Captain_Curmudgeon

Inside math joke: "Money isn't real. At most, it's fixed decimal." Maybe more of a CompSci joke.Bodhi: check out Margin of Error's math jokes. My favorite:

I was reading the news this morning and was surprised to find that the crew seems to be American all right. I was wrong and I'm wondering what the current situation is on that. Not that I'm about to come out of retirement and go back to sea. Last I heard, the boat is out of fuel and drifting and and being shadowed by the Navy. Negotiations have broken down. I'm still hoping for this to have a good outcome and for Capt Phillips to be safe.

No doubt that Richard Phillips is a real hero and I hope (and expect) that he'll get out of this all right. I can't find exact information, but I'd be very surprised if his crew were US citizens. Life at sea is too hard for the people we've become. Except for the USNavy, of course. I hope there are SEALS around and that we have the guts to use them. The US Navy (and Marines) in the past have been the pirates' worst fear (does "shores of Tripoli" ring a bell?). I've been trying to remember (or find on the Net) who it was that flew a whip when he went after pirates. He wanted to make it clear that he was going to drive them from the seas.The real story, of course, is that marine insurance regulations are the determinant. My solution would be to put a mere Marine fire team on a few ships to provide a core of fire power and to train the crew in repelling boarders. Turns out that doing so would make the insurance premiums skyrocket and that the ship owners do better to just keep with the status quo and hope the pirates go after someone else.

Of course. Whole numbers were invented by God, rational numbers by men -- Babylonians and Greeks chiefly. Stick with integers. The Hebrews did. They thought pi was three. (Babylonians had a good rational approximation, Greeks proved it was irrational.)

"God invented the whole numbers. All else is the work of man." -- some mathematician.

Well, there's funny and there's "funny." I wish more of the "funny" stuff would be removed.

Amen! Let me see if I can find a quote from one of my favorite people at BYU on the problem.Peter Crawley, a BYU professor (math and history): "...While certain doctrines are enunciated in the standard works and some doctrinal issues have been addressed in formal pronouncements by the First Presidency, there is nothing in Mormonism comparable to the Westminster Confession of Faith of the Augsburg Confession. Few of the truly distinctive doctrines of Mormonism are discussed in official sources. It is mainly by unofficial means -- Sunday School lessons, seminary, institute, and BYU religion classes, sacrament meeting talks and books by Church officials and others who ultimately speak only for themselves -- that the theology is passed from one generation to the next. Indeed it would seem that a significant part of Mormon theology exists primarily in the minds of the members... the absence of a formal creed means that each generation must produce a new set of gospel expositors to restate and reinterpret the doctrines of Mormonism."

Tasteless as a reality show, but it does bring to mind one thing I wondered about during layoffs: Why do the same clueless managers that caused the problems that led to the layoffs get to be the ones to decide who stays (them, always) and who goes?

Sounds like a cop-out to me.

Star: I'm the brightest star in the sky! Astronomy Student: Are you serious?

I've been thinking about this in relation to "The Golden Rule" and how different formulations of it lead to different actions. It seems to me that there is a sort of ordering that is interesting. OTOH, I don't have the energy yet to write it out in full. Short version. Seems to me that George Romney and Churchmouse's mum-in-law are more ethically advanced than I am.

George Romney kept alcohol in his home to serve to guests. You could look it up in Time magazine. That may be going a little far, but I don't think I should impose my own values on everyone else. If I did, the home teachers would have to leave their clothes on the porch every month.

Sorry about that, CM. Maybe you should consider a career-change to American Football Commentator. You know you have my best wishes and should I hear anything about pipe drafting, I'll be in touch.

On the Sabbath?

For me, next to nothing. The last time I checked, I spent less than one-tenth of one percent of my budget for clothing. In the summer, I have enough sets of exercise clothes to change them whenever I feel like it, plenty of sox, and my running shoes. I wear clothes only when I go out to exercise. Winter, a bunch of sweat pants to wear around the house when it's cold and for exercise. All the time, a couple of pairs of pants and dress shirts to wear when I have to meet people outside my home. But I'd say it's a balancing act between how big you want your laundry day to be against how often.

T-shirt design from a million years ago. There used to be a very good book about this, "On the Psychology of Meditation" by Robert Ornstein, but it's long out of print. Searching Amazon, I find Meditation and Modern Psychology by the same author but I don't know if it's any good or not.

Anyone else get this? Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:51:38 -0700 Subject: [sPAM] Need a reply before next week.... From: Broderick Crawford <[email protected]> To: [email protected] X-Spam: Statistical 66% The Jack Northrop Political Institute would like your cooperation in compiling opinion about the current state of Mormonism. Please answer the following questions and return your answers to the Institute. (Circle one answer for each question.) Jack Northrop Political Institute P.O. Box 690 Huntsville UT. 84317 1. In your opinion, which of the following best describes the Mormon Church: a) The Mormon Church is Christian. b) The Mormon Church is non-Christian. c) The Mormon Church is anti-Christian. d) None of the above 2. In your opinion, what is the Mormon Church most concerned about: a) Its tax-exempt status b) Its public-relations image c) Its total net worth d) More than one of the above 3. Which of the following best describes your view of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church: a) Joseph Smith was a false prophet and charlatan. b) Joseph Smith was a practitioner of the occult, including money digging. c) Joseph Smith was a womanizer and polygamist. d) More than one of the above 4. Which of the following best describes your view of the Book of Mormon: a) The Book of Mormon is a work of fiction. b) The Book of Mormon is the product of Joseph Smith's imagination. c) The Book of Mormon is partly plagiarized from the King James Version of the Bible. d) More than one of the above 5. In your opinion, which of the following best describes the Mormon Church: a) The Mormon Church is a cult. b) The Mormon Church is a business enterprise. c) The Mormon Church is a social organization. d) All of the above 6. In your opinion, which of the following best describes the foundation of the Mormon Church: a) The Mormon Church is a Biblically-based religion. b) The Mormon Church is a partly humanistic religion. c) The Mormon Church is a partly Satanic religion. d) Both "b" and "c" from the above 7. In your opinion, which of the following best characterizes most Mormons: a) Most Mormons are self-righteous. b) Most Mormons are humble. c) Most Mormons are self-important and egotistical. d) Both "a" and "c" from the above 8. Mormons put their trust in which of the following for their salvation: a) The God of the Bible b) Their prophet, Joseph Smith c) Their good works d) Both "b" and "c" from the above 9. The Mormon Church uses rituals it took from the Masonic Lodge in its own temple ceremonies. Which of the following best describes those rituals: a) The rituals used by Mormons are Christian. b) The rituals used by Mormons are based on the occult. c) The rituals used by Mormons are Satanic. d) Both "b" and "c" from the above 10. The Mormon Church baptizes dead people by proxy in their temple ceremonies. Which of the following best describes this practice: a) This practice is Christian. b) This practice is based on the occult. c) This practice is Satanic. d) Both "b" and "c" from the above Thanks for your cooperation. Captain Curmudgeon, again. Broderick Crawford? Gimme a break! Highway Patrol or what? Google turns up one hit for Jack Northrop Political Institute, but it does show where this attack is coming from and it's not the political left.

Don't know about that, but I do know that when I was traveling through the state in 1976, I could be legally killed by any Missouri state resident because I was a Mormon. Believe me, if the South had its say, Mormons would be declared terrorists.

According to Zohar, the Torah was created (written) before the creation of the world, so that would make it 3 to 4 billion years old. On the other hand, no text of it has ever been found before 600 BCE. Take yer pick.

My cat has a chip (RFID). Is he a FEMA agent? He seems so much smarter than Brownie and Brownie's Boss.

As soon as you learn, they'll change the interface again.

You are the victim of Mattel brainwashing. Action figures are dolls, but if you call them "action figures", guys can play with them without having their fragile sense of self threatened.

Stay With God

Better ACORN than Haliburton or Blackwater.

According to a Salvation Army hymn I learned in my youth, they already play American Football in Heaven. The hymn is called "Stay With God" but I don't seem to be able to find it on the net. Perhaps someone else will. Very rousing.