Re: Mind's Eye UFO's: Fact or Fantasy?

I'm not sure independent thinking is an objective of education until
perhaps the post-graduate level. It seems that getting a group with
varying abilities through the grades is the goal. And I doubt a
teacher worth his/her salt enters teaching to deliberately dumb down a
student or class except in certain cases concerning science or
religion or regional bias. But teachers cannot assume to mend a broken
child or take over the responsibilities of parents/society either
though they can inspire, perhaps. Maybe the goal is to avoid
discouragement- to instill the love of learning. Much of the problem
is behavior. I was awed to see the positive change in a neighborhood
twerp last week- after over four years in the Marines and duty in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Life is a school.

On Oct 4, 10:34 am, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I do not think the schools are looking for the brightest  but rather they
> are deliberately dumbing students down. Guess it is to keep them from
> learning to think for themselves.
> Allan
>
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 4:37 PM, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Not many are willing to put up with the chaos and violence of public
> > schools plus those who can afford it are thinking of the future
> > contacts and colleges they want for their children. Parents are sick
> > of the cultural garbage.
>
> > On Oct 4, 3:51 am, gabbydott <gabbyd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Roughly the same thing going on here with confessional schools. The
> > > avoidance motif is where I see the problem begins.
>
> > > On Wed, Oct 3, 2012 at 1:20 PM, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > > Catholic schools are rebounding to avoid public schools and are
> > > > attended by several faiths. The tuition is adjusted if one is a
> > > > parishoner, i.e. less tuition since you are expected to tithe, so it
> > > > probably works out to the same amount.
>
> > > >> > Hello Gabby --it's great to meet you too.  I don't know what
> > happened with
> > > >> > the name thing --I'm sure one William L. Houts is enough for anyone.
>
> > > >> > --Bill
>
> > > >> > On 10/1/2012 10:02 AM, gabbydott wrote:
>
> > > >> > Hello Bill, I noticed that your screen name on the group website is
> > rather
> > > >> > long. It reads: William L. Houts William L. Houts Lukaeon William
> > L. Houts.
> > > >> > I was wondering if this was your intention.
>
> > > >> > Maybe yes. Just so much, I do differentiate between heaven and
> > afterlifeand their individual usability for corruption. Both terms are
> > somehow
> > > >> > related to the future, but the access is different. Sorry, I forgot
> > to
> > > >> > introduce myself. My name is Gabby (short for Gabriele), I am a
> > Protestant,
> > > >> > my first language is German, and I believe in God. I like to listen
> > to
> > > >> > other people's stories which is why I have learned to keep my own
> > very
> > > >> > short. Nice meeting you. :)
>
> > > >> > On Friday, September 28, 2012 7:17:08 AM UTC+2, William L. Houts
> > William
> > > >> > L. Houts Lukaeon William L. Houts wrote:
>
> > > >> >> I wonder if humans do dream of uncorrupted worlds, in general.
> > You'd
> > > >> >> think that would be universal, and it does seem to be borne out by
> > > >> >> Western mythologies, with some exceptions.  For instance, the
> > Greeks had
> > > >> >> Olympus, but except for Heracles no one got to go there; everyone
> > else
> > > >> >> went to Hades, which was gloomy and boring if you were lucky
> > enough to
> > > >> >> land there in general population, and terrifying if the gods put
> > you in
> > > >> >> Tartarus.  And the Romans didn't seem to place faith in any sort of
> > > >> >> afterlife at all, which is one of the main reasons whyChristianity
> > sold
> > > >> >> like hotcakes.  Eastern religions such as Buddhism had various
> > hells and
> > > >> >> heavens, but they were sort of besides the point:  your karma is /
> > was
> > > >> >> supposed to boil down to nothing and liberate you from the Wheel of
> > > >> >> Rebirth, which was supposed to put you  in Nirvana, which was less
> > a
> > > >> >> Heaven than it was a Nowhere. And Taoism doesn't have much to say
> > about
> > > >> >> heavenly afterworlds;  its whole point is to make this world more
> > just
> > > >> >> and balanced and leaves heavens to the individual to figure out.
>
> > > >> >> But as to your question of whether humans long for uncorrupted
> > worlds, I
> > > >> >> think that besides the Abrahamic religions noone takes them very
> > > >> >> seriously.  And I think they've got a point:  I mean, if you're
> > taking
> > > >> >> your present existence at all seriously, then just what is an
> > afterlife
> > > >> >> supposed to be about?  Are we supposed to be eating bonbons all
> > day and
> > > >> >> living in some version of American luxury?  I'd like to believe in
> > > >> >> Heaven  --which for me looks like a kind of liberal college town,
> > with
> > > >> >> libraries and funky old cinema houses-- but all of that seems kind
> > of
> > > >> >> empty if there's no gravitas, no seriousness.   Without death,
> > without a
> > > >> >> final marker which howls at us, Do what you must do NOW and die
> > knowing
> > > >> >> that you've used your life well--without that, I think heaven would
> > > >> >> become kind of slouchy and boring, or worse.  Unless, of course,
> > what's
> > > >> >> waiting for us on the other side is something superrational but
> > > >> >> beautiful, like being absorbed into the godhead, if such there be.
>
> > > >> >> So in answer to your question, I think we do dream of uncorrupt
> > worlds,
> > > >> >> but if we examine them too closely, they tend to be bustable soap
> > > >> >> bubbles. And maybe I lack imagination, but I wonder, how could it
> > be any
> > > >> >> other way?  Frankly, I'd like to be told how. I sound sensible
> > about all
> > > >> >> of this if a little pessimistic, but in reality I'm a scared
> > ex-Catholic
> > > >> >> who is terrified  of death and wants to solve the Big Question
> > before
> > > >> >> they're performing Last Rites on his sorry ass.
>
> > > >> >> --Bill
>
> > > >> >> On 9/27/2012 7:20 PM, rigsy03 wrote:
> > > >> >> > I wonder where you put the mythological and religious
> > other-worldlies-
> > > >> >> > from gods to guardian angels, etc.? Or the construct of Dante's
> > > >> >> > "Divine Comedy", for instance. Do humans long for uncorrupted
> > worlds?
>
> > > >> >> > On Sep 27, 6:23 pm, William L Houts <luka...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >> >> >> I'm with the pragmatists on the question of intelligent alien
> > species.
> > > >> >> >> Many scientists who speculate on this sort of thing --though
> > there
> > > >> >> >> really aren't that many of them-- say that such species wouldn't
> > > >> >> >> resemble anything so comforting as a humanoid physiology, but I
> > think
> > > >> >> >> they're partly mistaken.  Surely there would be surprises in
> > the way
> > > >> >> >> nature cooks up life on other planets with radically different
> > > >> >> >> chemistries than our dear old Mama Earth.  But I think there's
> > reason
> > > >> >> to
> > > >> >> >> suppose that many alien species would resemble us.  After all,
> > any
> > > >> >> >> species we might imagine has to cope with gravity as it
> > evolves.  So
> > > >> >> >> they're much more likely to evolve some form of locomotion which
> > > >> >> >> involves  two, four or six pedal extremities (as Fats Waller
> > calls
> > > >> >> them)
> > > >> >> >> rather than three or five:  even-numbered legs are less wobbly
> > and
> > > >> >> more
> > > >> >> >> amenable to balanced movement which consumes fewer calories. .
> > Also,
> > > >> >> >> sense organs like eyes and ears are likely to be located in or
> > close
> > > >> >> to
> > > >> >> >> a head, as there is survival value in having sense organs
> > located
> > > >> >> close
> > > >> >> >> to a brain, or whatever such species might use for brains.
> > Finally,
> > > >> >> >> everyone in the cosmos requires energy to get going, so they're
> > > >> >> either
> > > >> >> >> going to evolve photosynthesis and take their energy directly
> > from
> > > >> >> their
> > > >> >> >> sun or suns, or they're going to take their sunbeams indirectly
> > by
> > > >> >> >> consuming something lower in the food chain.  I'm sure there
> > are lots
> > > >> >> of
> > > >> >> >> evolution pathways I'm leaving out, seeing as I'm a curious
> > poetrather
> > > >> >> >> than a serious scientist type of guy, but I think these notions
> > are,
> > > >> >> as
> > > >> >> >> Allan named other ideas of mine, sensible provisos.
>
> > > >> >> >> PS.  I left out centipedes and millipedes with their scores of
> > legs,
> > > >> >> but
> > > >> >> >> I think y'all's get what I'm saying here.
>
> > > >> >> >> --Bill
>
> > > >> >> >> On 9/27/2012 3:57 PM, archytas wrote:
>
> > > >> >> >>> I haven't seen any UFOs and tend not to be much interested in
> > people
> > > >> >> >>> who claim to have - at least without Bill's sensible provisos.
> >  The
> > > >> >> >>> speed of thought as a brain process is slower than light-speed
> > - but
> > > >> >> >>> then I'm basically a tropical fish realist.  I'd have a bet
> > that no
> > > >> >> >>> one in this group would really have much of a definition of
> > light-
> > > >> >> >>> speed and the Ricel curvature tensor, Euler Langrangian and
> > the rest
> > > >> >> >>> of Einstein's field equations.  I mean no offence and don't do
> > much
> > > >> >> of
> > > >> >> >>> this science myself.
> > > >> >> >>> If you point out to a physicist that the people from the
> > future who
> > > >> >> >>> have invented the time machine are in extraordinarily short
> > supply
> > > >> >> in
> > > >> >> >>> our present he may come up with some mathematical guff on the
> > shape
> > > >> >> of
> > > >> >> >>> the universe that explains this or makes time travel only
> > possible
> > > >> >> to
> > > >> >> >>> the future.  I have seen demons - plodding back to camp after a
> > > >> >> week's
> > > >> >> >>> endurance exercise with no food for two days I was visually
> > > >> >> convinced
> > > >> >> >>> the sentries were vampires but still asked them where the
> > Naffi was.
> > > >> >> >>> My guess is that we travel through space as primitive
> > life-forms with
> > > >> >> >>> evolution built-in and waiting to unfold.  We may thus have
> > come
> > > >> >> from
> > > >> >> >>> a much more advanced civilisation than ours bound by the speed
> > of
> > > >> >> >>> light, capable of the biological engineering but not
> > space-flightmuch
> > > >> >> >>> more advanced than our own.  Calculations give 28 years as the
> > time
> > > >> >> to
> > > >> >> >>> reach the edge of the known universe - but this is the time
> > insidethe
> > > >> >> >>> ship accelerating to near light speed fairly slowly.   Space
> > is not
> > > >> >> >>> friction free and it's doubtful we or our instruments could
> > take the
> > > >> >> >>> radiation of light-speed
>
> ...
>
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