Science and Belief

People develop belief systems trying to make sense out of their lives and the world around them.  Belief systems can and do answer all questions, leaving nothing to uncertainty.

Unfortunately, their answers are not always satisfactory nor factual.  However, belief system power structures usually come down hard on anyone who dares question their answers.  How hard depends on the degree of political power they wield at the time.

Consequently, those who would pursue factual verifiable truth must be to some extent non-believers since the belief systems have all the answers.  I tease some of my relatives that if it were not for atheists we would still be living in caves, lighting fire with sticks and believing the sun went around the earth.  Yet Atheism itself is a belief system in that one cannot prove or disprove there is a Higher Power. But it does free the mind to look for answers elsewhere than in sacred writings.

Belief systems have had a go at eliminating science and failed.  Science is having a go at eliminating belief systems and will also fail.  They deal with two separate issues – the knowable and the unknowable.

Science can only answer the WHAT, WHEN and WHERE of our lives and the earth around us.  Belief systems can only truly answer the WHO and WHY.  Using one to do the other’s work only leads to confusion, bitterness and ignorance.

Belief systems can be absolutely certain.  Science cannot.  Science can only be as certain as the facts before it today.  Tomorrow new research, new findings, new facts can add to what we know or completely turn it around.  The debate is NEVER over.  If science stops debating and only accepts one version, even when confronted with solid evidence, it becomes a belief system and is then totally useless to us.

One of these days, I will blog about my understanding of WHO and WHY.  The last sentence in my last blog about our homeless dog generated a few comments from my readers, as it was intended to do.  They deserve an answer.

Our Homeless Dog

When we were renovating, we hired two women, Natasha and Yulia, to do much of the inside finishing work, wallpapering and such.  Yulia lived across the back garden and down the next street a bit from us.  She had three girls, oldest about 10 or 12 and a boy about a year old.  Yulia and her husband Sergei both had alcohol problems and Yulia often came to work showing the marks of their relationship on her face.  She was a good worker but undependable.

When they wore out the shack they lived in, her husband's mother moved into the city into an apartment and Yulia, Sergei and kids moved into the mother's home, about "two blocks" from the other house and still quite close to our house.  The mother's dog, a mostly German shepherd female, stayed with the house and became  Yulia's (well, Sergei's) dog.

Sergei got into hard drugs and eventually sold everything in the house to buy narcotics.  I mean everything.  Stove, beds, blankets.  there wasn't a stick left.  Yulia took the four kids and disappeared.  Sergei disappeared too.  And our dogs brought the dog home.  Actually she had been here several times, raiding garbage bags and we had fed her a few times out of kindness.  She decided she belonged to us.  We didn't need or want her though she was a lovely dog, very smart, well trained and a good watch dog.

Too good.  I put her in with my dogs until we could locate a home for her or a veterinarian to put her down.  When we were away, Roman came to look after the dogs and she wouldn't let him in the yard to feed them so they went hungry for three days.  When I got home, I put food out in three dishes so of course they all wanted to eat out of the same dish.  The female growled and my two dogs were all over her.  I called them off and put her outside the yard.  She was glad to go.  She slept in a shed next door and hung around the front in the day.

She was such a good dog.  We asked all around if anyone needed a dog and everyone has a dog and usually two.  Our veterinarian does not euthanize animals and we couldn't find the person who had looked after our neighbour Luda's dog.  Valerie had a rifle I could borrow.  The dog's days were numbered.  I have not put an animal down for many many years.  I hate it but I will not allow an animal to suffer.  I suggested Volk go and we keep her.  THAT went over well.

Yesterday Masha was here and playing with the dog who obviously missed Yulia's kids and was so glad to be with Masha and so patient.  We were dreading what had to happen.  Then the lady who delivers our mail came along with the weekly newspaper.  Tanya was working outside and they chatted awhile.  Valya said she really liked the dog and would come back next day and take it home as they needed a dog.

This afternoon, Valya, her daughter Katya and granddaughter Victoria (19 months and cute as a button) came by, put a collar on the dog and walked her home.  She called to say the dog was very well behaved, loved the little dog house they had for her with straw to sleep on and seemed all settled in.

Snowbrush, I don't pretend to understand it but sometimes He not only sees the little sparrow fall, He reaches out and catches it in His hand.  I am just thankful when He does.

Spring and Such

Here is the picture of our crocus patch.  Our meaning Tanya's. 
Saturday we hired Natasha and husband Valerie to rake the vegetable garden area so it won't dry out and turn to concrete.  Tanya is itching to start planting things.

The mutts are doing quite well, behaving sort of civilly after their last bouts of brotherly love.  Bobik has a few scars too but they are scattered rather than concentrated.  They are an even match.  And both are long on attitude. 

Face of a Fighter

He started it, I didn't (much).

The Bridge - from my brother Stan. Best version yet.

A man on his Harley was riding along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, God said, 'Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.'

The biker pulled over and said, 'Build a bridge to  Hawaii  so I can ride over anytime I want.'

God replied, 'Your request is materialistic; think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take!  I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things.  Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help man kind.'

The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, 'God, I wish that I , and all men,  could understand women; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, why she snaps and complains when I try to help, and how I can make a woman truly happy. 

God replied: 'You want two lanes or four on that bridge?"

More Dog Jokes (sent by my friend Robert)

Why All Men Should Have Dogs Instead of Wives:

• The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
• Dogs don't notice if you call them by another dog's name.
• Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.
• A dog's parents never visit.
• Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
• You never have to wait for a dog; they're ready to go 24 hours a day.
• Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
• A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, "If I died, would you get another dog?"
• If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.
• A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.
• If a dog smells another dog on you, they don't get mad. They just think it's interesting.
• Dogs like to ride in the back of a pickup truck.
• If a dog leaves, it won't take half of your stuff.

Dog and cat characteristics•...

• Dogs come when you call them. Cats take a message and get back to you when they are good and ready.
• Dogs look much better at the end of a leash.
• Dogs will let you give them a bath without taking out a contract on your life.
• Dogs will bark to wake you up if the house is on fire. Cats will quietly sneak out the back door.
• Dogs will bring you your slippers or the evening newspaper. Cats might bring you a dead mouse.
• Dogs will play Frisbee with you all afternoon. Cats will take a three-hour nap.
• Dogs will sit on the car seat next to you. Cats have to have their own private box or they will not go at all.
• Dogs will greet you and lick your face when you come home from work.  Cats will be mad that you went to work at all.
• Dogs will sit, lie down, and heel on command. Cats will smirk and walk away.
• Dogs will tilt their heads and listen whenever you talk. Cats will yawn and close their eyes.
• Dogs will give you unconditional love forever. Cats will make you pay for every mistake you've ever made since the day you were born.

Back Home Again

Three day beef school at Agro-Soyuz finished.  Everyone tired and happy.  Tanya says I am getting old as 11 years ago when I first taught a beef school in Ukraine, I could talk all day and not get tired.  It was a great class.  Lots of questions and arguments.  I learned lots too which is the best part of teaching an adult group.

Tanya and I are glad to be home with no projects in immediate future.  The last couple of weeeks have been pretty hectic.  I had 16 presentations on PPT that needed to be translated.  The translation team was tied up until a couple weeks ago so they were very rushed and late getting stuff back to me to make pretty and add pictures (slow email dictates no pictures etc in files sent for translation).  I was up late getting the PPTs ready, including nights during the school.


Spring has finally come.  Winter coats in closet, flower garden cleaned today.  Pictures of crocus's will be posted tomorrow.  Hyacinths are up and will bloom shortly.  Creek (river) is flooding.  Ducks and song birds are back.

Now I am going to bed.  I will read a week's backlog of blogs tomorrow.

Birthday Party and New Friends

Monday 15th was Volodya's 46th birthday so we went to a restaurant by the Dnipro River for supper.  Volodya and Oksana also invited their friends Natalia and Vasyl, whom we ahd met earlier in the day.  Natalia is office manager for Volodya and Oksana's company.  Vasyl and a partner have a woodworking shop next door!!  A fellow woodworker.  With lots of wonderful toys.

The first thing that caught our eye when we went into Volodya's office was a beautiful big hand-made blanket box by the door.  That was our introduction to Vasyl. Tanya ordered two immediately.  One for upstairs and one for downstairs bedrooms. I went over to his workshop and am now just itching to do some woodwork again.  It has been years.

Volodya and Oksana

Vasyl and Natalia

Snowing hard in Kremenchuk March 15th.