US Hands Reigns to Iraq

The big news this week is that America has handing sovereignty over the interim Iraqi government, which will be in the global spotlight like none in history. Opponents of the administration (including the AP) will look for every negative and broadcast it to the world, but peace-loving people across the globe should be cheering for the home team to succeed, thrive and serve as a bright example to the other Middle Eastern countries of what democracy can be.

Saddam will also be transferred to Iraq control. And we all stand waiting to see whether he’ll get his justice in this world or the next.

Virtual Church

I don’t know if any of you remember that old song that goes… “what the world, needs now, is love, sweet love…”? Sure, it’s a bit on the sappy side but I think the sentiment is true. The Church of Fools has launched a virtual church where the message is all about love. It’s a pretty great idea for folks with questions about matters of faith or for those who can’t get out of the house due to disability or something.

Internet Speed Record Smashed

Posted back in April that Internet2 is blazing fast. Apparently, they’ve just broken the data transfer speed record! And here I was happy with my 3Mb downloads.

Comet Sparks Questions

What do you think of scientists? I mean, they’re uber smart right? I have to agree. It seems like they thrive on learning new things, so much so, that at times everything else—life—gets put on the back (bunsen) burner. But what gets my hackles up is how a scientist will state something as fact when it’s really still just a theory. As if they’re so far above us average people that after giving us the hypothesis, analysis and conclusion that we could make the decision on our own. Grrr…?íSo here’s the Wild 2 comet. Nice photo huh? We’re working on a century or so of serious astronomy and here they come with “an object that has no known peers in the solar system.” Have we looked at all the objects in the solar system already? Maybe I’m not giving us enough credit but let’s just pull back on the reigns there Tonto and do a little more research before making a grand claim like that.

Ok, to be fair, that comment was made by the author of the article and not the scientists so maybe I’m over-sensitive. It just bothers me that around 1900 they said the earth was between 90-100 million years old. Then later, they tell us with the new dating process we understand the Earth is really 1.64 billion years old. Now everyone just knows it’s 4.55 billion years old.

What if we learn something next month that leads us to believe some other number? We should all understand that rather than being facts, these numbers are “best guesses based on the science we currently have.” So I guess that’s it. Apparently, it’s their presumption of infallibility that gets my goat. We’re all human and we all make mistakes. Now there’s a solid theory.

Pistons Are 2004 NBA Champs

The series only went 5 games just like the experts said, but it was the hard-working Pistons who dealt on the Lakers to win it all. Congrats Detroit… you’ve earned it!

Tyranny of Choice

My grandpa used to tell me, “People are important, things aren’t.” Maybe not the most eloquent phrase but there’s wisdom there that today’s materialistic society seems to be missing. Getting more “stuff” won’t bring the happiness that marketers claim it will. Barry Schwartz is saying that extreme choice is part of the problem rather than an expected plus.

Ask any multi-millionaire you know if they’re truly happy and they’d reply, “Of course not.” Then go ask the nice lady who works down at the coffee shop and I’ll bet you get a better answer.

Let me throw my quarter-life wisdom into the ring. “True happiness comes from knowing someone truly loves you.” Now it’s up to you to discover who that “someone” is.

‘Under God’ Stands… For Now

The US Supreme Court has decided not to address the issue of whether or not “under God” should be allowed to remain in our pledge of alligiance. All they’ve done at this point is postpone that decision by dismissing this case. Some expect the ACLU to pursue a ban, even while they claim to champion freedom of religion.

I don’t see what the problem is. They aren’t saying “under Yahweh” or “under Allah”. “God” is general enough that the speaker can be directing his or her thoughts to the diety of their choice. It seems to me that there are many who want to remove all aspects of religion from our society. As to why these groups would want to do this… we can all speculate.

Reagan Passes On

Even while some of his political opponents took cheap shots at a former President stricken with Alzheimer’s his honest and forthright legacy will live on. He died today at the ripe, old age of 93. Truly one of America’s greatest of the past century if not both.

More Good News in Iraq

Rosemary Davis has an idea. Let’s focus on the good coming out of Iraq:

• Iraq now receives two times the electrical power it did before the war.
• 100 percent of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared with 35 percent before.
• More than 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
• More than 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
• Girls are allowed to attend schools for the first time ever.

And she’s not the only one who wants American’s to hear the whole story… the soldiers do too!