Muse – Randomness (5-18-2004)

9/11 Commission

I’ve been listening to the rehash of their hearing over local issues. They had a full timeline and layout of all analysis on the issues that complicated the rescue that day. After listening to the various issues, I’m surprised and relived that so few who could have died did die when the buildings collapsed. And, in a way, the prior bombing of the WTC likely saved lives on 9/11 with the additions that were added to it afterward due to lessons learned.

Hopefully with this extreme example of a worse case scenario, high-rise preparations for disasters can be adjusted to do all that is possible to keep down the death toll. Should the unthinkable happen again, which I surely hope it will not.

Agnosticism

I believe that we have no idea what the truth is and to maintain otherwise is folly. The general stance of agnosticism is that. The acknowledgment of ignorance when it comes to the greater things in life. Personally I believe people should do ‘right’ for the sake of doing right and work to better our species. Before I will acknowledge a deity on a serious level and pay heed, I need to both believe the deity exists and respect it enough to give devotion. as it stands, neither of those points have been fulfilled. However, I do respect the right of others to believe what they wish, so long as their beliefs don’t effect me.

Cicadas

So far the appearance of the bugs has been relatively minor. They haven’t been a night disturbance and signs of their presence aren’t as overwhelming as the last brood I remember experiencing. There are a few dozen cast off nymph shells on the plants in my yard. I even saw a white cicada likely clinging to it’s own shell a few days before. Got a pic of it, I’ll have to remember to share soon. Overall, I’m quite glad to have the emergence remain light.

Schools

The richest guy in the world might have dropped out of school, but he’s the exception, not the rule. Basing things on the extreme minority is always a fallacy. It might need more money, but first of all it needs to have it’s money spent better. The money needs to be pooled and schools need to be studied to see which need how much to both survive and improve in terms of facilities, faculty and supplies. Once there has been real research, we’d have a basis off which to decide if more or less money can be spent in schools. In the short term, it might require more to jumpstart some schools into ‘normalcy’, but after than the cost of gearing up would fade.

Perhaps it’s time education be guided federally and locally. At the very least, the federal government should be working a greater coordinating effort, leaving the details to the states, but setting the standards that are desired while localities seek to rise to them. And not the blanket requirement of NCLB, but one that is set at a proper level for various student types.

Classes on theism and it’s various sects and counter groupings would be best focused into its own class. Whatever one wants to call it. A rapid, but properly detailed gloss over the general beliefs of various faiths, allowing children to have a good set of general knowledge. I’d say cults like Scientology should have warning labels attached, but I’ve no doubt that scientology would unleash the lawyers if that were to happen.

Of course, all of this musing is a mere pipe-dream until the federal and state government’s get it in their heads to really look for fixes to the issue of education.