It amazes me how people so easily and so quickly misrepresent something.

I few special people received pre released copies of Stephen Hawking’s new book THE GRAND DESIGN sparking all these news feeds yesterday on a truly interesting topic.  The existence of God and the Big Bang Theory.  These news articles chose to reveal a pretty limited context in any of the reviews or commentary. They all contain pretty much the same quotes from the text.

They are:

“It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going.”

“Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

“Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist.”

Those quotes do say a lot. But many people are focusing on exactly what they aren’t saying.

The live feed from trending topics on twitter show things like this:

@EricStangel Stephen Hawking says there is no God. I guess that A-Hole has never eaten at the Cheesecake Factory

@cmabe55 Stephen Hawking is a twit: God didn’t fire up the Big Bang? How’s Steve know? Was he there? Does he have the video?

@Steffan1 Yesterday, Stephen Hawking stated without a doubt God did not create the universe.

@gregory_goose Stephen Hawking finally says something that makes sense! There is no God.

Even the headline on the CNN.com article is:

“Stephen Hawking: God didn’t create universe”

In principle you can’t prove a negative.  I’m sure Stephen Hawking knows this.  You can know it too if you just try it out.  Now, Compare what the public is representing the quote as, to what the literal quote states.  No where in the published quotes does he say “there is no god” or “god didn’t cause the big bang” or anything like it.  Yet within those who both agree and disagree with his statements. There is a common theme; misrepresenting it to state the absolute negative.  Stephen Hawking is simply providing an alternative theory.  A theory that seems to not require God’s role. The theory is quite extraordinary, and any extraordinary claim requires extraordinary evidence.  So I also implore people to wait for the full published text before assigning themselves or condemning others.

We need to get out of that habit.  Especially if you want to make any educated statements, assumptions or plausible claims.   It is far easier to prove that something is. Than that something is not.

This a problem.  Not many scientist are actually out to prove there is no God.  They know they can’t.  The onus is on those who claim something is.  To prove that it is.  Because anyone who claims something could not.  Already has a flawed claim.  Evidence supporting a theory that it is ‘not necessary to invoke God’.  is far from saying ‘God did not’.

Peace!
-Keegan
September 2010

I think it’s ironic that shortly after the State of AZ threatens to sue the Federal Government; claiming health care reform is unconstitutional.  The Obama administration has been given the opportunity to do the same to the Arizona State senate. Immigration bill SB1070 gives Public law enforcement agencies the means to legally demand to see valid paperwork under threat of arrest.

Wholly shit!  Really?

This is the perfect environment to foster racial profiling.  Not to mention this historically familiar stink:

…allowing the local police to enforce federal immigration laws, is a step in the right direction—if you want to emulate the Third Reich or if you want to return to the days of second class citizenship in the United States. The first thing a fascist government will do is demand that you justify your very existence, as in “Let me see your papers.” Does this person look Jewish (whatever that means)? Stop him/her!  Now substitute, does this person look Latino (whatever that means)? Stop him/her! -Maria Padilla

To be fair, the federal government has kept the issue at arms length.  And this type of action from the state might be a sort the childish ‘calling out for attention’ that gets a response.  Problem is, there are at least a million and a half legal citizens of mexican descent living here too.  And you can’t just mess with their lives like this.  Restrict access and their movement?  Unconstitutional. Period.

As for the Arizona/Mexico border itself.  The border has been publicized with the image of a war-zone.  Full of violent mexicans flooding into america.  Thieving and murdering as they go.  This is just not the case.  Crime statistics for areas in the US are cataloged. You can look them up. And border towns like Douglas Arizona have crime rates far below the national average.  http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Douglas&state=AZ

Meanwhile little old Camden NJ, is rocking out on both violent and property crime. http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Camden&state=NJ

The border is not a war-zone of crime.  The majority of undocumented immigrants coming across the border are not trying to hurt anyone.  They are poor people crossing the desert.

The system we have here is not set up to support poor people coming across into the US and everyones answer is that we need to stop them from coming across.  This firstly, is just not working.   The stated objective in border policy and immigration isn’t being accomplished, yet continues to be enforced. The publicity surrounding the issue claims that this is happening in waves. The press rarely asks if in fact the stated objectives (freedom, safety, law&order) are in fact different from the actual overriding objectives.  Though the numbers seem to dissagree. I think this all implies that they are succeeding at an unstated objective.  The actual accomplished objective is to generate fear, hatred and to segregate americans from each other and non-americans.

Secondly, the answer isn’t stricter immigration Laws. Or cracking down on immigration by the Federal Government OR the State of Arizona.  That disgusts me. Our similarities as humans heavily outweigh or differences across all borders and cultures. And maybe more people need to consider that it’s the system that is flawed. Not the Hispanic people.

-Keegan Orange -2010

*EDIT* 4/28/10

If the problem is illegal immigration. And trying to solve the problem by keeping immigrants out is not working. We need to change the system to one where we benefit from having immigrants here. Documented or otherwise. (this is how America got its start, and it was extremely prosperous for everyone). I learned a long time ago that you shouldn’t try the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Change is difficult, and I know no one ever wants to change themselves. It’s always easier outward, me vs them, and they must be the ones to change. But in the end, that really only makes the problem worse.  And now In the case of Arizona. We are on the verge of a huge race issue with a million people stuck in the middle. Real people, with lives and families and all that hippy la la stuff. We’re all the same. Try and treat each other as such.

“Would you like that as a large for the same price?”

I was a little thrown off and respond without even thinking.  I told the man…

“Yes, that’s fine.”

I get my drink and fasten it between my legs.  It’s kinda big.  I’m intimidated.  I realize I didn’t even want soda to begin with.  I should have just brought water from home.   Yet even knowing this, I couldn’t just say…

“No sir. I do not want this free offer of something more.”

Who does that?

I then thought to myself (and by ‘thought’ I mean ’said’, to myself, alone. I talk to myself.)

“You idiot! You don’t have to drink the whole thing AND this doesn’t even fit in your cup holder. LEGIT reason to say ‘no’ to the large.”

But there I was, I would now have that Lake Michigan sized cup sitting near me for the next several hours at work.  I’m not going to delude myself into thinking I can trick myself  into believing that I have the self control to not drink the whole thing.   That’s ridiculous.  No self respecting person does that.  (Verification: here ‘does that’ means ‘delude themselves’, self respecting people all over the place would absolutely drink that much soda)

I drive the rest of the way, only getting more and more flummoxed.  Why does this sort of thing happen.  Companies pull off the wierdest stunts. To most people it is probably not that big a deal.  But I think the customer/business relationship needs to be a lot more straightforward.  Was there an advertisement somewhere about this large for the price of medium deal?  Did I just get suckered into something?  I spend a lot of time making sure I’m not assuming people are screwing me over constantly.  Why did this event still leave me feeling cheated?  Maybe its the markup on fountain sodas like that, that bothers me in the first place.  I was only being ripped off x190 rather than x200.   Plus all that sugar makes me break-out anyway.

-Keegan
(-who hates ending these things with so many question marks)
08/27/09

It may be that I grew up in a smaller town suburb on the east coast. Rarely were doors ever locked.  On cool summer nights, doors were left propped wide open.  Now I live in a city, and that seems to be absolutely unheard of.

Theft, or personal attack I know is a real thing and a real issue.  I wouldn’t want to be naive and allow myself to be victimized.  But I don’t think locking everything constantly is the answer.  Security is an grand illusion. (as someone who knows a locksmith AND lock pickers) Locks keep people honest, and for most, they give people the illusion of security.  This should be clear to anyone that has had their place broken into or their locked car driven away.

The value of a lock is measured in
-Will it make you feel safe
-How long will it deter an aggressor
Which is more important?  I don’t think it matters.

Did you know lock companies will actually sue locksmiths or lock pickers for informing consumers about the reality of their locks. About how they can be broken, or rating them on their level of security (usually rating them in seconds until lock is disabled)

The point here is, anyone who wants to get beyond a system of “security” (like a bolt on door) bad enough.  Will get in, your feeling of safety is based on the laziness of an aggressor.  The other point here is who wants to live like that?  Who wants to be afraid of their neighbors?  Do you think it’s right that your neighbors are afraid of you?  You don’t deserve it, they probably have no reason to fear you.  You’re a good person, right?

Have you ever visited a friends house, that maybe you’ve never really just walked in the door before, You always knock, they answer?  One time they don’t answer.  You try the handle; it’s unlocked. How many times has this happened and immediately you feel guilty.  You feel like you are doing something wrong.  caught INTRUDING comes to mind.  But your intentions are totally fine, you just came to hang out.  Maybe your friend is in the wash room and its really hot standing there outside.  I think locking doors all the time is what gives good people this immediate feeling that they are doing something wrong.  It’s warped.

Yes, using locks could very well keep some bad person out.  Don’t assume everyone is awesome.  But just be aware of how locking doors might affect your outlook towards your fellow man.

Here’s another really interesting article on this topic at WIRED.com with videos of masters bumping locks, and talking about “security”

The first section of this video next is about a guy locking himself in a cabinet, its not really related, but is interesting. The second half of this video is about the exploration of lock smithing and the psychology of people who have been locked out of their own places.

-Keegan
08/12/09

I don’t understand why people buy stickers. I do understand why people come to get their business advertised. I do understand why people come to make certain shirts, even; Security shirts, Little League teams, Basketball jerseys.

But the stickers…? Why does your phone need a hibiscus flower? Why does your car need a giant scorpion on it? Why would you spend money on these things? But they buy them, they do. They ask me, over and over, do I have Michael Jordan? Tinkerbell? No, but I can make you a basketball! Or a fairy! I sell at least ten nautical stars a day. I’ll write your name in Old English. I make infinite amounts of skulls and dragons, dice and spades. And what is the goddamned obsession with Calvin pissing on things? Everything! Calvin pisses on the Dallas Cowboys AND the Oakland Raiders. Calvin pisses on Michael Jackson, Calvin pisses on Lil’ Wayne, Calvin pisses on the government, work, and fat chicks. Calvin pisses on fires in a Fireman’s hat. Whatever you hate, get a sticker of Calvin pissing his stream of justice on it and slap it on your car for all to see!

And then we have the families. For starters, I want to tell everyone that using little cutesy skull-and-crossbones to represent members of your family isn’t unique or original. I make dozens of these every week. What color do you want your mohawk, your bow, your baby’s pacifier? At least these people are easy; they leave quickly and are satisfied with how creative they are, having had me slap a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap on a skull. The stick figures are worse. I want a frilly dress and pigtails; he wants a golf bag and a Cardinals shirt. The kids all want skateboards, so can you make the skateboards look different? We have two cats and a dog; don’t you have any better dogs? No, I’m sorry; the only dogs that look like they match these particular stick figures are STICK FIGURE DOGS. It’s not gonna look like a Pit-bull or a Chihuahua! I don’t care how many times you show me that picture of your rabbit, ma’am, this is a stick figure rabbit and I can’t make it look like your goddamned cell phone wallpaper. (I put a little circle around its eye like Petey, the dog from Little Rascals; she squealed and gave me money. She could’ve just asked me to put a ring around its eye instead of waving her phone in my face.)

Most of all I wish someone would come up and ask me for something original. Not something we have in the catalog or on display, not something they stole off of Google Images, not something they saw on someone else’s car (the worst!! They expect me to have every sticker that everyone has ever put on their car in my repertoire!) Someone bring me their original artwork, or come up with something challenging for me to do! I’m tired of printing peace signs and hatchet man stickers all day.

-Jennifer Lynne
07/28/2009

Superlative Content
For the love of petbulls
Arizona’s hottest wrappers

I don’t buy it.

It is a deluge of a delusion.

Kurt Cobain loved the rain, I bet he’s chilling in the afterlife with what’s left of his face going, boy I miss the rain in Seattle.  Now, I can appreciate that it cools things off here in the desert, briefly. And as the heat returns (as it always does) the humidity is absolutely awesome, right…? RIGHT? I can appreciate that there was a time, (and maybe there still is) that rain was a life sustaining godsend.  But if you are telling me that you are actually thinking of your local grocers produce department every time it rains.  Then I call shenanigans. I believe you are just thinking that it’s cool to be different, because you identify with the gray, melancholy rhythm of falling water.  And that everyone assumes you have such strong character because of it.

If you are going to find peace or strength of character in something.  Have some discipline and self respect by finding it in something you can control.  Not the weather.  It’s a cop out. Something you can blame for getting or not getting without having done any work for it.

Love rain for the change it brings to things you can not control.  Like the mosquitoes that breed in standing water, or the rust eating through structural integrity of your car.

-Keegan
07/21/2009

Other places
List: Why rain sucks
Epic distasters, the world’s worst floods by death toll
Malaria is a disease white people don’t get