A Pyroclastic Flow of Confusion.

How did this all happen?

2010-10-22T22:33:00.000-04:00

In my opinion, there is nothing more clear to me that the history of humans, has been a very treacherous event. The story of the human species has been about survival, the whole time. I am not suggesting a social-Darwinian view, but an ecological one; where we are included in nature, and all of the extinctions, environmental catastrophes, famine, droughts, and storms that affect the population and have occured in the past. We have had to overcome all of this, and now, here we are. I am in no way a historian, but I have always enjoyed learning about all of the different ways people had to perform daily tasks a long time ago. Everything about the differences between how I spend my day, and how the typical 29 year old from 4,000 or 85,000 years ago spent their day, is amazing to me. And there is one common theme that underlies all of the stories and comparisons. I have it better than they did. Everything about how I get food, where I sleep, how I take care of my teeth, my shelter, my medical treatment, and quality of life, is better. I will grant someone the point that there were probably some primitive skills that I would love to be capable of performing, but over all, we are better off now.

I bring this up, because PROGRESS and STRUGGLE have been the only ways that humans have been able to pull ourselves off of the Savannahs of Africa and are now building skyscrapers and Large Hadron Particle Colliders. A rational person, in my view, has to look back through history and see all of the moments in history where we were foolish, superstitious, and downright wrong, and we were held back from making the world a better place (I am convinced not everyone on earth wants that).

And I look around at the world, as it is today, and I don't think it has to be that way any more. I desperately want us to use the knowledge, skills, technology, and intellectual prowess we have gained to addess these large issues we face like climate change, economic and racial equality, and human rights. We need to spread a general understanding around the world that we are not all alike and we will not always agree (maybe never), but that it is OK! It appears to me that everyone needs to become more informed and educated about the world we live on and also about the people who live(d) here too.

America's Professor Dies.

2010-01-28T09:37:00.001-05:00

Howard Zinn has passed away. The author of A people's History will be missed. I first heard of Zinn when I was a conservative military man. I thought many of the things he was saying about American history were treasonous at worst and inaccurate at best. You must remember that before I became who I am now, I voted for Bush, twice. Please forgive me allah. But, upon returning to school I learned that what he said was the unadulterated truth. His gift was to put history into the context of the regular American who had to pay the price for the greed, war, and hate put forward by the ruling elite. He told the story as described by the people who payed the price. He pointed out that Christopher Columbus and the colonizing powers behind him were guilty of genocide. He pointed out that the soldiers that fought in Washington's army were abused, poor, and taken advantage of by the wealthy land owners who beat them into submission.

This is not the America described in the Declaration of Independence. It is the America created by the founding fathers (male, rich, land owners, slave owners, much to lose). The constitution, as much as i love it and need it, was created to ensure the continued power of the wealthy few. It was not built on freedom as much as control of the lower classes. Don't mistake facts for disrespect. I love America and have fought for her. But she is no untainted virgin. If the power truly rested with the people, America would be much better off. Gut it does not. Powerful groups pit ordinary Americans against each other for their own benefit. They play to peoples most base emotions of hate and xenophobia to get them to vote and work against their own self interest. Yes, Howard Zinn and the educational system that he was such a fundamental part opened my eyes. I will miss him, and may the gods help us if we don't heed his warnings.

My main study focus.

2010-01-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

This is where the spring I am studying emerges. The water level was incredibly high today. There is usually about 40,000 gallons per day leaving there, but I bet it is at least double that today. I thought about crawling inside the pipe and take discharge measurements, but I knew Max wouldn't be that far behind me. And that would suck. He didn't need to fall in when the water was about 10 degree C and the out side air was 37 degrees F. There was about 2 inches of rain yesterday and the streams were all over their banks as demonstrated ion the second picture. I saw that onmy way to campus and turned around to snap a picture. That is someones driveway. A really nice house too. I definitely would have called in flooded. It looks like the culvert under their driveway got plugged up with debris and it just dammed up until WHOOSH! Like the old saying goes; Location, Location, Location.

Steve

2010-01-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

A Pyroclastic Flow of Confusion.: White Rock

2010-01-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

A Pyroclastic Flow of Confusion.: White Rock

White Rock

2010-01-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken at White Rock, just outside of Mont Alto, PA on January 23. Dingle, Steve, and I did some exploring for places to set up the anchors for the top rope. There were some fantastic views.

Final Product?

2010-01-25T23:55:00.000-05:00

So, I think this is it. I'm sure once I step away from it for a day, I'll see a bunch of stuff I want change or add.

Map of Haiti

2010-01-24T19:52:00.000-05:00

For my GIS 3 course, we have to create a map for our individual website (I'll post the URL later). It can be any kind of map, showing anything. The only thing we have to do is use tha new data that is being developed in the wake of the disaster. The world wide effort to create maps for the relief effort is impressive and moving. Here is my map. Let me know what you think. I am going to add and change stuff until it is due on Thursday, but I wanted to grt started on it before too late.

Back to school.

2010-01-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

So, I have officially started my last semester of college. That feels really good to say. As you may or may not know, I am a high school dropout (something to do with my problem with authority), and I never, EVER, thought I would be ready to graduate with a degree in Geo-Environmental Sciences. But here I am. My schedule this semester is a little crazy. Mon., Wed., and Fri. I am at campus from 8:30-6:30. Also, I am desperately trying to get into a Thurs. night class that I need for my GIS certificate. If I don't get it I will have to come back most likely next spring and finish up. That's lame.

The classes I am taking seem to all be right up my alley. I have Intro to music, which has a focus on Art Music (boring). I would probably have to try pretty hard not to do good in a class like this though. Next, I have Ecology and a 3.5 hour lab once a week with Todd Hurd. This class is going to kick ass I think. I find that most of my efforts and thinking are about the abiotic parts of an ecosystem, and it will be nice to have a biology refresher as well as be able to tie the two systems (biotic and abiotic) together in my mind. There is going to be some sweet field work as well. After that class exits the room, I just sit there like an idiot and let the next class come in and we start my Problems of the Environment class. That's right. Two classes, one seat. The professor is brand new to Ship, but she will probably be great. Her emphasis on the scientific method was highly encouraging. She is an evolutionary biologist and ecologist, so she has got her sh!t in one sock as they say. I am sure she and I will have some good conversations about science. At 5:00 on Mon and Wed., I have Paleoenvironments-Sedimentary Geology and Stratigraphy with Dr. Cornell. He is awesome, but he demands a sh!t ton of work. He has forgotten more about the earth than I may ever know. Last semester in Mineral and Rock Resources we went on some field trips to the No. 9 Coal Mine (me with child laborer), and to Centralia, PA where an underground coal seam has been on fire for the last 47 years or so leaving a highly degraded landscape in its wake. To the right is the old highway that had to be abandoned because it was collapsing in on the ashes below. That is Dr. Cornell's daughter to the right. I took temp readings at all the sites we visited and I got readings of 145 degrees(F) at the steam/gas vents.

Anyway, field trips are still fun. That's why I am a science major.

ME.

2010-01-19T10:06:00.000-05:00