Intelligent Design

The Christian Science Monitor has a nice explanation of the Dover Intelligent Design court case. It helps one understand the arguments when one understands the terminology, and here's where they provide a piece of the puzzle I was missing, having taken logic courses (mumble) years ago and forgotten the book words.

But the Dover school board's argument that intelligent design is science, not religion, is found wanting. The statement for students seems to fault evolution for being a "theory." Yet a theory involves considerable evidence toward an accepted principle. As an explanation for biological life, evolution is gathering ever more evidence. Intelligent design is still a hypothesis, and vulnerable by its lack of evidence.

I got it that a scientific theory is something that can be tested, and as such the theory of evolution fit the bill and Intelligent Design does not.

ID is a theory in the common usage of the term only. I'm not a language expert, but I disagree with the Monitor that ID is an hypothesis, "a provisional idea whose merit is to be evaluated." I would term it theological conjecture.

Overheard in the Lunchroom

"I got some of those glasses that are supposed to make you look smart?  They didn't work!"

Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

yeh.  The Iraq war is a textbook example of waste, fraud, and abuse, the mantra of tax-cut Republicans. 

Waste of resources, both human and treasure. 

Fraud in the selling job to the country.  (America, you been punk'd)

Abuse of power in its implementation and continuation.

If you keep making that face, it'll get stuck like that

I have been making a conscious effort at work to maintain a blank expression. Otherwise it would mostly be a scowl. There are a few things troubling me about the work environment here.

The air is bad, but the new Operations Director has taken my suggestion to bring in an HVAC consultant or contractor to try to improve that. It will depend on budget, I am sure, which gives me little hope that it will improve. There is no fresh air component at present, and often fumes from paint stored one level below get infused into our office air.

Certain employees in the "back room" here, where there are 11 occupied desks, have cha-cha ring tones on their cell phones, which is somewhat distracting and annoying. The theme from Gilligan's Island could not be worse.

Certain employees use their Nextel push-to-talk radios in this office environment, which is also distracting and in my view rude and unnecessary.

Certain employees bring the clinging stink of their cigarettes back in after their break.

So I wear earplugs for a good part of the day, and have a fan that I use to adjust the airflow in my cubicle so I can breath. I prop the door to get some fresh air mixed in from the front office.

But I have to think about my expression. I do get scowly at times and have to work to blank that out. Smiles are rare, unfortunately.

Oh, and the pneumatic lift in my chair leaks, so every now and then I need to raise my chair back to working height to get my chin above the table. Did I mention we use tables instead of desks, so the keyboard height is a few inches above ideal height?

And the incessant phone ringing. Sometimes we have a receptionist, sometimes not, so the phone rings through the paging system.

Nibbled to death by ducks.

Hurricane Wilma

Ok, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who pictures Fred Flintstone pounding on the door to get in when I hear about this:

Why the Plame leak matters

And why punishment should be meted out.

George Friedman has a well written explanation of what it means to be under "non-official cover" for the CIA, and why it matters when a NOC is exposed, as was Valerie Plame.

Still Liking It

Even Faux Neuz has the chimp at 40. Ponies for everyone!

From Professor Pollkatz's Pool of Polls



First posted 9/06/05. Copied up again because I'm still liking it.

One Year, One Hundred Posts

How about that. One year ago today I started placing my thoughts here, and this is post number 100. Funny how that worked out.

Not entirely intentional, although if I had logged on today and found the count at 97, you might have seen a couple of posts along the lines of 98... 99...

Not a bad average, considering I took a couple of non-consecutive months off back there for various reasons.

The One Thing Ashcroft Did Right

Forget blue drapes covering statues, when John Ashcroft finally recused himself from the Valerie Plame investigation, it was the one thing he did right for the country. Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation may actually produce results. We can only hope.

Frank Rich has a nice commentary on the greater picture of the selling of the war. That really seems to be what this clown crew in the White House thinks they do best or find most important - sell their ideas.