The next meeting of the Tulare County Atheists will be Sunday, November 14, 2010, at 2pm. We'll meet at the Round Table Pizza, 150 E. Cross, Tulare Come and meet with your fellow atheists and freethinkers for discussion and debate. FaceBook Page. … Read More
Next TCA Meeting Sunday 11/14/2010 (via Tulare County Atheists)
November 9, 2010
News, Personal non deists, Tulare Atheists, tulare county atheists, Visalia Atheists Leave a comment
Not only is there no evidence for a god, there can’t be.
November 8, 2010
commentary, Personal do gods exist, faith, Is God real?, proving god exists, science and god 1 Comment
Science deals with what is. By it’s very nature, it won’t, and can’t, deal with things that don’t exist. Individual scientists may hold some strange views about various religious figures, but science doesn’t deal with them, because they don’t exist.
Salty Current has an excellent read, here, about the subject, and why the notion of proving or disproving gods with science is a non-starter.
Science Notes writer Monado has a good post about the slickest story ever told, here. It’s a commentary on all the best things offered in sacrifice to the gods. The priests had (and still have!) quite a racket going on.
For me, it comes down to something rather simple: If it’s real, it exists. If it exists, then it’s something natural. “Super-natural” is a contradiction in terms. Everything natural is understandable, eventually. It can be tested. It can be scrutinized by science. It can be explained. Religion is designed to be unexplainable. That’s why it has to be taken on “faith”.
We don’t need to place our hopes (and fears) in something that isn’t real.
9-1-1 101
November 8, 2010
9-1-1, commentary, Personal 9-1-1, ambulance, dispatcher, emergency calls, fire, police Leave a comment
The 4-1-1 on 9-1-1
9-1-1 is intended to be used for emergencies. Barking dogs, loud music, and other routine calls should be placed on the seven digit number to your local law enforcement agency. Find those numbers, and put them in your speed dials and memory slots, and they’ll be available when you want them.
If you need an ambulance, or a fire truck, or see a crime in progress, THAT’s when you dial 9-1-1. If you’re in doubt, err on the side of caution, and dial 9-1-1. There is no charge, and you won’t get in trouble if you don’t really have an emergency but called anyway.
Here’s a little known fact about 9-1-1: it’s not one big room, with everybody’s 9-1-1 line going there. We can’t stand up and yell “Hey! Boston! Line 2!” (thanks, Linda – I love that image!) Another little known fact: in all but the biggest cities, the same people who answer the seven digit numbers answer the 9-1-1 lines. The thing is, 9-1-1 lines have priority. And they are limited in number. If you’re calling in on one for something that is NOT an emergency, you are tying up a line that someone else may need. You’re also tying up an operator who may be delayed answering the next 9-1-1 line for a real emergency.
When you call 9-1-1 about, say, a traffic accident, and it’s taking forever for someone to answer, it’s most likely due to everyone else around you also calling on their phones, and we’re working our way through multiple reports about the same incident. Don’t hang up and dial again, that just puts you at the end of the line. The phones are all computers now, and they line up the calls in the order they are received.
When you dial 9-1-1 from your cell phone, here’s the most important thing you need to know:
The Hottest Video I Don’t Understand
November 7, 2010
commentary, Personal, video Burhan G, Danish Pop music, Tættere På Himlen Feat. Nik & Jay Leave a comment
Well, I don’t understand the words, anyway. The rest of it is pretty clear. Except for the woman. I don’t get that at all.
NASA Geek – Geordi to the rescue!
November 5, 2010
geek, Humor coolant leak, Geordi LaForge, launch delay, LeVar Burton, NASA, Space Shuttle Discovery, star trek, STNG Leave a comment
Call Of The Day – They be stealin’ walnuts!
November 4, 2010
9-1-1, commentary 9-1-1 calls, ag crimes, call of the day, crazy mom, walnut theft 1 Comment
Walnuts are a big crop in this area. Orchards spread out around the outskirts of Visalia, and throughout this region of Central California. I’ve always pretty much taken them for granted, they’ve been a staple of my life since childhood. With the advent of mechanized harvesting, walnut theft has taken on new dimensions. Part of the problem is the way most crops are harvested these days. A honkin’ machine rolls up and grabs the trunk of the tree, and proceeds to shake the hell out of it! Walnuts cascade to the ground, and once the operator is satisfied that he’s dropped all he can, he moves on to the next tree. The crop lays on the ground until the next guy (or the same one in a different machine) comes along with what amounts to a broom-and-vacuum machine to pick it up. Often times the crop sits on the ground overnight. This is the perfect opportunity for theft. The call of the night was an interesting twist on the walnut-theft capers we usually get.
Routinely, someone will see strangers in an orchard, and call the Sheriff to report possible theft. Often vehicles will be stopped for one reason or another, and we’ll find sacks of walnuts, but no receipts. Other times we simply catch them in the act, picking up walnuts in orchards they don’t own. It’s an ongoing thing, every year. Tonight’s call was a bit different.
Mom called this one in.
Voting Pet Peeves
November 3, 2010
commentary, News, Personal churches as voting precincts, seperation of church and state, Tulare County voting, voting sites Leave a comment
Thank you, California. You told Meg and Carly they couldn’t buy an election, that out of state oil companies couldn’t scuttle anti-pollution laws, and that we’re not all potheads. Even though I live in California’s Tea Bagger ground zero, there’s enough sane folks in Los Angeles and San Francisco to keep the state in the blue. I do have a couple of complaints about things locally, however.
First, and least on my list… the sleeve designed to hide my ballot until it’s pulled into the machine was too short. The top selections of each column were clearly visible. That rather negates the whole “secret” ballot thing, doesn’t it? I double checked, it wasn’t operator error. The sleeve was simply too short.
Second… Tulare County lists 73 polling sites available to those not using the mail. 34 were located in churches. Out of 11 sites in Porterville, 8 were in churches. One Facebook posting shows a Porterville precinct with a large cross in the room. I mean, large… floor to ceiling large. And it’s not like it’s a permanent fixture that couldn’t be moved, it was a free standing decoration. Visalia lists 25 voting sites, 16 in churches. In the church where I voted, a picture of Jesus was hanging on the wall, appearing to peek over the back panel of the voting booth. How can this be reconciled with the notion of the separation of church and state? Every church used as a voting site is of the Christian faith. Why no synagogues? Why no Buddhist temples? Why in churches of any kind?
Third… Who decides where I vote? Why was my voting site a mile from my home? Especially when the church across the street was a voting site?? Literally. Across the street from my home. I can sit on my couch, open the front door, and see the church! (actually, I suppose I should open the door first, then sit on the couch, but you know what I mean!) But I didn’t vote there! Not smart.
I’m going to try and get some answers out of Tulare County, after the voting and certifying is done. I’m particularly interested in the church-state issue, and will be interested in their explanations.
News Flash!
November 1, 2010
commentary, Personal Giants win, sports antipathy, World Series 2010 Leave a comment
I don’t care. At all. One bit. Hope you enjoyed it.
JimmieJoe / KC6YRU 
How Cute! A newborn baby car!
November 10, 2010
Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Humor, Personal, Pictures econo-car, newborn, smart car Leave a comment
Somebody left this poor newborn out in the cold parking lot! I hope it survives to grow up into a full size car someday! 😉
Newborn baby car
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