Blog posts
NOTE: This is a repository of much of my past writings. There are html markup and visual fixes still to do (this site is still under reconstruction), but the words are still correct, as best as I know. I'll reestablish the reply section when I can.
How Trump Got So Popular
Posted May 27, 2020For those people who still can`t comprehend how Trump got so many loyal followers, I'll explain it step by step. (For the record, I didn't vote for him and not the biggest fan, but I've watched the ongoing situation very closely.)
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Extended Coronavirus Timeline
Posted Apr 15, 2020Extended timeline of events during Coronavirus situation (and slightly before)
includes health, politics, news, etc.
This information comes from various timelines in wikipedia, (coronavirus and political) as well as news articles, twitter feeds and other sources I've tracked personally→ Read More ←
Fixing Europe's "Right To Be Forgotten" Disaster
Posted Jul 05, 2014Problem:
Folks requested the ability to be able to take down articles/news/etc. that are either old or contain incorrect information about themselves. However, sometimes, that bad information is a small part of a larger story or cannot be removed in the internet world for other reasons.
Bad Solution:
The European Court created a "Right to be Forgotten" law, forcing search engines (aimed specifically at Google) to have to remove links to articles when that specific person's name is searched. However, there's no real guidelines, so folks send in all sorts of demands to Google to remove links.
Stupid Result:
Somebody's wants their personal comment in the comment section of a very relevant news article "forgotten", so he sends his demand to Google, who has to now manually remove that page result from searches involving his name. This leads those involved wit that article to think that Google is removing all links and they get mad, worried, and ironically, posting more links to that page, thus focusing even more attention to it. And to get even worse, every demand sent to each search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) will be handled differently by each company, thus guaranteeing unhappy people and follow-up lawsuits/legal actions. Yuck.
My Better Idea:
Here's my much better idea for how to fix this:
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Reality of $1/Hour
Posted Dec 05, 2013So today, unions sponsored another set of protests (and calling them strikes, as if those employees that were involved were already in a union) in an attempt to bully McDonald's, Taco Bell and other fast food chains to increase their minimum wage from ~$7-8/hour to $15/hour. Almost double. I'll skip the issues of these unions just trying to increase their own membership and destroying entire industries to do it. I'll discuss unions in another post. Tonight, I just want to show some simple math.
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Reality of Government Surveillance
Posted Jun 16, 2013So this whole business of project Prism, and the other projects made for mass surveillance of all Americans electronic activity is rather interesting on a few levels that I don't read anyone mentioning. Level #1: I recall not that long ago (as recently as last month) real life stories, jokes, warnings and fiction based upon
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No Reason to Lie
Posted Oct 04, 2012In politics, people lie in order to gain what they think is extra political power. They deceive those they claim to represent in order to appear to be "one of the boys", however they think that is defined. I despise this. It doesn't matter which political party you talk about, they all have people who do this. No group is exempt from having idiots in their midst. One story is a perfect example that I've been neglecting to write about for far too long. Allow me to introduce to you ex- Republican Senator Larry Craig. The "ex-" is on purpose because he is no longer a Senator. The reason why is the story I shall tell.
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Most Inspirational American
Posted Oct 04, 2012There are times in your life when you absolutely need to gain inspiration from the achievements of others. Those stories of folks who overcame obstacles and achieved great things in spite of them. There are many people who have inspired me personally for many reasons. I completely adore "rags to riches" stories, or any personal story which shows a person working their ass off and getting rewarded for it.
- Bill Gates
- Eminem
- J.K. Rowling
- Lee Iacocca
- Michael Jordan
- Sam Walton
- Steve Jobs
- Sylvester Stallone
- And so many more
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Reality of Economy
Posted Sep 15, 2012Lets look at the basics of a monetary economy. Consider this article as "Economy 101". First, what's money? Money is simply a medium for simpler exchange of goods and services. Example without money: Person #1: "Hi, I'd like to take that bed you made. I'll offer you these fifty pizzas I made today." Person #2: "I don't need fifty pizzas. But if you have 80 pounds of pepperoni. I could trade that for something else I need." Person #1: "OK, Deal. (Now what am I going to do with all these pizzas?)" Example with money: Person #1: "Hi, I'd like to take that bed you made. I'll offer you $500." Person #2: "Sorry I need $600 to sell it." Person #1: "OK, Deal." Money really is that simple. However, the facts of using it are what gets a lot of people confused. Let's talk about the issue of profit and loss.
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Reality of Historical Records
Posted Apr 29, 2012Something to consider:
- A person gets injured and goes to the hospital. Because they are embarrassed about what really caused the injury, they report the cause as something else.
- A crime occurs, but for various reasons, the victim doesn't report it.
- Someone doesn't like a co-worker, and falsifies reports, making them seem guilty of something.
- During war, records are altered in order to remove evidence of wrong-doing in order to escape the wrath of a superior officer.
- A business manager fudges the sales figures.
- A witness to a crime exaggerates how many people were involved.
- A politician alters the records to obscure who they received money from and how much.
- A person lies on their tax records in order to gain tax benefits.
- A scientist who lives off funding and grants exaggerates the impact of (or completely lies about) the subject of their research in order to seem more important.
- People running an organization cover up details of a problem in order to prevent a scandal.
- etc.
- etc.
- etc.
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Reality of Self Defense Laws
Posted Apr 29, 2012I have resisted commenting on the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman shooting case on purpose. There was too little public information and too many issues that folks try to combine together. However, I wish to focus now on one of those subjects. The issue of "stand your ground" and other self defense laws. I will not discuss details of the above mentioned case. As the Philosophy of Reality recommends, it's not wise to try to state opinions as facts when I simply don't have enough inside information to feel that I know the Truth of what happened. Better to wait and learn more. However, that case has brought a lot of discussion about the Stand your ground law that was cited as reason for not initially charging Mr. Zimmerman with anything. It is this and similar laws I wish to discuss here.
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Interesting Scientific Discovery: Sex and Smell
Posted Feb 26, 2012NOTE: This is a repost of an article I had up on a now dead forum I made. I first posted this June 28 2005: There's been lots of scientific study involving sex lately. (The creation of Viagra and so many other similar drugs is of course a huge hint of this fact) However, these studies are often showing us things that many just wouldn't have suspected. I heard about this little discovery on the Dr. Dean Edell radio program. I don't remember the specifics, so I'll sketch out what I do remember. In studying the changes in the hypothalamus (the part of the brain involved during sexual attraction) a study involving testosterone, estrogen and smell in an attempt to understand the whole "aphrodisiac" thing, found this out.
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Brainstorms #2
Posted Feb 26, 2012NOTE: This is a repost of an article I had up on a now dead forum I made. I first posted this June 27 2005: One time, I was talking to a guy while he was waiting for his wife to finish shoe shopping. We came across a great idea for a business. I ran this idea across other people and have received almost unanimous agreement on this idea. So I'm placing it out for others to consider and see what you think. Here's the idea:
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Quick Thought #6
Posted Feb 26, 2012NOTE: This is a repost of an article I had up on a now dead forum I made. I first posted this April 31 2005: Why do so many act as if there's only one correct way to correctly deal with a situation? If you don't do things their way, they think you must be doing it wrong. Different cultures deal with the same situation in different ways. This often comes up in cultural disputes and is often at the heart of racist thoughts. Isn't it possible, even appropriate, to be able to complete the same task in multiple ways? The electric eel, the elk, the lion and the bumble bee all gain their food through different means, yet they all eat. The saying "All roads lead to Rome" can be interpreted as meaning there is more than one way to reach the same destination.
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How to Handle the Boy Scouts
Posted Feb 26, 2012NOTE: This is a repost of an article I had up on a now dead forum I made. I first posted this May 24 2005: So the Boy Scouts of America aren't allowing gays or Atheists into their organization. (Technically, I was still Jewish while I was in the scouts, so no "rules" broken there.) Some groups such as "Scouting For All" are trying to force the Boy Scouts to stop this policy. My opinion?
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Death Penalty: What About Non-reasonable Doubt?
Posted Feb 26, 2012NOTE: This is a repost of an article I had up on a now dead forum I made. I first posted this March 29 2005: One of the most common complaints about the death penalty is the problem of reasonable doubt. The gist of the argument essentially says: "What if we kill someone and find out later that they really didn't commit the murder they were on death row for? Then we killed an innocent man." Let's apply our logic searching questions and explore the premise of this argument to see if it holds true.
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Too Many Laws
Posted Feb 21, 2012One of the biggest failings of current U.S. government (on all Federal, State, and local levels) is that the systems are designed for making laws, but severely broken in the aspect of removing laws. Oh, laws can be removed, however the process of removing them is more difficult (and much less obvious to all involved) than making new ones. And the worst part is that most new laws are absolutely useless and would never be written if the older laws were simply upheld like they're supposed to be. Case in point:
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Quick Thought #5
Posted Jan 24, 2012Everybody has a purpose in life. Some people's purpose is to serve as a bad example for others.
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Reality of Definitions
Posted Jan 24, 2012Regardless of the language used, it is vitally important to keep in mind, and use properly as much as possible, the correct definition of the words you use. While it may currently be en vogue in some places to assign different definitions to certain words to make them "cooler", it is also dangerous in the long term, unless folks remember the original meanings. Changing the definition of words quite simply changes the way in which they are meant to be used, and thus can adversely affect our understanding of what we read. For example...
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Brainstorms #1
Posted Dec 29, 2011I always have lots of ideas. New products. New movie scripts. Etc. However, I just never write them down or do anything with them. Well, hopefully I can reduce the 1st problem a bit. So I'll place some of my ideas out here for public viewing. My only request: If you take any of my ideas and expand upon them to the point of profiting, I do expect some monetary reimbursement. Just consider this my "poor man's patent/copyright." OK, on to the ideas:
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Reality of Capitalism vs Communism
Posted Nov 01, 2011There is a huge, massive amount of debate about Capitalism and Communism. You can find all sorts of debates, arguments, charts, etc. showing the goals, similarities, differences, pros and cons of both these diverse concepts. Part of the problem is that most of these arguments are philosophical and not really dealing with the real-life uses of these systems. Or if they do touch on the real-life aspects, it is only to point toward some example of why the other side is wrong. "The fall of the USSR proves Communism is wrong." "No, the failure of Enron, etc. prove Capitalism only brings disaster." So which is right? Well ironically, there's one major part of each system that is always hinted at, yet never used as a basis for making a decision.
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Who Controls Gratuities?
Posted Oct 01, 2011This is a fairly old subject, however, I was thinking of it the other day and decided to discuss it. The situation is this: Wynn Resorts instituted a controversial tip pool program. All the tips from each shift are pooled and a percentage of it are given to the supervisors. The tip pool was declared legal according to the Nevada State Labor Commissioner. (Local news article giving details here.) However, what's legal and what's right aren't always the same, so that brings up the question: Who do the tips really belong too?
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Quick Thought #4
Posted Sep 20, 2011With businesses starting seasonal sales earlier and earlier, I'm just waiting for the 5th of July Christmas sale.
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Can We Predict The Future?
Posted Aug 09, 2011Can we predict the future? Can we determine exactly what awaits in the forward portion of time? Can we make the unknown completely knowable? There are some who say we can not. They say the future is random, ever changing & unknowable. The answer is:
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Quick Thought #3
Posted Jul 20, 2011The concepts of age, growing old, etc. can be summed up in two simple words: Cumulative damage
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The Reality of Communication
Posted Jul 20, 2011The ability to exchange information is truly a fascinating issue.
To help explain, I've made two symbols for this article.
= Understand
= NOT understand
Pretty simple, yeah? Do you or do you what these mean?
And with this, we hint at the simple, yet hard to grasp fundamental of communication:
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The Reality of Conspiracy Theories
Posted Jul 20, 2011The term "conspiracy theory" is meant to be used as a semi-derogatory description of an unlikely explanation about a specific event. The term literally means a theory about a conscious plot to produce specific actions usually undetected by "the average person". For example, there are many conspiracy theories about who killed JFK. The lists include the FBI, Cuba (on Castro's orders), Russia, etc. Yes he was killed, and Lee Harvey Oswald is implicated in the action, but depending which story you hear, he was either a patsy, a decoy, or under orders via whichever specific organization the story calls for. There's conspiracies about the Pearl Harbor attack, secret organizations (which everyone seems to know about), connections with space aliens, secret plots from almost every organization, political group, business, actor/actress, alive or dead, etc., etc., etc. The only real connecting factor is that they are almost all fanciful and wrong. Skipping the details, the question I want to discuss is: How do these types of stories get started to begin with?
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Mythbusters and Reality
Posted Jun 25, 2011I love the show Mythbusters. I've loved them ever since they started. Well why wouldn't I? The whole concept of the show is the study of Reality.
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The Reality of Love
Posted Jun 23, 2011This article isn't about that old question, "What is love?". This article is about certain aspects of love that are often misunderstood or forgotten. We won't deal with issues of love for inanimate things. Loving your country or your motorcycle is fine, however, for this, we'll discuss love between humans. Specifically we'll focus on romantic love. However, just so we're on the same page, I'll post one of the best quotes I've ever read answering that first question. From Jubal Harshaw in the book Stranger in a Strange Land:
Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
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Quick Thought #2
Posted Jun 17, 2011Naomi Campbell seems to be mad at Cadbury Chocolate over what she calls a racist ad. The offense? She was compared to a bar of chocolate.
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Losing No Matter What
Posted Jun 17, 2011I want to compare two similar situations and make a point I think many have failed to notice. In 2006, Brittany McComb was valedictorian at Foothill High School, in Nevada. Before giving her speech, the officials of the school told her she had to edit her speech, removing all religious references. So she wrote a new, edited version, free from religion. Then proceeded to use her original speech during commencement.
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If I Were President
Posted Jun 15, 2011If I were running for President of the United States, or better yet, if my ideal candidate were to run, here would be the positions on certain topics I would love to see. First, let me preface this by saying that a vast majority of my opinions can be summed up in two words: Personal Choice. The citizens of the United States of America are too diverse to have too many laws blanket all of us as if we are all the same. We aren't. And with that in mind, here are the issues and the way I'd personally prefer to see them handled.
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Ahead of the Curve
Posted Jun 15, 2011So I just watched a show called "What Happened Before the Big Bang" on the Science channel. Toward the end, the scientists seems to come to the current theory that the big bang was preceded by..... a previous big bang. A fairly new idea. Oh, and did I mention it was something I hinted at over ten years ago?
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The Issue of Illegal Entry
Posted May 20, 2011I know I said I won't comment much on the news, however, there have been a few situations recently that I've noticed that seem to be hinging on the same discussion, and the worst part is that many folks (including those heavily involved in the issues) don't seem to realize it. While there are many reports in the news about these, I've tried to link to the main article from the main city/state/location the issue arose from.
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Learn to Reverse Your View
Posted May 09, 2011Sometimes, especially in cases concerning your country/team/organization/etc vs "the opposition", it is very easy to disparage and disagree with what the other side says or does. However there is much wisdom to be had if you allow yourself to honestly view the exact same situations from the other side. (Especially since, based on simple actions of cause & effect, your "side" is likely to be on the other side of a similar issue eventually anyway.) Or at the least, to imagine a similar situation, in which you are on the opposite side of actions. For example, imagine if:
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Who gets Credit for Killing Osama Bin Laden?
Posted May 01, 2011So the news of Bin Laden's death has just been officially announced by US President Barack Obama. After briefly checking public comments on various news sources (from all angles) I find a curious situation. Some are trying to say that the President shouldn't get credit for this. Their reasoning seems to be 2 different things:
- This was a military action. the military should get credit.
- The action was simply a continuation of what the previous President (George Bush Jr.) had implemented.
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Quick Thought #1
Posted Apr 27, 2011I've decided that for those cases where I have strange, funny, interesting or just plain goofy thoughts that aren't worth a full post, I'll try to post them here on their own anyway. Thought #1
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How to Tell Which Side is Most Likely Right
Posted Apr 17, 2011There are a lot of issues that have such powerful arguments from both sides:
- Communism vs Capitalism
- Business owners vs Union Groups
- Country A vs Country B
- Etc. Etc.
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News & My Posts
Posted Apr 16, 2011As some may notice, I rarely (if ever) make any comments/posts about recent news reports or occurrences. Just so there's no misunderstanding, I'll explain why I'm intentionally staying away from commenting on recent news.
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The Reality of Minimum Wage
Posted Apr 10, 2011Everything you need to learn about minimum wage laws can be summed up in two stories: STORY #1: The year: 2004 (give or take). Location: Ashland Oregon. The minimum wage was just recently increased, with a new increase promised every year for the next few years. I'm talking with Vic, the owner of Vic's Mongolian BBQ. (Great place to eat. If you're ever in Ashland, I highly recommend going there.) Me - "So how do you like the new minimum wage that just went into effect?"
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The Reality of Self Defense
Posted Feb 22, 2011Here's a simple question: Is it ever ok to punch, hurt or even kill another human being? The shortest and best answer is:
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The Reality of Religious Freedom
Posted Dec 02, 2010Let's get one thing straight: I am an Atheist. I don't believe any Gods or Goddesses exist. To me, they are in the same category as any other mythical, imaginary creature we humans created. However, this does not mean I expect everyone else to be an Atheist. I have no intention of expecting the entire world (or any portion of it) to have the same beliefs I do. If they do, great. If not, I'm perfectly OK with it.
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The USA Law Enforcement System is Broken
Posted Nov 02, 2010In conjunction with my post about the Justice System, I want to mention the problem that law enforcement is currently experiencing. Unlike the problem of the justice system I mentioned, this one is a semi-recent problem brought about by the ill-intentioned actions of those who run the police. And I mean those who truly run the police.
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The USA Justice System is Broken
Posted Nov 01, 2010Yep, that's right. According to my understanding of Reality, the Justice system of the USA is broken. Well, by "broke" I mean it wasn't really designed well enough to offer consistent, long term satisfactory results. Not that it really had a chance to begin with. When the USA was established, it did not start with a clean slate when it designed its justice system. Those people borrowed heavily from the system they knew best: The English system of Common Law. They took the main concept and structure, and adjusted the specific laws they wanted to work with to begin with. However, the flaw I am worried about is in the structure upon which all our laws sit.
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Are You Responsible For Other People's Actions?
Posted Sep 29, 2010Imagine that someone you don't know, never even heard of and have no connection to whatsoever committed armed robbery and even killed people. To make it even better, let's say this person committed their crimes over 200 years ago, and thus, are clearly no longer alive. Now, along comes someone who claims that you personally are deemed responsible for those crimes, and you will be punished for them. What is their reasoning for this, you ask? Simple: You and the criminal both have the same kind of hair. Would you consider this fair? If not, would you be shocked to learn that many, many humans across the world consider this type of justice completely fair?
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The Four Main Laws
Posted Sep 28, 2010Throughout all human history, every group has had rules and laws that everyone is expected to live by. Sometimes they are transmitted verbally, in the case of small groups. Other times, they are written down and all within that group is asked to read and obey those laws or rules. These laws/rules can cover everything from what you can and cannot wear, where you can go, even who you are supposed to associate with. They cover issues of safety, community and most importantly crime. Every household has their own rules. Every city has theirs. Every state and every country all have different laws. However, when you cover the biggest issue of crime, there are four and only four laws that are consistent with practically every culture.
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Cause and Effect Without Humans
Posted Sep 21, 2010Perhaps the first and most important ramification we must learn is that general cause and effect happens regardless of human understanding or knowledge of it. Activity occurs all throughout the universe long before we existed. They occurred long before we discover them. They occur whether or not we get the details right. They occur long after we are gone.
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The Reality of Debate
Posted Sep 21, 2010Two people can disagree, argue and debate about a certain situation, and one of them may be a much better and more persuasive speaker, who can verbally transmit their ideas better than their opponent. There are techniques for making your opponent appear less correct and for placing your ideas in a better light in the minds of those judging the two debaters. However, no matter how persuasive one is, if their ideas are incorrect, or inferior to their opponents, no amount of persuasion will change the outcome if their ideas are implemented. No matter how unlikable the person themselves may be, if there answer is correct, you should go with that one.
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The Reality of Perception
Posted Sep 21, 2010There are some who believe that our perception of things dictate the reality of our world. It is most often in the profession of politics and sales that these ideas are held in such high esteem. After all, If you can convince the masses that your product is the best on the market, then your sales will likely reflect that belief. And if you have to lie, and alter facts to make people believe, then so be it. American politics are based on convincing the public to vote for you, regardless of how much you truly have their best interests at heart. (Some may argue, based on how most political campaigns are run, that the goal is not to have them vote for you, but to vote against your opponent.) However, they fail to understand that reality is, regardless of the quality of our perception. And worse, they don't realize that the less accurate their perception matches reality, the more danger they are in.
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The Reality of Black, White and Grey
Posted Sep 20, 2010There is a silly saying some use to justify their actions: There is no black or white, only shades of grey. The problem is how reversed that is from true Reality
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The 1st Rule of Understanding
Posted Sep 16, 2010If we are going to examine and try to understand Reality (with a capital "R") as it truly is, then we must work under a basic, but very important rule.
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Laws of Cause & Effect
Posted Sep 16, 2010As I said before, the simple concept of cause and effect, once explored carefully, leads to certain inbred truths or "sub-laws" that we must understand if we are to gain the best understanding of the universe around us.
The Sub-Laws of Cause and Effect → Read More ← In another huge example of people leaving organized churches, Belgium is experiencing a huge rise in "de-baptisms". Here's why.
We'll skip the "Gods exist/don't exist" debate. That's not even the issue here. Many are officially leaving their churches, but they still believe in their God(s), and that's fine. (Yes, I'm an Atheist, but I also believe religion is personal choice.)
It's not even fully about the pedophile scandal. A single scandal, no matter how bad, wouldn't be enough to make this many leave. → Read More ← The redshift discovered and observed in physical cosmology is an interesting phenomenon. The interpretation of it doubly so.
But what if the conclusions drawn are incorrect, due to the redshift being an optical illusion brought upon by an incorrect assumption?
In short, what if the scientists are wrong? → Read More ← Math is an important tool, but it often trips us up, instead of helps us. The reason is simple: There are facts in math we are aware of, yet they are so simple and obvious we ignore them. The problem is that which we ignore becomes invisible, and has the potential to trip us up.
Here's an example:
1 → Read More ← It seems that which actions are considered morally and ethically acceptable changes with which source you ask.
For example, is it ethically ok to eat pork? Is the death penalty a morally acceptable punishment for a convicted murderer? Is it morally acceptable for a government to forbid a private company from selling a product because it doesn't decompose in a timely fashion? These and almost any other question you can ask can be debated based on different sources of ethics and morals. Worse. People can use the exact same sources to argue completely different sides.
So if we are to discuss the best morals and ethics we should follow, then it stands that we should first discuss which source those morals should come from. → Read More ← Religion is one of those subjects that seems so personal. The simple fact is that it has almost everything to do with when and where you grew up.
I grew up Jewish. One of my best friends was Jehovah's Witness. I dated a Mormon. We lived in a typical small Christian town. My studies in martial arts helped me learn a little of the eastern religions, like Buddhism, Taoism, etc. So I suppose it was natural at some point for me to wonder, which religion was right? → Read More ← Imagine there's a serial killer on the loose. For reasons of political expediency (In other words, to make someone look good) a likely candidate is found. They are arrested, pushed through the legal system and quickly found guilty. → Read More ← There are some who believe in what they call multiverses. The concept literally means "multiple universes". The basic idea is exactly what it sounds like. There are more than one universe.
Sheer poppycock. → Read More ← Just how old is the universe? How big is it? The current Big Bang theories figure the age to be ~14 billion years old. The size is estimated to be ~equivalent to a volume of about 41 decillion cubic light-years. (yes, yes, Wiki sucks as a source. However, for purposes of this post, the actual size and age estimates are irrelevant.)
However, the truth, I believe is much, much older and bigger. → Read More ← What is time? A basic but important question. More important is not just understanding some basic definition of it, but it's interconnection with matter and what that means for us. → Read More ← Is seemingly empty space considered part of the universe? This basic question can eradicate what I believe to be a huge mistaken concept that scientists have believed for too long now. → Read More ← In our quest to understand Realty, there are a few questions we can use to make sure we are not making huge mistakes or simply deluding ourselves. → Read More ← Imagine I have a measuring stick. The length is irrelevant but suppose it's long enough so the phenomenon mentioned here is visible. I take this stick and measure out a specific distance.
Due to the material that stick is made from, forces such as variances in heat cause my stick to alter shape slightly, becoming longer or shorter. With this altered device, I go back to measure the same location. → Read More ← If we are to try to understand reality, the first step is simply to ask "why should we?" → Read More ← If we are going to examine and try to understand Reality (with a capital "R") as it truly is, then we must work under a basic, but very important rule. → Read More ← As I said before, the simple concept of cause and effect, once explored carefully, leads to certain inbred truths or "sub-laws" that we must understand if we are to gain the best understanding of the universe around us.
The Sub-Laws of Cause and Effect → Read More ← Long ago, I found my beliefs didn't fall completely into any of the religions, political groups, or any other "official" groups out there. I decided I wanted to explain my beliefs in detail, but saying I'm a "this" or "that" didn't work, because often half of "this" group I disagreed with and "that" group wasn't any better. So, I decided I needed my own group. Well this requires a sort of formal "declaration" or naming of what I believe, so any who might agree with me have something to call it.
Since my beliefs are based on the desire to understand the universe and everything around me as it truly is, I've decided to call it The Philosophy of Reality. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2004 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
Before we begin, let's get one thing clear. This is not about the source of evolution. This isn't about whether evolution proves or disproves the existence of Gods. This isn't about what the source of evolution is or is not. This article is simply about basic evidence that evolution is a reality.
People have disagreed about the truth or falsehood of evolution ever since the topic became famous due to Charles Darwin's research and writings. Please note that I do not claim that Mr. Darwin created the concept of evolution. I said he merely made it famous. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2004 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
Please forgive me. In order to properly discuss the nature of racism, I must first start by talking about a seemingly different subject. Please bear with me and all will be clear.
In his book Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein made a claim that the prime source of all warfare is simply population growth. A group of people wish to increase their living space into the domain currently held by another group. Since two groups can't own the same piece of property, conflict occurs until a winner is chosen. He illustrates this concept by showing how an alien species tries to take over our "property" meaning the Earth, and how we retaliate and take over theirs instead. Simple population growth, he says, is the reason for all war.
Well, Mr. Heinlein was close, but not dead center. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2004 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
"I do." Those are two of the simplest words and one of the most basic sentences ever created in the English language. It also represents one of the most basic desires of humans: marriage.
Traditionally, marriage was the union between a man and women, usually for the purpose of creating a family. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2004 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
There is a move right now in many states to post criminal histories online so that anyone can view them. Why is this being done? The theory is two-fold: → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote long ago I originally wrote in back around 2003 or so.
Is time travel possible? Yes and no, but mostly no. During the research I've done into time travel, I've found out that the concept is more diverse than most people think. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2001 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
This title says a lot about the person reading it.
If you came here thinking you would find out exactly how most atheists think, you are probably a religious person (probably Christian) and think in terms of groups.
Most Atheists reading this title are probably thinking "What does this guy think he's doing trying to speak for me?" or "Hmm, I wonder what I have in common with other Atheists?" → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2001 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
Originally, the Big Bang Theory was being used to explain the beginning of the universe. Now more and more people are seeing this huge event less as the actual beginning and more as a massive event unto itself. However, many still claim the Big Bang was the beginning of the universe and this article is evidence that this is probably a false claim. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2001 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
Advertising. The attempt to send information to people to convince them to spend their money with a certain company. This concept is the foundation of much of the modern financial world. The ads can attack any of the senses. Sight, hearing, touch even smell or taste. For example movie popcorn has a specific smell that's been refined over years to entice others in the movie theater to buy their own large bucket. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2001 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
This article is not about whether God(s) exist or not. That subject is saved for another article. The purpose of this article is to open discussion about Atheism and it's interaction with morals and ethics.
A friend and I once had a conversation about religious differences that really caught my attention because it emphasized an important misconception that almost all religious people have.
He was having problems with another person and attributed it to their religious differences. I mentioned that he and I got along great despite our obvious religious differences (he is a devout Christian and I am an Atheist). He retorted that it was easy to get along with someone that doesn't believe in anything. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2000 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
Views on Racism
This article came about for an interesting reason. On March 20, 2000, the Discovery Channel ran a show called "How Biased Are You?" → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 2000 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
This article comes about due to a response I received to the article
"How do we stop child violence?"
Neal wrote:
"Right now my critical thinking class is preparing to hold a debate on whether or not juveniles should be subject to the death penalty.
I am arguing against.
I would greatly appreciate any input you might have on the subject. You are correct in most of the things you have said here. I believe your response would be reasonable at least.
Thank you for your time...Rock on."
Since I am wholeheartedly for all classes that teach how to use your head and think, I've decided to take his request and write a new article about this sticky subject. → Read More ← NOTE: This is a repost of an article I wrote. I originally wrote in back around 1998 or so. I'm transferring it here to keep it together with my recent writings.
The event at the Columbine High School has placed child violence back into the media. Since we are all pretty much aware of the details of the shooting, I will not bore you. This article is about how to stop this kind of thing from happening again (or at least too often.) Let's face it. Tragedy happens occasionally. However when similar tragedies happen in a short period of time it is in danger of becoming an epidemic. → Read More ← Why Organized Religions Are Losing Customers
Posted Sep 15, 2010The Reality of Redshift
Posted Sep 03, 2010The Reality of Math
Posted Aug 19, 2010The Reality of Ethics
Posted Aug 04, 2010The Reality of Religions
Posted Jul 25, 2010Why Truth is so Important
Posted Jul 20, 2010Multiverses. What a Pain
Posted Jul 14, 2010The Size and Age of the Universe
Posted Jul 14, 2010The Nature of Time
Posted Jul 14, 2010The Problem with the Big Bang Theory
Posted Jul 14, 2010Helpful Questions for Understanding True Reality
Posted Jul 13, 2010Don't mistake the measurement for the measured
Posted Jul 13, 2010Why Try to Understand Reality
Posted Jul 09, 2010The First Rule of Understanding
Posted Jul 09, 2010The Laws of Cause and Effect
Posted Jul 09, 2010Foundation for the Philosophy of Reality
Posted Jul 09, 2010Repost: The Bottom Line On Evolution
Posted Aug 31, 2004Repost: Views on Racism Part 2
Posted Aug 31, 2004Repost: Should Homosexuals Be Allowed To Marry?
Posted Aug 31, 2004Repost: Making Criminal Records Public
Posted Aug 31, 2004Repost: Is Time Travel Possible?
Posted Aug 31, 2001Repost: What it Means to be an Atheist
Posted Aug 31, 2001Repost: Exploding the Big Bang Theory
Posted Aug 31, 2001Repost: Ethics in Advertising
Posted Aug 31, 2001Repost: Morality and Atheism
Posted Aug 31, 2000Repost: Views on Racism
Posted Aug 31, 2000Repost: Should Juvenile Offenders get the Death Penalty?
Posted Aug 31, 2000Repost: How Do We Stop Child Violence?
Posted Aug 31, 2000