Precise SL Weather

I've added a link to Precise SL Weather for you out of town and overseas readers. It's based out of Petrova Elementary School in SL.

Heligmosomoides polygyrus

Thanks to sitemeter I can now see that alot of people arrive at this blog because they google "Heligmosomoides polygyrus". They probably want the cool picture that I posted, so I've posted it again. This is a picture of a male and female worm. The female is the larger worm and you can see the eggs inside her at the tail end. The male worm has the distinctive bursae at the tail end. This picture was taken for me by Dr. Jay R. Georgi DVM when I was working at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Georgi had this wonderful microscope that he loved more than anything. He was given money to purchase the microscope when a downed powerline killed one of his best sources of a parasite. I can't remember if the animal was a sheep or a pony. Here it is again and if you use it please remember Dr. Georgi, one of the best veterinary parasitologists ever.

NOTE: I should point out that this nematode was once named Nematospiroides dubius.

Saint Pope John Paul

How do we make Pope John Paul a saint as rapidly as possible? Well, first, while you are Pope, change the 1000 year old Canon Law to make it easier to attain sainthood. Specifically, do away with the 'devils advocate' position. This was the person whose job it was to attack the evidence in favor of sainthood. Next, it's really good if your successor waives the 5 yr waiting period before launching the canonization process. Those two things completed, the last thing you have to do is find someone that swears they were the recipient of a mircle after praying to JP. This also appears to have happened. Is there really any question that JP is on the fast track to sainthood?

Todays Pravda Online Editorial

George W. Bush is not evil. He is just stupid. By David R. Hoffman, Legal Editor of Pravda.RU.

The Christian Gospels

I'm reading 'The Last Templar' by Raymond Khoury. It's sort of a da Vinci Code type book, the major theme being the lies of the Catholic Church. In this case, the lie that Jesus of Nazareth was divine. The heroine and hero of this book are looking for the lost 'treasure' of the Knights Templar. The 'treasure' turns out to be a book written by Jesus which instructs us to look inward for the meaning of God. No church or priests required. The book is no where near as good as the da Vinci Code although it does tell you a bit about the Templars.

Of course, reading these types of books always makes me want to know more. Stuff that 12 yrs of Catholic school doesn't teach you. For instance, Arianism: Arius (250 - 336 CE) proposed that Jesus and God were very separate and different entities: Jesus was closer to God than any other human being, but he was born a man, had no prior existence, and was not a god. On the other hand, God has been in existence forever. Arius felt that any attempt to recognize the deity of Christ would blur the lines between Christianity and the Pagan religions. If Christianity recognized two separate gods, the Father and Jesus, it would become a polytheistic religion. Arianism was put to rest at the Council of Nicea in 325 CE.

Then you have the question of how gospels were chosen to be included in the Christian bible. The hero of 'The Last Templar' is a devout catholic. But he did not know that the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John were not written by Jesus' disciples. In fact, no one knows who wrote them. Many scholars believe that the author of one gospel copied passages from another gospel. The hero of 'The Last Templar', an FBI agent, also does not know that the first gospel written by Mark (although many argue Matthew was written first), was written about 40 years after the death of Jesus. This at a time when there were no newspapers, no books and no google, only oral tradition. I didn't realize that some church scholars believe in the existance of the gospel of Q, a hypothetical book of 'sayings' of Jesus written about 20 years after his death.

Then there are the gospels that were written around the same time but not included in the Christian Bible. The Gospel of Thomas for instance. Thomas is the record of a Christian community creatively accommodating influences from Gnosticism. It could not be included because of its Gnostic content.

The Gospel of Mary is another rejected book. This is a gospel that contains many Gnostic ideas, including the concept that evil powers in the world were attempting to keep people ignorant of their true spiritual nature. This gospel also tells of the leadership that women gave during the early Christian movement.

Two gospels I was unaware of include: The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, where as a young boy, Jesus curses one of his playmates causing him to wither up. This gospel also describes Jesus visit to the Temple, the same as Luke 2:41. It was probably written sometime in the second century CE. The Infancy Gospel of James describes the life of Mary, Jesus' mother. James of course is supposedly the brother of Jesus, however it is more likely this gospel was written in the 2 nd century CE.

One of my favorite sources for all things concerning religion is here.

ADE Website Hacked!

This is cool but confusing. The Adirondack Daily Enterprise websight has been hacked. I'm not sure how long it will remain that way. It's a black background with green type. It says:

HACKED BY Kelmahir

www.microsoftt.org

kelmahir@hackermail.com

1 am www.microsoftt.org Air Forces Commander

When you draw Mohammed After We Draw You...

We Are From Turkish Republic of North Cyprus // We are Turk and We are Muslim

Noah's Ark Discovered!

See more pictures here. Could a wooden boat the size of an aircraft carrier float?

Did the ark ground on Mount Ararat?

No. Mount Ararat was not involved in the original flood legend. The ark grounded in an estuary at the mouth of the Euphrates River. The mountains of Ararat got involved in the story because Noah's son Shem traveled on foot to the mountains of Ararat after the barge grounded. Story tellers confused the mountain that Noah's son visited with the hill on which Noah offered a sacrifice. The ark never came close to a mountain. According to Flood-myths.

Where is Everyone?

The Drake equation states that:


where:

N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which we might expect to be able to communicate
and

R* is the rate of star formation in our galaxy
fp is the fraction of those stars which have planets
ne is average number of planets which can potentially support life per star that has planets
fl is the fraction of the above which actually go on to develop life
fi is the fraction of the above which actually go on to develop intelligent life
fc is the fraction of the above which are willing and able to communicate
L is the expected lifetime of such a civilization
(from Wikopedia; while you are there also look up the 'Fermi Paradox')

Intelligent life is possible in our universe. We are, arguably, proof of that. Since there are millions, maybe billions of planets just in our galaxy, one can argue that there is nothing special about Earth. So the probability of life on other planets is high. On the other hand there are arguments that Earth is a special place. What are the odds of a planet being placed in a galaxy and 'solar' system at exactly the right place for life to form. Then of course there are always the religious arguments, but we need not go there at this time.

The Drake equation is a means of estimating the frequency of occurrence of interstellar civilizations. Carl Sagan estimated that intelligent life should be fairly common.

So where is everybody? Those Hubble photo's are beautiful but they sure made me feel alone.

Latest Bush Crony Alert

Twenty-eight year old, Douglas L. Hoelscher is the new executive director of the Homeland Security Advisory Committees. He will be the 'primary representative' of Secretary Michael Chertoff in dealing with many other advisory boards. Hoelscher evidently has good contacts with Ken Mehlman, Chair of the RNC. Hoelscher was also involved with the disasterous response to hurricane Katrina. Read more here.

How long before we will be saying "Heckuva job Dougie?"

Trolls Not Tolerated Policy

It's hard to believe that someone would start 'trolling' a blog like Adirondack Musing, but it has happened. So a no trolling policy has been instituted. You want to disagree with my point of view on a topic and explain your point of view, that is just fine, no problem, knock yourself out. You can even explain to me why Rep. John Sweeney and Pres. G.W. bush are great men who will go down in history. But troll comments will be deleted.

What is Out There? See for Yourself.

Probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen or heard on the internet. Watch this and you will realize that the Hubble telescope was probably one of the greatest ideas ever. If you have speakers make sure they are turned on!

Visit Karina's Blog

Karina has posted excellent comments about the nature of Saranac Lake here.

Snow in Saranac Lake

It has not been a great year for snow in SL. I've only had my driveway plowed 2x. But it doesn't take much snow to result in huge piles in front of my house.

A Shocking Surprise!!!

The Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee voted against investigating the warrantless NSA domestic spying program. Of course the committee chairperson, Sen. Pat Roberts, would just as soon do away with the Supreme court and the Congress. Just leave GW Bush as President for Life. After all, things have worked out nicely so far, haven't they?

What is an Impeachable Offense?

What has President G.W. Bush done that might merit impeachment? Justifying going to war based on, oh what to hell, lies? Sending too few troops with insufficient body armor resulting in needless deaths of soldiers? Poor to no planning for post-war Iraq? Not listening to 'naysayers'? Spying on your own citizens without a warrant? Locking up people without recourse to an attorney? Not going after Bin Laden in Tora Bora? Giving control of our ports to a foreign country? Torture? Complete incompetence in running the country? The Medicare Drug 'benefit'? The lack of a response to hurricane Katrina? The appointment of unqualified 'cronies' to important offices? Spending out of control? Ignoring North Korea? Saying that laws passed by Congress may not apply to him? Maybe none of these, at least as long as Republicans have control of the Congress. Doesn't ANYONE want to give GW a bj?

Read Harold Meyerson's (WP) excellent comments on impeachment here. I especially liked the fact that his 92 year old mother had 'impeach bush' on her grocery list.

Dozen Distinctive Destinations

What does Saranac Lake, NY have in common with these places? Prescott, AZ; Monterey, CA; Palm Springs, CA; Lewes, DE; Waimea, HI; Bowling Green, KY; Arrow Rock, MO; Philipsburg, MT; Bartlesville, OK; West Chester, PA; Milwaukee, WI.

They are all included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation 'Dozen Distinctive Destinations'!

From a charming Adirondack town made famous a century ago for its healing powers, to the desert hideaway that holds countless treasures of modern architectural design, and the Midwest city known for its world-class museums and brewery heritage, America offers alternative vacation destinations that symbolize an increasing dedication to historic preservation. In recognition of this travel trend, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, today announced the selection of its 2006 Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States.

I wonder how much longer Saranac Lake will be able to remain 'distinctive'?

Acceptable and Unacceptable Websites

According to a Marine stationed in Iraq:

Acceptible websites:
Bill O'Reilly (Probably the biggest coward and blowhard in the entire world)
Rush Limbaugh (Drug user and coward)
G. Gordon Liddy (He's entertaining enough but a complete nut job. At least he did his hard time)
ABC News "The Note"
(I refuse to link to the above web sites)

Unacceptable (blocked) websites:
Wonkette (one of my favorites because it is completely irreverent)
Air America
Al Franken
Don and Mike show

Abortion Will Be Illegal in South Dakota

As of July 1, 2006, any doctor who performs an abortion, unless to save the life of the mother, will face up to 5 years in prison. Abortion in cases of rape and/or incest are not grounds for an abortion. This law is designed to raise a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. I don't see how it could be upheld. They could have written a less restrictive law and may even have had a chance of it being upheld. But, they want the whole tortilla.

In South Dakota women = fertilized egg

This Is Illegal

The two marines have every right to attend a partisan political rally or meeting. But NOT while in uniform. The two marines may not be familiar with the regulations, but Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) should know them. She is putting the careers of these two marines in jeopardy.

Things are Going Very, Very Well

Yesterday, on 'Meet the Press', General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Tim Russert that ..."I would say they’re going very, very well from everything you look at."

I guess that puts all my concerns about Iraq to rest. The fact that 1700 Iraqis have been killed over the past week or so isn't anything to worry about.