I don't mean to offend. It's probably going to happen anyway.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

And We're Back

There was an outbreak of real life there, but I think it's safely contained now.

I've had a few things percolating, but, unfortunately, none of them are quite coalescing into workable posts.

So, it's another hodge podge!

United States Ambassador to Libya murdered by angry crowd. I find this depressing on a huge number of levels, not least of which is that this sort of headline is becoming all too familiar. Add to that the highly unlikely nature of any retaliatory action against this blatant act of war, and it's just... gah.

The other thing that really irks me is our involvement in putting in place the very system whose constituents are now rampaging about murdering our diplomats. I said it then, and I say it now. We have/had NO business interfering in Libya, much less on the side of the rebels. (Nor anywhere else in the "Arab Spring", for that matter.)

Another September 11th has rolled around, and the recognizance has, predictably, decreased dramatically. As with December 7, 1942, time is balm for many wounds, and the nation has collectively moved on.

While I would say that the time for grief is past, I would absolutely not say that the time has come to forget, and, though it is not a very Christian thing of me to say, the time has not come for forgiveness either.

One of the posts I'm working on concerns this. I wanted to have it up for the 11th, but life got in the way.

My rhetoric class has actually been my most interesting course so far this year. I am rather fond of argument and analysis of the same (as some of you may have figured out by now) and it's a fun subject. There is absolutely no career in it I would care for of course, so that's the catch. I like engineering and biology more in any case.

I got a package of joy from the Fed-Ex truck. I am actually starting to get on the point where the dwarf seahorse project is becoming a reality. It is exciting. Pictures will come in due course.

Technology is fantastic.

The Dallas Area Blogmeet/shoot is this Saturday/Sunday. I am ridiculously excited. I don't know if you can still sign up to join us, but head over to BobS to find out.

On Sunday I heard an absolutely fantastic talk by Jeffery Holland, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I'll link to it once I find the transcript. It's good from a secular or religious perspective.

On that note, I am right now actively exploring my faith, and am shortly going to be baptized into the LDS church. I'm probably not going to talk about matters of faith particularly often or in depth, and I won't be using this space for proselytizing. All I ask is that you all remain respectful. I've never had a problem with an abusive or even rude commenter, and I hope to keep up that record as long as possible.

Thinking about the history of medicine, I have to wonder what the next huge leap will be. Penicillin and other antibiotics were one, and vaccines another (there are lots, of course.) The thing that strikes me though is that the people from before the discovery could never have predicted it. (As is true of any innovation, but the medical ones are particularly interesting to me right now.)

Firefly is a fantastic series, and anyone with access to Netflix should watch it. It doesn't take long.

I think that's enough brain flow for a while.

5 comments:

  1. I'm sure anyone who wanted to attend the DAB dinner or range meet would be more than welcome. Bob isn't the type to leave people out, I'm sure.

    Congrats on your getting baptized into the LDS. I have my issues with some of their beliefs and customs, but I will admit that I have yet to run into any of the LDS followers who were anything less than stellar people.
    The LDS is good at making my Libertarian™ sense tingle, as I fully support their ability to do whatever the heck they want as long as it doesn't infringe on me or my rights.

    See you at DAB v2.0!

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  2. Video from the blogshoot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URU85eO0UnQ&feature=youtu.be

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  3. I was raised to believe that it's right and good to forgive...

    But you can't forgive somebody for things they haven't apologized for, nor for what they're STILL doing.

    It was great seeing you again, btw.

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  4. I'm inclined to think, re: the history of medicine, that the #1 win in the history of medicine was: Sewer Systems. As to the next one? As likely to be outside of medicine as in. Carbon nanotube drinking filters is my current best bet for biggest near-term win (they do exist, and are so finely porous that they filter ALL parasites/etc).

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    Replies
    1. Yup. I work with them on a very large scale. They do clog quickly, though.

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