Impressions from the Big Debate - Bill Nye vs Ken Ham

[If you are offended easily, please ignore this post.]

Does no one find it odd that the only person Ken Ham had the guts to go up against is a mechanical engineer who has been away from serious academics for a long time?

If Ken Ham was ever so confident, should not he have done battle with a biologist, a botanist or a zoologist?

Despite his obvious lack of qualification, Bill Nye presented a surprisingly cogent case in favour of evolution. His lack of debating skills were overcome in part due to his familiarity in presenting basic scientific theories on television and talk shows. His peculiar stories though did not do him any favours. Maybe he should have stopped being the decent person in the debate and called out his opponent on his outright lies.

Ken Ham on the other hand was almost boorish by comparison. He simply does not understand how the radiometric dating of minerals is done and hence believes them to be inaccurate. Furthermore, he lacks understanding of the formation of sedimentary rock structures. The Grand Canyon example that he presented clearly displayed his ignorance. Shale layers contain uranium, thorium and potassium and a study of their radioactive decay can quite accurately furnish the age of a rock.

Further, Ken Ham ignores that the modern study of evolution no longer relies on the shape of finch beaks, rather a study of gene sequences. Ken Ham stresses on how all life arose from different 'kinds'. This theory falls flat when presented with the fact that humans and reptiles share certain gene sequences. According to the philosophy of Ken Ham, this should not be so, yet it has been proven without a shadow doubt.

Ken Ham continued his close - minded spiel by saying that genetic mutation of microscopic organisms over a long line of generations did not constitute evolution even when it allowed the microorganism in question to harness a new food source. This was observable evidence that he discounted in the debate without even giving a reason as to why he was doing so. It is simple, he was uncomfortable, and so he chose to ignore it.

Ken Ham also implies that secular world - views are lacking in morality. His casual remark that a secular person would euthanize older generations to make way for younger ones was truly sickening to behold. If I remember correctly, scientific theories never asked a parent for the sacrifice of their children. Ken Ham may not believe that elder people can contribute creatively to the world, but most academics value experience quite a lot.

Last but not least, let us all examine the quality of the evidence. Bill Nye based his case on peer-reviewed material backed up by years of research by thousands of scientists each questioning one another until they arrived at a point where they were confident that all the evidence lined up and pointed to a particular answer being true. Ken Ham on the other hand based his arguments on a self - contradictory document created by a handful of ancient religious figures without any accountability or testing using modern equipment. This same document, which he holds so dear, would have us believe that the world is flat and that the sun rotates around it.

Science is not about faith; it is about the truth. Nothing is admitted as a theory without rigourous testing and continuous refinement. Science simply does not allow for the arrogance that religion has. It does not try to monopolize truth and morality. It simply observes, infers, understands and unravels the mysteries that all religions have guarded with their ignorance to remain in a position of power.

I conclude by saying that Richard Dawkins is right not to debate creationists as it only gives their theories an air of validity that they haven't earned and do not deserve. In the end, all religions must be brushed aside if the human civilization is to survive over the long term. As the popular saying goes, "Don't argue with idiots, they will bring you down to their level and then defeat you with experience". Ken Ham is an extremely experienced person (and Bill Nye learned 'something' from him).

A Very Serious 'Mata'

The one thing that is at the forefront of every Chelsea supporter's mind is "why-oh-why is Juan Mata being sold and that too to rivals?". I've been of the same mind, but with events elsewhere falling into place, things have started to get just a little bit clearer. The answer lies in Switzerland of all places. While many people are holding onto the remote hope that Mata will choose to turn down the transfer, speaking rationally, I can say that the transfer is already done in the minds of all parties involved and there is nothing that will stop it from going through. So, what is the master plan behind all the smoke and mirrors? Has Jose Mourinho, the most cunning manager in the football world finally lost it? Not at all. If all goes well, Chelsea will be stronger than ever before. In order to properly explain the transfer, a bit of background is required.

When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea, he put Joe Cole through the gauntlet and turned him from a good player to a great player. Before he could do that, he destroyed the player that he used to be. Joe Cole listened to what Jose Mourinho had to say and went on to the best years of his careers. In the second coming of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, he isolated Juan Mata from his position, instead choosing to play him out on the right wing. Mata was initially bought by Chelsea as a winger and moved in to the centre out of desperation. With those desperate times behind us and a packed group of central attacking midfielders, it made sense to move Juan Mata back out to the wings. However, as Mata had grown into his new position, the transition back to his old one was met with resistance.

Furthermore, while Mata's touch on the ball remains one of the best in the world, he lacks pace. This might invite skepticism from most as Juan Mata is as fast as most premier league players in his movement in attack, however, Chelsea have always had a slightly above average team in terms of sheer speed. With Oscar or Eden Hazard spearheading quick attacks, Juan Mata has been left behind a couple times this season. This was not readily apparent as Mata's ability to set up excellent through balls and play perfect passes kept him very much in the game.

Finally, this brings us to the biggest point of contention. Juan Mata does not pay as much attention as he should to his defensive duties. This is a nagging fact that no Chelsea fan can ignore. I've seen Fernando Torres more involved in defence at times than Juan Mata. Also, with Oscar stepping up his standards this season has done Juan Mata no favours.

So, Jose Mourinho turns to Andre Schhurle, a constant long range goal threat, and the possibility of signing Mohamed Saleh from Basel (here lies the Switzerland connection!) as his new right wingers. With Saleh all set to join Chelsea, we will have an incredibly fast attacking front capable of stunning counter-attacks. Saleh will play on the right wing with Oscar down the centre and Eden Hazard on the left wing. Andre Schhurle will have to content himself with appearances either in cups or in the league as a central midfielder with a lot more defensive duties than what he is used to playing up front. The skill of the front line will also have Willian at its disposal further deepening the attacking options. This team will not only have the good counter-attacking qualities of the Mourinho teams of old, but will also have a lot more skill at playing in tight spaces. This second part is apparent in the signings of Nemanja Matic, the encouragement given to Marco Van Ginkel and the refusal to sell Oriol Romeu. All three central defensive midfielders are as good as the attacking front when it comes to playing against packed midfields. Ramires will remain the constant as far as I can see, though he might be rested a bit more during cup games (such as the F.A cup and the Capital One Cup).

Selling Juan Mata to Manchester United just might be the boldest thing "The Special One" has ever done in his illustrious career. There are many theories circulating as to why a transfer to a rival has been sanctioned. The one that seems to make the most sense is that as Chelsea will not play against Manchester United again this season, Juan Mata will not be able to harm their bid for the title. Instead, he will be able to harm Arsenal's march on the title as Manchester United will play Arsenal a little down the road. This just may be the only way Chelsea can clinch the title this season. This reasoning is however flawed as it is incredibly short - sighted as Jose Mourinho is here to stay and will definitely be thinking about the next season even now. So, other than winning the league, what other reason might Chelsea have for selling Juan Mata? One thing that comes to mind are the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. With Manchester United panicking, Chelsea have the luxury of selling Juan Mata at the highest possible price. As a Chelsea fan, I personally cannot think of any sum great enough to consider selling Juan Mata, however, Jose Mourinho is not a Chelsea fan, he's the manager. Going into the next season without violating the FFP rules will give Chelsea more room to dictate other teams to follow the same rules and keep it in good standing with UEFA. Barcelona (for signing Neymar) and Bayern Munich (for signing a number of Borussia Dortmund players) have been spending wantonly on a plethora of players, but their team - strengthening might yet be their downfall as the FFP rules just might disqualify them from the Champions League. This leaves Chelsea as the prime title contender among other smaller, albeit highly skilled teams.

Considering that the Chelsea official website has already announced the signing of Mohamed Salah (pending personal terms and a medical), it's safe to say the Juan Mata is as good as gone. We shall remember him for the joy he brought to all of us Chelsea fans throughout his years at the bridge, but from here on out, he will be the single Manchester United player I will not denigrate given the opportunity.

I wish him good luck and sincerely hope he gets to the finals of the World Cup 2014!

[P.S : The Germans will crush the Spanish in what should be one amazing match!]