I'll Show You Mine - An Internet Meme

Thanks to Jeri over at Smug Puppies, I have been dared to post pictures of my younger self here to Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men.

This couldn't have come at a better time, because I couldn't think of a damn thing to write about today. So here you go:

Here I am at my first birthday party, or Christmas, or something. The fact that my dad is in the background holding what appears to be my non-interesting gifts sort of implies I was getting the goods.

Here I am helping my dad clip horses at Westernaires, where I spent many, many years participating in horse-related activities. I think I was about 11 or 12?

Here I am the day I graduated from Boot Camp. I was 18.

I showed you mine...will you show me yours?

Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Crisis Update

On Tuesday, January 27th, I blogged about a local crisis in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where native population have been hit hard with a collapsing economy and an inability to purchase food and heating fuel.

Since then, I've been in contact with Ann Strongheart, a community organizer who wrote the enlightening piece Shopping Day in Nunam Iqua. She provided some additional information for donations and such.

Staples donations can be mailed to:

Nunam Iqua Food Drive
c/o Ann Strongheart
P.O. Box 7
Nunam Iqua, AK 99666

Cash donations can be made payable to the City of Nunam Iqua at the same address.

Metaphysics - A Definition

Via SkepChick, I was directed to a website of a professor of the University of Hawai'i (where I was a student in the 80's). This professor teaches Philosophy, and he's evidently had some trouble with students signing up for his course Philosophy 310 - Metaphysics without fully understanding what the term "Metaphysics" actually means.

Aside from the humor involved in upper level students at a prestigious University not understanding the content of a class before they sign up for it, Professor Amundson's disclaimer on the course made me laugh my ass off.

“Metaphysics” as a field of study within the academic area of Philosophy is very different from “Metaphysics” as the label of a bookshelf in Border’s Books. This is a Philosophy course. It is not about what Border’s Books calls Metaphysics. The popular (Border’s Books) understanding of Metaphysics is that it is the study of paranormal phenomena, such as extrasensory perception, out-of-body travel, reincarnation, and auras. None of these topics will be seriously discussed in this course! It doesn’t much matter what my opinions are about the matter, but you may want to know. I believe in science. I do not believe in pseudoscience. I believe that no one has extra-sensory perception (even though perception is a very complicated and interesting thing). I do not believe in reincarnation, or in out-of-body travel. In fact I have published articles in anti-paranormal journals, and I’m somewhat famous for my skeptical refutation of the paranormal Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon. (See my web page for details if you’re interested.)
I do not believe that I’m any more narrow-minded than the next person on these topics. But if you are a fan of paranormal phenomenon, you will probably consider me to be very narrow-minded. That’s ok with me -- you have a right to consider me narrowminded if you want to. But the important thing is this: You should not take this course because you expect to study astrology, ESP, and so on. I will not ask my students to study topics that I consider foolish, and I consider astrology, etc., very foolish.

I am stating this SO THAT YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT!!!

So if you signed up for the course because you are interested in the supernatural or paranormal, please drop the course. You will not be able to pass the course by concentrating your attention on the paranormal, and trying to prove its existence to me. Many people have tried. None of them has passed the course. Please don’t add your student record to the gruesome list of people who believed that they could convince Amundson that they possessed ESP.
I have had some bad experiences on this topic. Some very sincere students have gotten angry and even belligerant because I required them to study and write about theories that they disagreed with. I am teaching this course the way the American Philosophical Association affirms is the academically responsible way to teach Metaphysics. Please, if that is not a course that you want to take, do not take this one.

How pathetic is it that a Professor has to explicitly state that in order to pass his class, students are, you know, actually required to study the material in the syllabus.

I know some Universities conduct paranormal research. I tend to believe such endeavors are a bit silly - they have a conspicuous lack of verifiable results, and extensively use the moving goalpost logical fallacy to explain away their failure. For that reason, I would never take a course in such a topic. It would be a waste of time for both me and the Professor, and my opinions would probably offend the majority of students who would be interested in this field of study.

So why would believers in the paranormal attempt to derail a metaphysics course by injecting their non-related personal beliefs into the class? It's obviously happened on numerous occasions, or Professor Amundson wouldn't find it necessary to post his disclaimer.

I don't get it.

Who Cares? Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 5

Jessica Simpson is gaining weight! From a size 0 to a size 2! Is her Romo-ance is over, after Tony cheated on her? In her own bed? Is a chili cook-off the only gig she can get? Who Cares!

Strengthening the Strong

In the February 2nd issue of Newsweek, there's an article entitled "Silicon Valley's Fork in the Road" by Daniel Lyons. In it, Mr. Lyons puts forth the idea that the United States' failure to fund STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) may result in Silicon Valley going the way of Detroit.

This prediction is supported by data about where the employees who work in STEM are born, educated, and subsequently end up living.

The companies that perform this cutting edge research assert that while they don't wish autoworkers ill, they don't understand why the federal government is essentially rewarding failure and stupidity, and allowing the successful endeavors of STEM to be starved for funding. The U.S. has been the thought leader in STEM for many, many years, and our success in this area has helped drive U.S. economic success. So why, having proven their worth, are they being ignored in favor of companies and industries that have failed, and then failed again?

Good question.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good answer.

Intellectually, I can see the value in allowing the Detroit automakers to fail and funneling the bailout money to STEM. From a long-term economic health perspective, it would probably be in the United States' best interest to do so. We've already proven our worth in this area - why not reward success in an effort to ensure we continue to be successful and allow the losers to fail?

Well, there's those thousands and thousands of Big 3 workers who would be out of work as a result of such a failure, not to mention the retirees who would then have to be picked up by the government's Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. All of which would result in huge drain on our economy and the government's coffers. Adding the consequences of such a failure to our already strained economy might just be the proverbial straw.

And yet...I remember when working at the R&D arm of large STEM companies such as HP or AT&T (Bell Labs, anyone?) was a desirable and prestigious position. Such labs did a certain amount of pure research in addition to their industrial endeavors, and received government grants to do so. Now? Not so much. Because the government appears to be too busy bailing out fuckwits who accept huge compensation packages to run their companies into the ground.

I know there's no easy answer, and no answer that will allow the innocent to escape the current clusterfuck unscathed. I find that last part profoundly saddening.

But Mr. Lyons makes a point. A point worth considering.

Inspiration!

I recently bought a new CD from a London artist named "Adele." Her debut album is called "19."

I finally got around to watching the video that came with my iTunes purchase, and made a most surprising discovery.

Adele is quite attractive, with stunning blue eyes and lovely skin.

She's also a normal sized woman.

I was thoroughly enjoying the CD before this discovery, and someone agrees with my assessment of her musical talents, since she's nominated for four Grammies, including best new artist. Her appearance just endears her to me more.

Here she is singing "Hometown Glory."

Inspiration, You Have Failed Me

I'm feeling profoundly uninspired this morning after struggling with insomnia last night.

So here's a list of things I really can't ever see myself doing:

• Become an Amway rep
• Start exercising "for the fun of it"
• Advocate the overthrow of our Constitutional government
• Become a missionary
• Wear a size "2"
  

Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

Tasty Tuesday - Saucy Shrimp

This one is "by request" for Hot Chick Jeri. This is flavorful without being super-spicy and it's easy to prepare. Enjoy!

Saucy Shrimp

12 ounces fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp
1 medium green sweet pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/4 cup bottled chili sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 cups hot cooked rice
1/4 cup cashews, toasted

1. Thaw shrimp, frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Cut sweet pepper into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

2. Pour cooking oil into a a large skillet. Heat over medium high heat. Stir-fry sweet pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until vegetables are crisp-tender.

3. Stir in undrained tomatoes, the 1/2 cup cashews, the raisins, parsley, chili sauce, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, white pepper, curry powder, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Stir shrimp into tomato mixture. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes more or until shrimp turn opaque. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle each serving with toasted cashews. Makes four servings.

My Nerd Love Rawks the House!

I can't tell you how tickled I am that my Nerd Love, Neil deGrasse Tyson, rawked the house at the Union Square Barnes and Noble to the point where Gawker was going WTF?*

Evidently, mobbing a scientist who writes books about, you know, science, is inconceivable to the folks who fawn over Paris Hilton's banal utterances.

::snort::chuckle::hee::

That's my Nerd Love, baby. Go science!


*No, I don't read Gawker. Lay down the crack pipe. I learned about this from the Incomparable Rebecca™ over at SkepChick.

This is Not About Sarah Palin*

Via a quite circuitous route, I have learned about a local crisis amongst the native populations of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in rural Alaska.

It appears these folks are being forced to choose between food and heating fuel. And since they live in, you know, rural Alaska, that type of crisis is no joke. An inability to fish for King Salmon during the summer months essentially wiped out their economy, and now the folks who live in these villages are rationing their food and their heating fuel.

Pretty damn grim. Most of these families live on the knife's edge of poverty, and it's not like their environment is particularly forgiving.

There's a Facebook community that has information about how you can help, if you're so inclined. These Americans need pantry staples or cash donations for fuel to help see them through the winter.

Sorry, Kiva - this month my charity budget is going to help the good people of Emmonak and environs. See you next month.
_____________________________

*I don't want to hear about how this is Sarah Palin's fault, or the result of Troopergate, or any other politically motivated screeching. I don't live in Alaska, and I'm not qualified to comment on their politics. The good folks of Alaska will address their political concerns as they see fit, and I can't do anything about it. The facts on the ground are that the folks in the Yukon Delta are hungry and cold, and I can do something about that.

The View from the Window

Yes, it is snowing. Yes, the sun is shining. Yes, the wind chill was -1 F when I walked the dog this morning.

Colorado weather.

Weird.

Anticipation

Since I attended Denvention 3 last year, I get to nominate books for the Hugo Award this year. The award will be presented at Anticipation, to be held in Montreal this summer.

Decisions, decisions...

Attention, Gullible Parents

Vaccination does not cause autism.

NOT vaccinating your child could result in their death, as well as the death of members of the population who cannot be vaccinated due to other medical conditions.

Jenny McCarthy and her ilk believe they are not subject to a reality-based world, and are trying to convince you to join her on Fantasy Island.

But the diseases that will run through our population reside firmly in reality, and don't give a shit about her and her anti-science point of view. They'll just make your kids sick.

SO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT VACCINATING YOUR KIDS.

Get an informed, science-based opinion before you decide to risk the health of your kids, and the health of the other children in your community.

Because following the advice of dumbshits like Ms. McCarthy is simply criminal.

PR Troubles

I read in the Washington Post this morning that Al Qaeda is having some trouble with their PR. It seems President Obama is well liked in the Muslim world, unlike his predecessor, and that doesn't sit well with Al Qaeda. It doesn't sit well at all.

They're trying to sway public opinion by calling President Obama a "house Negro," and blaming him for the fighting in Gaza, among other things. Their position seems to be that President Obama's policies are basically carbon copies of President Bush's, and that he's an enemy to the Muslim world. Of course, the President's actions in closing Gitmo and other policy decisions are making them very, very nervous...and a bit desperate, methinks.

That's a shame.

Backsliding

Remember when I said I was going to try and be less stabby when it came to religion in public life?

Yeah, well. I'm backsliding.

Here's why.

My university class this quarter is on Leadership. So far it's more interesting than I expected, and one of the reasons that's true is because there's a diverse group of people in the class, so different points of view are represented. One of the students in this class is a young woman originally from Turkey who now lives in the Middle East. She has a Muslim name, and her comments have been especially interesting to me because of her different cultural viewpoint. So far, so good.

Well, one of the discussion questions on the board this week was about values - how they affect leadership style, how to apply them and stay consistent in a professional setting - you get the idea.

Here comes the stabby part.

In response to the values discussion, she made a comment that she couldn't imagine anyone in today's world who equally exhibited all the values listed in our textbook, and that such a person would probably be a prophet. Given her culture and background, I knew exactly what she meant - she was indicating that only a perfect person would have so many equally demonstrated virtues.

Enter the Champion Asshat.

He's been discussing his religious belief on the discussion boards for a number of weeks, but I've been letting it go in response to my new non-stabby policy. But here was his response to this woman's comment:

While God is the Father of all people in a general sense because He created them (Acts 17:24-28), only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are God's true spiritual children. Unbelievers are the children of Satan (Matt.13:38)

At salvation, all believers not only become full members of Christ's body, the church, but the Holy Spirit is placed within each of them (Romans 8:9) True Christians are saints and as such are prophets because we evangelize to God's people and endure through faith in God and not man.

Yeah. Essentially telling a classmate that she's a child of Satan. Classy. The woman in question then spanked him for being a presumptuous asshat with no respect for other people's belief systems. His response?

You mentioned a Prophet, and I only know of one prophet, and if you want me to share my relationship with Jesus Christ with you, I would be more than happy to. There is only one reason I am answering this, it is because I love your soul. I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended you.

Because really, what a Muslim really wants after telling you to shut the fuck up about your Christianity is for you to "share your relationship with Jesus Christ." And who the fuck is so ignorant that they believe a woman from a Muslim country, with a Muslim name, thinks that Jesus Christ is the only "Prophet" around? Seriously?

Commence slow boil.

Could this guy be any more clueless, or any more offensive? I attend a private university, but it's not a religious university. The topic at hand was about values and leadership, and he thinks this is the time to proselytize his religious belief? In what is essentially a classroom?

It's a good thing this is an on-line class. Because if they had occurred in meat-space, I would of totally punched this guy in the head. With extreme prejudice.

Surprisingly enough, I did not post to the discussion forum on this guy's utter fucking cluelessness and offensive behavior. The young woman had already spanked him, and since she was the recipient of his ignorant remarks, I didn't think it would be appropriate.

So I complained to the professor, instead.

I essentially told her that this guy's proselytizing was negatively affecting my learning experience, and that I found it extremely offensive. I don't know if she'll take any action or not, but since this is the second class I've had with the ass-clown, and the second time his religious belief has negatively impacted my education, I thought I was justified.

But really, we all know I'm not exactly impartial when it comes to these matters. Not impartial at all.

So, Hot Chicks and Smart Men, you get to decide:

poll by twiigs.com

Update: The professor posted to the board informing ass-clown that the forum was not an appropriate venue to share his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Smartin' Man on the Mend

Smartin' Man is on the mend after having all four of his wisdom teeth pulled on Thursday morning.

The surgery was somewhat complicated, as the cyst under one of the teeth was very close to the mandibular nerve, and Dr. Hunter had to take it out in pieces to make sure he stayed away from the nerve. Additionally, one of the upper teeth was stuck, and it took some real effort to get it out, and it resulted in a small hole to the sinus.

So Smartin' Man's jaw is pretty sore, and he's sticking with the cottage cheese-mashed potatoes-yogurt diet for the duration. Hopefully he'll feel well enough to go to work on Monday, but if not, he'll stay home and heal.

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and concern!

Boogie Blogging Friday Featuring Demento Dog

Boogie and Jake, playing Mutt and Jeff while awaiting a snack.

Jakey goes home tomorrow. He's been a good house guest (aside from the incessant staring).

'Tard of the Week - Dale and Leilani Neumann

You know, I'm enough of a libertarian that I don't think the government has a right to tell parents how to raise their kids.

If that includes indoctrinating children in their religious belief, well, in light of my resolution not to get all stabby about religion, then that's just dandy.

Providing they're not physically endangering the child, that is.

Which of course brings us to this week's 'tards, Dale and Leilani Neumann. The Neumanns believe that the only way to heal sickness is to pray to the almighty, who will then heal you, presumably based on your obedience, purity or other virtue. Stuck you tongue out at your mother? Buzz! No healing for you! Persecuted the heathens? Ding Ding Ding! You are HEALED!

So when their daughter Kara developed juvenile diabetes, you can just imagine that it totally sucked to be her. Because, really, using insulin to treat diabetes is just crazy talk when you can pray to our Lo-ord to heal your child.

Not surprisingly (except perhaps to Mr. and Mrs. Neumann, that is), Kara subsequently died of diabetic ketoacidosis.

About a month after Kara's death, the Marathon County state attorney brought charges of reckless endangerment against her parents. The outcome of the case will evidently have far-reaching repercussions in terms of the 1st Amendment and how it relates to a parent's responsibility for their child's health. I can't comment on that, because I'm not an attorney, and I don't play one on T.V.

What I can comment on (and you know I will) is the utter fucking stupidity in refusing adequate medical care to your child. Seriously, Neumanns? Do you live under a fucking rock? There's a reason why people live so much longer now than they did when your Lord and Savior was born. It's called modern medicine. The miracle wasn't the virgin birth - it was that Mary didn't die of child bed fever after giving birth in a fucking stable.

The Neumanns are being joined in their Darwin-confirming stupidity by members of their faith group, "Unleavened Bread Ministries," who advocates faith healing and the end of the world. These fucknuts believe the Neumanns are being "charged with the crime of praying." This, of course, is almost stupider than the Neumann's dumbassery.

I've got news for you, you dumb fucks. The Neumanns are being charged with neglect. Because they neglected their daughter to death. They deserve to go to prison for their terminal stupidity - the stupidity that cost their daughter her life.

Christ on a crutch. Poor Kara. Stupid parents. 'Tards.

Who Cares? Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 4

Is Dr. Phil out of control? Is he mentally abusing wife Robin? Is he angry because she's stealing his thunder? Remember, the family who pulls advice out of their ass together, stays together! Who Cares!

Dude, Really - Spend Some Time With a Real Girl

So the Smartin' Man and I went to see a screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan last night at one of our local theaters (The Continental, for you local readers).

I enjoyed seeing the movie on the big screen again, and of course, the experience was somewhat bittersweet, what with Mr. Montalbán passing away this week. I think of Khan as his signature role, and really, the guy could read the phone book and I'd be happy.

Of course, the screening brought out the nerds (including the Smartin' Man and myself). There was only one Star Trek uniform that we saw, but the percentage of undatables in that theater was rather high.

Like the guys sitting behind us. They were both in their thirties. The younger one was giggling like a schoolgirl (literally), and the other kept talking about a "tentative date" he had for some upcoming nerd event. They seriously, seriously, needed to spend some time with real, live girls. Not on-line girls, not WoW girls - live, breathing, girls, who weren't being paid to be there, who might take them under their wings and teach them the art of conversation.

Wow.

Smartin' Man

I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow, as the Smartin' Man has to go see the incomparable Dr. Hunter to have his wisdom teeth pulled.

All four are coming out, and he also has a nasty recurring abscess under one that's been bothering him for several years. His ENT guy performed surgery on it a couple of years ago, but it never really healed up. Dr. Hunter thinks he can get it cleaned up after the tooth is pulled, and hopefully there'll be no more occurrences.

So Smartin' Man will be all wheeee! on percocet tomorrow, and I'll be serving up the squishy stuff for several days.

We'll be going to see a commemorative screening of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan tonight in order to have some popcorn before it's smoothies and yogurt time.

::fist in air::

Khan!!

2008 'Tard of the Year Voting

Welcome to the 2008 'Tard of the Year Voting!

This year has been chock-full of worthy candidates for this prestigious award, but there can be only one! Here are the candidates:

May - Keiffe & Sons Ford
June - Fox News and Pat Buchanan (Tie)
July - Elaine Donnelly and Jesse Jackson (Tie)
August - Recreate '68 Protesters
September - The Anonymous Pedicure Customer
October - DeAngelo Starnes
November - 52% of California Voters
December - Person Who Talked Out of Their Ass

poll by twiigs.com

Democracy in Action. Get your vote counted today!

A Call for Discipline, A Call for Service

A new era.

Not because the United States of America has a black president, although I recognize and celebrate that milestone.

Not because the most unpopular president in U.S. history has left the building, although I'm delighted that's the case.

It's a new era because our president, our new president, is a realist. He clearly sees the troubles facing us as a nation, and recognizes that the solutions to those problems will not come without a price.

That price may take the form of higher taxes. You can't have your cake and eat it, too - if you want additional services, they must be funded. That means we'll have to put more money into the kitty. There's no use crying about it - there are things that are wrong with this country that only the government can fix. And the government must be funded. So be prepared to pay more for the government services you receive.

The price may take the form of more discipline in our government spending. This means that some programs may be canceled if they can't prove their worth or provide sustainable results for the money invested. Regardless of whether you approve of the list of cut programs or not, something has got to go.

The price may take the form of public service. We simply can't be the best country in the world without some expectation of citizens contributing to the community in which they live. That means getting up off your ass and engaging in a little volunteerism and charity. Find a cause that touches you, whether it's kids, seniors, veterans, hunger, whatever - and donate some time and/or money to making the world a better place. It's good for you. It's good for us. It's just good.

The price may take the form of accountability. Whether that's prosecution for career politicians who broke the law, or financial restitution from those whose greed destroyed the economy, accountability is the cornerstone of leadership. One of the first tests of our new president's leadership will be how he chooses to handle accountability.

And the gift we receive for paying all these prices? Honor. Integrity. Service. Pride. Equality. Security.

I think it's worth it.

I'm ready.

'Tard of the Decade - George W. Bush

"Strategery."

"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here."

"They misunderestimated me."

"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president."

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."

"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe -- I believe what I believe is right."

"Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."

"Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?"

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense."

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

See ya', W. Good luck with that "legacy" thing, you 'tard.

The View From My Desk

This is Jake.

He's an Italian Greyhound who belongs to one of our best friends, who's out of town on business this week.

Jake's kind of dumb.

And he thinks he and I have some special psychic connection, which he attempts to activate by sitting next to my desk and staring at me like some sort of deranged, obsessive serial killer.

It's a little disconcerting after a while.

(P)reaching a Happy Median

I try not to be a creature of extremes.

Mostly because it leads to a less than peaceful life, but also because, given enough time, such extremism turns me into a screeching harpy with no sense of proportion.

And no one wants to be a screeching harpy. It's just unattractive.

So this year, I'm trying to make an effort to explore areas in which I have extremist tendencies and learn more about the other side of the argument. I'm doing this in an attempt to reach a happy median in my viewpoint.

First up on the agenda is the subject of religion, specifically religion in public life.

When this subject comes up, even in the most non-confrontational ways, I tend to get defensive and wrapped around the axle. If the subject becomes teaching religion in public schools or someone insisting the United States is a "Christian Nation," I get downright stabby.

So I'm trying to get a handle on my feelings about this, and try to determine what aspects of this topic deserve a passionate response, and which I should learn to let go.

In that vein, I just finished listening to American Gospel by Newsweek editor-in-chief Jon Meacham.

This book takes an historical look at religion in American public life, examining the historical context of the founding fathers' beliefs, and the inclusion of a "God of Providence" in their endeavors to create our nation. He's an equal opportunity slammer, and spanks the evangelical Christians and the rabid atheists equally. The evangelicals for trying to co-opt our nation's founding into their tired "America is a Christian Nation!" nonsense, and the atheists for interpreting the separation of church and state to mean the separation of religion and/or faith and state.

In Meacham's view, there's a place for religion and faith in public life and in government. The vast majority of our population believes in some sort of god, and he contends that including the perspective of faith in the public discussion is appropriate, providing its inclusion does not constitute hypocrisy or exclusionary practices.

I found this book to be even-handed and thoughtful, drawing on historical references and current events to make the point that people really ought to be better informed before they get on their high horse and complain that there's too much (or too little) religion in public life.

Ahem.

So I'm reevaluating my position.

Intellectually, I think the yardstick should be threefold: If a policy is made on the basis of religious belief and that religious belief is clearly demonstrated to contradict scientific consensus (cough, intelligent design, young earth creationism, cough), then getting stabby is the appropriate response. If a group attempts to teach their faith in public schools, then someone's losing an eye. And if the inclusion of religious belief is exclusionary (cough, Rick Warren, cough), then I'm breaking out the cutlery.

I'm going to try and let go of well thought out, inclusive, ecumenical demonstrations.

An example of this is Bishop Gene Robinson, whose prayer yesterday at the Lincoln Memorial was inclusive, thoughtful, sincere, and written in such a way that even an agnostic like me can support the sentiments.

If you need me, I'll be traveling the road to the happy median...

Happy Fun Time, Now With More Rum

Last night was Happy Fun Time with the lovely Anne, the Smart Man, Boogie the Giant Schnauzer and me.

A good time was had by all, and it was determined that what Hurricanes really need is more rum, so it's a good thing we bought the extra-large bottle of Meyer's.

I stuck with Bloody Marys, and Anne also enjoyed some vodka and tonics with some premium vodka we had.

Next up is breakfast made by the Smart Man. Hmm...French Toast.

Happy Fun Times...and Homework

Today I have a dichotomy of activities on my agenda.

First up is homework for my DU class on Leadership (boo, hiss).

Then I have some errands to run, including a trip to the library and stopping at Costco (yay, library, meh, Costco).

Then the Smart Man and I will be cooking dinner and making cocktails for our good friend and Boogie's awesome Auntie Anne. She recently got laid off as a result of the recession (boo, hiss), so we're providing cheap entertainment in an effort to keep her spirits up. Food and alcohol - now that's happy fun times.

The menu will consist of New Orleans style Hurricanes, Bloody Marys, Screwdrivers, rum and coke, vodka and tonic and beer and Mikes.

And oh yeah, there'll be food, too. Tri-Tip on the grill, three cheese rotini casserole, fresh asparagus and brownie bites.

In an effort to ensure the roads will be safe for everyone, Anne's spending the night in our spare room, and the Smart Man has volunteered to cook breakfast. He's an awesome breakfast cook, so of course I said "yes" with alacrity.

There may be pictures, or there may not. But you can assume the Rocky Mountain Branch of the UCF (Now With Less Secrets!) will be having a Happy Fun Time this evening.

Boogie Blogging Friday

Whew! I've spent the majority of the day working on a fairly large escalation project. Essentially I was providing a third-party engineering opinion on a proposal. Sticky. The turn-around time was pretty tight, so I hadn't had time to take a picture of The Incomparable Boogie™ for your entertainment.

But I'm back on the ball now, and here he is, enjoying "his" futon, complete with pillows.

"Yes, I did have bath and a haircut yesterday. Yes, I do smell nice, and I'm a handsome, handsome fellow. I'm quite ready for my visit with my awesome Auntie Anne tomorrow, thanks for asking."

Who Cares? Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 3

Did Oprah smoke Crack? Is she responsible for the downward spiral of her lover? Did The Secret lead her down the road to perdition? Who Cares!

"Neo-Confederates?" Seriously?

I was reading Newsweek last night, and in an article relating to Abraham Lincoln, I came across a term I had not heard before: "Neo-Confederate."

According to Wikipedia, this movement is characterized by the following themes:

• Honor of the Confederacy and its veterans.
• Culture, specifically Christian culture.
• Economics, including a free market economy and less taxation.
• History, including criticism of the presidency and Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction.
• Secession, including openly advocating the resecession of the Southern states.

Additionally, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, many of these groups have close ties to the white supremacist League of the South (LOS) and the Council of Conservative Citizens.* It makes me wonder how many black Southerners self-identify as "neo-confederates." Not many, I'll bet.**

Now, I'm not a Southerner. With the exception of a couple months spent at boot camp in Orlando, Florida, I've never spent any significant time in the South. I have no skin in the game when it comes to "honoring" the Confederacy and its veterans, especially when doing so strikes me as holding up the losers as a group worth emulating.**

I'm not a Christian. I believe allowing Christian culture and symbolism an exclusive place in our public institutions is a violation of the Establishment Clause. We're not a Christian Nation - we're a secular nation with a majority Christian population.

I'm a liberal. So while I understand the appeal of a free-market economy, I do notice that those who favor it the most are usually the ones with the most money. Until, as my friend Steve says, the Invisible Hand of Adam Smith smacks them upside the head, that is. Then they want the guv'ment to step in and bail their asses out.

I'm a person who believes in honest, fact-based discussion. While most people don't realize that President Lincoln was the "president [who] had suspended the writ of habeas corpus, closed the most newspapers, arrested the most political rivals, opened and censored the most mail and executed the most American citizens without trial," I don't think he was the bastard the Neo-Confederates would have us believe. He made some tough choices - maybe not all of them were the best choice available at that time. But he made us whole. So debate the writing of history, and discuss its relevance to today's society, but make sure you can defend your position with something other than revisionist ideas.

And I'm a patriot. So the idea that a good chunk of the U.S. should just be able to walk away bothers me on a fundamental level. Because while you might be able to make a case that the Union would be better off without the South (and vice-versa), that's really not true. It takes all of us to make the nation we have today, and even if parts of Southern culture give me indigestion, there are other aspects worthy of my respect and admiration.

So I just don't get it. Neo-Confederates? Really? What's the point? Don't these people have anything better to do than to sulk and stew over an event that can't be changed?


*Why, yes, linking those two organizations did make me throw up in my mouth. Thanks for asking.

**I realize there are probably some Neo-Confederates who are sentimental for the Confederacy without being racist pigs. But they're fishing in the same pool of evil as the white supremacists, and the presence of the asshats makes all the fish rotten.

***Please do not spend your time writing comments about the "War of Northern Aggression" or how the Civil War was a bout "State's Rights." It wasn't a war of Northern aggression - it was a war about keeping the Union whole. The "State's Rights" thing I'll give you. But the Confederacy still lost. They lost. Sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "Lalalala!" will not rewrite history so that the Confederacy turns into a basket of Win. Get over it already.

Ricardo Montalbán, 1920 - 2009

You were smokin', dude, even in your 60s. And you were apparently a good and decent man who stayed married to the same woman for 63 years and contributed to his community.

Rest in Peace.

On the Subject of IVR's

I work as a Systems Engineer in the telecommunications industry. One of the technologies I work with in this capacity is the "IVR," or Interactive Voice Response system.

You know - "press one to place an order, press two if you'd rather take out your own eye with a fork than navigate this menu."

But I think IVR's are underrated. A well designed IVR menu will allow you to conclude your business more quickly than dealing with an agent who's probably thinking about what she did last night instead of resolving your business. A well designed IVR menu allows you to narrow your selections to the point where if you need to speak to an agent, you get to the right agent, the first time. When I'm grumpy, I'd much rather press 1, press 2 than pretend to be chipper with some minimum wage simpleton who really couldn't give a rat's ass whether he helps me or not.

HOWEVER.

Nothing pisses me off worse than an ill designed IVR menu. Nothing. I want to punch the menu writer in the eye, and then stab them repeatedly with a sharpened pencil.

When designing an IVR menu, the Keep It Simple, Stupid principle should be full force. Your prompts should not be a minute long. Your prompts shouldn't include making ridiculously complex choices. You should have barge-in enabled.* Your prompts shouldn't result in a call routing path that resembles a Gordian Knot. And you should always provide the Alexander solution, i.e., a prompt that will allow you to speak to a live agent if you're lost or no menu choices suit your needs.

That last point is sacrilege in my industry. Transactions handled by IVR's are much, much cheaper than transactions handled by agents, so allowing a customer to "zero out" to an agent is sometimes not permitted.

But it should be permitted. Always. Not only because customers are, you know, people, and they sometimes need to talk to other people, but because there are many, many people out there who are not comfortable navigating these types of systems. Older customers, people who are not technically savvy - these folks should not be forced to deal with this technology if they don't want to, especially when it comes to essential services like Social Security or Medicare.

There are enough folks out there like me who prefer to use an IVR (when possible) that forcing somebody's Grandma to do so is just wrong.


*Barge-in is the ability to cut off the menu list by pressing the option you want, rather than forcing you to listen to the entire string of options.

My Kind of Guy

This morning I listened to an interview of Leonard Downie Jr. on Fresh Air.

In it, Mr. Downie revealed that during his time as the Executive Editor of The Washington Post, he voluntarily gave up his right to vote. He felt that since he was the final gatekeeper and arbiter of fairness, he needed to be open minded even in the privacy of his own mind, in order to ensure a lack of bias. For the same reason, he also did not read the Op-Ed page during his tenure.

He also mentioned that while employees of The Washington Post are certainly permitted to vote, they are not permitted to exercise other types of rights such as signing petitions, contributing to or working on campaigns, or demonstrating. These restrictions are in place to force employees to maintain a sense of impartiality.

Like Terry Gross, I'm of two minds about this.

As a citizen of this country, I'm much more interested in having people as informed as Mr. Downie vote than I am in having some illiterate, uninformed simp do so.

And yet, he sees his willingness to sacrifice his right to vote as a service to the 1st Amendment, and made it willingly for the privilege of working as the Post's executive editor. For 17 years, he was the final arbiter of what was included in this very prestigious publication, and he felt such power should be tempered as much as possible by a desire to remain unbiased.

There's a reason why The Washington Post is my primary source of news.

And Mr. Downie is my kind of guy.

'Tard of the Week - Tony Isaacs

In today's SkepChick quickies, there was a link to an article called "Patrick Swayze's Misguided Faith in Mainstream Medicine" on a website called Natural News. The article was written by this week's 'tard, one Tony Isaacs, who identifies himself as a "citizen journalist" and a "natural health advocate and researcher and the author of books and articles about natural health."

In this article, Mr. Isaacs berates Patrick Swayze for his comments in the recent Barbara Walter interview where Mr. Swayze commented that he was taking "specific immune system Chinese herbs," but says he hasn't tried many alternative therapies because he learned that if "you feed your body, you feed the insatiable voracious appetite of the cancer." Mr. Swayze is following a regimen of chemotherapy and an experimental drug called vatalanib for the treatment of his disease. While he's realistic about his prognosis, he's continuing to fight the good fight.

Mr. Isaacs, however, appears to have gone off the deep end. He believes that modern medicine should just get off their ass and cure cancer already, and thinks Mr. Swayze is clearly being brainwashed by modern medicine and making poor decisions based on his M.D.'s advice. You see, if modern medicine weren't so interested in making the big bucks off of the suffering of innocents, then they'd reveal the secret cure to cancer and we'd all prance off in the meadows with butterflies and puppies.

Stupid Patrick Swayze. Why the hell would he choose to follow his doctor's advice instead of a "natural practitioner?" Dumbass.

Real answers are always more complex than the practitioners of woo and would have us believe, and the motivations of "big pharma" and others are usually less complex than the conspiracy theorists would like us to believe. In this case, we get Two! Two! Two 'tards in one!

Attention, 'tards! Big Pharma and the modern medical complex is not some caricature of Snidely Whiplash, twirling their mustaches and trying to determine how to best eke out more money on the backs of people's suffering and death. I personally know a number of folks who work in this industry, and their motivation is (gasp!) altruistic. It's not that a for-profit company is against making money - far from it. But the scientists employed by "Mainstream Medicine" weren't fished out of a pool of evil by Big Pharma for the express purpose of keeping the "truth" from the masses. The scientists who form the basis of this industry do the work they do for the betterment of mankind.

So, Mr. Isaacs, feel free to keep your conspiracy theories and non-peer reviewed speculation to yourself. You're no better than the National Enquirer chastising his smoking habits, and nearly as classless.

'Tard.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Happiness lies in getting enough sleep. Which I didn't get last night. Which sucks.

There is good news, though - today the Smart Boy goes back to see his ophthalmologist for his one week check up on his hyphema. Provided the inflammation is decreasing as expected, he should be cleared to drive and return to school tomorrow. He'll still be on the pupil dilators, steroids and inclined sleep surface for another week, and banned from Ultimate Frisbee for another week after that. When he does start playing again, he'll be doing so with eye protection.

He's really quite tired of lying around the house, and is looking forward to returning to school. As he says, it's different if you choose to be a lazy ass rather than being forced to do so.

In other news, I'm entering week 2 or my DU Leadership class. There is one student (the Über Pad) who is making me reach for the cutlery, but overall, it isn't as bad as I'd feared. However, I don't think I'll be working particularly hard, either.

And it's snowing today.

On the Maintenance of Relationships

Relationships are funny things.

Like all living, dynamic things, they require maintenance.

Sometimes the maintenance is as simple as taking the time to do something thoughtful for the person you care about.

Sometimes the maintenance requires more effort, like making a fundamental effort to change when the person needs you do so.

And sometimes the maintenance requires that you be honest. Whether that's being straight-forward when someone has hurt your feelings or telling someone what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear.

It's always easier to just let it go, but if the relationship was worth cultivating, then it's worth maintaining, too.

Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men Insult of the Month

Last night the Smart Man and I were watching a little T.V. (Two and a Half Men reruns), and a commercial kept coming up for the sanitary pads Always.

In this commercial, the announcer was proclaiming the pads were "über absorbent!"

After watching this affront to good taste for about the sixth time, I made the comment that commercials for feminine hygiene products, birth control and erectile dysfunction medication should be forbidden from using popular or slang language. The Smart Man said they should just call the product "The Über Pad" and be done with it.

Later in the evening, I was telling the Smart Man about a less than sharp student in my current DU class. The student in question believes the class forum is the appropriate place to proselytize about his religious belief. The Smart Man's reaction was to exclaim, "He's an Über Pad!"

Cue gales of laughter.

Why, yes. I am easily amused. And the Smart Man cracks me up.

So Über Pad is our new insult here at Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men. Use it in good health.

Boogie Blogging Friday

That's his favorite ball in the background. In its previous life, it was a tennis ball, but he peeled all the fabric off and now its much more bouncy and fun.

My dog is weird.

Who Cares? Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2

Marc and J. Lo deny marriage trouble, but insiders reveal things are not as idyllic as the couple would have you believe! Will they split? Who will get the money? The twins? Who Cares!

I Need Less Expensive Hobbies

Well, I've decided to give up playing my bass. Practicing was feeling more like a chore than an enjoyable hobby, and I would really prefer to spend my time on a hobby that I look forward to without dread. This just confirmed my belief that my Hot Sister got all the instrumental talent in the family.

But now I have a beautiful Fender Mustang Bass and a Peavey Max 112 in need of a home.

I've posted an ad on Craigslist, but with the economy in the crapper and several other Mustangs for sale in my area, I'm not sure how quickly it'll sell.

I really need less expensive hobbies, so when I decide to be fickle the cost of the equipment isn't an issue. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

I'm considering going back to vocal music, but I'm pretty picky about what groups I would want to sing with. I'm not against singing liturgical music, but I won't sing in a church choir for any reason. Mostly because it's hard to sing when you have vomit in your mouth from your own hypocrisy.

Chick Stuff - Growing My Hair Out

It's time to discuss chick stuff again. Guys, here's your obligatory photo of a sweet car to keep you amused:


Hmm...Mustang Shelby!

On to the Chick Stuff!

So you can tell from my new icon that I've cut all the color out of my hair, and I'm now growing it out.

I hate growing my hair out. It looks like ass while I'm doing it, and trying to maintain some semblance of style becomes a constant struggle.

The last time I grew out the color I cut it super-short right before leaving on a six-month Navy deployment. "At sea" is a great place to be while your hair looks like ass. Now? I'm actually required to be seen in public and spend time with other humans.

So this kind of sucks. Especially since the current style, left to its own devices, looks very much like my Hot Mom's hair. Now, Hot Mom has some seriously pretty hair - it's so silver she becomes a navigation hazard when she walks underneath a florescent light. But she's my mom. I'm really not interested in wearing my hair in the same style she does.

So I'll suffer (but not in silence!) until I can wear this style:


EmmyLou Harris! Growing older gracefully and looking smokin' while she does it! That's what I'm talking about.

The Joys of Parenthood (and Frisbee)

The Smart Boy plays Ultimate Frisbee at his High School. While it's not really an intramural sport, they do have a team of sorts, and they periodically play against other local H.S. clubs.

Yesterday was their usual practice day, and around 3:30 p.m. I received a call from the school to tell me that there had been an "accident." Evidently the Smart Boy had taken a Frisbee to the eye, and the iris was filling up with blood. The school representative thought it "might be best" if he was "seen."

You think?

So I called Kaiser, and hit the road to go pick him up. His ophthalmologist was able to see him right away.*

When I first saw him, the eye looked nasty. I mean, nasty. The Smart Boy's eyes are light green, but the injured eye was brick red with blood, not to mention the swelling and redness one expects when a colossal shiner is on the way. He then informed me that he couldn't really see out of it - just light and dark shapes.

I may have exceeded the speed limit on the way to the ophthalmologist's.

The injury is essentially a blunt force trauma to the eyeball, and includes glaucoma-like high pressure in the eye. His ophthalmologist has him on three kinds of glaucoma drops, a steroid drop to reduce the inflammation in the eye, and dilating drops. He's on bed rest with his upper body elevated until the pressure, swelling and blood accumulation go away. His vision has cleared, but the doc wants to see him every day to check the pressure for the rest of the week.

The damage done to the structure of the eye is evidently permanent, and he'll be at risk for glaucoma for the rest of his life.

That's one hell of a Frisbee, and one hell of an arm on the kid who threw it. The kid of course feels terrible, and volunteered to run the Smart Boy's school work back and forth for the rest of the week.

The ophthalmologist indicated that the injury is fairly severe, although the chance of the Smart Boy losing his sight in that eye is small if we follow the doc's instructions and seek immediate treatment if he starts to bleed again.

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

I was a bit wiggy until the doctor was able to see inside the eye and make a diagnosis (since the Smart Boy couldn't see out, the doctor couldn't see in, either). But the Smart Boy's on the mend now, and I checked on him several times last night to make sure he was remaining elevated in bed per the doctor's instructions (he wasn't - he kept scooting down and rolling over in his sleep).

The experience really brought home to me how very, very lucky we've been when it comes to injury and health issues. This accident could of been so much worse, and in general, both the Smart Twins have been healthy kids and teens. I can't imagine the stress of having a seriously ill child.

I think I'll go make a donation to the Ronald McDonald House.


*I know a lot of people bitch about HMO's, but my experience with Kaiser over the last 12 years has been exemplary.

'Tard of the Week - Andrew D. Basiago, Emo Lawyer

Andrew D. Basiago is an American attorney and amateur scientist.

Emphasis on the "amateur."

Poor Mr. Basiago is currently being dissed by the National Geographic Society because they narrow-mindedly refuse to publish his claims that the Mars Rover Spirit captured photographic evidence of life on the Red Planet. He wrote a letter to the Society in an effort to get them to publish his "findings."

From the press release:

"I was astonished by what I found," he said. "There, on the Red Planet, were beings in blue bodysuits and the abstract artwork of a Martian civilization. I was looking at the first evidence of life beyond Earth!"

In his letter to the National Geographic Society, the lawyer writes that careful evaluation of PIA10214 reveals "a cosmic treasure trove of pictographic evidence of life on Mars, including humanoid beings, animal species, carved statues, and built structures."

According to Basiago, the humanoid beings photographed in PIA10214 have bulbous heads and elongated bodies, like the extraterrestrials described in alien contact accounts. Some have two arms and legs like human beings, while others have multiple appendages and segmented or larval bodies, as if they are human-insect hybrids.

Here's the photograph in question, with my own commentary:


You want to know what's really sad about this? Aside from the craziness of thinking Martians in Little Blue Bodysuits have been captured on film and you're the only one on the planet to recognize it, I mean.

The part where Mr. Basiago has "five academic degrees, including a BA in History from UCLA and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge."

Just goes to show that advanced education does not exempt you from acting like a complete and utter 'tard.

Can you say pareidolia, Hot Chicks and Smart Men? I knew you could.


H/T to my Celebrity Boyfriend, The Bad Astronomer.

Expanding My Musical Horizons

One of the reasons I like to listen to NPR is that various shows expose me to musicians and bands that I might not otherwise hear.

I've discovered Alice Russell, Bobby Womack, Brian Culbertson, Cat Power, Charlotte Sometimes, Doc Watson, Eric Hutchinson, Lionel Loueke, Lalah Hathaway, Lizz Wright, Mogwai, Richard Thompson, Sam Phillips and Sia through NPR.

This week I bought the Grammy nominated CD Shake Away by Lila Downs.


I've been getting into Latin music recently, and I'm really enjoying Shake Away. It's a bilingual CD, and while I can only understand the tracks in English (there's those mad language skilz again), I'm enjoying every track.

Thanks, NPR, for expanding my musical horizons.

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History, Volume XIX

Meet Dr. Temple Grandin. She's an an animal scientist and an Associate Professor at Colorado State University.

From her website:

Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. In North America, almost half of the cattle are handled in a center track restrainer system that she designed for meat plants. Curved chute and race systems she has designed for cattle are used worldwide and her writings on the flight zone and other principles of grazing animal behavior have helped many people to reduce stress on their animals during handling.

She's also autistic.

She's written numerous books about her experiences, and how her autism has helped her to become the top person in her field. She feels autism has helped her understand animals in a way that "normal" people simply can't, and that her deep understanding stems from similarities between autistic behavior and animal behavior.

I've been reading about Dr. Grandin's life and accomplishments for years, and she was interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air yesterday. She was promoting her new book, Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals.

I think one of the things I admire about Dr. Grandin is her immense compassion for the animals that share our world. She's a realist - she knows people will continue to eat animals, so she does work that enhances the quality of life for food animals.

Well done, Dr. Grandin. Thank you for setting an example in moral behavior for the rest of us, and talking about your condition in a helpful, enlightening way. You are truly making history.

Israel and Double Standards

I'm not an expert on Israel or the Middle East peace process.

I admit that there have been times when I thought the best idea for the Middle East was to wall off the entire region and let them kill each other. There have also been times when I thought that the liberalization of the region is their only hope for peace. Some days I'm just sick of hearing about it, and wish the entire region would pull its collective head out of its ass. We could call it "The Pop Heard 'Round the World."

I'm not holding my breath on any of those things.

As the fighting intensifies in Gaza, and President-Elect Obama prepares to face the first foreign policy crisis of his administration, I'm hoping that this time, they may make some progress. Maybe.

But the longer this goes on, the more I come to believe that the United States has applied a double standard to the Middle East peace process that really needs to be recognized, and addressed, by President-Elect Obama. From where I sit, it seems we apply one standard to Israel, and another to every other Arab country or interest group.

Please note that this does not mean I'm a pre-Arab nutjob. It just means I'm not a pro-Israel nutjob, either. Accountability for bad behavior is an equal opportunity value, and while the U.S. has been quick to try and hold pro-Arab nutjobs accountable for their misdeeds, we've been less diligent about holding the pro-Israel nutjobs accountable for theirs.

I believe Israel has a right to exist. I believe that Israel, as a matter of policy, should have the support of the United States. But I don't believe we owe Israel some sort of backroom veto power over our diplomatic relations with other sovereign nations. The United States' first obligation in our diplomacy should be the United States, not Israel, and allowing our relationship with Israel to affect every aspect of our Middle East policy (to our own detriment) is stupid. No other country in the world consistently compromises their own well-being for the benefit of others in a misguided attempt to be fair and supportive in the way the United States does. We certainly owe our allies consistent support based on our mutual self-interest, but our own enlightened self-interest should be our guiding principle.

And speaking of being consistent, why do we say nothing when Israel disenfranchises their Arab population? Arab citizens make up 14% of Israel's voters, presumably with full rights under the Israeli Constitution, yet they're marginalized politically and socially at every turn. And the U.S., who has engaged in preemptive warfare solely for the sake of "freedom" says nothing. How come it's okay for the Israelis to exclude their Arab minority from participation in a coalition government, but its heinous for any other government to exclude a minority group in the same way? Answer: It's not okay. And saying that the Arabs are excluded based on their status as "communists" doesn't hold much water with me. You're either a democracy, or you're not. Veiling your bigotry in anti-communist rhetoric is transparent at best.

And don't even get me started about the way both sides have failed to address the plight of Palestinian refugees.

I believe in Israel's right to exist. But I also believe in Palestine's right to exist. I think it's fairly obvious to everyone but extremists (on both sides) that a two-state solution is the only acceptable compromise. But if Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu ends up winning the upcoming election, it's unlikely to transpire.

And we'll be right back where we started.

Fabulous.

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

Because I'm vulgar and aggressive.

Flex of the Muscle to Jim.

From the "Selling Out to The Man" Files - Bruce Springsteen

Seriously, Bruce? Wal-Mart? You made an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart for your greatest hits release?

Because aggrandizing the corporation known for its non-living wage, lack of benefits, horrible treatment of minority employees and driving small businesses out of town on a rail so perfectly aligns with your "working man" persona and values?

Shame, Bruce. Shame.

Four Day Weekend - Day Three

This year, my division made January 2nd a mandatory holiday. That means my team had to take the day off, and we were charged one of our floating holidays for it.

While I'm not sure I agree with non-manufacturing divisions dictating vacation schedules, I would probably have taken the day off anyway, and thus I'm in the middle of a four day weekend.

So what have I accomplished?

Not a damn thing.

Thursday we had our traditional New Year's breakfast of biscuits and gravy (I make the most awesome sausage gravy on the planet. Seriously, dude - wow.).

Friday I played Age of Empires (Asian Expansion Pack), and then the Smart Man and I hit a couple of hobby-type stores for fun. I got some more yarn, and I also found a new scent (to the tune of $50.00 an ounce).

So today I shall be productive. I'm off to the grocery store for my Hot Mom, then I'll be heading up North to deliver the goods and do a few chores. Her back is slowly improving, but she still needs a bit of help.

Tomorrow? I'll probably go back to being a complete lazy ass.

What?

Boogie Blogging Friday

The Incomparable Boogie™, enjoying a game with his blankie after dinner.

For the Archives - The UCF (Original Version)

It appears that our current 'Tard of the Week, James Tankersley, rewrote his blog post about the Sooper-Sekrit Govmunt-Funded Hordes of EEEvil, otherwise known as the UCF. In his comments on the post, he indicated that he "didn’t want to provide TOO much entertainment for people clicking on the new “NOW WITH LESS SECRETS” UCF logo links."

What a spoilsport.

Fortunately for us, there is such a thing as caching. The original can be found here.

But I also screen-captured it:*

Uniformed (Currently or Formerly) Counter-Intelligence Force?

Of all the bloggers on line, I have never met a group like UCF. This is a group of primarily ex-Navy technical people (and a lawyer, a scientist and others) who have a uniquely vulgar and aggressive culture and act almost like a military unit on a mission. Are they?

This group calls themselves UCF which they say stands for Union of Collaborating Founders, but after a bit of investigation I suspect (purely speculatively) that the name might be a Navy acronym for something similar to Uniformed (Currently or Formerly) Counter-Intelligence Force.

Why do I suspect these bloggers might be paid by my tax dollars? A gut feeling based on a few clues make the speculation appear at least plausible.

First this is a fairly stable group of primarily ex-Navy technical personal including a lawyer (Eric), scientist (John)[1] and other technical people in an apparently well defined command structure with leader Nathan and apparently second in command Janiece Murphy.[2] Some of these widely geographically dispersed members have also met in person.

Secondly and most interestingly the group has engaged in at least one on-line counter-intelligence exercise (International Hijack Day).[3]

Third the group has their own aggressive and vulgar culture, as if they all attended the same course of instruction on how to be vulgar and aggressive on-line. While it may not seem unexpected for Navy enlisted personnel to be vulgar, it is a bit disturbing for a highly intelligent and clearly cultured lawyer to suddenly release a torrent of profanity for apparently no other reason than to show he is capable of being vulgar.

Fourth, and the reason I have any interest in this group at all is that they appear to be on a mission to “debunk” anyone who questions the management of safety concerns related to Europe’s Large Hadron Collider experiment.

I think this group’s focus is counter productive and a waste of tax payer money (if tax payers are funding this group) for a group to attempt to discredit honest scientists and concerned citizens who are trying to blow a safety whistle and bring some accountability to a global safety issue.

Ex-Navy Warrent Officer Jim Wright provides an example of aggression and threats this group is apparently capable of. Jim writes: “I’ll warn you once, and once only: You’re going to want to be real careful with that kind of bullshit, Wagner. I am a highly decorated combat veteran, who served honorably, who served in Iraq and elsewhere… and a number of folks that served with me, and that I got home alive, read my site every day, many come here to laugh at you - some, Walter, live in Hawaii. Don’t ever try that type of insinuation again.“[4]

Mr. Wright also states “I’m exceedingly familiar with the history of computer science and engineering and the associated names in the field, and hold a couple of advanced degrees in that field myself“.[4] Jim Wright did not state if these are accredited advanced engineering degrees or if he accomplished this while serving in the Navy, but he did recently retract statements against Walter Wagner only after threat of a libel suit.[5] (Contractors are responsible for their own legal defense).

Mr. Wright further states “I agree that there are legitimate concerns about safety. Those concerns have been addressed by actual qualified scientists. Neither Wagner nor Tankersley are qualified in any way to challenge those issues. Neither are scientists, neither are physicists…” Unfortunately Mr Wright fails to realize that legitimate safety concerns were addressed precicely because of Walter Wagner’s concern and brilliant discovery of fundamental flaws with CERN’s safety arguments.

But the comment that finally provoked me to respond with this article was from Janiece Murphy who yesterday called me Walter Wagner’s “butt monkey“.[6] (For the record, I strongly support Walter Wagner, I think he is a brilliant and selfless scientist and we are all indebted to him for discovering flaws with safety arguments that CERN was not even aware of, but I have never met Walter Wagner in person, I’m happily married and I have no interest in being anyone’s “butt monkey”, not that there is anything wrong with that as comedian Jerry Seinfeld famously said.)

JTankers
Administrator LHC Facts
Assistant Coordinator for Global Risk Reduction (a Special Interest Group of American Mensa)

[1] John the Scientist, UCF member, http://refugeesfromthecity.blogspot.com/2008/10/delusional.html

[2] Janiece Murphy, UCF 2nd in Command http://hotchicksdigsmartmen.blogspot.com/2008/06/im-geek-your-geek-everywhere-geek-geek.html

[3] Nathan, UCF Leader, International Hijack™ Day, Polybloggimous “Ideas get in but they don’t get out” (2008) http://polybloggimous.com/2008/01/announcing-international-hijack-day.html

[4] Jim Wright, Response (2008) http://refugeesfromthecity.blogspot.com/2008/10/response.html

[5] Jim Wright, Walter L. Wagner is Pitifully Insane, 2008 http://stonekettlestation.blogspot.com/2008/10/walter-l-wagner-pitifully-insane.html

[6] Janiece Murphy, Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men (December 29, 2008), http://hotchicksdigsmartmen.blogspot.com/2008/12/suing-scientific-method.html

Tags: Janiece Murphy, Jim Wright, Tankersley, UCF, Wagner

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