Monthly Archive for December, 2009Page 3 of 10

Hey, theocrats?

Care to join the rest of us in the 21st century?

Oh wait, there's this little 'religion' thing going on, eh? My bad.

According to religion, it's okay for a court to punish people by chopping body parts off, and it's okay to blow up schools for girls while indulging in your religious psychopathic crusades. It's even better yet when such religious inanity is legally permitted due to theocratic bloodthirsty loonies.

This shit isn't funny, it's fucking scary - regardless of what religion is perpetrating these crimes against humanity.

*shudder*

Hey, theocrats?

Care to join the rest of us in the 21st century?

Oh wait, there's this little 'religion' thing going on, eh? My bad.

According to religion, it's okay for a court to punish people by chopping body parts off, and it's okay to blow up schools for girls while indulging in your religious psychopathic crusades. It's even better yet when such religious inanity is legally permitted due to theocratic bloodthirsty loonies.

This shit isn't funny, it's fucking scary - regardless of what religion is perpetrating these crimes against humanity.

*shudder*

Merry Christmas

To get back into the Christmas spirit, I am going to re-post a video from AronRa (a YouTube user) dealing with a twist on an old Christmas classic!

(Of course, it's still Christmas Eve where I live, but perhaps some of you have already opened and shared some gifts.  Then again, not all of you probably celebrate Christmas, in which case, have a safe December, no matter what you do.)

Merry Christmas

To get back into the Christmas spirit, I am going to re-post a video from AronRa (a YouTube user) dealing with a twist on an old Christmas classic!

(Of course, it's still Christmas Eve where I live, but perhaps some of you have already opened and shared some gifts.  Then again, not all of you probably celebrate Christmas, in which case, have a safe December, no matter what you do.)

Man commits suicide to be with his son

Apologies in advance, since this post wont be such a happy, joyous one- and on Christmas Eve, no less.  I feel inclined, however, to share this article.

A man has committed suicide in order to be reunited with his dead son, who died due to an automobile accident.
Kelly still blames herself for the fatal smash on the A81 Glasgow to Aberfoyle Road.

She was driving a Vauxhall Corsa with Connor in the passenger seat. They were following labourer Allan, who was carrying relatives in another car as they drove to Loch Achray to let their son try out his new fishing rod.

But Kelly lost control after hitting a pothole. The Corsa smashed into a Volvo and rolled down an embankment.

Connor was airlifted unconscious to Glasgow's Southern General where he was put on a life support machine.
The article states that the death of the boy was brought upon by the head injuries he sustained in the car crash.  This is obviously tear jerking in itself, and I couldn't imagine the pain endured by both the mother and father; it's obvious they loved their son very much, enough to want to follow him into the afterlife and take care of him.

If you're like me, you don't believe in the afterlife.  While there is no evidence that really disproves any notion of the afterlife, the burden of proof lies in those who posit that there is such a thing as the afterlife; in other words, this is the only life we're guaranteed.  This makes the story all the more tragic.
"While we sat we had talked about who would go with him if he died.
"Allan insisted I should stay to look after our 13-year-old daughter Lauren and he should go.
"He went into the family room and took a cocktail of tablets and tried to take his own life that night but nurses found him and he was saved."
But, several weeks later, Allan was found dead after strangling himself with a dog leash at a relative's home.
Shop worker Kelly, of Dennistoun, Glasgow, admitted that both of them had struggled to come to terms with losing Connor.
She added that their love for their daughter was the only thing that kept her going.
She added: "We were both tortured by Connor's death .
"We tried to carry on for Lauren's sake but it all got too much for Allan. When I heard he had died too, I screamed for about five minutes but then I felt a strange sense of comfort knowing that Connor wasn't alone any more.
"I went to see his body and he was smiling and looked at peace and contented for the first time since Connor died.
"I know that when he shut his eyes and died he knew that he was going to see Connor again.
This leaves me at a crossroads.  On one hand, I advocate that we as humans should recognize truth, and try to rid ourselves of any superstitious beliefs in order to satisfy the desire for a more realistic, and better society.  On the other hand, these people actually found comfort in their belief that their son would not be alone.  This comfort is found in religious believers of all stripes as well, who have found joy in the fact that maybe they're not alone.  But then I read this:
"She has been the strongest out of all of us and I am very proud of how she has coped with all this.
"I feel bad for her because I still can't face putting up a Christmas tree as it just makes me upset.

"The sense of loss doesn't seem to be getting any easier. My heart is still breaking for my lovely wee boy.
Nothing has been solved.  The truth is, not only have they lost their son, but they have lost their father too.  Sure, magical thinking can provide comfort for the moment, but it's not long term- and it isn't true comfort in the sense that it has any merit to it.  The belief in superstition made this story only all the more tragic.  In times like this, what one should not dwell on unsubstantiated thoughts of the afterlife, but rather continue to trudge on (for their sake, and the sake of others).  I don't mean to sound harsh, since the mother and daughter have been charitable in their reactions.
Since the double tragedy last year, Kelly has focused her energy on raising cash for the Southern General and the air ambulance.

With the support of her daughter and best pal Kevin Brannigan, 23, she has raised thousands of pounds for both causes.

Last week, they staged an original version of the Cinderella pantomime, penned by Kevin, starring family and friends, for 200 people at Bambury Centre in Barrowfield, Glasgow, in memory of Connor. They raised more than £600.

It was such a success that Kelly, who starred as Red Riding Hood, and Kevin, the Fairy Godfather, are planning to hold another night after the New Year.
The pair also held a charity dance, which raised £5000.

Kelly said: "The hospital staff were wonderful, so thoughtful and caring. They do such an amazing job. I want Connor to be proud of his mum and helping others makes me feel closer to him."
This is much more productive than taking your own life. Sometimes life is a struggle, I know, but the ability to continue forward in good faith (used loosely) is better than committing suicide.  It breaks my heart that this family has since lost two people, but as one reader puts it:
FatherTed13 wrote:
This is such a sad sad story. And proves that religon is a curse.

This young man killed himself so he could be with his son, nonsense.


All he has done is end his suffering, and in the process double that of the living.

A better tribute to his son would have been to stay healthy and look after the rest of his family.

I know i have been through this.

Man commits suicide to be with his son

Apologies in advance, since this post wont be such a happy, joyous one- and on Christmas Eve, no less.  I feel inclined, however, to share this article.

A man has committed suicide in order to be reunited with his dead son, who died due to an automobile accident.
Kelly still blames herself for the fatal smash on the A81 Glasgow to Aberfoyle Road.

She was driving a Vauxhall Corsa with Connor in the passenger seat. They were following labourer Allan, who was carrying relatives in another car as they drove to Loch Achray to let their son try out his new fishing rod.

But Kelly lost control after hitting a pothole. The Corsa smashed into a Volvo and rolled down an embankment.

Connor was airlifted unconscious to Glasgow's Southern General where he was put on a life support machine.
The article states that the death of the boy was brought upon by the head injuries he sustained in the car crash.  This is obviously tear jerking in itself, and I couldn't imagine the pain endured by both the mother and father; it's obvious they loved their son very much, enough to want to follow him into the afterlife and take care of him.

If you're like me, you don't believe in the afterlife.  While there is no evidence that really disproves any notion of the afterlife, the burden of proof lies in those who posit that there is such a thing as the afterlife; in other words, this is the only life we're guaranteed.  This makes the story all the more tragic.
"While we sat we had talked about who would go with him if he died.
"Allan insisted I should stay to look after our 13-year-old daughter Lauren and he should go.
"He went into the family room and took a cocktail of tablets and tried to take his own life that night but nurses found him and he was saved."
But, several weeks later, Allan was found dead after strangling himself with a dog leash at a relative's home.
Shop worker Kelly, of Dennistoun, Glasgow, admitted that both of them had struggled to come to terms with losing Connor.
She added that their love for their daughter was the only thing that kept her going.
She added: "We were both tortured by Connor's death .
"We tried to carry on for Lauren's sake but it all got too much for Allan. When I heard he had died too, I screamed for about five minutes but then I felt a strange sense of comfort knowing that Connor wasn't alone any more.
"I went to see his body and he was smiling and looked at peace and contented for the first time since Connor died.
"I know that when he shut his eyes and died he knew that he was going to see Connor again.
This leaves me at a crossroads.  On one hand, I advocate that we as humans should recognize truth, and try to rid ourselves of any superstitious beliefs in order to satisfy the desire for a more realistic, and better society.  On the other hand, these people actually found comfort in their belief that their son would not be alone.  This comfort is found in religious believers of all stripes as well, who have found joy in the fact that maybe they're not alone.  But then I read this:
"She has been the strongest out of all of us and I am very proud of how she has coped with all this.
"I feel bad for her because I still can't face putting up a Christmas tree as it just makes me upset.

"The sense of loss doesn't seem to be getting any easier. My heart is still breaking for my lovely wee boy.
Nothing has been solved.  The truth is, not only have they lost their son, but they have lost their father too.  Sure, magical thinking can provide comfort for the moment, but it's not long term- and it isn't true comfort in the sense that it has any merit to it.  The belief in superstition made this story only all the more tragic.  In times like this, what one should not dwell on unsubstantiated thoughts of the afterlife, but rather continue to trudge on (for their sake, and the sake of others).  I don't mean to sound harsh, since the mother and daughter have been charitable in their reactions.
Since the double tragedy last year, Kelly has focused her energy on raising cash for the Southern General and the air ambulance.

With the support of her daughter and best pal Kevin Brannigan, 23, she has raised thousands of pounds for both causes.

Last week, they staged an original version of the Cinderella pantomime, penned by Kevin, starring family and friends, for 200 people at Bambury Centre in Barrowfield, Glasgow, in memory of Connor. They raised more than £600.

It was such a success that Kelly, who starred as Red Riding Hood, and Kevin, the Fairy Godfather, are planning to hold another night after the New Year.
The pair also held a charity dance, which raised £5000.

Kelly said: "The hospital staff were wonderful, so thoughtful and caring. They do such an amazing job. I want Connor to be proud of his mum and helping others makes me feel closer to him."
This is much more productive than taking your own life. Sometimes life is a struggle, I know, but the ability to continue forward in good faith (used loosely) is better than committing suicide.  It breaks my heart that this family has since lost two people, but as one reader puts it:
FatherTed13 wrote:
This is such a sad sad story. And proves that religon is a curse.

This young man killed himself so he could be with his son, nonsense.


All he has done is end his suffering, and in the process double that of the living.

A better tribute to his son would have been to stay healthy and look after the rest of his family.

I know i have been through this.

Spam

I'm starting to get spam all the time on this blog. Sorry but I have to turn on comment moderation on for threads over 30 days. I hate doing this. It is infuriating that people are unable to follow basic rules of civility and instead feel it necessary to pollute the world with this garbage.

Not even FAKE SNOW?! How offensive…

Comment Date: Dec 15 2009 11:02 PM Rating: Christmas-Offensive Comment: The Gap has been intentionally offensive to Christmas for years. I remember about 4 years ago they decided not to decorate their stores during the holiday. Not even trees or fake snow..just completely ignore the season. It is weird for a retailer to take such a bold approach, after all it is a time that they

Not even FAKE SNOW?! How offensive…

Comment Date: Dec 15 2009 11:02 PM Rating: Christmas-Offensive Comment: The Gap has been intentionally offensive to Christmas for years. I remember about 4 years ago they decided not to decorate their stores during the holiday. Not even trees or fake snow..just completely ignore the season. It is weird for a retailer to take such a bold approach, after all it is a time that they

Our Solstice Celebration

The events that caused us to consider having a Solstice celebration occurred during the last week of school for our kids. Once we decided that we would celebrate, we had to put something together quickly. First, I want to say that we will still celebrate Christmas. I've written about this in the past, but will provide you with a quick summary. My husband's and my family celebrate Christmas. For us, it is a holiday about friends and family. I truly enjoy looking for the perfect gift for each person and get excited when I get to give people their gifts. It's the time of year when the days are shorter, but we can pass time by baking cookies with our families or drinking hot cocoa while looking at Christmas lights. These are the things that I have always enjoyed about Christmas. In fact, the way I celebrate Christmas with my kids is very similar to the way my family celebrated when I was little. The only small difference is that we don't go to church or have a birthday cake for baby Jesus....I always thought that was a little silly anyway. If you really think about it, Christmas has been a secular holiday for a LONG time. Even a Christmas tree isn't Christian...it's forbidden in the Bible (Jeremiah 10: 2-8).

When we were planning our solstice celebration, I knew I wanted it to stand apart from Christmas. Just as I started planning, I discovered Human Light, a holiday celebrating "Humanists vision of a good future." The more I read and learned about it, the more I felt like it was the perfect fit for our family celebration. (Happy Human Light by the way....December 23rd is the official day to celebrate). My husband is working today, so we had our celebration on December 21st, but incorporated ideas from Human Light into our festivities.

It all began the afternoon of December 21st. The four of us jumped into the car and headed to downtown Spokane. Our first stop was "Santa Express". Kids can shop with volunteer elves and pick out gifts ranging from $0.50-$7.50 and the proceeds benefit Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. This was chosen for two reasons. First, it benefits a charity that we support. Second, it helped our kids get excited about giving to other people. Both of our kids were thrilled with what they were able to buy and wanted to open gifts that day...but we're going to wait for Christmas. We wanted the day to be about spending time together as a family and thinking of ways to give to others.

After we left Santa Express, we walked around downtown enjoying the decorations as well as each other’s company. We discussed and all agreed that our favorite Mexican restaurant would be our next stop. After dinner, we went home and had a little ceremony of sorts. I had some special candles on the counter and each of our kids was allowed to light one...for a 9 & 7 year old this was a very grown up thing to do. Upon lighting the candles, we read from Affirmations: Joyful And Creative Exuberance by Paul Kurtz. Here's a small sample of what we read:

"Humanists are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems."

"Express and affirmative attitude towards other and ourselves."

"Have the courage of your convictions, do not be afraid to express them."

After each statement, we discussed what it meant and whether we believed it to be true. In our house, our kids are free to disagree with us and we with them. If we disagreed about something, we talked about it and tried to understand each other’s point of view. Each year, we will choose a different reading to discuss. For my readers who are theists, in no way do I feel this book, or any book, should be followed explicitly without question. In fact, one of the values I treasure is critical thinking...Question Everything! The point here was to help our kids understand what my husband and I do believe and the reasons we believe those things.

Following our discussion, we each chose a charity or cause we wanted to support in addition to the regular charities we support. Our choices this year were:

Second Harvest Food Bank
Boston Terrier Rescue of Western Washington
Washington Trails Association
Foundation Beyond Belief

(If our kids didn't know the specific name of a charity, we asked them what causes they wanted to help. Then, we searched for charities that support that cause. Charity Navigator is a great resource when looking for responsible charities.)

Then, it was time to decorate the solstice tree! I had wanted to get a living tree that we could decorate each year, but I have never had luck with indoor trees. So, we decided to get a small artificial tree that will be our solstice tree every year. This tree was to be decorated differently than our Christmas tree, though. I placed a piece of cardstock in front of each family member along with crayons, glue and glitter. We were going to make our own ornaments representing what we believe! I think we came up with some pretty creative ideas.

A drawing of earth with the words "Stop Global Warming" written on it.
A drawing of a worm that represented composting.
A drawing of a battery with the words "Conserve Energy" written on it.
A drawing of a peace symbol.
A drawing of a light bulb with "New Ideas" written on it.
A drawing of a question mark with the words "Question Everything" on it.
A drawing of an acorn with "Think for yourself" written on it.

I could go on, but I won't. I was so proud of the creative ideas we all came up with and our kids were delighted with their ornaments. After the season is over, I plan on saving our ornaments and making a scrapbook page with them. Each year, we'll look at our past ornaments after we finish decorating our solstice tree. It will be fun to see how they change from year to year.

Now that the ornaments were completed, it was time to place them on the tree. Once each ornament found its special spot, we turned on the lights and sang, "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles. Our kids LOVED this...my son started playing air guitar and my daughter had an imaginary microphone :) They insisted that we take picture of them singing in front of the solstice tree.

The closing of our afternoon of festivities consisted of watching the newest episode of Mythbusters together while drinking hot cocoa. As we were tucking our kids into bed that night, both of them expressed their enjoyment with our celebration. They can't wait for next year’s solstice celebration!

Our Solstice Celebration

The events that caused us to consider having a Solstice celebration occurred during the last week of school for our kids. Once we decided that we would celebrate, we had to put something together quickly. First, I want to say that we will still celebrate Christmas. I've written about this in the past, but will provide you with a quick summary. My husband's and my family celebrate Christmas. For us, it is a holiday about friends and family. I truly enjoy looking for the perfect gift for each person and get excited when I get to give people their gifts. It's the time of year when the days are shorter, but we can pass time by baking cookies with our families or drinking hot cocoa while looking at Christmas lights. These are the things that I have always enjoyed about Christmas. In fact, the way I celebrate Christmas with my kids is very similar to the way my family celebrated when I was little. The only small difference is that we don't go to church or have a birthday cake for baby Jesus....I always thought that was a little silly anyway. If you really think about it, Christmas has been a secular holiday for a LONG time. Even a Christmas tree isn't Christian...it's forbidden in the Bible (Jeremiah 10: 2-8).

When we were planning our solstice celebration, I knew I wanted it to stand apart from Christmas. Just as I started planning, I discovered Human Light, a holiday celebrating "Humanists vision of a good future." The more I read and learned about it, the more I felt like it was the perfect fit for our family celebration. (Happy Human Light by the way....December 23rd is the official day to celebrate). My husband is working today, so we had our celebration on December 21st, but incorporated ideas from Human Light into our festivities.

It all began the afternoon of December 21st. The four of us jumped into the car and headed to downtown Spokane. Our first stop was "Santa Express". Kids can shop with volunteer elves and pick out gifts ranging from $0.50-$7.50 and the proceeds benefit Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. This was chosen for two reasons. First, it benefits a charity that we support. Second, it helped our kids get excited about giving to other people. Both of our kids were thrilled with what they were able to buy and wanted to open gifts that day...but we're going to wait for Christmas. We wanted the day to be about spending time together as a family and thinking of ways to give to others.

After we left Santa Express, we walked around downtown enjoying the decorations as well as each other’s company. We discussed and all agreed that our favorite Mexican restaurant would be our next stop. After dinner, we went home and had a little ceremony of sorts. I had some special candles on the counter and each of our kids was allowed to light one...for a 9 & 7 year old this was a very grown up thing to do. Upon lighting the candles, we read from Affirmations: Joyful And Creative Exuberance by Paul Kurtz. Here's a small sample of what we read:

"Humanists are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems."

"Express and affirmative attitude towards other and ourselves."

"Have the courage of your convictions, do not be afraid to express them."

After each statement, we discussed what it meant and whether we believed it to be true. In our house, our kids are free to disagree with us and we with them. If we disagreed about something, we talked about it and tried to understand each other’s point of view. Each year, we will choose a different reading to discuss. For my readers who are theists, in no way do I feel this book, or any book, should be followed explicitly without question. In fact, one of the values I treasure is critical thinking...Question Everything! The point here was to help our kids understand what my husband and I do believe and the reasons we believe those things.

Following our discussion, we each chose a charity or cause we wanted to support in addition to the regular charities we support. Our choices this year were:

Second Harvest Food Bank
Boston Terrier Rescue of Western Washington
Washington Trails Association
Foundation Beyond Belief

(If our kids didn't know the specific name of a charity, we asked them what causes they wanted to help. Then, we searched for charities that support that cause. Charity Navigator is a great resource when looking for responsible charities.)

Then, it was time to decorate the solstice tree! I had wanted to get a living tree that we could decorate each year, but I have never had luck with indoor trees. So, we decided to get a small artificial tree that will be our solstice tree every year. This tree was to be decorated differently than our Christmas tree, though. I placed a piece of cardstock in front of each family member along with crayons, glue and glitter. We were going to make our own ornaments representing what we believe! I think we came up with some pretty creative ideas.

A drawing of earth with the words "Stop Global Warming" written on it.
A drawing of a worm that represented composting.
A drawing of a battery with the words "Conserve Energy" written on it.
A drawing of a peace symbol.
A drawing of a light bulb with "New Ideas" written on it.
A drawing of a question mark with the words "Question Everything" on it.
A drawing of an acorn with "Think for yourself" written on it.

I could go on, but I won't. I was so proud of the creative ideas we all came up with and our kids were delighted with their ornaments. After the season is over, I plan on saving our ornaments and making a scrapbook page with them. Each year, we'll look at our past ornaments after we finish decorating our solstice tree. It will be fun to see how they change from year to year.

Now that the ornaments were completed, it was time to place them on the tree. Once each ornament found its special spot, we turned on the lights and sang, "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles. Our kids LOVED this...my son started playing air guitar and my daughter had an imaginary microphone :) They insisted that we take picture of them singing in front of the solstice tree.

The closing of our afternoon of festivities consisted of watching the newest episode of Mythbusters together while drinking hot cocoa. As we were tucking our kids into bed that night, both of them expressed their enjoyment with our celebration. They can't wait for next year’s solstice celebration!

Menopausal atheists?

Just a standard side-bar ad on a random site ...of course the giant, albeit white, Dawkins-style A caught my attention...

Menopausal atheists?

Just a standard side-bar ad on a random site ...of course the giant, albeit white, Dawkins-style A caught my attention...

Being Vegan

Well, I guess this is my first post on Posterous about being vegan.

We as citizens are subject to the market influence of agri-business. Sure, I am too. I'm not saying I am immune to the clenched fist of this nefarious industry as it extends into every pore of our dietary lifestyles, yet I try to abstain from consuming any animal or animal by-product wherever I can. I even look at clothing labels to make sure nothing is leather or made from wool. Once in while I may flub something and assume that a product is "animal friendly" and continue on through the check-out and later find that I was an idiot and didn't read the label. In all actuality I am not a true vegan but I try my damnedest.

However, how can we really know something that we purchase is "animal friendly" unless we abstain from the whole consumer marketplace? By which we actually produce our own cotton and our own garden veggies? To be self-sustaining? I for one would, on one point, wholeheartedly endorse such endeavors. But we are inundated with an environment that espouses a lax consumerism by which people just don't care where their "stuff" comes from. I must emphasize "don't care", because we really don't care even on second thought. There really is a "third thought".

So, as a society, on the second point we can't possibly alienate agri-business. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that agri-business, as it stands now, is anywhere but ethical; but that market forces dictate that consumers "get what they want". Therefore we change things by voting with our wallets and pocketbooks.

Posted via web from irreligious

Being Vegan

Well, I guess this is my first post on Posterous about being vegan.

We as citizens are subject to the market influence of agri-business. Sure, I am too. I'm not saying I am immune to the clenched fist of this nefarious industry as it extends into every pore of our dietary lifestyles, yet I try to abstain from consuming any animal or animal by-product wherever I can. I even look at clothing labels to make sure nothing is leather or made from wool. Once in while I may flub something and assume that a product is "animal friendly" and continue on through the check-out and later find that I was an idiot and didn't read the label. In all actuality I am not a true vegan but I try my damnedest.

However, how can we really know something that we purchase is "animal friendly" unless we abstain from the whole consumer marketplace? By which we actually produce our own cotton and our own garden veggies? To be self-sustaining? I for one would, on one point, wholeheartedly endorse such endeavors. But we are inundated with an environment that espouses a lax consumerism by which people just don't care where their "stuff" comes from. I must emphasize "don't care", because we really don't care even on second thought. There really is a "third thought".

So, as a society, on the second point we can't possibly alienate agri-business. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that agri-business, as it stands now, is anywhere but ethical; but that market forces dictate that consumers "get what they want". Therefore we change things by voting with our wallets and pocketbooks.

Posted via web from irreligious

The Oil Sands and Canada’s Reputation

The Oil Sands are the best thing to happen to Canada's worldwide reputation since Vimy Ridge. No longer peacekeeper tree huggers, we are officially bad ass capitalists. As much as I frown at the extremes of capitalism sometimes, being a bad ass capitalist is sure better than being the small skinny kid in the play ground. Now we are more like the nerdy rich kid who runs his own racket and who can make everyone do his bidding cause after all, we now have the threat, "don't piss us off or we'll cut off your supply".

Sure there may have been better ways to increase our tough guy image, but nothing speaks like oil. We have it, the rest of the world outside the middle east doesn't, at least not like we got it. And we got game! Canada has enough oil to supply the USA and that will not only tighten our friendship with our brother to the south, but give us a head start on creating an oil free economy that we will need to have in the 22nd century.

Of course, risking world catastrophe is a possibility but hey, even after massive disaster, we'll still have the oil, the water, and the most highly educated nation on the planet....we'll be fine.