Questions, questions

Conditions: Tough

Counter-Counter Point

Now while I am no fan of Republican candidates Rick Santorum or Michele Bachmann, I did note that both have come under heavy criticism for some comments they made about science, scientific shortcomings and schools recently.

Well maybe the science points to the fact that maybe science doesn't explain all these things. And if it does point to that, then why don't you pursue that? But you can't, because it's not science, but if science is pointing you there, how can you say it's not science? It's worth the debate.
[...]

I do believe that God created the earth and I believe that there are issues that need to be addressed -- the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the issue of irreducible complexity, the dearth of fossil record. Those are all very real issues that should be addressed in science classes.

Naturally this did not go down well with certain analysts, and both have come under fire for the idea that they are essentially trying to get creationism back into schools.

What's truly troubling is that both Santorum and Bachmann imply that evolution and religion are in conflict and that students should be exposed to religion in their science classes. Santorum, at least, should know better since he claims to be a devout Roman Catholic. The Catholic Church is comfortable with evolutionary theory and as I've pointed out in the past, Santorum's decision to ignore the teachings of his own church is an act of
unbridled hubris on his part.

- huffingtonpost.com/

While I think that separating church and state is a good idea, I also think that teachers and the schooling environment need to have an open mind about things. And science itself should be open to everything, since that is essentially what science is all about. So if there are problems, gaps or controversies in scientific fields, then why can't that be explored? Why does it have to be like a raw wound, as if we're not allowed to mention it in polite company? Why is it anti-science to wonder or explore possible problems with scientific methods or explanations? Has science become so sacred that it is not allowed to be questioned? That's kind of a slippery slope, isn't it? It's a big wondrous universe, and who really knows what's out there.



Film Review: Drive

Ryan Gosling stars in this gritty crime film about an L.A stunt driver by day who drives getaway cars for criminals by night. His is a lonely existence until he meets his cute next door neighbor and her son, and the three of them start to connect, bringing the driver out of his shell. Then the neighbors husband gets released out of prison, and everything goes to hell. That's as basic a film premise as you can get, and this is a stripped-out and hunkered down film. A film that revels in drawn out moments of silence and shared looks between it's characters. You know, in this day and age, and given the fact we live in a world where there are five Fast and Furious movies, this is a pretty bold direction to take. The focus is on the relationships and the characters, and the direction is very careful and considered - even the driving sequences are done mostly from the perspective of the driver.

Once out of prison, the husband gets dragged into one final job for some mobsters (played brilliantly by Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman), and our driver decides to help out too. And everything goes about as wrong as you'd expect "one last job for some mobsters" would go, prompting our driver to go on a blood-soaked rampage in order to try and keep the wife and kid safe. It's the kind of film where you understand the hows and the whys, and the surprises aren't really all that surprising. It's really about the journey, about letting the director play you his music, and take you down his favourite roads for a bit.

I guess the problem is the massively ultra-violent ending, where people start getting killed, and blood pouring all over the place. I have to say I'm not a fan of ultra violence. It always seems like a bit of a crutch to make up for the director running out of story to tell. But here it seems like Drive really didn't have much more it could do anyway. The situation was screwed from the start, and ends up an inevitable mess. So while the opening scenes are fantastic, the film really starts rolling downhill at an alarming pace, albeit in a very pretty and self-assured manner. Two intersections out of Five.


- Peace out