A Very Busy Outcrop Full Of Ocean Sediments Rt 43 and Geiser Rd Rensselaer Co. NY

Here we have alternating bands of shale and marble (or approximately marble).  These were laid down in deep ocean between what used to be the east margin of the North American Continent and a volcanic Island arc east of it.  Alternating climate conditions (say every 10s of thousands of years) made it possible for carbonates (coral reef? sea shells..) to form or simply muds.  The carbonates become limestone then marble, the mud becomes shale.

Other processes are storms, rivers, earthquakes that send sediments tumbling down to the sea.

Eventually, the Island arc smashed into us and broke these sediments into various blocks and piled them on top of each other and against North america.  Now they are part of NY state.  I think most of this is called the Taconic Allochthon, though I've seen it called many things.

There are many examples of this Taconic Allochthon around Troy, NY where I live.  There is LOTS of variation!  Most not exciting as this one.

Here are some tons of layers, some as thin as paper.  I'd love to learn to do some chemical analysis and figure out what each layer is made of.  The different colors no doubt relate to organic material or iron minerals in various states of oxidation (i.e. was it black anoxic smelly sulfurous mud deep under the water or something more oxidized at the surface?).

One day I'll consult with the geologists and find out exactly what peice this is.

Discussion/Mini Review of Kenneth Miller's book "Finding Darwin's God" a disappointment, also disturbing.

has anyone read Kenneth Miller's book: "finding darwin's God"

http://www.findingdarwinsgod.com/

I leafed through most of it the other day and am preparing a book review.

at first i found it interesting, he mentions something that i've thought of for decades that quantum indeterminacy gives us free will and that the chaotic contingency of evolution makes our existence something awesomely special, not CHEAP, which is what our existence would be if it were preordained by a creator.

but then i noticed some odities. i don't know what he meant by all this "darwin's god" nonsense, i don't recall darwin writing extensively on the topic.

and as i leafed through it more and more i found him SLIPPING HIS GOD IN BY THE BACK DOOR. This disturbed me. he NEVER comes out and lays his cards out on the table in the beginning of the book. and by 200 pages, one begins to get a deflating feeling.

He takes a lot of effort to show us details of evolutionary biology and quantum mechanics and evidence for our understanding of these topics, but he NEVER comes out and spells out in detail why he thinks there is a god lurking behind it all. and that's what his god does: LURKS.

I find it disturbing. he complains that the scientists in this century call all the shots and the religious must dance to them, but if that bothers him why the hell doesn't HE CALL THE SHOTS and come out and describe his god, his religion in detail and his evidence for it, public and personal testimony? He doesnt'

and most appalling and disingenuous, he tries to get his slimy fingers on Darwin, claiming him as a prophet for his christianity!
Darwin was in love with barnacles, orchids, coral reefs, birds, the tangled creative struggling bank of ecology, he was NOT in love with any kind of God.

in the end, the book is a sickening document, the same christian crap that tries to get its slimy fingers on judaism and coopting that tradition into it's sick self and then fucking her.

ah well.

***

the title of his book is "finding darwin's god"

first of all this is his first act of disingenuity! if he has any guts he'll leave the poor bugger alone since he's dead and can't defend himself. Miller brings NO detailed autobiographical or textual support for Darwin's conceptions, beliefs, loves of any kind of 'god'.

second, the title states that the book is about GOD, yet Miller does NOT spell out a detailed description of this god. he does not spell out a detailed description of his religion. he does not spell out any evidence objective or personal testimony of why he even finds it necessary to add this god to his perfectly satisfying account of how evolution of life on Earth works from quantum mechanics on up.

third, the fact that in obscure passages he lets loose things like "Pg. 239: "A key doctrine of my own faith is that Jesus was born of a virgin even though that makes no scientific sense."

or things like god talks to us, gave us a revelation, gives us grace...

BUT HE NEVER COMES OUT AND SPILLS THE BEANS ABOUT WHAT HE MEANS BY ALL THIS AND DOES NOT DESCRIBE IN DETAIL EVIDENCE FOR IT IN THE WAY HE DOES FOR THE SCIENCE IN THE BOOK.

he doesn't tell us WHO HE IS and WHAT HE BELIEVES. just hints,

***

no no you miss my point, i'm not talking about scientific proof of god, i'm talking about his own personal testimony of why he thinks there is a god in his life touching him with grace. i mean if he's writing a book full of detail to JUST drop in passing mentions of jesus and the bible are disingenuous. He's writing a book about God, so why doesn't he have the guts to tell the reader about his god and his religion? popycock, he hides behind saying it's darwin's god. that's BULLSHIT.

i'm not upset with his belief in the virgin birth i'm disturbed by the fact that he just carelessly drops mention of it and doesn't even discuss whether it's his belief, or his fathers, and why...

to believe that cells figure out how to react to the environment by signals turning on and off genes is a weird thing to say, so it requires some hints as to why one believes it. this he does.

to belive that some 2000 year old dude was born of a virgin and... (well he doesn't say what he thinks of jesus, but WE know lots of stories about jesus) is a WEIRD thing to say, so it requires describing some hints as to why one belives it. this he does not do. in a book entitled "finding darwin's GOD"

It's a sad performance.

A Rock Full of Minerals I Do Not Know

 this is an igneus rock found in a railroad bed in Milton NY.  I found a ton of different kinds of cool rocks there.  Why not let the state collect the rocks from all over, chop em into size and bring them to me in one place?

ok, the exciting part first.  (i need a REAL camera, not a cheezy android phone camera!

those fibrous crystals are only about 2 mm long.

another shot

context

I'm guessing the black stuff is some kind of Pyroxene or Amphibole and the white stuff is NOT quartz?  (how to i test all the little bits for hardness and specific gravity etc..?)  and the needles?  Something like Actinolite or Tremolite?