"Science" and other misleading theories...

So it appears that a few public school boards in Alberta are going to be incorporating a "Christian" stream into certain public elementary schools. Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? Who cares if kids get a little religious education on the side? But wait! That's not the case! Christian teaching will be incorporated into all of their subjects, including...wait for it...science!

Here's a quote taken from this article: "Bill Bell, Mitford's principal, said Christian beliefs will be woven through every subject in the new Christian program. Creationism will be taught in science class, he added. 'The first teaching will be from a Christian point of view and then there will be an acknowledgement that there is another theory.'"

Wow. Does anyone else find this backward? Remember - this is a public school, funded by public monies. My libertarian streak prevents me from telling people what they should be teaching their children, but when it comes to using public funds for teaching myth as fact, I think it's time to draw the line. People should be free to teach their kids whatever they want, but the teaching religious beliefs is a private matter. Religious schools should be private schools, and parents should pay for that private education.

Sigh. This whole deal actually reminds me of that Arrested Development episode where there is no money to sponsor a State Fair, so the Church steps in with some funding. The next scene shows people happily moving in and out under a huge banner that says "Church and State Fair." Hilarious, yet depressing at the same time.

I've got an Epiphany...no...wait...

...an Epiphone! Yeah, so a few months ago i started to become really disenchanted with the sound of my current guitar amplifier. It was getting to the point where playing just wasn't fun any longer, because the sound coming out of my amp didn't match what I heard in my head. So I decided to start looking for a new amp. I looked around and tried a couple in the store, before finally taking one home for a test-drive - a small Fender Blues Junior. Little did I know that Corinne and Lorne and a bunch of other friends and family were on pins and needles because they had conspired to pool their resources to help me buy an amp for my birthday.


Anyway, thanks to everyone's generosity, I was able to buy what is pretty much my dream amp - this Epiphone Blues Custom 30. With an all-tube signal path, it's got just the sound I've been looking for. Thanks everyone! You rock!

Banana proves existence of God?

So, here's a fun little film showing 80s teen heartthrob Kirk Cameron and a friend explaining how a simple banana proves the existence of God. Apparently the banana is perfectly designed for human consumption: it's the perfect size for the human hand; its gentle curve makes it easy to eat, etc. That's intelligent design at work, folks...it seems that God went to the trouble to custom-tailor fruit for us humans.

If that's the case, though...I wonder who designed pineapples?