tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post3111998253533433465..comments2008-10-05T12:22:45.696-07:00Rob Van Damhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10905192936921165488noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post-40096670354896486712008-10-05T12:22:00.000-07:002008-10-05T12:22:00.000-07:00Hi Rob, glad Sonya doing better,i know it's a little late, but happy anniversary.<BR/><BR/>I also feel the goverment shouldn't be wasting money when there other more important things that are needed.<BR/><BR/>It's like if you have a family and it's bad economically part your still out throwing parties, with out attending it's real necessities. Priorities should come 1st, but i'll bet they're doing o.k cause their rich. <BR/><BR/>Rich, but still asking for the poor people's money. Thats life and it'll never change; not in this one. <BR/><BR/>Well Rob your trully missed, but priorities 1st. right?<BR/><BR/>From Probally your biggest fan, always- J.L.-T.V.<BR/><BR/>Till next time, next time, adios.JAYLTEAVIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16282002716471240584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post-5627618277066953212008-09-29T13:06:00.000-07:002008-09-29T13:06:00.000-07:00Nihao RVD-san,<BR/><BR/>Belated congrats to you and SVD-san for both the happy anniversary and the health to enjoy it. May your prediction of continuing happiness be true! <BR/><BR/>City of Angels, City of Hope, City of Sin... Sounds like you've struck an interesting balance.<BR/> <BR/>The bodies exhibition does sound interesting and educational, I just hope that respect has been given where it's due. I recall hearing about a similar exhibit years ago but the people running that one got arrested because the 'bodies' on display had been illegally obtained. (i.e - the corpses had been stolen from morgues, I can not concieve of what that must have been like for the surviving relatives to endure.) <BR/><BR/>Babies have more bones than adults because they don't have as many joints, if I recall right. Adult bones fuse together... So we've still technically got the same number of bones, we just don't count them separately anymore.<BR/> <BR/>My heart goes out to the lady Francine, one funeral at a time is almost more than a person can bear. Yea. The rate at which cancer cases are increasing is astonishing but also motivating. We've got the ability to change those numbers. Medical research has come a long way and has already upped the survival rate, if we can up the prevention rate then we'll be doing great. If we can find the cure... We've got to and we will, that's really all there is to it.<BR/><BR/>You've been to cancer treatment facility more recently than I have, so perhaps you know if this is true: are they gonna rename the disease? I've heard rumors that the medical researchers are trying to take all two hundred plus known forms of cancer and reclassify/rename them, so that when a cure for one type of cancer is announced, it doesn't cause mass confusion among patients of all the other types. Also, there is a reason that involves funding: apparently right now most the funding for 'cancer research' is lumped together because some corporate moron(s) hopes to find and profit from a blanket cure. Hence reclassifying all the known forms of cancers into separate diseases would lead to independant funding for each one and an acknowledgement that they can't all be treated in the same manner. Something like that.<BR/> <BR/>Guilt is hard to let go of sometimes. My family as well, when the diagnosis came we all paused and wondered why we hadn't realized that it might be cancer sooner. In retrospect, it made so much sense. If only we had known... But we didn't. Very few people do. So we have to learn to let the guilt go - because blame doesn't help in the healing process - but also learn to pay more attention and get checked, so that nothing like this can creep up so easily on us again.<BR/><BR/>Stem cell research is a great tool, in the right hands and for the right reasons. There is massive potential for a wide variety of very bad things as well - we have to acknowledge that, not ignore it - but this has pretty much always been the case with human inventions. <BR/><BR/>Hrm. Strikes me as rather weird that a person in favor of stem cell research is against the particle accelerator. Do you not realize that these sciences are on the same quest, just on different scales? <BR/><BR/>Stem cells are the cells that are called 'building blocks' in humans and other species. By understanding these cells there is indeed much hope for repairing and regrowing damaged body parts and for approaching diseases and their cures in a whole new way. With the LHC (the Large Hadron Collider, which is the specific accelerator you refer to because the larger ILC hasn't been built yet - it's supposed to be up by 2010 though), scientists are essentially looking for the 'building blocks' of the universe. They are hoping to 'see' (and given the tiny size of the item in question, I use that word loosely) at least one specific particle, which has not been previously witnessed by humankind. Confirming the existence of this particle would be a significant step in the right direction for turning a large number of scientific and mathematical principles from theory into provable fact. What we could do with that kind of knowledge, I can hardly imagine. The possibilities are wonderful (and a bit scary...) to contemplate. I suppose that there would be quite a lot of practical applications for the science of terraforming, at least.<BR/><BR/>The creation of black holes on Earth is nowhere near as fearsome as it sounds. I did a little research. The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider(RHIC) in New York reported the possible existence of black holes during their experiments in 2005 and we're all still here. (Of course, their possible black holes were absolutely tiny and evaporated in well under a second.) Did you know, though, that black holes can be dormant? PBS had a special on the subject the other evening. The supermassive black holes which are centrally located in many galaxies - including our own - they are not always sucking everything in. They take breaks, apparently billions of years long in some instances, to digest what they've already absorbed. <BR/> <BR/>Honestly, from the sounds of things, if the goal is to reenact and understand the Big Bang then the creation of a black hole in a particle accelerator might be an indication that these scientists are on the right track. (Big Bang was one of those things that I grew up disliking because it felt wrong and seemed so incomplete but I simply wasn't made aware of the proposed alternatives until I outgrew the educational system. Ah, irony.) Anyway. Ultimately, I would not be too surprised if it turns out that there are some really nifty practical applications for small, temporary black holes. Teleportation leaps to mind but so does anti-gravity and a whole new definition for recycling.<BR/><BR/>Granted, I'm no expert and I've grown up around far too many end-of-the-world theories to really be startled by that phrase anymore. But at least if the world ends by accidental instantanteous annihilation... This option, in my mind, beats several of the other scenarios. *shrugs*<BR/> <BR/>Yes, 'whereby' is in fact a word. As for the whole question of whether two masses can occupy the same space at the same time, I think the answer is unclear. I'd love to give you a better explanation but I don't yet have a firm grasp of Quantum Mechanics.<BR/><BR/>Personally lean towards evolution kinda heavily. There is a growing collection of 'found' missing links, both in fossil form and in living examples. The similarity of human genetics to the genetics of other animals adds to the evidence and the many stages that an unborn child goes through in the womb are often viewed as evidence of our evolutionary ancestory. <BR/><BR/>However I also still feel there's room to debate that the basic fundamentals of creationism and evolutionism could work together and perhaps even overlap a whole lot more than people seem to notice. It's like the same story, told from two different points of view. The main trouble with creationism as a stand-alone theory, in my own humble view and limited experience, is that it tends to be ego-centric and thus lends itself to historic amounts of corruption. Sure, we're no accident but lets take it in context - is anything in our world truly coincidental? *shurgs* That's just where I stand. But as was mentioned before *points to posts above* Descartes had a good point. So believe whatever gives you the most happiness because maybe we're all wrong.<BR/> <BR/>Cloning animals for food is not a bad idea, as long as health standards can be maintained and ethical concerns are addressed. There is some necessary hesitation on the grounds that... Well. It seems like a ridiculous amount of work to do, merely to produce a slaughtered piece of meat. There are other avenues for ending hunger which deserve to be explored. Why not sponser a return to agriculture in the global economy? That would create more jobs. Why clone a live chicken, why not just grow an edible piece of meat in a test tube? No slaughter involved, then. But this is something that needs to be a large, complex dicussion and these points are merely the tip of the proverbial glacier.<BR/><BR/>The finanical world was built on a foundation of lies. It will be interesting to see what happens now - will they return to honesty and rebuild or just restart the same old games? Either way, they're gonna find out that they can't expect the taxpayer to provide huge rescues while unemployment is soaring off the charts...<BR/><BR/>Enough from me for now. Take care, RVD-san. Hugs to you and SVD-san. <BR/><BR/>Courage and Peace!<BR/><BR/>~CalmMountainCalmMountainhttp://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=zenseekernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post-33943241053431730462008-09-25T16:05:00.000-07:002008-09-25T16:05:00.000-07:00Hey Rob !<BR/>I can't belive you mentioned me on your blog, how cool is that !!! The singlet arrived Tuesday, and looking at it close it's amazing to see the detail you wouldn't get to see even on the biggest HD screen. So I can't wait till it's behing glass and on display!!!<BR/>Doing a bit of searching during and after the auction I found that it not only went around the world it saw some of the best matches against Jerry Lynn, and it was on RVD's 1999 ECW magazine cover. The signed photo is just as cool, 31st.Jan,2001. UPW live at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, CA. RVD(w.Bill Alfonzo) .vs. The Fallen Angel. I found a wmv file of the match so with WWE not being to keen on the 4:20 logo I'm guessing that was there last time in battle. <BR/>Reading about Killer Kowalski over the last few months and weeks made me remember the image I always remember. Never seeing one of his matches but always hearing about them from my dad or from wrestling comentators that made you learn as you watched. That first time I saw Killer Kowalski all my head could think was taking on him would be like taking on Jaws from that James Bond movie. Hearing how nice he was too you and other students over the years no matter thier size, age or ability made me see a whole new side to "Killer". I thought it was a great when later he held so much pride for your ability's and how he would bring his students to see you.<BR/>Also watched the 2nd in ring outfit auction and was really glad with how well it went for a great cause. My dads tests came back possitive for prostate cancer only a few weeks ago, he has just came back from hospital and started treatment. Add me to the list of people who didn't know the facts about stem cells. I thought you had to abort a child to get them. So now knowing the truth it baffles me even more to why the goverment set the ban, yet failed to tell all the facts.<BR/>And even though I tend to disagree with the whole evolutionary theory since there is so many missing links and so many of the anchient scripts have been burnt. Like, How did the Aztec's know so much about time and space?? When so called moden man took another 5000 years to work it out?? Some things just dont add up right...<BR/>Well time too wrap this up,<BR/>Stew from Oz<BR/>PS.Thank You,Thank You,THANK YOU!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post-68225686042824065912008-09-22T16:02:00.000-07:002008-09-22T16:02:00.000-07:00Hey Rob, you asked for a challenge to evolution, so I will give it to you. I am admittedly not very informed on the subject, but I will do my best to represent my opinion. As for the evidence part, in which I will not be able to keep up with you, I'll just say that there is very much geological research that says the Earth is millions of years old, and I have only ever heard circumstantial research that counters that. This is an area in which I would like to increase my knowledge, so I expect to be owned by you in this regard right now, but next time this comes up I might be in a better position to counter you the next time this comes up.<BR/><BR/>I do, however, think I can better argue in terms of philosophy. While there may be gaps in research about human and global evolution, I don't know if that alone warrants a belief of creationism. Now don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to attack your beliefs. I'm really into a lot of what you say about good energy. I believe that, regardless of any other beliefs, you can't deny the presence of the forces of karma in our world, and that there is a balance to everything. In the same way, I believe that regardless of whether you believe in creationism or not, you cannot deny the existence of natural selection. I don't want to be spreading negative energy and I don't make a habit of insulting others' beliefs. However, as I see it you are arguing creationism on the basis of fact. Had you just said, "I believe in creationism," I might have not replied at all, but it seems to me that it was more of, "I believe in creationism due to facts, or the lack thereof." In that case, I feel much better about arguing simply based on fact. Specifically, is the lack of evidence a reason to believe one way or another? You say there are holes in evolutionist logic, but what about creationist logic? You seem to want proof that there is unquestionably a missing link, but I could just as easily turn around and ask for proof of a creator. I guess I would just like to know how the absence of bigfoot supercedes the absence of a tangible creator.<BR/><BR/>Again, I respect your right to your beliefs and to a certain extent your beliefs themselves. I just don't personally think, when talking about belief in the sense of proof and fact, that you can say any belief is greater than another. One of the foremost thinkers on religion, Descartes, admitted that everything he held to be true could be absolutely false. I think when approaching issues like creation there's no way to say, in the sense of getting a consensus, that it is or is not true, and that you have to approach the argument keeping in mind that there is no proof of certain things. When trying to attain consensus the most important thing is to base arguments on what is known for sure, not on speculation of what is not known. I don't hold any ill will towards anyone for believing in what cannot be proven or practicing those beliefs, but I don't think you can base a discussion of this type on speculation.<BR/><BR/>Anyways, I'm totally with you on the stem cell thing. I think certain people are just completely opposed to any type of change due mostly to being brought up in environments that foster this type of thinking. It's a self-sustaining cycle, and the thing that really bothers me is when it hinders people who actually want progress. If you don't want treatments based on stem cells fine, but why do people think it's right to expect the rest of the world to conform to their standards?<BR/><BR/>Anyways, best wishes to you and Sonya. It seems like every time you post a blog you've got more positive things to say about the treatment, which is definitely comforting when dealing with, "the big C." I hope it keeps up, and I'm definitely hoping I can contribute to all the energy that's helping you two through the proccess. Here's to hoping everything keeps going well. Peace out!peaceonearthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08017022854157509774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post-72438384378960547112008-09-22T12:34:00.000-07:002008-09-22T12:34:00.000-07:00I agree with you on stem cell research. It something we should investigate but so many people think that its "man playing god." If they would actually look into the matter at hand they would find that its been researched that they don't even have to use embryos anymore as a stem cell source. <BR/><BR/>I also saw the story on the "Big Bang" generator. Another instance of man doing something he probably shouldn't do but we're always trying learn an improve our world, right Rob? I mean you had to continue to innovate a style to captivate people for years in arenas, on TV, and PPV's. You probably like that analogy dude. :-)<BR/><BR/>God bless your wife too and I will pray for her recover fully. Have you bought the Chuck Norris book? Black Belt Patriotism? You and him seem a lot a like with open thinking. It takes a dreamer to change the world from earth to heavens. We all need to dream a little to make the world better. Later Rob.Jonfunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861026910780400938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274660286646644831.post-52141069208217855412008-09-22T11:23:00.000-07:002008-09-22T11:23:00.000-07:00Hey Rob <BR/><BR/>I am a massive fan of you in the ring and I think you are very wise on social issues. The money wasted on unnecessary war and on making innocent people criminals is insane. <BR/><BR/>My deepest sympathy goes out to your wife. I have found a similarly passionate relationship and I admire a man who cares so deeply for his wife. <BR/><BR/>I do have to point out that there is numerous examples of fossilised missing links that have been found. If you are referring to humans specifically. A simple google search will yield many examples of missing link evidence for humans. <BR/><BR/>Here for example http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2118055.stm<BR/>here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkana_Boy and here http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1745408.htm<BR/><BR/>Hope you get a chance to read some of these and maybe thing about what they mean.Richnoreply@blogger.com