Above the beauty of the ancient domes of the Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia is our Milky Way which was formed over a10 billion years ago. These domes appear as huge layered beehives and are made of sandstones and conglomerates deposited over 350 million years ago and were shown on the ABC programme on the different ages of the land of Australia. I never get tired of seeing the beauty of the Milky Way's central band shown arching from horizon to horizon and I have a great collection of images. This photo was taken from the dark skies of Purnululu National Park about two months ago by Mike Salway. I have it set as desktop wallpaper and it's just breathtaking.
The Home has students from the various Secondary colleges around Mentone come in as part of their community service and I was surprised to be asked by one if I believed God made the Earth in 6 days and was only 6000 years old. I gave my stock reply, "and on the 7th day he gave us religion and stuffed the whole lot up". But I did go on and ask her how she could reconcile scientific fact, like the Bungle Bungles, with an age of 6000 years. She said she didn't really believe that but looked a bit uncertain. Then to totally confuse the issue, she asked if I thought the moon landings were real. I'll leave out the part where she looked stunned that I was around to watch it on tv. These modern children are really light years ahead of the history of the 20th Century. She thought it could all have been done in front of a 'green screen' like StarWars and Harry Potter with the astronauts hopping around and the moon put in later. We didn't have 'green screen' in the late sixties and that brought more questions from them and answers from me.
They don't know what it's like without the internet, mobile phones and can't even imagine the world without them. Mother was really gone by this time, eyes glazed over and questions going straight through to the keeper. It's all very well to have them come in to ask questions of the residents about their lives but it's hard when the residents have all but left the building which is why they end up with me. Mind you mother wasn't completely away with the fairies because she told me off for saying Christianity was a cult in Roman times, a mistake really because then I had to explain why it was a cult. After that I wasn't game to ask if they knew what a synchrotron was.
This group ends their visits on Friday and I have to break in a new mob next term.
11 comments:
You really know how to scare a person don't you.
Light years ahead of the history of the 20th Century. Perhaps. Light years behind in the gentle art of reason though. I suspect that the students gained more from their interaction with you than was on their course curriculum. I hope so anyway.
EC, I feel sorry for them, I won't go near the day room and the oldies any more.
I keep seeing my future there.
Robbert, religious tolerance is essential.
Romance definitely essential more so than sex.
You know it's frightening the percentage of people in America who believe the earth is only 6000 years old. One guy who had a guide's job at the Grand Canyon demanded that the tourist shop stock a book giving the arguments for the 6000 years because he believed it.
The Old Testament is a book, so is The Illiad, both claim to be true.
Romance is important to women, they just want to dance all night.
Stop being provocative.
Or I'll tell mother.
My father always said the Old Testament was the greatest war book ever written.
It's Jewish so how come the nutjobs always quote from that to support their views. Jesus didn't preach war in the New Testament. Preaching love doesn't bring money to the arms dealers.
Yes yes, and great photos look even better Set As Desktop. Don't try it with that Peacock Spider though.
New type of primate discovered in 'Africa' and the photo at The Guardian has made me really sad - the poor thing has Such A face, and looks like it needs a hug - suddenly in a cage being studied by anthropologists - I want to help it escape back to where they found it.
The 'new' primate was only unknown to scientific bodies. The specimen they found was being kept as a pet, and the locals were very familiar with the breed. And yes, the face looked so sad - and probably was.
My father said: "Jesus Christ!" many times. And shook his fist. There's war for you.
Who wouldn't quote the Jews, Rabbis are top scholars.
Christians were persecuted, fed to lions. Nowadays they're just mocked, by untalented cowardly follow-the-leader boneheads seeking eternal life in gymnasiums.
Stacks and EC, I saw that poor sad face too and couldn't read about him. Why do we always have to poke and prod anything we think is new?
Robbert, it was always bad to be anything in those days even a Vestal Virgin was done in for not keeping her vows. It wasn't just Christians, the Romans fed everyone to the lions.
Send em to me I love shocking young uns
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