Goldilocks Enigma

Life is not a box of chocolates it is a bowl of porridge.

Why life is a bowl of porridge

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Goldilocks. Her story of hunger, peril and a bowl of porridge that was “just right” is probably familiar to most of us. In most tellings, the fairy tale doesn’t mention whether our golden-haired heroine spent much time pondering why the bear family residence should contain a seat, a serving of porridge and a bed, all of which are ideally suited to a young human. As far as she was concerned, that’s just how it was.

But physicist Paul Davies, author of the bestseller The Mind of God, thinks perhaps she should have given it some thought. His new book, due out next month, takes the blonde waif’s name and applies it to rather more interesting question - why is the universe just right for life?

In The Goldilocks Enigma, published by Allen Lane, Davies suggests that one of the most significant facts about the universe is that we are part of it. Although, at first glance, the existence of life seems irrelevant to cosmology, he argues, in fact the universe is “just right” for the existence of life, and the development of intelligence, in a rather spooky way.

The British Physicist Paul Davies was interviewed on BBC Hard Talk about his pantheist views of a living universe based on his book the Goldilocks Enigma.
As a physicist I was impressed with his breadth of scientific perspective on our living universe, especially his emphasis that most of his colleagues fail to appreciate biology and its importance.

That the universe is designed to become self-concious, I am paraphrasing, which is why conciousness in humans, sentience, is so important, not an after thought. He used as an example of self depreciating arrogance Stephen Hawkings comment that humans were simply a pile of scum on a planet of no importance.

WHO hasn't ever wondered why we are all here, or whether there's a purpose? Or if we will ever find satisfactory answers to such questions? The "Goldilocks enigma" is the puzzle of why life can exist in the universe; in other words, why the cosmos is "just right" - like the porridge in the famous fairy tale. Unlike the plethora of popular science books that subtly skew themselves towards addressing "cosmic" questions, this one tackles them head-on. It is a crash course in cutting-edge cosmology and an encounter with a mind-bending universe that gives birth to itself. From issue 2571 of New Scientist magazine, 30 September 2006, page 60

Davies argues that the universe has a design and a plan, and he was vehment that this is not ID which is just creationism in scientistic clothing. It is actually closer to the pantheistic idea that the universe is alive, a self-creating conciousness that is in a state of becoming concious of itself. Which may be the humble role we play in the great big picture, that rather than being pond scum, our development of rational, reasoning processes, that see the big picture, the big bang, the infintesmily small components of atomic particles, act as a meme for the universe in which we are a part. It is part of sciences attempt at the elegant theory of everything. Not Deus ex Machina but Deus est Homo.

Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Masters of the universe

Paul Davies goes a long way towards suggesting that he believes the creation of life to be somehow the 'goal' of the universe without suggesting that it is the work of a higher intelligence or God. That is to say he tends towards the belief that the principle of life 'builds purpose into the workings of the cosmos at a fundamental (rather than an incidental) level, without positing an unexplained pre-existing purposive agent to inject purpose miraculously.' (Read that twice.) This belief is his tentative solution to the 'Goldilocks Enigma', the 'reason' why planets such as our own are 'not too hot and not too cold but just right'. Davies is prepared to let this sense of purpose remain unexplained, but to propose that the universe is somehow geared toward its own understanding, because only 'self-consistent loops capable of understanding themselves can create for themselves, so that only universes with (at least the potential for) life really exist'. (Read that three times.)

Michael Frayn and Paul Davies tackle an astronomical topic in Making Sense of the Universe.

This ippr discussion in association with the New Humanist, featured Michael Frayn, author of The Human Touch: Our Part in the Creation of a Universe and Paul Davies, physicist and author of The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?

At this event, both writers posed some provocative questions such as: Is our existence a lucky fluke or does it have meaning? Why should the universe be so exquisitely bio-friendly? Is there even a universe 'out there' or, is it an artefact of consciuosness, a projection of the stories we tell about it?

For interesting debate in the blogs see:

Not Even Wrong » Blog Archive » The Goldilocks Enigma

Science In Crisis: The Goldilocks Enigma

Theodora's Kut and the Goldilocks Enigma

mutations of mortalityIntelligent Design

What makes the universe just right for life?

Meaning of it all

See:

Deist

Cosmology

Monism

Dialectics

Intelligent Design

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
comology, universe, science, Goldilocks-enigma, Paul, Davis, physics, biology, pantheism, living-universe, astrobiology, God, ID

Seal Hunt Divorce

Sir Paul McCartney's wife is divorcing him for cruelty and abuse. Did he beat her with a seal on the iceflows of Newfoundland?

Or was it a clever ploy by the Tories aginst seal hunt protests? Homewrecker Hearn takes credit for busting up McCartney marriage

And since Fisheries Minister Loyla Hearn is taking credit for their divorce, this must be why he is banning further seal hunt protests, cause family values are important to the New Conservative Government. And he doesn't want to cause anymore divorces.

See:

Seal Hunt

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
McCartney, McCartney's, Divorce, sealhunt, sealhunt-protest, anti-sealhunt, Ottawa, Canada, Hearn, Fisheries, sealers, seal-portest, Government, parliament, Conservatives,

Confidentiality

So how does saying this breach caucus confidentiality?

"Climate change is the greatest all-round threat this country faces, and ... my nation's government should not let us down with half-measures, a curtsy to junk science or a sellout to the tar sands." - Garth Turner

Of course it doesn't. The Stalinist purge of Garth Turner had to be at the behest of the Great Leader himself, despite the denials from his syncophants like Senator Lebreton or strategist Geoff Norquay.

Stephen Taylor the Blogging Tory does the parties dirty work by trying to expose the violation of caucus confidentiality that was the excuse used to purge Garth. Except it isn't. And furthermore if it was and this violation occured last May then why did it take six months to deal with it?! And Taylor spreads the myth that both caucuses were unanimous in their decision. Turner says the Ontario caucus was not unanimous, and NO vote was taken at the National caucus. Oh who to believe.

The fact is this had nothing to do with caucus confidentiality., but his outspoken blogging. Free speech is not a Tory priority. The blog musings of MP Garth Turner

Another Tory blogger thinks it was because the party thought Garth leaked the environment documents. Nice theory but the fact is the environment movement had those draft documents provided by the Environment department when they 'consulted' with them this summer.

Yet another justifies the purge of Turner because he used his position as an MP and his blog to promote Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party. He did, but only after he was purged.

But it does have to do with the environment. And the Tories announcement today that will be less than what anyone wants, including Garth. So he had to go. The Tories did not need Garth attacking them from the back bench. Bad optics. Dissension in the party, then the media would ask how come the other Conservative MP's don't speak their minds. Why are they in lock step with the Great Leader, who himself spoke out when he was a Reform MP. But that was then this is now.

Yep if Garth was allowed to stay he would have been more embarssing then the kerfuffle over his purge would be, was probably the thinking in the PMO and Party election planning office.

And let's be honest you are a minority government, when you purge an MP its a big deal, it's one less government vote. And unlike same sex marriage, this vote on their environment policy will need to be whipped, and Garth was vocal on not being whipped on this issue.

That was why his office was being stripped and his online blogging was offline yesterday, as the caucus voted him out, the Party movers where cleaning out his office. You don't do that without the knowledge of the PMO.

The Blogging Tories are having mixed reactions to the Harper Dictatorship,some taking cheap shots at Turner a real conservative-libertarian, a Progressive Conservative who is following Reform Party principles. Others in the BT are defending him. And to their credit they have not purged him from their blogroll.

In Canada today there is one political issue that will make or break the Harper government. It's the issue that will be front an centre next election, for the Conservatives and the Opposition. It's an issue that was never one of the Conservatives five priorities.

"It's the environment, stupid".

See

Garth Turner Green MP

Was It Something I Said?

Don't P.O. Garth

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Garth, Turner, Halton, Ontario, Canada, Federal, Government, MP, Harper, caucus, PM, PMO, parliament, libertarian,
Garth, Turner, Elizabeth, May, Rona, Ambrose, Conservatives, cabinet, MP, Harper, Green-plan, Kyoto, environment, GreenParty, Canada, parliament, environment, climate-change, greehhouse-gas, GHG, indpendentMP

Garth Turner Green MP

Now that he is turfed out of the Conservatives will Garth Turner join the Green Party to become the first sitting MP for that party? This is from his weblog last night.....Elizabeth May is the leader of the Green Party.

May insists no, as I bring her into the foyer of the House – forbidden territory, since she is not an elected MP – for an interview with MPtv. She says she’d be only too happy to congratulate Ambrose on a knock-out climate change strategy document, but quickly adds that she doesn’t expect to be doing so. I find the woman to be sharp, engaging and surprisingly political, weaving in anti-Conservative messages that seem to go deep beyond the environmental file. She’s also a networker, taking full advantage of my delivering her to this sacred spot to buttonhole Liberal environment critic John Godfrey and try to catch the eye of some of the media gods.

May is clearly frustrated that while she leads a national party with federal funding and candidates in every riding, she likely will not be part of any leaders’ debate in the next election or, for that matter, be taken seriously enough by these reporters milling around. So, this week is as crucial to her as it is to Ambrose. The stakes are enormous for both of them, just as they are for Canadians.

And I am not the only one to think so;

Garth Turner - Canada's first Green MP?

Green Garth?



See

Garth Turner Green MP

Was It Something I Said?

Don't P.O. Garth

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Garth, Turner, Elizabeth, May, Rona, Ambrose, Conservatives, cabinet, MP, Harper, Green-plan, Kyoto, environment, GreenParty, Canada, parliament, environment, climate-change, greehhouse-gas, GHG, indpendentMP

Bi-Partisanship

Here is the reality of American political bi-partisanship.

Congressmen say sea lion hunt necessary
Sea lions are protected by federal law. But Republican Doc Hastings and Democrat Brian Baird said they will introduce a bill that would let officials from the two states, as well as American Indians, quickly obtain permits to kill a limited number of sea lions that are going after salmon in the Columbia. Michael Garrity, associate director of American Rivers, an environmental group, objects to the bill, saying dams and the degradation of salmon species' habitat is more to blame for their decline in numbers. "It seems like whenever the federal government's failures to restore these salmon become obvious, you often see relatively minor problems like sea lions scapegoated," Garrity said.

Both parties of capitalism share a common species chauvinism that is based on viewing ecosystems as 'resources'. In this case pitting species in an eco-system under destruction by capitalism, against each other claiming that the sea lions are the reason for the destruction of salmon stocks.

Not unlike those that blame the seals on the Atlantic coast for the destruction of the cod stocks when we know it is offshore industrial fisihing trawlers from Europe that have overfished the grand banks.

In the case of west coast salmon it is again a case of commercial overfishing, and environmental degradation of their spawning grounds thanks to commercial logging and mining.

The decline in the Orca population that feeds off sea mammals like the Sea Lion are in decline. The two types of Orca have a symbiotic relationship with each other and are crucial to the eco-reality of salmon stocks. Orca's that eat sea mammals provide reduction in competition for Orca's that eat salmon.

See:

Our Whales Are Missing

High Crimes On The High Sea's

After Montreal A View From the Past

Ecology=Equality

Seals

Social Ecology



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
sea-lions, USA, WashingtonState, west-coast, pacific-northwest, Seattle, Portland, SanFransisco, marine-mammals, salmon, seals, ecosytems, ecology, sea, seaanimals, environmentalism, animal-oprotection, fistheries, DFO, ocean, pacific-ocean, Doc, Hastings, Democrat, Republican, congress, overfisihing, Brian, Baird

Daves Not Here, Man

We will never know...Marijuana may slow progression of Alzheimer's....because the Tories canceled the research into medical marijuana use...

For the younger generation Dave's not here, man is a comedy routine by Cheech and Chong. It makes fun of the myth that marijuana causes short term memory loss. Which is funny in this context because a drug that has been seen as causing short term memory loss is being used to end long term memory loss.

Tommy Chong was just released from jail in the U.S. is a former Calgarian, just like Stevie boy. He was busted for selling water pipes, somethng legal in Canada right now. But in his home town of Calgary the wife of King Ralph reccomended banning drug paraphenalia in her report on crystal meth.


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, medical-marijuana, USA, , Alzheimer's, CheechandChong, Tommy, Chong, govenrment, Harper, Conservatives, Calgary, Alberta, Klein, Meth, crystalmeth, drugs, drug-parapehnalia

Was It Something I Said?

The guy who is closest to being a libertarian in the Conservative party gets the Harper Boot.

Garth Turner suspended from Tory caucus
Ontario MP Garth Turner has been suspended from the federal Conservative caucus for criticizing the prime minister. Government House leader Rahim Jaffer said Wednesday that Turner was ousted on the recommendation ...
Outspoken MP Turner suspended from Tory caucus

Strangely his weblog: The Turner Report is now listed as 403 Forbidden. Censureship under Canada's Man of Steel; the Harper is total. To read it you have to goggle cache it.

Was it something he said? Like this;

While many coming to this blog disagree, my position on Tuesday – when the Harper Administration releases its plan – will be that climate change is the greatest all-round threat this country faces, and that my nation’s government should not let us down with half-measures, a curtsy to junk science or a sell-out to the tar sands.

Or maybe this:

NDP seeks moratorium on income trusts
"It's time for a review," added Conservative MP Garth Turner, a former federal minister of National Revenue. The comments follow the release of a report by tax expert Jack Mintz that once BCE's Bell Canada and Telus Corp. are converted into trusts, the loss in tax revenues will reach $1.1 billion a year, up from what is currently $700 million.

Or this:

Tories under fire over gay-marriage plan
The proposed bill came under fire immediately Wednesday from opposition members, advocacy groups and even those within the Conservative caucus. Tory MP Garth Turner said that such a law could be the "slippery slope" toward protecting bigotry and intolerance, and fellow Tory Art Hanger said Charter protections of religious freedom are "cast in stone," so another law may be unnecessary.

Or this:

Splitting retirement income not a high priority
Conservative Party policy espouses the goal of creating tax fairness for families and reviewing the idea of income splitting for senior couples. Yet, the day before 31 MPs from all parties dropped into a conference on pension splitting this week, Flaherty told reporters: "It's not a high priority, I can tell you." Yet, the income-splitting proposal would benefit more seniors than the Tories' costly capital gains promise. And Halton MP Garth Turner says he found many voters raised the income-splitting issue while he was campaigning for election last winter. It was Turner who co-hosted the Pension Tension conference Tuesday.


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Garth, Turner, Halton, Ontario, Canada, Federal, Government, MP, Harper, caucus, PM, PMO, parliament, liertarian

Second Thoughts

Let's see they raise the age of consent and drop the age for adult criminal charges. But that contradiction appears to have lit a lightbulb in their dimwitted dinosaur brains.Tories back away from putting young kids into justice system
The Conservative government plans to introduce a new law in the coming months for harsher treatment of young offenders, but Justice Minister Vic Toews is backing away from the prospect of bringing children as young as 10 into the criminal justice system. Toews, who publicly mused this summer the courts should handle 10- and 11-year-olds who run afoul of the law, told CanWest News Service Tuesday there is little appetite among his provincial counterparts to lower to age of criminal responsibility.

Of course in Afghanistan the same Tory Government is using our armed forces to train children to be killers.

See:

Toews

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, Conservatives, Government, Federal, Justice, Minister, Children, crime, Youth, youthcrime, Toews

Children of War

In Afghanistan Canadian Troops are using children to act as police while they build roads in Kandahar. Standing on Guard for Thee

Someone should inform War Child that they don't have to look just at Africa for this illegal and immoral use of children as soldiers. Now War Child can bring their protest home.

The roads the soldiers are building are NOT infrastructure for the Afghani's but are needed for military purposes. Because of course there is no money for Afghani' infrastructure projects in Kandahar.

In fact the roads are being built in order to avoid landmines, which have killed more Canadian soldiers than the Taliban have. And of course cleaning up Landmines internationally is another Canadian campaign, one that has been unable to act in Afghanistan for the past year since the Mission changed from Peacekeeping to a counterinsurgency war.

'Billions more needed' for children in war zones

Save the Children said that in war-torn areas schools are often destroyed or commandeered by troops, and their teachers killed or forced to flee. Without the "safe place" that schools provide for children, youngsters become vulnerable to abuse and are often recruited to fight, it added.

According to the report, in 2003 more than half of armed conflicts around the world used fighters who were under the age of 15. In the past decade, 2 million children have been killed in armed conflict, 6 million have been injured and another 20 million have been forced to flee their homes. "Given that most conflicts last for more than 10 years, children are spending their whole childhoods living in fear and without access to education," it said.

Afghanistan






Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, Nukes, Pakistan, Taliban, Balochistan, Harper, Bush, Afghanistan, nuclear, NDP, liberals, Afghanistan, PB, BT, Canada, Progressivebloggers, bloggingtories, blogs, blogging, bringthetroopshome, Layton, TroopsOut, Afghanistan, War, Harper, Conservatives, Liberals, Canada, politics, military, NATO, peacekeeping, Karzai, NDP, liberals, Afghanistan, PB, BT, Canada, Progressivebloggers, bloggingtories, blogs, blogging, Graham, Liberals, Canada, Soldiers, Death, Injury, Afghanistan, Government, Politics, values, General, Sir, Richard, Dannatt, Tony, Blair, UK, Army, British, Iraq, Bush, Prince-Harry, Afghanistan


Tags
Canada
USA
War
Friendly Fire
Canadian Troops
Afghanistan
Kandahar

Not A Libertarian Among Them

The Blogging Tories are at it again, they are now doing a blog burst to oppose the reinstatement of funding for the Court Challenges Program. It is the same kind of campaign they launched in favour of cuts to the Status of Women. As usual these social conservative dweebs prove their is not a libertarian bone in their body politic.

In ideological goose step with their Republican counterparts south of the border, they forget that the CCP is actually a program that benefits the citizens of this country, not all of whom are Taxpayers (that appleation is used by the right to designate businessmen). In fact it allows the average Canadian to challenge the State. A unique program indeed. And one of the few libertarian policies to come out of the Trudeau government. Right up there with the right to abortion, no fault divorce, and gay rights.

Of course these idiots make the usual rhetorical excuses such as the program is for 'special interest groups". And of course all special interest groups=left wing.

For the right wing they complain that they don't get funding to OPPOSE Supreme court challenges. Well duh. The fact is that the social conservatives who oppose abortion, gay marriage, gay rights, womens rights, etc. want the state to fund their religious lobbies to side with the State. Can you say contradiction. Of course these church based and right wing charitable lobbies are TAXFREE. Something they forget to mention.

Except that the Conservative government is now looking at legislation for aboriginal womens property rights which was a direct result of the Court Challenge program.....hmmmm can you say hypocrisy.

Of course aboriginal peoples are a 'special interest' for the average right winger. Who wants to strip them of their 'special status' , that is they own the land we are on, and make them just like us cause they are NOT taxpayers now.

Cutting court challenges program would be "devastating" for r Aboriginals: program director

Badiou said that as "historically disadvantaged groups," Aboriginals would stand to lose much if funding was cut off entirely.

"As disadvantaged groups, they often do not have the funds. This program provides them with a voice to be heard," he said. Referring to program data, Badiou said that First Nations communities do take advantage of the program. In the year ending 2006, he said, Aboriginal applicants represented 19 % of all applicants received since 1994, or 266 total applicants. Of those, a total of 185 cases were funded by the Court Challenges Program, representing about 21% of all applicants. This is no insignificant amount, he says.

Significant cases involving Aboriginal equality rights have been funded through the program, said Badiou, pointing to annual report data.

For example, the program funded the Corbiere case where an Aboriginal woman challenged Indian Act provisions that prohibit band members living off- reserve from participating in Band elections. Due to a shortage of land and housing, many members of the Batchewana Indian Band in Northern Ontario often must live off-reserve. Particularly affected by this provision are women and children reinstated under Bill C-31 who have never had the opportunity to live on the reserve. A number of persons in this position challenged the residency requirement as contrary to the equality guarantees in section 15 of the Charter. The court would eventually agree that the band provisions did violate the off-reserve band member's equality rights and the requirement was struck down.

In the L'Hirondelle case, a number of Indian Bands had brought a challenge to Bill C-31. This Bill amended the Indian Act to oblige Indian Bands to include in their membership persons who, for various reasons, have been excluded from such membership. The case has tremendous implications for Aboriginal women who were particularly targeted by C-31 when they lost their Indian status and other descendants of band members who had lost theirs. The case has been to trial at least once is still working its way through the courts.

And despite the Arar debacle, which the Law and Order Tories continue to refuse to address RCMP/CSIS wrong doing, it appears that another vunerable group of Canadians will also be denied access to challenge the State, refugees.

Cuts to Program Shut Out Refugee Appeals
But penniless refugees wronged by CSIS will not be able to challenge the spy organization anymore using the Court Challenges Program. Last month, the program, together with 15 others the Conservatives consider a waste of taxpayers' money, was axed. The Treasury Board cut $5.6 million from the program. The government said the cuts to the programs will save taxpayers' $2 billion.

See:

Property Rights

Aboriginal

Right Wing

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Flaherty, Baird, Harper, Government, Conservatives, $1billionincuts, tax-cuts, program-cuts, governmentwaste, business-ttax, taxes, StatusofWomen, Museums, Newfoundland, Red-Tory, Progressive-Conservative, Premier, Danny, Williams, Province, court-challenge, minority-rights, left-libertarian, libertarian, libertarianism, Rothbard, agora, civil-liberties, property-rights,