Goodblog: Skeptico

[This](http://skeptico.blogs.com/) guy amuses me. His [About Page](http://skeptico.blogs.com/about.html) starts out “My name is Richard Rockley, and I live in San Francisco” and that should just about explain it. It’s like Don Quixote in reverse. He’s surrounded by loopey people and has taken it upon himself to become Dr. Carrasco to us all, constantly pointing out how very unlike a giant each windmill is.

Rockley provides a very amusing daily debunking of some kind of nonsense or another, and he’s well worth the read, especially if you need some more ammunition as to why exactly [Scientology is a scam](http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/03/understanding_s.html). **Everything**, according to Skeptico, must be rationally considered, and subject to some kind of falsifiability, before it can be praised to the sky as truth.

My only problem with him is that he more closely resembles Robert Heinlein than an actual scientist in his screeding. That is, it’s clear he was destined to be a preacher (and preach he does), so his approach isn’t particularly methodical. As a result, his comments on [Intelligent Design](http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/evolution_intelligent_design/index.html), and Christianity, subjects I actually do find pretty compelling, leave something to be desired. His recent post on[“Can your psi do that?”](http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/03/can_your_psi_do.html) reminded me of a [poem](http://www.puretext.us/2002/09/23/scientists-and-poets/) I wrote a while back.

Nevertheless, a good read. I’m moving him to the Science/Medicine category (newly modified from just “medicine” to fit him in. I’m sure Valerie will be so happy).

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffereing of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him–may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him–those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generation will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn–for he has done it. – Psalm 22:22-31

Again I will say, “He is Risen!” for it is a precious promise for my life and yours. Without the Risen Lord, there is no hope. My hope is found in the Living Lord, where’s yours?

May Peace and the Lord’s Blessings follow you today and the rest of the year.

It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow

The front page of your paper is bound to make you sad
Especially if you’re the worrying sort
So turn the front page over where the news is not so bad
There’s consolation in the weather report

It’s a lovely day tomorrow
Tomorrow is a lovely day
Come and feast your tear dimmed eyes
On tomorrow’s clear blue skies

If today your heart is weary
If ev’ry little thing looks gray
Just forget your troubles and learn to say
[Tomorrow is a lovely day](http://www.weather.com/activities/other/other/weather/tenday-details.html?locid=28209&dayNum=1&from=weekend).

(Iriving Berlin)

But… Bureaucracy is the point!

[Schlock Mercenary](http://www.schlockmercenary.com/) today has a [strip](http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20050322.html) up where the captain says, “Government is useless for anything outside of warfare, and is only *barely* competent at that.”

Amen, brother.

But… that *is* sort of the point. Lord knows we don’t want an *efficient* government. It’s the nature of humans to acquire power. Government is the mechanism by which we make everything deliberately inefficient, so that, whatever else it screws up, it also screws up in the manufactury of Really Powerful People.

Nazi Germany – now *there’s* an effective government.

Of course, this is all in the shadow of congress passing a law to save Terri Shiavo’s life in a single day–during a recess. Amazing. But then, this is also an example of ineffective government. In a totalitarian regime, she’d be dead by now.

A Better Blogger by far than I

Those of you who know me have often heard me compain that one of the best bloggers I knew was my mom – and she didn’t have a weblog!

Well, now [My Sister](http://on-fragile-wings.blogspot.com/) and I have conspired to give her one. She spams us, we post for you, and my mom’s luddite tendencies which keep her away from blogging are successfully circumvented.

The address is: [mingobird.blogspot.com](http://mingobird.blogspot.com). All the optimum features have not been installed, (such as RSS and proper commenting) but at least now when she says something cool, I can link to her instead of copying.

The jury’s still out on whether we should try to do some backdated posting.

It’s good stuff. This may be only familial affection coming through, but I think she can give [LaShawn Barber](http://www.lashawnbarber.com/) a run for her money… !

Epulopiscium

Now I suppose that I shouldn’t be writing about bacteria around lunch time but this sucker is cool…..

Epulopiscium

It’s called Epulopiscium fischelsoni and was found in the gut of a surgeon fish in the Red Sea. Most scientists believed that bacteria couldn’t get very big because the critters don’t have a system for getting food inside very well (have to use diffusion for water and phagcytosis for food). So when they found this critter, they thought it was originally a protozoan instead of a bacteria. Epulopiscium is the only bacteria you can see without having to use a microscope and is about a million times larger in volume that regular old E. coli.

If you’re interested in reading more go here or here.

That’s your science lesson for today. Enjoy your lunch.