year in review, an excessive ramble

Well it's nearing the end of 2011 and why not review... all the news outlets are looking for stories in this void between Christmas and new years, hopefully no earthquakes, tsunami's or man made fulminant disasters should happen in the coming days, or weeks to stop the trend of non-news news... but, every time I see a Television, it’s compiled lists of best of's, worst of's, newsmakers of the year, top 1000, biggest sales, on and on and on.

Now I'm not totally against reflecting on where you came from but when it's spewed from every media type repeatedly, my question is where are we going... there are a few things that I want to address and even though I'm but one blogger in the arctic, but who knows maybe someone will read this and think. Yeah I feel the same way... so here’s my year end reflection...

1. The economy is shitty and the prospects on the horizon are pretty bleak, with "European instability" and the recession in full swing in the US, now China's growth is showing signs of slowing if you have a job count your blessings and don't go and overburden yourself with debt... Canadians are carrying more debt now then before the 2008 crash and I don't know how long this whole capitalism thing is going to work out for. I can only hope that a slowing Chinese economy means less low quality plastic single use items, maybe boxing day sales will cease to exist and maybe the economy will start to reflect the ecology of the planet, economy and ecology - there based on the same root word meaning home, as in earth a finite amount of resources a limited amount of food a limited amount of fresh water.  David Suzuki has many quotes and books about the intergenerational crime that the "economy" is because it doesn't reflect accurately the present day ecological responsibilities the business of today on the planet today;  hence the intergenerational crime is that corporations today are leaving messes for tomorrows generations to deal with.

which brings me to

#2.  Fuck the whole idea of ‘out there is bad and in here were good’ the 99% vs the 1%, this is what bothers me about people, its not taking responsibility for your own actions. I'd say it's not some entity out there that is responsible for the plastic in albatross bellies, it's me I produce plastic garbage I am a consumer (if this doesn’t make sense then read my last post), it's not the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs’ in the world that are at fault for marketing something so well that they become a billionaires, it's my fault that I bought the product.  It's not the conservatives fault for quitting Kyoto, it's every Canadians for not stepping up and saying that they demand there workplace reduce emissions, shrink it's carbon footprint, or make some change, it's really easy to point a finger at someone and blame them but like the saying goes when you point a finger in blame three are pointed back at yourself... and yes I know that in order for an economy that is based on ecology would result in catastrophic failings of the current world order, but perhaps that’s necessary,  I know its a ridiculous thing to wish for, but all civilizations eventually fail, perhaps our hubris is oil and technology and were fast approaching the end of an era, only time will tell I guess, I just hope that the next generation, (which as a concept is bogus, the population doesn't produce in waves, it's a constant, and a growing constant...) isn't totally doomed to a poisoned, painful life of carcinogens and flooded cities, my parents got me composting and recycling at a young age, and now I have peers with children, nieces and a nephew, and I feel like the global conscious is still just lusting for more things.

#3. My grammar and English have paid the price for being in such an isolated place with so much broken English around, also I swear a lot more. I'm constantly catching myself poorly articulate words and it worries me that I'll likely be around it for another 2-4 years.

#4. I've changed my hobby focus from cycling to photography... I'd like to reconcile the 2 in the New Year... sadly, I think until I leave the Arctic this will be a struggle that pesters me.

#5. I'm struggling with the reconciliation of being an environmentalist and living in the Arctic... Canadian winters in general are not so carbon footprint friendly, when it's winter 8 months of the year and most if not all your food travels at least 3000 km before it arrives at your house, it's constantly on my mind and it makes me a huge hypocrite particularly when looking at point #2.

#6. Somehow the 80's are cool again, which scares me that fashion is being recycled so fast... pretty soon we'll be just parodies of ourselves.... how did fashion make my list... it must be late..

#7. List of things annoy me, I'll refer you to points #5 and 7 to hi-light how much of a hypocrite I am.

#8. Ignorance isn't bliss, and more then ever this year I've become hardened in my atheist beliefs, it amazes me that people still try to argue with me that what they believe is right and yet any attempts at a discussion lead to accusations that I'm personally attacking them. In starting a conversation about what you believe, and questioning me on a religious level, is in its self an accusation at my beliefs. People don’t know how rude they are, and I have done my best to bite my tongue and not get into these philosophical debates. I’m not a scholar in Atheism I don’t suspect that you are in your beliefs either, but please don’t be so bloody rude… I have someone tell me they were sorry for me, sorry that I was an atheist… WTF, I mean really, apparently as an atheist people seem to believe that I believe in nothing... the most common atheist conversation that I had this year is "how can you live without a god, you would have no morals, you could rape, pillage, murder and it would be okay, because you don't believe in god." I'm just going to retype this argument out because I really really hope that I don't have to have it in 2012. My thought's on this view of atheism is wow, you really don't give yourself much credit, it's like saying if you didn't have a god you would rape and murder and pillage because no one would be watching... that you would be accountable to no-one... I think that in any world with or without a deity you are accountable to yourself. I think that people have an innately good character, that people have a conscious, and when able to (when the basic needs of humanity (food, water, shelter, safety) are met), people do more then indulge themselves but actually care for others, contribute to society, follow a universally human code of behaviour, make mistakes because they are human and most importantly are capable of enormous growth, compassion and beauty. I believe that morality is more then a book in a place of worship, it is ones actions, ones behaviour, it is learned from ones parents, community and a part of it is intrinsically linked to our ability to communicate and interact with other living things. More then anything I know I am tired of defending Atheism, I'm not a bad person, I may be a hypocrite in some aspects of my life but I don't think I'm living some greatly immoral life.  I've made mistakes, I'll make more in the future but life is short and I'm not going to live in the past... 

A psychiatrist once told me that life is like driving a car, you have to look forward through the windshield to see where you going, if you spend all your time looking in the rearview mirror then you will crash. 

So that’s my philosophy and my goal of reflecting, see where you came from, don't forget who it made you but have a plan, be responsible and enjoy the ride because this car doesn’t have a reverse.

Yes, I know I'm being very verbose and perhaps not really reflecting as I set out to do but I guess that’s the way todays blog is going to roll... pardon the pun

so to summarize

1. The economy is bad, ecology is what we should focus on, 2. do it with action and not just words. 3 if my words don't add up, or are too abrasive please tell me, 4. I miss cycling, but I'll work on it, 5-7 I'm a hypocrite when it comes to the environment, and lists... I’ll work on that too, apparently I'm a critic... however I once dismissed capri pants and 3/4 length anything... the world didn't listen then either I don't expect them to now... and 8 please for the love of [your] god (pun intended) unless your willing to ceed something or at least listen to a different perspective don't push your ideologies on me. and I guess 9  don't live in the past.

Thanks for reading as always


M

feel free to wander over to my photostream at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhamilton1/
or shoot me an e-mail @ m.hamilton.email@gmail.com

Hello again and thanks for reading, I had this whole post written and then as I was adding the last hyperlink when the computer froze… super frustrating but alas here I am again typing it all out, so I really hope you enjoy today’s post… in my head it counts as two posts…

 I’ve been on a string of nights and haven’t seen the sun or any sign of it for 4 days, I’m beginning to wonder if in fact the Earths gravitation forces are askew and were actually now hurtling towards deep space… what with the Researchers at CERN telling us about superluminal particles existing, my Einstienian worldview is challenged and anything is possible… if I lost you there fret not, the whole idea of superluminal particles is where my brain starts to frizzle and I get confused; it means time travel, special relativity  isn’t relative, and string theories just as confusing as it was before… (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superluminal#FTL_communication_possibility) if you want some light reading, anyhow moving on…

Quite sad news as the world has lost a great thinker in the death of Christopher Hitchens, while I empathize with many of his convictions I didn’t agree with everything the man had to say, that said you have to respect someone who knows what he believes and will intellectually defend his Ideas.

Another news story recently that made me saddened was the official Canadian withdrawal from the Kyoto Accord, the conservatives in typical fashion blamed the liberals for their actions… I mean you’re the government… why not instead of saying were not on track and were going to have to pay costly fines do something great and go about making Canada a Global leader, aim to meet the targets or better yet exceed them… oh right, it’s the conservatives and they don’t care about the environment, silly me… when I heard Peter Kent make the announcement I was ashamed to be Canadian… I know that I shouldn’t rely on the government to dictate my environmental impact, as a global citizen the responsibility lies within.  It would be nice if they offered up some policy to push people/businesses/industry in the right direction but with the conservatives in power I’m not holding my breath.

On the same note of Environmental impact, I think everyone should watch “The Clean bin Project” a movie/documentary of a couple that challenges each other to produce no waste for 1 year. I’m now reading all of their blog (http://cleanbinproject.com/) and loving it. The movie which I saw at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse Film Festival this past fall is both motivational and entertaining. Because I live in the arctic my carbon footprint in enormous, resultantly, I have become a bit of a fanatic of late about waste reduction, hoarding recyclables, saving paper and boxboard for fire-starter, and composting as much as possible… I actually chided Andrea (my wife) for spitting cherry pits into the garbage instead of the compost bucket yesterday…. Furthermore, after realizing what I’d done, I was too stubborn to admit that cherry pits in the Inuvik landfill really won’t make a difference to anything… so I’ll use this as an apology, I’m sorry Andrea, I may get carried away sometimes.

Those of you that know me or are getting to know me will soon find out about my ever growing passion for photography, I’ve started a 365 project when I’m going to take a picture everyday for a year… I’ll be posting to my flickr account. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhamilton1/)More and more I’m getting past photography of just “this is where I am”, “here’s a photo of people” or “this looks pretty” but trying to tell a story with pictures. Also featured in the clean bin project are some of the works of Chris Jordan. Everyone should see his works, his photography is raw and emotion evoking. I hope that you’ll look at his photos and art work and see the commentary about the consumerism culture that we live in. (http://chrisjordan.com/gallery/midway/#CF000313%2018x24)

To close, here’s a video that will let you know that it’s not all doom and gloom, I came across it and literally laughed out loud for a long time, I also now want a pet porcupine. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dnB3IapeAA)

Thanks for reading

Matt

October, Movember and "holiday season"

so I've not posted in a long while...  sorry about that, I had written a long blog post but then thought I should edit it down and then just lost track of time, movember came round I was focused on my moustache efforts, I took a holiday to off the grid Cabin in whitehorse and now it seems were head long into christmas, hanukkah, and solstice celebrations... all of which are marginally skewed with the sun not actually crossing the horizon anymore...

first let me recap some of the lost blog posts...

Gaddafi's dead.... and the east is less stable then ever... super!
Little girl run over in China and no one cares... how empty does that make you feel.....
Desi my chow chow possibly has cancer... (hence prompting the trip to Whitehorse)... shitty...

and now to quote Andrea, my wife, "life is tough, more shit can happen. The good news is that shit fertilizes... beautiful things can sprout out of it, now its just a matter of focusing on the beautiful things..."

so with that lets look for the mushrooms...

Gaddafi's gone, less unjust persecution of the Libyan people, perhaps their is a civil war, but maybe good things will come of it.

a spotlight has been cast again on the chinese culture, maybe people will look at their own habits and value human life with greater dignity, maybe China will improve it's human rights record as a result of the increased media attention...

Maybe Desi doesn't have cancer... were still waiting for the pathology report, but I'd rather know and be able to make her comfortable then have her suffer and be unaware...

moving back to the present, I'd like to thank all the People that contributed to my fundraising Efforts,
(in alphabetical order)

Barb Ness
Trish Campney
Andrea Hamilton
Joshua Hamilton
Susanne Hamilton
Michael Marchant

and the staff at the Inuvik Regional Hospital for supporting the moustache cookie bake sale

now on to the solstice, Hanukkah and christmas for everyone south of the Arctic or north of the Antarctic the solstice is associated with being either the shortest or longest day of the year, however when the sun doesn't in fact come up it's a little different... I'd like to remind everyone that the solstice is in fact the point at which the earth observer notes that the suns northern or southern change in declination ceases.  it can also be referred to as the time of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

I know thats a mouthful but essentially days not any longer or shorter up here because the suns not up period. which brings me to hanukkah.. I wonder how jewish people celebrate up here because google tells me "Hanukkah begins at sunset on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2011, and Ends at sunset on Wednesday Dec 28, 2011." thats going to be hard because the sun went down on the 5th and it's not coming up till January....

and now to Christmas or "holiday season" for the politically correct christians out there...

I like being the shit disturber, someone in a Facebook chat message said "happy holidays" to me and I asked "oh which holidays are those?" the responded "like christmas, and new years...and those other religious ones" and I said "no which one's?" and they said "you know like the other religions version of christmas, when there Jesus guy was born....." my point proven that people that say happy holidays are just christians who don't want to offend....

anyway, I'm not a big fan of the season, I like the family get togethers and coming together of people, but the commercial aspect and fundamental religious undertones have always cause me grief... I'm an atheist thats not changed but i'm not going to be all scroogy this year... I'll wish a happy solstice on the 22nd and will say same to you if someone wishes me a merry christmas, happy hanukkah, or any other religious holiday.....

that I guess is all for now, I'll try and write more frequently

Occupy, wherever you are

So I get it, I'm in the Arctic and a little removed from a lot of things, but I keep reading about these occupy wall street, occupy vancouver, occupy the globe things because people are feeling disenfranchised and are to the point where they feel they need to say something about it... I'm totally cool with that.

What I'm not cool with is saying "I'm part of the 99%, so give me your money 1%" or worse off people walking around toting signs advocating for anarchy, because thats a solution... I get the issue of 1% of the population having such an enormous amount of money and power that they can influence government, and wring people dry of every last penny and then drive them into debt, in effect, enslaving them for every penny they will ever own, but if you want higher education subsidized, or if you want interest rates lowered, or renewable resources, or clean energy, or tax breaks for the poor then do 2 things, ask directly for them, and show your face... nothing bugs me more then saying I'm the 99% and you wear a mask, it's illogical to me. 

I also don't particularly enjoy the idea that violence or destruction is a tool to use, despite what the movies fight club and V for Vendetta would have you believe...  

I like Adbusters, I applaud them for inspiring so many in this hopefully successful movement away from capitalism, however, I don't know if just protesting an institution or place, like wall street, will do anything. I'm a little worried that lots of people camping and parading around Toronto's downtown core, are going to be disappointed when nothing changes. I like the premise don't get me wrong, but why not have some uniform plan, some sort of manifesto, it could be broad, like 'we want Corporations to be Taxed more and the General public less', or 'We want corporations to stop being treated as persons' or something to the effect of 'we want more social funding, tax corporations to find the money" I think that perhaps the best message could be "we want proportional representation in government, were not leaving till this is reality" but really anything, so long as it comes as a cohesive clear message from everyone. Yes there is power in numbers, but only if the numbers are organized... in order for anything to change you need to know what needs to change. 

I disagree that just being somewhere will cause something to happen, particularly, if you don't know what you want to have happen. Yes there are enormous inequalities in the world, Yes there is immense areas of poverty both in Canada, and around the world, Yes. I feel that this is wrong. But no, I'm not going to sit outside my town office with a sign that says "make the world a better place" for 3 reasons. 

1. it's cold outside, snowing actually, and I know in the grand scheme of things it won't change a thing in my small town. I think in larger urban areas rallies are great ways to meet people and network but in a town of 3000 my networks already included 90% of the town...

2. I'm going to write my local MP, my local town office, and my local MLA, and Tell them what I want.  Directly, I want Proportional representation in the house of commons and Think that the Senate seats should be elected, have a maximum term of 6 years,  and senators should be only paid when they show up to work. and if they don't show up to work for 6 weeks in a row, baring extenuating circumstance, they get fired and the position then goes up for re election have 2 election dates set a year, say may 1st and November 1st. No more of this you can hold your job but not show up for up to 2 consecutive parliamentary sittings...  Parliamentary reform thats what we really need, perhaps then voters would cast a ballot and not have to sit in parks in October.

3. I'm going to talk about it, blog about it, and post it online if we really are calling for societal changes then we need to have the majority of people on board. I think that the power is with the people but people need to acknowledge that point fingers and picket signs aren't a solution. 

Chances are a lot of the people at these rallies forget that corporations are made up of hard working people who are just trying to make ends meet. it's the heads of these businesses that make the exorbitant sums of money. Destroying the company's buildings, calling for anarchy, defacement of property, hacking of their computers will only harm the people who are working just to meet the status quo. 

and yes the Status quo needs changing, but hurting your neighbour isn't going to yield the change you want.

snow is here to stay

I know there are far more interesting things in the world then when the snow arrives in the arctic, I just remember that as a child I thought that the Arctic was a place that blizzards happened all the time and that the snow was always on the ground, people really did still live in igloos and global warming was just about a hole in the Ozone over New Zealand... Well my naive bubble burst and now I live in the Arctic, albeit not the most sustainable of places to live, it is home for the time being and I will continue to provide health care to the people who also call this place home.

though this is not my first winter in the Arctic it's my first while blogging and well, I know that I"m within the first 50,000 canadians to have snow on the ground this year and thought since the rest of my country will soon enough be blanketed in the stuff I'd share with you the fact that we're playing in it all ready, and heres a picture in case you forgot what it looked like.

Happy Thanksgiving

Snow!!!!

the last 4 days it's snowed and it's awesome, it's not staying on the ground but at least the weathers being a little more consistent. which means less mud being tracked into the house... by the dogs that is...

speaking of dogs, I just want everyone who reads this who has a pet and lives somewhere that there are vets consider yourself lucky, yesterday at the hospital a Guy brought in his dog who had had it's head partially run over by a truck, the dogs eye had popped out of it's socket and the dogs skull had been broken, that said the dog appeared to be doing really well, whether the dogs alive today I don't know but at the hospital the Er doc wasn't allowed to work on the dog, because the hospital doesn't' allow dogs in the facility, that didn't stop the doctor from talking to the closest vet, 1200km away and then putting the dogs eye back in and suturing the dogs eye closed but be thankful that you have a vet if you do. because without one your at the mercy of the local knowledge which luckily is significant here but may not always be the case.

anyway I'm off track, it's trying to snow again and yet it's still sunny, its funny to think that the rest of the country is still having 25 degree weather and were hovering around -1, whats worrying though is that local people are saying that this is the latest that snow has ever started and last year they said the same thing... I wonder if I should be purchasing large amounts of land around the 60th Parallel, because climate change is going to make living further south of that less appealing then it was...

anyway back to the original thought...

all the birds have left except the Raven... because of the coming snow, thats right

SNOW!!!! how awesome it is to live in Canada, Sept 23 and we had the first flakes, I'll post when it stays on the ground.

yeah for snow angels- the only ones that are real....

grey days

This will be a quickie,
although, perhaps not as insightful or reflective as others, but grey rainy drizzly days make my mood rotten.
I'd rather it just snow, or be sunny. It snowed for 10 minutes today and I just filled with joy, but again it's drizzly and grey... it's amazing how much ones affect is effected by the weather....

Bare it in mind when dealing with people, grumpy days make grumpy people

Dogs and Depression

I don't know what studies have been done, but I know from my own experiences that dogs are Awesome. I have 2, Desi and Bean and in my darkest hour they have been there for me. If you suffer from depression; if you've never had that label placed on you but have contemplated suicide, consider rescuing a dog. While they can be more then a handful and trying at the times, a Dogs love is unwavering and there companionship can give life purpose, especially if you can't see one. I am speaking from past experiences and I couldn't be who I am now without them.

Dogs are Awesome.

the existence of god

Let get this one out of the way right off the bat... the debate on the existence of god. 

About a year ago, Here in Inuvik there was a World Interfaith Symposium, I think they called it, and they hosted "Debate on the Existence of God",there was an Aboriginal man, actually I think he would call himself Gwich'in but regardless he was there to represent the "native world view", there words not mine...  there were also Buddhist, a Sikh, Christian, and Muslim Perspective presented...

It was a cordial event at the very least and the moderator, wasn't really necessary because everyone knew that before and after the event the world would be the exact same as it was before. And my thoughts were this;

1) this debate is moot, if they really wanted a debate they would have had some agnostic's and atheists there to present a godless world, instead they had a pacifist Buddhist who seemed to avoid confrontation as if it were the Plague. 

2) if your going to have someone representing "the native world view" best to do your research and not get a practicing christian... we'll say although he was a well spoken man, he was a little jaded... 

3)why a World Symposium here in Inuvik... were only 3400 people, albeit a fairly diverse group ethnically I suppose but here... really seems like an excuse for people of these religions to see the Arctic on their congregations dime... 

4) none of this Debate represents my worldview, and while I enjoy learning about other religions, As I have grown older have become more and more set in my ways, which I imagine most people do. I guess that's why so many religions have kids programs, "sunday school" was what it was called when I was a kid... 

So now to my own world view, that there is not some Omnipotent being in the sky, or heaven. I view the entire concept of religion as a construct of the human mind. If you want an explanation of the Universe I don't have one that more elegant or believable then Darwin's Theory, String Theory or Quantum Theory. Yes some may argue that they are in fact called theory's but I would bring to light that in any explanation of something as complex as the Nature of our existance, the world arround us, the reason people have sentience, is exceptionally difficult to prove definitively. One must seek out the most likely explanation by building concepts that are coherent, supportive and logical.  

The other obvious issue that people may have with this worldview of mine when I reject the idea of monotheism, polytheism or any form mythology with gods, demi-gods, or super-beings. is that my world view is just as human constructed as theres. 

I believe that just because you are raised in a certain corner of the world that the faith that your parents ascribe to doesn't necessarily mean that that is the one you should. I encourage people to study theism as a reflective tool, a study of the human psyche. I think when you learn the biblical stories, the buddhist principles the greek mythologies, inner-workings of the catholic church, the ideology in the quran, an so on and so on, you begin to see that every belief set is really just the creation of people. Every religion is a reflection of the people of the time, each religion has its own ideologies, principles and hierarchies. Those who create religions believe that doing so will better the lives of those around them creating a moral code of behaviour, they use the human emotions of guilt, shame, sin, want, desire, compassion and  love to influence human behaviour. 

I look at these structures and look at my own world view, and I believe see that all people want to be good people, contributing to society, accepted and active participants in the lives of those around them; in a word;  social, I believe thats what human nature is. Now you could raise the point of serial killers and suicide bombers but I'd still say that all people are born good and that it's the promising a utopian life after death, or being raised in a neglectful, or abusive manner that has turned them into the people that they in fact are. I don't see why people need to pray to some deity above. Life is in fact an unimaginably beautiful thing; we really should be out there soaking up the wonders of the world when were alive, because once your dead the only thing that remains in the memory of you, and a carbon based shell of a body that will decompose at varying rates depending on where and what happens to your corps. 

A friend asked me to explain a truly religious experience without a god, and I think it's easy. Say the birth of your first child or the survival of a horrific car crash where the probability of survival is exceptionally low. I'd say that I don't have to understand the cell devision and duplication of the human Embryo to revel in the beauty of life. I understand how wondrous it is to love someone or something unconditionally. I acknowledge that as a living being I have the capacity and capability to make new life. But no god or gods is responsible for my actions or creations. Furthermore the human brain is a thing of mystery but it is not completely a puzzle either. The human brain is always searching for meaning and relevance and it naturally links things together even when they  perhaps have no connection. So if for your entire life you've been told that near death experiences, or when someone lives when statistically it isn't probable are miracles or acts of god, then you too will likely believe this as a proof of gods existence. However if you look at it from the perspective of a person attempting to explain the events to them self, or as the automakers safety features working or trained medical staff readily available then perhaps god has as much to do with it as the tooth fairy, or the easter bunny. 

Anyhow I think this rant is more then long enough, and I think that my world view is making itself clear, I don't want to come across as a militant Atheist, although I'm certainly not a pacifist either. I have religious friends and Atheist one's too, and I'm not about to blow anyone up or start a war because we don't share the same worldview. I don't think this blog will change the world but maybe just maybe I'll connect with another person and they'll think, "I like that" or "that makes sense to me". And thats why I'm writing, to connect with people, maybe you think I'm a kook or maybe you'll laugh to yourself. I just like getting my thoughts out of my head and on to "paper" I guess because there isn't a meeting every week to hammer home a theology of Atheism doesn't mean I don't think about it. 

New to blogging

This isn't much because it's so late at night and I'm supposed to be working in the morning at 7:30 so in keeping it short, I really want to thank anyone and everyone who bothers to read my blog.

I know that in the world we live in these days it seems that everything's got to be faster, smaller or bigger either way deemed better, new and improved.  But with that I see problems not just that the quality of our interactions, products and relationships, has been lowered but that the whole Cultural Landscape that we live within and are constantly shaping is changing. Perhaps this culture isn't better, new or improved despite seeming to value those qualities...

I hope to not to just rant to the emptiness of the internet but post thoughtful intellectual observations and ideas.  I'll try espouse my worldview of Atheism, Environmentalism, Democracy and Humanism, Hopefully I don't step on too many toes along the way.

Again thanks for reading, I'll try to post often

M