For those not familiar with Boolean logic XOR stands for Exclusive Or (otherwise known as ‘exclusive disjunction’). In plain English it means that instead of choosing 1) one or 2) the other or 3) both the choice is limited ‘exclusively’ to choices of only one or the other.

My question, are science and religion mutually exclusive? If one is a true scientist can he also be deeply religious?

Science is the pursuit of the truth through theory (or hypothesis), followed by experimentation to validate those theories. Everything in a person’s worldview will shape the formation of his theories, this is unavoidable no matter what anyone says. It would be like saying that an author can write without choosing words that convey the meaning (or slant) they want to present.

In moving from theory to validation of those facts, if only the facts are accepted it would naturally exclude falsehoods included in the theory.

So what’s the problem? Someone who is deeply religious can also be an exacting scientist as long as he only accepts the truth. The facts are the facts. The interpretation of the facts are the real issue. Interpretation is and always will be subjective. A true scientist will state his opinion of the facts as his opinion of the facts. I cannot recall the last time I wasn’t fed more subjective science rather than true science. Critical thinking demands asking “why” and “how” the conclusion was reached and requires that the facts be presented to persuade, not opinion.

Hurrah for critical thinking!

Today I thought I’d throw out a topic that is quite apropos. Birthdays.

I wondered when and where an annual celebration first took place. How is it that man decided to mark his time on Earth? Why did he choose to do it annually vs. monthly or daily? (Each of these being some sort celestial timetable).

In my quest for answers to these questions as well as several others, I traveled to Wikipedia and Google in search of the history of the birthday. Unfortunately the information I found, although interesting, left me wanting for more details. I guess I must consign myself, at least for now, to understanding that man wanted something to mark his (in the context of humankind, in case you are offended) days on this Earth.

What would we do if we loved on another world?

One year on each of these equals:
• Jupiter = 11.86 Earth years
• Saturn = 29.46 Earth years
• Uranus = 84.01 Earth years
• Neptune = 164.79 Earth years
• Pluto {my favorite minor planet} = 248.54 Earth years

Does that mean that on Uranus, Neptune and Pluto most of us would never live to see our first birthday? That wouldn’t be right. What celestial marker might we use for proof so that we can tell our kids we’ve seen a lot more in life than they have?

If I lived on Jupiter I’d almost be 4 years old. But then again, if I lived on Jupiter I’d weigh 490 pounds, breathe hydrogen and helium gases, enjoy a nice balmy -184 degrees F, and enjoy windsurfing at 400 mile/hr.

I suppose I am content with our system of marking humankind’s time on this planet even if I don’t understand the origins.

• Gato Class Submarine
• Keel laid: April 1, 1942, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA
• Launched: October 7, 1942
• Commissioned: February 15, 1943
• Displacement: 1,526 tons surfaced; 2,424 tons submerged
• Length: 311′ 10″
• Beam: 27′ 4″
• Operating depth: 300′
• Complement: 6 officers, 54 enlisted
• Armament: ten 21″ torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3″/50 deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns

On March 5th, Tullibee stood out of Pearl Harbor to begin her fourth war patrol. Nine days later, she called at Midway Island to top off her fuel and then proceeded to her patrol area in the Palau Islands. She was scheduled to support aircraft carrier strikes against those islands on March 30 and 31. On March 25, Tullibee arrived on station and began patrolling. The next day, she made radar contact on a convoy consisting of a large passenger-cargo ship, two medium-sized freighters, a destroyer, and two other escorts. The submarine made several surface runs on the transport but kept losing her in rain squalls. Tullibee finally closed to 3,000 yards and fired two torpedoes from her bow tubes at the target. About two minutes later, the submarine was rocked by a violent explosion. Apparently, one of Tullibee’s own torpedoes ran a circular course and sank the submarine which had launched it.

Gunner’s Mate C.W. Kuykendall, on the bridge at the time, was knocked unconscious and thrown into the water. When he regained consciousness, the submarine was gone. He heard voices in the water for about ten minutes, then they stopped. The next day, he was picked up by a Japanese escort.

Kuykendall survived as a prisoner of war and was released after V-J Day.

Tullibee received three battle stars for World War II service.

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Patch on left contributed by Mike Smolinski, patch on right contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN (ret.)

• Gato Class Submarine
• Keel laid: February 1, 1941, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA
• Launched: October 22, 1941
• Commissioned: January 30, 1942
• Displacement: 1,526 tons surfaced; 2,410 tons submerged
• Length: 311′ 10″
• Beam: 27′ 4″
• Operating depth: 300′
• Complement: 6 officers, 54 enlisted
• Armament: ten 21″ torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3″/50 dual purpose deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns

Trigger (with new skipper Commander David R. Connole) stood out to sea on March 11th to begin her 12th war patrol and headed for the Nansei Shoto area. On March 18th, she attacked a convoy west of the islands, sinking the cargo ship Tsukushi Maru No.3 and damaging another. The attack was reported on March 20th, and the submarine was subsequently ordered to radio as many movements of the convoy as possible to help find a safe passage through a known mined area of the East China Sea. On March 24th, Trigger was ordered to begin patrolling west of the islands the next day, outside the 100 fathom curve, and to steer clear of restricted areas. On March 26th, she was ordered to join a wolf pack called “Earl’s Eliminators” and to acknowledge receipt of the message. A weather report came from the submarine that day but no confirmation of her having received the message. The weather report was Trigger’s last transmission. On April 4th, she was ordered to proceed to Midway Island, but she had not arrived by May 1st and was reported as presumed lost.

Postwar records indicate she torpedoed and sank the repair ship Odate on March 27th. The next day, Japanese planes and ships joined in a two-hour attack on a submarine heard by Silversides, Sea Dog (SS 401), Hackleback (SS 295), and Threadfin (SS 410) in adjacent areas. Threadfin was the only one of these submarines attacked that day, and she reported hearing many depth charges and several heavy explosions east of her after the attack on her ceased. Postwar Japanese records showed a Japanese aircraft detected and bombed a submarine on March 28, 1945. Surface ships were then guided to the spot and delivered an intensive depth charging. After two hours, a large oil slick appeared.

Trigger received 11 battle stars for World War II service and the Presidential Unit Citation for her fifth, sixth, and seventh war patrols. She is credited with sinking 18 ships (tied for seventh on the list of confirmed sinkings by number of ships with Seawolf and Rasher), totaling 86,552 tons (seventh on the list of confirmed sinkings by tonnage), according to the official JANAC accounting postwar.

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Mike Smolinski.

• F Class Submarine
• Keel laid: August 21, 1909, at Seattle Construction & Drydock Co., Seattle, WA
• Launched: January 6, 1912
• Commissioned: May 3, 1913
• Displacement: 330 tons surfaced; 400 tons submerged
• Length: 142′ 7″
• Beam: 15′ 5″
• Depth limit: 200′
• Complement: 1 officer, 21 enlisted
• Armament: four 18″ torpedo tubes, four torpedoes

Joining the First Submarine Group, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla, F-4 participated in the development operations of that group along the west coast, and from August 1914, in Hawaiian waters. During submarine maneuvers off Honolulu, Hawaii, on March 25, 1915, she sank in 51 fathoms (93 m), 1½ miles (3 km) from the harbor. Despite valorous efforts of naval authorities at Honolulu to locate the missing boat and save her crew, all 21 perished. F-4 was the first commissioned submarine of the United States Navy to be lost at sea.

A diving and engineering precedent was established with the Navy’s raising of the submarine on August 29, 1915. Courage and tenacity marked the efforts of divers who descended to attach cables to tow the boat into shallow water, while ingenuity and engineering skill characterized the direction of Naval Constructor J.A. Furer, Rear Admiral C.B.T. Moore, and Lieutenant C. Smith who accomplished the feat with the aid of specially devised and constructed pontoons.

The investigating board subsequently conjectured that corrosion of the lead lining of the battery tank had permitted seepage of sea water into the battery compartment and thereby caused the commanding officer to lose control on a submerged run.

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

• Balao Class Submarine
• Keel laid: October 25, 1943, at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI
• Launched: April 9, 1944
• Commissioned: July 31, 1944
• Displacement: 1,526 tons surfaced; 2,424 tons submerged
• Length: 311′ 9″
• Beam: 27′ 3″
• Operating depth: 400′
• Complement: 6 officers, 54 enlisted
• Armament: ten 21″ torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5″/25 deck gun, one 40mm, one 20mm, two .50 cal. machine guns

With Lieutenant Commander Edward Ackerman in command, Kete cleared Guam on March 1st for her second war patrol. Assigned to waters surrounding the Nansei Shoto Chain, she resumed lifeguard duty and gathered weather data for the forthcoming invasion of Okinawa. While patrolling west of Tokara Retto on the night of March 9th and 10th, she surprised an enemy convoy and torpedoed three marus totaling 6,881 tons. During the night of March 14th, she attacked a cable-laying ship.

With only three torpedoes remaining, she was ordered to depart the area March 20, refuel at Midway Island, and proceed to Pearl Harbor for refit. Kete acknowledged these orders March 19; and, while steaming eastward the following day, she sent in a weather report from a position south of Colnett Strait. She was neither seen nor heard from again. She was scheduled to arrive Midway by March 31st; when repeated attempts to contact her by radio failed she was reported as presumed lost on April 16th.

Circumstances surrounding her loss remain a mystery. The cause could have been an operational malfunction, a mine explosion, or enemy action.

Kete received one battle star for World War II service.

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Mike Smolinski.

But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:26 – English Standard Version (ESV)

On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
Luke 17:31-33 – English Standard Version (ESV)

I’ve never thought much about the story of Lot’s wife until this week. I always looked at her as someone who was forced to leave a place she didn’t want to leave and I left it at that. This week has been the first time that I can identify with her. Leaving someplace (or something) that is corrupt and can cause no good in the end BUT provides satisfaction in the here and now IS A HARD THING TO DO WITHOUT LOOKING BACK.

The deception of how good that pleasure (real or imagined) is is powerful. I have spent much of the last few days struggling with “not looking back.” Strange isn’t it? What I know to be no good has such a strong allure. The key is to look forward and not backward.

I now understand why a former alcoholic could go back to drinking, why a drug addict could return to her habit, why a compulsive gambler could find himself in the same mess again. Whatever we do to cope with pain (emotional or physical) will keep calling us as long as we don’t learn new ways to deal with the pain. The same goes for seeking pleasure for the sake of pleasure. Anything done to excess will keep saying, “Come back.”

The real challenge is to identify, purge and replace with new healthy ways of coping.

Remember that 100% from a few days ago? It really means giving up something, well honestly, giving up everything. I am glad to be the son of a God who looks out for me when I do surrender all. It’s all his. It always was anyway.

The struggle and fear is in trusting him with the results. If I give my car to my son – it’s his right to drive it off a cliff or polish and shine it until it’s better than ever. To trust God is nothing more than allowing him to exercise his right without me micro-managing.

Easier said than done. Good thing he’s my creator, makes him a lot smarter than me.

• Tambor Class Submarine
• Keel laid: July 5, 1939, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
• Launched: March 25, 1940
• Commissioned: August 15, 1940
• Displacement: 1,475 tons surfaced; 2,370 tons submerged
• Length: 307′ 2″
• Beam: 27′ 3″
• Depth limit: 250′
• Complement: 5 officers, 54 enlisted
• Armament: ten 21″ torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3″/50 deck gun, two .50 caliber machine guns, two .30 caliber machine guns

On February 16th, Triton began her sixth and final war patrol, hoping to destroy enemy shipping between the Shortland Basin and Rabaul. Ten days later, she reported that she had seen smoke on February 22nd and that the Japanese had installed radar at Buka. On March 6th, the submarine attacked a convoy of five destroyer escorted ships, sinking the cargo ship Kiriha Maru and damaging another freighter. One of her torpedoes made a circular run, and Triton crash-dived to evade it. She attacked another convoy on the night of March 8th and claimed that five of the eight torpedoes she had fired scored hits. She could not observe the results or make a follow-up attack because gunfire from the escorts forced her down. On March 11th, Triton reported that she was chasing two convoys, each made up of five or more ships. She was informed that submarine Trigger (SS-237) was operating in an adjoining area and ordered to stay south of the equator. On March 13th, Triton was warned that three enemy destroyers in her area were either looking for a convoy or were hunting American submarines.

On March 15th, Trigger reported that she had attacked a convoy and had been depth charged. Even though attacks on her ceased, she could still hear distant depth charging for about an hour. No further messages from Triton were ever received. Post-war examination of Japanese records revealed that on March 15, 1943, three Japanese destroyers attacked a submarine a little northwest of Triton’s assigned area and subsequently observed an oil slick, debris, and items with American markings. On April 10, 1943, Triton was reported overdue from patrol and presumed lost.

However, there are persistent rumors that Triton was actually lost off Moreton Island near Brisbane; that she was sunk either by friendly fire from an Australian pilot or by Japanese naval mines or torpedoes. Its loss was allegedly covered up by the Australian military. It is undisputed that two weeks after Triton was supposed to have been sunk, a welcoming committee, complete with band, mail delivery, fresh fruit and ice-cream was waiting for it on the dock at New Farm on the Brisbane River. The Australian Defence Department refers inquiries to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Memorial’s position is that it was highly unlikely Australian fire had sunk the submarine, and if there had been a cover-up during the war, the truth would have come out in the intervening years.

Triton received five battle stars for World War II service.

Was is sunk by friendly fire?

Naval Historical Center

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Patch(es) were obtained from:
NavSource Online (Submarine Photo Archive).
Originally contributed by Mike Smolinski.

What is giving 100%? Is it a sign of a healthy relationship or an unhealthy one?

First: Giving 100% – What I define as giving 100% has the connotation of giving selflessly, or more realistically, giving as selflessly as humanly possible. It has been stated in many ways over the years by the old adage “Do unto others…” This sums up what I am talking about. It’s giving and expecting nothing in return. This is an attribute we all admire in others. We applaud the person that serves the homeless tirelessly and the spouse that cares for the incapacitated mate. The funny thing is that when it applies to me, I’m not so strongly in favor of it. I mean after all if I give and give and give and get nothing in return aren’t I being taken advantage of? How fair is that?

Second: Healthy, yes or no? – The answer to this all depends on the first point. What is my motivation in the first place? Am I trying to appease or please? Am I trying to earn favor and therefore receive something in return? I’ll step out on a limb and say that it’s never unhealthy to give selflessly but, to give expecting something, anything, whether tangible or intangible is unhealthy for the relationship. Unhealthy because if the expectations of my secret motives are not met the natural tendency is to take back something.

So what am I to do in a relationship? The answer is simple but the most difficult of all. I am to give as selflessly as possible. My giving should never be to appease another, it must always be from my love. It must strive to expect nothing in return and thus be true giving. The goal must be to give as much as I can give. This level of love can only be sustainable through the strength that only God can provide.