Is Pluto a Planet?

There is actually going to be a "scientific" debate on this issue, as if there were no more important things for our scientists to do! I imagine a debate that includes some of the most learned men in the world will be a scholarly marvel. I wish I could be there. To use a "science" word I would "hypothesize" that the debate would go something like this: "Pluto no longer qualifies as a planet". "Yes it does". "No it doesn't". "Yes it does". "No it doesn't". "Yes it does". "No it doesn't". Etc, etc. Ad infinitum until they break for lunch at McDonald's. Proud of their morning accomplishments they raise their beakers in unison and drink a toast. A toast to the fact that there isn't always a fact in science so therefore they can never be too wrong or too right. Got that? Oh how I pine for Galileo vs. "the church".

In any event it seems that IF Pluto is a planet then there will also be up to 3 new ones added. Oddly one of the "new" ones is actually an "old" one Got that? See above about "science facts" as a reminder. Ceres, one of the possible additions actually WAS a planet in the 1800's before that "fact" of science became a non fact. Got that? See above science facts again. Pluto for those who still are reading this became a planet in 1930.

So what does all this mean for the average earthling? Absolutely nothing! Except for the "fact (?)" that what we learned in school as a "fact" may not in fact, be a fact! Wow this starting to sound so "Cat in the Hat" isn't it?

I just think science has much better things to do than argue about what is or isn't a planet. Like NASA and our trips to space, yeah they were something to marvel at when it was first accomplished, but now? The only reason I can see for continuing this program is human natures innate need to "one up" their competitors, which all of a sudden includes the Chinese.
On a related note that isn't too related, I recently saw the remake of "War of the Worlds." where earth is attacked by creatures from outer space and a very real thought occurred to me. This is just more propaganda. Yeah, keep showing programs where the Aliens from outer space attack Earth and before you know it we all fear Aliens. But how bout this scenario: Earth becomes unihabitable,( a growing possibility) and those that can ($$$), want to get out, or off, whatever. So our government, ever wanting to please and appease the rich and (in)famous, finds & attacks another "habitable" Planet, wreaking havoc (which it is so good at), killing as many inhabitants as possible and enslaving the rest.(historic repeat of our "discovering" (?) America.) The public explanation from the White House is "thank God we discovered their plot in time and attacked pre-emptively so as to prevent harm from befalling our citizens." Yeah right. Sound familiar? It should, we've been falling for the same line forever now, as history just keeps repeating itself. Or does it/ Do we actually win this one? Or have we finally met our match? Stay tuned folks. Maybe some gutsy (crazy) filmmaker / author will pick up on this and run with it. I just wish I could write, I might have something here. Yeah, a dust collector in the "dollar bin" at your local junk store. .

David Copperfield says he's found Fountain of Youth

David Copperfield has bought 4 tiny islands in the southern Bahamas recently and is now claiming to have found the fountain of youth. To quote him: ""I've discovered a true phenomenon,. You can take dead leaves, they come in contact with the water, they become full of life again. Bugs or insects that are near death, come in contact with the water, they'll fly away. It's an amazing thing, very, very exciting."
Copperfield, who turns 50 next month, said he had hired biologists and geologists to examine its potential effect on humans.
If this wasn't coming from a man who built a career on deception I might be more interested.

N,Y, Mets M.V.P.

Everywhere you go some media type is talking up Carlos Beltran for MVP honors. Sure he's had a great year, ON THE ROAD!! On the road he's batting a "Jeteresque" .346. But at home in Shea Stadium he's batting a paltry .212, hardly MVP numbers to be sure. And they talk about his 97 RBI's"s. BUT only 28 of them have come at shea! Folks the Mets play half their games at home! Has anyone forgotten that?
Speaking of forgotten, has anyone ever heard of David Wright? He's only batting the same at home and on the road at .307/.308. His weakness? He's "only" batting .295 vs. righthanders as compared to ..347 vs lefty's.
My point? David Wright shows up for work EVERY day, not just when on the road like Beltran.

DAVID WRIGHT FOR MVP

Made in Iran

Everywhere you look someone is saying, printing or implying that Iran is behind the weapons and training of personnel used against Israel and even the U.S. in Iraq. This is being bandied about as if it makes Iran some big(ger), (more) terrifying monster in need of destruction.
Well OK lets assume, for argument sake that all of the above is 100% accurate, shall we. Fine. Then answer me this please someone, anyone: What does it make the United States of America then? The same United States that supplied weapons to Iraq (including chemical weapons) during the Iraq / Iran war. The same United States that backed Bin laden in his war against the Russians in Afghanistan

Sins of our Soldiers

During an interview with the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigative Division in June, Spec. James P. Barker, 23, admitted Holding an Iraqi teen down while she was raped by another soldier, Sgt. Paul Cortez, then raping her himself, before she was shot to death by former Pfc. Steven D. Green, then pouring Kerosene over her body.

Now let that sink in a minute. Really think about it for a change, because I know the average American either refused to read it or having read it refused to believe it, dismissing it as something along the line of propaganda of anti Americans, terrorists, the media, Democrats etc.. But now we (supposedly) have an accused participant confessing.& implicating his cohorts.

Now my question........
Are we angry because this happened? Or are we angry because it was made known? Or are we angry that our youth is being taught to kill, taught to put no value on human life. This IS what our military boot camp training is all about. While most of our young men and women joined the military to try and get ahead in todays society through education and job training, the LAST skill most enlisted for or wanted to learn was how to kill, maim, injure and otherwise terrify innocent people along with the guilty, all in the name of what? Freedom? Democracy? Bullshit! Its being done to continue to allow Americans to live as they want, as the greedy, ignorant, selfish people they are. Its an I, me, mine society and there is no room for anyone else to even be considered.
Where is the outrage? Where are the supposed "pro-lifers" who put Bush, and by proxy, his war into office? Where oh where is the "life" in "pro life? You hear the uproar over killing a non feeling, brain dead poor woman; you hear the uproar over killing a few cells in a Petri dish, but nothing, NO UPROAR AT ALL do you hear when a young Iraqi teen is raped and her and her whole family killed to cover it up.

Why single out the supposed "prolifers?" Simply because they are one of the few groups who "claim" to have feelings, compassion for fellow human beings. Most other Americans have no such compunction. Most other Americans will admit they don't know AND don't much care what happens outside of America, after all WAR IS HELL right? And if war is hell, and if "some" of our soldiers have "sinned" then who is responsible? The soldier? Or the "devil" who made him do it through brainwashing, who taught him the "art of war." and that ultimate devil is that "commander in chief" the Bush-whacker.

New Google Feature Flags Dangerous Sites for Users

In an attempt to help online searchers, Google will now warn you before allowing you to click on Web sites that download spyware and adware to visitors' PCs. It seems they have teamed up with The Stop Badware Coalition, which is a nonprofit organization led by Harvard University and the University of Oxford and backed by Google, Lenovo Group, and Sun Microsystems.

Employees unionize Chinese Wal-Mart

Go figure.
In China, arguably one of the more oppressive Nations in terms of human rights, a union has formed at Walmart stores, yet here in the supposedly unoppressive United States no such thing has occurred yet even though it has been tried.
Speculation is that either China want to better develop that industry, or assert control over an increasing number of workers leaving the state sector.

I Agree With the Catholic Church!

Well kinda. Occasionally they get it right (sort of) and then of course I'll agree with them.

Anyway it seems that Madonna ( no not THAT Madonna, the singing Madonna) is using the crucifix and a crown of thorns in her new concert tour. Is it as most Christians would agree, wrong? tasteless? immoral? anti Catholic? YES!, certainly it is on all counts. Should she be stopped?, forced not to do it? Well that should be up to each country she performs in. Here in the United States I'm afraid that because of what we represent as a country (freedom not Christianity) she should be allowed to do as she wishes as long as she breaks no current laws. Sorry but THAT is what this country is all about. That is what makes this country so great; so envied, our freedoms NOT our "Christian" principles. Christian principles are just one of the freedoms we are allowed to espouse, preach, teach and yes pray for. Want to boycott her concerts? forbid Christians from going to see her under threat of eternal damnation? Sure that's also your RIGHT, the right to disagree publicly.
So I thought I said I agree with the Vatican on this one? Well I do in the sense that it is all the things stated above. Taking it a step further Cardinal Ersilio Tonino, speaking with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI, has called for her excommunication. And further states "its an attempt on her part to generate publicity. I also agree with excommunicating her. After all its their ( the Vatican) "club', they set the rules and if you refuse to abide by them, then by all means they can cancel your membership.
My problem with these two point are simple really. First on Madonna using the crucifixion for publicity and shock effect, Isn't that exactly what the Vatican and Christians in general have done for almost 2,000 years? And with huge success I might add. Second is the excommunication part. Simple math would tell you that if your "club" had ten members and you kicked one out you will now have nine members right? Of course its right. Except Catholic math is different. I know this because I briefly promoted "voluntary excommunication" as a way of getting at the "real" number of Catholics worldwide. A way of publicly and in no uncertain terms letting the Vatican know you strongly disagree with them. And as I said earlier, its their "club" and if they want to throw me out that's their prerogative. I just thought I'd help them by leaving voluntarily. Kind of like a "you can't fire me I quit" type of thing.
Anyway back to Vatican math. A Catholic friend of mine who is more knowledgeable in Catholic everything than some priests pointed out to me that once you are baptized, you are put on their "rolls" FOREVER. For the rest of your life, no matter what you do, you will remain "counted" as Catholic.
Those were his words as best as I recollect..
I say this is done for accounting purposes. You see its financially beneficial to have more members. Any business that gets the most customers or members is automatically assumed to be the best place to go and shop right? The church is no different. Numbers equal clout, power if you will. And power is what counts in this world.
A final point (or question) about excommunication. Is it possible or even worth the effort to excommunicate someone who already quit and went to Kabbalah and whom your going to continue to "unofficially" count as Catholic anyway??? I just don't get their math that's all.

Pension Overhaul Bill Sent to President

Congress passed major pension legislation designed to assure American workers, that the pensions they have been promised will be there when they retire. The Senate, approved the bill compelling employers with pension plans to meet their funding obligations and prevent companies from terminating plans.
I'm sorry if I'm naive, but isn't it just common sense and common decency to invest the money promised to employees to ensure that it will be there when needed? And further, how are these "under-funded" companies allowed to claim profits to their stockholders without explaining their pension deficiencies (coverups)? Don't get me wrong, "fringe" benefits such as health care and pensions are expensive, prohibitively expensive, but that IS part of the cost of doing business. To do otherwise is underhanded, & dishonest & immoral and always should have been illegal. I once had a job that found it cheaper to pay me overtime at "time and a half" rather than higher a new employee. That ought to give you some idea of how expensive "fringe benefits" can be. I definitely see in the future, unfortunately, less pension systems, and indeed much less lucrative ones.
I'm happy that the U.S. Government has a program such as the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.
that does just what its name suggests. AND as a bonus its NOT funded by taxpayers. Wow sometimes this can be such a good country.

Undeniable Proof of Evolution??

Or will it just be dismissed by the "you know who" as a birth defect, and NOT a sign that evolution was / is possible. I just saw this man on a TV news program, so it looks real enough. And doctors say it is indeed a medical condition known as "hypertrichosis" in which the human body is covered in hair, including the complete face, exactly like the old werewolf movies you've seen. Picture and story here.
Dr. Luis Figuera, a Geneticist & an expert in hypertrichosis, has studied people with the condition for more than 20 years and believes that this is a gene which was functioning a long time ago in the evolution of man when primates were becoming men.". Of course the "you know who group" will dismiss this as hogwash or worse, blasphemy. But then the "Christian right" is often neither.

Castro Transfers Power, America's Cubans Celebrate

Cubans celebrated in the streets of Miami yesterday upon hearing that Castro has transferred power "temporarily" to his brother. Seems Castro needed surgery for bleeding in his intestines.
What I wonder is this: Do you think all or most Cubans would go back to Cuba if Castro died and the island suddenly became Democratic?
I know that whenever Castro dies the U.S will be ready to pump whatever money is necessary into the island just to "prove" that Democracy is better.
I also know we could learn alot from Castros Cuban medical care and education systems. Both are said to be excellent. Yes I know their "History" lessons are filled with lies, but hey so are ours, so what's your point?
Back in the beginning of the 80's with the U.S boasting that we would take all Cubans reaching our shores, Castro took us up on it by emptying his prisons and mental hospitals and sending them to us on the now (in)famous Cuban "flotilla". I know this for a fact because I spoke to prisoners in U.S jails who were from Cuba - their prisons to be exact, AND THEY LAUGHED AT THEIR GOOD FORTUNE TO BE -

• locked up in America, because in Cuban prisons they had to fight for everything

• treated as first time offenders here in the States, no matter how many murders or other crimes they committed in Cuba

Yes Castro is / was a shrewd man.
There are many rumors surrounding his condition right now, running the gamut from he was already recovering / out of danger before the announcement was made, all the way to the other extreme that he is already dead. Only time will tell. VIVE CASTRO!

The Devil Made Him Do It

Gibson enters rehab after DUI arrest

This story just reeks of special treatment & if not for Mel Gibsons own honesty we might never have known what happened.

Scientist thinks invisibility possible

Did you really need a scientist to tell you this? I know I didn't. Haven't we all felt invisible at one time or another? And usually at the wrong times, right?

Bush Gets Annual Physical

I just wish for once they'd do a brain scan ............. just to see if ANYTHING is there.
And no this is NOT a negative article , on the contrary its quite positive - in that I'm positive there is NOTHING up there.