‘The Prophet’: On Marriage

On being together with someone we love…

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

[…]

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

American hostility towards science

In case you hadn't noticed, science is under attack in America.  The debate around intelligent design and its true scientific counterpart of evolution is slowly causing a rift between religious dogma and pure science.  Most Americans — the dimwitted and uneducated animals they are — side with religious doctrine over science, and they doggedly stand in the face of research-derived evidence and scoff at it.

Is it any wonder, then, that "U.S. school students perform relatively poorly in international tests of mathematics and science" as opposed to their European and Asian counterparts?  In fact, we Americans place so little weight on education and so much weight on religion that, when asked "what they know about science, just under 20 percent turn out to be scientifically literate."  Yet these are the very same people who will stand an bemoan the evils of science, especially evolution.  It amazes me that anyone with such a clear deficiency in the sciences could feel themselves capable of speaking to any scientific debate — more disturbingly, that they would even attempt to push the falsehood of intelligent design over real science.

And it's not just evolution that is under fire.  All real science is under attack by religious fundamentalists and the Republican party (one in the same, actually).  Uneducated idiots stepped into the Terri Schiavo case and countermanded her husband's orders despite all medical evidence and expertise pointing to his decision as the correct one.  The increasing attacks on science by radical elements within our society and government will eventually destroy all trust in science by those who have any religious beliefs whatsoever.  This, in turn, will reverse America's scientific advancement and herald our return to the stone ages.

You can read more in this Reuters article.  None of the information included is surprising; none of it shocks me.  That doesn't mean it's not troublesome and distressing, for it those things and much more.  It is yet another indicator of the downfall of American society — that we unabashedly support spiritual mumbo jumbo even in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.

[via Jenny]

Random Thought

The greatest of lies is found in the New Testament. Whether they are the product of misinterpretation or outright ignorance is a moot point. It takes but the most elementary of logic to assert that this literary work of rubbish has given us societal grief beyond anything the authors of the bible could have envisioned.

— Gerhard Eichenaur

Stephen King’s new comic book

I once collected comic books.  I was quite obsessive about it and owned hundreds, many of them old classics which eventually fetched a pretty penny when I gave up the habit.  With Stephen King's recent announcement of bringing his series, The Dark Tower, to Marvel Comics, I may just reconsider that habit.

From Stephen King's newsletter:

Spring 2006 — Stephen King and Marvel Comics join forces to launch a ground-breaking new comic book series adapted from King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower. King's unparalleled storytelling power will provide old and new stories that delve into the life and times of the young Roland.

"As a lifelong fan of Marvel comic books, and as an adult reader who's seen comics 'come of age' and take their rightful place in the world of fantasy and science fiction," says Stephen King. "I'm excited to be a part of Roland's new incarnation."

The series will be illustrated by Eisner-award winning artist Jae Lee.

"My life changed overnight when I learned I'd be working with Stephen King!" exclaims Jae Lee. "I know how special The Dark Tower series is to him. I'm incredibly honored that he would allow me to be a guest in his world."

You got that right.