metaphysical, not a rule book dictating exactly how "supernatural" powers can be harvested.

To understand how the Book of Changes works, one must first understand the balanced relationship between Yin and Yang. Yin embodies the smooth, quiet, and gentle aspects of life, which although on the surface seem to be weaker than the Yang, are persevering through time. Yin is often symbolized by the pervasive power of water. Although the rock (symbolizing the bold strength of Yang) may stand in it's path, it evades the confrontation by simply flowing around the obstacle. Furthermore, in time, the water weathers the stone, thereby overcoming it's strength.

The polar opposite to Yin is the Yang, an energy which is strong, fierce, and bold. Yang is the beacon of light that pierces the sea of darkness in Yin, guiding the path of the ocean vessel through the night. Yang is often symbolized by stone, that which casts off the chaotic elements in the universe, choosing to stand firm in it's organized form.

Together, the Yin and the Yang are the fundamental energies that bring existence and being to the universe from the void. Although forever in opposition, their powers are equal and balanced. The flowing of their energies through the universe creates harmony and peace; where one is more abundant, there lies disruption and discord. The Yin and the Yang are the most basic element of the I Ching, with Yin represented by a broken or dashed line, and Yang shown by a straight line.

However, it is a bit more complex than that. For as with everything in life and the cosmos, the only constant is that things perpetually change. The time frame in which things change are of concern here, for what may take millions of years to transmute will not be of any consequence during a single human lifetime; it will appear to be a constant. In the Book of Changes, these are the normal Yin and Yang lines. However, for those few instances in which something in question changes more rapidly, say in the span of a few days or years, the contrast between forms is more apparent. In this scenario, the Yin and Yang are represented by lines that are changing (as shown by a squiggle at the end of the line). In essence, what is being witnessed here is the Yin changing into the Yang, or vice versa. Exactly how to incorporate this will be discussed later. So there are normal Yin and Yang lines, and changing Yin and Yang lines.

The next step in the I Ching method of divination comes when 3 Yin or Yang lines are stacked on top of each other, forming what is known as a Trigram. With each line having the binary possibility of either Yin or Yang, the 3 stacked lines in a Trigram give us 8 possible results. These are meant to represent the elemental forces of nature (Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Mist). Although each of these elemental forces conjure up definitive thoughts and emotions ( Earth=stone, Water=H2O, etc.), they are actually abstract, relying more on the interpretation of the mystic than on solid, scientifically testable materials. This is where the true magic of the human mind manifests itself, in the images and patterns that arise from the depths of human intuition. This and only this can account for the perpetually unique situations and new scenarios that are created in the timestream. Thus the saying, "No matter where you go, there you are!"

The true key to the magic unleashed in the Book of Changes comes at the third step though. Here 2 trigrams are stacked on top of each other, forming what is known as a Hexagram. Consisting of 2 trigrams (6 total lines of either Yin or Yang), the hexagram is a symbol which is meant to represent the true nature of the dilemma or object in question. Each hexagram can be understood as a combination of its 2 trigrams. Thus, the I Ching hexagram known as The Ancient River is simply the Water trigram over the Earth trigram (Water/Earth). This imagery instills thoughts in the mystic, which can then be applied to the question at hand. Again, using exponential mathematics, the 8 different trigrams which are possible on top and 8 on bottom give us 64 possible combinations, each one with it's individual abstract meaning and associated images.

The final step in this art is to determine which lines are normal and which are changing. Again, a changing line is in the immediate process of becoming it's opposite (Yin into Yang or vice versa). Although changing lines have no immediate impact on the initial reading in the consultation, changing lines do indicate that the situation is in a state of flux, and will soon take a new form. An example of this would be The Ancient River, previously mentioned. From top to bottom, this hexagram consists of a straight line, broken line, straight line (making the Water trigram), and 3 successive straight lines (forming the Earth trigram). Now, imagine the 2nd line from the top is changing (from a broken or Yin line into a straight or Yang line). This would change the top trigram from Water to Earth (now being 3 straight lines), leaving us with the hexagram for Earth/Earth (known as The Great Wide Open). This indicates that the immediate situation is symbolized by The Ancient River, but it will soon be symbolized by The Great Wide Open.

Furthermore, more than one line in the hexagram can be changing. In the same example given above, let us imagine the 2nd, 4th, and 5th lines (again, from the top) are changing. The new situation evolving in this case would be symbolized by Earth/Thunder (Repeating Thunder) and the associated images and ideas that are evoked. The extreme example here would be the case in which all of the lines are changing, resulting in the polar opposite hexagram taking place of the old (The Ancient River becomes Fire/Heaven or Shooting Stars). This is why the I Ching is known as the Book of Changes.

The methods used to arrive at the final hexagram vary considerably. Traditionally, Chinese mystics would use yarrow sticks, but toothpicks can be substituted. The method employed is to pile up the sticks, and repeatedly divide them into piles. Then, the sticks in one of the piles are counted, with the number thereof determining whether that line is Yin or Yang, and if it is a changing line. A fashionable method employed in the West (Europe and America) is to flip 3 coins for each line. The results dictate whether that line is Yin or Yang, and if it is changing.

A much easier and less time consuming method requires the use of an octagonal (8-sided) dice available in many novelty or hobby shops. Each number is assigned to one of the 8 elemental forces or trigrams (for example: 1=Heaven, 2=Earth, 3=Wind, 4=Thunder, 5=Water, 6=Fire, 7=Mountain, and 8=Mist). Then, the 8 sided die is rolled twice (once for the top trigram, once for the bottom). To determine which of the lines are changing, simply roll the die once for each line, with odd numbers indicating changing and even numbers being normal. Or else, numbers 1-4 could indicate normal, while 5-8 imply changing (either way, it is a 50/50 chance). This quickly gives the resulting hexagram, and its interpretation can go from there.

The rest is up to you and the dao. Never fall prey to the con that the I Ching is an ancient mystical system which has been altered so much that it can never be used appropriately in the modern day. After all, it is the Book of Changes! Although it can never truly be understood by any mortal (and thus limited) mind, it does awaken the intuitive potential from it's long slumber, and thus may seem strange or difficult at first. But with time and practice, anyone can come to use the Book of Changes in their daily lives to solve everyday problems. Let the dao be with you!
anized form.

Together, the Yin and the Yang are the fundamental energies that bring existence and being to the universe from the void. Although forever in opposition, their powers are equal and balanced. The flowing of their energies through the universe creates harmony and peace; where one is more abundant, there lies disruption and discord. The Yin and the Yang are the most basic element of the I Ching, with Yin represented by a broken or dashed line, and Yang shown by a straight line.

However, it is a bit more complex than that. For as with everything in life and the cosmos, the only constant is that things perpetually change. The time frame in which things change are of concern here, for what may take millions of years to transmute will not be of any consequence during a single human lifetime; it will appear to be a constant. In the Book of Changes, these are the normal Yin and Yang lines. However, for those few instances in which something in question changes more rapidly, say in the span of a few days or years, the contrast between forms is more apparent. In this scenario, the Yin and Yang are represented by lines that are changing (as shown by a squiggle at the end of the line). In essence, what is being witnessed here is the Yin changing into the Yang, or vice versa. Exactly how to incorporate this will be discussed later. So there are normal Yin and Yang lines, and changing Yin and Yang lines.

The next step in the I Ching method of divination comes when 3 Yin or Yang lines are stacked on top of each other, forming what is known as a Trigram. With each line having the binary possibility of either Yin or Yang, the 3 stacked lines in a Trigram give us 8 possible results. These are meant to represent the elemental forces of nature (Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Mist). Although each of these elemental forces conjure up definitive thoughts and emotions (Earth=stone, Water=H2O, etc.), they are actually abstract, relying more on the interpretation of the mystic than on solid, scientifically testable materials. This is where the true magic of the human mind manifests itself, in the images and patterns that arise from the depths of human intuition. This and only this can account for the perpetually unique situations and new scenarios that are created in the timestream. Thus the saying, "No matter where you go, there you are!"

The true key to the magic unleashed in the Book of Changes comes at the third step though. Here 2 trigrams are stacked on top of each other, forming what is known as a Hexagram. Consisting of 2 trigrams (6 total lines of either Yin or Yang), the hexagram is a symbol which is meant to represent the true nature of the dilemma or object in question. Each hexagram can be understood as a combination of its 2 trigrams. Thus, the I Ching hexagram known as The Ancient River is simply the Water trigram over the Earth trigram (Water/Earth). This imagery instills thoughts in the mystic, which can then be applied to the question at hand. Again, using exponential mathematics, the 8 different trigrams which are possible on top and 8 on bottom give us 64 possible combinations, each one with it's individual abstract meaning and associated images.

The final step in this art is to determine which lines are normal and which are changing. Again, a changing line is in the immediate process of becoming it's opposite (Yin into Yang or vice versa). Although changing lines have no immediate impact on the initial reading in the consultation, changing lines do indicate that the situation is in a state of flux, and will soon take a new form. An example of this would be The Ancient River, previously mentioned. From top to bottom, this hexagram consists of a straight line, broken line, straight line (making the Water trigram), and 3 successive straight lines (forming the Earth trigram). Now, imagine the 2nd line from the top is changing (from a broken or Yin line into a straight or Yang line). This would change the top trigram from Water to Earth (now being 3 straight lines), leaving us with the hexagram for Earth/Earth (known as The Great Wide Open). This indicates that the immediate situation is symbolized by The Ancient River, but it will soon be symbolized by The Great Wide Open.

Furthermore, more than one line in the hexagram can be changing. In the same example given above, let us imagine the 2nd, 4th, and 5th lines (again, from the top) are changing. The new situation evolving in this case would be symbolized by Earth/Thunder (Repeating Thunder) and the associated images and ideas that are evoked. The extreme example here would be the case in which all of the lines are changing, resulting in the polar opposite hexagram taking place of the old (The Ancient River becomes Fire/Heaven or Shooting Stars). This is why the I Ching is known as the Book of Changes.

The methods used to arrive at the final hexagram vary considerably. Traditionally, Chinese mystics would use yarrow sticks, but toothpicks can be substituted. The method employed is to pile up the sticks, and repeatedly divide them into piles. Then, the sticks in one of the piles are counted, with the number thereof determining whether that line is Yin or Yang, and if it is a changing line. A fashionable method employed in the West (Europe and America) is to flip 3 coins for each line. The results dictate whether that line is Yin or Yang, and if it is changing.

A much easier and less time consuming method requires the use of an octagonal (8-sided) dice available in many novelty or hobby shops. Each number is assigned to one of the 8 elemental forces or trigrams (for example: 1=Heaven, 2=Earth, 3=Wind, 4=Thunder, 5=Water, 6=Fire, 7=Mountain, and 8=Mist). Then, the 8 sided die is rolled twice (once for the top trigram, once for the bottom). To determine which of the lines are changing, simply roll the die once for each line, with odd numbers indicating changing and even numbers being normal. Or else, numbers 1-4 could indicate normal, while 5-8 imply changing (either way, it is a 50/50 chance). This quickly gives the resulting hexagram, and its interpretation can go from there.

The rest is up to you and the dao. Never fall prey to the con that the I Ching is an ancient mystical system which has been altered so much that it can never be used appropriately in the modern day. After all, it is the Book of Changes! Although it can never truly be understood by any mortal (and thus limited) mind, it does awaken the intuitive potential from it's long slumber, and thus may seem strange or difficult at first. But with time and practice, anyone can come to use the Book of Changes in their daily lives to solve everyday problems. Let the dao be with you!

Metric Time

METRIC TIME

Currently, we define the length of a day as 24 hours and this is divided into units called hours, and this into units called minutes, and this into seconds. 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute. This system of time measurement is known as Standard or Imperial (like the miles, gallons, Fahrenheit, inches, etc. systems in use today).

1 day = 24 hours
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds

1 day = 1440 minutes
1 day = 86,400 seconds

1 hour = 3600 seconds

Though this system is a longstanding tradition for time measuring, it is unneccesarily cumbersome. Most people would have a hard time figuring out how many seconds there are in 9 hours + 47 minutes without a calculator. How about how many hours exist in 48,291 seconds? Time conversions don't need to be so difficult.

To complicate things further, in some parts of the world, we use the AM/PM system to distinguish between the rough times of the 24 hour clock roughly morning and night. So one has to distinguish between 12:34 AM and PM in America (except on military time).

As long as our numeric system is based on 10 digits (0-9 = 10 single digit numbers), we should convert to "metric time". I use this term assuming no one has already staked a claim on some other form of time measurement and named it metric time. Metric Time is surprisingly easy to learn and use. Each day would consist of 10 hours, each hour with 100 minutes, each minute with 100 seconds.

1 day = 10 hours
1 hour = 100 minutes
1 minute = 100 seconds

1 day = 1,000 minutes
1 day = 100,000 seconds

1 hour = 10,000 seconds

Conversions are now made very simple. In the examples used above, 9 hours + 47 minutes (09.47.00) is easily converted to 94,700 seconds. And 48,291 seconds = 4 hours + 82 minutes + 91 seconds (04.82.91).

To understand exactly how long the new hours, minutes, and seconds are in comparison to how we measure time today, just consult the following table:

1 metric hour = 2.4 standard hours
1 metric minute = 1.44 standard minutes (86.4 standard seconds)
1 metric second = 0.864 standard seconds


BINARY TIME

In the event that our numeric system should somehow be converted to a Binary one (2 digits, 1 and 0), we could adopt a system of "binary time". The length of a binary second is defined as thenumber of seconds in a day divided by 2 to the 16th power.
86,400 (standard seconds) / 65,536 (2 to the 16th power) = 1.318359375
Thus, a binary second is roughly equal to 1.3 seconds. The binary system would have 65,536 seconds in a day, 256 seconds per minute, and 256 minutes per day.

1 day = 256 binary minutes (65,536 binary seconds)
1 binary minute = 256 binary seconds

Binary N power Equivalent Standard Seconds
day N=0 86,400
minute N=8 33.5 (5.625 minutes)
second N=16 1.318359375 (~1.3)
minisec N=32 0.000020125 (~2X10 to the -5 power)

The table above is used for this equation: time in a day/2 to the Nth power. This system may seem complicated (to everyone except mathematicians), but that is only because our point of view is from the decimal system based on 10 digits (0-9). If we were raised from birth on the binary system, this system of time measurement would seem natural, logical, and orderly.

Right Wing Conspiracy

The shadows are moving again, but this time the innocent are fighting back. The conspiring conservatives have released a propoganda report attacking foreign politicians for allegedly profiting from illegal oil sales in Iraq's Oil-for-Food program. George Galloway, a British MP (Minister of Parliament), a former member of the Labour Party (until his strong anti-war sentiments conflicted with Blairs policy), came before the US Senate today and really let them have it.

The best weapon we have in our fight against these people is the simple truth. The conspirators were hoping to discredit, disgrace, and burden Mr. Galloway with their baseless attack in the report. He flew to Washington and delivered a forceful defense of his position, very emotionally illuminating the ridiculousness of the baseless insinuations. Not a shred of the accusations are true.

This is the same tactic used for the last 5 years, quite effectively I might add, to attack any adversaries, potential adversaries, journalists, foreign politicians or governments, grassroots organizations, etc. that would stand up to their movement (so called "neo-conservatism", but more like a new line of BS) or shed some light of truth on their lies.

Minnesota senator Norm Coleman, someone who once had a good heart, but decided to feed his ambition and join the right wing conspirators while still mayor of St. Paul, took a good lashing during this proceeding. Coleman needs this nosebleed. He might have a cabinet post soon, helping propagate these liars like Bush and his cronies. Unless we can boot him from office or if he miraculously comes to his senses.

In any case, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. With the suffocating onslaught coming from the right wingers, from attacking decent people to the media censorship, it is very refreshing to see someone stand up so boldly and face their pack of lies head on. Sort of inspiring in fact, and infectious.

Bush the liar

For those who would contend, let it go, the election is over, bite me. The truth shall continue to speak for itself, and continue to be revealed for what it is in the next 4 years.

Little Bush, has destroyed Americas standing in the world. We have gone, collectively as a unified nation from a respected (and after 911, a sympathized) place ,to a disliked one. We have allowed this administration of liars and propogandists to lead us down a path of worldwide scorn.

Look at the facts. Bush and his shortsighted ultraconservative cronies have...
1. Unilaterally invaded a sovereign nation under false pretense. Granted, Hussein was a murderous tyrant, but the reasons stated for invasion were not this. Weapons of Mass Destruction? none found. Sheltering terrorist groups? Not until after the invasion. And now, after all this mess we are left with an unstable Iraq that will likely be ruled by a more oppressive Shia majority, without rights of women, respect of religion, or freedoms of any human kind outside the strictest interpretation of the Koran for generations to come.

2. Abandoned the ABM treaty. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, signed with us and former Soviet Union was the cornerstone of international disarmament momentum. Now that the former USSR is so pathetically weak, all the Bushites have done is prove to the world that the USA cannot be expected to keep its word on treaties that it has signed in good faith. How much more difficult will it become in the future for our nation to negotiate a treaty meant to ensure peace and security if we allow this conservative administration to so blatantly disregard our obligations? Could you simply dissolve your contract with a bank so easily?

3. Opt-out of the Kyoto accords. Global Warming has its critics, granted. But the science is there, and every other western nation in the world has committed to painful sacrifices for their industrial sector to combat what could potentially be a disaster for us all. Except for our country, mainly under the stern opposition of the wealthy industrialists, who, incidentally fund a majority of the political campaigns. Well, look at the next step, now Russia has followed our lead and retracted their obligations as well. Who will be next? Anything Bush says about caring for the environment is not true.

4. Chemical weapons treaty. An international monitoring device to assure other nation states that anyone is not creating, engineering, distributing, selling, or producing chemical weapons. What was one of the first things the Bush conservatives did? abolish our participation in this. quietly, secretly. shhhh, no one seemed to notice. CHEMICAL FUCKING WEAPONS people! How could this go so easily unnoticed in the media?

bah, what do you expect?

Its been 3 weeks give or take since my last posting. not that i have had a lack of ideas to post, but rather a lack of motivation to print anything. I always try to put something here that can be intellectually stimulating, topically diverse, and well written. anything less would be pure trash. this post has no content other than this message. I will make a serious stab at adding some conversation starters in the near future, but thanks for checking in until then. your comments keep me thinking, so keep posting them under the topics which interest you.

ps. ive also had a recent computer crash, and cannot seem to get my machine back up to its former glory. all good things come with time.

Secular Government ?

There has been some fiery debate recently in this country about how public religious proclomations can be. In particular, many legal groups have been nudging the judicial branch towards the absolute separation between church and state, setting off a fierce backlash from conservative religious groups. The US Supreme court is currently hearing arguments as to this issue.

I have a hard time understanding how someone could not see the logic behind the seperation between church and state. It is respectful to people of every faith, ensures there will not be a government persecution of certain religious sects, keeps issues of goverance directed by principles that are best for the nation (instead of guided by a certain set of mythological precepts), and best of all, enshrined in the constitution. Of course, it has become commonplace to bend the bill of rights lately, whether its first ammendment free speech and press issues, gun rights, or this. And the simple fact is, right or wrong, a politician will get much more mileage by publicly pronouncing his strong faith (in essence advocating abdicating a secular government for one that publically promotes one particular religion or sect).

Thus, the situation today in many situations.
1. "one nation...under god" in the pledge of allegiance. Originally implanted artificially in the McCarthy era (1950's) as anti-communist propoganda, the words 'under god' have remained imbedded for 50 years. As someone who is non religious, yes, these words offend me. How would most christians feel if the pledge stated, "one nation, there are no gods, indivisible..."? probably just as I do.

2. In god we trust. Same thing. How would any believer in monotheistic religions (mainly christian, jewish, and muslim) like it if the majority of americans were non atheistic and printed "We trust there are no gods" on every coin and note circulated in the country?

3. Religious monuments on political grounds. Highlighted by the 10 Commandments statue in Alabama, this shows how far religious panderers will go if left unchecked.

4. Religion in schools. I put up with many religious elements in my public (and supposedly secular) schooling. For instance, every wednesday, for the first 2 hours of school, you could go to church instead. It was called 'wednesday school'. If a parent chose to not send their kids to church this time, they could go to a wonderfully painful study hall, with no talking. Wohoo. How about everyone thinking I was spoiling the day by not standing for the highly religious convocation in my graduation ceremony. I was adamant, but really had to stand by my convictions against a strong torrent of social pressure to do so. Some teachers had religious cutouts for holidays, others taught religion under the guise of forein language instruction, one way or another, it seeped in and was a daily reminder that the separation between church and state was not really enforced at all.

What this boils down to is persecution, pure and simple. Would the tables be turned, would christians not feel oppressed? Just because a majority believes in something does not mean that they can thrust their views on the minority. To do so would mean that our American democracy is really nothing more than a tyrrany of the majority, and this I cannot accept. The next time some self serving politician decrees, "and god bless America", remember this.

THESIS on ALIEN LIFE and the DESTRUCTION OF MANKIND

There has been avid speculation for centuries as to the existence of alien life. Most of this can easily be dismissed as hoaxes, direct lies, hallucinations, or mental instability, yet it absolutely cannot be definitively proven that life does not exist on other worlds. So this question has been left mainly to the realm of philosophy. Though it still cannot be proven either way, we can examine the evidence and make certain conclusions that can sustain the very strong probability that alien life exists.

EVIDENCE FOR LIFE
Evidence #1: Suggestive Data that Mars once contained Life
The first evidence came from a Martian rock that NASA released evidence for on 06 Aug 1996. This rock, known as the SNC meteorite had been ejected into space by an asteroid impact on Mars about 15 million years ago, and orbited the sun until it impacted with Antarctica about 13,000 years ago. This rock contained fossilized micro-organisms. Not absolute evidence, but decent. Recent data collected by the twin rovers currently operating exceptionally (and well beyond their original scope) from rocks on Mars itself shows mounting evidence that life on Mars was probable in the past.

Evidence #2: Mathematical Probability
We are living in a star system with less than a dozen planets. Now, assuming that life does not exist elsewhere in our solar system (to do this, we must discard the potential on Mars, Titan, Europa, Venus, etc.), that leaves us in say a 1 in 10 chance (rough constant, but for arguments sake, lets say this is a general value). Consider that astronomers currently estimate 200 billion star systems in our Milky Way Galaxy (a good ballpark figure), and a minimum of 200 billion galaxies in the known universe (probably a very conservative estimate), we have 40 sextillion (40 billion billion, or
40,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) star systems in the known galaxy. With such radically gargantuan sized numbers like this, how would it be that this is the only planet in the entire universe to have life on it? To say so is ridiculous and blind.

Evidence #3: The Earth was changed by Life itself
In Planetary science terms, our world is composed of the Lithosphere (rock), Hydrosphere (all water), Atmosphere (all gasses), and a 4th part, the Biosphere (all life). Though many naysayers contend the Earth is precisely the perfect distance from the sun, orbital and revolutionary frequencies, contains a single light moon, etc. for life to exist, they perpetually ignore the fact that life itself has changed the conditions on this planet. Look at the atmosphere. On Mars and Venus (our closest neighbors, both 'terrestrial' planets, both similar in size and composition) the atmosphere is mostly CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). Doesn't it seem a bit strange that ours is mostly Nitrogen with strong showing by oxygen?

Easily explained. All life here on Earth is what is known as carbon based, meaning the carbon atom is the basic building block by which other atoms can attach themselves into organic molecules. Start off with an atmosphere of similar composition as Venus or Mars, take the carbon out of the atmosphere, put it into the biosphere (life), release the attached couble oxygen atoms, and VOILA!, you have the atmosphere of modern Earth. Its not magic, its called photosynthesis, and plants do it all the time. In other words, life itself (collectively) has modified its own conditions to those which better serve it as a whole.


BIOLOGY, EVOLUTION, and COMMUNICATION
Taking these 3 arguments, it becomes well established that life is indeed highly probable outside Earth (ie. alien life). So why haven't they called to say 'hi'? To understand this we really have to examine biology. The extensive fossil collections on Earth detail an extravagant evolutionary history covering hundreds of millions of years. In fact, simple organisms are likely to have been around for billions of years.

From humble roots as simple, single celled bacteria, more complex, multi-cellular forms of life sprang up. With time, these became increasingly complex, giving rise to many diverse kingdoms and families of life (using the taxonomic system developed by the Swedish genius Carolus Linnaeus). Just imagine the vastly different forms of life on our own world (such radical differences as jellyfish, fungi, redwoods, tigers, etc.) and one can start to comprehend the potential that life has to adapt and change.

Given over 2 billion years of evolution, we can only ascertain that our species, Homo Sapien is capable of sending radio waves into the depths of space. Thus, 100 years out of 2,000,000,000 has our planet had life with this ability, not a very extensive legacy. Further, this is on a planet with a decent time span of complex life. It is fairly safe to assume that a strong majority of worlds either have shorter durations of a biosphere or contain only microbes, which diminishes our chance to make contact even more. And to kick it in the ass one step further, the radio transmissions were sending out, even today are so weak compared to the solar wind generated by our own modest sized sun, that it probably wouldn't be received by another civilization within our galaxy should they even be listening.

UFOs? Bah. Outside of the realm of science fiction, there are certain laws in physics that would make an actual journey to even the closest star system (Alpha Centauri) extraordinarily problematic. Limitations such as:
1. a nearly inexhaustible energy source (doesn't exist) to propel the starship
2. life support, systems advanced enough to sustain the occupants over a huge amount of time (possible, but think about how many resources we use each day)
3. shielding materials and technology to weather lethal cosmic energy, space dust (a grain of sand striking a satellite can cripple it), etc.
I am not contending that it is impossible to project humans this distance, but the sheer logistics of it would be a global undertaking that would consume us for centuries. Thus, I cannot have any credence in those who claim to have seen a UFO (much less got an anal probe by its occupants).


MANKINDS APOCALYPSE
What if I am being shortsighted about the potential for technology to overcome these obstacles and allow us to travel the stars? That is possible, and that brings me to my final point. Given that life should exist on billions of billions of planets, should 1 in a thousand give rise to complex life, and 1 in a thousand develop civilizations, and 1 in a million exist at this time, and 1 in a million be in our cosmic neighborhood, we are still left with thousands of civilizations technologically capable of saying hello. So why are we not being contacted or visited by any of them?

My original premise could be in error, and we somehow are the only beings to have ever come into existence in this infinitely large and old universe. Or, perhaps there is a reason why they don’t pop in for afternoon tea. This reason is what I like to call the 'Technological Threshold'. Simply put, this means that anytime a civilization reaches a certain advanced stage in its development, the species that created it will inevitably destroy itself.

This could take many forms. In our case, the following scenarios are all quite possible. First, simple Nuclear Annihilation. The sheer number of nuclear weapons we humans have at our disposal is easily enough eradicate not only our species, but every mid to large sized animal on the planet. The initial blasts would be destructive enough, but the radiation would ultimately be the killer. The Cold War may be over, but nuclear proliferation is increasing rapidly, and the nations in possession of these arms are no closer to peace than at anytime in history. All it takes is one nutball demagogue to end us all.

Second, Environmental Disaster. The ‘use and throw’ away industrial culture is growing massively with each passing decade. Instead of trying to develop more ecologically friendly ways to produce, distribute, and dispose of goods, short-sighted capitalist tycoons and Wall Street investors are more interested in profits. Think of the billions of tons of extremely hazardous toxic waste that industries spew into the air, land, and water every year. This is poison, and it is quite literally killing the biosphere of our planet.

Third, Overpopulation. When I was born, 3 billion humans lived. Today, roughly 30 years later, that number is over 6 billion. The most conservative estimates by the United Nations contend that at least 12 billion people will be alive before we can level off the birth and death rates (translation: zero population gain). That number is not far away either, many undeveloped nations are doubling their numbers every 20 to 40 years. With every new human inhabitant on this world, more land and resources are needed, leading to greater competition, instability, pollution, warfare, etc. We may simply reach the point where the resources and food do not exist for the people alive, then civilization will simply implode.

Fourth, Disease. We have already caused the third worst extinction in our planets long history from invading every habitat imaginable due to our burgeoning population. But we cannot lose sight of the simple wisdom of the chain of life. What occurs when a predatory species is abolished? Its prey explodes. If we continue to kill off everything larger than a shrew, we will find ourselves surrounded by smaller, more adaptive organisms that evolve much more rapidly than our species can possibly contend with. I am speaking in particular about bacteria and viruses. We already see evidence of bacteria becoming resistant or immune to antibiotics (superbugs), and despite a strong effort by the World Health Organization and other bodies, plagues seem to be always just around the corner from getting out of hand. Add to this actual biological warfare programs in effect by numerous covert government programs, and the problem is only compounded.

No matter the cause, whether it is one example from above or one not listed, it becomes pretty apparent that our species is likely to kill itself off within 1000 years. Societal suicide via the Technological Threshold. I do not believe that a species can get past this threshold without destruction as well, it is just in the nature of life to expand, conquer, grow, and worry about consequences only after it is too late. Granted, this is conjecture, but I do not believe it is a pessimistic view, rather a realistic one.

Hunter S. Thompson dies

Sad news today. One of the most outlandish and original American writers in a century, Hunter S. Thompson was found dead today in him home near Aspen, Colorado. His unique writing style was a challenge to the normalcy, and direct challenge to authority were a gift to all of us.

Conservatives attack Amtrak...again

The short sighted conservatives are up to their old tricks again. Current target: Amtrak. This old story, all over. The big money corporations that fuel political campaigns (and thus ultimately really pull the strings behind government) continue to spew out their usual rhetoric: more cars, more roads, more sprawl instead of having the slightest bit of foresight and wisdom. Compact cities with an emphasis on trains and public transportation is simply better. Less cars mean more greenspace, more of a sense of community, less pollution, less waste.

The European model is the way to go here. Heavy gas taxes (eek, I said the T word) used to subsidize public transportation systems. Good bus routes to more central hubs for rail. Amtrak is Americas last vestige of a real continental public transportation system, though the conservatives consistently attack it. Hell, what do they care? They have plenty of money to buy more SUVs and Hummers. Its the folks struggling to get by that always get the shaft. More roads do not reduce congestion either, better public transportation designs do.

Further, Greyhound is eliminating many main routes in the countryside. The simple fact is, if you live deep out in farm country USA, you have no choice other than to have a friend with a car take you somewhere now; taxis are too expensive, local short buses (mainly for the elderly) do not travel that far, etc. They say $1bil/year is too much. Well, we pay that every day in Iraq. You can read the story at Yahoo! News