Most visited pages bold face.
Should content of a page seem confused, click here. If your browser
has trouble presenting this page to you, click here.
Descriptions of several essays appear below the index.
click here, "cap & trade",
immigration, terrorism, Israel, catastrophes and homosexuals, as well as tribe,
race and race relations click here. I don't hold back
in expressing my opinions (dated and indexed by topic). For a more complete description,
click here.
I have for decades searched for the rights and wrongs of life, science, philosophy and
religion; these pages present my results.If you find here elements of truth, share that
knowledge (and this URL) with others. Comment is invited at the end of most pages.
* It would be arrogant to suggest my opinions are superior to yours but, if my
statements assist you in strengthening opinions that are distinctively yours, they have
served a useful purpose.
It is my hope this web site will be maintained in perpetuity,** but it will require the help
of readers. No one will agree completely, but, if you find comment that is worthwhile
or stimulating and should continue to be available, contribute to its continuation.
Donations to The Rational Link are tax deductible. If you wish to contribute,
click here for further information. My
daughter has promised to continue the site after my death as long as funds are on hand.
About The Rational Link, Inc. (TRL): Ken commenced public outreach with a
secular version of The Ten Commandments for classroom display. He organized TRL to
receive tax exempt contributions since costs can readily outstrip his income. TRL
underwrote publication of the book Love to Live and Live to Love (LL);
then emphasis shifted to Springboard Books, a series intended to encourage dialogue
between parents and their offspring. Financial help is solicited to offset costs of
publication. For a further description of objectives click
here. To contact Ken
click here.
Descriptions of selected titles not accessed by Preview clicks
Affirmations: "The world is beautiful. Life is
beautiful. I am surrounded by beauty. A sensual feast delights . . ."
[And on] Click here.
Affirmations: "I am me; I am who I am. . . . In my commitment to you . . .
I will hear . . . I will try . . . I will look at differences . . . Our intent as a couple . . ."
[And on] Click here.
School reform: Efficiency comes from specialization. Assignment
of a broad range of abilities and attainments in a single classroom is
inherently wasteful of teacher and teaching resources. I suggest reorganization of
teaching units with compressed and extended formats to match student rate
of advancement as well as rational use of busing and discipline. To view,
click here.
Whom Shall You Believe?: Ultimately it is your intuition that
forms the basis for your acceptance or rejection of facts and ideas. Intuition
and reason are trainable, and you have myriad sources of information and
training from which you select your own mind-set.
To view, click here.
House of Man: All religions spring from the same source
within us, but men of good will have developed competing views of the one Reality.
Competition is healthy, but there ought also be mutual respect and cooperation. To view,
click here.
Versions of Reality: Each of us has need to achieve
inner peace regarding his belief system. Here is a collection of ideas garnered from
various religious and mystical sources dealing with continuity of the soul beyond death,
the organization required for that possibility, and the prospect of a deity or God. If you
are confident in your faith, you can afford to examine ideas that others harbor. If not,
you should consider what your intuition tells you of these ideas. Some things you will
accept as demonstrable fact and others you must accept on faith.
To view, click here.
Churches and other religious organizations
have been derelict in providing for the consequences of their
missionary activity. Economic development is as much needed as converting the
heathen. Moreover, the church is the only organization in our society that can
provide sex education without exciting controversy. To view comments and
specific suggestions, click here.
Dance: Dancing is sociability, pleasure and
health combined. Everyone should learn and practice some form of dance. For a general
discussion, click here.
Happiness: You are not entirely the helpless victim in your descent
into unhappiness because the things that influence your happiness are, to a large extent,
yours to control. To view, click here.
Was the Big Bang the ultimate beginning?
The Big Bang intuitively offers an explanation of the beginnings of our Universe and
there has been much mathematical and experimental effort expended to affirm the
correctness of this theory. But the question of initial conditions -- what set the stage
for the Bang -- has been a barrier to acceptance of the theory. Here is an alternative
explanation that casts the question of initial conditions into another framework and
suggests the Big Bang is a continuation of an evolution already set in motion. It also
suggests an answer to the ultimate question of the origin of deity.
To view, click here.
From Creation to now: Big Bang, Evolution and Life: Development of
the universe including galaxies, Solar system, Earth and geology leading to life on Earth and
ultimately to us: a brief survey. To view, click here
Phonetic alphabet: With an adequate phonetic alphabet, any
language on Earth should be renderable with that alphabet. My analysis of English
led to a set of 38 distinct sounds (not counting minor variations produced by such
things as a leading 'r'). A single artifact obviates the need for capital letters with
their doubling the number of required symbols. There are specific steps needed to
implement this alphabet, and I hope others will join me in practicing writing our
English language with this alphabet and in carrying out the needed steps toward
implementation. To view, click here.
Automatic Driving: All of the technologies are in place for totally
hands-free driving. To view click here. (12-21-08: The
next steps are incorporating the technology in a car and preparing a stretch of road as
a test platform. Let the U.S. lead the way.)
Theistic Evolution: Consider the fossil record and the limited knowledge
of intermediate life forms. It seems that evolution, contrary to traditional teaching of
the theory of evolution, has progressed by quantum leaps, which suggests intervention by
outside factors. To view, click here.
Science and the Bible's Creation Story: The degree of agreement
between what we take as science and Creation as described in Genesis One is
remarkable. I was astounded at realizing the author(s) of the Biblical text had such
remarkable insight. To view, click here.
My Reality: All truths, be they religious, scientific, mystical, whether
derived from intuition, reason or observation, must be compatible because there can be
only one truth in any line of thought. Science, religion and human experience must
ultimately reflect a single set of truths. Here is my construction.
To view, click here.
Titles accessed by Preview clicks. Order is irrelevant.
Abortion and Reason: I was unaware of abortion, much less its impact,
until my daughter neared puberty, about the same time the 'pill' became part of the
American experience. Over time I have observed, read and interpreted -- and published a
monthly opinion exchange where the topic of abortion seemed never to be exhausted --
and distilled the essences of those years of discussion and reflection. You will find no
passionate insistence or defense here, just an effort to suggest what reason requires.
To view, click here.
Love to Live and Live to Love:
Making Longevity Worthwhile
Displaying The Ten Commandments: Every classroom
in America, as well as the foyer of every public building, should display some form of this
document. Our teachers need a tool for moral instruction and our public needs
a reminder of societal norms. It isn't guns that kill so much as moral lapses, and
education is the one tool at our disposal for reducing crimes voluntarily commited by
one person against another. Here is a secular presentation of the last six of the Ten (the
first four being admittedly religious in nature). To view, click here.
Ballroom dancing: commencing to dance: (If you have
an urgent need to learn something quickly, you will find help on Page 1 in blue.) Here is
information and instruction to take you from "two left feet" to comfortably dancing several
beginning figures. It is organized in a timely sequence to present information and practice
instructions as needful. My approach is unique among dance instructors I have known since
I present both what the man does to lead his lady and the expected response from her.
Instruction will get you started with Rhythm Fox Trot, Waltz, Rumba and Swing. To go
there, click here. While this opens the world of ballroom
dancing to you, you will wish later to enlarge your repertoire of these dances and include
other dances such as another version of Fox Trot, Tango, Samba, Cha Cha, Polka, . . .
Social Contract: We have developed rules for our relationships based
on elemental concepts of fairness, reason and safety. I am conservative in the sense that
each person should have autonomy over himself so long as he respects the autonomy of,
and inflicts no harm on, others. This is my view of a host of concerns, such as religion,
marriage, prostitution, conception, infancy, adult issues, suicide, racism, greed, women's
rights, homosexuality, abortion, our future, . . ., that dictate how we deal with each
other. To contrast that with your point of view, click here.
Drugs: An educational effort to present facts for youngsters and
adults alike about specific drugs, their detection, etc., along with information to facilitate
discussions. To view, click here. I also have strong feelings
about the "War on Drugs" and recognize the misdirection of taxes in pursuit of a goal
that defies rationality. To view, click here. A personal
philosophy regarding life and drugs is discussed, and personal testimonials about the
influence of drugs are included; to view
click here.
Amendments:
Energy for the Future: Somehow the U.S. must relax the strangle hold
antagonistic foreign nations have on petroleum. Here is a brief survey of various sources
of energy with suggestions on conservation and directions for research and development.
To access, click here.
Musing on the beginning and end: Reflect on 1) the magnitude of
Creation, UFOs and extra-terrestrials, 2) the effects of development unfettered by concern
for its lasting damage, 3) leaders pursuing their own interests with unconcern for the
consequences, and 4) the probability that our civilization (like others that have been
established on other planets orbiting other suns) will suffer a fate that seems an
inevitable outgrowth of its own accomplishments. To view,
click here. And, afterward, share the outcome of your reflections.
Exxon Valdez: I recall the extreme measures taken at the time of
construction of the Alaska pipeline to protect migration routes and be environmentally
friendly; the dollar cost was huge. But in operation the safety of the oil-carrying fleet
of vessels was virtually ignored -- until the unthinkable happened and a drunken captain
let his ship run aground and devastate one of Earth's remaining pristine -- and most
fertile -- habitats. Nobody knew how to contend with it or repair it; throwing billions of
dollars at 'clean-up' couldn't begin to repair the damage; the mix of wild life can never
be restored. This is a black eye for our species, but the oil interests still seem
unwilling to spend the time and money to contain large spills. It is their world as well
as ours; I shudder at what this portends for the future. To view,
click here. You may wish to find a blog for an update;
search "exxon valdez oil spill blogs"; there are thousands (2009) to choose from. See my
web page (click above) for what I learned the other day.
Rational Theism: A context is suggested for the human spirit in the
present and in the hereafter (as a spirit); restatements of fundamental religious ideas
bring them into accord with what reason dictates. We recognize how the deity's Will
came to be expressed in our religious literature as well as the origin of traditional dogma
as individuals have attempted to elucidate that Will. In the absence of incontrovertible
scientific evidence there is or is not a deity, reason and intuition both suggest you
express your beliefs carefully in choosing whichever argument best fits your temperament.
To view, click here. A blog has been established; visit it
at http://rationaltheism-kenwear.blogspot.com and send me a description of your efforts
to make your religion compatible with reason. I have no choice but edit contents of the
blog in order to avoid spam and other abuse, but I will add pertinent comment unedited
(or edited if you ask me to).
Opinions Entries are indexed by topic so you can
pursue your interest. Here is a collection (to tickle your conscience) of comment on a
host of current issues and concerns, both foreign and domestic. To view foreign relations
(U.N., China, Indonesia, Palestine, disasters, Iraq, security, terrorism, catastrophes),
click here; for domestic policy (athletics, crime, energy,
marriage, political correctness, suicide, Social Security, race, tribes, trade),
click here.
Confused page content
The INNKEEPER: the Christmas ballad (copyrighted, in pdf format)
I have written and copyrighted other songs. They are pdf
format. If you have an interest, you may access any of them by
clicking here.
My printer takes 8 pages or 4 sheets of paper to print this document.
I hope you will examine Love to Live and The Innkeeper.
** by The Rational Link, Inc., a non-profit foundation incorporated
in the State of Georgia.
Moreover, I feel that individual
intellectual giftedness is the one resource of all resources that must be
identified and developed. Our failure to do so will impact the future of our kind and
deprive all of us of the benefits that only the gifted can create. To view,
click here.
For an exercise you can use to check your readiness to dance,
click here. Dancers: You should circulate this among your non-dancing
friends.
Ballroom Dancing: Commencing to Dance: What you
need to know to start dancing, including initial exercises and dance steps. It is
discussed more completely below; click here
Moreover, there are a number of ways in which the English language could be rendered
more understandable -- or less confusing; to view, click here.
An adult book whose thrust is reduction of stress; it starts
with symptoms of heart attack and stroke and the suggested responses; it then discusses
specifics of reducing of stress (including committed relationships), techniques of massage,
suggestions to heighten your sexual delights, specific foods relating to cholesterol, and
suggested exercise regimens.
The stress connection: Reduction of stress conveys the
immediate benefit of greater satisfaction in your daily activities. Moreover, medical
research has recognized that inflammation and stress are the root causes of build-up of
plaque in our arteries, including the heart, as cause of heart attack and stroke, so reduction
of cholesterol is only part of the battle. Cholesterol is a constituent of your body's cells
and half the victims of heart attack have normal cholesterol. Clearly high
cholesterol is part symptom and part cause, and low cholesterol creates a different set of
health problems; it is vital to health. Researchers realized that it is stress that causes the
build-up of plaque, starting in the interior of artery walls and progressing out into the
blood stream, and cholesterol is only one of several ingredients that make up plaque. And
it is inflammation that creates ruptures in those artery walls (so plaque can take hold) and
dislodges bits and clots from the plaque to clog an artery. So: anti-inflammatory foods
and vitamins, plus eliminating as much stress as possible, should produce an internal bodily
climate that lends to longevity. Of course, exercise is necessary to maintaining a healthy
heart and strong circulation of blood.
Reducing stress has both immediate and long term rewards.
Not only does it improve your chances to experience happiness now, but it improves your
chances for longevity with the prospect of heightened rewards during an extended life span.
You win thrice by reducing stress.
My driving motive in writing was ridding ourselves of
the kinds of stress that lead to arterial plaque and the resultant heart attack or stroke, as
well as alleviating the results of stress. Sexual activity is part of that picture, as are
massage, exercise and foods; and the book discusses each in turn.
ISBN 978-1-59526-866-2 has been assigned and the
book is now availble from Llumina Press and Amazon and is available by special order
from many book stores. And I have a few copies available for immediate shipment.
For further information from Llumina Press,
click here; to order from
Llumina, click here; or go to Amazon and
enter the title "Love to Live and Live to Love."
About me: My training was physics and engineering,
and I worked for years in space-related research. A broken marriage and heart attack led
me to apply the same clear thinking to other aspects of life. My hope is that my traumas
and the research that followed will help others.
To contact me or order from me
click here. (with $1 sales tax $15 plus $5 P&H)
In the aftermath of publication:
What readers are saying, click here.
Further information Since publication of the book freezes
the text, and I continue to search for information and insights, I will add further
information that I uncover, and further insights, after the description of the
book; click here.
For tips and products on enriching adult sex life,
foods/cholesterol, exercise regimens, massage, . . . click here.
To find help in overcoming addictions,
click here.
For help in reordering your life afterward or locating a support
group, click here.
A book of further instruction is available. You may contact me via e-mail by
clicking here
Over time successive Supreme Court decisions have emasculated the vision our forefathers
had for this country, to the detriment of reason, safety and liberty. To examine proposed
amendments, click here.
Supreme Court judges should be appointed for long but limited terms; to examine, click here.
Sexual practices and consequences are no business of Federal judiciary; to examine, click here.
Security is a personal responsibility; to examine, click here.
The "War on Drugs" is an unproductive, expensive and unwarranted fiasco; to examine, click here.
Illegal immigrants are here in violation of our laws; to examine, click here.
American English is our national language; click here.
We should be free to express our religious convictions without Federal oversight, . . . ; click here.
Since I encourage using today's agricultural products as energy source, I have included a
page on biodiesel; to view, click here. I suspect that a
by-product of biodiesel, from many feedstocks, would be ethanol.
Considering the intense interest in algae as a source for oils, I have included a page on algae
(with an emphasis on biodiesel although algae will ultimately become a primary source of
foods for both humans and animals); to view click here. Again,
many algae may provide ethanol either from their sugar or cellulose content or as a
by-product of biodiesel production.
It has become evident to me in recent weeks that telephone circuits by which this web
site is maintained and by which you receive search results are frequently overloaded.
Data is transmitted in packets, which I assume are 512 bytes each, and routed from
sender to receiver on various segments of interconnecting telephone circuitry on an "as
available" basis so inidividual packets may follow various routes. Transmission is so
rapid that reassembly of packets at the receiving station goes unnoticed in voice
transmission, but high-speed internet has much more stringent time requirements. What I
have experienced in recent weeks is shuffling of the packets that comprise a web page so
that segments of the page appear out of order on my computer monitor. Lacking a better
explanation, I am assuming some packets are delayed due to overloading (or equipment
failure) of the long-distance telephone system. Should you suspect such shuffling of web
page content, refreshing may be adequate. Or you may re-instigate your search in the hope
for better transmission. Should you be unable to receive an adequately readable copy, I
would be grateful if you would so advise me by e-mail; for the e-mail form
click here.
The keeper of that inn in Bethlehem has been defamed by preachers for generations. But he
had no extra room to offer; his inn was full and he could not ask another guest to give up
his room. Rather than turn Joseph and Mary away, he did the best he could to provide
shelter to a woman about to give birth. This song honors the innkeeper as a thoughtful,
caring man (just as we honor Joseph for providing for a woman pregnant with a child now
his own) and then proceeds with the traditional Christmas story.
Music is complete with introduction, piano, percussion (donkey carrying Mary), harmony
and meshing melody with harmony. It has been reworked for readability and ease of use,
with cover, in booklet form.
For further information, score and lyrics,click here.
For front cover art, click here.
To contact me, click here.
I had hoped to create a blog where choristers could add comment on their programs using
The Innkeeper but have thus far been unable to open it to additions by others. But,
to allow descriptions, please contact me via e-mail and I will add your comments
(anonymous, if you wish) at the end of the web page describing the music. For comments,
click here.
"I'm In Love With Someone" (copyrighted) was written for a valentine party
for Christian high schoolers and not performed at the time. Its first verse is intended to
be sung by a girl, the second by a boy, and the third by both in unison.
"To Terri From Mike" (copyrighted) was written after the death of Terri Schiavo.
One Saturday morning I awoke with the beginnings of words and melody playing on my mind.
They would not go away so I sat down with pen for words and keyboard for music. By
Sunday evening the song was complete. As this is written it has not, to my knowledge, been
performed.
"She Lied and Said": (copyrighted) My heart was breaking when I wrote these
words and the tune sort of fell into place. I ran across them the other day and put the tune
to paper. (Words were largely taken from an earlier copyrighted song "Part Time
Husband.") When you examine wording you will recognize that verses 1,3,5,6 are intended
to be sung by a male voice, verses 2,4 by a female voice.