Stop Physics Experiment
2008.05.15 - Thursday
Stop Physics Experiment - The Petition Site
One of the great things about the internet is that it serves to expose every wackjob group of morons
with every kind of ignorant, almost incomprehensible opinion. It sure makes for some great laughs for
the rest of us. Be sure to check out the comments for some prime material.
"I am not versed in the way of science all that much but..."
"I do not support the Hadron experiments! Fortunately the atmosphere did not ignite during the
first atomic blast."
These an a whole forty one, that's right, forty one other signatures will surely sway the planet's
finest scientific minds. I'm glad I can sleep soundly knowing these kinds of watchdogs are out there,
protecting me from the deadly, planet-killing experiments of scientists everywhere.
Carrier
2008.05.10 - Saturday
Carrier|PBS
I highly recommend watching this PBS documentary series. I watched all of the episodes online and
enjoyed it enough to make a donation. While the series is low on technical information, that was okay
by me since I've seen more than a few "how a carrier works" programs. The purpose of the PBS show is
to give the viewer a sense of what life is like aboard the USS Nimitz during a deployment. The show
does a good job of getting across the good and bad of life in the US Navy. I suppose people will see
what they want to see, to some degree. For me, it simply gave me a greater appreciation for what these
people go through to provide our security.
I was particularly heartened by the number of crew interviews where people give their reasons for
joining the military in the first place. A good deal of the young, enlisted crew come from broken homes,
a life of gang violence, drugs, and crime, or from poor rural towns with few prospects. They were able to
recognize, either through example or common sense, where those lives were leading them. They made a choice
to change that course, and almost all of them say that while the Navy may not be ideal, it has taught them
to be better people. To be productive. To be responsible. "If it weren't for the Navy, I'd probably be in
jail, or dead" is a common statement in "Carrier". It's nice to see hard evidence that, contrary to what
some may preach, Human beings don't simply react to society's programming, unable to escape their
pre-determined lot.
Serving during a deployment on a carrier is physically exhausting and mentally crippling. There seem
to be a million things to hate about it. Yet these people recognize that whether they agree or not, whether
they want to or not, whether they need to or not, it must be done. Some do it to serve their country,
others to serve themselves. At the end of the day, I didn't get the impression that too many of them
regret being there. That's a good enough endorsement for me.