one more reply to my mother

Hi Mom

I do not get mad at those little pieces, I just feel that I would be doing a diservice if I let it go with outbeing challenged. The problem is that the way of speaking presented makes everything seem so simple and eaisly understood if not challenged. It is cruel to say that a woman who challenged prayer in school was killed because god stoped protecting her. It is a complete misuse of blame to say that the people died in New Orleans because it was a sinful city and not that their government had left them to die becuse of their lack of wealth and colour of their skin.

If anyone else had sent me that letter I would have deleated it before the end of the second pharagraph, but since it was from you, I read it, and tried to understand what it had to say. And then I wanted you to see my reaction to it. I think you are a thoughtful person and are interested in seeing the different aspects of life.

I do see why people feel the need for religion, but I also want to share the danger in this train of thought. I dislike religion and think it is dangerious. I want to present chanllenges to this apperently good way of thinking.I am a scientist, and I will believe what I see, and can prove. This is in contradicitionto what I want to see and want to have happen. This is a very difficult thing to do, and it makes the world a much less understood place. But I will then be in step with all other people who want to see the 'matter of fact' truth.

I see the world on an edge where science is answering more and more questions. Evolution, nueral science, physics, they are putting to rest most of the religious docturne. The first world is moving away from the need of religion. The religions are making all the strides they can to recapture the populace, even at the determent of the people. With wars, famine and hatred rapent. I hope the with my generation we can help to move to a more enlightned society, but I belive that the understanding of science, and the questioning nature of the mind must be preserved and encouraged.

Ben Stien, wow, a little dense eh?

Here is a letter forwarded to me by my well intentioned mother. Below is my reply to this letter..


This guy is known as a financial expert, TV game show host and comedian....but he also writes very well. Ben Stein wrote this.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05 .

Here at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.



Next confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I
kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a cr�che, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says!

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they WILL think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.




Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.





And my reply



Hi Mom:

I'm never sure if you like comments on these, but I assume that by sending, or forwarding an email you are opening a communication line, so I feel that it is only appropriate that I reply.

I always thought Ben Stien was an intelligent, thoughtful man, but I was surprised at his level of ignorance in that letter!

I agree that I have know idea who Nick and Jesisca are.. I don't really care either. That is pop media hooking onto something that really is not important. And he does make a point, that people look at it instead of religion. Really, in a country where wealth and the possibility of striking it rich is the dream of everyone, then why would they look to religion. Especially a christian one which says that to have nothing is better!

But aside from that, he says that no where does it state that the US (or I guess Canada can be included as well) is an atheist country, yes, true, but it does state that religion and state are separate!. Why? Well, for a very good reason. What is good for the people is not always in line with the religion. Example: Africa. Millions with AIDS. Possible solution, education on condoms and their use to stop the spread. Problem, that is not a christian thing. So What do you do. Let millions die (including the children of these people, who had no say in what their parents did,) to force everyone to be christian and abstain (that really worked well in medieval europe.. spanish inquisition.. witch trials etc..) or educate the people in a non-christian way to save them selves..?

I was shocked to hear from my friend Mimi that when she was in a public school (humber vally) that she was made to say "Our Father" every morning. I would be in that school the very next day to either stop them from doing that, or better yet, they would have to also say a muslim payer, a jewish preyer, read a chapter from a science text, and as many other religions that I can think of.

But, back to Ben. He started saying that the hurricane that caused so much death and damage in New Orleans was because of a lack of prayer!!! Wow.. !! Ya.. lack of God in schools.. sure. I'm sure right after that they hopped in their big SUV's and drove home. Not even thinking that a raising global temperature caused by pollution creates a warming of the tropical waters, which is the driving force of the hurricane. It is because people don't pray enough that a group of pissed off muslims from a war torn country flew into the twin towers; the twenty years of horrible violence and the US's abuse of the middle east had nothing to do with that!

Why do I dislike religion so much. As a scientist, it, without any proof, is used in direct opposition to millions of hours of work and hundreds of thousands of human minds that have been used to tweeze out an understanding of ourselves and the universe. Because we can't all be right. That is, that if I am christian, I am not jewish, nor muslim, nor any other religion. In fact, we are all atheists, at least for all but one way of thinking. What happened to the Greek gods.. well, everyone is an "greek good atheist". And all religions say that if I am not part of them, then I am not a good person, or at least dammed to hell. So a jew is going to christian hell, muslim hell, Greek god hell, all the hells for the african tribes, as well as all the hells that will be thought of in the future, since the soul is eternal.

Morals are not given by religion. If that was true, then a priest or holy person would have really strong morals. And not be killing in wars, blowing up planes, and molesting young children. Morals are given by society, by human nature. Gorillas have their own moral structure, as do any other social animal. Ours are just a little more complicated. When society changes over time. What do you see, that religion says "no that is not a good thing to do" and everyone changes back, or does the pope say, aww.. ok. "You can do that now." It is the latter. Why, because religion can only affirm what society dictates as good! A child learns to share because they are shown that it is the best thing to do. If you share with your friends, then they will do the same to you.. not "Jesus shared, so you need to do the same!"

People want to be good, and they want to survive. But they also have a good deal of problems. The best thing we can do is teach people to see the outcome of their actions. To be conscious of what they are doing, and why they are doing it. To listen, and to think.

If there is a god, I think the best thing to do is think what god would want to see. Put yourself in god's shoes. You make children. What do you want to see.. Them all saying that god wants this, or that god wants that and to break up into groups of people that think the different ways. To fight and kill each other because of the different interpretations .. or, to see everyone looking after each other. Helping and living together. Teaching and sharing what they have learn but not mentioning god at all. The answer seems simple.

Rodger

V for Vendetta

Last night I went and saw V is for Vendetta. I had no idea what to expects (part of the joy of being TV'less.. I never see spoilers, and can watch most movies with a clear mind.)

I must say, I was very impressed, and enjoyed many aspects of the movie. This is one of those rare jems that I think successfully introduced a philosphy. The main idea tossed about was what is an idea, and what is a person; or better said, the difference between the two. This is something that I heard mentioned by Dawkins. He gives ideas the same basic principles as a biological body. Where a person has their biological design in their genes, an idea is made out of memes. I belive this is in his book The River out of Eden.

This goes well with a good deal of personal ideas that I have had in a similar direction about what is a culture. I belive that it is a being.. in the same way that an animal is made up of many living cells, a culture is made up of cells that can be though of as people, or groups of people.


Buda de Ensenada

This is for another post, so I will go on quickly with a little local note. We finnally made our way this weekend to the buda that is in Ensenada. In the morning we spent there we were able to pick up all the garbage (about 6 bag worth) and put in some new plants to make the park look better. I do hope that some other people want to come and work with us, but it was a very nice feeling to clean something up. There is much more graffity, but this is something out of our control.. I can only hope that this mentality is slowly dieing away as people are more educated.. but only time can show.

where is consciousness?

A quick addition to the last post. I wrote to Jay Ingram's podcast with a few ideas that I have been working on for a while.. so I will put here my letter as well.

Hi Jay and David:

My name is Rodger and I am a physicist (Canadian) living and working in a center of excellence (government research) Ensenada México. While my research is not related directly to consciousness study, this has been an area of intense interest for many years.



While listening to another podcast (Zencast) and an idea was formed in my mind when the presenter asked "where is thought?". This problem is mentioned many times in other forms (on one of you previous podcasts as well.) For the answer I would draw on several types of thought. The first is a Quantum physics approach. That all we have are experiences. That is, the entirety of "reality" that we see is made up of a limited number of experiences. So that we can only really talk in terms of these experiences. So then "reality" can be thought of as the accumulation (or combination) of these experiences? (to measure something we cannot directly sense, we need something to change this even to a sensory even, i.e. a voltage into a picture on a screen.)

So the mind has these inputs of sensations and from this makes an idea of reality. In other words, we make a virtual model of what is outside of us, inside our minds. It is like a computer, if I were to place several cameras onto my computer, and have it look at the room, I would then write a program to interpret the images seen to make a model of the room inside the computer. This can be why new things take more time to see, because we don't have an object of this thing in our mind, so we need to look at it for a long time, and program it in. But when I see my girlfriend, I have a well made model of her, and don't need to look as intently. All I need to do is clarify which model in my mind is this person.

With out going into more detail, I would then say, that our "reality" exists as a construct inside out mind, so that our consciousness, our thoughts are actually all around this reality, or more such, outside of this reality. You can almost think of the Russian doll: the outside doll is what "really exists". The next doll is the "mind" which is inside a black box with very few sensors sticking out. Inside the shell of the mind is the virtual reality that we form, and this is the "perceived reality". Most of us then try to project our mind as coming from the model of ourselves in this last doll, thus making another doll.

As an extra note, you can then say why the ego is false, or doesn't exist by stating that the projected mind into our virtual reality is the ego, and as already noted, doesn't really exist.

I hope this makes sense, and I look forward to you comments on this. I've put in a pdf to express the idea..

Theatre of the mind

On a new binge of podcast additions I came across (with the help of Alex.. thanks) Jay Ingram's "Theatre of the Mind". I remember him from the discovery channel when I was in Toronto (I don't have a TV anymore.. thank god..)



The podcast is mainly for his new book (or maybe that is how it started) but it seems to have grown to a nice ling format with some useful/interesting information. The main topic is consciousness. On his website he has much more info.. a good read. The stuff on the homunculus is very interesting.. mainly these links good pic, wikipedia

But he is a little off on one thing. He said that no one had seen the classical homunculus (the small man in sperm), but there was one person who thought he saw it in the beggining of microscopes. Apparently he found a way to get very good magnufication, and wrote a paper detailing this little man. I can't remember his name, but this is well talked about in Bill Bryson's "A Short history of nearly everything." That book is a great read.. well.. actally I got the audio book, and I enjoyed all of it, and keep it in my iTunes library so that I have a chapter spliced in with my usual music..

first post

OK.. why this blog. Well, I live in Ensenada Mexico, about 1 hr south of the US Mexico border. I study physics, in particular "lasers", said, of course, with the Dr. Evil motion.. I am interested in science, moutian biking, enviormental projects and other mental presuits. I take lots of pictures of what ever I can that looks interesting. But I don't post it all.. !! It has become a personal quest to inform people not to show me everything they take.. 5 different versions of the same bad shot 50 times over is not an enjoyable way to spend a night..

Examples of my pictures are:

That is a picture of a statue of Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon on a small island town called Janitzio in Michocan Mexico.

As well I have a set of pics from my lab, an example is:

These four pictures are of a nanosecond pulsed laser focusing: topLeft above, topRight on the surface, BottomLeft inside, and bottomRight infront of Aluminium coated glass, the little light bar is the laser light ripping electrons off of the atoms of air where it is focused.

That is about it.. we'll see what more I can find.. I expect a lot.. :-) Oh and there is a post of our lab work which is at femtoluz

happy bogging