Mars

Mars

Hercules Globular Cluster (M13)

Globular Cluster M13

So last night I went to a telescope party for a Physical Optics class that I am in. These are just a couple of the things that we looked at. The universe is an amazing thing. Overwhelming, really.

(If you want to perform a quick test to see if you are a nerd, just ask yourself if you have been to a telescope party. If you answer no, you are cool. If you answer yes, as I would have to, than you are a geek and probably don't have a girlfriend, or any friends really, except for your Star Trek books and the people you know from playing online role playing games. Luckily, I am already married, so I don't have to worry about it.)

Anyways, these images represent some of what we looked at through telescopes made by our professor. Obviously, Mars didn't look like that to us. But it was surprisingly clear. (I think this is the best time of the year to see Mars.) The telescope was so powerful that we had to move it as we were looking through in order to compensate for the rotation of the earth, as the images continually moved across the sky. It really was amazing.

Looking at our amazing solar system, which is part of our unbelievable galaxy, which is part of an incomprehensible universe really got me thinking. First of all, we really are nothing. A thin vapor, here today and gone tomorrow, I believe the Bible describes it as. Secondly, I just can't comprehend this beautifully organized system (I'm talking about all the physical constants that allow for the organization) is the result of a random "bang!" I think it was more of a purpose-driven "BANG!" that had everything, including us, in mind. Cosmology, if anything, is at least an overwhelming proof of Deism and a huge blow to atheism.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

I was a little shocked to see the announcement today that Harriet Miers had withdrawn her nomination to the Supreme Court. First of all, I can't imagine the honor that would be associated with serving on the Supreme Court. I think if I was ever nominated, I could never withdraw, no matter what the criticism. The reward is definitely worth the risk. It appears that she still had the support of the President, also. But I guess he might have been the only one. Republicans opposed her because they didn't know where she stood on Roe v Wade. Democrats opposed her because.....she was nominated by a Republican president. I don't think anyone really knew too much about her. Everything I heard or read pretty much boiled down to speculation. She must have decided it wasn't worth going through her entire past, or, she knew that she wasn't going to be confirmed. So, the process starts all over again.

1)Wait and speculate over the nomination

2)Dig up as much dirt as possible on all the potential nominees, so that as soon as it is announced, the stories of their past can start flying.

3)The nomination

4)The Partisan Wars begin again, leaving reason and discussion behind

5)Filibuster

6)I quit paying attention because I was sick of it before the official nomination even came out.

7)Life goes on, and everyone realizes that one Supreme Court seat really doesn't change the way we live life.

Ok, so there has to be some Fantasy Football players out there, right?? I am involved in a couple of leagues, with one being an ultracompetitive, cut-throat league that involves money and lost friendships. I am currently in 4th in points in the league. However, this hasn't helped my overall record, as I stand 10th overall in the league. (Thanks to several close games that I lost by less than ten points.)

So here's what went down today....I have Torry Holt and Steven Jackson (one of the best young backs in the league) and I traded them for Marvin Harrison, Terry Glenn, and Cadillac Williams. I didn't want to give up Jackson. But, this is a receiver heavy league (.5 points per catch, 1 point per 15 yards) and Holt hasn't been playing. Of the other receiver's I have, Roy Williams hasn't been playing and Bobby Engram hasn't been playing. Brandon Stokley has been playing, but you wouldn't know it. Brandon Jacobs just got hurt. I don't really have any receivers now. So, any feedback on the big trade? Should I have given up Holt and Jackson?

Chiefs

Ok, so the Chiefs were actually able to pull it off tonight in a rare Friday night game (Thanks to Hurricane Wilma) against the Miami Dolphins. The defense continues to improve, though I would have liked to not see them give up the big plays. (If it wasn't for 2 huge plays, we win 30-6)I think they are in decent position now, and if they can beat San Diego next week, I think we'll be a lock for the playoffs. Now if only KSU can beat the Aggies of Texas A&M will my weekend be complete.

Christian News?

Where can you hear about the Prayer of Jabez destroying the Chinese House church movement, SpongeBob checking into the Exodus International ministry, a Rapture Safety card designed so that no one will be hurt, and check your stats in the Fantasy Evangelical league all at the same time?? Well, it's only at LarkNews! It's full of all the breaking news that Christians need to know about.(In case you were wondering, it's called satire...this is one of the funniest websites that I've ever seen...though you'll probably only appreciate it if you are a Christian)

Frontloading is an interesting concept that I am just now coming into more familiarity with. Over at Telic Thoughts (a blog devoted to the study of Intelligent Design (ID)...it's not a Christian site, in case you were wondering) there is an interesting post regarding the subject. The basic concept of frontloading is this: in the beginning, there was a supercell, that is, a cell or organism with many gene's and processes preprogrammed into it. From there, things evolved. Or really, in my opinion, de-evolved, with a programmed goal and purpose in mind. (But where did that cell come from? That is irrelevent at this point. That is where religion comes in. That's why ID doesn't posit a specific source of the intelligence). The article at Telic Thoughts points out an interesting research finding that is compatible with the idea of frontloading. A group of researchers in Australia studied the invertebrate coral, Acropora millepora, and found over 1300 expressed gene clusters. Of the 1300, 11% were common with humans only, while only 1% were found in common with fruit flies and nematodes, which are supposedly evolutionarily closer to the coral than humans.

So what did this finding mean in terms of frontloading? Well, according to conventional theory, it would appear that A. millepora, since it is older than the nematodes and fruit flies, should have more in common with them genetically than with humans, and also should be less complex genetically. But that is not the case. What did the researchers conclude? Well, their theory is that the oldest ancestor's were much more complex than we originally thought, and that gene loss is a significant factor in evolution. This would fit perfectly with the theory of Frontloading, as it would predict that genes are more likely to be lost or modified, not created. Is it at all possible to prove Frontloading? Probably not. But it seems like a more plausible idea to me than macroevolution that begins with simple processes and genes which, through random mutation and natural selection, become more complex. Functions that are not needed that end up being cut out or modified genetically (i.e. frontloading) seem like they would have a higher probability of happening than modifications that produced completely novel, beneficial functions (i.e. macroevolution). But that's just me.