The Permian Era, 290 to 248 Million Years Ago

The recent research and findings of DNA and other organic bits found in Permian salt deposits has excited much of the science community. Microbiology and biochemistry professor Jack Griffith found organic material in water that was trapped in the salt left behind as land locked interior oceans evaporated over time. Evidence of these interior bodies of ocean saltwater still exists in the United States as The Great Salt Lake of Utah. The Bonneville Salt Flats, where people go to break land speed records, is nothing more than an interior ocean saltwater lake bed that evaporated.

The Permian period lasted from 290 to 248 million years ago and was the last period of the Paleozoic Era. The distinction between the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic is made at the end of the Permian in recognition of the largest mass extinction recorded in the history of life on Earth. It affected many groups of organisms in many different environments, but it affected marine life the most. Some groups survived the Permian mass extinction in greatly diminished numbers, but they never again reached the ecological dominance they once had, clearing the way for another group of sea life. On land, a relatively smaller extinction of diapsids and synapsids cleared the way for other forms to dominate, and led to what has been called the “Age of Dinosaurs.” Also, the great forests of fern-like plants shifted to gymnosperms, plants with their offspring enclosed within seeds. Modern conifers, the most familiar gymnosperms of today, first appear in the fossil record of the Permian. In all, the Permian was the last of the time for some organisms and a pivotal point for others, and life on earth was never the same again.

The global geography of the Permian included massive areas of land and water. By the beginning of the Permian, the motion of the Earth's crustal plates had brought much of the total land together, fused in a super continent known as Pangea. Many of the continents of today in somewhat intact form met in Pangea which stretched from the northern to the southern pole. Even today you can reassemble the continents that once made up Pangea together like a giant jig saw puzzle proving that they had once been one large continent. Only Asia was broken up at the time. Most of the surface area of the Earth was occupied by a corresponding single ocean, known as Panthalassa, with a smaller sea to the east of Pangea known as Tethys. Like today, the Pacific is the larger ocean and the Atlantic is the smaller ocean.

Models indicate that the interior regions of this vast continent were probably dry, with great seasonal fluctuations, because of the lack of the moderating effect of nearby bodies of water, and that only portions received rainfall throughout the year. There are indications that the climate of the Earth shifted at this time, and that glaciation decreased, as the interiors of continents became drier.

One of these areas is The Glass Mountains which is located in southwestern Texas. The mountain range has been described as about 24 miles long and between 6 and 15 miles wide. The mountains are made up of limestone, shale, sandstone, dolomite, marl, and other rocks, sediment, clay, and sand.

This mountain range is part of a relatively large geographical area marked by the presence of geological features dating from the Permian period, dated 286 to 245 million years ago. This area, called the Permian Basin, underlies parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Sediments from that era cover a thickness of some 12,000 feet.

The Permian features in the southwestern United States are mostly marine in nature; when the Permian period began, and what is now the Glass Mountains were underwater. As time went on, the ocean evaporated, and when the Permian ended, the former ocean was dry.

The Glass Mountains themselves have been chosen as the standard section for the Permian period because of the presence of a continuous layer of Permian sediment 1500 to 2000 m thick.

The strata of the Glass Mountains contain a number of fossils, many of which are from the Permian. One part of the significance of the fossil finds in the Glass Mountains and other parts of the Delaware Basin is the use of their occurrence to classify strata, layers of rock marked by different times of deposition; in fact, the presence of fossils in various strata have been the primary means of classification, along with features of the rock itself. Fossils found in the Glass Mountains, found in marine sediment, are those of marine organisms. The selection of fossils includes algae, sponges, bryozoans, brachiopods, crinoids, conodonts, coral, ostracodes, gastropods, nautiloids, and other early forms of marine life. The Permian fossils of the Glass Mountains are shallow, warm-water marine life, like the kinds expected in a modern-day coral reef; the results are to be expected for what was once the Capitan Reef millions of years ago.

Some of these are suitable for stratigraphic correlation, the classification of strata from different areas into a chronological framework to determine which rock was laid down at similar times, because of various factors, like (1) sufficient numbers of fossils, both in an individual site and in other sites to be correlated, (2) sufficient rate of change in the population through time to permit analysis of evolutionary change through the strata, and (3) enough study of the populations to allow for a knowledgeable analysis.

Of special interest are fusulinids, a kind of foraminifer (a kind of shelled protist), and ammonoids, a kind of mollusk related to the modern-day chambered nautilus. The fossilized shells of these organisms have been used in early stratigraphic correlation. Many of the fossils of Permian life were discovered within the various sediments that compose the layered formations of the Glass Mountains. Fossils in the Glass Mountains have been used for determining correlations among sites in North America and in other places. As mentioned, the Permian series of the Glass Mountains is the standard series for correlation with other strata in North America.

As mentioned, the fossils in these areas have been important criteria for correlations. Fossil correlations from one area to another can be used to evaluate sediments from similar dates. The Ural Mountains, Russia, also contain similar fossil sites. Other similar sites in the Permian are found in areas across the western United States, including a band from Kansas to Texas. There have also been similar discoveries in other parts of the Americas, including Central and South America and northern North America. The geological knowledge also has some applied use, as economic geology, which is concerned with natural resources like natural gas, oil, and minerals, is interested in geological dating.

In short, what is known from the Permian series in the Glass Mountains has been used for correlations with stratigraphy and fossils elsewhere, and the fossils found in the Glass Mountains have been the primary method of determining these correlations.

Now in summation, when those who want to make the claim that the earth is 10,000 years old based on a single source documenting oral traditions from nomadic tribes of 2,500 years ago noting that nothing is based on any scientific fact; their credibility pales in comparison to the scientific evidence noted in this posting.

Pat Travers "Boom Boom" (Out Goes The Lights)

One of the "Road House" style rowdy rhythm and blues tunes is Boom Boom (Out Goes The Lights) by Little Walter who wrote, covered, and performed the original during the Chess Record years. Please refer to the earlier short biography that I posted earlier this month.



In 1978, Pat Travers recorded and released a live album entitled, “Go For What You Know,” which included his version of, "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)". This live performance took this song to a whole new level and reintroduced Little Walter’s song to a whole new generation of Blues Music Fans.

I think that you will enjoy the raw energy that Pat Travers brings to this old blues classic.

Enjoy!

Cheney Pressured Bush to Authorize Use of Military On U.S. Soil!

Former Vice President Dick Cheney pressured George W. Bush and other top administration officials to deploy U.S. soldiers to arrest suspected terrorists, according to a report that has just been publicly released.

Using American soldiers for domestic law enforcement purposes would have been unprecedented. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 generally prohibits the armed forces from acting in a law enforcement capacity.

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.”

Vice President Dick Cheney argued that a president had the power to use the military on domestic soil to sweep up terrorism suspects. Dick Cheney argued that the President had unlimited powers to prosecute the “war on terror” on American soil and could ignore constitutional rights, including First Amendment freedoms of speech, the press, and Fourth Amendment requirements for search warrants.

Within the White House staff for Alberto Gonzales was John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), authorized the president to use the military for domestic matters. Yoo’s legal opinion, “Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States,” was declassified and released along with other OLC memos in April of this year.

Yoo, who was a visiting law professor at Chapman University in Orange, Ca., asserted, “The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically,” Yoo wrote. “First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully. The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically.”

The memo also said Bush had the legal authority to order searches and seizures without warrants against individuals that “he judged to be terrorists”.
Yoo’s legal opinion went on to say, “We think that the better view is that the Fourth Amendment does not apply to domestic military operations designed to deter and prevent future terrorist attacks.”

In an Oct. 6, 2008, just three months before Bush exited the White House, Stephen Bradbury, acting chief of the OLC, constructed a memo that renounced and did a quick backtrack withdrawing Yoo’s Oct. 23, 2001, legal opinion calling it, "a memorandum for the files." Stephen Bradbury renounced Yoo’s legal opinion and wrote that Yoo’s legal opinion “states several specific propositions that are either incorrect or highly questionable.” Bradbury went on to say, "Yoo’s opinion about suspending First Amendment protections were “overbroad and general and not sufficiently grounded in the particular circumstance of a concrete scenario.”

Bradbury went on to say, "The Oct. 23, 2001, memorandum represents a departure from the preferred practice of OLC to render formal opinions only with respect to specific and concrete policy proposals and not to undertake a general survey of a broad area of the law or to address general or amorphous hypothetical scenarios that implicate difficult questions of law.”

As many of us in the Intelligent Bloging Sentinel world would suspect, former officials said the 2002 debate arose from the Justice Department concerns that there might not be enough evidence to arrest and successfully prosecute terrorist suspects. “Mr. Cheney, the officials said, had argued that the administration would need a lower threshold of evidence to declare them enemy combatants and keep them in military custody.”

So to reiterate this statement, “If the evidence was inadequate to legally arrest those who George W. Bush deemed and “judged to be terrorists,” we only need to have someone to write a legal opinion that reduces the level of evidence required and have the military arrest them. PROBLEM SOLVED!

The Suicide of Socrates

A day in the year 399 BC, the philosopher Socrates stood before a jury of 500 of his fellow Athenians. Socrates was being accused of “Refusing to recognize the Gods that the state recognized.” By not recognizing the Gods that the Athenian state recognized, his accusations were compounded with the additional charge of “Corrupting the youths of Athens.”

The trial took place in the heart of the city, the jurors seated on wooden benches surrounded by a crowd of spectators. Socrates’ accusers were three Athenian citizens who recognized the truth of the official Gods of Athens. The accusers were given three hours to present their case, and then Socrates would have three hours to defend himself. If Socrates was to be found guilty; his penalty could be death.

After the arguments of both Socrates and his accusers were over, each juror registered his judgment by placing a small disk into an urn marked “Guilty” or “Not Guilty.” Socrates was found guilty by a vote of 280 to 220. Yes, 280 of the good citizens of Athens saw that it was their duty to defend and protect the “Recognized Gods of Athens.”

Now that Socrates had been found guilty of “Not recognizing the Gods that the Athenian state officially recognized,” and consequently “Corrupting the youths of Athens,” his accusers argued for the death penalty. Socrates in his defense proposed that he be fined a modest sum of money. In light of the severity of his crime of “Not recognizing the Gods of Athens,” the jury selected the death sentence for Socrates. Athenian law prescribed the carrying out the death sentence was to be by drinking a cup of poison hemlock, and Socrates would then be his own executioner.

In our advanced and modern civilization of the United States, we should think, “How uneducated, idiotic, and backwards those Athens must have been to sentence Socrates to death for simply not recognizing the official state “Gods of Athens.” But human nature being what it is no matter what period in time, when today I hear of ministers having their congregations actively praying for President Obama’s death…are we really that far removed from those ancient Athenians?

LESSONS FROM CARL SCHURZ

In the mid to late 1960’s the pro-war conservatives were often heard making the statement, “My country, right or wrong,” as if stating this was the only reason anyone would need to take their viewpoint and support for the United States’ involvement in the Viet Nam War.



In reality, and I am sure those who were making the statement had no clue, that this is just a segment of a quote made by Carl Schurz. The total quote is, "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." In retrospect, this full quote would have been more appropriate to those who opposed the Viet Nam War. As history has proven that the attack of the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin as the reason for going into Viet Nam, was a fabrication; much like the Bush Administration’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that were not found in Iraq. Many of us have noted, there are people in this country who still believe the foolishness that Saddam Hussein plotted and attacked the Trade Towers in New York because that is what Conservative Talk Radio has lead them to believe. To reiterate the true lesson from Carl Schurz’s quote, “and if wrong, to be set right,” those who work to put this country back on the correct moral compass after being taken off course by those who have intentionally mislead the country; are the true American Patriots.



Carl Schurz was a German revolutionary who became a Union Army General in the American Civil War. After the Civil War, he went on to become an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and noted orator, and in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the United States Senate.


During his later years as a Teddy Roosevelt era Republican, Schurz was perhaps the most prominent independent in American politics, noted for his high principles, his avoidance of political partisanship, and his moral conscience. Much like Teddy Roosevelt, Carl Schurz fell out of favor with the more conservative aspect of the Republican Party at this time for these principles he believed in.

I will close this posting with another quote from Carl Schurz that all should take note: "Ideals are like the stars. We will never reach them, but like the mariners on the sea, we chart our course by them."

Harry Potter and the Half-Wit Prince Movie

The opening scene starts out with Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore in a sober discussion with the seriousness of the “Storm Of Past Evil” brewing unrest within the universe. Both agreed that everyone on earth is in danger of this evil rearing its ugly head again trying to take back the position and the abusive power that it once imposed on the world population for eight years.

This evil force ran unleashed and unrestrained because the “Evil Anointed One,” the one called, “The Half-Wit Prince,” had so many fooled into thinking he was one with a pure “Born Again Soul.” In truth, his soul and brain had long been burned out with too many years of alcohol and cocaine abuse, that nether had any true functioning remains within the empty shell of his physical body.

Unfortunate, many bought into the myth because he was the first born of a past leader who failed so poorly that the masses purged him upon their first chance to do so.

What many did not realize before it was too late was that the “Half-Wit Prince” had an evil accomplice. This accomplice had gotten his training from an ancient evil that went by the clownish name of “Tricky Dickey.” This sorcerer's apprentice, who was schooled and mentored by the ancient evil, took the name of his master, “Dick,” in honor of the spells that were taught to him.

This “Dick from the land of Cheney,” (which loosely translates into), “He who on a rare occasion wipes his own ass but still likes to smell his fingers after doing so,” set out on a mission to take over all of the earth’s oil reserves, and to skim off as much of the American Tax Payers' dollars, making both very obscenely wealthy.

The “Storm Of Past Evil” had a feminine stoogie cohort who goes by "Caribou Barbie." Their evil plan was based in the hopes she would be able to bring forth a new age and rebirth of their old brand of evil making everyone’s life unbearable. The “Storm Of Evil Past,” power fabricated a religious myth so those who are easily led astray, the “Fanatical Religious Right Wing,” could be whipped up into a blind faith frenzy carrying the “Storm Of Past Evil” into power on the shoulders of the mindless once again.


The evil plan was foiled by a loose group of “Intelligent Blogger Sentinels” who are educated, and on the constant watch exposing every time the “Storm Of Evil Past” thought that it had found a dropped guard or a week link in their vigil alertness.

The final scene is with the “Intelligent Blogger Sentinels” lamenting that their service to the world community is sometimes a thankless job, but they have the satisfaction of knowing that they are keeping the earth safe from the “Storm Of Past Evil.” Yes, being able to stop the evil council of the “Half-Wit Prince,” “Dick from the land of Cheney,” and the non-functioning in the real world “Caribou Barbie,” which is enough thanks for this unassuming group.

The camera fades to black, and closing words, “THE END” closes the movie leaving everyone with a happy ending but with the knowledge and realization that the “Storm Of Evil Past” will try to return again soon.

Little Walter and Koko Taylor

With my good friend Microdot out in the grape fields of France, I thought that I would pass on this piece in honor of his blog site.

Little Walter is the stage name of Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), a blues singer, harmonica player, and guitarist. Little Walter is generally included among blues music greats from Chess Records. His virtuosity and musical innovations fundamentally altered many listeners' expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica. Little Walter's body of work earned him a spot in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the sideman category on March 10, 2008, making him the only artist ever to be inducted specifically for his work as a harmonica player.

I found this piece where Little Walter is performing with the great blues legend, Koko Taylor with her signature song Wang Dang Doodle. So please enjoy Little Walter’s blues harmonica complementing Koko’s rough and powerful vocals as she belts it out. In my opion, it really doesn't get any better than this!!

Sarah Palin’s Maverick Persona, Her Achilles Heel

As time counts down to the end of this month for Sarah Palin as Governor of Alaska, so goes the hopes for the Fanatical Religious Right Wing of the Republican Party.

As late as March of this year, a senior official from the Republican Governors Association headed for Alaska on a secret mission to mentor and to perform damage control for Sarah Palin. After the exposure of her blatant incompetence on the national level, Sarah Palin was now beset with political and personal turmoil back in Alaska. Some powerful supporters even put together an intervention trying to pull her governorship, and her national future, back from the brink of disaster.

The problem was that just as soon as Sarah Palin returned to Alaska from her meltdown on the national election stage disaster, she continued her relentless string of professional and personal incompetence that quickly put this goal out of reach. As soon as she returned home, the Governor was isolated from an increasingly critical Alaskan Legislature.

Lawmakers who had supported her signature effort to develop a natural gas pipeline, turned into uncooperative critics. Soon ethics complaints mounted, and legal bills followed. At home Sarah Palin was dealing with a teenage daughter who had given birth to a son and broken up with the infant’s father.
The Republican Governors Association’s executive director, Nick Ayers, arrived with a damage control memorandum containing firm counsel that stated the advice:

1. Make a long term schedule and stick to it.

2. Have staff members set aside ample and inviolable family time to replenish your spirits.

3. Build a coherent home state agenda that creates jobs and ensures re-election.



Unfortunately, Sarah Palin was more interested in keeping her “Maverick Persona” than listening to the advice of those within the Republican Party with much more experience on how to handle her situations. Sarah Palin would give the false impression of gladly receiving the advice sent by influential supporters, but then would just discard and ignore this advice trying to help her. In retrospect, Sarah was her own worst enemy and it was evident that she is the reason for her marching, as if in a trance, towards her inevitable resignation.

In conclusion, when the Fanatical Religious Right Wing Lemmings showed up at her Vice-Presidential rallies and chanted, “Run Sarah Run,” the rest of us were thinking, “Yea, Run Back to Alaska Caribou Barbie Because We Are Not Going To Allow You To Force Your Incompetence On The Rest Of Us.” With all the Republican help she had trying to make her a functioning person, the result was that her incompetence still won out with the proof of her resignation as Governor.

Did Yahweh and Jesus Both Have Wives?

In the beginning of the Old Testament, it is written that the Israelites were living in the land of Canaan and they were worshiping the god “Yahweh.” The Israel god, “Yahweh,” came from the Canaanite god, “El.” At this time “Yahweh,” just like “El,” had a wife. “El’s” wife’s name was “Athirat” and “Yahweh’s” wife’s name was “Asherah.” There are several references in the Bible to a goddess named Asherah. Even as of the late twentieth century, archaeologists discovered intriguing inscriptions, dating to around 800 B.C., at two different Middle Eastern sites. The inscriptions were blessings in the name not just of Yahweh but of “his Asherah.” So how did our references to God of today not have a wife as he once use to? Where did she go?!?! The following text below will explain how God had his wife removed from the myths of religion today in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Now man's disobedience to God is a theme that runs right through the Bible. The Bible states that God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed. This covenant pact was that Abraham and all his seed would keep the Lord's commandments. In exchange God promised to protect all the children of Abraham. This covenant was renewed when Moses was given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai around the year 1200 B.C. At that time the Israelites had long been held as slaves in Egypt, but with God's help they were led back to the land of Israel.

About 1,000 years before Christ, we hear of three great kings of Israel. The first was Saul, then came David, and after him came Solomon. Now under King David all the Israelites were united in one kingdom, and they experienced a period of political, military, and cultural glory.

When kings were chosen, they were anointed by the people. They thus received the title Messiah, which means "the anointed one." In a religious sense kings were looked upon as a go-between between God and his people. The king could therefore also be called the "Son of God" and the country could be called the "Kingdom of God."

But before long Israel began to lose its power and the kingdom was divided into a Northern kingdom (Israel) and a Southern kingdom (Judea). In 722 B.C. the Northern kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians and it lost all political and religious significance. The Southern kingdom fared no better, being conquered by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Its temple was destroyed and most of its people were carried off to slavery in Babylon. This "Babylonian captivity" lasted until 539 B.C. when the people were permitted to return to Jerusalem, and the great temple was restored. But when the Israelites were defeated in battle and made slaves by the Babylonians, the Jewish Priests decided that the reason why Yahweh allowed them to be defeated was because they had him married to a woman.

Now for the rest of the period before the birth of Christ the Jews continued to live under foreign domination. An example would be the Roman Empire’s rule over Palestine in which the Jews lived. Palestine of course is the lands that use to be Canaan, Israel, Judea, etc. The question Jews constantly asked themselves was why the Kingdom of David was destroyed and why catastrophe after catastrophe rained down on them, for God had promised to hold Israel in his hand but the people had also promised to keep God's commandments. It gradually became widely accepted that God was punishing Israel for their disobedience.

From around 750 B.C. various prophets began to come forward preaching God's wrath over Israel for not keeping his commandments. One day God would hold a Day of Judgment over Israel. We call these types of prophecies, “Doomsday Prophecies.”

So to sum this all up, the children of Israel lived happily under King David, but later on when their situation deteriorated, their prophets began to proclaim that there would one day come a new king of the House of David. This "Messiah," or "Son of God," would "redeem" the people, restore Israel to greatness, and found a "Kingdom of God."

Now along comes Jesus.

In December 1945 an Arab peasant made an astonishing archeological discovery in Upper Egypt, there was a find near the town of Naj 'Hammádì at the Jabal al-Tárif, a mountain honeycombed with more than 150 caves. Originally natural, some of these caves were cut and painted and used as grave sites as early as the sixth dynasty, some 4,300 years ago.

Within one of these caves, some fifty-two texts were found from the early centuries of the Christian era, which included a collection of early Christian gospels previously unknown. The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Truth and the Gospel to the Egyptians, which identifies itself as "the sacred book of the Great Invisible Spirit." Another group of texts consists of writings attributed to Jesus' followers, such as the Secret Book of James, the Apocalypse of Paul, the Letter of Peter to Philip, and the Apocalypse of Peter.

Within the Gospels of Thomas, Philip, and Mary Magdalene, it is stated that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and after the crucifixion of Jesus, these three went to Egypt. I want to remind the readers that at this time Alexandra, Egypt was the center of culture, education, scientific and philosophic knowledge. These three who really knew Jesus wrote in their gospels that Jesus was married to Mary and soon after arriving in Egypt, she bore a child who was called, Sarah, which means “Princess” in Hebrew.

Now in closing, as we remember, it was decided after being conquered by Babylon, God cannot have a wife so one has to ask if it is true that Jesus was married, did Mary have to be removed from the myth so that God could honor the covenant pact with Abraham. Would this ensure that all of his seed would then be keep the Lord's commandments so in exchange God’s promise to protect all the children of Abraham based on this aspect? Do Christian’s become outraged for simply posing the question that Jesus could have been married, is based on the Jewish Religion morphing a fact?

Those Whom Cannot Draw On Three Thousand Years Of History, Are Living From Hand To Mouth

A completely new way of thinking evolved in Greece about six hundred years before the birth of Christ. Until that time people had found answers to all their questions in various religions. These religious explanations were handed down from generation to generation in the form of myths.

Now mortals could not just sit idly by and wait for the gods to intervene while catastrophes such as drought or plague loomed. They had to act for themselves in the struggle against evil. They did this by performing various religious ceremonies, or rites. One can easily imagine how people's response to a drought or crop failure would be to enact a drama about the event. Perhaps a man from the village would dress up in the most ridicules costume one could imagine and dance around like he had a hot coal on his ass. By doing this, people were taking some action to make it rain so the crops would grow in their fields.

A mythological world existed in Greece when the first philosophy was evolving. The stories of the Greek gods had been handed down from generation to generation for centuries. In Greece the gods were called Zeus and Apollo, Hera and Athene, Dionysos and Ascle-pios, Heracles and Hephaestos, to mention only a few of them.

Around 700 B.C., much of the Greek mythology was written down by Homer and Hesiod. Now that the myths existed in written form, it was possible to discuss them.

The earliest Greek philosophers criticized Homer's mythology because the gods resembled mortals too much and were just as egoistic and treacherous. For the first time it was said that the myths were nothing but human notions. By man creating the gods in their own image, they had bodies and clothes and they spoke the same language as those who created them.

The earliest Greek philosophers came along around 500BC and were called natural philosophers because they were mainly concerned with the natural world and its processes instead of mythological superstitions.



One of these philosophers was Parmenides (c. 540-480 B.C.). Parmenides thought that everything that exists had always existed. Everything that existed in the world was everlasting. Nothing can come out of nothing, and nothing that exists can become nothing. His viewpoint on human reason is called rationalism and the primary source of our knowledge of the world.



Another philosopher to come along was Democritus and he conceived that everything was made up of atoms. Democritus agreed with his predecessors that transformations in nature could not be due to the fact that anything actually "changed." He therefore assumed that everything was built up of tiny invisible blocks, each of which was eternal and immutable. Democritus called these smallest units atoms.

The word "a-tom" means "un-cuttable." For Democritus it was all-important to establish that the constituent parts that everything else was composed of could not be divided indefinitely into smaller parts. Moreover, nature's blocks had to be eternal because nothing can come from nothing. Democritus believed that nature consisted of an unlimited number and variety of atoms.

Yes, Democritus developed the concept of the atom 2500 years ago and what is surprising to me is that there are some of extreme, fanatical, religious faith who still do not believe in this science fact. Today we can establish that Democritus' atom theory was more or less correct. Nature really is built up of different "atoms" that join and separate again. Democritus did not believe in any "force" or "soul" that could intervene in natural processes. The only things that existed, he believed, were atoms and the void. Since he believed in nothing but material things, we call him a materialist. According to Democritus, there is no conscious "design" in the movement of atoms. In nature, everything happens quite mechanically. This does not mean that everything happens randomly, for everything obeys the inevitable laws of necessity. Everything that happens has a natural cause that is inherent in the thing itself.

Some say in humor is what separates man from the animals is the desire to dress up in silly costumes and expound illogical superstitions as religious faith. For these people, their viewpoint is if you believe in Christianity, it was called "faith," but if you believe in another religion, astrology, or even Friday the thirteenth it is superstition! But who has the right to call other people's beliefs superstitions in these examples, when others see both as the same without any difference? Yet even today there are many who try to force their extreme religious beliefs on others because of their superstition mandates them to do so.

Democritus did not believed in this fate. He was a materialist. He only believed in atoms and empty space. The true faith in Science Fact.

Implementing Socratic Irony, The Art of Discourse

I recently learned a new phrase, Socratic Irony and its meaning. It was named after the Greek philosopher, Socrates who was the master of this method to teach his students.

The essential nature of Socrates’ art lay in the fact that he did not appear to want to instruct people. On the contrary he gave the impression of one desiring to learn from those he spoke with. So instead of lecturing like a traditional schoolmaster, he taught through discussions. Socrates became a famous philosopher because he confined himself purely to listening to others. Socrates just asked questions to begin a conversation as if he did not know anything so within the course of the discussion he would generally get his opponents to recognize the weakness of their arguments and force them into a corner. By the time Socrates had maneuvered his opponents like the puppet master he was, they would finally be obliged to realize what was right and what was wrong.

To state Socratic Irony in another way, everybody can grasp philosophical truths if they just use their innate reasoning by reaching down inside themselves using what is there.

By playing ignorant, Socrates forced people to use their common sense. Socrates would feign ignorance and pretend to be dumber than he was. This enabled him to continually expose the weakness in people’s thinking.

I decided to apply this new knowledge on one of my religious conservative Republican acquaintances.

I asked him what he thought about Sarah Palin resigning the Governorship even before finishing her third year. Of course he went into the conservative talk radio script of how the liberal media who just kept bring up up false ethical accusations without mercy and the constant hounding investigating into her political and personal life. Then in closing he said, “In the end they won’t find any wrong doing and Sarah is innocent. I then followed up with the question, “Then you must feel the same empathy for Hilary Clinton when Ken Star spent $20 to $30 million in tax payer's dollars investigating her on the same kind of false ethical accusations and trumped up charges on White Water, her law firm; investigating her political and personal life only to come up with nothing?

His face then went blank as I could see him putting together the exact same comparisons between the two women.

But of course he snapped out of his own personal thoughts with free thinking and went right back into the neo-con programmed rant of, “No because Hilary is the devil!”

What I derived from this exercise was that some people are just too dumb or programmed to admit the shame of their statements of stupidity when they have been exposed as the dullard they really are…..and they make up too much of MY REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Ray Charles Bids Goodby With A Message To Sarah Palin

I have decided to post this classic piece by Ray Charles and dedicate this song to our recent source for “The Goofy Governor Award” winner, Sarah Palin! All should be so proud!!

The lyrics of this song are perfect for the Fundamental Religious Nut Job’s departing sound track. So in conclusion, please treat yourself and sing along at the top of your voice to celebrate Governor Goofy’s self-inflected implosion and flame out.

So everyone with me…..A One and A Two….

Sarah Palin Resigns?!?!? Oh Yaa… You Betcha!

First Explanation:
The reason for Sarah Palin’s resignation as Governor of Alaska is said to be that she has "accomplished goals she has set forward". Well the Engineer of Knowledge’s “Crap-O-Meter” is registering in the RED ZONE with this statement. The verdict is, “Pure Bull Shit” statement….Try Again Please!!

Second Explanation:
It's an off reason to resign as Governor with only about a year left on the term, but apparently this was the right move for Sarah Palin to make for herself and her family at this time. Engineer of Knowledge’s “Crap-O-Meter” is registering in the RED ZONE again with this statement. The verdict is, “Pure Bull Shit” statement….Try Again Please!!

Third Explanation:
Sarah Palin is resigning in order to spend more time running for President in the 2012 election. (Oh PLEASE, PLEASE BE TRUE!! So much material for the intellectual bloggers to write about. Hours upon Hours of FUN!!) Engineer of Knowledge’s “Crap-O-Meter” is registering in the RED ZONE once again with this statement. The verdict is, “Pure Bull Shit” statement….Try Again Please!!

Forth Explanation:
Palin's father, Chuck Heath, told Fox News that he thought her resignation was due to the negativity from the media. According to Heath, the governor was unable to be effective while she was constantly having to defend herself against ethics complaints and the media. Engineer of Knowledge’s “Crap-O-Meter” is ringing DING, DING, DING. The verdict is, “Closest Statement To The Truth”….Press "Accept Statement" Button Please!!


Sarah Palin’s approval ratings in her own state of Alaska have skidded in recent months with the attitude that she simply can't handle the job and this is just latest in a pattern of bizarre behaviors. How Scary That So Many Stupid People Wanted Her To Be Our Vice-President.


Sarah Palin demonstrates for the people of Alaska how well she can imitate motor boat noises.

Before There Was Science, Everything Was A Religious Miracle.

"Theology has to recognize Science Fact, but Science does not have to recognize Theology Myths."



One of the first recorded known epidemics dates to the 5th century, when typhoid is said to have killed one out of four residents of ancient Athens.

The next major plague, known as the Plague of Justinian, began in the eastern Mediterranean in 541-544 AD and struck Italy and especially southern Europe in a succession of waves was probably the first appearance of the bubonic plague. It is named after the Byzantine Emperor who ruled from Constantinople, and is thought to have been brought over in grain ships from the southern Mediterranean. The first plague is the least known and written about of all the bubonic plagues because it devastated most of the population and no one was able to document this outbreak. This ancient plague then cycled and lasted for 200 years. Because of the massive waves of death devastating 75% to 80% of the population of the time, the science, math, and architecture of the Greek and Roman knowledge died along with them. It is believed that this was the true downfall of the Roman Empire. Even the knowledge of the formula for making concrete died with the Black Plague. The formula for concrete was not rediscovered again until the mid-1800s. I use this example to show how long it really took to regain the simple knowledge that the ancient Romans once had.

Because the lack of knowledge on how diseases were caused and spread, religion stepped in and explained it all as God’s vengeance on a sinful population. Even in our most recent history, the outcry from the ultra-religious when AIDs first started to appear was that this was God’s way of punishing the homosexual community. I think of the pre-puberty boy who got the disease from a blood transfusion, but the extreme religious proclaimed, “That if this boy has AIDs, then he must be a homosexual.” Of course those in the business of religion will tell you the only way to stop this purging of sinful souls are to repent, pray, and pay homage to those whom speak for God. This was true during the out break of the plagues and even today with any disease that is new and not fully understood.

The Plague died out until another virulent outbreak hit Europe in the early 1300s. Europe was beset by poor harvests and other problems that may have provided a fertile ground for this plague to establish itself again in the continent. It was worst in Europe during the 1340s. The Black Death is estimated to have killed anywhere from 30% to 60% of Europe’s population with each wave of the disease, and the theologians were there again to bring civilization through this crises with more religion as they saw it.

The larger social effects of the plague were substantial, encouraging the persecution of minorities believed to harbor the plague, which found prime targets in the poorest, dirtiest section of town where rats and fleas were most at home. Under religious influence being the dominate knowledge, once again things that could easily be explained by science, became a miracle as the theologians cashed in on the misery.

So in conclusion, make no mistake that organize religion is a business and the product it is selling is Hope in desperate times, Eternal Life should you or your loved ones succumb, and pronounce damning faults in those whom do not buy into their marketing package. Science facts that explain away religious miracles are to be ignored at best or deemed a blasphemous sin as an attack on what is self-evident.

The Delmarva Peninsula Jumps Into The 21st Century With The NASA Space Program

Here on the Delmarva Peninsula we have a NASA facility on Wallops Island. This is the same location that the famous book, “Misty” the Chincoteague Pony story that has been popular with many pre-teen girls may remember reading.



NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility is home to American innovation and new jobs on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The popular Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski was at Wallops Island to help break ground for launch facilities to support Orbital Science Corporation’s work on the Taurus II space launch vehicle that will be used to re-supply the International Space Station after NASA retires the Space Shuttles. Senator Mikulski stated, “Here on the Eastern Shore, people used to earn their living off the land or off the water. Now they are also going to earn their living off of space


The pad is scheduled for construction, along with other facilities to support Orbital Science Corporation's Taurus II rocket program. The 130-foot-tall rocket carrying Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft will be used to take cargo to the International Space Station. A demonstration flight is scheduled for late next year, followed by eight re-supply missions to the space station between 2011 and 2015.