I just read a post on kuro5hin outlining a plan for rethinking the US education system. I Like it. It’s quite radical, but not so crazy as some free learning plans. It focuses around shifting classes toward things people really need to know to be genuinely productive in the world.

Each class is taught for ones entire academic career. Reading and Comprehension is taught in a separate class from Writing and Speaking. Two classes everyday for 13 years covering simply communicating. A brilliant idea. Another class that I wish I had, covers Critical Thinking, Debate, and Recognizing Deceit. That could quite possibility be the most important skill one could ever learn. Of course it also covers the traditional classes with Math as one course and Science Methodology, and Sciences as another. A factual class of History separate from another covering Social Studies, Civics, and Life Skills.

One I would like to add is Religion. I know all those who know me are wondering why I, of all people, would advocate teaching religion in school. Quite simply as silly as I think religions are, they are an important part of the global society. All religions should be taught. None should be taught as correct or true. But people should be knowledgeable of all they each entail. Their belief structure, their organizational structure, their sacred texts, the histories of their people, are all important when living in a global society. Here we are now standing in the middle of a religious war and I doubt if one in ten Americans could intelligently talk about the Muslim faith. I know I couldn’t. Hell I wouldn’t even feel confident talking about Catholicism.

Aside from curriculum structure, there are also other ideas about changing how schools work. But I don’t feel like getting to those here. But you should read the whole thing. It's good.

Today I found an interesting gem

TMCM - #169

Now as interesting as it may seem, and I hope it makes some Bible thumpers think about things. (not that any read my blog) It logically should have no bearing on a person's theological stance. But it may make people question things. That's always good.

I don't have a problem with people believing in god, or that some entity created the everything that we know to exist. For all I know they might even be right. Probably not. In fact I'm probably as sure that's not the case, as many of them are sure it is. But it is something that we will never be able to test, never be able to find definitive evidence for, so nobody can truly claim to know the truth.

However religion is not about preaching possibility. Religion touts the imaginations of people no smarter or better than any of us, as inscrutable fact. And when people buy it and support it, they end up walking out and booing Bill Nye The Science Guy when he explains that when Genesis says God made two lights, isn't exactly accurate. And that in fact, the moon just reflects the light of the Sun.

This level of ignorance is one of the main things that frustrates me in this world. If the Moon was a real light, it would always be full. It would never be dark. But it does get dark. It gets dark because the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, and the Earth makes a shadow on the moon. Of course that is just a logical sounding explanation that somebody imagined. Better proof does exist. We actually sent people to the Moon! It wasn't some magical, intangible light floating in the sky. It's a big ball of dust that reflects light pretty damn well. We even have photos to back up our claim. All religion has, is a book. A book written by someone who had nothing to do with the creation of the world, and wasn't even born until a few thousand years after they claim it all happened. Ask the Jews! Their people were the one's who wrote the old testament and even they don't believe it as factual truth.

I think I have spent too much time on this now. But it just really pissed me of when I read this and I had to get it out.

County Legislature, bowed in prayer

Some times I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks there should be complete and absolute separation of religion and government. Yesterday I sat in on part of a County Legislature meeting. First they said the pledge. Then somebody sang the national anthem. Third a priest lead everybody in a prayer. I won't get into details because I don't have a transcript, but it was praying for outcomes to legislature decisions I assume were coming up.

This image really bothers me. Religion across the board, seams so incredibly irrational, and the logic so clearly faulty to me, I can't conceive of how others believe. It throws away the concept of thought. Organized religion tells people don't try to question, don't try to understand why, just take our word for it. I can't do that. I question everything and everyone. And I would expect our leaders do the same.

I just can't care about Easter anymore. My mother tries to make something of it. But she can never let go of things. Nobody else in my family cares anymore. I still dig Christmas. I like the idea that there is one day a year that families drop whatever, and get together. Easter is like a little kid with a lemon aid stand across the street from a smoothie shop. And Christmas is the smoothie shop. I might want to give the kid something to do and buy a lemon aid, but I just got a lemon smoothie, I'm really don't want that much lemon.

Maybe that was a bad example, but I just think Easter is trying to play on the same level as Christmas when it is clearly just an amateur holiday. I still hope you have a happy one any way. Mine was just like any other Sunday.