God
Glassy peeling waves.
Grand soaring mountains.
Goopy murky sludge.
Unfathomable pregnant belly.
Spinning in vessel earth.
In between ice ages.
Internecine turmoil.
Galactic onrushing acceleration.
A speck on a speck in a speck of a speck.
Each the God of our personal universe.
Heard the founder of Patrick Henry University (evangelical Christian school for home-schooled Christians) on Terry Gross yesterday. The guy seemed pretty convinced that the bible was the literal word of God. He also had no doubt of Jesus' divinity or that a divine savior would return to earth someday. He thought that the current trend of societal tolerance was a "fad" and that the theory of evolution was laughable when compared to creationism. He was a very effective debater and whenever Terry attempted to corner him about something he would craftily squirm around it.
How can evangelical Christians have so much assurance that a creator God exists? Or that Jesus was any more than a normal human being? I mean i guess there is a chance that some divine entity initiated the universe way back when but there's just as much chance that the universe is a fiction existing in each of our minds. Or maybe the universe has just always existed, without beginning or end? Our presupposition of an ultimate beginning just a bias within our own understanding? Have biblical literalists simply been taught all their lives that the Bible is the be-all-end-all and should be held higher than science or basic rational thought? It baffles me. To each his own i guess.
Fundamentalism of any stripe is frightening.
Terry Gross interviews Gene Simmons
Kim Cogan paintings (Kim is a friend of Bagel and an up-and-coming wave-rider. Check out his interview on fecalface
photos from surfline.com
Namaste e !
Posted by: toneman(I bow to the divine in you.)
Good people realize that each person on the planet has a spiritual aura.
Fundamentalists are very selfish...not what Jesus is about.
there is a great this american life episode you can listen to online - thislife.org - called "Heretics." It's in the 05 season. It's about Reverend Carlton Pearson, a renowned (very successful) evangelical/fundamentalist pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who basically quit believing that every word of the Bible was true as fact or that Jesus was the only route to salvation. And how the entire community disenfrancised him. It is really interesting to listen to, especially if you have mindless rote work to do. I'm not nearly as baffled by the belief that Jesus might be an incarnation of the divine, as I am by the belief that the words of the Bible must be taken as literal fact, when it cannot be denied that it has been translated so many times and that decisions were made by multiple groups of men on numerous occasion regarding which books would be included and excluded from both testaments. anywho...
I BELIEVE in that last picture. I feel like I am at the point where I might actually make that wave, while I could never make this one:
Posted by: steamwand1) I have most of that Gene Simmons interview as an MP3. 25 megs big I think, so I am not going to be emailing it to anyone, but if anyone wants it, perhaps something can be worked out.
2) Anyone here ever ride an S-deck Liddle shape (or something similar)? How do they work in typical conditions around SF? I mean, pretty much every board I have ever ridden works super in great surf, even my own homemade monstrosities, so how would this S-deck Liddle shape work in average surf?
3) Anyone here use Lowe's/Home Depot EPS sheets to form a surfboard blank? Care to share any tips?
4) Anyone here have carbon-fiber weave fiberglass on their surfboard? Notice any real change in performance and durability?
5) Ah the wind is back...rode the bicycle to work and then had to stretch out my hamstrings...the fun of aging. Anyone know of "magic" foods that would help muscles stretch? I know mechanical stretches and working hard at it over time is the only sure way to get supple muscles, but if someone knows a shortcut that worked for them, let me know.
6) Jimmie--->There is butting in and there are 3rd party comments here. Both I can cope with, but one is less fun than the other #:-) (the sideways smilie face is meant to show that I'm not being a dick, or rather, hoping not to be perceived as one, hahahah).
Posted by: duncandivinity comes in all things, i think.
been having a really shitty last few days...
did get a surf in tues and wed south of
the city and it was fun/ good(?).
anyhow yesterday afternoon saw dolphins
at p-town, a first fer me. so i was just sitting
there contemplating career/ life/ mid-30's
when this dolphin comes up about 20 yards away
and just has his/her left eye out of the water....
straight outside of where i am sitting....
i swear there was a connection...
"sometimes there are bad folks in your pod.
make the most of it."
and i felt, lighter....better.
shortly after, i got a sweet long right that reformed
Posted by: korewinall the way to the beach....niceness.
aaargh I have not surfed in so long.
Posted by: tonemanI need the company of a few dolphins.
Whack, Carve, Gaff, skateboarding helps the spring nuclear wind blahs!
friend 1, it sucks that you've got to attack that dude for being fat. how does his girth have anything to do with the situation? was it his fat that urged him to speak up? i think not.
Posted by: 3to5setsof7I stongly dislike religious people that try to change the world to their way of thinking. Burn down the churches! Well, maybe too extreme.
Posted by: Dennispro ho and fatboy fanboy?
Posted by: fanboy criticUmm, OK no surf, work is slow, so here I go on the respondent tip:
I enjoy hearing the devout, the creationistas and the fundamentalists explain dinosaurs. Awesomely funny stuff. When you nurture a complicated fiction your entire life since birth, and have been brainwashed into believing this fiction is real or the word of some invisible "God", you're pretty much going to go as far down the rabbit hole as you can without admitting what's really out there in the void of existence. It would just be far too scary, painful and alienating for them, so to each his own but "don't tread on me" about it, or go right ahead but realize the full impact of a well-deserved secular/humanist/scientific/philosophical backlash of the modern era.
Some things are divine and beyond our reckoning, true dat -- Jesus was an amazing philosopher, peace activist, and for billions a fine moral compass (as is the Bible, in some respects); those things I could not diminish. But the whole "Bible is the spoken word of God" -- c'mon, not only is that the easiest way out, but factually proven to be a tome written by human men to subjegate the masses of a darker or less enlightened era in human history (and whose vestiges hang on even now). It is a powerful salve, the biggest and most potent meme of human history. They've resorted to playing games and gaming themsleves to perpetuate a sacred myth. Little do they know that not only did God put the serpent in the Garden, God consults the serpent regularly and in the past 2000 years or so the serpent has eaten God's brain at our request. God = man. Therefore, Biblical God is a corrupted, evil fucking mess and humans made it that way. End of story. Keep going with the BS materialism of Christmas or the brain teasers of "Da Vinci Code" and realize you now have to resort to making elaborate carnival-like rituals, cash prizes, games and puzzles out of your religion to give it the perceived gravity it so naturally fails to possess. Pathetic.
Maybe some of you religious types can smugly go "praying for me" then, or patronizingly feel "sorry" for me for being "so lost", "bitter" etc. (or any other contrived religious defense mechanism designed to make yourself feel superior for no apparent reason). Enjoy yourselves, really, who could fault you for wanting so badly your precious mystical dream that makes everything easier to understand. It was fun for a little while, I know, I came into the world on that same conveyor belt, baptized Lutheran. Alice is waiting for you with a cuppa tea, enjoy the ride, it is your chosen vehicle and I wish you nothing but the best.
Posted by: Ancient Jettiesjesus is the anti-christ.
Posted by: fanboy criticancient jetties for prez!
I was actually at this spot in Indo when a bunch of born-again Christians rocked up. A few of them were doctors who dispensed free medical treatment.. but.. then they had a big religious conversion speech and ceremony at night. They wanted folks to step up and devote their lives to Christ. The preacher (with a translator) warned of eternal hellfire for the unconverted! It was scary. Strait out of the middle ages or something. Afterwards i got into a huge evolution/creationism debate with about 6 of the born-agains all standing around me. They were all fired up to counter-argue anything i might say. And.. believe it or not it was actually difficult for me to PROVE that evolution happened. They kept reminding me of the sketchiness of the fossil record. I tried to convey the innate sense and grandeur or natural selection but they weren't buying it. It was tough.
Posted by: eRight on e. I like people who stand up for their beliefs, and still take interest in other ideas, philosophies, and religions.
Scored some serious fun nuggets in SC. Unfortunately while I was in the water I heard whispers of "shoulda been out an hour ago, top to bottom barrels.." It was still fun though. Weird to see so many photographers in the water and on the beach.
Pretty neato to see some of the kids doing crazy ass helicopter spins and reversals while I'm kooking out going straight on foam balls.
Posted by: ianfanboy critic:
i don't like any disparging remarks toward people for what they look like or are afflicted with PERIOD
increase your peace.
Posted by: 3to5setsof7korewin, I just read your post. That's rad man. Glad that happened in a moment you (maybe) needed it.
Posted by: ianWatched a dolphin drop in on someone yesterday at the beach. Never a bad thing seeing dolphins playing in the surf. Like watching birds play around in strong winds - you know they are actually enjoying themselves and their bond to the medium that gives them life and allows them to exist and be what they are.
Shit that wind was an arse this morning. Killed the beach. Night and day compared with yesterday!
Posted by: ankors325-
I did not attack that guy for being fat. I attacked him for being a dick with a sense of entitlement. Here is what I wrote: "Third party was some fat bald dick that thought he was an enforcer or something." To be more specific, he was thick as opposed to fat, and balding with a crewcut as opposed to bald. Since I had a low opinion of his person, I did not take a lot of effort in choosing my descriptors.
And contrary to your assertion, his girth probably did factor into his speaking up. For one, his extra girth makes it harder for him to just let his ability speak for itself; and two, his extra girth enables him to appear more intimidating in the line-up.
Intimidation was his only intent when he made his third party comment.
What is your intent?
Posted by: friend #1if yer interested, E, you might want to check out the following book (it's a dry read, but all about how the bible actually got put together - who chose what, when - who translated what, when and why etc etc)... academic, but good, if yer into the subject.
havent surfed for six weeks. better get in shape. Australia, Bali and Maldives on the menu...
Posted by: reefboyMisquoting Jesus : The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman
E – since you started in an inquiring religious vein have you ever seen ‘what the bleep’?
Personally I’m a fundamentalist atheist myself, and I think that most western organized religion is just as barmy as Scientology (i.e. they are pretty much all the same in my book) – but it is a fascinating movie.
Although it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as there is quite a controversy behind it (the wikipedia pages sums it up nicely), and some of it is pretty OTT – in general the movie is very thought provoking indeed with regards to exactly what is reality (i.e. how do we personally interpret what we see and experience in our brain and make sense of it), and how our thoughts, actions and the behavior of our brain shapes that reality.
My recommendation would be to download it, and on a slow night have a monster smoke session and stick it on. You’ll spend the new 100 minutes riveted to your seat, slack jawed in awe and generally going WOW every 20 secs. It makes for some good smoked up mental stimulation.
Just don’t read the back story about how one of the presenters channels the spirit of an ancient from Atlantis, then it starts to seem a little far fetched….but still a crap load more sensible than most crap organized religion tries to force down our throats…
Posted by: ankorsSo then, posts about drop-ins, rail bumps, stinkeye and big mouthed pop-offs are verbotten? odd choice for editing, but all fair on someone elses blog.
357: fair enuff. but stick to being a fanboy, 'defender of the world from internet insults critic' is too big of a member name and I dont want to change.
so whats the latest on the pro tour?
Posted by: fanboy critice, you are quite level-headed and tolerant on the religiosity of others. Big ups. I tend to get a little more burned up, advice to chill is something I could well heed (at times).
Ankors, I too saw "What the *bleep* Do We Know?" when it came out about 2 years ago. It does get into a lot of quantum physics and related theory (and the underlying existentialist questions that it begs), and sometimes approaches it in a Sesame-Street-ish, layman's way that at times feels juvenile but is probably necessary for wide audience appeal. I considered it not "dumbed down" but rather considerate and well-made in order to attract those who might not readily grasp the concepts. Really great flick, highly recommended to all niceness....
Posted by: Ancient Jettieshmmmmm, guess those posts were on yesterdays page. nevermind. 357, I'm only kidding with you bro.
Posted by: fanboy criticalways with a smile.
woo i remebered my password. now im tired. long live e!
Posted by: bajelargh.. sorry about the comments still being bitchy and basically broken. It's been a farkin' pain in the ass to try to fix. Now i'm buried deep in javascript and might have to upgrade the software to the new version. HOpefully someday it will be smooth again. thanks for your patience.
shred.
Posted by: ee,
Long time listener, first time caller here...
Warning, MoveableType is now a paid product. There are better options out there.
Consider porting your site to WordPress (http://wordpress.org/). It has a handy feature which allows you to moderate each user's *first* comment just once, then subsequent comments stick. That way, you get the power of moderation, without the annoyance of moderating *every* post.
Additionally, they provide a porting utility for dumping all of your MT posts/comments to WordPress format (http://codex.wordpress.org/Importing_from_Movable_Type_to_WordPress).
Thanx for the blog (and for listening).
Posted by: chilgermorganthanks chilgermorgan. I skimmed through that guide for converting.. Looks pretty intimidating.. maybe a long weekend hunched in front of the computer.. FUN!! Everybody says that wordpress is the bomb. Maybe i'll just start over the blog on wordpress and have a link to the old moveable type blog for all the old posts and all that.. hmm.
thanks for writing man.
Posted by: eOn the topic of religion..
intense--
By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 25, 3:17 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO - A woman accused of killing her three young sons by tossing them into frigid San Francisco Bay will stand trial on three counts of murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
Lashuan Harris, 23, told police and a psychiatrist after the Oct. 19 drownings that God told her to sacrifice her children, according to testimony at her three-day preliminary hearing.
Judge Teri Jackson determined there was enough evidence for Harris to stand trial in the deaths of Treyshun Harris, 6, Taronta Greeley Jr., 2, and Joshoa Greeley, 16 months.
"It is a tragedy for all concerned, but I am going to follow the law," Jackson said.
Harris has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. Prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty.
Her lawyer claims Harris is a paranoid schizophrenic who was acting under the belief that God wanted her to kill.
In her videotaped confession to police, Harris described how she struggled with two of her boys as she stripped them and plunged them from a pier. One of the bodies was recovered, but the others were never found.
"As hard as it is to understand the tragic act, I ask that we step back and try to wrap ourselves around the illness ... that caused Lashuan to do these acts," defense lawyer Teresa Caffese said in her closing argument.
After the hearing, Harris' friends and family tearfully recounted how the expressionless woman they saw in court bore little resemblance to the well-dressed, caring, capable nurse's assistant they once knew.
"I think she needs to go to a hospital to get help," said friend Donella Hodges. "It was not Lashuan who threw those kids into the water."
Posted by: ianlets see if this still works..one for the hardcore niceness heads!
Posted by: bajelSpit out! Nice one, Bajel.
Posted by: Spiderman
Posted by: scott freePerhaps they ought to post signs at the exact location of these hazardous rips that take you right from the beach to the outside.
Posted by: kloo