Rational Alchemy



Current News

Support Rational Alchemy on Google Plus


Your Pod-Casts

Would you like to pod-cast on Rational Alchemy?   Tell me the rules and how do I do it?  Follow this link.

Links Page

These links will all open in a new window or tab depending on your browser and your settings. There are a few worthy web sites out there that need mentioning (outside of Rational Alchemy's Mind Food - feeds section).

 

Church of the FSM
James Randi
Respectful Insolence
Skepticality
Becoming Human
Earth Sky
Mystery Investigators
National Center for Science Education
The Nine Planets
Planetary Society

 

To be found on the web site Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.

Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing. We tend to be very secretive, as many people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don’t understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.

I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming too long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.

 

The proof is in the pudding ... or rather pirates are

 

In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear our views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. We will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.

Sincerely Yours,

Bobby Henderson, concerned citizen.

P.S. I have included an artistic drawing of Him creating a mountain, trees, and a midget. Remember, we are all His creatures.

 

That which must be followed with love and passion.

 



Ghost Face? Pareidolia Of The Week! Print E-mail
Other Main Page - Links Page
Written by Brian Walsh   
Wednesday, 18 November 2009 22:55

I found this on paranormal.about.com. It shows what I think is fairly obviously the reflection of the back of a girl's head. Although, I'll admit it looks a little like Michael Jackson. The people who sent in the picture have a different explanation.

 

 

"The photo was taken by my mother on Halloween day 1989 of me and my friend spray painting our hair before trick-or-treating," says Melissa. "We were 13 years old at the time. We didn't realize that there was a third person in the photo for quite some time -- years -- because we weren't looking for it. We considered the idea of a double exposure, but there is no overlapping on the picture and also we don't recognize the boy. He seems to be a young boy, maybe the around the same age as we were at the time. He's standing behind me and has dark poofy hair, and seems to be looking down or has his eyes closed. You can see his facial features clearly and it looks like he's wearing a t-shirt with writing on it. He's standing in front of the tub enclosure; you can see his hair blocking the chrome trim on the door, yet you can also see the towel bar on the shower door through him.

It's very interesting, but unfortunately I have no answers for it. The house was built for my parents in the early 1960s, so I have no stories of a previous family living there. And like I said, nobody recognizes the boy in the picture. I'd love to hear your feedback. Does this qualify as a legitimate ghost photo? I'd love to have it analyzed or just receive somebody's professional opinion, like yours.

There is definitely an image of a boy there, so I don't think it's an illusion. It's possibly a double exposure, but I don't think so, for the reasons that you state, Melissa. That leaves two possibilities: it's either a clever digital fake (always something we have to consider these days)... or it's a ghost.

 

Really? A fake or a ghost? There's no other option? How do you know it's not an alien? Sometimes people give me such a headache.

 


Northern CO Skeptics

 

Drink Skeptically in Fort Collins

Skeptics Meetups

 

Warning Radio

 

Amateur Skeptics

 

Dogma Free America

 

Leaders in Free Thought

 

SSASS

 

Gimcrack

 


 

Drop us a line at feedback (at) rational-alchemy (dot) com and we will add your link.

 

Or just drop us a line and let us know how badly we are screwing up!

 


 

Your Monitor Size

Monitor Size
 

Who's On-Line

We have 33 guests online

Site Info

Content View Hits : 286059

Grab Local Feed

feed-image Feed Entries

Visitors Location

Map IP Address
Powered by

IP2Location.com

Rational Alchemy Template by Ahadesign - Graphic and CSS changes to template Nigel Aves - Powered by Joomla!

About This Site

The Rational Alchemy web site was designed using the Joomla CMS package by Nigel Aves.

If you would like Nigel to design a web site for you that is easy to maintain please contact him here. Contact Nigel

The Rational Alchemy team is Brian Walsh, Jamie Folsom and Nigel Aves.