Standing - Looking

Exercise-induced allergy sufferers, You are not alone

2010-10-10T20:31:00.001-07:00

In case you do not know me, I run. I may not be stellar, but I do okay for a guy in the middle of the pack.

But sometimes, maybe once every few months, and like today, after a harder run, I get a cold. No, wait, it's an allergy. Nope, maybe it's a light flu. Or asthma. Nah, more like a cold and an allergy together, rolling around on the floor in a mediocre death-match to make my afternoon miserable.

I first really noticed this malaise after runs in London. I generally chalked it up to the gray weather and lower temperatures as I trooped around Victoria Park.

After all these years, I finally thought to actually look-up (on those internet-things) what this might actually be. Turns out, it does have a name (or four, depending on your symptoms). Mine seems to be the beast called Exercise-Induced Rhinitis.

Here is a quick rundown of my (typical) symptoms.

runny nose, starts off mild but continues to grow over the next few hours
slightly sore throat, but not too bad
feeling run-down (which makes sense since running got me here)
feeling like I might have an elevated temperature but actually do not

It turns out that the biggest culprit seems to be increased histamine levels. I did try to find detailed discussion about this but was not very successful. I was hoping to find that magic document citing months of double-blind research with athletes of numerous levels who experienced the range of symptoms, with a summary listing the various working clinical response to combat the barrage of symptoms that I alone could not be facing.

Nope.

But I did find this, which was by far the most helpful (from back in 1992, so a big thanks to W.S. Silvers):

Exercise-induced allergies: the role of histamine release.
Silvers WS., University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver.
Abstract
Exercise is a physical cause of allergic reactions, including exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIAna), exercise-induced urticaria (EIU), exercise-induced asthma (EIA), and exercise-induced rhinitis (EIR). Since its first description in 1979, EIAna has been reported with variable clinical manifestations, with exercise alone, and in combination with food ingestion. Elevated serum histamine levels and cutaneous mast cell degranulation have been noted. Exercise-induced urticaria appears as small, punctate lesions that differ from the classic coalescent type seen with EIAna. Variant forms of EIAna with cholinergic urticarial lesions manifesting systemic collapse and/or respiratory distress have been studied. Exercise-induced urticaria and cold-induced urticaria may cause elevated plasma histamine levels coincident with the onset of pruritus and hives. Theories accounting for EIA include respiratory heat loss, water loss, and mast cell activation. Although some studies have shown increased plasma histamine with EIA, others have not. Recently, bronchoalveolar lavage in atopic subjects with EIA has been evaluated preexercise and postexercise, with no significant differences in histamine or tryptase, suggesting a pathogenesis of EIA independent of the mast cell. Exercise-induced rhinitis, with varying degrees of rhinorrhea, congestion, and sneezing, has been increasingly recognized in athletes who run, cycle, and ski. Cold-air-induced rhinorrhea in laboratory challenges displays a mediator release pattern similar to that produced by allergen-induced nasal challenges. Therapeutically, H1 antihistamines are recommended for EIAna both as pretreatment and acute therapy. H1 antihistamines may be helpful in EIU, but are recommended for EIAna both as pretreatment and acute therapy.

Exercise-induced allergies: the role of histamine ... [Ann Allergy. 1992] - PubMed result

You remember histamine, right? These are those little compounds floating around in your blood that are part of the immune response. When you catch something bad, histamines are part of the bodies natural response to help fight the invaders. The problem is that sometimes your body has too many of these, and then you have to fight them with Anti-histamines, typically found in many an allergy medication.

One site did mention another drug to possibly help combat the symptoms of exercise-induced rhinitis:

Ipratropium (Atrovent, Apovent, Aerovent) is an anticholinergic drug. It blocks the muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the smooth muscles of the bronchi in the lungs. This opens the bronchi, and provides relief in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute asthma.

I, however, typically find that the best 'cure' for this condition is a full night of good and warm sleep. Sometimes I even help this on by taking a diphenhydramine before crawling 'tween the sheets.

Have a good run, and I hope this helps some athletes out there.

2010 Honda L.A. Marathon

2010-03-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is, my biggest accomplishment of the week, month, and this budding year.

2010 Honda L.A. Marathon (Running) | Los Angeles, CA, USA
Duration: 04:06:36
Distance: 26.53 miles
Avg Speed: 6.46 mph     Max Speed: 9.85 mph
Avg Pace: 09:17 mins/mi.
Min Elevation: 54 ft     Max Elevation: 601 ft
Total Ascent: 4324 ft     Total Descent: 4764 ft
Calories: 3336

2010 Honda L.A. Marathon (Running) | Los Angeles, CA, USA - Trailguru

Things I recall off the top of my head:

3-1/2 hours of sleep
Margi driving me to Santa Monica to catch the shuttle bus at City Hall
Huge armada of buses queued to shuttle drivers
pre-dawn with the Roadrunners in the bleachers behind home plate at Dodger's Stadium
Group 4 heading out to the Sub-4hr corral at the head of the runners queue
the comradery in the pack while waiting for the delays and starts
the start
looping the Stadium with the other runners still walking towards the start
Heading out toward downtown.
Taiko drumming heading towards Disney Concert Hall
Trying to find Mark
Having to pee 4.5 miles in
Trying to catch back up to Andrew and Thomas
All the people along the way: mariachis, dancers, gospel singers, rock bands, cheerleaders, guys dressed as cheerleaders, green Nike girls, firemen, school kids, cops on motorcycles
Margi at Hollywood and Highland
Starting to lose mates between Rodeo Dr and Santa Monica Blvd.
Passing the guy laying on the ground, surrounded by people, who had the heart attack
Running with Wonder, from Group 4, for a while
Starting to feel the Wall
Falling back to a walk
The strangely dark tunnel under I-405
Watching the Group 4 Pace Leaders lap me in the VA park, trying to catch back up to them, and realizing that it was not going to happen.
Ravenous hunger between mile 20 & 23; bananas and chocolate never tasted so good.
Sudden drop in temperature coming down San Vicente as the ocean got closer and the fog got thicker.
Rayna catching up to me and pushing me on.
Rounding the corner onto Ocean at the 25 mile mark.
Margi, Curtis, and his family there with half a mile to go cheering me on.
The orange arch for the 26 mile mark; what a tease
The blue arch for the Finish Line, with Rayna beside me pulling me on.
A medal
My neighbor, Tracy, was already there, and so was Kam.
Heading down to the Pier, soaking in the ocean, meeting up with Ron, getting a massage, walking around the party, then heading over to the Promenade to sit in a massaging recliner while talking to a couple from NZ
Then heading home to decompress.

Ahhhhhhhh

Two days later, I head out for another 5 mile run. :)

Greedy but Stupid? Have I got a deal for you! - $50 Gold Buffalo Coin for $19.95

2010-01-09T15:08:00.001-08:00

Interested in investing in the future?
Or are you like some people, and more interested in investing in a lack of common sense? ... ??

Announcing the 2010 $50 Gold Buffalo Tribute Proof, a special commemorative release from the Nation Collector’s Mint.

This piece is a recreation of one the most popular gold coins ever created by the U.S. government.

The design of this amazing $50 Gold Buffalo Coin is based on the famous Buffalo nickel minted from 1913 to 1938.

The coin was wildly popular with investors and collectors, but the U.S. government had to stop production because of a shortage of specially made gold blanks.

It’s no wonder the price of the last edition is going through the roof. Now, you can get your very own copy of the 2010 $50 Buffalo Gold Clad Tribute Proof in 31 mg of pure gold.

National Collector’s Mint’s private, non-monetary minting recreates James Earle Fraser’s American Buffalo against a mirror-like background on one side. On the other is his iconic Native American Indian Head which stands out in stunning relief on the other.

Each 2010 $50 Gold Buffalo Tribute Proof comes complete with an individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity, verifying that each piece is clad in 31 mg.
The final issue price was to be set at $50 per proof. However during this special release period, this 24 kt pure gold clad masterpiece can be yours for only $19.95 plus the cost of shipping and handling.

$50 Gold Buffalo Coin - As Seen On TV Promotions

Wow, what a deal. I mean they are offering a $50 coin for only $19.95, and it is made of gold!!! That is incredible.
..... and you gotta be pretty stupid to go for this one. But many people will. Sigh.

Here, let me help you with some details and some math.

This newly minted coin is a 'tribute proof'. It is a recreation styled after historically popular Indian Head nickel. More importantly, it is styled after the recently minted American Buffalo gold coin from the U.S. Government, just to maybe confuse the gullible, since that coin was actually made of gold and had a good worth.
The American Buffalo coin was minted from 31.108 grams (1 Troy ounce) of .9999-pure 24-karat gold, while
the Gold Buffalo tribute proof coin is thinly clad (coated) with only 31milligrams of gold.
Thus, the newly offered 'tribute proof' ~~con~~ coin has 1/1000th (1¢ of $10, or 0.001, or 0.1%) of the gold of the American Buffalo gold coin.
Gold, like many precious metals, is measured in Troy ounces. The Gold Buffalo tribute proof ~~con~~ coin has 31mg, or 0.000996673144 troy ounces of gold.
As of the date that I am writing this, gold is trading at $1137 per Troy ounce.
As of the date that I am writing this, the Gold Buffalo tribute proof coin has about $1.32 worth of gold on it.
The 'tribute proof' ~~con~~ coin can be yours for $19.95, plus postage and handling.
At $19.95 (ignoring P&H), buying this ~~con~~ coin makes since when gold reaches about ... $20,000 per ounce!
If you actually wanted to possess 1 full Troy ounce of gold, and wanted to get this buy only purchasing this coin, you would need to buy 1,000 of these coins. The good news is that you would be the proud owner of 1,000 numbered Certificates of Authenticity that those 1,000 coins are clad in a very small amount of gold.
The bad news is that you would have spent $19,950 PLUS another $5,000 to $10,000 in shipping and "handling" charges. That puts you out of pocket between $25,000 to $30,000 ... for one ounce of gold.
Or you could go out and buy an ounce of gold for about $1137 and the cost of some petrol.

When you get done ordering, might I recommend Dr. Auric's newly minted Crotch Extending Therapy.

Distance vision is all a blur to more of us

2009-12-15T08:38:00.001-08:00

I am starting to get older in the way my Dad did when he noticed his arms were getting shorter. Apparently (and I really want to have a heated discussion with the idiot who came up with this) as we get older, our eyesight tends to wane due to presbyopia. And while I am all for things staying firm as I got older (such as skin, muscles, and .. yeah, that), I could do without my corneas getting stiff, too.

So, when I see an article about a larger trend of poor vision, well, it tends to catch my eye. Why don't you read it to me while I look for some reading glasses.

A study finds that 17% more Americans have myopia than 30 years ago. Close-up computer work could be a reason.
For an increasing number of Americans, life's a blur.
That's according to a population-based study published Monday showing that rates of myopia -- difficulty seeing distant objects -- are soaring. The trend is matched in many other countries, causing eye doctors to wonder what could be causing the decline in human vision.
Some suspect both an increase in our close-up work time (think computer use) and a decrease in time spent outdoors.
Researchers at the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, found that rates of myopia -- also called nearsightedness -- in people ages 12 to 54 increased from 25% in 1971-72 to 41.6% in 1999-2004. The study included people with a range of myopia, from mild to severe.
Myopia occurs if the eyeball is too long or if the cornea, the front cover of the eye, has too much curvature. Under those circumstances, the eye can't correctly focus light entering the eye, making distant objects look blurred. The condition usually occurs in childhood. It can continue to worsen until early adulthood.

Distance vision is all a blur to more of us -- latimes.com

Interestingly, the people with myopia are much more likely not to be affected by presbyopia.

Aggression in Girls May Be Linked to BPA

2009-10-08T08:23:00.001-07:00

not so good for little girls

A recent report points to an interesting relation to aggression in young girls.

New research suggests a link between prenatal exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and increased aggression in girls, but not boys, at age 2.
The finding is far from conclusive, but the study is the first human trial to attempt to examine whether BPA exposure in the womb influences behavior in early childhood.

BPA has been used for more than three decades to make plastic bottles and other products shatter resistant and clear. It is also used in the lining of many canned foods and in a wide range of other commercial goods.

Aggression in Girls May Be Linked to BPA

Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers have removed products made of it from their shelves.

Bisphenol A - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This BPA is not as common these days in plastic bottles, but it is out there, and is even used to make baby bottles. Check that bottle you are drinking from to see if it has a "7" on the bottom. (See icon above.)

BPA is an endocrine disruptor and has a long track record for bad health effects, and as well as environmental concerns. And now it looks that it might be making your young daughter more aggressive. You might wanna watch out for this in your plastic bottles.

While measures exist in other pars of the country, a repeated attempt in the California Assembly to ban the use of BPA has continually failed, largely due to the efforts of a strong lobbying effort and a lack of awarness. I suspect this will be changing when the bill comes back around in 2010 now that there is further research that the effects are apparent in baby girls.

Fighting obesity with the "soda-pop taxes"

2009-10-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

I am definitely not a fan of taxes. But I am even less of a fan of poor health and deceptive marketing bullshit. And Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have become kings of these dominions with their three-quarters market dominance in the beverage industry. And anyone thinking that the marked increase of sugary drink consumption (usually with the un-good high-fructose corn syrup here in the USA) is not linked to the increase in obesity is either deluding themselves or others.

By the mid-1990s, per capita consumption of sugared beverages surpassed that of milk for children. Americans, including children, consume about 170 calories per day from these products, enough to have contributed substantially to the obesity epidemic and, independent of body weight, caused many cases of diabetes and heart disease. A recent study by UCLA and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy showed that 41% of California children drink soda every day, and that adults who drink soda are 27% more likely to be overweight or obese.
The industry has launched an all-out assault on "soda-pop taxes." Beverage companies and their front groups claim that it is unfair to pick on soda when there are many factors contributing to obesity.
However, the scientific evidence linking sugared beverages with weight gain is stronger than for any other food category. Also, sugar in liquid form seems unique in its ability to slip past the body's calorie-detecting radar, perhaps because throughout evolution, the only beverage humans drank in large quantities beyond infancy was water. In other words, when you drink soda, you don't feel as full as if you were eating solid food, despite how many calories you're taking in. In addition, conventional sugared beverages lack fiber, antioxidants and other protective nutrients that might mitigate the adverse effects of their essentially empty calories on health.
The industry also claims that a beverage tax would hurt the poor (the same argument was used by tobacco companies to fight cigarette taxes). But as with tobacco, the poor are most hurt by diseases such as diabetes and obesity and stand to benefit the most from programs that could be supported by tax revenues. What's more, the average family could save several thousand dollars a year by cutting out soda. There is no question a tax would decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Economists estimate a 10% price increase would result in a 10% consumption reduction. Otherwise, why would the beverage industry use a strategy from the tobacco playbook and establish a front group -- Americans Against Food Taxes -- meant to evoke images of a vast consumer uprising?

The soda-tax solution -- latimes.com

I am all for this tax on sugary pop drinks in the same way I was in favor of higher taxes on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.

The companies making mint off of your expanding waistline are obviously going to fight this tooth and nail. They are hiding behind their lobbying groups (such as the "Center for Consumer Freedom"), using the crutch excuse that you should be smart enough to decide what you consume and government should not interfere or tax your choices whether they are bad or not.

Here is what they are saying:

They all claim to know "what's best for you." In reality, they’re eroding our basic freedoms—the freedom to buy what we want, eat what we want, drink what we want, and raise our children as we see fit. When they push ordinary Americans around, we're here to push back.

from About The Center for Consumer Freedom

Oh, how I am reminded of those executives testifying before Congress that cigarettes are not harmful and nicotine is not addictive.

And who is this 'they' that the self-appointed "Center for Consumer Freedom" is fighting against? They claim it is:

A growing cabal of activists has meddled in Americans’ lives in recent years. They include self-anointed "food police," health campaigners, trial lawyers, personal-finance do-gooders, animal-rights misanthropes, and meddling bureaucrats.

A 'cabal' is defined as "a secret political clique or faction". This "Center" wants you to think that they are fighting a noble fight against a secretive faction of meddling activists to defend your freedoms and save you from a big-brother government hell-bent on taxing you just because your little Timmy wants a small glass of soda-pop with his grilled cheese during lunch. Actually, the people asking for this tax on sugary drinks is a large group of health organizations, researchers, and fellow taxpayers like you who have gotten tired of the continued and growing health crisis around obesity (particularly childhood obesity) and the economic impact it is having on our troubled health-care industry.

And, in the quest for openness and fairness, it would be helpful to know who the supporters of this "Center" are so that we might better understand their motivations, but that will not be happening. Why?

The Center for Consumer Freedom is supported by over 100 companies and thousands of individual consumers.

The Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

Many of the companies and individuals who support the Center financially have indicated that they want anonymity as contributors. They are reasonably apprehensive about privacy and safety in light of the violence and other forms of aggression some activists have adopted as a "game plan" to impose their views, so we respect their wishes.

I contend that the supporters of this secretive and meddling faction (hey, they are a cabal) are not at all concerned about possible violence or aggression, and are much more concerned about doing their utmost to protect their slightly unhealthy revenue stream, much in the way a drug cartel wants to avoid government intervention while supplying pot to your kids.

Until such a time as everyone can control their desires and take responsibility for their actions, I think that at this time in history it is fair to increase the cost of consuming these products through the use of focused taxes which will be used to fund health programs to counteract the harm of their consumption. And yes, I actually do drink Cokes on a regular basis.

Brain Waves Surge Moments Before Death

2009-10-08T06:49:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting article which sheds further light on what the brain may be doing in those final moments when your gran suddenly became much more lucid before she passed.

A study of seven terminally ill patients found identical surges in brain activity moments before death, providing what may be physiological evidence of "out of body" experiences reported by people who survive near-death ordeals.
Doctors at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates recorded brain activity of people dying from critical illnesses, such as cancer or heart attacks.

Moments before death, the patients experienced a burst in brain wave activity, with the spikes occurring at the same time before death and at comparable intensity and duration.

Writing in the October issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, the doctors theorize that the brain surges may be tied to widely reported near-death experiences which typically involve spiritual or religious attributes.

Brain Waves Surge Moments Before Death: Discovery News

It seems that we continue to move closer to explaining the rash of experiences that the religous and spiritual enthusiast cling to as signs of the supernatural, while choosing to ignore the wealth of natural and probable causes.

ASIMO so cool, plays Geek-Frogger

2009-08-21T10:55:00.001-07:00

Watching videos like this where ASIMO interects with his environment or people always 'wow's me a bit.

(via OhGizmo)

I am waiting for the days when those floor patterns get extruded up, and we get to see ASIMO interacting with a better, more 3D, version of the world. Hopefully this is the world without the disrupter hand-held laser gun where AKIMBO is blowing holes in walls while chasing you around a dead city calling you Sarah Connor.

Lost People Really Do Walk In Circles

2009-08-21T10:23:00.001-07:00

Seems it may actually be hard to walk in a straight line when you want to, especially when you are lost.

(via Neatorama via MSNBC)

How hard is it to walk in a straight line? Very hard, actually - according to a new study by psychologist Jan Souman of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, people who are lost in the woods or desert actually do walk in circles:

At first, Souman wasn’t sure if that common sensation was actually true. When lost, he suspected, people might veer to the left or right. But he didn’t expect them to actually walk in true circles.

To find out, he instructed nine people to walk as straight as possible in one direction for several hours.

Six walkers forged through a flat, forested region of Germany. Three trekked through the Sahara desert in southern Tunisia. (A sandstorm stopped further testing in the desert). All walkers wore GPS receivers so that the researchers could analyze their routes.

The results, published today in the journal Current Biology, showed that no matter how hard people tried to walk in a straight line, they often ended up going in circles without ever realizing that they were crossing their own paths.

Link

Lost People Really Do Walk In Circles - Neatorama

The EniCycle, a One-Wheeled segway

2009-08-21T10:18:00.001-07:00

I used to ride a unicycle and love Ginger (ok, fine: Segway). Seems an inventor is making the leap to fill this gap.

Forget The Segway, The EniCycle Is One-Wheeled Fun We Could All Get Behind
Or on top of, rather. The EniCycle is an a prototype self-stabilizing unicycle from Slovenian inventor Aleksander Polutnik. Featuring a three-hour battery, gyroscope and a spring damper, Polutnik claims a 30 minute learning curve. The video we’ve embedded after the jump shows UK “The Gadget Show” Ortiz Deley learning to ride the device. Within a few minutes he’s not falling off and actually steering.

OhGizmo! » Forget The Segway, The EniCycle Is One-Wheeled Fun We Could All Get Behind

I'd love to give this one a ride.

Bike Dancing - Extreme biking that you will not see on the X-Games... yet

2009-08-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

Sure Lance Armstrong (and most of the other guys biking in the Tour du France) rock the the biking wotld. But check out these to little girls.

[YouTube - Link]

And these girls are the Junior Champions!

Beluga whale rescues struggling diver

2009-08-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

A DROWNING diver has a beluga whale to thank for helping to save her life after her legs were paralysed by cramps.

Yang Yun was taking part in a free-diving contest at Polar Land in Harbin, north-east China, in which participants were required to sink seven metres to the bottom of a pool and stay there for as long as possible without the aid of breathing equipment.
Pic: CEN/Austral
Ms Yun, 26, thought she was going to die amid the beluga whales she shared the arctic pool with, after struggling to move her legs while trying to kick her way to the surface.
"I began to choke and sank even lower and I thought that was it for me - I was dead,” she told The Sun.

“Until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface."
That “incredible force” was Mila, a beluga whale which had noticed her distress and clamped its jaws around her leg.

Using her sensitive nose, Mila drove Ms Yun carefully to the surface, to the amazement of onlookers and an underwater photographer who captured the entire incident on film.

Beluga whale carries struggling diver to surface | World News | News.com.au

I am looking forward to seeing the video when it is released.

How Long Does Phil Connors Spend in Groundhog Day?

2009-08-18T19:51:00.001-07:00

Excellent. I have actually wondered about this; not a lot, but it has definitely crossed my mind.

It seems like almost every day someone approaches me and asks, “How long did Bill Murray spend trapped in the film Groundhog Day?” And I always say, “Hmmm, that's not the most timely of questions, but I'll do my best to answer it.”
[much figuring deleted]
Which puts us at the grand total of 3176 repeated Groundhog days, or 453 weeks, or 105 months, or 8.7 years. Precisely, 8 years, 8 months, and 16 days.

How Long Does Bill Murray Spend in Groundhog Day?

On the DVD, Harold Ramis states that the original idea was for him to live February 2nd for about 10,000 years. Later he says that Phil probably lived the same day for about 10 years.

Groundhog Day (1993) - Trivia

I still enjoy watching this film, and I will now have a slightly better experience from this detail/noise for when I watch the movie again.

Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today. - Phil Connors

Scientists Create Fake DNA

2009-08-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

At some point in the future, someone will commit a crime and seed the scene with fake DNA. Or someone will put this idea in their novel or film.

A laboratory at Nucleix, a life-sciences company, was able to manufacture DNA that would be accurate enough to pass forensic scrutiny:
“You can just engineer a crime scene,” Nucleix founder Dan Frumkin told The New York Times. “The current forensic procedure fails to distinguish between such samples of blood, saliva, and touched surfaces with artificial DNA, and corresponding samples with in vivo generated (natural) DNA,” Frumkin and co-authors wrote in a recent Forensic Science International: Genetics study that announced the technological achievement.
... Nucleix was also able to replicate a deceptive double helix just by working off genetic profiles in a police database. Building a small collection of common genetic variations—425—for different genome points, they were able to drum up a fabricated sample.

"Any biology undergraduate could perform this," Frumkin told the Times.

Fortunately, the company offers a solution: one particular methyl group appears in naturally-occuring DNA, but not in Nucleix’s product.

Scientists Create Fake DNA - Neatorama

Link to original story at Scientific American

Even though the maker, Nucleix, can detect the fake samples, I must wonder how long until the cops calibrate their tests to detect phony fluids.

Researcher discovers we are 20 minutes ahead, or the UK needs to be moved

2009-08-18T19:09:00.001-07:00

Funny oversight with some interesting knock-ons. You now have the excuse that you are five minutes early when your date complains you are fifteen minutes late.

"There is no time like the present", or so the saying goes. But earlier today it turned out that the present isn't what it used to be as scientists from the University of Edinburgh announced that our international time zones are actually 20 minutes fast.
The reason? A geographical mistake that pegged Britain's position in the Atlantic some 240 miles too far east back when the original time zones were designed.
The mistake was discovered by post-doctoral Research Assistant Dr Tomas Domingues during routine historical analysis into how the horizon has shifted in regions of the United Kingdom over the millenia.
"I ran the numbers and it just didn't add up", says Dr Domnigues. "The equations wouldn't balance unless I moved all of the British Isles 240 miles to the left. So I'm afraid I have no choice but to inform the world that we all need to adjust our clocks. Today, if possible."
Dr Domingues' paper, "Shifting Sands of Time: How the United Kingdom ended up in the wrong place", lists a bewildering array of numbers that prove beyond a doubt his assertions are true. But why did no-one notice this before?
"I guess it was hiding in plain sight", says Domingues. "It's just not the sort of thing anyone thought to question."
The "TwitterSphere" is abuzz with the news, including Australian celebrity Rove McManus (http://twitter.com/rove1974) who tweeted "Scientists discover Britain is 240 miles west of where it was thought, so current time zone is 20 mins ahead".
The new time zone has been labelled "New Scottish Time", in honour of its place of discovery. Dr Domingues hopes that his paper will stimulate discussion about exactly what time it is.

Edinburgh Researcher Discovers Time Is More Relative Than We Thought

Wonder if there will ever be a correction made for this....

Memory exam may be as good as IQ test

2009-08-18T18:59:00.001-07:00

Very interesting idea here, and I must say that I have to agree with much of this.

My memory is not so good. Or, to be much more accurate, my recall is much worse than I wish it was. Once I can recall something from the cluttered archives, then I am able to remember much of the event I was seeking. The problem seems to be that I organized the memory poorly. Whether this is a genetic or a learned problem seems to become more moot with the passing decades.

However, I learned long ago that what I possess is a very good state-dependent mind which seems to be very well focused for problem-solving skills. I may not know an answer off the top of my head (or the front of my lobes), but I have the intuition or skills to quickly head down the correct and needed paths to get to a good answer.

Now it seems that this may be the way the young world is heading thanks to the fact that the Internet has given the online world quick access to vast amounts of data and information. What is harder to find online are the progressions which come after, such as knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Scientists are calling for a new way of testing intelligence. As the internet cuts the need for the brain to store facts, “working memory” - our ability to retain and juggle information for brief periods - could be as much a measure of modern mental abilities as traditional IQ tests.

For decades psychologists, teachers and employers have relied on IQ testing to assess people’s learning potential. The tests measure problem-solving ability and a person’s capacity for abstract reasoning.

Now, however, scientists are suggesting that short-term or working memory is a better and simpler measure of the skills modern youngsters will need in school and in their eventual careers.

Memory exam as good as IQ test - Times Online

Democratic D'oh

2009-08-11T00:58:00.001-07:00

Syracuse Common Councilor Michael Heagerty needed 335 valid signatures on his petitions to run for re-election on the Democratic Party line, a generally routine task for any incumbent. He was mortified to find Wednesday that he ended up one signature short.

And that he forgot to sign his own petition.

The city Democratic Committee had named Heagerty its designee in the 1st District and wanted to see his name in the Democratic line Nov. 3. Instead, district voters will find that spot blank.
On Wednesday evening, a reporter broke the news to Heagerty that he didn't sign. "I didn't sign my own petition? You've got to be kidding me," he said.

Michael Heagerty, who forgot to sign his own petition, loses Syracuse Democratic line by falling one name short - syracuse.com

Rock, Paper, Bones, Wood - Roshambones

2009-08-11T00:40:00.001-07:00

It has been an interesting week if you enjoy using uncommon materials for very common things.

How about paper made from rocks and bones made from wood...

Shopping bags and boxes from gift stores at New York's Museum of Modern Art, bags from personal-care company Erno Laszlo, and packaging of consumer products from Burt's Bees look, feel, and fold like paper, but they're made of crushed stone.
The treeless paper, manufactured in Taiwan and sold under the TerraSkin brand, is three parts recycled calcium carbonate—the same mineral in marble and limestone—and one part polyethylene binder. Production requires no water or bleach and only half the energy needed to make traditional paper. The material is durable; tote bags can be used over and over. It is also recyclable. And TerraSkin breaks down into a talcum-like powder if exposed to sunlight and humidity long enough.

Its limitation: Price. Though the raw materials are cheap, sales volumes are low so its manufacturer has to make it in small batches. As a result, it typically wholesales for at least 8% more than packaging paper.

TerraSkin: Paper Made from Rock - BusinessWeek

A new procedure to turn blocks of wood into artificial bones has been developed by Italian scientists, who plan to implant them into large animals, and eventually humans.
Wood-derived bone substitute should allow live bones to heal faster and more securely after a break than currently available metal and ceramic implants.

The researchers chose wood because it closely resemble the physical structure of natural bone, "which is impossible to reproduce with conventional processing technology."

New Artificial Bone Made of Wood: Discovery News

Optimistic women live for longer

2009-08-11T00:31:00.001-07:00

Good news for 'the glass is half full' women.

Women who are optimistic have a lower risk of heart disease and death, an American study shows.
The latest study by US investigators mirrors the findings of earlier work by a Dutch team showing optimism reduces heart risk in men.
The research on nearly 100,000 women, published in the journal Circulation, found pessimists had higher blood pressure and cholesterol.
Even taking these risk factors into account, attitude alone altered risks.
Optimistic women had a 9% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause after more than eight years of follow-up.
In comparison, cynical women who harboured hostile thoughts about others or were generally mistrusting of others were 16% more likely to die over the same time scale.
One possibility is that optimists are better at coping with adversity, and may, for example take better care of themselves when they do fall ill.
In the study, the optimistic women exercised more and were leaner than pessimistic peers.

BBC NEWS | Health | Optimistic women live for longer

Saturn Equinox and Perseid Meteor Shower this week

2009-08-11T00:27:00.001-07:00

Hey, there are two cool astronomical events happening this week. The first is happening tonight (Tuesday, 12 August) is the equinox for Saturn which has the rings virtually disappearing as they turn edge to the Sun, and is happening on the far side of the Sun, which means it is only in the sky during the day, so you are not going to be able to witness that. The second one is the Perseid meteor shower which will be peaking on Wednesday night and you will be able to enjoy it in your backyard (assuming conditions are favourable) . The meteor shower should be very cool, and is great for wooing the women as you make lots of wishes. (Or wishing you had someone to woo.)

All planets in our solar system wobble on their axes to some extent. This change of attitude eventually places a planet's equator directly in line with the photons of light streaming in from the sun. This is called "equinox," and on Earth it occurs every year about March 21 (spring equinox) and September 22 (autumnal equinox). On Saturn, it occurs twice during each 29 Earth-year-long orbit around the sun (about every 15 years).

"Whenever equinox occurs on Saturn, sunlight will hit Saturn's thin rings, the ring plane, edge-on," said Spilker."The light reflecting off this extremely narrow band is so small that for all intents and purposes the rings simply vanish."

Saturn To Pull Celestial Houdini On August 11

Skygazers are getting ready to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on Wednesday.The Perseid shower occurs when the Earth passes through a stream of dusty debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Skywatchers set for meteor shower

You can even Twitter about the meteors if you are so inclined.

Golf irony - money versus time

2009-08-10T11:51:00.001-07:00

I was just pricing some golf equipment online (i.e., shopping), since my existing clubs might be older than some of you readers.

Then I realized a strange irony about golf, which I am sure applies to many things in life. We spend more money on better equipment to help improve our game. But as your score gets lower, you are starting to spend less time walking the fairways since your game has just gotten better/shorter. Imagine your golf game dropping from 100 strokes to 90 strokes (or 80 if I really want to delude myself). With that, I have just reduced my time on the course by ten (or twenty) percent.

Granted that if you are running 10Ks or marathons, then you might want to get those new shoes to help reduce your time. But do you really want to reduce your sporting time if you are outside under blue skies, walking manicured fairways, socializing with your friends, hitting balls and drinking beer? And do I really want to spend several hundred dollars to help reduce that time??

Oo, look - more shiny clubs!

Pearls Before Breakfast

2009-07-30T14:46:00.001-07:00

Imagine having the chance to hear one of the greatest living musicians play an hour of incredible music, and almost no one noticing.

This article is well worth the read.

HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

Pearls Before Breakfast - washingtonpost.com

I honestly hope that I would have stopped to listen, and I am frightened that if this happened that I might be one of the multitude that simply walk by and miss it.

For now, let us not take a crucible upon our fellow men for failing to notice the extraordinary performance they chose to walk past (which we may have neglected as well), and try to study each ourselves. Maybe the few that read this article above will find the strength and wonder in themselves to take the time when such things occur and to make the time to seek out the astonishment of beauty that can be found in our world.

Joshua Bell discusses Johann Sebastian Bach's "Chaconne" (aka Ciaccona) in Partita in D minor for solo violin in this YouTube video.

Here is a YouTube video of Joshua Bell playing the second song from that day, Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria."

Next he played Manuel Ponce's "Estrellita", which can be watched in this YouTube video.

Enjoy, you deserve it.

Palin's Resignation, and the Inquisition of the English Language

2009-07-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

Remember that flaky pistol that got shot off at the last Republican Convention? The one that would not talk to media in the weeks just before the election because the GOP were worried about how poorly she might shoot off her mouth. Yeah, I am talking about the travesty of politics that is now the former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. She recently had another press conference to announce her resignation as governor. And, wow, that silly woman has a great deal of trouble being coherent in front of a microphone. The speech was so poorly constructed that Vaity Fair took it on its own to help re-write her speech.

If you watched Sarah Palin’s resignation speech, you know one thing: her high-priced speechwriters moved back to the Beltway long ago. Just how poorly constructed was the governor’s holiday-weekend address?

Palin's Resignation: The Edited Version | vanityfair.com

The Vanity Fair article is four pages long, and has enough red ink to make your kid's butt pucker from high school English nightmares.

And if her history of public speaking and the general handling of her public/private life is not enough to scare the ignorance out of you, then there is the seemingly drug fueled departure speech this past weekend as she handed over the office of Governor to the Alaska lieutenant governor. Thankfully, Conan O'Brien saw through the mystique and realized that she was being poetic, and enlisted the help of William Shatner to bring the magic to the rest of us who may have been confused.

Palin's final speech was a thing of poetic beauty...And does poetry better than Shatner?

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien - Shatner Does Palin (07/27/09) - Video - NBC.com

Ahh, farewell, Sarah Palin. If only you and your psychotic collective were truly gone, you would have been missed ... well, not by me, but I am sure there are many fanatics who would shed tears if you ever left your anticipated limelight.

Nigerian Islamist attacks spreads stupidity

2009-07-27T23:45:00.001-07:00

Fatwah, here I come.

Dozens of people have been killed after Islamist militants staged three attacks in northern Nigeria, taking the total killed in two days of violence to 150.
A BBC reporter has counted 100 bodies, mostly of militants, near the police headquarters in Maiduguri, Borno State, where hundreds are fleeing their homes.
Witnesses told the BBC a gun battle raged for hours in Potiskum, Yobe State and a police station was set on fire.
Some of the militants follow a preacher who campaigns against Western schools.
The preacher, Mohammed Yusuf, says Western education is against Islamic teaching.
Sharia law is in place across northern Nigeria. Nigeria's 150 million people are split almost equally between Muslims and Christians and the two groups generally live peacefully side by side, despite occasional outbreaks of communal violence.
Militants chanting "God is great" attacked the Potiskum police station at about 0215 local time (0115 GMT) - the same time as the raid was launched in Maiduguri.
The police station and neighbouring buildings in Potiskum have been razed to the ground, eyewitnesses say.
Two people have been confirmed dead and the police have made 23 arrests.
The corpses of civilians are scattered around the streets of Maiduguri, after being pulled from their cars and shot, eyewitnesses say.
The police and army are patrolling, firing into the air, apparently trying to clear civilians from the area.
Mr Yusuf's followers in Bauchi are known as Boko Haram, which means "Education is prohibited".
Correspondents say the group is seen locally as a fringe group and has aroused suspicion for its recruitment of young men, and its belief that Western education, Western culture and science are sinful.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Nigerian Islamist attacks spread

Ah, the charisma of a megalomaniac spewing his hate-filled words of his 'god' to lead his brainwashed flock to kill other citizens to show that education is evil. Yes, Mohammed Yusuf is the great Nigerian example of all that goes wrong in the politics of religion. In America, we can watch his brother-in-religion, Fred Phelps, march his followers to funerals of servicemen killed overseas with signs reading 'Thank God for IEDs' and 'God Hates Fags'. These hollow religious leaders shine the light on faith like Jim Jones and cyanide.

Maybe there is still time for people to learn that religion should be a personal study of one's faith, and not an open call to hate and harm.

Milk, It Does The Body Good

2009-07-27T23:43:00.001-07:00

Some 4,374 UK children from a 1930s study were traced 65 years later by researchers in Bristol and Queensland.
They found those who had had high dairy and calcium intakes as children had been protected against stroke and other causes of death, journal Heart reports.
The study looked at family diets and found higher intakes of both calcium and dairy, predominantly from milk, cut mortality by a quarter.
A higher daily intake of calcium, of at least 400mg as found in just over half a pint of milk, cut the chance of dying from stroke by as much as 60%.

BBC NEWS | Health | Dairy for children 'extends life'

Got milk? Got a couple extra years to enjoy it.

Comic-Con has gone Mainstream in a Huge Way

2009-07-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

Comic-Con 2009 has wrapped, and I am simply amazed at how large this show has gotten. It has always been big before... if you were aware and interested in the comic book/graphic novel industry. But during these past few years, as films and games based on characters and worlds based in comic-book traditions have gone mainstream, the trade-show has turned from a showplace for comic books, artists, and collectibles into a movie-star and media-filled super-convention.

Turn on the laptop and television this weekend and this morning and the deluge continues.
Every news outlet website this morning has tales of some media/movie event from this past week's Comic-Con. Television channels are rife with news reports of movie showings and actors appearances.

If you can believe it, this year's Comic-Co was sold-out!! Wow, eh? Ah, the good old days, when the halls were full of geeks running around wearing costumes, and the only actors in attendance were the ones who had come to sign autographs. Oh, the times ther are a-changin'.

Religious persecution in the cult state of North Korea

2009-07-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

The Korea Institute for National Reunification (KINU) has issued 'White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2009'. Without citing this by name, some news outlets are reporting (with a very narrow lens) that a Christian woman has been publicly executed in North Korea.

North Korea publicly executed a Christian woman last month for distributing the Bible, which is banned in the communist nation, South Korean activists said Friday.
Ri Hyon Ok, 33, was also accused of spying for South Korea and the United States and organizing dissidents. She was executed in the northwestern city of Ryongchon near the border with China on June 16, according to a report from an alliance of several dozen anti-North Korea groups.
Ri's parents, husband and three children were sent to a political prison camp in the northeastern city of Hoeryong the following day, the report said, citing unidentified documents it says were obtained from North Korea. It showed a copy of Ri's North Korean government-issued photo ID.
It is virtually impossible to verify such reports about secretive North Korea, where the government tightly controls the lives of its citizens and does not allow dissent.

The Associated Press: Activists claim Christian executed in NKorea

Obviously there are numerous other incidents cited in this report, and this item is a sad and troubling point. However, I am concerned about the handling of this glimpse of the report by news media, and how it may be perceived and used by future religious devotees who might take this report out of context as an attack by nonreligious parties on Christianity, which it is most definitely not. I can easily imagine a day when those following a god will cite this as evidence of atheists persecuting Christians when it is actually a case of a cult leader persecuting anyone who might be a threat to his regime.

North Korea claims to allow freedom of religion, but it also claims to be a socialist republic, which it is not. In reality, North Korea is an ideologically-driven dictatorship (listed in Wikipedia as 'totalitarian Stalinist dictatorship' and at the CIA Factbook as a 'Communist state one-man dictatorship') and is being run and controlled as a cult of personality focused on the current leader Kim Jong-il, son of the late Eternal President Kim Il-sung. The BBC goes so far as to speculate that recent activity may be in part due to the upcoming transition of power.

Pyongyang's position appears to have hardened on everything from human rights to defence policy and international relations in the last year or so. It is thought this may be a way to shore up the government through Mr Kim's illness and the process of anointing his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as North Korea's next leader.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | North Korea 'executes Christians'

While many Americans are happy to accept former President George W. Bush's assessment that North Korea is part of the 'axis of evil' (from his first State of the Union speech in 2002), an effort should be made to understand more about the nation rather than simply acquiescing to the sparkly marketing hype of the former White House administration and its Pentagon counterparts. (Besides, Bush slurring that someone else is evil is a scary example of a pot calling a kettle black.)

Much has been reported about North Korea's nuclear program, missile tests, famines, poverty, and human rights abuses, though most of this is hard to confirm due to the curtain the country has hidden behind for many decades. However, here is a summary of the religion in the state.

According to Human Rights Watch, free religious activities no longer exist in North Korea as the government sponsors religious groups only to create an illusion of religious freedom. According to Religious Intelligence the situation of religion in North Korea is the following:

Irreligion: 15,460,000 adherents (64.31% of population, the vast majority of which are adherents of the Juche philosophy)
Korean shamanism: 3,846,000 adherents (16% of population)
Cheondoism: 3,245,000 adherents (13.50% of population)
Buddhism: 1,082,000 adherents (4.50% of population)
Christianity: 406,000 adherents (1.69% of population)

Pyongyang was the center of Christian activity in Korea before the Korean War. Today, four state-sanctioned churches exist, which freedom of religion advocates say are showcases for foreigners. Official government statistics report that there are 10,000 Protestants and 4,000 Roman Catholics in North Korea.
According to a ranking published by Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians, North Korea is currently the country with the most severe persecution of Christians in the world. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International also have expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.

North Korea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, while it might be true that North Korea is persecuting religious followers, the outside world must also be cognizant that Norh Korea is being run as a cult with all of its nation as followers and the leader as the spiritual head, one who has no tolerance for any straying in his flock and the current impunity to dispatch any transgressors without fear of international interference short of the sanctions already in place.

Bumper Sticker Metaphysics, God ≠ Peace

2009-07-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Driving down the highway this morning, I yet again passed a car carrying a religious message. These, as always, seem to be fairly popular and common and tacky, even in the heathenous land that is southern California. Rather than a bumper sticker, this was the license plate frame with a message.

No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace

Wow, that seems deeeep. And almost clever. And really lame. I have been seeing this silly message for years. The basic idea is that if you do not accept that there is a monotheistic Christian God (and Son, and Holy Ghost??), then you will suffer a life wracked with fear and confusions that unbelieving heathens must experience, and face an eternity after death of waist deep headstands in flaming feces while demons pull out your toenails. Whereas, once you accept and concede to a life of blind faith and servitude to an all-powerful and all-knowing creator handled 'unbiasedly' by religious leaders, you will no longer suffer and shall live your life and afterlife peacefully. That sure sounds swell, if it were not so flawed and false.

Can these devout followers be so faith-blinded that they also fail to grasp the thousands and thousands of years of suffering caused by their worship of a contentious über-being?

I say 'also fail' since many of them have had trouble grasping key factual concepts regarding man, such as:

gods did not mate with humans (no matter how fun it is)
a god did not dictate ~~fifteen~~ ten commandments which no one obeys anyway
the world is not flat, nor on the back of various huge animals hanging in space
devil or monsters were not eating the sun during the eclipse
Sun does not revolve around Earth, and Earth is not the center of the Universe
world is not 6000 years old, but actually formed 'about' 4.54 billion years ago
It took more than six days to make this existence, much closer to 14 billion years
dinosaurs and humans did not walk the planet together
there are no witches
The Bible is not the word of God, but a collection of selected written works by various men both before 334 BCE and after 45 A.D., as are the ramblings of cult starters such as Joseph Smith, Jr. or L. Ron Hubbard

I, and many others, contend that the world would have been far more peaceful without the failed mistake that is religion. Imagine the history we would have shared in our world over the past ten thousand years by foregoing the divisive fancies of 'my god is better than your god'. Think how many people could have contributed to building a better world if they were not otherwise disposed with suicide bombings, Six Day War, other sectarian wars, Holocaust, Medieval Inquisition, Spanish Inquisition, Portuguese Inquisition, Roman Inquisition, Crusades, Holy Roman Empire versus the rest of the world, human sacrifice in the name of any one of many gods, etc. For many thousands of years, we who care have had to live in a world where unthinking hatemongers of various sects have tried to massacre various other members of various other sects, usually in the name of the god or gods of the week/dynasty. Christian v Muslim, Muslim v Hindu, Hindu v Christian, Sunni v Shia, Catholic v Protestant, Protestant v Lutheran, Christian v Pagan et al, Anyone v Atheist.

Perchance, the followers of the tenet 'Know God, Know Peace' might bring this to existence if they were not busy lauding themselves above everyone else who does not ascribe to their same faith. Instead they choose to believe that they and their god are greater than all those who do not follow as they have chosen to do. Their thoughts are no longer on Peace, but on converting the others or simply getting rid of them. While a few people of faith seem to choose to live in peace, too many others take it as their mission to cast aspersions, attack their neighbors, and kill their fellow man, all in seeming violation to that holy book that they take in pieces as they wish, and yet expect you to believe in.

To quote the great John Lennon:

"Imagine there's no heaven.
It's easy if you try.
No hell below us,
Above us only sky.
Imagine all the people
Living for today.

Imagine there's no countries.
It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace."

Here is my take...

"Know God, No Peace.
No God, Know Peace." -BC

Forty-Six Years Ago

2009-07-22T15:04:00.001-07:00

Once more around the Sun - Woot!

Time difference from today (Wednesday, July 22, 2009):
2400 weeks 2 days ago
16 802 days ago
46 years ago

22 july 1963 - Wolfram|Alpha

Yes, I am still here. Almost a third of the way through my planned life and all is going reasonably well.

And though the Moon did try to eat the Sun earlier today on the other side of the planet, by sunrise this morning, the Sun was happily shining over Malibu.

I would try to regale you with the wanderings of the past year, but fear of putting readers to sleep prevents my typing. Suffice it to say I was kept busy in India, visited family in Arizona, learned a few more things, forgot a few more things, and met some more people.

Wishing you all the best over the next 365 days.

Library fight riles up city, leads to book-burning demand

2009-07-22T14:36:00.001-07:00

Who the hell is screwing with the drinking water in West Bend, WI? Apparently a number of the stodgy (aka nearly-dead) fundamentalist Christians have decided to go after the library because there are books on the shelves that offend their (lack of) sensabilities so badly that they are willing to push for book burnings and piss off the First Amendment rights of the rest of the town.

A fight over books depicting sex and homosexuality has riled up a small Wisconsin city, cost some library board members their positions and prompted a call for a public book burning.

Library fight riles up city, leads to book-burning demand - CNN.com

Apparently there are two zealotous blocs currently going after the library for books they consider objectionable. It seems the groups are largely homophobic, and are wanting to toss-off conflicting parts of our Constitution in order to cloister their brats (or grandbrats) from possibly reading too much about the world they almost live in.

One bloc started around the religiously-homophobic Maziarka couple.

The strife began in February when West Bend couple Jim and Ginny Maziarka objected to some of the content in the city library's young-adult section. They later petitioned the library board to move any sexually explicit books -- the definition of which would be debated -- from the young-adult section to the adult section and to label them as sexually explicit.

Ginny Maziarka, 49, said the books in the section of the library aimed at children aged 12 to 18 included homosexual and heterosexual content she thought was inappropriate for youths.

She and her husband also asked the library to obtain books about homosexuality that affirmed heterosexuality, such as titles written by "ex-gays," Maziarka said.

"All the books in the young-adult zone that deal with homosexuality are gay-affirming. That's not balance," she said.

The library did not agree with the Maziarkas' suggestions, and the couple appealed to the library board. Ginny Maziarka, a mother of four, began blogging about the issue and the local newspaper picked up the dispute, sparking the opposition.

Now, the closed-minded attentions of these zealots was bad enough. Then it gets even scarier.

Outside West Bend, the fight caught the attention of Robert Braun, who, with three other Milwaukee-area men, filed a claim against West Bend calling for one of the library's books to be publicly burned, along with financial damages.

The four plaintiffs -- who describe themselves as "elderly" in their complaint --- claim their "mental and emotional well-being was damaged by [the] book at the library."

The claim, unconnected to the Maziarkas, says the book "Baby Be-bop" -- a fictional piece about a homosexual teenager -- is "explicitly vulgar, racial and anti-Christian."

Braun, who says he is president of a Milwaukee group called the Christian Civil Liberties Union, said he singled out the book because it "goes way over the line" with offensive language and descriptions of sex acts.

The call for burning the book showed his passion, Braun, 74, said. "I don't sit on the fence when I do these things. When I make a decision to speak up on something, I go for it."

Yes, you read that correctly: book burning. We have found the head of the Christian Civil Liberties Union and he is happy to follow along with the Nazis. Haven't any of these people learned anything from watching 'Footloose'?

Want to know more about this dangerous and money-hungry nutjob heading the CCLU? Here is more from a post at American Libraries Association regarding these cases.

Milwaukee-area citizen Robert C. Braun of the Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) distributed at the meeting copies of a claim for damages he and three other plaintiffs filed April 28 with the city; the complainants seek the right to publicly burn or destroy by another means the library’s copy of Baby Be-Bop. The claim also demands $120,000 in compensatory damages ($30,000 per plaintiff) for being exposed to the book in a library display, and the resignation of West Bend Mayor Kristine Deiss for “allow[ing] this book to be viewed by the public.”

ALA | American Libraries - Milwaukee Group Seeks Fiery Alternative to Materials Challenge

Not only does he want to burn books, but he wants to collect $30,000 dollars for doing it. I am confused why age saw fit to take Walter Cronkite from us recently but still leave this waste of oxygen on the planet.

Besides, if they want to burn the books containing homosexual acts, they will need to add yon Holy Bible in the queue.

Meanwhile...

Back in West Bend, the Maziarkas and their supporters are gearing up for another go at the library, in part because the board now has its four new members. They do not want books burned, but they do want action.

"We want parents to decide whether they want their children to have access to these books ... and we want the library's help in identifying [them through labeling and moving]," Maziarka said. "It's just common sense."

For Pete's sake, it is not 'common sense', you moronic Maziarka. If what you say were true, then common sense would step in far earlier with suggestions like these:

Visit the library with your nearly-ignorant children and insure that they avoid such 'illicit' tomes.
Remove all labeling and sectioning in the libraries such that kids are not confused with sections like 'young adult' and 'teens'. (Though I suspect people like the Maziarkas prefer segregating things, you know, like people based on religions or sexual preference or skin tones.)
Forbid your children from reading.
Take away your kids library cards!!!

Apologies to those good people that this post might offend in its harshness, but I have much trouble tolerating close-minded nimwits who choose to compromise human freedoms based on their cloistered upbringing and unholy religions for the sake of screwing up their children with prejudiced mis-educations. To those in my glare, sadly, do what you will with your children in your house and church, but do not muck with other peoples lives and freedoms because you were raised with ignorance and contempt for life.

Thankfully, there does seem to be a strong backlash against these dangerous zealots, with many people standing up in support of free speech in West Bend and supporting the library there. Kudos to them.

One last irony. Found this on the Maziarka blog site (which is a pretty scary site to study, unless you enjoy hateful rantings of a true delusionary).

Apparently it is okay to read books, as long as you are Ginny Maziarka and you are not in West Bend.

Total Solar Eclipse of 2009 July 22

2009-07-21T09:35:00.001-07:00

Woot : The longest solar eclipse of this 21st century will be occurring this Tuesday/Wednesday. Nice birthday present for those of you born on July 22nd.

For those of you on the West Coast of the U.S. (PST), the eclipse will occur between 7:35 PM and 10:12 PM, and you will NOT be seeing the eclipse because you are on the West Coast of the U.S.

Update: the eclipse is happening right now, and the news reports are out. To everyone in Asia and the pacific, have a great eclipse!

On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan's Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

NASA - Total Solar Eclipse of 2009 July 22

This is second in the series of three eclipses in a month. There was a lunar eclipse on July 7 and now a solar eclipse on July 22 and then a lunar eclipse on August 6.

Solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zoo May Close, Euthanize Animals - Money News Story - WCVB Boston

2009-07-11T10:29:00.001-07:00

This story about a zoo closing maybe resulting in the euthanizing of some animals rings (just a little bit) of my previous post about the firefighter who shot his dogs so he could go on vacation.

The Franklin Park Zoo, the only Boston institution of its kind, may be forced to close and euthanize some of its animals, zoo officials said Friday.
Without more state funding, zoo officials said that they will run out of money within months and have to close both Franklin Park and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham.
The zoos would be forced to lay off most of their 165 employees and attempt to find new homes for more than 1,000 animals.Zoo officials estimated 20 percent of the animals would not find homes and could be euthanized.
“Not all the animals in the collection will be able to be placed at other facilities,” John Linehan, zoo president, wrote in a letter to the Massachusetts Legislature. “The Commonwealth would then be forced to either continue to maintain the animals in the closed facilities or euthanize them.”

Zoo May Close, Euthanize Animals - Money News Story - WCVB Boston

Firefighter faces jail for killing dogs while attorney kills common sense

2009-07-08T14:57:00.001-07:00

A firefighter did a very bad thing.

An Ohio firefighter faces jail time and may lose his job for shooting his two dogs to death rather than pay to board them while he went on a cruise.

Columbus firefighter David P. Santuomo, 43, took Sloopy and Skeeter to his home's basement, suspended them from a pipe near the ceiling and fired at least 11 shots from a .22-caliber rifle fitted with a homemade silencer, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron J. O'Brien said.

Santuomo then wrapped the carcasses in plastic and dumped them in a trash bin behind Firehouse 27, where he worked, O'Brien said.

Stupid, deplorable, and heinous, no doubt. This is not the type of person I would want in a trusted public position to protect my family and community.

But if you think this flawed firefighter is bad (and he is), listen to the incredibly deceptive crap that oozes from the piehole of his defense attorney.

Santuomo's attorney said that his client is remorseful over his actions and that people need to temper their outrage. "It's the same old story. They couldn't care less about people and they love animals," lawyer Sam Shamansky said.
"It, of course, was a heinous act, and it's an act for which he's sorry and has accepted responsibility," Shamansky said of the dog killings. "He's been punished appropriately, and I think it's now time for the public to practice what they preach and show a little forgiveness and mercy. Maybe that might be a novel approach."

Firefighter faces jail for killing dogs - CNN.com

Does this legal parasite truly believe that people care more about animals than they do about people (still technically animals)? Is Sam Shamansky actually so stupid and obtuse that he actually believes his own sensationalistic noise? Does he believe that his generalized 'people' are more offended by Santuomo's action of hanging two dogs and shooting them repeatedly, or is it possible that he just says lots of stupid things and actually realizes that the public would have been far, far, far more offended if Santuomo had hung two people in his basement and shot them repeatedly?

Apparently Shamansky is a walking collection of poor logic and clichés. Here he throws out some more.

''It is still the same old story, until you can take shots at the machine, it doesn't really matter what they say the test is,'' lawyer Sam Shamansky said. ''You're guilty before you ever get in the courtroom. So I don't see lowering the level as having a major impact, defensewise.''

Shamansky and his law partner, William Meeks, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court last year on behalf of a North Side man challenging the method used in Ohio to administer breath tests to suspected drunken drivers. That case is pending.

Media and Press Releases for Koffel & Jump. Ohio DUI Laws and News. Columbus, Ohio.

Anyone else see the dark error that the wrong two dogs were hung up and shot?

But, it's the same old story. You can't shoot all the scummy defense attorneys and there idiotic clients because no one wants to let you bury the smelly remains of legal trash on their land. Is that the same old story you meant, Sam?

US obesity problem 'intensifies'

2009-07-01T11:44:00.001-07:00

Remember the joke ...

"Do these pants make me look fat?"
"No, your fat ass makes you look fat."

Seems more of America is getting a fat ass.

Obesity rates in the US have surged over the last year, a report shows.
The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found adult obesity rates rose in 23 of the 50 states, but fell in none.
In addition, the percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30% in 30 states.
The report warns widespread obesity is fuelling rates of chronic disease, and is responsible for a large, and growing chunk of domestic healthcare costs.
Obesity is linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

BBC NEWS | Health | US obesity problem 'intensifies'

I guess I must accept the fact that America is getting less intelligent since it seems that more people are clueless about basic math and the way calorie intake happens. Seriously, if you are sitting on your ass most of the day and only burn about 1200-1800 Calories a day, but are eating 2000+ calories of crap food a day, you will gain weight. And for most anyone except anorexics, who have an extremely deluded sense of self image, if you think you are fat, then you probably are.

That wonderful body of yours has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to handle an active life of finding food to meet its needs. Nowadays, we are 'fortunate' to have a vending machine and convenience store on every corner offering to meet all of your caloric needs for a quick sugar fix. So, now that you do not have to run down that wild hare to have enough food for the day, your body has still not evolved to the point where you can do little and eat as much as you want without some major adverse effects (like diabetes, heart disease, husky size clothing, and death)

Come on, America, let's try a few things. Order a little less, leave a little something on your plate, eat slower, chew longer, get up sooner from the table, drink more water, stop eating when you are no longer hungry, go for a walk instead of having a snack, talk to your family and friends about your desire to shed that extra weight, and then make an effort to cut back on those sugary drinks and extra bites. Next week maybe you can start counting calories.

Teen strip-searched in school wins partial victory

2009-06-25T11:01:00.001-07:00

I had previously posted about a shocking case of a school strip-searching a 13 year old girl for potentially carrying ibuprofen (which she did not have).

The Supreme Court has made a decision in the appeal of this case.

A former middle-school student who was strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain medication won a partial victory of her Supreme Court appeal Thursday in a case testing the discretion of officials to ensure classroom safety.
No medication was found, and she later sued.
The justices concluded that the search was unreasonable but that individual school administrators could not be sued.
The larger issue of whether a campus setting traditionally gives schools greater authority over students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed was not addressed fully by the divided court.
"Savana's subjective expectation of privacy against such a search is inherent in her account of it as embarrassing, frightening and humiliating," wrote Justice David Souter for the majority, likely his last opinion before he steps down from the bench next week.
But reflecting the divisiveness over the issue, Souter said, "We think these differences of opinion from our own are substantial enough to require immunity for the school officials in this case."

Teen strip-searched in school wins partial victory - CNN.com

I think they took a step in the correct direction in citing that the school should not have a right to strip search a child. I also agree that it is not the Supreme Court's place to allow the school officials to be sued. However, I do feel that the school officials involved should definitely not be immune to some civil action. The students, parents, and community should have some means of punishing the school staff for these actions. I am very much tired of government employees hiding in their immunity from firing or punitive damages.

Hate groups riled up (as usual)

2009-06-12T08:07:00.001-07:00

I hate racism because it lacks any merit whatsoever. Unfortunately, this has little rational bearing on someone raised to hate people because their 'friends' tell them they are different. It seems that trying to intelligently argue with this argumentative group is frustrating and mostly useless. It kind of reminds me of the problems of trying to have a sensible conversation with a person who does not believe in the theory of evolution and that the world is a mere six thousand years old. Good luck trying to make these ignorant haters grasp the concept that hating anyone while living on this small and isolated rock tumbling through the cosmos is a foolish occupation.

But, along with an idiot's deadly attack on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., it seems that hate traffic on the Net is on the rise.

"The traffic [on online hate discussion groups] has really been high, and there are more people who feel their voice isn't being represented," said Randy Blazak, associate professor at Portland State University in Oregon and director of the Hate Crime Research Network.
"I've heard white people say whites are being fired from their jobs because they're white, and that there's going to be a new left-wing regime that will restrict people's rights," Blazak said.
The 88-year-old Maryland man charged in Wednesday's fatal shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington has a long history of ties to white supremacist groups and anti-Semitic views, according to an FBI criminal complaint in the case.
A Web site attributed to the suspect, James von Brunn, proclaims itself "a new, hard-hitting expose of the Jew conspiracy to destroy the white gene-pool."
...
"If you look at the Web site postings, this is what they're talking about: a terrible economy, immigrants taking your jobs, and having a black president," Heidi Beirich, director of research at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said.
President Obama's election has been a huge issue with white supremacist groups, in part because he represents in their minds a demographic shift in which the white majority in the United States is becoming slimmer, Levin added.
"Interracial marriage and interracial children are the worst thing in their world, so [the demographic shift] is a big deal for them," said Brian Levin, associate professor and director of the Center for Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

Hate groups riled up, researchers say - CNN.com

These hate groups are trying to connect the animosity from the bad economy to our new President, who happens to be of a darker color than a white bed sheet. This attempt at pointing the finger at President Obama is asinine in the least since every expert in the economic field, with the exception of those few who might wear bed sheets to the monthly cross burning, shows that the blame lies with a large group of largely white men who have played their greed against debt over the past two decades. These racists would be hard pressed to understand that their support of Bush's failed policies over the past eight years did a lot to put their good ol' boys out of work than the recent efforts of Obama to begin trying to fix past mistakes.

The ugly irony of reading this report, especially the section about hate aimed at interracial families, is that this falls on the forty-second anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in 16 states citing "There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause." Mildred and Richard Loving were a couple who married in Washington in 1958 while living in Virginia, when and where it was illegal for interracial couples to marry. (Yes, kids, there were some very ugly laws on the books when your parents were growing up.)

Loving Day has grown into a huge and positive yearly event. And it is one I fully endorse. You can find out a lot more at their Loving Day website, including the history of this eminent event and related activities. I believe that all that mixing of the races makes for a better person in the future, and by better I am including smarter, healthier, and more attractive. To see more of what that future world full of mixed-race people might look like, check out the Face of Tomorrow.

Tiananmen Square massacre - 20 years ago today

2009-06-04T04:22:00.001-07:00

To make light before it turns dark, let me paraphrase the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band:

It was twenty years ago today, Lone Tank Man taught the tanks to play.

I thought that maybe a billion people would have found the strength to change their world after two more decades of strife, but this has not been the case. But to be fair, it took us in the USA eighty-nine years to end slavery, five more years to allow any race to vote, and another fifty-five years to let women vote. Ultimately, the regime in China will change, and the people in China will have the freedoms and rights that the current leaders only allow themselves. Some tomorrow, in all the lands, the world will find that all men are created equal.

Until that day comes, let us always remember.

Tank Man — This famous photo, taken on 5 June 1989 by photographer Jeff Widener, depicts an unknown man halting the PLA's advancing tanks near Tiananmen Square.
The Goddess of Democracy surrounded by demonstrators in Tiananmen Square shortly before the massacre.
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June 4 Incident, to avoid confusion with two other Tiananmen Square protests) were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China (PRC) beginning on April 14. Led mainly by students and intellectuals, the protests occurred in a year that saw the collapse of a number of communist governments around the world.

The protests were sparked by the death of pro-market, pro-democracy and anti-corruption official, Hu Yaobang, whom protesters wanted to mourn. By the eve of Hu's funeral, 1,000,000 people had gathered on the Tiananmen square. The protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants included disillusioned Communist Party members and Trotskyists, as well as free market reformers, who were generally against the government's authoritarianism and voiced calls for economic change and democratic reform within the structure of the government. The demonstrations centered on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but large-scale protests also occurred in cities throughout China, including Shanghai, which remained peaceful throughout the protests.

The movement lasted seven weeks from Hu's death on 15 April until tanks cleared Tiananmen Square on 4 June. In Beijing, the resulting military response to the protesters by the PRC government left many civilians dead or severely injured. The number of deaths is not known and many different estimates exist. There were early reports of Chinese Red Cross sources giving a figure of 2,600 deaths, but the Chinese Red Cross has denied ever doing so. The official Chinese government figure is 241 dead, including soldiers, and 7,000 wounded.

Following the violence, the government conducted widespread arrests to suppress protesters and their supporters, cracked down on other protests around China, banned the foreign press from the country and strictly controlled coverage of the events in the PRC press. Members of the Party who had publicly sympathized with the protesters were purged, with several high-ranking members placed under house arrest, such as General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. The violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest caused widespread international condemnation of the PRC government.

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victims allege years of sexual misconduct by federal judge - CNN.com

2009-06-04T01:27:00.001-07:00

If even only part of the case against this judge is accurate, then it would still be time to remove him from his post and terminate any of his benefits associated with this position. However, even though he has admitted to the charges and has been sentenced to thirty-three months in jail for his actions, he and his attorney are fighting his (IMO unquestionable) impeachment, and are also hoping to have his pay and benefits continue DURING the first year of his prison term.

Please get the word out against this heinous criminal. Nothing justifies a man abusing women, and this case is made worse as the women were working for him and he was abusing the powers of his office at this judicial level. He continues to draw pay, and will do so until he either resigns or is impeached.

Thankfully, the news outlets are actually taking an interest in this story. Yes, we can expect a further sensationalistic frenzy from the misguided media, but some of this would be warranted or at least excused in this case. And though criminal charges were initially filed in December of 2007, maybe the national interest in this grievous case will help expedite his necessary impeachment.

[U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent] pleaded guilty in February to one count of obstruction of justice for lying to investigators about the sexual misconduct in his Galveston, Texas, courthouse. It was the first case of sexual abuse against a sitting federal judge.
Though he acknowledged in his plea that the events had occurred, the charges covering the sexual misconduct itself were dropped as part of the plea agreement. He had previously insisted the sexual events were consensual.
Kent, who turns 60 this month, was sentenced in May to 33 months in prison and ordered to surrender on June 15. He also was ordered to undergo treatment for alcoholism while in prison.
Both Kent and his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, declined to appear at Wednesday's hearing. A statement from Kent accepted in the record said he was unable to travel to the hearing due to physical and mental problems. In the statement he admitted to nonconsensual sexual contact with the two woman, which he said may have resulted from difficulties in dealing with the death of his first wife and other issues.
"Judge Kent and I refuse to be part of the circus," DeGuerin said in the statement, sent by e-mail, calling the hearing an unnecessary spectacle. "All sexual misconduct allegations against Judge Kent were dismissed in court. The highly exaggerated, yet salacious and scandalous testimony of his former personal secretary and his former case manager is irrelevant to the grounds for impeachment [WHAT?!?! -bc] and served no purpose other than to allow a few politicians to posture publicly."
If impeached, Kent would lose his judicial salary and pension. His letter to the task force noted that would leave him "penniless" and without health insurance. Kent also submitted a letter Tuesday to President Obama in which he said he will resign as of June 1, 2010, effectively extending his salary for a year that he is scheduled to spend in prison.
Committee members expressed outrage over Kent's request.
"Judge Kent and his lawyer are banking on the fact that impeachments take time, literally," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas. "Judge Kent receives $465 of his taxpayer-funded salary every day he remains in office. We are here today to put an end to Judge Kent's abuse of authority and exploitation of American taxpayers."
...
[Witness Donna] Wilkerson told the committee that Kent often referred to himself as an all-powerful figure, calling himself the emperor of Galveston, the Lion King and the man wearing the horned hat. Both women quoted Kent as frequently saying: "I am the government."
...
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, who chaired the hearing, thanked both women for testifying, saying Kent would still be on the bench if they had not come forward. He said the task force will meet soon to consider whether to recommend impeachment to the full committee.

Victims allege years of sexual misconduct by federal judge - CNN.com

The article goes into greater detail with statements from the two witnesses about the sexual abuse committed by Kent.

Further details from the Wikipedia post about Kent and his impeachment:

The start of proceedings

On May 14, 2009, soon after Kent was sentenced to 33 month in prison, the House Judiciary Committee voted to begin impeachment proceedings, as a reaction to his refusal to resign.

On May 27, 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recommended that Kent be impeached and ordered that he not be given disability status. Chief Judge Edith Jones wrote that "a claimant should not profit from his own wrongdoing by engaging in criminal misconduct and then collecting a federal retirement salary for the disability related to the prosecution." Jones also noted that Kent did not appear to be disabled or impaired. The Fifth Circuit's Judicial Council urged the Judicial Conference of the United States to "take expeditious action" toward impeachment proceedings before Congress.

Resignation and Congressional hearings

On June 2, 2009, Judge Kent submitted his resignation to President Obama to avoid hearings in Congress, which took place anyway. The resignation, should it not be precluded by removal from office, is effective as of June 1, 2010.

Samuel B. Kent - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Myth of the Lonely Long-Distance Runner

2009-06-03T22:31:00.001-07:00

Ah, running: somewhere between pleasure and hell. And as out of shape as I am right now, it leans much closer to the hell side of purgatory. Maybe running can best described as a sin; you know you can do it but you get a little nervous before you start, then, while you are doing it, it becomes both grueling and great, and afterward you are both glad and rueful (at least for the aches and blisters).

Though I often find myself feeling like I should be able to run and run and run, I have yet to cross that plateau where you can finally leave the tedium behind. Chris McDougall has done a nice job in an article to help bring back some of the wonderment for me. The entire article points out some fantastic points about running and being human. It is well worth the read.

I received the best advice for running I ever heard: "You're not going to win, so just relax. If it feels like work, you're running too hard." I just wish people would run two miles as if they were running 100 miles, because one thing that you will always see in ultra-races that you will never see in normal marathons are smiles. People are relaxed and enjoying the moment.

Q&A: The Myth of the Lonely Long-Distance Runner - TIME

In the article, Chris describes in his Running Man theory that human might have evolved to run in packs, and I feel that this might be right: I have always found it easier to run with others. I am often eager to get a solo three mile jog finished, but when my former girlfriend was riding her bike next to me one evening, I found it pretty easy to run for eight miles.

Reading this makes me even prouder of my long distance friends who put in the efforts and smile while doing it: people like Michael with his cross-the-nation bike trip, and Julia who puts in the time for her daily miles and occasional marathons. Kudos to all those people who put on their shoes and head out to spend time with themselves and the road, whether for a walk around the block or to chase the sun to the horizon.

Hong Kong protest on 20th anniversary remembers Tiananmen

2009-05-31T14:32:00.001-07:00

This marks one of those 'full circle' events for me. I still carry strong memories of the demonstrations and subsequent massacre at Tiananmen Square. Lady Liberty rising over the Square. Hundreds and then thousands of demonstrators happily standing together to try to shape their world. One man standing down a column of tanks. And then the images of a dark night with attacking troops and bodies and injured people being carried from the Square.

I had the chance to go to both Hong Kong and Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1995. Being on Tiananmen Square was a very moving time for me. I walked about the Square trying to imagine the events and the range of emotions experienced by the people crowding this space less than six years earlier. I watched as the soldiers lowered the flag in their daily ceremony, while thinking about the soldiers of the PLA descending on this place and slaughtering thousands of unarmed people who wanted freedom. As we stood in the Square amongst the calm tourist evening, watching the spectacle of the military pageantry, and the locals watching us, a huge clock with large, red numbers digitally counted down to the time when Hong Kong would transfer from being a colony of the UK back to part of People's Republic of China.

Standing in the Square, facing the Tiananmen Gate, a little ways away from the flag poles toward the centre of the plaza, I kneeled down and picked up a chip from the corner of one of the square stones making up the Square. I thought about where I was, and what had happened there, and what was to come. I still have this very special piece of stone. It means a great deal to me.

Thousands have marched in Hong Kong to mark the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen killings, in one of the few such events on Chinese soil.
Many at the protest wore black and white, to symbolise mourning. Police said at least 4,700 people had gathered. Tens of thousands more are expected to attend a candlelit vigil on Thursday.
China still considers the Tiananmen protests "counterrevolutionary", but they are openly marked each year in Hong Kong because it is ruled under a separate political system.
Many of those taking part in the events see the occasion as vital to the preservation of Hong Kong's freedom of speech.
A University of Hong Kong poll released on Wednesday suggested that 69% of Hong Kongers think the crackdown was a mistake and 61% believe the Chinese government should stop condemning the protests.
"June 4 was a time when a group of people sacrificed their lives for democracy. We need to remember their efforts," said demonstrator Steve Chan.

BBC NEWS | Hong Kong protest over Tiananmen

I was in Hong Kong again a couple of months ago. Standing on the waterfront in the evening, I was amazed at how much the city had changed in the past fourteen years. It still looks like Hong Kong, but in the way that you still look like your seventh-grade school pictures. Thankfully, the city also still feels like the old Hong Kong, bustling with the energy of commerce and business, without the darker police and military overtones which I felt while in Beijing way back when.

And now, it has been twenty years since the night of the massacres, yet China still exists under a crushing regime. We also need to remember the invasion of China into Tibet in 1950, Tibet's failed rebellion in 1959 which led to the exile of the Dalai Lama, and the fierce suppression of revolts this past March during the anniversary which saw thousands of arrests and many casualties of Tibetan monks.

Unfortunately, China is not alone its harsh and draconian treatment of its citizens. North Korea, Burma, many Arab and Islamic states, and other nations around the globe still seek to control and contain their citizens by suppression through police and military action. In Burma (aka Myanmar), opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner and democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for nineteen years and is in court (and prison) right now as the country's military prepares to take the nation into another mock election.

I realize that the society and cultures differ in many ways between the East and the West. But I think that aside from the sense of wanting to belong that exists moreso in the East than the sense of wanting to be an individual that exists in the West, almost all of these citizens would want to choose to live in a world where they and their children possess freedom and a set of basic human rights that cannot be obtained under an suppressive, militaristic rule.

It looks like we will soon be seeing a growing freedom in Cuba as the communist shackles of the Revolution begin to come off. I expect this to echo the fall of the Berlin Wall, but with a Miami style. North Korea is likely a bit further off, though it continues to get bristly as Pyongyang tries to play it nuclear trump card against the UN Security Council. But even Beijing is not happy about this. And Burma is trying to keep everything quiet, so I suspect that this less-squeaky wheel will be one of the last to fall ... unless the people rise up soon. But the people are very much on the side of Aung San Suu Kyi, so this is a possibility.

And do not give up on China. A billion people can do some amazing things. A lot of people can do great things. And one man can change the world.

Never doubt the strength of the people.

Last Titanic survivor dies at 97

2009-05-31T12:27:00.001-07:00

The breathing book of the story of the Titanic was closed this Sunday when the final survivor died. She was the youngest passenger (just a nine weeks old), and though she had no memories of the event, she had stated it had shaped her life. I understand that it was a sensational tragedy at its time, as the ship labeled 'unsinkable' went to its icy death taking 1,517 people with her. Yet I am still amazed at how this story held so much power and attention throughout the past century.

You romantic-minded fans of the film will be forgiven for imaginings of young Rose reuniting with Jack at the Grand Staircase.

Rest in peace, Millvina Dean. Rest in peace, Titanic.

The last survivor of the sinking of the Titanic has died aged 97. Millvina Dean was nine weeks old when the liner sank after hitting an iceberg in the early hours of 15 April 1912, on its maiden voyage from Southampton.

Miss Dean, who remembered nothing of the fateful journey, died on Sunday, 31 May 2009, at the care home in Hampshire where she lived, two of her friends told the BBC. Her father, Bertram, perished when the vessel sank. Her sister and mother also survived and they returned to Southampton, where Miss Dean spent most of her life.

BBC NEWS | Last Titanic survivor dies at 97

Kaki King -

2009-05-31T00:13:00.001-07:00

I was not sure what I should title this blog post, which is why I have left it open-ended. After all, Kaki King is not what many people might expect for her talents. She is only twenty-nine years old, but in 2007 she was listed as a “Guitar God” by Rolling Stone Magazine, the first woman to make it onto this list. She is also a drummer (her first love), and has worked on soundtracks. And she seems to tour a helluva lot.

She has just come across my radar (again) when I was pointed to her performance at a TED 2008 conference. Along with "Playing with Pink Noise" and a couple of other songs, she takes time to share some of her metaphysics and the reason for her extra-large guitars. I was listening to this performance and thinking that this sounds very much like the music I heard in the movie "August Rush". Yep, it turns out those were her hands and her performance during the movie. The music stuck in my memory and was one of the better parts of that film (along with the always lovely Keri Russell).

While researching about her for this post, I found that she had also done an interview on BoingBoingTV. During this piece, they highlight another one of her songs called "Pull Me Out Alive", which also seems to be hanging somewhere in the back of my memories; not sure where I had heard it previously (not BoingBoing), but I definitely have heard this before.

Maybe MatthewH has heard of her, but for the rest of you who might be unfamiliar with her talents, please take the time to check out and enjoy her great work. Here is a link to her home page at KakiKing.com, a search of her work on YouTube, and her MySpace page.

(at facebook fan page)

When Nero crawls forth from Culver City and speaks

2009-05-30T04:33:00.001-07:00

[I have been wrestling for a while whether to post this or not since I have friends whose lives are involved with Sony. However, this information does need to be shared. So, here it is.]

Sony is not doing so well now.

Sony lost over $1bn during its 2008 fiscal year which ended in March. It's the company's first annual loss in 14 years, and it expects to lose even more in the year ahead.

Sony loses $1bn in 2008 • The Register

There are many variables in the huge equation to understand Sony's current woes, and much of this is extremely far outside of my scope. But, there is one aspect of this which is a regular part of my professional life: Sony Entertainment.

I have many friends who have been a part of the Sony machine. Several friends were there in the days when Sony Pictures Entertainment opened Imageworks, and many more have worked on the lot over the intervening years. But from those lean and hungry days, Sony has turned into an obese bureaucratic quagmire. Morale is not high these days. Artists are being let go in order to reduce costs. And yet the bloat of middle management is not seeing much of the axe, I sadly hear.

Maybe the man quoted below is part of the problem.

from Memo Pad: Uniqlo Nabs Deyn... Bad Internet... Classic Martha... - Fashion Memopad - WWD.com
The panel was about the future of filmmaking, but that didn’t mean anyone had to like what they saw. “I’m a guy who doesn’t see anything good having come from the Internet,” said Sony Pictures Entertainment chief executive officer Michael Lynton. “Period.”

What?! Did these words actually come out of the mouth of a human with a functioning brain? The flow of information, some bad but so much more good, has flowed as never before in history. Families and friends and strangers with mutual interests can now exchange with one another as never before. Knowledge has become a fully shared resource for the growth of our world. Research and innovation has blossomed like grass after a drought with the connectivity between people and information, companies and data, academics and research.

Except for

Michael Lynton, Chairman & CEO
Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures - Michael Lynton Biography

Granted, this is a man who seems to be extremely out of touch with the growth of the Internet over the past few decades. After all, he was the president of both Time Warner International and AOL International, as well as the CEO of AOL Europe. This guy has been well dulled by institutions which are hell-bent on corroding the user-experience and thwarting the open flow of information.

More about the aforementioned quote:

At a breakfast cohosted by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and The New Yorker Thursday, Lynton wasn’t just trying for a laugh: He complained the Internet has “created this notion that anyone can have whatever they want at any given time. It’s as if the stores on Madison Avenue were open 24 hours a day. They feel entitled. They say, ‘Give it to me now,’ and if you don’t give it to them for free, they’ll steal it.”

Who the hell is this 'they'? Is this village unit talking about every man, woman, and child using the Internet? And yes, Michael, the Internet has created the notion for many consumers that many organizations' products are available at any given time. And to help clear his ignorance or lack of awareness, almost every store on Madison Avenue actually does have an internet presence, open to every consumer for twenty-fours hours a day. After that, Michael, you just sound ugly. People are happy that such things are available, but I suspect very few (except maybe those of your skewed clique) feel 'entitled.' And very few of 'them' are saying that they will steal it if they cannot get it for free.

This is a man who is dangerously out of touch with our modern world, and has an incredibly poor opinion of the ethics and morals of people who use computers (i.e., pretty much everyone in the Western World and most people anywhere else). This guy's glass is so half empty that he is going to pee in your glass.

I still cringe when recalling the days when Mr. Lynton headed divisions in AOL. AOL CDs littered check-out stands and magazines (and trash bins), and I had to help my friends and family deal with using the Internet via their neutered and polluted AOL experience that they had benightedly signed up for. I can promise you that this seemingly clueless hypocrite did not run these organization by having his employees constrained to the same user experience he was gouging onto their users. But, wistfully, I do so wish he had.

Meanwhile, back at the luncheon:

Lynton tried out another simile. Referring to the Obama administration’s goal to spread broadband access without, he said, regulating piracy, Lynton compared it with building highway systems without speed limits or driver’s licenses. “We do need rules of the road,” he said.

And he wants to be the man setting those rules that he wants to constrain you to use. However, since he is no longer driving the Internet bandwagon, he is happy to promote the treatment of consumers as criminals and marshal in the RIAA and MPAA as bulldogs to litigate anyone they can connect to downloads of their releases, whether those individuals are guilty or innocent or dead.

Mr. Lynton reports directly to Sony CEO Howard Stringer.

When things started looking bad last December, Sony announced a major cost-cutting regime that would see the closing of five production sites and elimination of as many as 160,000 jobs by 2010. Now under the rule of its new CEO Howard Stringer, who came in promising to shake things up, the company plans on doing more.
...
Revenue for Sony's entertainment biz was down 16.4 per cent.

Sony loses $1bn in 2008 • The Register

Maybe all these head individuals are not to be blamed for all of Sony's woes. And maybe Michael Lynton is actually a great man outside of work, doing noble things in the community and acting as a loving husband and father, and petting dogs and cats wherever he may wander. But, it has become apparent from the public statements of at least one of these 'leaders' that he is definitely not the man for this job (or any other job involving technology and business after the year 1960).

Hopefully someone at Sony will find the spine to release this dark cloud of an individual, Michael Lynton, from the upper managament flotsam at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Maybe even quickly, so that they can get back on track sooner.

Flight 93 memorial - too much but not too late

2009-05-30T04:24:00.001-07:00

The debate surrounding the planned memorial site of United Airlines Flight 93 continues. The plane crashed in the morning of 11 September 2001 when the passengers and crew stormed the cockpit trying to regain control from the five terrorist who had hijacked the plane. I find it fitting and commendable that there is a plan to build a lasting memorial to their heroism and final act.

But, I also have a problem with this planned memorial.

The amount of land needed for the memorial is just over 2,200 acres, about 1,400 of which is near the crash site, where there will be a visitor center. The other 800 acres would create a buffer around the site to protect the rural setting.

An emotional fight over land for Flight 93 memorial - CNN.com

2,200 acres. This is huge. That is more than 3.4 square miles. If it was a rectangular track of land, then that would be a piece of land measuring two miles long by 1.7 miles wide. This would be 2.6 times larger than Central Park in New York City. How does this compare to the World Trade Center site?

In addition to the twin towers, the plan for the World Trade Center complex included four other low-rise buildings which were built in the early 1970s. The 47-story 7 World Trade Center building was added in the 1980s to the north of the main complex. Altogether, the main World Trade Center complex occupied a 16 acres (65,000 m²) superblock.^[24]

World Trade Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The planned memorial for Flight 93 will be 137.5 times larger than the site the World Trade Center complex sat upon. Are they also going to convert all of lower Manhattan from 14th Street south into a memorial for WTC, American Airlines Flight 11, and United Airlines Flight 175? No.

My question is why does this memorial site for Flight 93 need this much land? Part of the claim seems to center around the need for a buffer to preserve the surrounding environment. Maybe. But the plan is still far too grandiose.

The Field of Honor
The Field of Honor is a large, bowl-shaped existing landform roughly circular, that forms the heart of the memorial and park. Visitors will experience varied landscape and memorial features along the edge of and within the Field of Honor. In framing the open space of the Field of Honor with a distinct, formal edge, the memorial design expresses the spirit of the Mission Statement preamble: A common field one day. A field of honor forever.

Flight 93 National Memorial - The Design (U.S. National Park Service)

Here are some of the renderings for the memorial. (from the National Park Service page for the design).

Some readers may not forgive me for being this callous, but this is extremely over the top, in my opinion. Especially since the debate and land grab fight is still going on (more than seven years after the crash) for the land the memorial will rest upon. More about the National Park Service planned us of 'eminent domain' to wrest the 62 acres of land (out of the total 2,200 acres) from Tim Lambert (its current owner) in the CNN story at the beginning of this article.

But, seriously, look at the size of this planned memorial. I feel that Patrick White, vice president of Families of Flight 93, and Paul and Milena Murdoch, Flight 93 Memorial architects, have larger Napoleon complexes than Napoleon had. They want to build a park that is 15% the size of all the land in Manhattan (the borough of New York City).

Please understand that I am not arguing against a memorial for these illustrious individuals who performed a truly incredible act in the final moment of their lives. These were true humans in the highest and most honorable sense of the word who headed into a situation they knew they must face. They had been in contact by telephone with family and friends, and knew that their plane had been hijacked for use in a suicidal bid against other innocent people. The joined together to storm the cockpit and take control back from the armed terrorists who were barricaded within. And in giving themselves to this final act of heroism they saved untold lives in Washington, D.C..

I am simply objecting to the size of the memorial. It would seem that maybe the National Park Service could trade acreage with Mr. Lambert away from a more modest proposal for this memorial. This is simply my suggestion.

Seeking interesting team name based on Vitamin B12

2009-05-28T00:54:00.001-07:00

We are having a game-console based competition in the office today and tomorrow. part of the directive was :

Please give us your team names asap - try something innovative, mix your hometown names with your attitude, or your spirit, or your favorite delicacy, or your favorite sports star... Any language goes... Remember there is a special prize for the most innovative name and logo design. So go ahead get cracking on your designs right away...

As, I was looking at the roster of the current team assignments, I saw that I was in Group B on team 12. One of the first things that popped into my head was 'Vitamin B12'. (Yeah, geek.) So, I wanted to find out some more info about B12 in hopes of fertilizing some creative name-generation. Off to Wikipedia, and check out these two info-packed and interesting paragraphs about this vitamin.

Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins. It is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell of the body, especially affecting DNA synthesis and regulation, but also fatty acid synthesis and energy production.

Vitamin B12 is the name for a class of chemically-related compounds, all of which have vitamin activity. It is structurally the most complicated vitamin and it contains the biochemically rare element cobalt. Biosynthesis of the basic structure of the vitamin can only be accomplished by bacteria, but conversion between different forms of the vitamin can be accomplished in the human body. A common synthetic form of the vitamin, cyanocobalamin, does not occur in nature, but is used in many pharmaceuticals, supplements and as food additive, due to its stability and lower cost. In the body it is converted to the physiological forms, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin, leaving behind the cyanide, albeit in minimal concentration. More recently, hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin and, adenosylcobalamin can also be found in more expensive pharmacological products and food supplements. The utility of these is presently debated.

Vitamin B12 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Did you catch that part about the cobalt? Yep, vitamin B12 has cobalt in it. That is pretty rare to find this being used in the body. In the picture above, that blue atom in the middle is the cobalt. And since it is involved in the metabolism of every cell in the body, that adds up to a fair amount of cobalt.

Cobalt is an essential trace-element for all multicellular organisms as the active center of coenzymes called cobalamins. These include vitamin B-12 which is essential for mammals. Cobalt is also an active nutrient for bacteria, algae, and fungi, and may be a necessary nutrient for all life.

Cobalt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And how about that part that vitamin B12 can only be synthesized by bacteria? Not to worry there since there is ten times more bacteria in you than there is you.

Also interesting was that part about the more common (and less expensive) synthetic B12 being cyanocobalamin, which after being gobbled by the bacteria is converted to two other compounds leaving a bit of cyanide behind. Cyanide, in certain forms and large amounts, can be very bad for you if you want to live. Recent victims of the negative effects of cyanide include several heads of the former Third Reich, as well as 907 residents of Jonestown. If you buy the more expensive B12 (hydroxocobalamin), then you do not have to worry about the trace amount of cyanide. Interestingly, this natural and more expensive version of B12 can actually be used to treat cyanide poisoning, which makes for an interesting cycle.

So, there are some interesting tidbits about B12. But I still need an interesting team name and design. So, if you come up with any cool team names based on vitamin B12 (or anything else), please let me know. Cheers.

Burris insists secret recordings show no corruption

2009-05-27T10:01:00.001-07:00

Of course I have blogged about Roland Burris before. It is because of the bureaucrats like him and the busted former Governor of Illinois (and the numerous not-wink-gay but religious hypocrites in Congress facing indictments) that make citizens despise their government and make neighboring States scorn America.

Here we have Burris still trying to fend off any thoughts that he bought his way into the office. I will wait for the evidence and facts to become public, but my gut is wanting me to trust that he might be the smarmy schmuckuvapolitician that he seems to be.

Embattled Illinois Sen. Roland Burris insisted Wednesday that recordings of secretly taped conversations between himself and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother show no evidence of corruption in his U.S. Senate appointment.
Burris also reiterated his assertion that he did not commit perjury in previous testimony regarding his involvement in an alleged "pay-for-play" scheme to fill the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

Burris's denials came one day after a federal judge approved sending to the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee recordings of the conversations, which took place before Burris was appointed.

The recordings, which show Burris offering to cut a check to then-Gov. Blagojevich's campaign, were requested by the Ethics Committee as part of an investigation into Burris' appointment and seating.

"I was truthful when I testified that at no time did I take any part in pay-to-play while lobbying for the Senate seat," Burris told a group of reporters in Chicago.

"Did I want to be appointed to the Senate seat? Yes I did. … Did I try to buy the seat? Never."

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Burris insists secret recordings show no corruption « - Blogs from CNN.com

Idiots at LDS Response to California Supreme Court Decision on Proposition 8

2009-05-26T13:33:00.001-07:00

Hey. You know what irks me more than cults? Dumb cults. Take for instance the critics of intelligence running the Cult of Latter Day Saints(-my-ass). And what brings us together today...?

The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...

Unfortunately, the wonder of marriage fell short today in California (yet again). The California Supreme Court upheld the (same-sex marriage ban) case against Prop 8 by a 6-1 ruling. Obviously bad news for anyone who supports same-sex marriages (which I do), and good news for anyone who has a lot of right-leaning intolerance and homophobic hatred. And one organization who shares these dark traits raised their pointy head today.

Here is a posting from the official Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS - way too many euphemisms in that acronym to describe these ill-witted sectarians). Note that the post is from the headquarters of the mothership in Salt Lake City. Not only does this church think it has the right to bother you at home by pushing Watchtower on your day off, or saying who you cannot marry, but they are belching this from their firey pulpit in Utah which should keep its forked tongue out of California politics.

The article is below with the Church post on the left and my rebuttal on the right. Yeah, I am going to hell for this one. And I am not even gay, or religious, or ~~Republican~~both.

SALT LAKE CITY - 26 May 2009 - Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court is welcome. You are in Utah and should keep your evil claws out of California politics. Remember, that whole constitutional thing about separation of church (or cult) and State?
And just because your religious politics welcomes this does not mean that it is universally welcomed.
The issue the court decided was whether California citizens validly exercised their right to amend their own constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The court has overwhelmingly affirmed their action. Actually, what the court decided was "that the November initiative was not an illegal constitutional revision, as gay rights lawyers contended, nor unconstitutional because it took away an inalienable right, as Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown argued."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes the deeply held feelings on both sides, but strongly affirms its belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
This line is your opinion, and as such I must respect your right to have this.
The bedrock institution of marriage between a man and a woman has profound implications for our society.
Your 'bedrock' statement is also a subjective statement and little more than bigoted opinion, and one which the LDS has seen to interpret in any manner they choose, as shown in the LDSs' history of polygamy and child-brides. (Yes, I did notice that you typed 'woman' rather than 'women'; nice dodge.)
These implications range from what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice. There will be implications of having same-sex marriages that will definitely make your church uncomfortable, but these will have little implication on what is taught in schools (unless you mean the potential lessening of intolerance), and should have absolutely no impact on the 'collective freedom' of your questionable 'religious freedom and practice.'
Accordingly, the Church stands firmly for what it believes is right for the health and well-being of society as a whole.
Yes, as any religion does, you stand firmly for what you believe is right, as long as it is understood that insert-name-of-your-cult-here is the only organization that is divine enough to decide what is right for everyone.
In doing so, it once again affirms that all of us are children of God, and all deserve to be treated with respect. No, I am not a child of your god. If you accept this as true, then you must equally accept that you are a child of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. And I truthfully doubt that you are a child of your god either, since I suspect you blurt quotes of your loving and caring god whose image you are not living up to. And you surely are not treating all the others with respect.
The Church believes that serious discussion of these issues is not helped when extreme elements on both sides of the debate demonize the other. Yes, I am demonizing, maybe. And what your insidious and surreptitious church is doing is a few steps worse.

Church Response to California Supreme Court Decision on Proposition 8 - LDS Newsroom

Now, the fun I really want to have is all about jumping into the cult's history and doctrine. Whoo-wee, there's a whole lotta stink there. From the self-varying versions of Joseph Smith, Jr. first vision in which he "saw God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, as two separate, glorious, resurrected beings of flesh and bone", to his post-treasure-hunting days when he used his 'seer stones' (no, I am not making this up) to find the book inscribed on golden plates (and other also never seen artifacts) which he translated by reading the seer stones in his hat while covered with his face, to the revelation that Zion would be in Independence, Missouri until that failed, evolved doctrine that God has a body and that the dead can be baptised by proxy, to his 'translation of the Book of Abraham (which now includes the plurality of the godS) that later turned out to be an ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead that he had purchased from a traveling exhibitor in 1835, and on-and-on-and-on. Here is the Wikipedia page of controversies around this 'church'; you can find many more sites out on the interWeb.

This is not an attack on any people who might be Mormons. I have known many Mormons during my life. Most were nice, and only got annoying when trying to sell their faith as something other than a ridiculous concoction. The problem is not the people, the problem is the religion. Thankfully, many people make the escape from this cult. Too bad they all are not this fortunate.

Update: This is great...:

The Hewitt strategy of trying to bring the LDS church - especially LDS money - into a Christianist popular front began with the Romney candidacy. Then it morphed into Prop 8, funded by $20 million of Mormon money. The leadership of the LDS church has every right to do this; but equally gay people and their families now have every right to highlight the Mormon church as an enemy of civil rights and of gay people everywhere. This will be decried as bigotry. But gays are not fighting to remove the civil rights of Mormons; while Mormons have successfully campaigned to remove the civil rights of gays.

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Octo-Mel Gibson and the ticket price his hot Russian mommy

2009-05-26T06:49:00.001-07:00

Mel Gibson (wiki / imdb) is in the news again. No, not for drinking, driving, and disparaging. No, not for his pending divorce. He is going to be a daddy ... again. Eighth times a charm.

Kudos to him. Follow along though: Mel on Leno... going to be daddy.... blah, blah, blah... mommy is his new girlfriend ... yadda, yadda... 39-year old Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva ... nice... self-described 'Octo-Mel' ... haha, whatever ... ah, here we go:

[Estranged wife of 28-year marriage] Robyn Gibson is said to be seeking a share of the money and assets the Braveheart actor has earned during his career.
As it is thought no prenuptial deal was signed, Robyn could receive half of the star's reported $640m (£402m) wealth under Californian law.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Gibson confirms partner pregnancy

Wow, USD $320,000,000.00. Not a bad payout for being married. I suspect some of those reading this will want to counter that this seems fair for having been married to him for 28 years. And I would reply 'Huh?! I am not espousing that she should not be getting this money; I am just pondering on the amount and her entitlement. Any logic that she is due this would imply that every wife of 28 years is due this sum at the divorce, or at least a yearly compensation of USD $11.4M per annum (with an additional factorization based on having seven children), none of which your mother got for helping to raise you. Not to mention that she got to sleep fairly regularly with one of People's top "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world (1990, 1991, 1996) and 1985's Sexiest Man Alive. (Seriously, who is the Sexiest Man NOT-Alive?) I suspect that many (very many) women would have been happy to bear him seven children for much less money.

I have a feeling the new Russian mommy will be seeing a pre-nup before daddy Mel says 'I do' again.

Help support the NIH and Embryonic Stem Cell

2009-05-17T07:55:00.001-07:00

A number of nonsecular groups are trying to stop stem cell research. Sadly, these dangerous hypocrites (who are happy to use drugs and science when it benefits them and argue against it when they decide their supreme being should be against it) are launching write-in campaigns to the NIH and their elected officials to end support for this research. And they are not meeting much resistance. Please, will you make the effort to voice your opinion? This is very important and should only take you a couple of minutes. Thank you so much for this.

To read the message of information, please go to:

NIH Embryonic Stem Cell Message

To add your name to this important list, please go to:

http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm

Remember when President Obama signed that document removing the Bush stem cell restrictions? That same day he called upon the National Institutes of Health to draft a new set of guidelines for scientists wanting federal funding.
Those guidelines have just been issued. see http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009draft.htm
The next 14 days are the comment period for the new guidelines for stem cell research, which American scientists will have to live with if they want federal funding. This is the public's only chance to shape those guidelines: which can be improved-or made worse.
Unfortunately, there are problems with the proposed guidelines!
Not only are the guidelines far more conservative than we had hoped, but opponents of the research are systematically flooding the comment process.
Conservative religious bodies, have launched a national campaign to attack early stem cell research by mass emails to the NIH.
*"The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched a new "Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research" campaign today, equipping citizens to contact Congress and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to oppose embryonic stem cell research ." -- WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ www.usccb.org/stemcellcampaign
Is their anti-research campaign having an effect?
Dr. Wise Young of Rutgers University , ". of the 6000 plus comments that NIH has received concerning the draft guidelines, 99% were from people who opposed embryonic stem cell research."-Carecure Forum http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showpost.php?p=1039001&postcount=12
Imagine what the enemies of research will do with a statistic like that! Think of the State Senators and Representatives who have to fight for stem cell funding-they will be hammered-no politician ever wants to stand alone.
Supporters of stem cell research must be heard.

NIH Embryonic Stem Cell

Also, will you please forward this message on to anyone that you think might benefit from this?
Thank you for your support.

As the world is only 6000 years old [PIC]

2009-05-15T07:20:00.001-07:00

As the world is only 6000 years old [PIC]

This link will take you to a post of an image that I found via Digg.

The image is a scan of a permission slip from an elementary school to let 6th & 7th grade students go on a field trip to study geology (truly a dirty science). Below I have transcribed the text from the permission slip AND the reply note from one concerned and, sadly, uneducated parent.

Dear Parents,

The Grade 6 and 7 students are planning a field trip to the ____ Fossil Discovery Centre on Friday Feb. 22 to attend the Rocks and Mineral Festival put on by the ____ Geological Society. The cost for the trip will be $2.00 per child. Please send your child with a bag lunch that day to eat while we are on the trip. We will be departing the school at 10:00 am and will return by 2:30 - 3:00 pm. Also, students should be dressed appropriately for the weather.

...

Reply:

I do not give permission for my son/daughter ____ to attend the field trip to ____ to attend the Rock and Mineral Festival at the ____ Fossil Discovery Centre on Friday February 22, 2008.

Note Just to let you know it is not that we don't believe in ~~XXX~~ in things like that it is Just misleading when you speak about it being billions of years old, when we all know that the world is only about 6 000 years old. So why would I pay, so that you can misslead my children. your world is Just a revolving. our's has a start and an end. God created the world He created animals and man ~~XXX~~ all in the same week. It was also Adam who named all the animals, they will do the [something]ey Rock and minerals, but it might not be 5 pages long, and not about billions of years ago, it'll be according to the Bible

I have tried to be faithful to the words written, so the grammar, spelling, and punctuation (and logic) above should be as depicted. (I wanted to leave the [sic]s out so as not to distract you with the many interruptions.)

I did a search, and I presume the the "___ Fossil Discovery Centre" is the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, Manitoba. (There is also a Fossil Discovery Center in Madera County California, which is spelled with the American spelling and opened in early 2009, so I believe the unfortunate kid was in Canada.)

According to their website, the event was well attended and educational.

The Rock & Fossil Festival was a great success. It was held at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre February 22 & 23, 2008 from 10-5 pm. A total of 261 individuals participated including school groups, adults and families. Participants brought in wonderful artifacts and specimens for our professionals to review. Everyone enjoyed the day immensely.

Rock Fossil Festival 2008 | Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

Too sad that the attendee count was not 262-plus. Sounds like the kid would have had a good day, and maybe learned some stuff, too.

But, a quick return to the parent's note: Was anyone else bothered by the 'truthy' statement that this adult's world has both "a start and an end"? Heck, maybe it was just me. Sure, I can accept that in a few billion years, our world will have been swallowed within the expansion of Sol's nova, and might ultimately freeze during the universal expansion whereby the atomic constituents finally drift apart to fill the void. But I think this individual was writing about the Biblical New Testament End of Days, with the Christian version of the spin (as opposed to the Jewish or Islamic or other spins), which must surely happen before the Milky Way galaxy merges into the Andromeda Galaxy in 3 billion years, after which the Local Group of galaxies coalesces in 10¹¹ (100 billion) to 10¹² (1 trillion) years, and then star formation ends in 10¹⁴ (100 trillion) years, and much later the nucleons all start decaying after 10³² years, ultimately settling down with everything turning into black holes and radiating to near-nothingness between 10⁴⁰ years to 10¹⁰⁰ years. Surely she meant Jesus H. Christ would be back before then. Maybe before we have to pay taxes again.

What the Bible says about the End of the World
The end will come within the lifetime of Jesus's listeners.
...
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." -- Matthew 23:36
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." -- Matthew 24:34
...
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled." -- Luke 21:32
"Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" -- John 21:22

But That did not happen, so they had to find some alternate timeline.

The end will come within the lifetime of the the New Testament authors.
...
"But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." -- Hebrews 9:26
"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." -- 1 Peter 1:20
"But the end of all things is at hand." -- 1 Peter 4:7
"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." -- 1 John 2:18

But, That still did not work. Apparently someone up there was not following the rule book that someone down here had written. So, with an understandable amount of lassitude, the faithful hope to find some more open passages which might offer a broader latitude of getting it right; third time is a charm, don't'cha know? And though these ideas were written within a few hundred years of you-know-whom's crucifiction, the followers gotta believe that it is coming any day now, well, during their lifetimes.

The end will come soon. (Within a couple thousand years or so.)
"The Lord is at hand." -- Philippians 4:5
"For the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." -- James 5:8
"For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." -- Hebrews 10:37
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. -- Revelation 1:1
"The time is at hand." -- Revelation 1:3
"Behold, I come quickly." -- Revelation 3:11, 22:7, 22:12
"Surely I come quickly." -- Revelation 22:20

What the Bible says about the end of the world

Come on, faithful: hold your breath; it can't be much longer now.

But, until it happens, how about throwing your kid a bone and let him go on the field trip so he hang with his friends and get out of the classroom for a few minutes?

ACLU sues over patents on breast cancer genes

2009-05-13T03:15:00.001-07:00

The following is an example of how the idea of 'patents' has become warped and twisted and flawed. We have allowed corporations to have more rights than individuals, and I would contend that the flawed use and over-empowerment through patents and copyrights has been a strong tool in achieving this improper imbalance. Now, as always, is the time to correct some of these errors and injustices, and it seems like the ACLU is again stepping up to do the right thing.

ACLU sues over patents on breast cancer genes - CNN.com
Patents on two human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancers are being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argues that patenting pure genes is unconstitutional and hinders research for a cancer cure.
"Knowledge about our own bodies and the ability to make decisions about our health care are some of our most personal and fundamental rights," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "The government should not be granting private entities control over something as personal and basic to who we are as our genes."
The ACLU, joined by Yeshiva University's law school, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in southern New York against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Utah-based Myriad Genetics and the University of Utah Research Foundation.
Myriad and the research foundation hold patents on the pair of genes -- known as BRCA1 and BRCA2 -- that are responsible for many cases of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers.
The ACLU contends that patenting the genes limits research and the free flow of information, and as a result violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit also challenges genetic patenting in general, noting that about 20 percent of all human genes are patented -- including genes associated with Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy and asthma.
"It is absolutely our intent that upon victory this will rend invalid patents on many other genes," said Dan Ravicher, executive director of the Public Patent Foundation and a patent law professor at Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. "We just had to pick one case as our case."
Ravicher offered an analogy to describe the plaintiffs' argument, saying, "It's like saying if someone removes your eyeball ... just because you remove the eyeball and wash it off, that doesn't make the eyeball patentable.

"Now if they create another eyeball out of plastic or metal, then you can patent that."

Absolutely. These bureaucratic parasites at Myriad did not discover the process or means of creating these genes. There are over six billion walking human gene factories on this planet, and many billions more non-human gene makers, all over this planet Earth. And no company, corporation, or organization should have any ownership rights on naturally occurring chemical process happening inside living organisms.

If the people at Myriad could manage to develop a means of creating (or cloning or eradicating or whatever) this gene ex vivo, then they could apply for a patent on the process used to achieve this. However, no entity or organization should be allowed to patent a gene or your DNA or my thumb.

I completely agree with the idea of patenting a process. This flies proudly with the idea of progress and trade. If someone else can come up with a better means of accomplishing the claims of my patent, then my idea should not in any way be a hindrance to this progress. If your new fangled widget does it better than mine, but my way is still less expensive, then people might still use my widget. But if your newer widget is better and cheaper, then kudos to you (because people should be paying to use your better widget), and it is now my turn to try to do it better again. Maybe I will use your patent to do a part of it and pay you accordingly. Maybe I will reinvent the process and file another patent. This is how the patent system should work.

Here is a brief overview about patents straight from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

General Information Concerning Patents - United States Patent and Trademark Office
What Is a Patent?
A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Generally, the term of a new patent is 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. U.S. patent grants are effective only within the United States, U.S. territories, and U.S. possessions. Under certain circumstances, patent term extensions or adjustments may be available.
The right conferred by the patent grant is, in the language of the statute and of the grant itself, “the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling” the invention in the United States or “importing” the invention into the United States. What is granted is not the right to make, use, offer for sale, sell or import, but the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing the invention. Once a patent is issued, the patentee must enforce the patent without aid of the USPTO.
There are three types of patents:
1) Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof;
2) Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture; and
3) Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.
What Can Be Patented

The patent law specifies the general field of subject matter that can be patented and the conditions under which a patent may be obtained.
In the language of the statute, any person who “invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent,” subject to the conditions and requirements of the law. The word “process” is defined by law as a process, act or method, and primarily includes industrial or technical processes. The term “machine” used in the statute needs no explanation. The term “manufacture” refers to articles that are made, and includes all manufactured articles. The term “composition of matter” relates to chemical compositions and may include mixtures of ingredients as well as new chemical compounds. These classes of subject matter taken together include practically everything that is made by man and the processes for making the products.
The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 excludes the patenting of inventions useful solely in the utilization of special nuclear material or atomic energy in an atomic weapon 42 U.S.C. 2181 (a).
The patent law specifies that the subject matter must be “useful.” The term “useful” in this connection refers to the condition that the subject matter has a useful purpose and also includes operativeness, that is, a machine which will not operate to perform the intended purpose would not be called useful, and therefore would not be granted a patent.
Interpretations of the statute by the courts have defined the limits of the field of subject matter that can be patented, thus it has been held that the laws of nature, physical phenomena, and abstract ideas are not patentable subject matter.
A patent cannot be obtained upon a mere idea or suggestion. The patent is granted upon the new machine, manufacture, etc., as has been said, and not upon the idea or suggestion of the new machine. A complete description of the actual machine or other subject matter for which a patent is sought is required.

The chaps at Myriad may have discovered many things relating to these genes, but, ultimately, their discovery is not a new composition of matter. This gene has been in existence for almost as long as there have been breasts on women. Any time that a company wants to lay claim to any genes, there is an obvious case of this not being a new discovery or invention. A patent covers them if they invent or discover a new composition of matter like the Professor who discovered Flubber. But it should not cover a gene which can unfortunately be found in hundreds of thousands of women around the planet.

Myriad may however make claim (by patent) to the process of identifying and testing. And I think this would be commendable. I suspect that they would get a lot of business on this patent until someone thinks up a better way to do it. But patents should never stifle competition or progress.

Officials at Myriad declined to comment. Tom Parks, the president of the University of Utah foundation, said he was not aware of the lawsuit.
Myriad's patents give it exclusive right to perform diagnostic tests on the genes -- forcing other researchers to request permission from the company before they can take a look at BRCA1 and BRCA2, the ACLU said. The patents also give the company the rights to future mutations on the BRCA2 gene and the power to exclude others from providing genetic testing.

Please go back and read this absurd last paragraph again. A patent cannot and should not give any entity exclusive rights to performs tests on any gene. Absurd and foolish. Nor should the power of any patent ever be construed to give an entity rights on any future mutations of a gene. This concept is bordering on delusional. Myriad Genetics is neither a god-like being nor dictator of progress or nations. Unfortunately, Myriad is not alone in thinking that just because they have been erroneously granted a patent, that they have been granted near-unlimited powers of any use of this (or any related) knowledge. Many technology companies apply for, and are granted, asinine patents which are used to stifle progress and competition. Check out some of the remarkably flawed patents by any major software company.

Myriad Genetics offers a product which is a $3000 test which "assesses a woman's risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer based on detection of mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes." It is fine that they are offering this product. But there is absolutely no sane way that they should hold a patent on these genes. If a woman walks into the court with a late-stage of breast cancer and was found to possess specific genetic markers according to any one of the sensationally many patents held by Myriad Genetics, it would seem she is in violation of their patent.

More than 192,000 U.S. women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year -- about 5 to 10 percent of those cases have a hereditary form of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. Mutation in the genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 -- short for breast cancer 1 and breast cancer 2 -- are involved in many cases of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, the institute said.

"A woman's lifetime chance of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer is greatly increased if she inherits an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene," according to the institute.

Please, if you have the chance and the willingness, consider offering any support to these great organizations:

Duh: I don’t think Sarah Palin is the future of the GOP, Republican says

2009-05-11T06:21:00.001-07:00

Sadly, the Republican party in the US has been very much out-of-touch with most of America. In an effort to correct some of the recent fatal yaw of the S.S. GOP, the party spin-meisters have been working hard to show that they want to make things right, and let the citizens know that they are not all delusional. To which we have this recent dialogue happening on CNN:

“You don’t think Gov. Palin’s the future of the Republican Party?” queried CNN Chief National Correspondent John King.

“I do not,” said [Republican Bil] Bennett. “It could talk about a Paul Ryan or a Mike Pence. It could talk about a Bobby Jindal. It could talk even about a John Kyl or a David Petraeus. You know, there’s a lot of talent in this party.”

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - I don’t think Palin is the future of the GOP, Republican says « - Blogs from CNN.com

Unfortunately, he had prefaced that statement-of-the-obvious with some other ramblings which will probably cause those not on the extreme right of politics to either spew milk out their nose or maybe shiver from the sudden squeezing of their sphincter.

Prominent Republican Bill Bennett took issue Sunday with what he called the “media’s focus” on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Asked about the Republican Party’s increasingly public struggle to define itself and identify new leaders after eight years of the George W. Bush administration, Bennett said the press should be less myopic in its coverage of the GOP.

Whuh?! The press should be less myopic?! The problem, from the perception of everyone else (except Fox News), is that the GOP has been extremely too myopic in their view of the world. Nice attempt at spin-correction by pointing the finger away from yourself and your cohorts, Mr. Bennett.

“One of the things the media could do – some of the media – is to move the debate off Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh,” Bennett, a CNN Contributor, said on State of the Union. “This is probably not the future of the Republican Party,” added Bennett.

One would hope not. If these two individuals were the future of the Republican Party, then the Republican Party would have little future in American politics. We are only too familiar with the lack of knowledge Gov. Palin and the GOP had tried hard to hide from the American public. Thankfully, Katie Couric had the gumption to call her out on many issues including asking which newspapers she (did not) get her factual news from ('most of them... all of them') and her foreign policy experience. ( "I don't know, you know?" - Yes, Sarah, we know you don't know.) Rush Limbaugh is only more scary than Palin. With antics such as belittling Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease on air, to his promotion of an editorial and a song about 'Barack the Magic Negro', to his dreams of Operation Chaos which prompted him to say "The dream end of this [of Operation Chaos] is that this keeps up to the Convention, and that we have a recreation of Chicago 1968 with burning cars, protests, fire, and literal riots and all of that, that is the objective here.", Mr. Limbaugh continues to push for a fractured society of contempt and hatred, walled off from the rest of the world, and warring amongst itself.

But let us return to who Bill Bennett sees as the future of the Republican Party. Please note that for the following men (yep, no women here), most, if not all, have conservative stances against abortions, stem-cell research, and same-sex marriages.

Paul Ryan
- Actually seems like he could be a good guy, though there is not much history on him yet.
Mike Pence
1. Pence describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order." This bothers me because he paints himself as a bureaucratic politician with strong religous leanings. Maybe I would have been more comfortable if the first item had been 'loving husband' or 'caring father' or even 'community supporter'.
2. Out of touch in a dangerously unrealistic way: During an April 2007 visit to the Shorja market in Baghdad with John McCain , Pence wore a bulletproof vest and was accompanied by 100 soldiers in armored Humvees being protected from above by US attack helicopters, which is reasonably understandable, though a little bit exessive. However, he then described his heavily-militarized visit as being "unfettered" and "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime." Delusional.
Bobby Jindal
- Ahh, Bobby. People in India were ecstatic to see an NRI showing up on the national front in American politics. Unfortunately for Bobby Jindal, he already has a bit of controversy swirling around his name. And even worse, a lot of it is from people in his own party from his poor performance trying to rebut and rebuff the Democrats following President Barack Obama's first speech to a joint session of Congress.
John Kyl
- He is dead. Not good when one of Mr. Bennett's top five recommendations is dead. I presume that this is a typo from CNN, and nobody has fact checked. They must have meant Jon Kyl, the son of John Kyl. Jon followed his father into politics and serves as Arizona Senator, while his father was a U.S. Representative for Iowa.
  Senator Jon Kyl seems like one of the other pretty good blokes in the Republican party. They could use more like him. In April 2006, Kyl was selected by Time Magazine as one of "America's 10 Best Senators".
David Petraeus
- I am not keen to have our nation being led by a military man, no matter how much the Republican Party wants to sell him as a good guy. And, to be totally honest, I think he has done little to help extract our soldiers from the ongoing occupation in Iraq.

But, to help put Wiliam Bennett into perspective, one must remember this classic case of foot-in-stupid-mouth event:

BENNETT: ...I would not argue for the pro-life position based on this... [I]t cuts both [ways]—you know. One of the arguments in this book Freakonomics that they make is... that one of the reasons crime is down is that abortion is up. Well-

CALLER: -Well, I don't think that statistic is accurate.

BENNETT: Well, I don't think it is either,... But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could ... abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.

That quiet you hear is the sound of me shaking my head. Of the eight Republicans in this post and the mentioned article, only two seem worthy of any consideration. Maybe we will be fortunate in the future to only hear from those twenty-five percent of the Republicans like Paul Ryan or Jon Kyl who are potential positive influences on American history.

H2O Water Purifier by Leonardo Manavella » Yanko Design

2009-05-10T11:55:00.001-07:00

First, NASA gets the ball rolling with the recycling toilet, and now we have Yanko Design proposing this handy urinal that you can squeeze between your knees, and drink newly-fresh water from.

H2O Water Purifier by Leonardo Manavella » Yanko Design

Maybe it is time we got over our fear of all things 'pee'. Sure, two girls and one cup grossed us out when it came to bodily emissions. shudder. But we are talking about pee here. Barring any kidney or tract infection, it is virtually sterile, which is more than you can say for the stuff coming out of your tap. (And for the record, I think the whole bottled water scam is a load of piss. Come on, think.) So, in theory, if you can remove all the nitrogen waste leaving just the Hs and the Os, it will just be liquid water. Cool idea. After you, please. ;P No, I would try it when it works.

And remember, the television show Friends reminded us that it is okay to pee on your friends when they get a jellyfish sting, even if you are on a break.

For me, the most disturbing thing is playing on childhood memories: the device makes me think it might be a model for the love child of a threeway between Smurfette, B.O.B. from the movie 'Black Hole', and that Bug-Out Bob squeeze toy.

Wee!

(thanks, Gwen! ... for the link, people)

Formula 3 racing car powered by chocolate and steered by carrots

2009-05-05T20:04:00.001-07:00

Men: Mmm, cars.

Women: Mmm, chocolate.

Two great tastes that go great together, or the end of mankind???

Researchers at the University of Warwick have today, Tuesday 5th May, unveiled the “WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car” which is powered by chocolate, steered by carrots, has bodywork made from potatoes, and can still do 125mph around corners.
There has been much speculation about the creation of this car but it has now been completed and today is the first day it has actually been ready to drive.
Following the recent turmoil in Formula 1 arising from the high costs of running competitive motor racing teams, and doubts in sponsors’ minds over the commercial value of their involvement, the viability of motor racing is being critically questioned. With this in mind the University of Warwick team based in the University’s Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre decided to build a competitive racing car using environmentally sustainable components to show the Industry just how much is possible using current environmentally sustainable technologies.
It is the first Formula 3 racing car designed and made from sustainable and renewable materials, putting the world first by effectively managing the planet’s resources. The car meets all the Formula 3 racing standards except for its biodiesel engine which is configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil. Formula 3 cars currently cannot use biodiesel.
Dr Kerry Kirwan from the research team said: “Components made from plants form the mainstay of the car’s make up, including a race specification steering wheel derived from carrots and other root vegetables, a flax fibre and soybean oil foam racing seat, a woven flax fibre bib, plant oil based lubricants and a biodiesel engine configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil. It also incorporates a radiator coated in a ground-breaking emission destroying catalyst. “

Formula 3 racing car powered by chocolate and steered by carrots (Thanks, Gwen!)

I am not sure whether the creation of this car will help get women more interested in car sports (thus hopefully uniting the genders) or further divide the gap between women and men. I mean, one could imagine the women lining the fence around the track as these F3 race cars go flying past, leaving the women to swoon in the chocolatey exhaust, and thus greatly improving the (currently heavily-skewed) gender ratio at such sporting events. Imagine how much better a Nascar event would be with these choco-powered cars; sure there would be lots of beer (and rednecks), but there would be a lot more women getting intoxicated on chocolate, too. And we would find a lot more women interested in working on the car on the weekend, with the knowledge that when that oil filter comes off, the endorphines will fly. (For now, we will avoid the troubling discussion of chockies (chocolate junkies) loitering around JiffyLube shops at night.)

However, I suspect that ultimately these cars will lead to a further widening of the chasm between the genders of the human race. Seriously, what women agrees with the justifying phrase "a biodiesel engine configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate"? I have never heard a woman utter the phrase 'waste chocolate', nor can I imagine a woman ever thinking of any chocolate as waste. And in the end, just before the start of World War XY, women will come to believe that this whole green stunt was a cleverly veiled ruse by men to further punish women by reducing the grand and holy supply of chocolate. Sure, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, but you better never take away a woman's chocolate.

Forget SkyNet. Forget 2012. This is where the end begins. Warwick: Mankind's Waterloo.

Astronomers Discover Farthest Cosmic Explosion Ever Seen

2009-04-29T21:19:00.001-07:00

For a few moments last Thursday, you were awash in the glow of light truly primordial. A large star exploded sending out an incredible amount of energy to the farthest reaches of the Universe. This truly did happen a long time ago in a galaxy very far away. The star would have been in a galaxy significantly past the constellation Leo, and that would have been long before there was a constellation Leo. This star was shining, and ultimately died, a scant 631 million years after the Big Bang. And the faint bit of light reached us last week, more than 13,000 million years after the explosion.

The light was in the form of a gamma-ray burst (GRB), followed moments later by infrared light. These gamma-rays would have passed through the mass of your body like an undetectable bullet through the air. And the infrared light probably had trouble finding its way though the atmosphere. But, I like the thought that as I was walking around at lunch (as friends lay dreaming at one o'clock in the morning on the West Coast), this faint earliest light was shining on us.

This event, now dubbed GRB 090423, is the most distant cosmic explosion ever seen, which also makes it one of the oldest events we have yet witnessed.

And here is the global teamwork...

The GRB 090423's afterglow was 10 seconds long when it was detected by Swift. The satellite then used its Ultraviolet/Optical and X-Ray telescopes to locate the gamma-ray burst (GRB). Twenty minutes after the burst, the team of Nial Tanvir of the University of Leicester detected an infrared source at the Swift position using the Science and Technology Facilities Council's United Kingdom Infrared Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
The team of Derek Fox at Penn State University in University Park then obtained infrared images of the afterglow using the Gemini North Telescope on Mauna Kea. The images established the distance of the GRB.
The team of Guido Chincarini at the University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy determined the redshift using the Galileo National Telescope on La Palma in the Canary Islands. Tanvir's team also measured the redshift at 8.2. using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal in Chile.

Astronomers Discover Farthest Cosmic Explosion Ever Seen | AHN | April 29, 2009

Commentary by Jack Cafferty: Time for Cheney to go hunting

2009-04-28T04:33:00.001-07:00

Here is an excellent commentary from Jack Cafferty, author and commentator on CNN, about recent rumblings from the wrong wretch of the Republican right.

This commentary is spot on with its handling of the recent scat of noise from former vice-president (and all-around global goon) Dick Cheney. I recommend reading the whole commentary, but the following sums up the stance and emotion of Jack's points, and calls the social cretin to accounts.

This country used to stand for something before you and President Bush got your hooks into it.
Now our reputation is shot, we are bankrupt, we continue to fight two wars that you started and the economy is in the worst recession since the Great Depression. And you have the temerity to go around criticizing those who replaced you? How dare you?

Commentary: Time for Cheney to go hunting - CNN.com

Kudos to you, Jack Cafferty. Well stated.

A WHOLE CHICKEN IN A CAN

2009-04-27T07:49:00.001-07:00

I thought I had given you a treat by showing you Franks in a Can. Well, this ~~guy~~ very attentive woman (my apologies), Tracy, has just blown me out of the field with this offering: Canned Whole Chicken! And you can even order these from Amazon.

A WHOLE chicken in a CAN | I Hate My Message Board

Killer Catfish Stalk Humans

2009-04-27T01:39:00.001-07:00

This story is slightly old (I just learned about this today), but it may interest you if you enjoy fried catfish or need something new to have nightmares about. Maybe Steven Spielberg will work on this fresh-water update to Jaws, and we can get John Williams working on the soundtrack using banjos. "duh-duhm duh-duhm, dlink-ding-dingg"

A chilling series of fatal attacks on people living alongside the Great Kali River in the border area between India and Nepal have been reported over the past 20 years. In 2007, an 18-year-old boy was dragged down into the river by a creature described as resembling an elongated pig. As in previous cases no traces of him or his clothing were ever found, reinforcing the local view that his death was caused by a river monster.
British biologist Jeremy Wade recently investigated the mystery for a television documentary commissioned as part of Five’s Nature Shock series. Having ruled out other possibilities such as crocodiles and after surveying the scene, Wade and a companion went into the water to see what might be lurking there. They were confronted by a number of very large goonch catfish (Bagarius yarelli).

Wade managed to catch a large example, measuring 6 feet in length and weighing 161 pounds.

“If that got hold of you, there would be no getting away”, Wade said, convinced that there are even bigger individuals lurking in these waters.

Catfish tend to be one of the scavengers of the aquatic world, and this helps to explain the events which have unfolded in this particular river. It is well-known that predatory creatures ranging from big cats to crocodiles and various sharks can acquire the taste for human flesh. It would seem that the goonch catfish is no different, although the explanation for what has turned these catfish into killers is quite macabre.

In this Hindu region, the charred remains of bodies from funeral pyres have been tipped into the river. The catfish are thought to have benefitted from this source of food. They have grown to a much larger size than normal and now when they are hungry, they are seeking human prey themselves.

Killer Catfish Stalk Humans

Further info at Wikipedia article "Kali River goonch attacks".

Here is some further info about large catfish elsewhere. And be very happy that the catfish pictured below to the right has not decided to change its diet to something more bipedal.

The largest Ictalurus furcatus, caught in the Mississippi River on May 22, 2005, weighed 124 pounds (56 kg). The largest flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, ever caught was in Independence, Kansas, weighing 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg).
However, these records pale in comparison to a giant Mekong catfish caught in northern Thailand in May 1, 2005 and reported to the press almost 2 months later that weighed 293 kilograms (650 lb). This is the largest giant Mekong catfish caught since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981. The giant Mekong catfish are not well studied since they live in developing countries and it is quite possible that they can grow even larger.

Catfish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In all seriousness, dogs or bees or bathtubs kill magnitudes more people in a year than these fish have even come close to. If you really want something to be frightened about, feel free to worry about heart disease or cancer or traffic accidents or war.

Astronomers discover very old and intriguing 'Space blob'

2009-04-23T11:53:00.001-07:00

This collection of pixels represents a very large (for its time) object and is very old, making it way cool to me. 12.9 BILLION years ago. This was when the Universe was only six percent of its current age. For reference modern man has only been around maybe 0.00073% of the universe's life; that is, if the Universe's age was scaled to a 24 hour clock, then man has been around for about 0.63 seconds in a 24 hour day, while this huge object was around at 1:24 after midnight. We are talking very old now.

It might not look like much, but this image represents one of the most distant objects astronomers have ever seen, 12.9 billion light years away.
It is a "Lyman-alpha blob" and is 55,000 light years across - as large as present-day galaxies.
Though younger such blobs have been found, "Himiko" confounds the idea that such large objects grew more recently by the merger of smaller ones.
...
The team went on to measure the characteristic emission from hydrogen - the Lyman-alpha radiation of the name - and confirmed the blob was some 12.9 billion light years away.

They then trained the Spitzer Space Telescope, Very Large Array and UK Infrared Telescope on the object to determine how much mass is contained in the blob - or, rather, how much was contained 12.9 billion years ago.
Himiko - named after a mysterious queen of Chinese and Japanese legend - contains more than 10 times as much mass as galaxies of a similar age.
"There are two possibilities: the standard scenario of galaxy formation is wrong, or this particular object is showing something unique," Dr Ouchi told BBC News.
A range of possibilities could explain the massive nature of Himiko: it could have a supermassive black hole at its centre, or perhaps it is a single giant galaxy with a large mass of about 40 billion Suns.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | 'Space blob' baffles astronomers

The researchers are puzzled by the object. Even with superb data from the world’s best telescopes, they are not sure what it is. Because it is one of the most distant objects ever found, its faintness does not allow the researchers to understand its physical origins. It could be ionized gas powered by a super-massive black hole; a primordial galaxy with large gas accretion; a collision of two large young galaxies; super wind from intensive star formation; or a single giant galaxy with a large mass of about 40 billion Suns. Because this mysterious and remarkable object was discovered early in the history of the universe in a Japanese Subaru field, the researchers named the object after the legendary mysterious queen in ancient Japan.

“The farther out we look into space, the farther we go back in time, “ explained lead author Masami Ouchi, a fellow at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution who led an international team of astronomers from the U.S., Japan, and the United Kingdom. “I am very surprised by this discovery. I have never imagined that such a large object could exist at this early stage of the universe’s history. According to the concordance model of Big Bang cosmology, small objects form first and then merge to produce larger systems. This blob had a size of typical present-day galaxies when the age of the universe was about 800 million years old, only 6% of the age of today’s universe!”

Extended blobs discovered thus far have mostly been seen at a distance when the universe was 2 to 3 billion years old. No extended blobs have previously been found when the universe was younger. Himiko is located at a transition point in the evolution of the universe called the reionization epoch—it’s as far back as we can see to date. And at 55 thousand light years, Himiko is a big blob for that time.

Mysterious Space Blob Discovered at Cosmic Dawn | Carnegie Institution for Science

Confusion over NZ islands' names

2009-04-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

It seems the quick and obvious answer would be to register the names of North Island and South Island while allowing for use of the Maori names as well. Lots of links below to help you learn more about this great country that I enjoyed living in for several years.

New Zealanders are to be asked what they would like to call their two main islands, currently North and South.
The country's Geographic Board, which assigns and approves place name changes, has announced consultations on alternative English and Maori names.

The move follows the discovery that the geographically correct names, used for 200 years, were not legally registered.

The discovery was made by board researchers investigating Maori names for the two islands.

The Geographic Board wants to allow English or Maori names to be used in the future, but this aim is complicated by the fact that competing Maori words exist for each island.

They include Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui) for the North Island and Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of greenstone) for the South Island.

Maui was a mythological Maori demi-god who is said to have caught New Zealand while fishing from his brother's canoe.

Maori names appeared on early maps of New Zealand including charts by Captain James Cook, the British explorer and map-maker who claimed the territory for Britain.

"This is part of our country's history of European exploration and settlement. It was only from the 1950s that Maori names stopped appearing on official maps," said board chairman Dr Don Grant.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Confusion over NZ islands' names

13-year-old's school strip-search case heads to Supreme Court

2009-04-22T07:54:00.001-07:00

Add Tuscon to the list of stupid school districts doing bad things.

The Supreme Court has a mixed record when it comes to students' rights.
The justices in January accepted the Safford school district case for review, and will decide whether a campus setting gives school administrators greater discretion to control students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed in cases involving adults in general public spaces.
The case is centered around Savana Redding, now 19, who in 2003 was an eighth-grade honors student at Safford Middle School, about 127 miles from Tucson, Arizona. Redding was strip-searched by school officials after a fellow student accused her of providing prescription-strength ibuprofen pills.
The school has a zero-tolerance policy for all prescription and over-the-counter medication, including the ibuprofen, without prior written permission.
"In this case, the United States Supreme Court will decide how easy it is for school officials to strip search your child," Adam Wolf, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who is representing Redding, told CNN Radio on Sunday.
Wolf told CNN Radio his client was traumatized by the search. "School officials undoubtedly have difficult jobs, but sometimes they overreact -- and this was just a clear overreaction," he said.
Redding was pulled from class by a male vice principal, escorted to an office, where she denied the accusations. A search of Redding's backpack found nothing. Then, although she never had prior disciplinary problems, a strip search was conducted with the help of a school nurse and Wilson's assistant, both females. According to court records, she was ordered to strip to her underwear and her bra was pulled out. Again, no drugs were found.
In an affidavit, Redding said, "The strip search was the most humiliating experience I have ever had. I held my head down so that they could not see that I was about to cry."
At issue is whether school administrators are constitutionally barred from conducting searches of students investigated for possessing or dealing drugs that are banned on campus.
A federal appeals court found the search "traumatizing" and illegal.
Some parents say older children deserve the same constitutional rights as adults, but educators counter a school setting has always been treated differently by courts, and a ruling against them could jeopardize campus safety.

And here, in my opinion, is where the side representing Safford school district (and their supporters) shall logically and legally fail. The failures here on their part (to me) are numerous when the event occured in 2003.

While schools should have the right to search a student's locker, bags, and clothing, I do not feel that any school for children should have the 'right' to strip search any child. And a thirteen year old girl is certainly a child, no matter the amount of make-up her parents let her wear nor the size of her bra; the kid was thirteen.
Next, the police-style action taken by the male vice principal to have his female assistant principal and school nurse strip search the girl clearly violates the level of legalistic police action that a state school would allow it's employees. Only in a case such as her life is in danger (i.e., the girl's clothes are on fire) should a member of a school staff be allowed to get away with any such action like removing a child's clothes.
Next, the nurse clearly needs to be fired. She make work for the state and the school district, but her mandate and responsibilities is for the health and welfare of the staff and (more importantly) students. If she was asked by the vice principal to operate the bandsaw in metal shop or repel down a building to wash the fourth floor glass windows, I presume she would have said no since this is not part of her job. Nor is performing a police-style strip search on a child. And where were her ethics? Does the hypocratic oath not apply to nurses? Fired, end of her story.
Fire the vice principal and his assistant principal. He wanted a thirteen year old girl with no previous disciplinary history to be strip searched for alledgedly having an over-the-counter analgesic. This is wrong socially, civically, ethically, and morally. If a man had wanted to do this to a thirteen year old boy under these circumstances, we wold be concerned he had a troubled childhood, was a paedofile, or was a member of NAMBLA. This man does it to this girl and the case is moving to the supreme court, when he should be heading to the unemployment office.

If supporters of this case want to give the same constitutional rights to these children so that they can hold them accountable to penal measures afforded adults, then not only are these people socially troubled, but they should also be prepared to provide these children with all of those constitutional rights (such as voting and drinking alchohol), not just certain ones they feel comfortable offering. Otherwise, this would be similar to letting everyone vote as long as we keep 'them others' segregated from 'the good folk'.

While a federal magistrate and a three-panel appeals court found the search was reasonable, the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Redding last year.
"Common sense informs us," wrote the court, "that directing a 13-year-old girl to remove her clothes, partially revealing her breasts and pelvic area, for allegedly possessing ibuprofen ... was excessively intrusive."
The court said the school went too far in its effort to create a drug- and crime-free classroom. "The overzealousness of school administrators in efforts to protect students has the tragic impact of traumatizing those they claim to serve. And all this to find prescription-strength ibuprofen."

Absolutely.

In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the school district said restrictions on conducting student searches would cast a "roadblock to the kind of swift and effective response that is too often needed to protect the very safety of students, particularly from the threats posed by drugs and weapons."
School officials said the court was "wholly uninformed about a disturbing new trend" -- the abuse of over-the-counter medication by teenagers.

Trying to understand this part... An over-protective collective of junior high administrators is trying to tell the world that the nine highly educated members of the Supreme Court and their assembled staffs are 'wholly uninformed about a disturbing new trend' of thirteen year old girls abusing ibuprofen. ?? Who are these practicing morons trying to fool? Some young people may be trying to abuse some stronger medications such as diet pills or cough syrups, but the closest a young girls will come to abusing ibuprofen is when her cramps get real bad.

The high court has a mixed record over the years on students' rights.
In a famous 1969 ruling, the justices said students do not "shed their constitutional rights ... at the schoolhouse gate." But decisions in the 1980s gave administrators greater discretion, including one case that said officials need not be required to have a warrant to search a student's locker. Such a search was permitted if there were "reasonable" grounds for believing it would turn up evidence and when the search was not "excessively intrusive."
Opinions in 1995 and 2001 allowed schools to conduct random drug testing of high school athletes, and those participating in other extracurricular activities.
And in a well-publicized 2007 ruling from Alaska, the Supreme Court upheld the suspension of a student who displayed a large "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner at an off-campus, but school-sponsored, event. The decision did not endorse a broader argument that students in general have limited free-speech rights when they interfere with a school's vaguely defined "educational mission."

13-year-old's school strip-search case heads to Supreme Court - CNN.com

Ultimately, should this travesty of absurd behavior somehow be ruled in favor of the fascist school officials, then equality demands that the students also be allowed to perform strip searches on the faculty in any case where there is a suspicion of the educators having brought medicine to school, and any such person thus caught being expelled, vice principals included.

Jailbreak for iPhone 3.0 firmware - Cat. Bag. Mouse.

2009-04-22T06:45:00.001-07:00

I have posted before about the horrific disservice Apple is giving their customers (and technology and history) by trying to lock-down their historic portable computing device, the iPhone. So, we at least have this good news from a more sensable crew trying to keep mankind's ingenuity and freedom alive. Yes, the iPhone-Dev_Team are ready for the next firmware update, and, yes, there will be a Jailbreak. Ahh, sweet.

Well, the cat is out of the bag. The 3.0 firmware from Apple can be jailbroken, and there are now sites out there giving you that jailbreak (after you sort through various ads and browser popups, etc).
Of course it’s not really a surprise that it can be jailbroken. One of the nicest things about the jailbreaking iPhones and iPod Touches nowadays is that once a given device can be jailbroken, it can always be jailbroken. The exploits we’re forced to resort to are down at the hardware level, where nothing can be done about them via software.

Dev-Team Blog - Cat. Bag. Mouse.

Danny MacAskill Rides a Bike, and our world is in awe

2009-04-22T06:42:00.001-07:00

Incredibly incredible.

All hail Danny MacAskill! This guy can ride a bike like Mozart could compose. The things he is doing with his muscles and a few kgs of metal and rubber are in the land of magic and the fantastic. If you find yourself turning fogey and complaining about him riding a bicycle in a public space, you are wasting our oxygen; please stop... either.

Most of us can ride bikes, but I bet you not like Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill. Here’s a video tape of a collection of what can only be described as parkour on two wheels: Link [YouTube clip]

Kids, don’t try this at home. Or on the streets, either.

Parkour on Two Wheels: Danny MacAskill Rides a Bike - Neatorama

Stay slim to save the planet says researchers

2009-04-19T23:32:00.001-07:00

Woot from the slim guy.

Overweight people eat more than thin people and are more likely to travel by car, making excess body weight doubly bad for the environment, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
"When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler," and food production is a major source of greenhouse gases, researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in their study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

"We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend toward fatness, and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to reduce (carbon) emissions and slow climate change," the British scientists said.

They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.

The European Union estimates each EU citizen accounts for 11 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

Stay slim to save the planet | U.S. | Reuters

Spinal Tap takes off the wigs for 25th Anniversary

2009-04-17T22:28:00.001-07:00

Long live Spinal Tap, and congratulations on their 25th Anniversary and their many hit albums. ;-)

Twenty-five years ago, America discovered "one of England's loudest bands," courtesy of documentarian Marty DiBergi and his film, "This Is Spinal Tap."

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer will perform Spinal Tap and Folksmen songs on tour.
It was all parody -- DiBergi was director Rob Reiner, and cohorts Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer played the heavy-metal musicians in Spinal Tap -- but for a fictional band, Spinal Tap has had a long afterlife.
...
Now Shearer, McKean and Guest are hitting the road again, but not as Spinal Tap or the Folksmen. They're playing ... themselves.
"We're trying very hard to get across the idea that this is us, and only us," says Shearer in a phone interview discussing the trio's "Unwigged & Unplugged" 30-date acoustic tour, which kicks off Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia. "And because we don't often appear as ourselves -- because we most often appear as characters -- we're trying to dress it up as a treat, a rare treat, to see us as ourselves."
The group will be performing both Spinal Tap and Folksmen songs, though, Shearer adds, "[we'll be] doing these songs kind of in a different way because we're approaching them as ourselves and not as these characters."
Have no fear, however, Tap fans: A new album, "Back from the Dead," is due out in June.

Spinal Tap takes off the wigs - CNN.com

It is hard to imagine Spinal Tap ever coming to an end. I think David, vocals and guitar, summed it up best when asked by a reporter:

[Asked by a reporter if this is the end of Spinal Tap]
David St. Hubbins: Well, I don't really think that the end can be assessed as of itself as being the end because what does the end feel like? It's like saying when you try to extrapolate the end of the universe, you say, if the universe is indeed infinite, then how - what does that mean? How far is all the way, and then if it stops, what's stopping it, and what's behind what's stopping it? So, what's the end, you know, is my question to you.

And always remember: Nigel Tufnel: " [pause] These go to eleven."

Dead At Your Age daily death update – Who died at your age

2009-04-16T04:54:00.001-07:00

Interesting(?) site. Find out who you are outliving right now.

You've outlived Girolamo Savonarola by almost a month. He was a Dominican priest who advocated for religious reform, book burning, and destruction of immoral art. He died of execution by burning on May 23, 1498, 466 years before you were born.

Dead At Your Age daily death update – Who died at your age

A site you can enjoy because you have not yet joined its list of statistics.

Now, more about the ending of Girolamo Savonarola...

On May 13, 1497, the rigorous Father Savonarola was excommunicated by Pope Alexander VI, and in 1498, Alexander demanded his arrest and execution. On April 8, a crowd attacked the Convent of San Marco. A bloody struggle ensued, during which several of Savonarola’s guards and religious supporters were killed. Savonarola surrendered along with Fra Domenico da Pescia and Fra Silvestro, his two closest associates. Savonarola was faced with charges such as heresy, uttering prophecies, sedition, and other crimes, called religious errors by the Borgia pope.

During the next few weeks all three were tortured on the rack, the torturers sparing only Savonarola’s right arm in order that he might be able to sign his confession. All three signed confessions, Savonarola doing so sometime prior to May 8. On that day he completed a written meditation on the Miserere mei, Psalm 50, entitled Infelix ego, in which he pleaded with God for mercy for his physical weakness in confessing to crimes he believed he did not commit. On the day of his execution, May 23, 1498, he was still working on another meditation, this one on Psalm 31, entitled Tristitia obsedit me.^[3]

On the day of his execution he was taken out to the Piazza della Signoria along with Fra Silvestro and Fra Domenico da Pescia. The three were ritually stripped of their clerical vestments, degraded as "heretics and schismatics", and given over to the secular authorities to be burned. The three were hanged in chains from a single cross and an enormous fire was lit beneath them. They were thereby executed in the same place where the "Bonfire of the Vanities" had been lit, and in the same manner that Savonarola had condemned other criminals himself during his own reign in Florence. Jacopo Nardi, who recorded the incident in his Istorie della città di Firenze, wrote that his executioner lit the flame exclaiming, “The one who wanted to burn me is now himself put to the flames.” Luca Landucci, who was present, wrote in his diary that the burning took several hours, and that the remains were several times broken apart and mixed with brushwood so that not the slightest piece could be later recovered, as the ecclesiastical authorities did not want Savonarola’s followers to have any relics for a future veneration of the rigorist preacher they considered a Saint. The ashes of the three were afterwards thrown in the Arno beside the Ponte Vecchio.^[4]

Girolamo Savonarola - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wow, how f~~uck~~ed-up is that Catholic Church? First you have a nut as a priest who is all for book-burning in the name of a god, and then you have his church, which then decides he is too much out-of-the-fold and that they thus need to torture him and burn him into nothingness. Thank goodness I never made it into the clergy, since I like immoral art and books, and am really hoping to avoid the entire torture-on-a-rack-for-days comforts of the mother church.

Sewing machine hoax hits (idiots) in Saudi Arabia

2009-04-16T04:24:00.001-07:00

P.T. Barnum (or David Hannum) reminded us that there is one born every minute, though I think he was not accounting for the population boom.

=
Saudi police say they are investigating a hoax that has seen people rushing to buy old-fashioned sewing machines for up to $50,000 (£33,500).
The Singer sewing machines are said to contain traces of red mercury, a substance that may not exist. But it is widely thought that it can be used to find treasure, ward off evil spirits or even make nuclear bombs.
It is believed that tiny amounts can sell for millions of dollars, the Saudi Gazette reported.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Sewing machine hoax hits S Arabia

Come on, 'red mercury'. What's next: someone telling us that eating the testicles of the endangered Tiger will improve virility? (Personally, I will stick with all those 'herbal' offerings which are collecting in my spam filter since they will not kill the nice puddy tat.)

Granted, people in Saudi Arabi have often been cited as being a bit short in mental prowess (and too quick to beat someone to death with their strict Islamic laws), but this seems to apply uniformly for all the village units no matter where they live. But I am starting to lose my faith in third world countries plagues by faith in the most absurd things.

Actually, the stories around 'red mercury' are pretty entertaining, so much so that the idea of 'red mercury' has made its way onto television shows, films, and games. In one purported form, Samuel Cohen (father of the neutron bomb) claims that it can be used to build baseball sized 'micro-nukes', though this has been largely disputed.

Still, I cannot fully understand how dimwitted people anywhere think that buying an old sewing machine for $50,000 will help them find treasure or ward of evil. Seriously, you just spent a bunch of money to buy something hoping to kill a lot of people; that cannot be good luck.

United: If You Can't Fit In One Seat You Need To Buy Two (because you are fat)

2009-04-16T04:06:00.001-07:00

Salut!

Starting today, United Airlines has a new policy. If you can't fit into a single seat, you need to buy another one or stay behind.
In order to fly for no extra charge, passengers now have to be able to sit in a single seat, buckle their seat belt (with an extender) and put the arm rests down. If you can't do this, you're going to need to buy another ticket — unless there is already a seat available with another open seat next to it.

United: If You Can't Fit In One Seat You Need To Buy Two

I have traveled by plane quite a bit, and on a few occasions I have had to share my seat with the person spilling out of the seat next to me. Granted, airline seats are usually not that spacious. And I realize that some travelers have no control over their 'thyroid condition' (or eating habits). However, when your corpulent arse and hips (and I mean that in an almost respectable way) are badgering against my svelte butt cheeks for the duration of our extended journey, then someone has done me an uncomfortable (and, to you, a discomfiting) disservice.

Suffice it to say that people who are taking up more than their allotted space on a flight should be obligated to purchase an appropriate seat allowance to meet their needs. There is no contractual basis to share the small but adjoining seat (and my lap) since your mass cannot be contained by your floatable seat cushion and that partially-raised arm rest. And if you are of a size that has expanded to fill more than your allotted cushion, then I would estimate your mass on the plus-side three hundred pounds. This nearly doubles my mass, so maybe you should realize that it might be in everyones better interest that you pay a bit more for your ticket.

Okay, maybe you are one of the obese flyers who feels that this is not only an attack upon your paunchy person, but that it also borders on discrimination. No. Airlines have restrictions on the amount of passengers and cargo that planes may carry, as well as the distribution of that mass within the vessel. They also like making money when possible which is why many are charging for that second checked bag. But that little puddle jumper you are commuting on may have thirty seats, and if those thirty seats were to all contain larger-than-healthy passengers adding an additional (30 * ~150 pounds) two tons to the lading, that pilot is not allowed to attempt a take-off without offloading cargo or a fair number of those portly passengers.

Now, Canada has chosen to be very politically-correct about this.

Disabled travellers -- including the morbidly obese -- must be given an extra free seat on domestic flights as of Jan. 10 after the Supreme Court of Canada refused Thursday to hear an appeal by the country's biggest airlines.
University of Calgary law professor Linda McKay-Panos says she was ridiculed and bruised during one flying experience.
Air Canada and WestJet failed in their pitch to quash a decision from the Canadian Transportation Agency, which gave them one year to bring in a policy known as "one person, one fare" to allow disabled passengers a second seat for a travelling companion. Obese people can also qualify if they are too large to fit in a single seat.
"Now I know I can fly with dignity," said McKay-Panos, 51, who was born with a hormonal disorder.

Airlines to accommodate obese - The Calgary Herald

The misguided and self-esteem-deprived Ms. McKay-Panos has won her battle to be miserly at the expense of failing airlines and fellow passengers. It would seem to me that most people traveling on a Canadian flight should be requesting their complimentary second seat. Otherwise, these Canadian carriers are practicing a form of reverse-discrimination, which is in itself simply a form of discrimination. Regardless, or irregardless, if someone large is 'entitled' to a second seat, then you should be thus entitled as well. Please feel free to give this a try on your next trip there.

However, most airlines actually have policies in place to deal with wider-load passengers.

Southwest calls them "customers of size." Medical professionals would use the term "obese." Bloggers and message-board habitues use names that are a lot less polite. [☺]

Many people assume that obese people are getting a free ride. But are they? Nearly all airlines keep it very quiet, but many have policies—informal or formal—in place to make sure that passengers of size carry their own weight.

It's a tricky business. In some corners—Canada, for instance—it just got trickier. A winter ruling barred Canadian airlines from discriminating against "clinically obese" customers. Southwest was successfully sued by a passenger who was told she needed to purchase a second seat after she had already boarded—too late, the ruling found. An ample Air France passenger won a case after citing humiliation at the hands of staff who wrapped packing tape around him in public to prove that he was too obese to sit one seat, forcing him to purchase another.

Here's the funny part about those lawsuits: At the time, both Southwest and Air France had actual policies in place for dealing with overweight passengers. Southwest's policy has been around for years. It states that if staff determine that the passenger will not fit in one seat, the passenger must purchase a second, the cost of which will be reimbursed if the flight is not full.

Air France's policy was more loose, urging passengers who knew that not having an empty seat next to them would be a problem, to handle it on their own in advance. As of this writing, Air France passengers "with a high body mass" are warned that if they do not purchase an extra seat their own, they may not be allowed to board. In the end, both airlines were punished for being up front with their customers, even if the execution of the policy perhaps needed work. This is, after all, a terrifically sensitive matter.
...
Here's a look at how a few different airlines deal with the "customer of size:"
Southwest: Passengers should plan on purchasing an extra seat or risk being asked to do so at the airport by staff. If the flight is not sold out, the passenger may claim a refund.
American: Passengers over 250 pounds should recognize that there may be limitations to the service that the airline can provide. However, it does not require that you purchase an extra seat automatically.
United: ~~No policy whatsoever.~~ [Now charging; see above.]
Midwest: Like Southwest, passengers are encouraged to know their needs in advance. If staff determine that two seats are required, the seat will be sold at the lowest possible fare, with a refund available if there is one or more open seats on the flight.
Air France: Passengers with "high body mass" may receive a 25 percent discount on an extra seat, knowing that if they choose to not buy the seat, they may risk not being able to fly.
JetBlue: You are required to buy a second seat, and there are no refunds.
Delta: The airline "works to accommodate" passengers with special needs. Upon request and availability, it will try to make sure the next seat is unoccupied. However, if the plane is full, you will most likely be asked to leave the flight and buy a second seat on the next available flight. (You can actually count on this being a fairly typical practice on most airlines.)

Some Airlines Make Obese Passengers Buy Two Seats - SmarterTravel.com

Now that we have covered width, what about legroom and my need not to have my femurs compressed while sitting in thrity inches of leg space?

The Pope opposes protection, right?

2009-04-07T16:50:00.001-07:00

Hilarious irony of the Catholic Church.

Protection - Miss Cellania - Miss Cellania

There is a lot of chatter in the 'tubes about this Papal-condom controversy. But I thought this caption was great, as in 'funny'

ASCTA, Fighting your your rights to support Stem Cell research

2009-04-06T15:15:00.001-07:00

Mike turned me on to this site (thanks, Mike!) for doctors who wish to support stem cell research, where I found this startling piece of information.

The American Stem Cell Therapy Association (ASCTA) announced today the on-line publication of its mission statements and charter. The organization was formed in response to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent position that the adult stem cells found in everyone’s body are drugs, a position the ASCTA opposes.

Physician Group Opposes FDA’s Position on Adult Stem Cells

Say what? : The FDA is trying to classify your stem cells as drugs? Absurd. The group of doctors who have formed ASCTA want to fight back. And rightly so.

I am still trying to find corroboration that this is the FDA's stance. ~~No luck so far.~~ Found it. Very verbose and clinical. Good luck wading through the bureaucratic-ese.

FDA’s position on adult stem cells is contained in multiple places and can be tough to decipher. The basic starting place is located here and here.
Basically, to treat disease, your adult stem cells need to be grown a bit (incubated) in culture. If you don't do this, the stem cells are unlikely to help the patient. However, FDA's current regulatory framework makes this type of cell culture the manufacture of a new drug, essentially removing cell therapy from your doctor black bag (until the FDA approves your stem cells as drugs for each and every medical condition). So while your doctor could do all of this safely in a physician run lab and begin treating a host of diseases, you have to wait 5-20 years for access to your own stem cells (as a drug).

The FDA's Position

If you are a doctor interested in supporting this cause (and I would hope you are), then you can join their cause at their site.

If you are not a doctor but are interested in your future and your rights as a patient, you can get involved with the cause at SafeStemCells.org.

Stem cells, Magnets, and my lower back

2009-04-06T13:20:00.001-07:00

More good news on the stem cell frontier, and potential good news for my lower back.

A team at Keele University is testing injectible stem cells that they say they can control with a magnet.
Once injected these immature cells can be guided to precisely where their help is needed and encouraged to grow new cartilage and bone, work on mice shows.
The aim is to treat patients with injuries and arthritis the UK National Stem Cell Network conference heard.
Professor Alicia El Haj, working with Professor John (sic) Dobson, also of Keele University, says the technology, patented by Magnecell, could be tested in humans within five years.

BBC NEWS | Health | Bone-repairing stem cell jab hope (Thanks, Gwen!)

Within five years: woot! Happy to volunteer.

The Haunting of Idiots, or Why your God is messing with you

2009-04-06T12:01:00.001-07:00

Boo.

[Carmen Reed] whose life story is featured in the movie "The Haunting in Connecticut" shares her experiences.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

"That's what I do do." - Yeah, doo-doo is probably correct.

"...so many people delving into the dark arts." - Oh, puh-lease.

"I live in faith, and I walk in faith." - Faith in what?! Let us assume you have religious faith, and I want to presume you are a member of some New World Christian ~~cult~~ religion since you stated you called the church when you were haunted. Well, then you are a hypocrite, too. According to your ~~storybook~~ Bible, you either believe in God or ghosts; you do not get both. This site does a good job of breaking down the appropriate ~~crap~~ scripture.

Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.” If the term means “spirit beings,” the answer is a qualified yes. If the term means “spirits of people who have died,” the answer is no. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there are spirit beings, both good and evil. But the Bible negates the idea that the spirits of deceased human beings can remain on earth and “haunt” the living.
Hebrews 9:27 declares, “…man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” That is what happens to a person’s soul-spirit after death – judgment. The result of this judgment is heaven for the believer (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23), and hell for those who do not receive Christ as Savior (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24). There is no in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth in spirit form as a “ghost.” If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.
...
The closest biblical example of a “haunting” is found in Matthew 5:1-20. A “legion” of demons possessed a man and used the man to “haunt” a graveyard. There were no “ghosts” involved. It was a case of a normal person being controlled by demons to terrorize the people of that area. Demons only seek to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). They will do anything within their power to deceive people, to lead people astray, and to lead people away from God. This is very likely the explanation of “ghostly” activity today. Whether it is called a ghost, a ghoul, or a poltergeist, if there is genuine evil spiritual activity occurring, it is the work of demons.

What does the Bible say about ghosts / hauntings?

So, Carmen, if the Archangel Gabriel appears before you to share the lottery numbers for next week, you are okay. If demons are trying to lead you off your straight and narrow path by possessing your li'l ones, then your faith is fine. If you think it is a poltergeist, then God might want you to switch religions.

Personally, I have to agree with Eddie Murphy when it comes to ghosts telling you to 'get out.'

Man detained, threatened and abused by TSA for flying with $4700 in cash - Boing Boing

2009-04-06T11:00:00.001-07:00

I am personally getting very tired of what the TSA has become. I would love to see this army of morons shut down or properly educated and focused. In my opinion, the only redeeming security measures that have improved safety since 11 September 2001 have been the reinforcing of cockpit doors and the increased awareness of fellow passengers. This flotsam of flaws around the metal detectors and X-ray machines at the security section in the airport are one of the most costly headaches to drip out of the ass of George W. Bush and his Department of Homeland Security. Try to imagine the cost of the wasted time as billions of travelers are temporarily inconvenienced by systems that have been shown to repeatedly fail at letting things that go boom get through. And I can promise you that the high school dropout looking at your boarding pass and passport or driver's license has little skill in actually catching a bogus document unless it was photocopied on a slice of Wonder bread. And several people have documented the flaws in the identification triangle that allow anyone to gain access into the airport and plane.

The story below actually goes beyond the actual threat to travelers and planes falling from the sky and deals specifically with the authority-breeds-contempt attitude of mall-cops with federal contracts and badges treating travelers like they are criminals. Not only do they treat someone poorly, but they also do not know the extent of the travelers rights or their own laws they are supposed to enforce.

Here's a recording of Steve Bierfeldt, a US citizen who tried to board a domestic airplane while carrying $4700 in cash, and was detained by the TSA and subjected to abusive language and threats when he said that he would only answer the TSA's inquiries ("Where do you work?" "Why are you carrying cash?") if he was required to by law. The TSA agents threatened to turn him over to the DEA. He was returning from a Ron Paul event in St Louis, MO, and worked for the campaign. The cash on his person arose from sales of t-shirts and stickers at the event.

Man detained, threatened and abused by TSA for flying with $4700 in cash - Boing Boing

I understand that your auntie, who has not flown since the towers fell, thinks that all this heightened security at the airports is making America safer. However, we should not have the uninformed people who are not flying making the responsible decisions about travel safety based on fear. I fly many thousands of miles each year and would be quite happy with security measures in the airport rolling back to a pre-9/11 presence while utilizing the equipment which is now in place. Seriously, no one is getting through the cockpit doors anymore without facing the wrath of many concerned passengers sitting nearby who are quite happy to restrain or kill anyone that might want to hijack a plane.

So, maybe it is time for the TSA and the rest of airport security personnel to pay attention and quit treating everyone like a criminal.

Paris liberation made 'whites only' by the British and Americans

2009-04-06T09:20:00.001-07:00

Please read this and pass it on, so that maybe we and our children might learn from our historical dummy-ness.

Papers unearthed by the BBC reveal that British and American commanders ensured that the liberation of Paris on 25 August 1944 was seen as a "whites only" victory.
Many who fought Nazi Germany during World War II did so to defeat the vicious racism that left millions of Jews dead.
Yet the BBC's Document programme has seen evidence that black colonial soldiers - who made up around two-thirds of Free French forces - were deliberately removed from the unit that led the Allied advance into the French capital.
By the time France fell in June 1940, 17,000 of its black, mainly West African colonial troops, known as the Tirailleurs Senegalais, lay dead.
Many of them were simply shot where they stood soon after surrendering to German troops who often regarded them as sub-human savages.
Their chance for revenge came in August 1944 as Allied troops prepared to retake Paris. But despite their overwhelming numbers, they were not to get it.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Paris liberation made 'whites only'

Imagine leaving your home country to go to war and fight against the racist Nazi regime which was consuming Europe, where the possibility existed that you would be shot rather than taken prisoner because of the color of your skin. Then, when the war is over, the British and American commanders decide to only present white skinned soldiers to the cameras watching during the liberation of Paris. What an ugly irony this was. Obviously not as bad, but still similar, to the prejudiced mind set of the Aryan-obsessed Third Reich.

Our forebears were idiots to give such harmful bias based on the color of another person's skin. Thankfully, today we have standardized tests and astrology to show us who the morons are in the world that we need to hide from the cameras - and lots of them are of the paler persuasion. Unfortunately, many people have now chosen to showcase these nitwits on programs like 'The jerry Springer Show' and anything on the CW or Fox News. All of this is really good proof that we need to spend more wisely on education. Do not hold your breath. Instead, vote wisely the next time around; education near your home is more important than faith-based wars elsewhere, no matter what color their skin is.

Penn Jillette: Is Obama skidding or crashing? - Hopefully turning into the skid.

2009-04-02T19:51:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting commentary piece from Penn Jillette that is at CNN.com. It is a good read, and I recommend it.

Editor's note: Penn Jillette -- the larger, louder half of Penn & Teller -- is a magician, comedian, actor, author and producer.
Penn Jillette says counterintuitive actions sometimes work -- and other times fail spectacularly.
Obama tells us that we can spend our way out of debt. He tells us that even though the government had control over the banks and did nothing to stop the bad that's going on, if we give them more control over more other bank-like things, then they can make sure bad stuff doesn't happen ever again. He says we can get out of all those big wars President Bush caused by sending more troops into Afghanistan. And I don't know. I really don't know.

Commentary: Is Obama skidding or crashing? - CNN.com

In the interest of fairness, I like Penn & Teller and James Randi and the entire idea of skeptics. People can be pretty good about thinking, if they ever do it. Skeptics seem to do it more than most. I ry to be one of these types. I am also one of those people who has chosen not to live outside of his means during the spend-era of the past decade plus. I have actually watched my credit rating take hits because I chose to buy things with cash (aka fiat currency) rather than put purchases on credit. Yes, dear reader, not carrying a copious balance on your month-to-month debt load actually hurt your credit rating. I guess this is intuitive since it is called your credit rating, which (to me) basically seems like a this is not a good thing. Yet, you cannot buy a car or home or get one of those credit cards, for those potential emergency situations, without having a really high number on a chart which seems to measure your ability not to have money on hand. Is there an equivalent rating for us consumers who were less likely to financially trip and fall? Maybe something like a 'good consumer rating', or 'reserve readiness rating', or 'not-plastic-affiliated award'.

I voted for President Obama, and am still quite happy that I did. He is a smart and well-educated man who chooses to look at the broad spectrum of the American tapestry, and also realize that there is an entire planet with which America must interact. All of this I find quite needed for a person serving us ('We the People') as our President. (Sadly, this belief was not widely held during the previous two terms, and that attitude has some measure of culpability in the crappy situation we all face daily.)

However, I do not support the idea of broadly bailing out all these mega-humongous corporations - particularly the financial ones - which have failed due to poor management and practices. I believe that companies like Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, AIG, Citi, and the rest failed their finals. No pass to the next grade; no getting to breed with the prettiest cavewoman on the evolutionary ladder. Darwin's theory got this one right, and your suicidal hijinks just screwed a lot of people and your silly corporation, too. Go crawl under your rock and stop breathing. Sorry, but same thing for the car companies, too. In my opinion, most cars from GM and Chrysler are outdated, poorly designed, inefficient, and mostly crappy. Same goes for Ford, but they have chosen not to accept any handout (maybe because they waited to see that the bailout would have a negative perception from the consumers), and I also think that new Mustang is getting kinda cool again. But the mega-banks and the Enron-ish AIGs should die the end they deserve.

But, I do endorse the idea of helping the smaller, better managed companies which have become drive-by collateral casualties of the failing corporations. These institutions which cater to local and regional industries, in my opinion, are where financial support would serve a better need and do much more good.

If we let the mega-corps die their needed evolutionary death, the planet will not fail (ala Y2K or the April Fool's Bug). Yes, it would not be a pretty thing as these large companies go belly-up taking a large number of jobs with them, but it is the right thing to do. Ultimately, people (at least the smarter ones who care about themselves and their family and community, and not the parasites) will take steps to rebuild a better community and financial structure, and move forward with their lives.

I believe in people.

SALT LAKE CITY - 26 May 2009 - Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court is welcome.	You are in Utah and should keep your evil claws out of California politics. Remember, that whole constitutional thing about separation of church (or cult) and State? And just because your religious politics welcomes this does not mean that it is universally welcomed.
The issue the court decided was whether California citizens validly exercised their right to amend their own constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The court has overwhelmingly affirmed their action.	Actually, what the court decided was "that the November initiative was not an illegal constitutional revision, as gay rights lawyers contended, nor unconstitutional because it took away an inalienable right, as Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown argued."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes the deeply held feelings on both sides, but strongly affirms its belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.	This line is your opinion, and as such I must respect your right to have this.
The bedrock institution of marriage between a man and a woman has profound implications for our society.	Your 'bedrock' statement is also a subjective statement and little more than bigoted opinion, and one which the LDS has seen to interpret in any manner they choose, as shown in the LDSs' history of polygamy and child-brides. (Yes, I did notice that you typed 'woman' rather than 'women'; nice dodge.)
These implications range from what our children are taught in schools to individual and collective freedom of religious expression and practice.	There will be implications of having same-sex marriages that will definitely make your church uncomfortable, but these will have little implication on what is taught in schools (unless you mean the potential lessening of intolerance), and should have absolutely no impact on the 'collective freedom' of your questionable 'religious freedom and practice.'
Accordingly, the Church stands firmly for what it believes is right for the health and well-being of society as a whole.	Yes, as any religion does, you stand firmly for what you believe is right, as long as it is understood that insert-name-of-your-cult-here is the only organization that is divine enough to decide what is right for everyone.
In doing so, it once again affirms that all of us are children of God, and all deserve to be treated with respect.	No, I am not a child of your god. If you accept this as true, then you must equally accept that you are a child of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. And I truthfully doubt that you are a child of your god either, since I suspect you blurt quotes of your loving and caring god whose image you are not living up to. And you surely are not treating all the others with respect.
The Church believes that serious discussion of these issues is not helped when extreme elements on both sides of the debate demonize the other.	Yes, I am demonizing, maybe. And what your insidious and surreptitious church is doing is a few steps worse.