Reporting for duty, Captain!

Chief Science Officer on a starship.  That would be my career goal if I were starting my college education now.  If somebody were to ask me about what would be a worthy career goal as a way of selecting courses for college study, that's what I would say:  Aspire to be the Chief Science Officer on board a starship.  That should really stimulate the conversation.  Let the imagination run wild!

So what if science isn't for everybody?  (Not to mention traveling on a starship; more on that later.)  There are some who would say that college isn't for everybody.  Respectfully, I disagree on that last one, and I would restate the proposition in this way:  College has something for everybody.

In front of me is a list of over sixty vocational goals that can benefit from college education.  Here's a sampling:  accounting; advertising; architecture; aviation maintenance; business; child development; construction trades; computer science; culinary arts; creative writing; engineering; geography; health science; horticulture; interior design; journalism; medicine; music; nursing; physical sciences; pre-law; psychology; sociology; teaching; theater.

Conversation with a conservative -- Is there religious war between Islam and Christianity?

Many people disagree with me about many things.  Sometimes you should hear from one of them first, before you read my ideas on the subject.  This is one of those times.

Are we currently experiencing a religious conflict between Islam and Christianity?  Do the followers of the world's two largest religions have such different sets of social, political, economic and faith-based beliefs that they cannot coexist peacefully until the time comes when one is unequivocally predominant?  Are we asking ourselves these questions because of a rising force in the world that should be labeled "radical Islamic terrorism?"  Should the President of the United States clearly state that these things are so, and that America is in a battle with radical Islamic terrorism?

U.S.A. -- Has religion forgotten how to accept others?

Creating a law that would ensure that people can follow their religious beliefs without being "substantially burdened" by government would seem to be a worthy use of the time and efforts of a government's elected representatives.

In fact, Congress did just such a thing, and President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law, back in 1993.  It was called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  It states that the Federal government may not "substantially burden" a person's religious pursuits, with certain exceptions which, after two decades, have stood the test of time as not being burdensome.

So what's all the fuss about over the similarly-named laws being legislated in Indiana and Arkansas?