tales of an ordinary girl

Thanksgiving Leftovers

2009-12-01T20:20:00.004-06:00

What happens to the turkey when it's almost been a week and you're getting a little tired of leftovers?

I started out with Pioneer Woman's Leftover Turkey Pot Pie, but deviated at the first ingredient and never looked back (only 2 tbsp butter).

I used left over gravy and left over sauce from the Creamy Herbed Potatoes, added pre-steamed baby carrots and peas and then the turkey. Since the sauce was a little light I added in some chicken stock, flour, and cream and brought to a boil. I poured it all into a pie crust-lined pie dish, added a little stuffing and mashed potatoes to the top and then added another crust. Bake for 30 minutes and you have a thanksgiving meal in a pie.

Photography: Fall Foliage

2009-11-16T17:56:00.000-06:00

After shooting with Kandyce one of the lenses I became interested in was her Lensbaby Composer, which is a low-cost tilt-shift type of lens. Kyle Hepp uses a tilt-shift for a lot of her photography and the results are very good.

So I ordered a Lensbaby and set out on my fall photo shoot with the goal of photographing fall color. Only it was freezing cold and overcast. I tried again a couple of weeks later before the last of the color faded with a different aperture and I think the results are better. I'm not sure if it was because I wasn't sure how to use the lens or because the subject matter wasn't the best choice for the lens, but the pictures kind of hurt my eyes. Less blurring would probably help. Next time I'll try it on architecture to see how that works.

(The Composer adjusts aperture by changing out black disks against the lens. A tool is used to magnetically capture the disk and then a new one is dropped in. It's not as easy as selecting a different setting on the camera, so I didn't change the aperture while shooting.)

Original Source

Photography with Kandyce

2009-09-22T15:58:00.004-05:00

One of my co-workers is a far, far cooler photographer than I can dream of being. She plays around with all kinds of equipment I can only dream of owning. Anyway, she took me out a couple of weeks ago to capture a few sites.

We found an old graveyard in the middle of the suburbs. I don't know if a church used to be on the site, but it looked like they were getting ready to move it or build a subdivision around it.

Then we visited the horses and a nearby barn.

Some of the pictures seem a little over-processed to me, but I liked the results enough to keep them.

Original Source

Friday Breakfast Part II

2009-06-12T06:35:00.006-05:00

For the second part of breakfast I made two of PW's quiches, although these are normal depth, so they're one batch of her recipe. I added a couple of extra eggs and some extra cream though because they didn't seem full enough.

What's better than a pound of bacon? A pound of barbeque bacon? Yep, I found some at the grocery store. For the meat-lovers quiche I added the bacon, a cup of cheddar cheese, a little cilantro, and some ancho pepper. I cooked it for half an hour last night before allowing it to cool and refrigerating it. It was still very jiggly when I took it out of the oven and I hope it cooks the rest of the way today without any problems.

For the veggie-lovers I added spinach, mushrooms, and chives to the base quiche and I forgot the mozzarella cheese until this morning, so it's going on top. Ooops. I do not like mushrooms, but these did look pretty in the quiche (or they did before adding the cheese).

The colors on the pictures were really difficult to get right. They're sort-of edited, but the florescent lights are difficult, especially with green.

I'll have to add the after pictures later because I'm running late and I have an 8:30 meeting.

Friday Breakfast

2009-06-11T21:16:00.010-05:00

Friday Breakfasts have been resurrected at work and it's my turn tomorrow. So, I decided to make a couple of dishes from PW's site. And I have to say I'm impressed (as I always am) with her recipes.

The apple tart is simple and tasty. I cut my pastry dough into more pieces to make it easier for people to serve themselves.

Here they are before going into the oven. (Please ignore the ugly 70's-style oven. I don't want you to know my pain.)

And the apples in what looks to be a caramel sauce. Don't let it fool you though, it's brown sugar and lemon juice - definitely not something you want to slurp down.

And here's the first batch (minus a couple) ready to go.

Tomorrow I'll post more about the quiches and my variations on PW's recipe.

Thoughts of Closing

2009-06-10T15:33:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in a while and I actually have given a lot of thought to closing the blog down. I still enjoy writing, but I haven't felt motivated to write here. But then I found out that my sister is reading the blog, and (OMG my sister is reading my blog!) I thought it'd be rather rude to shut down after she took the time to find me.

So, the blog will be up for a little while longer while I mull it over.

I'm still reading your blogs though and finding a lot of good content on the Internet even if I don't always comment.

Sunday Reader May 24, 2009

2009-05-24T08:56:00.006-05:00

Astronomy
Moon Rays Over Thurso Castle

Civil Rights
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Hope, Don’t Change

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

International
Irish Reform Schools: Thousands Beaten, Raped
"A climate of fear, created by pervasive, excessive and arbitrary punishment, permeated most of the institutions and all those run for boys. Children lived with the daily terror of not knowing where the next beating was coming from," Ireland's Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse concluded.

[...]

The Catholic religious orders that ran more than 50 workhouse-style reform schools from the late 19th century until the mid-1990s offered public words of apology, shame and regret Wednesday. But when questioned, their leaders indicated they would continue to protect the identities of clergy accused of abuse _ men and women who were never reported to police, and were instead permitted to change jobs and keep harming children.

Sunday Reader May 17, 2009

2009-05-17T09:22:00.005-05:00

Astronomy

A Circumhorizontal Arc Over Ohio

Civil Rights
Bramwell’s Fifth
So yes, by all means, let’s abolish state marriage! We’ll let the straight folks go through the same tribulations we do — and then watch how quickly they demand to have state-sanctioned marriage right back again, if only to keep the state out of their family lives. Maybe then they’ll have more sympathy for where we stand, too.

The great paradox of state-sanctioned marriage is that it is very, very often not a state intervention at all. It’s a barrier against the state, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why we want it. We want the state to leave us alone in all the same ways that it very obligingly leaves you alone.

Domestic Partnerships in Nevada?
Recently at a Governor’s Town Hall in the very small and conservative Incline Village, NV, HRC’s Northern Nevada Political Co-Chair David Gordon asked about the domestic partnership bill. Governor Gibbons replied that the protections sought in the bill could already be achieved through private contracts. As David shook his head no, the governor replied, “Don’t shake your head no! I am an attorney. I know. Are you an attorney?” Of course, the reality is that private contracts cannot provide all the rights made available to married couples. Private contracts cannot exempt partners from inheritance or property transfer taxes, they cannot grant partners the right not to testify against one another in court, they cannot provide alimony rights, child support, or child custody rights when couples split up (all rights that are extended to spouses). On a less tangible, but equally important level, private contracts can never provide same-sex couples the dignity and respect afforded to married couples whose relationships are formally recognized by the state.

Photography: Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-05-12T09:36:00.004-05:00

Cirrus showed up at work last week with a new ultra-light jet. A co-worker and I decided to see what all the fuss was about. It was raining, so the jet was restricted to a small garage.

Original Source

Too bad we never made it off the ground.

Sunday Reader May 10, 2009

2009-05-10T08:50:00.007-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there!

Civil Rights
Maine legalizes same-sex marriage
Maine became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage Wednesday after Democratic Gov. John Baldacci abandoned his earlier opposition and signed into law a bill allowing gays to wed.

The governor's signature came less than an hour after the measure won final approval from the Maine Senate, which voted 21-13, with one absent, to pass the law. The House passed the bill Tuesday.

Games
Dragon Age ditches SecuROM, online activation
We have good news for Dragon Age fans out there: Bioware has announced that the game will only require a basic disc check for authentication if you'd like to play offline. Even better? No SecuROM.

International
Blink Changed My Perspective
Anyways, the whole thing made me realize something important. Just like I don't want to be racist, Chileans don't want to misunderstand me. The girl at Starbucks wasn't purposely trying to not to understand my Spanish. It's just that her subconcious has been so conditioned to believe that Gringo = English-speaking that her concious heard nothing but white noise when I was speaking Spanish. After a few minutes, once she realized that I did speak Spanish, she was able to understand 100% of what I said on the first try, even though my accent hadn't changed, the words I was saying hadn't changed, but all of a sudden, because her concious had finally made the switch, we could communicate. That's why Spanish speaking people who already know me, have no problem understanding me. I've also found that people who have been previously prepped, as in, my husband has told them "I'm married to a gringa who speaks Spanish," usually don't have a heard time with my Spanish either. Nor do my gringa friends' Chilean husbands and boyfriends because their unconcious now has probably been conditioned to think that gringas do speak Spanish.

Religion
Why We Need Earthquakes
This is not to suggest, as the scientist and philosopher Leibniz once argued, that ours is the best of all possible worlds. But ours may be the best of all feasible worlds, at least as viewed from a human perspective. This recognition will not stop people from bemoaning the next earthquake, but it should at least stop us from blithely assuming that the Creator could have done a much better job. - Emphasis mine - Ed

Sci Fi
John Scalzi - The Star Trek Movie Cheat Sheet
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Plot Haiku:
It's Kirk and Picard!
They get together, and not
In a fanfic way!

Reading List April/May 2009

2009-05-06T12:56:00.001-05:00

Image courtesy of jleworks

Now I feel like I totally did not study in April. Two were started in March though, so it was more like 1 1/2.

Read in April
The Dying of the Light - George R R Martin
The Motion Paradox - Joseph Mazur
Torn by God: A Family's Struggle with Polygamy - Zoe Murdock

Currently Reading
The Stuff of Thought - Steven Pinker

Coming Up Next
Spook Country - William Gibson

Photo Assignment: Observed & Contrived

2009-05-05T05:59:00.002-05:00

For my final photo assignment I have four photos due. Two must be contrived (set up in some way) and two must be observed. I'm not very good at contrived. I always feel.. artificial.

The first two pictures in the set below are contrived and they're not nearly as good. Anyone recognize the hands? The second two are observed, familiar from the Science Fair set, but further edited.

The last picture I liked a lot, but it's not quite as good, so it was cut from the final set. I took it on a busy side road near our apartment. I kept stepping out in traffic as cars cleared the road. I probably made some drivers nervous.

Original Source

Torn By God by Zoe Murdock

2009-05-04T05:36:00.012-05:00

I came across a review of Torn By God over at Letters from a broad and thought the book would be interesting. I was not raised a Mormon, but I was raised in a strict religious family and much like Beth, the main character in the story, I didn't know anything outside of that life.

Beth's father becomes convinced that in order to reach heaven with his family he must return to the roots of Mormonism, which includes the practice of polygamy. She watches her parents struggle with the tenants of their faith and their relationship with each other as her mother rejects that belief. Although her father never completely follows through with it, it's enough to tear the family apart, throwing her mother into a deep depression.

Beth and her brother, through the eyes of children, don't understand what's going on. Zoe brings the story out through conversations Beth overhears and her parent's journals.

In the end each family member comes to their own understanding of how to deal with religion in their life, but there isn't a neat answer.

I can relate to Beth because she grew up insulated, accepting her life as normal. And she was a normal child, even if most people outside of her faith would find her beliefs strange. I think all religions are strange to outsiders although most people don't notice it from the inside.

For example, glossolia, or speaking in tongues, is seen by most people as a pretty crazy practice, but growing up it was a normal part of life for me. I only find it odd now because I'm outside of the church.

And just like Beth, I found it difficult to reconcile certain beliefs and actions of the church. For me it was the conflicting ideas in the Bible, the greed of the tele-evangelists, and learning about the world outside the church. For others it's been the pedophilia or other sexual scandals within the church that have been the final straw.

But it's not the sensational that really drives people to doubt their religion. It's the every day small questions.

For a better understanding of Zoe and how the book relates to her life there is an excellent interview at A Motley Vision.

Sunday Reader May 3, 2009

2009-05-03T06:58:00.008-05:00

Astronomy
GRB 090423: The Farthest Explosion Yet Measured
An explosion so powerful it was seen clear across the visible universe was recorded in gamma-radiation last week by NASA's orbiting Swift Observatory. Farther than any known galaxy, quasar, or optical supernova, the gamma-ray burst recorded last week was clocked at redshift 8.2, making it the farthest explosion of any type yet detected. Occurring only 630 million years after the Big Bang, GRB 090423 detonated so early that astronomers had no direct evidence that anything explodable even existed back then. The faint infrared afterglow of GRB 090423 was recovered by large ground telescopes within minutes of being discovered. The afterglow is circled in the above picture taken by the large Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, USA. An exciting possibility is that this gamma-ray burst occurred in one of the very first generation of stars and announced the birth of an early black hole. Surely, GRB 090423 provides unique data from a relatively unexplored epoch in our universe and a distant beacon from which the intervening universe can be studied.

Lyrid Meteor and Milky Way

Framed by Clouds

Games
Bioware: only we can create gay Star Wars characters
Dealing with sexuality and religion in video games has become something of a tender subject, but Bioware seems to be the latest company to fumble in its dealings with the topic. It seems that the terms "gay," "lesbian," and even "homosexual" were stricken from acceptable words in the official Bioware forums, and threads talking about creating gay, lesbian, transgendered or bisexual characters were shut down.

The curt response from community manager Sean Dahlberg is telling. "As I have stated before, these are terms that do not exist in Star Wars. Thread closed." That's apparently all the discussion Bioware was willing to have on the issue.

But Bioware fans know that while the terms may not exist in Star Wars, gay and lesbian characters certainly do. It was a pretty open secret that Juhanni, a woman in Knights of the Old Republic, had a female lover. Juhanni would respond to your character romantically if you were a woman. So Bioware can create lesbian characters, but discussions of gay or lesbian characters are verboten? Classy.

Whew!

2009-04-27T18:40:00.004-05:00

I was so nervous when I hit the final button and waited and waited while the computer drive spun. And finally.. Congratulations, you passed.

I passed! I'm now a PMP (Project Management Professional), but I like to pronounce it as "pimp". Yes, the jokes are endless. I can now PMP out my team or use my strong PMP hand. (It's not really that funny, I'm just still really excited.)

Anyway, thanks to everyone who wished me well.

Still Running

2009-04-27T09:45:00.003-05:00

I have an exam in a few hours. No lucky charms, I studied and that should be enough. But I don't mind people wishing me well.

Next week is another photo assignment and I still have to get all my photos mounted for the final portfolio presentation the following week.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it still looks like the train.

I'm really want to share my thoughts about Torn By God, but I want to do the book justice without throwing in process groups or scheduling formulas. I'll be back to posting more often soon.

Sunday Reader April 26, 2009

2009-04-26T08:21:00.013-05:00

Astronomy
Sky Panorama Over Lake Salda

Moon and Morning Star

Civil Rights
In Massachusetts, a husband's death shows how important marriage is -- and how absolutely ordinary and accepted same-sex marriage has become
Referring to my husband as my husband doesn't raise eyebrows or result in scorn or sarcasm, whereas when referring to him as my partner ten years ago carried the risk of bad service, indifference, or outright hostility. Customer service representatives at places like banks respect the terminology, whereas once we might have sheepishly referred offhand to our partner. (It was perhaps only six or seven years ago when introducing Peter as my partner, sometimes people would assume I met business partner, even when the context would indicate otherwise.) Twelve years ago something as simple as explaining to utility companies that two people weren't roommates but partners could be construed as being "in your face." Flash forward to the young associate at the Apple store who helped me with Peter's iPhone. Sexual orientation was irrelevant as he expressed sincere condolences for my loss.

Ten, even five years ago, people in my situation in Massachusetts would have faced prejudicial treatment in some of these interactions--in addition to having to deal with protracted legal issues because of being denied the right to be married--simply because marriage equality was an unknown, often feared, and that fear was exploited by our opponents for political gain. Coming of age in a time when AIDS felled so many so quickly, I was aware of far too many horrible, heart-wrenching stories in which the surviving partner was completely shut out and cast aside by next of kin. Now, we are legally next of kin. For all the wonderful things that marriage equality does for the living, it maintains our dignity in death.

Government
A Consequentialist Argument against Torture Interrogation of Terrorists
The individual law enforcement officials, of course, can make their own moral choices and take their own risks. But if it is state policy to torture the terrorist, then the policy should be rational and the torture interrogation proceed with a reasonable chance of success.

Terrorists selected for such a role—like most American POWs in North Vietnam—can probably stand up to commonplace tortures from untrained staff for a long time. The use of sophisticated techniques by a trained staff entails the problematic institutional arrangements I have laid out: physician assistance; cutting edge, secret biomedical research for torture techniques unknown to the terrorist organization and tailored to the individual captive for swift effect; well trained torturers, quickly accessible at major locations; pre-arranged permission from the courts because of the urgency; rejection of independent monitoring due to security issues; and so on. These institutional arrangements will have to be in place, with all their unintended and accumulating consequences. Then the terrorists themselves must be detected while letting pass without torture a thousand other criminal suspects or dissidents, that is, avoiding a dragnet interrogation policy.

The moral error in reasoning from in the ticking bomb scenario arises from weighing the harm to the guilty terrorist against the harm to the prospective innocent victims. Instead, the harm to innocent terrorist victims should be weighed against the breakdown of key social institutions and the state-sponsored torture of many innocents. Stated most starkly, the damaging social consequences of a program of torture interrogation evolve from institutional dynamics that are independent of the original moral rationale.

Politics
I think…
A larger point is that Fox News is simply not conservative. The fact of the matter is, I find NPR and even News Hour more conservative than Fox - but in a different sense, I suppose, than the standard boiler plate conservatism that has so infested American politics. What I mean to say is that the conservatism of Fox News tends to be wrapped up in loud, divisive, trashy television that is cheap and ugly and reactionary and essentially all things distasteful that conservatives should look at with scorn and antipathy.

Religion
Religion and the Difference Between Possible and Plausible, or, Why You Shouldn't Jump Out of Windows
There's a point that a lot of atheists make about this argument, which is this: Believers don't apply this sort of thinking in any other area of their lives. In most other areas of their lives, believers base their actions, not on what might be hypothetically possible, but on what is most likely to be plausible. Their car might start running on sugar water, the rocks in their backyard might have turned into candy, if they jump out the window there might be invisible fairies waiting to gently carry them down to earth... but they don't act as if these things are true. But with religion, people will happily argue that it might hypothetically be true... and therefore, it's reasonable for them to act as if it were true, and the rest of us have to take it seriously.

Science
Department of awful statistics
But I expect that four years from now, we'll still be having the same conversations with proponents of "cancer clusters" and Democrats convinced that they can scientifically prove that Democrats are better for GDP by doing ham-fisted regressions of Democratic presidencies with a few tightly correlated economic variables. What's the mechanism? What makes electric power lines cause cancer, but not the earth's vastly more powerful magnetic field? What policies did Harry Truman and Bill Clinton have in common (but not with Richard Nixon) that caused this marvelous confluence? Well, maybe we don't know the mechanism exactly, but never you mind: just look at that bee-yoo-ti-ful correlation!

Human Rights?

2009-04-22T17:57:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted anything except my Sunday Readers in a while. It's not been my intention to be away from writing, but I've been pulled in so many different directions lately that when I do get some free time I tend to want to vegetate. I still enjoy reading your blogs though and I'm sure I'll be back to posting regularly soon.

I received some email over the weekend that I wanted to comment on from Serge Crespy. It must have been a response to last week's Reader because I can't think of any other reason why he'd send it to me. I suppose it didn't get published in the paper, so maybe he was hoping I'd give him the spotlight. I'm not really sure.

You can read the email below and form your own opinion, but what I really wonder is why all of these cranks use such awkward language.

from Serge Crespy
to ordinarygirl19@gmail.com
date Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 7:20 PM
subject "SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CONFUSION"
signed-by rogers.com

COPY

Article #1:

Appearing in "The New York Times - The Opinionator"
4. 54. April 12th, 2009.... Orlando Sentinel & Other U.S Newspapers:
(Without Prejudice)

Dear New York Times Editor:

Same-Sex marriage confuses Human Rights; the exclusive right of humans to "CREATE", not, "MUTATE"! Creation of the human species, when scientifically produced in a petri-dish, leaves no doubt whatsoever that only an ovum "married" (joined / combined / shared / matched) with sperm results in an embryo (LIFE). Any attempt to combine an ovum to another egg, or, to "unite" sperm to another's sperm is simply a sub-conscious attempt to "mutate" LIFE. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Article #2:

A rebuttal to a reader commenting to the above view / Orlando Sentinel:

.... It appears that for some individuals dissecting the basic nature of man and woman for personal gratification has become "A Human Right". We all have the right to "CREATE" and the right to "MUTATE", Robin; thankfully, for hundreds of thousands of years, the majority of men and women have chosen the former lifestyle; the "traditional" approach to enjoying and creating (practicing for) "LIFE". There is a difference, Robin; a gyroscope and a compass can assist greatly in the understanding of sexuality.

Sincerely,
Serge Crespy
(contact information removed)

So, let's start the dissection. I hate to break it to you, Serge, but humans do mutate. All species mutate. It's an important part of our evolutionary process. Mutations can be detrimental, and often they're quickly weeded out of they are, but they can also be beneficial, ensuring the survival of the species. Mutation isn't a pejorative word in that sense. Humans have no rights to or not to mutate. They just do.

Creation of life doesn't have to involve an egg or a sperm. Many species replicate without sexual organs or sexual offspring. Humans, of course do require eggs and sperm. That's pretty well known by most people. What's not known by most people is that creating offspring is "marriage". I think most people call that sex.

It's also true that if you told most people they were "married" after having sex they'd not be happy about that suggestion. Humans don't need marriage to procreate. Marriage is a human invention that benefits our society, for the most part, but marriage does not have to lead to procreation just as procreation doesn't have to lead to marriage.

I've been married for almost five years and have yet to create offspring. If my eggs combined with my husband's sperm they did not survive due to some defect. My husband and I have no desire right now to have children so we use birth control. Does this make me wrong, wrong, wrong? Do you believe the only point of marriage is procreation? What about companionship, love, the sharing of resources, or any of the other reasons why people get married?

Same-sex couples don't cause mutations any more than opposite-sex couples. In fact, they might cause mutations less if they create less offspring. I don't understand your insistence that sex between two people of the same sex is a mutation. It's not. Or if it is, it's a mutation that exists throughout nature. Do you know there are species that are only one sex. Or that are all both sexes? How does that make you feel, Mr. Crespy to know that there are entire species of same-sex fish? How did that come to be? Certainly humans had no part of making them the way they are today. So, if we use nature as an example, sexual relations between the same sex are not unnatural.

Also, why does everyone have to produce offspring? Certainly there are enough people in the world producing children that a subset of the populate has no need to reproduce. Do single bachelors need to produce offspring? Is it a requirement for everyone to couple up and produce offspring? No.

Perhaps giving homes to children needing parents is a better alternative to people who have no desire for biological children of their own, if they want to have children through another means. Why would anyone have a problem with that idea?

Okay, I must confess I don't understand how a "gyroscope and a compass can assist greatly in the understanding of sexuality". Please explain this to me because obviously I know so little about sex that I can't even begin to understand the correlation, at least not with a little peak into your mind on the matter.

I also wasn't able to find the articles you referenced. Links would help in that matter. There don't seem to be any articles published by The Opinionator (a New York Times blog) on April 12th.

But here's a thought for you. Maybe instead of coming up with absurd arguments against same-sex marriage you should instead think a little bit about the people you're trying to block from marriage. What are the real reasons you think gay sex is wrong? Because you don't like the image? Because it offends your sensibilities? Because it's against your religion? None of those reasons are good reasons for impinging on the rights of others. Our society has evolved, perhaps even mutated, to accept that people are different and there is no benefit to making everyone conform to one standard. Not long ago we as a society did terrible things to people that were different from us, and we still continue to meddle in the business of others. But why is it okay for you to dictate what you think marriage should be but not okay for anyone else to dictate how you should live your life?

Wait, did I say not long ago? Because we're still doing terrible things to people that are different than us. We still find others to blame because they are different or it is convenient. We dehumanize them by calling them terms like mutants or witches. It leads to the behavior displayed in the video below.

My readers should know that it's very graphic and shows several people being beaten and burned. These people were accused of being witches, unnatural, unacceptable by their society. Is this really the type of behavior we want to endorse?

(via Hemant)

I cried after watching this video because it was so disturbing. How could anyone beat helpless people and burn them to death? Is their fear so strong about someone who's different? Rationally these people were not witches, even if they believed themselves to be so. They had no power to curse or bless. Rationally we know that if our neighbors look at us funny it doesn't not cause us to lose our jobs or miscarry our children. Rationally we know that allowing gays to marry will not lesson our own marriages or cause the world to end. It will not cause our children to be born with three arms. It will allow gays to marry. It will allow them to make decisions when their spouses are ill. It will allow them to share insurance and social security. It will not make anyone anything less than what they are today.

Sunday Reader April 19, 2009

2009-04-19T10:38:00.013-05:00

Books
Amazon de-ranks so-called adult books, including National Book Award winner
"American Psycho" is Bret Easton Ellis' story of a sadistic murderer. "Unfriendly Fire" is a well-reviewed empirical analysis of military policy. But it's "Unfriendly Fire" that does not have a sales rank -- which means it would not show up in Amazon's bestseller lists, even if it sold more copies than the "Twilight" series. In some cases, being de-ranked also means being removed from Amazon's search results.

Amazon's policy of removing "adult" content from its rankings seems to be both new and unevenly implemented.

Civil Rights
Gay Marriage = Religious Freedom

Games
California bill: limit video games to one hour in day care
Yet another bill has been introduced that would seek to make playing video games a crime, although this one has an interesting twist: if you're running a day care, you can only allow children to play video games for up to one hour. No more. Yes, there are some who want to make this a law.

"For children in full day care, screen time, including, but not limited to, television, video games, and computer usage, shall be limited to a maximum of one hour per day and shall be limited to educational programming or programs that encourage movement," the bill reads. The reasoning? This is in response to the amount of children in California with obesity problems.

Humanism
Joss Whedon on Humanism

Humor

Kingsford Goes to the Beach - video powered by Metacafe

Law
A Reticent Justice Opens Up to a Group of Students
The event, on March 31, was devoted to the Bill of Rights, but Justice Thomas did not embrace the document, and he proposed a couple of alternatives.

‘Today there is much focus on our rights,” Justice Thomas said. “Indeed, I think there is a proliferation of rights.”

“I am often surprised by the virtual nobility that seems to be accorded those with grievances,” he said. “Shouldn’t there at least be equal time for our Bill of Obligations and our Bill of Responsibilities?”

He gave examples: “It seems that many have come to think that each of us is owed prosperity and a certain standard of living. They’re owed air conditioning, cars, telephones, televisions.”

Those are luxuries, Justice Thomas said.

“I have to admit,” he said, “that I’m one of those people that still thinks the dishwasher is a miracle. What a device! And I have to admit that because I think that way, I like to load it. I like to look in and see how that dishes were magically cleaned.”

Religion
An Alien God
But instead Darwin discovered a strange alien God - not comfortably "ineffable", but really genuinely different from us. Evolution is not a God, but if it were, it wouldn't be Jehovah. It would be H. P. Lovecraft's Azathoth, the blind idiot God burbling chaotically at the center of everything, surrounded by the thin monotonous piping of flutes.

Which you might have predicted, if you had really looked at Nature.

So much for the claim some religionists make, that they believe in a vague deity with a correspondingly high probability. Anyone who really believed in a vague deity, would have recognized their strange inhuman creator when Darwin said "Aha!"

So much for the claim some religionists make, that they are waiting innocently curious for Science to discover God. Science has already discovered the sort-of-godlike maker of humans - but it wasn't what the religionists wanted to hear. They were waiting for the discovery of their God, the highly specific God they want to be there. They shall wait forever, for the great discovery has already taken place, and the winner is Azathoth.

Well, more power to us humans. I like having a Creator I can outwit. Beats being a pet. I'm glad it was Azathoth and not Odin.

Sunday Reader April 12, 2009

2009-04-12T11:00:00.002-05:00

Civil Rights
Vermont
Now let’s see how all the people who use “judges shouldn’t legislate” as an excuse for not being able to handle same sex marriage find a way around this one. I’m sure they will try to find a way to explain how this still isn’t the right way to do it. Of course, when you believe there’s no right way to do it, you’re not going to be happy no matter what. Personally, I’m happy for Vermonters.

Philosophy
Building an argument on emotional biases happens, but that doesn't make it true
It's the same thing biologists have been saying since Darwin. Nature may be a bloody tyrant that is ruthless in its execution, but that does not imply that human beings must model their behavior after natural selection. Rather, what we should do as sentient beings is act to create a society that balances the harshness of evolution with a culture that tries to elevate virtues like reason and social justice and equality. Similarly, if emotion tells us to recoil from harmless behaviors, maybe we should counter that with practiced reason, rather than simply succumbing to our biases.

Recipe
Macaroni & Cheese
There’s nothing that can be said.
But there is much to be eaten.
Come, my child…come. I shall take you by the hand and take you where you need to go.
I shall show you the food that is solely responsible for my bones and tissues multiplying and growing at a young age.
It’s macaroni and cheese. And it’s the only food I consumed until I was about fourteen years old.

Religion
Pope warns of 'a desert of godlessness' in Good Friday address
Pope Benedict XVI last night attacked the rise of aggressive secularism in Western societies, warning them that they risked drifting into a 'desert of godlessness'.

Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair

2009-04-07T05:47:00.005-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the 58th Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair. Just being at the fair was a lot of fun.

This was my first year judging and I was assigned to the 5th Grade Physical Science exhibits. There was a wide range of submissions, but most of them were excellent.

I was also very impressed with the senior exhibits. Some of the subjects reminded me a little of the "baby nobels", although not quite as ambitious.

There were almost a thousand projects on exhibit to judge. These are projects that have already placed in school and local competitions. I only had 11 to judge and it was difficult to pick the best from our group.

The competition took place at Union Station, an old train station which was refurbished in 1997. Being a transplant I don't have much connection to the history of the area, but it is a beautiful building. And I loved that it's used as a science center. I don't get feeling that the endeavor has been profitable, which is unfortunate, but I'm glad it hosted the Science Fair this year.

I took a few quick pictures before and after judging. The building architecture is first, then the senior projects, then the projects from younger grades.

Original Source

Sunday Reader April 5, 2009

2009-04-05T10:42:00.005-05:00

Civil Rights
Iowa Court Says Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
The Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Friday finding that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples, making Iowa the third state where gay marriage is legal.

In its decision, the court upheld a 2007 district court judge's ruling that the law violates the state constitution. It strikes the language from Iowa code limiting marriage to only between a man a woman. [Way to go Iowa! - Ed]

Games
Utah Attorney General to Thompson: Bring it on, Jack
So, my attitude is rather than waste money on bills that are going to be unconstitutional like what Jack Thompson was pushing a couple of years ago [in Utah] in criminalizing the sale of these types of mature-rated video games, my attitude was, why do that if we’re going to lose? [Thompson's earlier bill] lost everywhere that it was proposed and we’re going to end up paying significant attorneys’ fees [to the video game industry]. Let’s put that money into educational programs. Let’s teach parents on how to use the rating system. Let’s have parents be parents and use the system. It works. That’s been my attitude from the beginning and that’s why I did the PSA, to better inform and educate parents about the system itself and how to use it and to make the decision as parents on what’s appropriate for your kids to be playing.

Photography
Sunrise, Lake Superior

Reading List - March/April 2009

2009-04-01T06:46:00.003-05:00

Image courtesy of moriza
It's been a slow month for reading. I should be studying, but I haven't really been, so I don't have a good excuse. I'm looking forward to finishing these though.

Read in March
Losing My Religion - William Lobdell

Currently Reading
The Stuff of Thought - Steven Pinker
The Dying of the Light - George R R Martin
The Motion Paradox - Joseph Mazur

Coming Up Next
Torn by God: A Family's Struggle with Polygamy - Zoe Murdock

Music Tuesday

2009-03-31T17:53:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite musicians is Emiliana Torrini. The tone of her voice is beautiful no matter what she's singing. She has a new album out that I haven't purchased yet, but I plan to download it from Amazon soon.

Anyway, she was interviewed about the album in the videos below.

Sunday Reader March 29, 2009

2009-03-29T09:31:00.010-05:00

Games

"DRM is a waste of time," says World of Goo producer
"Don't bother with DRM—it's a waste of time," he boldly said. "You just end up giving the DRM provider money." While name-dropping BitTorrent sites, he added, "Anything that is of interest gets cracked, and the cracked version ends up having a better user experience than the legit version, because you don't have to input in some 32-character serial number."

ACLU challenges Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools over removal of magazine from library
A principal's decision to remove a magazine from a middle-school library has drawn criticism for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school board from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU said the First Amendment was violated when Brian Sharosky, principal of Roxboro Middle School, confiscated the November issue of Nintendo Power magazine. The magazine covers the world of Nintendo video games, from previews and ratings to secret codes and short cuts.

"Literature should not be removed from a school library simply because one person may find it inappropriate," said Christine Link, ACLU of Ohio executive director, in a statement last week. She called for the board to "immediately order that the magazine be reinstated."

Religion
Study: Cancer patients of faith more likely to get intensive treatments
Yet even Taylor, who has counseled many dying patients, says she was surprised by the findings of a study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, which examined the choices of dying cancer patients who rely strongly on their religious faith to cope with their illness.

These patients were three times more likely than others to receive intensive, invasive medical procedures — such as being hooked up to a ventilator or getting cardiopulmonary resuscitation when their hearts stop — even in their last week of life, the study shows.

Science
Fixing a Genetic Flaw
n international team of researchers has successfully treated dogs with the canine form of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rapidly progressing and ultimately fatal muscle disease that afflicts one out of every 3,600 boys. The researchers used a novel technique called exon skipping to restore partial function to the gene involved in Duchenne. The study, published in Annals of Neurology, gives hope that a similar approach could work in humans.

Sexuality
Is It Ok For My Christian Daughter To Masturbate?
Studies show that 87% of the women who become prostitutes did so because of unbridled masturbation as a teenager, and over 90% of girls who become pregnant as teenagers did so because of masturbation loosened their morals and made them more apt to engage in unprotected fornication.

Masturbation will make your daughter very comfortable exploring her body, and it will not be long until she begins to envision other people partaking in the deviant behavior with her. ["Studies" hmmm? - Ed]

Photography: The Dogs

2009-03-24T06:43:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pictures of the dogs from February. I was just starting to use manual mode for pictures and the results were mixed. It's difficult indoors without a tripod and without a flash. I used a monopod for some shots.

And, a nice sunset to end the day.

Sunday Reader March 22, 2009

2009-03-22T16:13:00.004-05:00

Astronomy
Sunset at the Portara

Science
Climate Change Myths and Facts
Consider a few of Will's claims from his Feb. 15 column, "Dark Green Doomsayers": In a long paragraph quoting press sources from the 1970s, Will suggested that widespread scientific agreement existed at the time that the world faced potentially catastrophic cooling. Today, most climate scientists and climate journalists consider this a timeworn myth. Just last year, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society published a peer-reviewed study examining media coverage at the time and the contemporary scientific literature. While some media accounts did hype a cooling scare, others suggested more reasons to be concerned about warming. As for the published science? Reviewing studies between 1965 and 1979, the authors found that "emphasis on greenhouse warming dominated the scientific literature even then."

Friday Music

2009-03-20T07:04:00.000-05:00

I still haven't played Portal, but I keep seeing videos and musical tributes about it, so I take this as a hint that I should. Of course the real reason is that everyone says it's a good game. Anyway, here's another video taken from the "ending song" in the game.

My "Out at Work" Policy

2009-03-18T05:58:00.004-05:00

Image courtesy of SamFam
CL Hanson at Letters from a Broad has a post up about whether she expresses her atheism at work. She's created something of a meme and so I thought I would participate.

I have too many jobs to count, so I'm just going to list a sampling.

In college I was trying to work out what I was. I stopped attending church shortly after I started college, but I still considered myself a Christian. I dated an atheist and then an agnostic pretty seriously, but I had a hard time expressing myself. Mostly I just absorbed information and thought about my beliefs internally without talking about them much. I had a Mediterranean Religion course that opened my eyes to the similarities between religious myths that was pretty influential in making me a deist at the least. And I was exposed to new ideas from befriending non-believers. None of them had horns.
At my first job I was still in the closet about my doubts about religion. The company I worked for had an overtly religious atmosphere. I worked as an intern during college and my job was supposed to be setting up PCs and training users on software, but I was somewhat hampered. My boss didn't think I should do some things because I was a woman. Once he told me that he didn't think I should be connecting cables to computers when I set them up because "women shouldn't be on their knees." Haha! It was funny at the time, but kind of disturbing that he didn't want me to do manual work because of my sex. When I was hired after graduation they required me to sign a morality statement. Firing offenses included adultery. Now, I don't think adultery is right, but I also don't see how it's my company's goddamned business what I do outside of work. I refused and they put my hiring papers on hold. I talked to a lawyer, but it was completely legal (or so he said). So being a wuss, I eventually signed it. I needed the job. I found another one and left three months later.
I didn't talk to anyone about my religious beliefs at any of my jobs for many years. I remember once on Ash Wednesday thinking one of my co-workers had some dirt on her forehead. Yeah, I felt stupid. But no one was overtly religious at work and that suited me fine.
When I was still into spiritualism (but not religious) and living in Boston I talked to a couple of co-workers about psychics and astrology and other woo. But the more I talked about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. It was part of what tipped me towards naturalism.
I worked at a mortgage company several years ago (2005 - 2006) before the bust. Almost all of my co-workers were secular and liberal. The culture was somewhat of a shock. But it felt good to be around people who thought along the same lines I did. I missed it when I left.
At my current job I don't talk about religion. I have a few co-workers who are atheists and I've developed friendships with them. But I don't think religion is at topic for work. I feel like making my personal beliefs public would encourage people to be more vocal about religious beliefs. I have one co-worker who is vocal (more about politics than religion, but they're pretty intertwined), and it's uncomfortable. Not just for me, but for people that I suspect are religious. Whether or not I should express my own beliefs is something I've changed my mind about over the years a couple of times, but I'd rather work be about work. That doesn't mean I won't develop friendships at work, but I'm pretty careful to keep my work life separate from my non-work life. Except now a lot of co-workers are on Facebook and could easily find this blog. When someone from HR pinged me on Facebook I admit I felt a few minutes of panic.

So, I suppose to sum up, I don't say anything about religion at work. If I find someone who I suspect is an atheist or agnostic, I will express my opinions with an open invitation. I don't even know how I found out about "Team Atheist" here at work, but it's nice to know they're out there.

In a lot of ways I fear discrimination for being an atheist. I don't know if my fear is founded, but I don't want to risk finding out.

The problem with staying silent is that I think it's important for atheists to be seen as "real people". We're not different or alien. And I think the biases and stereotypes tend to melt away when personal relationships develop. So should I be an out about being an atheist?

I don't lie about who I am, I just don't display it in flashing letters. But I don't keep religious symbols and I don't claim to pray for anyone. I sometimes find situations awkward because the pat phrases are empty to me and I need a non-religious way to express myself. When someone says, "I'm praying for you," or "God Bless," I simply thank them for thinking of me, if I say anything at all. And I use those words, "thank you for thinking of me," not "thank you for praying for me." It'd be rude to tell them I don't appreciate their sentiment even if I don't believe it'll do any good (in a spiritual way) because I do appreciate the sympathy and concern that's expressed.

So, chicken? Yep. Polite? I hope so. Doing the right thing? I'm still evaluating that.

Photo Assignment: Color

2009-03-17T06:29:00.002-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. I've been tired even though I've been sleeping more than usual. In fact, all I want to do lately is sleep, even with all of the nice weather. I'm not sure if I should blame Daylight Savings Time or if there's something else going on. Every few years I get run down and no matter how much I try to catch up on sleep I never feel rested. It'll pass eventually.

Anyway, my current photo assignment is on color. The assignment is vague, just take shots that highlight color. I started a couple of weeks ago when it was still pretty brown around here, but with Spring around the corner, hopefully flowers will start blooming soon.

For my mid-term I printed the first picture below (thanks to Kyle for the lab tutorial - it helped me print the colors without completely de-saturating them). The second photo I selected was from a sunrise last year. I just couldn't beat the color. I chose the first photo in the Light series and my favorite photo from an aborted series also from the Light assignment. Then I chose two from the Spring Fever assignment (the third and the last).

I don't know how well I did on the assignment, but I think I did pretty well based on a few of the comments from the instructor. This will be my first grade for the class and I'm a little nervous. The grades are distributed via email and I haven't received one yet. There's a second set of appointments on 3/24 before the instructor finishes giving grades, so he might be waiting on those first. This week is spring break for the normal class session (not for my PMP class though).

The color assignment is still in progress and will be critiqued in class the first week of April. I need to get out and get some more photos. I'm not satisfied with most of these. I think I'll keep the scarf and the sunset, but I still need two more.

Original Source

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Gregory Crewdson was at the Nelson Adkins last week and I went to his photography discussion (it was more of an interview than a lecture). I thought some of the discussion was overly pretentious and I'll certainly never be able to set up a photo shoot like he does. But, some of the things he said about capturing the moment and not worrying about context I found pretty interesting. It's more about the approach of taking pictures than the technique, but I think it'll help me as a photographer.

Sunday Reader March 8, 2009

2009-03-08T18:49:00.003-05:00

Entertainment
Afternoon Inquisition 3.2.09
Do you believe Michael Vick should be allowed to play in the NFL again? Do you believe that a double standard for athletes and celebrity entertainers exists? Does thata double standard apply more to football players?

Government
How Texas Helps Its Teens Get Pregnant
Wiley and Wilson used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the sex education curricula from 96% of Texas’s school districts. They then analyzed the curricula to reach the startling conclusion that an overwhelming majority of Texas schools are utterly failing to teach comprehensive sex education to their students and are instead substituting irrelevant, false or misleading information in place of medically accurate sex education. Or, put bluntly and without political correctness: All but a tiny minority (3.6%) of Texas schools are helping their teens get pregnant either by lying to them about sex or by teaching them irresponsible, proved-to-fail sexual practices.

What makes this news especially difficult to swallow is that “An August 2004 Scripps Howard Texas Poll found that 90 percent of Texans support ‘teaching students with age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education that includes information on abstinence, birth control, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases’”(.pdf p.3). Thus, the Texas schools are going against the wishes of the vast majority of Texans in providing kids with irrelevant, false or misleading information on sex.

International
Chechnya leader tells why 'loose' women deserved to die
Some in Russia say Kadyrov's attempt to create an Islamic society violates the Russian constitution, which guarantees equal rights for women and separation of church and state. But the Kremlin backs him, seeing him as the key to keeping the separatists in check.

Few dare to challenge Kadyrov's rule in this southern Russian region of more than a million people, which is emerging from the devastation of two wars in the past 15 years. The fighting between Islamic separatists and Russian troops, compounded by atrocities on both sides, claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Kadyrov describes women as the property of their husbands and says their main role is to bear children. He encourages men to take more than one wife, even though polygamy is illegal in Russia. Women and girls must wear headscarves in all schools, universities and government offices.

Nonbelieving Literati
NL: The Welsh Girl
Freedom to be without "shackles of nationalism" - the familiar fetters of cynefin. Perhaps Kris Kristofferson was right: "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose". At least, perhaps freedom's another word for being unfettered - even to a place you love.

Patriotism, love of country, is a thorny issue for all three characters, even Esther. Yes, she lives in her homeland, but she feels its colonial status and yearns for escape - to America with Karsten, she dreams at one point; to England with a soldier; maybe even just away, anywhere with the young Welshman who wanted to marry her but for whom she had no affection until after he left... And yet she knows she won't go elsewhere, that the cynefin passed through her mother will bind her to the farm. And she wants that as much as she doesn't - she's always wondering why she has no heritage, no birthright, and the farm her father hates while he serves it - "isn't this my birthright, she wants to cry out", and she hopes the child the English soldier left inside her will be a daughter. Karsten is accused of being loyal to "landscape, at least", but his escape from the POW camp is motivated much less by patriotism, something he barely comprehends, in fact, than by a desire just to be alone for a change, and to erase the stain on his honor (a stain that, as Esther sees, can be erased though her honor is gone for ever). Several times in the book Esther ponders the meaning of patriotism, once when Karsten asks why she doesn't turn him in, why she betrays her country.

Nonbelieving Literati: The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies
But when she goes off with Colin she finds the experience much different than she was hoping for. It starts out alright riding away quickly through the night, walking in the pool, drained and closed for winter, but then rapes her and she's left confused, in shock. She's not even sure it's really rape. It was brief, she escaped, and she's alive to sort through what's happened.

This green and pleasant land
Identity does appear to be the key. Human nature being what it is, we like to congregate in insular groups; no doubt a survival trait inherited from our distant anthropoid ancestors. Outsiders are expressly excluded from the group, thus protecting the group members from potentially harmful pathogens and possibly dangerous individuals. Even today this tendency is clearly visible in our culture. As you might expect, I’m keen to point to the exclusiveness of certain religions in relation to this idea, but patriotism is a perfect example of how readily people will align themselves with a group or faction almost arbitrarily. The stance of this group becomes their own personal stance, psychologically strengthening their position.

Religion
Guest Post by William Lobdell: "Without a Doubt"
I have a different theory. I think there are so many closet doubters because people sense there’s no God who personally intervenes in their lives. But they can’t take the final step toward deism, agnosticism or atheism because the religious ties that bind us are thick. I know. I was a closet atheist for four years.

A Look at Liberal Christianity
I agree with the author that the Bible is fallible and open to interpretation. I also agree with him that the Bible simply “gives us a historical understanding of how men and women have understood God and salvation.” If one accepts those things, then how does one determine whether those understandings are right, meaningful, misguided, dangerous or evil? How can the author support claims that his interpretation of the Bible is the right one, but another interpretation, i.e., a misogynist one (which he rejects), is wrong? The reality is this: when one seeks to determine which biblical interpretations trump the others, one inevitably turns to sources other than the Bible. That being the case, why not simply dispense with the Bible completely, or at least relegate it to a much lower level of authority?

Science
Is Science Communication Doomed?
First, have women evolved to enjoy shopping? This may be a question that none of you ever considered, because you’re smarter than that, but nonetheless it is a question that appealed greatly to one particular group of people: namely, the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre. Certain corporations have learned that an easy way to get your name in the news is to pay a scientist of relatively low integrity to crunch some numbers, fudge some facts, and publicize some stupid bullshit made-up “research” that somehow benefits the client. It’s advertising, but with a sciencey glow.

It’s advertology.

Photo Assignment: Light

2009-03-03T18:18:00.002-06:00

At least I'd call it an assignment centered around lighting. But then all photography is centered around lighting. The assignment was to take 3-4 pictures of the same place at different times of the day. I took 4: Morning, Noon, Evening, and Night. I tried to capture a couple of different locations, but for one reason or another one of the pictures never came out as well. So I opted for the pink elephant on my deck because the pictures turned out with the best exposure and detail.

This was my first print assignment. The college allows printing throughout the class as long as I provide my own paper (worth the cost of the class!). They have a few Epson Stylus Pro 7600, 7800, and 7880 printers. I have a few pictures I'd love to get printed before the end of the year in addition to my assignments. I used Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss paper for this assignment, but I also have the Smooth Pearl paper to play with.

Anyway, printing is such a different story when it comes to pictures and I learned a lot about color and how it looks when printed. I spent a lot of time toning down the colors so they'd print correctly.

Original Source

I'm pretty happy with the way the pictures turned out. I wish my more creative shots would have turned out better, but I'm happy with a lot in these pictures.

Reading List - February/March 2009

2009-03-02T17:14:00.001-06:00

Image courtesy of Isaac Leedom

I'm juggling three textbooks in addition to my regular reading, so the reading has tended to be on the lighter side, by which I mean fiction. It's so much easier for me to read fiction, where I can get swept up in the story.

But, my next few books are all non-fiction, so I'm not sure how that will work. I've already almost finished Lobdell's book - it's like a fictional book because it's captivating, even though it's a biography. Pinker has been interesting so far, but weighty. The Universe has been on the shelf for many weeks now and I wonder if I should try it again later when I'm not so busy.

Read in February
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies (Nonbelieving Literati)

Currently Reading
The Universe - Byron Preiss (Editor)
The Stuff of Thought - Steven Pinker
Losing My Religion - William Lobdell

Coming Up Next
I haven't decided yet.

Nonbelieving Literati: The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies

2009-03-02T03:48:00.012-06:00

There's more than one main character in the book, despite the title, but I want to concentrate on Esther, the female lead in the book. I like how the author uses her story to explore female sexuality in the middle 20th century.

At first she's caught up in the fairy tale. She dreams of a new life away from the Welsh countryside. She wants to see the world and put her English education to good use, but she feels bound to her father and their farm. She feels little attraction to the local boys because they have no drive to leave, no ambition. But she finds the attention of an English soldier tantalizing, a way to get out, I think, more than anything. And after a couple of weeks she begins dreaming of her escape.

She wonders what it is Colin wants to tell her so much. For a second she lets herself dream ... of a ring, of him on bended knee, asking her to marry him, carrying her off to his home in the East End, to wait for him there in the bosom of his family ... his sister who'll be her best friend ... his mother who'll be like a mother to her ... waiting for the end of the war as if for some decent period of courtship.

But when she goes off with Colin she finds the experience much different than she was hoping for. It starts out alright riding away quickly through the night, walking in the pool, drained and closed for winter, but then rapes her and she's left confused, in shock. She's not even sure it's really rape. It was brief, she escaped, and she's alive to sort through what's happened.

Rape, as she understands it, is a particular form of murder, when a man kills a woman. It's connected to sex, but the main thing is the murder. No one - in the films she's seen, the books she's read, the whispered stories at school - no one survives rape. She is still unclear if the sex is so violent that it just kills you on the spot, or if the man has to actually strangle you or shoot your or stab you afterwards, and she had thought in the midst of Colin's roughness, the blunt, searing pressure of him between her legs, that she was bout to find out. But then he had left her, and she felt such relief. She had survived, clambered out of the pool as if from a grave. And this is how she knows she hasn't been raped. The idea of being forced doesn't enter into it - hadn't she gone willingly enough? Besides, what was it to be forced to do something she didn't want to do? She'd been forced all her life by one circumstance or another - by poverty, her mother's death, by the needs of the flock. Being forced to do things is such a part of her daily life, and as for this, she'd at least wanted some part of it - the kissing, her hand in his. If she's been raped, she thinks, then she wanted it more than most things in her life, although that isn't saying much. [...]

If she had to call it anything, she thinks now, groping for the word, she'd call it a misunderstanding. He meant one thing, she meant another.

But she isn't in the movies and all she can hope for is that the worst is over.

She has seen a few of his mates in the street, sappers she recognizes from the pub, and felt their eyes, heavy, on her. He's talked, she's sure, but she's less certain what he might have said. Not the truth, she thinks. Something more colorful, boastful. And if he's told his friends, she wonders how long before someone in the village hears something. It's this she fears more than anything, dimly sensing that what he did to her can't in the end be rape if no one else knows. She suspects that what kills the poor girls raped in films and books, finally, is shame. All those hands over moths, all those horrified looks. But the sappers will leave soon - today, tonight. Everything will be in the past then, able to be forgotten, provided no one else knows.

She's able to relax once the soldiers leave, although she still feels afraid. It's not the act of rape itself that haunts her, but her dreams leaving with Colin. And the final realization of that comes when she finds out she's pregnant.

And then too, finally, she feels as if she might really have been raped. All this time, thinking she's escaped Colin, thinking she's escaped with her life. yet she'd been right to start with, when the word had sprung to her mind as he'd pressed her against the mildewed tiles of the pool. He had wounded her, she thinks, and not a small wound, the drops of blood in her drawers, but something deeper and stranger. What a wound it is that stops your bleeding. And in her heart there's a morbid fear that what he's given her is a lingering death, nine months long, that she won't survive childbirth, that she'll die and he'll have raped her after all.

And so she finds herself pregnant, alone, loathing the man who did it to her. She's been terrified the small town will find out her secret and now there's no way to hide it. Instead of being the victim, she's become the accused. She has no recourse but to accept the shame.

We haven't come much further from those days.

The next book we'll read in the Nonbelieving Literati is Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein.

Sunday Reader March 1, 2009

2009-03-01T09:47:00.002-06:00

Astronomy
Mauna Kea Milky Way Panorama

Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars

Games
Review: Dawn of War II riles RTS genre with frantic combat
Though it may share some similarities with its Warhammer 40,000-inspired predecessor, Dawn of War II is a completely different game that offers one of the most action packed and highly replayable RTS experiences in recent memory. Relic has uprooted some of the genre's mainstays in a move that has proven to be as controversial amongst fans of the original as it is innovative. But the company's decision to stray from the norm has resulted in a unique and refreshing game that will not only keep RTS fans busy until StarCraft 2, but may even have them forgetting all about Blizzard's upcoming titan.

Appeals court: Governator's video game law unconstitutional
While this latest ruling could be appealed to the Supreme Court, the continued effort after these losses would seem almost Sisyphean; the courts have never been kind to bills that seek to put special legislation on video games. "Is there anything out of limits for the Legislature to prohibit to minors? What about games where people eat unhealthy foods and get fat?" Judge Alex Kozinski asked when hearing the appeal. "Why not a law targeting games that teach children bad living habits, such as eating unhealthy food or using plastic bags?"

Identifying Yourself As A Lesbian Gets You Banned On XBOX Live
I had a similar incident, only my account was suspended because I had said in my profile that I was a lesbian. I was harassed by several players, 'chased' to different maps/games to get away from their harassment. They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn't want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap.

Government
Colorado state senator: ‘HIV testing for pregnant moms rewards sexual promiscuity’
“What I’m hoping is that, yes, that person may have AIDS, have it seriously as a baby and when they grow up, but the mother will begin to feel guilt as a result of that,” he said. “The family will see the negative consequences of that promiscuity and it may make a number of people over the coming years begin to realize that there are negative consequences and maybe they should adjust their behavior.”

Sexuality
To See Or Not To See
Since when does nudity equal pornography? I’m not advocating that people should roam naked in the streets, but, really, our society has got to get over its infantile views of the human body and sexuality. When we grow more comfortable with human bodies in non-sexual contexts, then we will be much better equipped to handle them in sexual situations. Surely, that would be a good thing for all of us.

Pixelblocks: Airplane

2009-02-26T05:44:00.004-06:00

A friend of mine at work received these amazing blocks at work called Pixelblocks (as a gift from someone pretty amazing, I must say). He's been building a model from the book about once a week or so.

A few weeks ago I went by and all the pixelblocks were in their container, so I decided to start one. I opened the book and picked the first model to start on. Well, it was pretty ambitious. After about 10 blocks I gave up and went back to my desk to work, thinking I'd make it back over there later in the day. Work got hectic and I haven't been back there for a few weeks, but when I came into work on Monday, this was sitting on my desk.

You made my day. Thanks, Keith

Kickball!

2009-02-25T07:07:00.002-06:00

So, how many of you out there remember P.E. class in school? Yeah, that's probably a mix of groans and fond memories out there. I had my own mix. When I was pretty young and still in public school I remember there would be special times when the entire gym was set up with all sorts of equipment for climbing and swinging. That was pretty cool. But about middle school, when I was in a private religious school P.E. turned into something not really fun for me.

Due to class size we had a joint P.E. session, usually with about a 4-5 grade spread. I was in the second to lowest class. And, since we had to do an activity that everyone could participate in, we spent most of the time playing kickball. If it wasn't raining or below 40 degrees we were out in the church parking lot with that bright red ball.

And I hated it.

It wasn't so much that I wasn't a good kickball player, I wasn't good, but that wasn't why I didn't like it. I wasn't good at basketball either, but I played on the school team throughout middle school. I loved practice, but I dreaded playing in the games. Fortunately because I wasn't very good I sat on the bench a lot.

I grew to loathe playing kickball because day-in, day-out I was forced to participate in an activity that I didn't like. I guess if it was an occasional thing I might have endured it and forgotten about it.

But, that's not the end of the kickball story. Oh no. Tomorrow we have a team event at work. And you guessed what it is, I'm sure. We're going to play kickball!!1 Why kickball I have no idea, but I'm dreading it.

So, I've been hoping that it will rain. And right now the forecast is calling for, "Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms." So maybe I shouldn't worry about it. But, if we do go forward with this lame (yes, I will say it because that's what I think of it) event, what should I do? Should I just endure it? Find a way to avoid it? Embrace it as an opportunity to get over a childhood trauma? Protest?

Photo Assignment: Morning

2009-02-24T06:23:00.001-06:00

One of my assignments for my photography class is to take photos of the same spot at different times of the day. I love this photo, but unfortunately I took it as a jpg, before I started shooting completely in RAW (yes, Mamacita, it's so much better!).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. More pictures are coming soon.

Review: Misquoting Jesus - Bart D. Ehrman

2009-02-23T05:07:00.006-06:00

When I was young and I asked my parents questions about religion they encouraged me to study Biblical history. I've always been fascinated with it, even no when I no longer believe, maybe especially after I no longer believe.

My first doubts about religion stemmed from learning how the books of the Bible came to be the accepted text. I don't understand how the logic makes sense to so many, but basically the books of the Bible came to be the accepted text because they validated each other. Books that did not validate the selected books were discarded, sometimes completely destroyed.

You'll hear apologists that say otherwise:

The canon of Scripture was NOT formed by the declaration of a church council any more than Isaac Newton created the law of gravity. Rather, as written revelation came from God through God's chosen writers, the people of God recognized God's voice and affirmed that the writing was indeed the word of God.

Right, just as people hear conflicting words from that same source today.

But it was that exact circular reasoning that first caused me to doubt. And as I came to doubt the Bible I came to doubt the entire belief system. If Christianity was based on the Bible then the Bible had to be a solid text, otherwise how could I believe? It never lost faith on that one thought, but the crack persisted and no amount of shoring up could erase it.

Another myth I was told throughout my childhood that the Bible was 100% accurate. All translations had shown that the book was painstakingly translated, by miracle, from one text to another completely intact. The Dead Sea scrolls were a miracle in themselves, validating that the translations were inerrant.

And even though I had doubts about the selections and origins of the text, I had no problem swallowing the myth of a text copied over the millennium without one character changed.

And that's why, even now as a non-believer, I find Ehrman enlightening. I no longer believed the text was miraculously unchanged from ancient times, but I didn't know anything about textual criticism.

In Misquoting Jesus Ehrman outlines the ways in which the text was changed. Many scholars argue that the text was changed only in small, unimportant ways, but Ehrman shows how large changes to core beliefs of Christianity (change of text to support the trinity and additions of text to support a resurrection) can be inferred by examining differences in early editions.

He even goes so far to say that we will never know what the original authors wrote, because all of the original editions are lost.

Most of these differences are completely immaterial and insignificant. A good portion of them simply show us that the scribes in antiquity could spell no better than most people can today (and they didn't even have dictionaries, let alone spell check). Even so, what is one to make of all these differences? If one wants to insist that God inspired the very words of scripture, what would be the point if we don't have the very words of scripture? In some places, as we will see, we simply cannot be sure that we have reconstructed the original text accurately. It's a bit hard to know what the words of the Bible mean if we don't even know what the words are!

So if we don't know what the original text is and if we can only trust the text to validate itself, then what are we left with?

The Bible began to appear to me as a very human book. Just as human scribes had copied, and changed, the texts of the scripture, so too had human authors originally written the texts of scripture. This was a human book from beginning to end. It was written by different human authors at different times and in different places to address different needs. Many of these authors no doubt felt they were inspired by God to say what they did, but they had their own perspectives, their own beliefs, their own views, their own needs, their own desires, their own understandings, their own theologies; and these perspectives, beliefs, views, needs, desires, understandings, and theologies informed everything they said. In all these ways they differed from one another.

...

Many Christians, of course, have never held this literalistic view of the Bible in the first place, and for them such a view might seem completely one-sided and unnuanced (not to mention bizarre and unrelated to matters of faith). There are, however, plenty of people around who still see the Bible this way. Occasionally I see a bumper sticker that reads: "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it." My response is always, What if God didn't say it? What if they book you take as giving you god's words instead contains human words? What if the Bible doesn't give a foolproof answer to the questions of the modern age - abortion, women's rights, gay rights, religious supremacy, Western-style democracy, and the like? What if we have to figure out how to live and what to believe on our own, without setting up the Bible as a false idol - or an oracle that gives us reasons to for thinking that, in fact, the Bible is not the kind of inerrant guide to our lives: among other things, as I've been pointing out, in many places we (as scholars, or just regular readers) don't even know what the original words of the Bible actually were.

My dad called the other day and we were talking about school. For someone who's so big on education, it startles me how much little he knows about the origin and history of the Bible. And as we talked about the reasons why both of us enjoyed learning he said, "That's one thing they can never take away from you - knowledge." I felt like shouting a hearty Hallelujah!

And I have to say a thanks to Ehrman for sharing another piece of knowledge.

Vinny also has a good review of the book at You Call This Culture?

Sunday Reader February 22, 2009

2009-02-22T12:14:00.001-06:00

Astronomy
Satellites Collide in Low Earth Orbit

Games
Science gleans 60TB of behavior data from Everquest 2 logs
Researchers ranging from psychologists to epidemiologists have wondered for some time whether online, multiplayer games might provide some ways to test concepts that are otherwise difficult to track in the real world. A Saturday morning session at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science described what might be the most likely way of finding out. With the cooperation of Sony, a collaborative group of academic researchers at a number of institutions have obtained the complete server logs from the company's Everquest 2 MMORPG.

Religion
Effectively non-existent
In the United States today, we have tens of thousands of priests, rabbis, mullahs, pastors, and preachers who are paid professionals, who claim to be active and functioning mediators between people and omnipotent invisible masters of the universe. They make specific claims about their god's nature, what he's made of and what he isn't, how he thinks and acts, what you should do to propitiate it…they somehow seem to have amazingly detailed information about this being. Yet, when a scientist approaches with a critical eye, suddenly it is a creature that not only has never been observed, but cannot observed, and its actions invisible, impalpible, and immaterial.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-02-19T08:18:00.003-06:00

Image courtesy of Clever Cupcakes

Yes, I'm a total ham. My birthday is today. It's tradition for me to take my birthday off from work, but this year I had a presentation and some meetings I couldn't miss and class tonight, so I'm here at work. I'm taking tomorrow off instead.

I know this week has been bare of posts and I'm still trying to get used to having no time at home. Tomorrow I hope to spend some time on a post I've been wanting to write for a couple of months and have something fresh for you to read. In lieu of having a real post to read though, have some cake.

Sunday Reader February 15, 2009

2009-02-15T09:48:00.008-06:00

Astronomy
Circle 'round the Moon

Civil Rights
Is Taking Life Endangering Risks Immoral?
And my reaction to young AIDS deaths is exactly as I react to the deaths of folks like Jeremy Lusk, Jim O’Brien, Steve Irwin, and Dale Earnhardt. It’s tragic. Folks do well to know of the risks they take or otherwise to minimize those risks. In a perfect world, people would always dot their i’s, cross their t’s, eat healthy, go for regular check ups to the doctor, exercise, wear seatbelts, don’t drive when you haven’t had enough sleep, never talk on your cell phone when driving, don’t smoke, always drink in no more than moderation, etc., etc. And, at the very least we need to educate ourselves and understand how to live such risk minimized lives. Until utopia or the millennium, we will never be able to avoid risks completely.

Left-Handers Threaten Nation's Moral Fiber: Same-Sex Marriage, Handedness, and the History of Bigotry
When I first read of the negative associations with left- handedness I was reminded of the kinds of intolerance and disgust expressed about people who are physically attracted to people like themselves, (which has also occurred in all cultures and throughout human history) and I hoped that as the scientific evidence of distinct brain differences between gay and straight people became more widely known that this prejudice too would abate. I was, therefore, saddened by the passage in Arizona, Arkansas and California of propositions to limit marriage to opposite sex couples. (Arkansas voters were especially heartless ordaining that "unmarried cohabiting couples" -- a phrase aimed at gay couples -- could not adopt children; every study done has shown they make just as good parents as mixed sex couples. Surely what is most important is children having secure and loving homes with two parents who are committed each other -- I'm with Judge Judy on this!).

Games
Utah bill targets game sales to minors, could backfire
Even though past legislation involving criminalizing the sales of certain games to underage consumers has consistently failed—while costing taxpayers a good amount of money—a Utah state congressman thinks he has found a way to get around the pesky First Amendment problems that struck down past attempts at legislation. This new bill would make it a crime to advertise that you don't sell violent or graphic content (games and movies) to children... and then do so. If you think that sounds silly, you'll understand why soon enough: the bill was drafted by none other than disbarred attorney Jack Thompson.

Government
Obama fails his first test on civil liberties and accountability -- resoundingly and disgracefully
What makes this particularly appalling and inexcusable is that Senate Democrats had long vehemently opposed the use of the "state secrets" privilege in exactly the way that the Bush administration used it in this case, even sponsoring legislation to limits its use and scope. Yet here is Obama, the very first chance he gets, invoking exactly this doctrine in its most expansive and abusive form to prevent torture victims even from having their day in court, on the ground that national security will be jeopardized if courts examine the Bush administration's rendition and torture programs -- even though (a) the rendition and torture programs have been written about extensively in the public record; (b) numerous other countries have investigated exactly these allegations; and (c) other countries have provided judicial forums in which these same victims could obtain relief.

International News
Eluana Englaro
Italy's top court awarded Englaro's father the right to stop her daughter from being fed The court's decision met with immediate criticism of the Roman Catholic Church. Ennio Cardinal Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, stated: "Eluana is in a 'vegetative state,' but she is not a vegetable. She is a person who is sleeping. The person, also when she is sleeping or disabled, retains all of her dignity. The person is valuable in herself, not for what she produces or consumes, or for the pleasure or satisfaction she gives to others."

Religion
It Takes Effort
At this funeral, the first reading was from a passage from the Book of Wisdom (not found in most Bibles, other than the Douay Catholic version). The funeral officiant mentioned in his homily how this passage was the first biblical reference to the concept of life after death. He told us that originally the Jews, and even the early Christians, didn’t really believe in a life after death, but that only later did that concept arise among Christians. This is where I became a little befuddled, because I’m not sure exactly at what point in time people began to believe, with their particular religion, that they could look forward to immortal life. It really doesn’t matter for purposes of this post, as the point I want to emphasize is the same point he chose to emphasize - that Christians really have to work hard to maintain their beliefs, especially the Big One in the Afterlife, primarily because it flies in the face of all material knowledge.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T22:15:00.001-06:00

I hope you're spending today with someone you love.

Happy Darwin Day!

2009-02-12T06:41:00.001-06:00

Image by Colin Purrington via Flickr

Today is the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication and it's been 150 years (though not to the day) since On the Origin of Species was published. The day is used to highlight Darwin's contribution to science and to promote science in general.

So celebrate science and the pursuit of knowledge.

Icelandic Last Supper

2009-02-11T06:08:00.001-06:00

I'm in the process of cleaning out my email Inbox. Gmail just implemented a feature allowing users to file email in folders instead of just tagging them. That's been one of the things I've always disliked about Gmail - the inability to have a clean Inbox. And, for those of you who don't know, I'm an email filing fanatic. I can't stand to have anything in my email Inbox that isn't something I'm needing to respond to. That's how I stay organized.

I came across a couple of emails I received through my blog last year about this time that I don't think I ever responded to. I confess, they probably got lost in the mix. Some weren't tagged, which meant I intended to respond to them, but they probably fell off the front page and I forgot.

Anyway, this is from Jörgen Sörensen.

I´m sending you a link to an Icelandic commercial that caused quite some disturbance here in Iceland and was even condemed as blasphamy by the bishop. Enjoy!

Sorry for taking so long to respond or post about this, Jörgen, and I'm hoping you're having a good year this year. Thanks for reading and emailing me!

Dog Park January 31, 2009

2009-02-10T05:36:00.001-06:00

My first portfolio assignment for the photography class was "Spring Fever". There wasn't much instruction, just take pictures and use that as the theme. So, I bundled up the camera and the tripod and spent a morning at the dog park with my mother-in-law and her two dogs.

The tripod was ditched (and carried) after about 10 minutes. I just couldn't keep up with the action using it. I think it's going to require some getting used to to actually use it for something more than moon shots. A friend let me borrow her monopod, but I'm still finding that I can't get used to using it. I just have to do it and stick with it.

Most of these were taken with a 1/2000th of a second shutter speed, so camera shake wasn't much of an issue.

Original Source

Carnival of the Godless #110

2009-02-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

The Carnival of the Godless #110 - Valentine's Day Edition is up at The Greenbelt. Thanks to Ridger for accepting my submission on The Devil Wore Condoms.

P.S. Happy birthday, sis! Even though you don't read this blog.

Sunday Reader February 8, 2009: A Short One

2009-02-08T07:59:00.005-06:00

Photography
Lenticular Clouds Above Washington

Science
The Backward Whale
As Gingerich and his colleagues were digging up one female, things got confusing. They started to find bones that seemed to belong to Maiacetus, but were much smaller than the rest of the female’s skeleton. Eventually they realized they were digging up a mother and her unborn calf. (In this drawing, the baby’s skeleton is painted blue.) It was pointing towards the birth canal so that it would be born head first–like land mammals and seals.

Origin Of Claws Seen In Fossil 390 Million Years Old
"With a head like the giant Cambrian aquatic predator Anomalocaris and a body like a modern arthropod, the specimen is the only known example of this unusual creature," said Derek Briggs, director of Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History and an author of the paper appearing in the journal Science.

Scientists have puzzled over the origins of the paired grasping appendages found on the heads of scorpions and horseshoe crabs. The researchers suggest that Schinderhannes gives a hint. Their appendages may be an equivalent to those found in the ancient predatory ancestor, Anomalocaris — even though creatures with those head structures were thought to have become extinct by the middle of the Cambrian Period, 100 million years before Schinderhannes lived.

The Devil Wore Condoms

2009-02-04T05:54:00.015-06:00

It's old news now that Rick Warren supports missions in Africa that are let's just say dubious. One of the most ridiculous stories to come out was about a preacher named Martin Ssempa, the head of the Makerere Community Church in Uganda.

Emboldened by U.S. support, Ssempa took his anti-condom crusade to Makerere University in Kampala, where senior residents of a men’s dormitory promoted safe sex by greeting incoming freshmen with a giant effigy wearing a condom. According to Helen Epstein, one day after she visited the school, Ssempa stormed on to campus, tore the condom from the effigy, grabbed a box of free condoms, and set them ablaze. “I burn these condoms in the name of Jesus!” Ssempa shouted as he prayed over the burning box.

I knew that the Catholic church had an issue with condoms. It's something about every sperm being sacred, or some such. However, I had no idea that Evangelicals were against contraception. Or maybe it's just the same old abstinence only educational values that are being promoted here in America. But in college? Aren't adults able to make decisions for themselves?

Why discourage contraception between adult couples, especially in a country suffering from the worst of the AIDS epidemic? Maybe it's just the concept that condoms are bad because they encourage promiscuity. But I'm not certain that's true. After all a recent study found that teenagers in abstinence-only programs were just as likely to engage in sex as those who weren't. And they were more likely to participate in risky behavior such as having sex without a condom.

Imagine that? Actually teach kids about the consequences of their actions and give them enough information to decide and some kids might make the right choice. Some kids won't. And it doesn't matter if you tell them that they shouldn't have sex until marriage. Many still will.

In Africa, where the ABC program in Uganda has been successful in curbing the rise of AIDS occurrences, the abstinence part of the program has been the least effective. Encouraging partner reduction and condom use have been responsible for most of the success.

Unfortunately, however, scientific evaluation and medical surveillance paint a different picture. Studies of Ugandan AIDS prevalence that try to assess the relative contributions of abstinence, multiple-partner reduction, and condom use in lowering infection rates have found that abstinence actually made the smallest contribution, while condoms and partner reduction had the largest impact. David Serwadda, a Ugandan physician who chairs the Global HIV Prevention Working Group, has stated, "As a physician who has been involved in Uganda's response to AIDS for 20 years, I fear that one small part of what led to Uganda's success -- promoting sexual abstinence -- is being overemphasized in policy debates."

So if abstinence is only effective as a policy if paired with education about sex. And yet any discussion about sex is instantly quelled by the ultra-religious. Because, I imagine, it makes them feel uncomfortable. And it's naughty and dirty and wrong.

Which I completely disagree with.

There's nothing dirty or naughty (except maybe in a good, exciting way) about sex and there's certainly nothing wrong about engaging in sex. It's something that we as a society should be more comfortable talking about. I'm not, but I attribute that to growing up in an Evangelical church. But what about all of the people who grew up in non-sexually repressed households? Why are we as a society so afraid of that one subject?

Now I'm not advocating that we tell kids to go at it with abandon. That's not responsible. But to say that sex isn't natural and that everyone should save themselves for marriage, to claim that you give up part of your soul when you have sex, is backwards-Victorian-age-thinking. (Funny isn't it, that it's always the women that are told they must be pure?) Haven't we progressed past this type of thinking?

I'd rather have an honest discussion about sex. About the facts. Not the continued spread of misinformation.

No wonder people have sexual hangups and unattainable expectations about sex. It took me years to get over my own hangups and simply enjoy sex. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Pat Robertson (who doesn't seem to have a hangup over the use of condoms in Africa, surprisingly enough).

So, please, when people are dying due to unprotected sex, don't tell them that condoms are the devil. Encourage them to do what they can to protect themselves. Tell them that condoms are essential* for safe sex.

*And sometimes social change is essential as well for all of you people who think that Africa is a black hole and there's no reason to help people when there's no noticeable change in their society. Maybe kicking out those backwards values that are encouraged by religion and promoting a culture change would help more than dumping a bunch of money into ineffective programs.

January Night Sky 2009

2009-02-03T06:00:00.003-06:00

Since I caught the first moon of the year in somewhat decent detail I decided to make it a project to take pictures of the moon during the month of January. Unfortunately I didn't realize how much of a challenge it would be.

For one, the moon is easily obscured by clouds. I had several days in a row where I was unable to get a single shot. Also, for a large part of the month the moon is not viewable during the evening (where detail is easier to photograph) except during the wee hours of the morning, when I'm usually sleeping.

But, I think I got some pretty cool pictures all the same. I learned a ton about taking pictures at night. And, from applying lessons from class and my own experimentation I had better results as the month went on. I'm especially proud of the full moon picture, which I think turned out very well. It was a total fluke that I was able to get it. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was when I first started experimenting with shutter priority and I hit on a decent aperture to balance it out purely by chance. (It's still blue though from having the wrong white balance selected, but it doesn't look unnatural.)

These pictures really need to be seen in a larger view to see any detail.

Original Source

Anyway, I hope to try this again. I may wait until it's warmer, but the moon is addicting. It may be hard to stop hauling my tripod out in the middle of the night.

Reading List for January

2009-02-02T17:42:00.000-06:00

Yeah, okay, I didn't read much in January. My excuse? Well, there isn't one really. The Universe is kind of bogging me down. It's not an easy book to take out with me and it's well, really not as interesting as I hoped. The topics are great, but it seems like I'm reading stuff I already know. Maybe I know more about the universe in general than I knew about the planets of our solar system before I read The Planets. Or maybe it's also because it opens with 3-4 non-fiction sections that are pretty dry. I'll see what I think when I get to the first story. In the meantime I'm going to skip right to The Handmaid's Tale next.

Read in January
Misquoting Jesus - Bart D. Ehrman

Currently Reading
The Universe - Byron Preiss (Editor)

Coming Up Next
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Welsh Girl - Peter Ho Davies (Nonbelieving Literati)

Sunday Reader February 1, 2009

2009-02-01T09:49:00.001-06:00

Astronomy
Ring of Fire

The Milky Way Over Mauna Kea

A Partial Eclipse Over Manila Bay

Games
Popular WoW automation tool infringes Blizzard's copyright
Blizzard's claims for copyright infringement were worrisome to many of us following the case. The company's argument was that Donnelly's program made a copy of the game in a computer's RAM in order to circumvent WoW's anti-cheat protection; because Glider violates the End User Legal Agreement, players are no longer allowed to copy the game into RAM, thus leading to copyright-infringement. This idea seemed majorly flawed, as it could severely hamstring the rights of any computer user, since any program being used will copy portions of itself into RAM. Public Knowledge, an advocacy group that fights to scale back copyright law, even got involved in the case by filing an amicus brief that argued this copyright theory was far too broad and potentially dangerous, an argument that Judge Campbell rejected.

Music
Tim Minchin's Storm

Recipe
Perfect Sushi Rice
Sushi has an interesting beginning: people in China (funny, since sushi is a Japanese dish) used to cure large pieces of fish in between two flat layers of vinegar-soaked rice. They’d create a flat layer of rice, pour a vinegar solution over it, then lay a single layer of fish all over the rice. Then they’d top it with another vinegar-soaked layer of rice and let it cure for a length of time as a means of preserving it. When the fish was ready, they’d discard the rice and keep the fish. I guess somewhere along the way, someone got the munchies early, grabbed a big mouthful of the fish and rice, and decided it was a treat in itself.

Religion
Haggard Revisited
The church wanted to squelch the fact that Haggard was a practicing homosexual for several years, while he was one of the primary leaders of the evangelical movement in America. Instead, they tried to spin Haggard’s scandal as a single “wild streak” of aberration during a short span of time. Why? Because these facts cast an even greater uncertainty upon the basic principles of Christianity. If the greatest, most faithful among them could not for years cast off his evil nature—how could anyone? Or, could the top leaders of Christianity be mere charlatans? These are questions they don’t want people to ask. They are not profitable.

This ugly fact splays wide the festering wound they continue to inflict upon homosexuals with their obviously flawed doctrine. Even while one of their very elect is a hard-coded homosexual, they lie and wiggle to preserve the message that no, he is a heterosexual who was merely attacked by Satan with unnatural desires. This causes homosexual Christians to hate themselves, and heaps more shame upon “the guilty,” who will, in turn, require the church’s exhonoration services.

Was High School Girl Possessed In Class?
Students at a Mississippi high school said a fellow student spoke in tongues and made grave predictions for her classmates for three days.

Some of those predictions included when students would die.

Pelahatchie High School students called reporters from TV station WAPT, convinced that an evil spirit had taken over Lashundra Clanton.

Hawk Visit

2009-01-27T06:06:00.002-06:00

And sometimes in photography you just get lucky. I had a visitor a couple of weekends ago...

Original Source

Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong on this one too and this isn't a hawk. I'm bird-stupid.

The Cat Ate My Brain

2009-01-26T07:41:00.001-06:00

You may have wondered lately when I'm going to post something other than pictures and links. Well, I have a couple of posts in my head, but I haven't had time to get them to the computer yet. I thought I'd have time this weekend, but then the weekend was gone before I knew it.

My time on the blog is probably going to be meager over the next couple of months. I started a photography class a couple of weeks ago that meets six hours a week for the spring semester and then I start a certification class for work in mid-February that meets seven hours a week for five weeks. I haven't had this much school in over a decade and contemplating my weekends taken up with homework assignments scares me a bit.

I've also started working with the Youth Friends program and am mentoring a fourteen year old girl at a local junior high school. She's cute and completely undecided about her future. I'm shaking in my boots afraid that I'll lead her to drugs and a life of crime. Okay, probably not. I'm more afraid of how uncool I am as an adult and that she'll be bored.

Work has been crazy again too, but this week looks a little better so far and so I just might be able to think about something else in the evenings.

But other than that it's been just the normal sense that too much stuff is happening in my life. I'm busy and despite my friends all telling me it's a good thing, I've always shied away from too many commitments. Except over the holidays somehow little by little I threw myself into getting everything I plan to accomplish this year done before May.

So my natural instinct is to hide out playing video games, where there's a false sense of getting stuff done, although in actuality it's a complete waste of time.

Anyway, that's the long explanation. There are more substantive posts coming soon.

Sunday Reader January 25, 2009

2009-01-25T06:18:00.003-06:00

Astronomy
Suspension Bridge Solargraph (I'd love to do this! - Ed)

Games
Study: violence in games not that compelling for most gamers
The authors performed six studies in total, but they were in broad agreement, so we'll only discuss the more compelling ones here. For the experimental portion, these involved playing an essentially identical game with different degrees of violent content. One group of participants was randomly assigned to play the game House of the Dead 3 on the different extremes of its gore settings, while a second was split between those who played the normal version of Half-Life 2, and a those who played a modified version that turned the adventure into an elaborate game of tag.

In both cases, the primary influences on enjoyment were the sense of competence and satisfaction, along with the immersive nature of the game. Generally, females rated immersion as more important, while males went for competence (and consistently rated their own expertise very highly).

Impressions: Dawn of War II beta video walkthrough

Government
When Being Right Doesn’t Matter
“Can’t we just shorten that first sentence?” asks the radical libertarian. “A drinking age is an embarrassment to a supposedly liberty-loving nation. Parents must take responsibility for their children here as in every other area of life. Perhaps the law should recognize this. Probably communal moral suasion would work even better. Yet either way, saying that ‘all drinking is bad until you’re 21, when everything magically turns OK’ is obviously just a silly taboo.” The radical libertarian harrumphs in a self-satisfied way. He’s good it; he’s practiced it often. He’s also completely right, which happens to be beside the point.

International

Law
Woman Says Anti-Abortion Nurse Removed IUD Without Permission, Then Lectured Her
A clinic nurse first removed her intrauterine birth-control device without permission, says the patient in a federal action, then told her that "having the IUD come out was a good thing," because "I personally do not like IUDs. I feel they are a type of abortion. I don't know how you feel about abortion, but I am against them."

Photography
A Lenticular Cloud Over New Zealand

Religion
Female Pastors = Porn
Most churches rely on women to crank the engines. Many church programs would cease if women didn’t run them. Here’s what baffles me: why do women continue serving congregations and denominations in which the (almost invariably male) leaders believe (or behave like they believe) they are second-class citizens? How long will they continue doing so? Many churches bemoan the fact that most of their men enter the front door as children and exit the back door as teens or young adults. In this age of deepening awareness of gender equality issues, if church leaders don’t examine the roles of women in their institutions (and in their theology), they may arrive one day, turn on the lights, and discover that the women have followed the men out the back door.

Science
The Universe’s Pixels and Holographic Reality?
Scientists may have actually detected the grain or pixels of the universe. This may mean that our reality, everything we see and do, our entire universe in fact, is like a 3-dimensional holographic image of sorts projected from somewhere else. Talk about a one-two punch.

Sexism
Diamond orgasms are a girl’s best friend
The latest misogynist stereotype confirmed*** by evo psych wanks is the belief that women are shallow gold diggers that don’t really know what love is. “Women are born whores,” is quite possibly the favorite sacred belief of evolutionary psychology.

Scientists have found that the pleasure women get from making love is directly linked to the size of their partner’s bank balance.

They found that the wealthier a man is, the more frequently his partner has orgasms.

“Women’s orgasm frequency increases with the income of their partner,” said Dr Thomas Pollet, the Newcastle University psychologist behind the research. (Bullshit - Ed)

Frisco Lake Park January 2009

2009-01-20T06:45:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago the weather was warm and I decided to head out to take some pictures during lunch. Most of these were taken with my new zoom lens on auto or shutter priority, but they turned out pretty well. One thing about shutter priority is that it shifts the light to blue, so I did a lot of color correction on these photos to bring back in the warmth of the day.

Original Source

It was just warm enough after a cold freeze for the lake to have a sheet of water on top of the ice. The ducks* look like they're walking on water and the lake had a great reflective quality to it.

*As my good friend encephalophone pointed out, they're not ducks, they're Canadian Geese. Sorry, geese!

Sunday Reader January 18, 2009

2009-01-18T11:27:00.002-06:00

Astronomy
Unusual Light Pillars Over Latvia

In the Shadow of Saturn

Largest Moon of 2009 Over the Alps

Economy
U.S. mortgage meltdown linked to 2005 bankruptcy law
Before Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, households could erase their unsecured debts by filing for Chapter 7 liquidation. That freed up income that distressed homeowners could use to make mortgage payments.

The new law, however, forced better-off households seeking bankruptcy protection to file under Chapter 13. That chapter requires homeowners to continue paying their unsecured lenders.

In other words, say the Fed researchers, cash-strapped homeowners who might have saved their homes by filing Chapter 7 are now much more likely to face foreclosure.

Games
Dawn of War II beta coming January 21
The release date for Dawn of War II, the sequel to the excellent Warhammer-themed RTS developed by Relic, is slowly approaching, with the game expected to hit store shelves in late February. Relic has announced that excited players will soon have a chance to test-drive the game prior to the release with the official beta.

A new year brings with it more bad video game legislation
Meanwhile, over in New York, Wright's bill seems to be banking on the concept that video games that contain profanity or racism can adversely affect youngsters. The goal of the law is to, "[prohibit] the sale to minors of certain rated video games containing a rating that reflects content of various degrees of profanity, racist stereotypes or derogatory language, and/or actions toward a specific group of persons."

Government
Atheism and the Pledge
Saying “under Allah” would seem to imply that a certain view of God, the Muslim one, was more right, and that all others were less right. This American Christians could never tolerate. And so on and so forth. Once you start thinking in collectivist terms, there’s no end to the petty exclusion games you can play. That’s why it’s better not to have a pledge at all.

The words “under God” also have a history to them. They were added during the McCarthy era in part to indicate that atheists are not true Americans. What’s humdrum compulsory unity to everyone else is actually your declaration that I, Jason Kuznicki, am not a proper citizen. That’s what you’re really saying, every time you take the Pledge.

International
Afghan Girls, Scarred by Acid, Defy Terror, Embracing School
“My parents told me to keep coming to school even if I am killed,” said Shamsia, 17, in a moment after class. Shamsia’s mother, like nearly all of the adult women in the area, is unable to read or write. “The people who did this to me don’t want women to be educated. They want us to be stupid things.”

In the five years since the Mirwais School for Girls was built here by the Japanese government, it appears to have set off something of a social revolution. Even as the Taliban tighten their noose around Kandahar, the girls flock to the school each morning. Many of them walk more than two miles from their mud-brick houses up in the hills.

Nonbelieving Literati
Lying
Is justice a lie? Are we lying to ourselves when we think that there exists a true notion of justice? Mercy, charity, morality -- are these lies? If so, then they are lies which make all our lives better and happier and more worthwhile, and my commitment to the truth must be hampered by my love and respect for such notions. But perhaps they are not lies. Perhaps we can say that morality and charity and justice exist because we believe in them. They are ideas, and ideas exist only in the human mind as a matter of course.

Of Myths and Mailmen
Reading The Postman gave me a new appreciation for the potential benefits of myths. Given my history with religious mythologies, I’ve been very suspicious of myths since my enlightenment and have been leery of considering the possibility that humanist myths may serve useful purposes. My shifting thoughts about this issue are nascent and require much more development, but I think I’m ready to start thinking about the matter now.

NL: The Postman
Still, the ideas that Brin is exploring are still valid. The short-term predictions didn't come true and the militias aren't quite the force they used to be pre-Waco, but the ambiance of this shattered world is authentic. Feudal serfdom, male dominance, warring bandit chiefs - all the enemies of Civilization - they could certainly emerge. (Once, decades ago, I read a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel, which one I can't recall, that had a line in it I'll paraphrase: When survival came to sharing, the British queued up - and survived.) So the question Brin is asking here is: What is it in America that supports Civilization, and what fights it - and how can we best harness the former to defeat the latter?

The Post-apocalyptic-man
Given that all it would take to trigger an (entirely non-biblical) Armageddon is one fundaloony with their finger on a big red button (and the “Palin 2012” stickers, whilst ironic, are also pretty scary), it might behove us to give some thought to the possibility of post-holocaust survival. Step up, David Brin’s The Postman, which places its hero in the middle of an apocalyptic America where technology is all but dead and the population have been reduced to medieval squalor. What useful lessons can we glean from Gordon’s experience in this blasted landscape?

Philosophy
On the Morality of: Patriotism
The existence of countries aids moral progress in another way: it makes it possible to advance one step at a time. At this point in human history, if we were to try to unite the human race under one banner, the sure result would be either crippling stagnation or brutal autocracy. No other kind of government would be able to accommodate (or, in the case of autocracy, to trample over) the impossibly broad and complex range of desires and concerns among different groups of people. Having separate countries allows some issues to be tabled so that we can focus on the rest. (For an example of what happens when you try to take everyone's wants into account at once, consider the United Nations, which is well-intentioned but mired in diplomatic gridlock on virtually every issue of importance.) As well, it limits the power of despots and demagogues, however successful they may be at home, by creating boundaries beyond which they hold no sway.

Born of Amalek
I understand a siege upon their old enemy. We killed them often to preserve our place in this land. But I am wise enough to know–since this time they even kill our animals–that this is no war for land or resource. They kill from hate. They break every potshard, shaped with the loving hands of mothers and wives and inscribed with the thoughtful knife of the archivist. A swift motion breaks each pot, and the memories are gone. Our mark upon this land will be severed forever.

Religion
The Insecurity of Religious Faith
One would think that if their particular Faith was supportable by commonsense evidence, they would not need daily or weekly meetings to reinforce that Faith. They wouldn’t need a pastor, minister or priest, nor a religious hierarchy setting up rules and commandments designed to keep them in line. The existence of their god(s), and the Faith they placed in them, would be obvious. If their god(s) existed, there would be hard evidence of that fact. They wouldn’t need to be herded as if flocks of sheep, to use a Christian metaphor. Certainly, I have no need to attend weekly meetings of the Sun church to maintain my belief that it will rise tomorrow. The evidence all around me is there for the picking.

Science
Chemical replicators
Now you might be saying, "But these are designed enzymes, created by a couple of intelligent scientists!" Not quite. They started with a very rough sequence, one that inefficiently catalyzed an A + B → E sort of reaction, but that not only worked slowly, but also produced faulty products that eventually killed the reaction after a few cycles. Then they tweaked it to form a minus-strand enzyme, and then they subjected both the plus and minus strand forms to — natural selection! They made copies with mutagenic PCR (so they had a range of random variants), ran it through several cycles of in vitro selection for more efficient forms, and ended up with two RNA enzymes that were good at building copies of each other.

New Moon

2009-01-13T06:57:00.002-06:00

The moon is actually about 27% of full, but it was the first moon of the new year.

My remote wasn't working, but I set the camera up on a tripod and used the timer and that combo worked perfectly. I've never been able to get detail of the moon during night before.

I've been capturing a couple of moon pictures during the month and hope to publish a set in February. It's a lot more challenging capturing the moon than the sun. On cloudy nights there's little hope of catching a glimpse and in the cold air, I'm not willing to wait around. I also have trouble remembering to get outside in the middle of the evening. I can't always capture a good picture during my daily commute.

Where Have I Been in the US?

2009-01-12T06:15:00.002-06:00

visited 39 states (78%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or try another Douwe Osinga project

When I lived in Boston I was an exit away from Portland, Maine several times, but I never made it into the state. I should have taken a drive up the coast, but I never made the trip.

Update: Added Utah. I forgot completely that I spent a couple days in beautiful Park City.

(via vjack)

Sunday Reader January 11, 2009

2009-01-11T10:34:00.008-06:00

Astronomy
Martian Sunset

Comics
First issue of Dead Space comic online
Newsarama and Image Comics are teaming up again for their annual tradition of presenting select #1 Image issues for users to read, and one of the free comics this year is the introduction to the Dead Space miniseries.

The series itself serves as a prequel to the game, detailing what happened to the colony before the Ishimura was overrun by the Necromorph menace. Also, unlike the other prequel to the game, Dead Space: Downfall, the comics are excellent and feature an eerie and well-paced story, as well as the excellent art of Ben Templesmith, the artist behind comics like Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse and 30 Days of Night.

Games
Feds note gaming DRM woes: FTC to hold town hall meeting
The official page describes the meeting and its aim. "Digital rights management (DRM) refers to technologies typically used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, and copyright holders to attempt to control how consumers access and use media and entertainment content," the FTC explains. "Among other issues, the workshop will address the need to improve disclosures to consumers about DRM limitations."

Humor
Is Having Sex with a Robot Hooker Cheating? Revisited
A few months ago, we posed what will surely turn out to be one of the most important philosophical questions of the future -- Is having sex with a robot hooker cheating? In an effort to continue this important dialogue, Asylum, the journalistic hub of future events, has decided to revisit the topic so that when the day of robot hookers arrives, we'll be prepared to tell them "Yes, please!" or "No, ma'am" without guilt or pangs of remorse.

International
Woman suspected of witchcraft burned alive
Early Tuesday, a group of people dragged the woman, believed to be in her late teens to early 20s, to a dumping ground outside the city of Mount Hagen. They stripped her naked, bound her hands and legs, stuffed a cloth in her mouth, tied her to a log and set her on fire, Kauba said.

"When the people living nearby went to the dump site to investigate what caused the fire, they found a human being burning in the flames," he said. "It was ugly."

The country's Post-Courier newspaper reported Thursday that more than 50 people were killed in two Highlands provinces last year for allegedly practicing sorcery.

In a well-publicized case last year, a pregnant woman gave birth to a baby girl while struggling to free herself from a tree. Villagers had dragged the woman from her house and hung her from the tree, accusing her of sorcery after her neighbor suddenly died.

She and the baby survived, according to media reports.

lesbian sex

Masculine Spam?

2009-01-07T06:40:00.003-06:00

I receive a lot of spam. Gmail filters it out pretty well, but I have this OCD problem with seeing that I have unread messages, even if they are in the spam folder. I clear out my spam folder almost daily, just to get rid of that annoying nagging feeling.

I've noticed that most spam is geared towards men. Maybe it's just that most spam is geared towards sex and most sex is geared towards men. But anyway, here's a small sampling.

More inches and more force - Your gf is liable to go out of her skull when she sees your new huge wand!

SPECIAL Pharmacy Discount! 10Viagra+10Cializ=$69.99, You pay & we ship, No questions asked

Anxiety, depression and low self-esteem have no chance against a big penis and rockhard erections that last much longer than before.

We have you been, honey?

Then there are the ambiguous, gender-neutral messages, although they still seem somewhat masculine (career and status), but could really be aimed at both men and women.

blaming for LOW salary/wages? with our Dip1oma/Degree/MasteerMBA, You will get good offer

Swiss Branded Watches from $206, save you $5000-15000+ for any brands, No.1 Swiss QualityRep1ica

And finally, here's the one type of spam that I get that I think it probably aimed at women.

Lose weight with this miracle supplement

Isn't it funny how the internet defines men by their sexual prowess and women by their body type? I guess it's a good thing that spam focuses on stereotypes. It's easier to ignore that way.

And now I'm going to go dump my spam folder.

52 Weeks of Sun

2009-01-06T05:52:00.002-06:00

I have compiled the Sun series sets from this year by taking my favorite picture from each week and creating this set. There are actually 53 pictures in the set because the first and last weeks overlap.

The better pictures are towards the middle and the end, but I hope you enjoy the entire set. The slideshow is best viewed from the Original Source link.

Original Source

I really enjoyed taking the series, but I've stopped my daily photos for now. I have a few new series planned for this year and maybe my photography class will take me into new territory.

Reading List for 2009

2009-01-05T05:45:00.000-06:00

Last year I came up with a list of ten books to read next and kept adding to it as I finished books. I'm not so ambitious this year, but here are the books that I'd like to read by the end of the year next year. Other books may come into the mix as they're published (mostly as I can't resist), but I want to read these as well. There are 18 books on the list. It's a lot to read in 12 months.

Fiction
The Universe edited by Byron Preiss
Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel - Amy Hempel
The Dying of the Light - George R. R. Martin
All Tomorrow's Parties - William Gibson
Guardian - Joe Haldeman
The Algebraist - Iain M. Banks
The Difficult Saint - Sharan Newman
To Wear the White Cloak - Sharan Newman
Descent of Angels - Mitchel Scanlon

Non-Fiction
Misquoting Jesus - Bart Ehrman
Scott Kelby's Digital Photography - Scott Kelby
Freedom Evolves - Daniel C. Dennet
Breaking the Spell - Daniel C. Dennet
Why I Became an Atheist - John W. Loftus
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) - Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson

Science
The Universe edited by Byron Preiss
The Stuff of Thought - Steven Pinker
The Moral Animal - Robert Wright

This Week's Reader January 4, 2009

2009-01-04T08:18:00.001-06:00

Games
Sony's Home juggles free speech, hate speech
Sony's Home has had a rocky start. Server issues, lack of compelling content, and a somewhat hostile environment have all added up to make the online service more of a PR problem than Sony likely expected. The latest issue? Sony has banned words such as "gay," "bi-sexual," and "Jew" from the service. If you've played a game online... well, ever... you know why such words would go on the black list. But supporters of gay rights, or gamers who practice the Jewish faith, have taken issue with these words becoming negative labels.

Downloading your games? Get ready for extra fees
But why, exactly, would something like the Extended Download Service even be in existence? Keeping records of who buys what and when they bought it seems like standard business practice and would appear to be one major advantage to buying digitally. Allowing customers to access these records and re-download what they've already paid for seems like a no-brainer; charging people for that option just seems slimy. Unfortunately, phone calls to Digital River resulted in a thirty minute perma-hold when waiting to talk to customer service, and repeated disconnects when attempting to get in touch with someone in the PR department.

Government
Rights, liberty and community.
Where libertarianism is weakest is that many libertarians, advocates of the pure voluntary community, can only address issues if they arise within the utopia which does not exist. Individuals who tend in this utopian direction are incapable of explaining any process by which their utopia may be achieved. Since issues are intertwined they will tend to tell you that to deal with one distortion caused by the political process you must address all the other problems simultaneously. We see this from utopian libertarians in regards to the marriage equality issue.

They will argue equal marriage rights should not be given same-sex couples because the state should not be involved in marriage at all. When you point out the dozens of other issues of state involvement which directly tied to marriage they then tell you how all those issues have to simultaneously solved as well. For instance, they will argue that the involuntary state should not be involved in marriage so gays should not have equal marriage rights. If you bring up the problem of allowing spouses for of Americans to immigrate they will tell you they don’t want immigration laws either. So now, before justice can be done for gay couples in these circumstances you must abolish both state marriage for everyone as well as immigration laws. Unfair tax laws that penalize gay couples are another example. While marriage rights would solve both problems for such couples the utopians suggest waiting until all these laws can be reformed first. The absurdity is that neither marriage, immigration laws or taxes are likely to be abolished in our lifetime so the utopians are suggesting gay couples just deal with the injustices inflicted on them until they die. Then they will be shocked when they find gay people uninterested in this “solution”.

Politics
Partisan at any Price
So the best one can say about Jack Kelly’s analysis is that he’s somewhat confused about economic history. A less charitable interpretation would be that he’s more interested in partisanship than in truthfulness. I suppose writing very partisan attacks guarantees one a devoted readership, but it bothers me greatly. Whichever side it comes from, by repeatedly demeaning and demonizing their opponents, these folks diminish the quality of democratic debate in this country. Their is a fine line between the person who says “All Democrats (Republicans) are idiots” and the person who decides that they ought to be denied political power by any means necessary. That is to say, anyone who so carelessly ignores the empirical evidence in order to cast aspersions on his opponents has–by so doing–demonstrated his contempt for democracy.

Religion
My Story
As time went on and my schedule became more hectic some of the thoughts I had tossed into the back of my head began to surface. These thoughts contained doubts about what I was doing. Some were doubts about what I was teaching. In most cases I cast these thoughts aside. Christianity had taught me that thoughts like these were either a part of my own sinful nature or an attack from the devil, God's ancient enemy. How could I even trust my own thoughts? After all, the Bible was clear that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (according to Jeremiah 17:9). It became even more imperative to pray and to give myself to Christ ... to die to self and to live unto God.

But my prayers seemed to go unheeded. In fact, I began to notice things that really caught my attention. My wife is an extremely religious woman. She believes the Bible to be literally true and would spend the first hour of her day reading the Scriptures. The next hour was devoted to prayer. A large portion of our prayer was for our children. Over the years we saw quite a rebellious spirit arise in each of our kids. We had desired that they would become godly offspring, willing to sacrifice their own lives for the cause of Christ. As they rebelled and seemed dead set on pursuing their own ways, we pleaded with them, we educated them in the ways of Christ, we chastened them when necessary and, above all things, we prayed for them. However, it seemed that prayer was not effective. No matter how many hours my godly wife prayed, no matter how many times either of us hit our knees, our children did not change. We began to doubt their salvation. I began to doubt God.

The Joys of Deconversion - Part One
As a Christian, I had two sources of information: Reality, and the “Truth” as proscribed by my faith. I doubt I need to say it, but these two sources were often in conflict with one another. The exercise of juggling reality with faith was an enormous burden. I spent a great deal of time, effort and brain power trying to twist one or the other into pretzel-shapes in order for them to somehow work together in the same universe. If the facts did not conform to my faith, then I would attack the facts as somehow “incorrect” or “deceitful.” If the facts were incontrovertible and in direct contradiction to my faith, then I would consider how possibly my faith was misunderstood, and revisit the Biblical passages, sometimes delving directly into the original Hebrew or Greek definitions to somehow come up with that little pinion that allowed my submarine engine to function in a ’56 T-Bird. It was pure sophistry, but I persisted. Ironically, I kept insisting that secular thinkers “just didn’t get it.”

Science
12 Elegant Examples of Evolution
Archaeopteryx, found in 1861, was long thought to be the first bird. Then it was recognized as something closer to a dinosaur with feathers — but still unique for that. In the 1980's, however, paleontologists digging in deposits more than 65 million years old in northern China found feathered dinosaurs which very definitely did not fly. Some dinosaurs, it appeared, may have looked far different from our traditional conception — and feathers may first have served an insulating or aesthetic, rather than aerodynamic, purpose.

Reading List for December

2009-01-02T08:05:00.001-06:00

December wasn't very productive for me. I am almost finished with Misquoting Jesus, which I found to be pretty interesting. It certainly conflicts with all of the misinformation I was fed when I was younger. This may be a book I "leave" at my parent's house one day.

I'm looking forward to starting on a couple of the books I received for Christmas, but I may need all of January for The Universe.

Read in December
The Wave in the Mind - Ursula K LeGuin

Currently Reading
The Universe - Byron Preiss (Editor)
Misquoting Jesus - Bart D. Ehrman

Coming Up Next
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:19:00.004-06:00

2008 was a good year for me. There were some low points, even recently, but right now all I can remember is the good from the year.

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. The goal is to get people to look up at the sky, observe, learn, and rediscover the wonder of our place in the universe.

I feel like my year of sky photos helped me rediscover the beauty I was overlooking each day. I won't be continuing the series, but I hope to spend more time on focused photo shoots and now that I have a telephoto lens I hope to get some awesome pictures of the moon and stars.

But for today enjoy the video that Till Credner put together. It makes me want to buy an HD video camera and start setting up nightime shots.

túrána hott kurdís by hasta la otra méxico! from Till Credner on Vimeo.

A Week of Sun December 23 - 29, 2008

2008-12-30T05:06:00.000-06:00

And here we end the year...

I really like how this week ended with just a faint crescent moon. The year is waning, but soon the new year will begin.

Original Source

This Week's Reader December 28, 2008

2008-12-28T13:17:00.000-06:00

Astronomy
Earthrise

Atheism
The Free Will Argument
But this is a gross mischaracterization. Modern law has at least some basis in the “law of the jungle,” which, aside from rewarding the powerful, also ties cooperation to fairness and reciprocation. Recent studies on both chimpanzees and dogs have shown that they have a strong moral sense. They respond negatively to perceived unfairness as all intelligent life forms do–by refusing to cooperate. Packs, prides, and tribes are all bound together by this same tension between cooperation and competition. Cheaters and free-riders are punished and cooperators rewarded. Behavior, like other traits, has an evolutionary component, and humans only have self-reflection to separate us from animals. For both, it’s a constant tension between short and long-term self-interest, between the good of the one and the good of the many. Any part of this equation that’s not innate is learned socially. Social animals and humans have always been forced by circumstances to learn to work together and reciprocate. Morality is the inevitable outcome of the interplay between individuals and the groups to which they belong.

Civil Rights
Prop 8 proponents seek to nullify same-sex marriages
Sponsors of the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage are seeking to nullify thousands of marriages between gay and lesbian couples performed after the state Supreme Court ruled them constitutional.

The sponsors Friday filed responses to three anti-Proposition 8 lawsuits with the state Supreme Court. The briefs also defend Proposition 8 against opponents' legal challenges, including an argument that the amendment needed a constitutional convention to be added to the state's constitution.

International
US balks at backing condemnation of anti-homosexuality laws
"It's disappointing," said Rama Yade, France's human rights minister, of the U.S. position _ which she described as in contradiction with America's long tradition as a defender of human rights.

According to some of the declaration's backers, U.S. officials expressed concern in private talks that some parts of the declaration might be problematic in committing the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In numerous states, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.

UN adopts anti-defamation resolution, draws critics’ ire
Washington, 21 December (IranVNC)—The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution against the defamation of religion, ignoring critics who say that it threatens the right to free expression and can be used to silence religious minorities and dissenters.

National
Let's talk about clean coal
When power plants burn coal to produce energy, the coal doesn't just vanish into the atmosphere to cause global warming. No, there's a substantial amount of left-over sludge called coal ash, a nasty mess that is enriched for toxic heavy metals. It is seriously nasty stuff. This glop has to be stored, somewhere, usually piled up and walled-off, because it's not healthy for anything.

Behold what happens when the containment walls fail.

Politics
Timothy Shriver Says Yes on the Warren Choice
We are created by a compassionate God who “fashioned us with care and love in the palm of divine light” - yet has consigned the majority of the world’s inhabitants - those who, for mysterious reasons known only to the deity in question, have not been fortunate enough to be among the Chosen - to eternal condemnation. I continue to be astounded that any religious believer can hold this pair of beliefs in the same mind at the same time. Then again, what do I know? I’m still trying to figure out what the “palm of divine light” is (to be honest, it just sounds like more rhetorical flourishing to me).

Religion
Too Little, Too Late?
It took the church about 350 years to finally own up to its stupidity, and now it wants to play nice with Galileo’s memory, by sucking up to science, despite the fact that religion is still the greatest enemy of reason that exists on this Earth. (You know. The one that revolves around the sun? Yeah, that one.) Are we to fall for this? This is the same church, led by the same pope that says, today, that homosexuality is as much of a threat to the survival of the human race as climate change. Are we supposed to trust his analysis?

Science
Who Goes There?
And recently the research team of Michael Persinger had the fortune of capturing a sensed presence event on EEG (which measures the electrical activity of the brain).

The subject is a woman who has had numerous episodes of sensed presence after a head injury. Persinger now presents a case report of her EEG, recorded while she experienced the sense of a man in the room with her when none was present. For some reason as yet unknown, 90% of time a sensed presence is of a member of the opposite sex. The EEG shows a burst of electrical activity in her left temporal lobe during the event, and of note she perceived the presence to be on her right side. (Brain activity corresponds to the contralateral or opposite side of the world.)

Hysteria in Four Acts
Despite many efforts to account for hysterical behavior by tying it to some specific underlying brain disorder, none has succeeded. For this reason, the psychiatrist Thomas Szasz famously claimed in The Myth of Mental Illness (1961) that hysteria was not a “legitimate disease.” But most psychiatrists who accept the reality of hysteria do not regard it as a disease. They see it, rather, as a behavioral disorder. It derives not from an identifiable change within a cell or neural pathway, as in the case of disease, but from provocative events within the uniquely human world of self-consciousness—the world in which one is aware of one’s own individuality and in which one’s perceptions of reality can be powerfully shaped by social structures, language, symbols, and the ideas and assumptions held by people of influence.

Happy Birthday, Sarge

2008-12-25T08:04:00.002-06:00

I hope you have a great day celebrating another year.

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-24T17:03:00.004-06:00

When I was growing up my mom baked like a mad woman for Christmas. Not only did she make cookies of all kinds, she also made candy - chocolate covered cherries, peanut butter cups, peanut butter balls, chocolate covered pretzels, and chocolate candies. She made them in quantities in the hundreds. Our house was full of baking from Thanksgiving until the New Year.

Being just the right age, around eight or nine, I was the perfect helper. I rolled the balls for the peanut butter cups, filled the molds with chocolate, dipped pretzels, mixed chocolate covered cherry filling, popped the candies out of the molds after they were frozen and set, whatever needed to be done. My mom made candy trays and gave them out throughout the holidays, but we still had more than enough left over to last us several months.

Our Christmas tradition was to eat candy and drink eggnog all morning while opening gifts. I know, my parents were absolutely crazy to give four kids a sugar high on the most excitable day of the year. Then we would go to my grandmother's house for big Christmas dinner. I'm surprised I never got sick or I didn't grow up obese. But for my parents, Christmas Day was a day to indulge, and that's what they did. My favorite thing about Christmas day was that it was a time set aside for family. We never went to church or visited friends. We spent the entire day together and we always had a good time.

My mom hasn't baked like that for years. And I haven't really either. If I ever have a decent sized kitchen I'd like to make candy again, in much smaller quantities. I might skip the chocolate covered cherries though. I really got sick of the filling over the years. It's so sugary sweet that just a little of it would make me feel ill. They were my mom's favorite though, so I never minded making them too much.

This year I made cookies to get back into the tradition a little. I decided on two recipes mentioned in my previous post - Pioneer Woman's molasses cookies and fudgy dark chocolate chip with raspberry filling cookies.

The first two batches of molasses cookies didn't turn out well. What I didn't realize is that I needed to add 3/4 cup of shortening instead of 1/2 cup. I don't know how I got the measurement wrong, but the cookies turned hard after a day. Unfortunately these were two batches that I gave to a couple of guys in the office who worked after hours for a project of mine. I'm sure they won't want my cookies again. :/

The third batch turned out wonderful, I think. The cookies spread further on the baking sheet and I didn't need to cook them as long. I haven't tried one yet because I'm afraid that I'll eat them all.

Then I moved on to the fudgy cookies. They were extremely simple, so simple I felt like I was cheating. But once the batter was mixed I knew they were exactly the type of cookie I wanted to go with the chocolate raspberry pieces I had. The batter was the perfect consistency.

Since I had some sugar left over from rolling the molasses cookies I rolled the fudgy cookies in the sugar before baking, just for a little extra touch of sweetness.

In the end, both batches look similar, although they're both very different cookies.

Sometimes with the Dreaded Oven I forget how much I enjoy cooking.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-24T09:36:00.000-06:00

I won't be around much the next couple of days, but I wanted to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Solstice, the Blessing of the Noodly Appendages, and goodwill in whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate this month.

A Week of Sun December 16 - 22, 2008

2008-12-23T20:46:00.000-06:00

With the solstice now in the past, the days are lengthening and I should catch more sunsets.

Original Source

Off to bake more cookies!

Flower Smeller Award

2008-12-23T12:34:00.004-06:00

Paul, over at Cafe Philos has bestowed upon me the Flower Smeller Award. I'm a bit dubious about it all. I wonder just how well Paul knows me. Me, the constant worrier, who has angst over the smallest choices, always looking forwards and backwards.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic... I certainly do strive to enjoy the moment, especially when I find myself fantasizing about changing past events. And I have learned that it's better to let things go than hold onto them. My rather lame motto is, "I'll do better next time," because I think they only positive thing that I can gain from past experiences, other than good memories, is a little more experience in the world and drive to handle tricky situations with more grace next time around.

And now, curse you Paul for making me pick more people to bestow this award on. I'm beginning to feel a bit like I'm perpetuating a chain letter, albeit a very nice chain letter without the crappy superstitious message.

I select PBS because she always finds a way to be thankful in the worst of situations, Venjanz because I really think it'd be interesting to read his post on this, and Vistaluna because he's one of the most fantastic, humble, intelligent, caring friends I have.

And now that my good deed for the day is done I'm off to eat babies, or whatever else atheists do during Christmas.

P.S. I'm still editing pictures. My weekly sun post should be out sometime this evening. For some reason I thought I needed a nap last night and never got around to getting back up.

Holiday Preparation

2008-12-22T18:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas preparations are almost complete, but I still have cookies to bake and a couple of grocery store runs to complete. I was planning on making more of Pioneer Woman's molasses cookies and somehow making them a little more moist this time so they don't overcook. Last time I think they got to hard after a day. My oven overheats. I still cook everything at 100 degrees below what the recipe calls for.

I also picked up dark chocolate chips with raspberry filling and decided to find a nice chocolate fudgey cookie recipe to go along with them. The Joy of Cooking had a nice one, but it's too fancy (read that as too complicated for me to want to make them in a rush). So instead I'm making these. Mmm... cookies made with cake batter.

I have an abysmally small kitchen. There's about three feet of counter space and a small strip in front of the microwave. When I cook I use all available space including the sink and the stove top. It's the only thing that makes cooking a chore. I can't wait to have a house again and a real kitchen.

Sunday Reader December 21, 2008

2008-12-21T16:06:00.022-06:00

Astronomy
Zodiacal Light Over New Mexico

Orion Dawn Over Mount Nemrut

Games
Pennsylvania Task Force Says NO to Video Game Legislation
There is good news out of Pennsylvania today, as the commonwealth will apparently not pursue video game legislation.

A working group assigned by the Pennsylvania legislature to study the video game violence issue has strongly recommended that no laws regarding video game content should be enacted.

LittleBigPlanet used to create 36-cell computer, game of life
"Some guys put together a 36-cell simulation of Conway's Game of Life inside a LittleBigPlanet level, and it's absolutely amazing," Nina wrote us. "If you actually go through and play the level, they provide you with all of the components—logic gates, their computer clock and edge detector, a multiplexer, etc—to build your own mechanical computer. "

Government
Rule Shields Health Workers Who Withhold Care Based on Beliefs
The far-reaching regulation cuts off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, health plan, clinic or other entity that does not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other employees who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable. It was sought by conservative groups, abortion opponents and others to safeguard workers from being fired, disciplined or penalized in other ways.

Airborne agrees to pay $7M in multistate settlement
The maker of Airborne dietary supplements has agreed to pay $7 million to settle allegations by 32 states and the District of Columbia that it made false claims about the benefits of its products. While the company admitted no wrongdoing, under the settlement, Airborne Health Inc. will discontinue any claims about the "health benefit, performance, efficacy or safety" of its supplements in preventing and treating colds and other ailments.

Humor
Typo In Proposition 8 Defines Marriage As Between 'One Man And One Wolfman'
"The people of California made their voices heard today, and reaffirmed our age-old belief that the only union sanctioned in God's eyes is the union between a man and another man possessed by an ungodly lupine curse," state Sen. Tim McClintock said at a hastily organized rally celebrating passage of the new law.

If programming languages were religions...
Java would be Fundamentalist Christianity - it's theoretically based on C, but it voids so many of the old laws that it doesn't feel like the original at all. Instead, it adds its own set of rigid rules, which its followers believe to be far superior to the original. Not only are they certain that it's the best language in the world, but they're willing to burn those who disagree at the stake.

Photography
A Sun Pillar Over North Carolina

Religion
On Inerrancy
So, did God not want to communicate his message more clearly? Or did he want to, but lacked the ability to do so? Either option poses a serious challenge to belief in a benevolent, all-wise deity. Why would God even write a book - a single book, one whose origins lie in a long-ago time and a very different culture, one that is prone to mistranslation, misinterpretation and deliberate alteration? Why grant some people special access to his word, and convey the message in such a flawed and imprecise format? Why not just speak to all of us directly, impress his message on everyone's heart?

Science
Why Life Originated (And Why it Continues)
In a recent study called “Why did life emerge?”, two scientists, son and father Arto Annila of the University of Helsinki and Erkki Annila of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, offer some insight into the general driving force of life’s origins in terms of thermodynamics. As they explain, all organisms are composed of molecules that assemble together via numerous chemical reactions. Just as heat flows from hot to cold, these molecules obey the universal tendency to diminish energy differences, so that the most likely chemical reactions are those in which energy flows “downhill” toward a stationary state, or chemical equilibrium.

Sociology
Rom-coms 'spoil your love life'
"We now have some emerging evidence that suggests popular media play a role in perpetuating these ideas in people's minds.

"The problem is that while most of us know that the idea of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, some of us are still more influenced by media portrayals than we realise."

A Week of Sun December 9 - 15, 2008

2008-12-16T06:32:00.007-06:00

I finally took some time to remove the power lines from a couple of photos (see the orignals below for pictures #7 & #8). Both have gone through some additional processing on Flickr as well, so they may look a little different than in original image. #3 is my favorite this week. I like #10 too.

Original Source

Monday Photography

2008-12-15T06:32:00.003-06:00

More pictures of the floppy dogs to brighten your Monday.

They look like they want to take a nap, and so do I.

This Week's Reader December 14, 2008

2008-12-14T10:35:00.013-06:00

Astronomy
A Halo Around the Moon

Lick Observatory Moonrise

Civil Rights
Assisted Suicide
The film follows Craig Ewert, a 59 year old British professor who suffered from motor neurone disease (MND), a disease that attacks the neurons and cripples the person, causing them to have to live on a ventilator. Mr. Ewert decided to travel to a Swiss facility in order to take a lethal cocktail to end his life, after making peace with his family, and he allowed the process to be filmed for this broadcast. It is a crime to assist a suicide in the UK, which necessitated the trip to Switzerland.

Celebrate, Respect Human Rights
On Dec. 10, 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — a far-reaching, “living” document that applies to all people of the world. Today, the UN and nations around the world are celebrating the declaration’s 60th anniversary, while also acknowledging that a lot of work still needs to be done to protect and further human rights.

Jon Stewart smacks down Mike Huckabee on gay marriage
..."I'll tell you this: Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality. And the protections that we have for religion? We protect religion -- and talk about a lifestyle choice -- that is absolutely a choice. Gay people don't choose to be gay. At what age did you choose not to be gay?"

Games
Torture in video-games -- a moral dilemma
Games writer and MUD inventor Richard Bartle was startled to discover that a new World of Warcraft mission includes the option of torturing a captive for information, using "some kind of cow poke." When he wrote critically about this, he was deluged with Warcraft-lovers who wanted him to, you know, chill out, it's only a game, you know. His thoughtful response raises a lot of difficult and meaty questions about fantasy play.

Editorial: FCC Commisioner wants DRM, ISP filtering, new job
Five commissioners head the Federal Communications Commission. Most of its decisions remain arcane and of interest only to specialists, but this year alone, the Commission has taken assertive steps against certain P2P throttling techniques and in favor of white space devices in high-profile cases have a direct impact on your end-user Internet experience. So, when one of the five commissioners gives a speech (PDF) in which DRM is praised as "very effective," ISP filtering is portrayed as a Great Leap Forward, and a government partnership with the RIAA to "educate" schoolkids is promoted, it matters. Fortunately, however, it won't matter for too much longer.

International
Fighting for peace
Myself, I've always been conflicted about military service. Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, one of the many 'rules' was NO MILITARY SERVICE. If you joined the military, you were turning you back on "God" and putting your faith in 'Man'. No matter what country you were in. They were really big on the whole "you'll find Catholics killing Catholics and Protestants killing Protestants, but you'll never hear of JWs killing JWs"! I've always had a strong respect for those that choose to fight for the freedoms I enjoyed. I was hyper-aware, you might say, because I wasn't allowed that choice.

Language
Well, I Swear!
I’ve wavered back and forth on the subject of swearing over the years. They’re only words, a fact I boldly, tediously proclaimed in my supposedly transgressive youth and sometimes need to remind myself now in middle age. I swear less than I used to. Not as little as my wife would prefer, of course, but still, like so many other youthful passions, less than in my salad days. I was admonished as a child that the use of profanity bespoke an impoverished vocabulary, a claim I knew to be false at the time. My vocabulary in school exceeded that of some of my teachers – yes, that sounds like terrible braggadocio, but it’s sadly true. Even then I knew that cursing, properly used, added power to one’s expressive range.

Religion
A Glimpse of the Garden
But despite its superficial advantage in motivating the flock, belief in hellfire more than loses out due to its horrendously evil implications. Carlton Pearson has glimpsed a better way - rejecting the moral absurdity of a God who permits innocent humans to suffer indescribably, then casts them into eternal damnation. He ought to take the next step and ask himself: why believe in a God that permits people, like those people in Rwanda, to suffer so terribly even during this life?

Sexuality
Chicks Drink. Blame Feminism.
The one thing Morris does almost get right is the role that sex plays in all of this. This will come as a shock to pearl-clutching journalists, but most women like sex. But despite all the other panicky articles about “hook-up culture” and how slutty chicks are these days, women are still judged more harshly than men for having multiple partners or short-term sexual affairs. So I suspect there are, in fact, a decent number of women who drink specifically to lower their inhibitions, and let themselves enjoy sex with a non-boyfriend.

Which Enemy of the Christian Faith Are You?

2008-12-11T05:59:00.000-06:00

I did this with my tongue firmly in cheek. I don't really consider myself anyone's enemy. Too bad I got the boring result.

You can take the test yourself here.

(via Mike)

Happy Meme

2008-12-10T06:43:00.000-06:00

Sean has tagged me with this Meme:

What makes you happy?

The rules are simple:

* List ten things you're happy about or thankful for.
* Tag ten people who you're happy to call friend at the end of the meme.

(10 people!?!)

1. I'm thankful for my in-laws. They're a great and I'm glad I didn't marry into a dysfunctional, crazy family.

2. I'm happy that I seem to be getting better at photography. There's still plenty of room to improve, but I'm enjoying the process.

3. I'm happy that all of my family members are all relatively healthy and happy.

4. I'm happy that it's Christmas-time and I get to plot and scheme and try to surprise a few people.

5. I'm happy that my hairdresser didn't shave my head when she butchered my hair this time.. I think?

6. I'm thankful that I've had a life filled with opportunities and that even when times were hard I always made it through, never had to starve or go without most necessities.

7. I'm happy it snowed yesterday and everyone in the office was talking about it.

8. I'm thankful for all of my friends that have been there for me over the years offering advice or just to listen.

9. Books. More specifically well-written, interesting books make me happy.

10. I'm happy that today is my fourth anniversary and that we've made it four years without falling out of love with each other. Sometimes we take a step back in the evolution, but we're continuing to adapt to each other and become better partners for each other.

I tag
Chappy
CL Hanson
Janet
Mamacita Chilena
Paul
PBS
Sylvene
Toniya
Vistaluna
and anyone else who reads this

Are American Elections Democratic Enough?

2008-12-09T17:55:00.000-06:00

I recently finished listening to this podcast from the National Constitution Center and it had a lot of new ideas. I wasn't really aware of a lot of the rules surrounding the election process, so it was enlightening in the least.

If you have some time, give it a listen. Right click on the Original audio source link and select save as to download it to an mp3 player.

Original audio source

A Week of Sun December 2 - 8, 2008

2008-12-09T06:08:00.001-06:00

Original Source

Carnivals

2008-12-08T22:53:00.003-06:00

The 29th Humanist Symposium is up at a Nadder and my article on gay marriage and adoption was included. Michael wrote this edition in haiku format.

Also, Chappy at An Apostate's Chapel is currently hosting the Carnival of the Godless Holiday Feast Edition.

This Week's Reader December 7, 2008: Double Your Reading Edition

2008-12-07T08:43:00.016-06:00

Astronomy
From Moonrise to Sunset
In this panorama of Earth and sky recorded on Thursday, November 13, the Full Moon rises along the eastern horizon at the far left. Of course, the Full Moon rises at sunset and that Thursday's setting Sun was also captured at the far right. In between, 17 digital images are stitched together to follow the horizon to the south in a lovely twilight portrait of the city of Lisbon, Portugal. The serene view takes in part of the longest bridge in Europe, the Vasco da Gama bridge, beneath the rising Moon and ends at the mouth of the Tagus River looking west toward the sunset and the Atlantic Ocean. The photographer's vantage point was Lisbon's 100 foot high Cristo Rei monument on the south bank of the Tagus, at the foot of the port city's other famous bridge, the Ponte 25 de Abril.

Chilean Skyscape

A Happy Sky Over Los Angeles

Venus in the Moon

Smile in the Sky

Atheism
Here We Go Again
“City leaders have demonstrated their clear bias towards protecting and providing special privileges to their favored religious beliefs, in clear violation of the California and United States Constitutions. I would like to think that few Christians are so insecure in their faith as to support this action.”

Why I am no longer a Christian – Part 1
I was taught that God loved me so much that he let his son be killed for me. Yet, I knew that if I were to love someone, I would not create them with built-in conflict that guaranteed unhappiness on some level. If I were to give into my sexual urges, I would be sexually happy but spiritually distraught. If I were not to give into my sexual urges, I would be spiritually happy but sexually frustrated. I saw animals (who I believed God also created) roaming free with a single purpose in mind—to fulfill their nature. They were not conflicted to behave against their nature. Indeed, it would have felt cruel for me to deny any animal its natural needs—and yet I was to believe that God’s denial of my natural needs was out of love.

Christianity offers an explanation for this—that my nature was sinful, and that I differ from the animals because I have a soul. I was told not to question God’s ways, because “there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.” I was also told to “lean not unto my own understanding.” I was told to just trust The Lord. My nature was evil, and The Lord had created a way to redeem my nature. The entire theory of salvation became extremely convoluted, with little branches and secret compartments to explain away all the various lapses in logic.

Civil Rights
Why churches fear gay marriage
The possibility that a whole new generation of American males is being raised by women without men is very challenging for the churches. I think they want to reassert some sort of male authority over the order of things. I think the pro-Proposition 8 movement was really galvanized by an insecurity that churches are feeling now with the rise of women.

Monotheistic religions feel threatened by the rise of feminism and the insistence, in many communities, that women take a bigger role in the church. At the same time that women are claiming more responsibility for their religious life, they are also moving out of traditional roles as wife and mother. This is why abortion is so threatening to many religious people -- it represents some rejection of the traditional role of mother.

Gay Adoption: The Real Agenda
Consider the implications of the policy in this case. It would mean removing the children from the home in which they have been raised -- "one of the most caring and nurturing placements" the guardian has ever seen. It would mean putting them through the trauma, once again, of being uprooted and placed with complete strangers. And because of the difficulty of placing kids their age, the CFCE said, it could mean the brothers would be permanently separated from each other.

And for what? Solely to shield them from the supposed perils of gay parents. Gays are treated as more dangerous than felons, drug offenders and known child abusers -- none of whom is categorically barred from adopting.

Games
UFC to fighters: appear in videogames or you don't fight
Sports-themed video games are huge moneymakers for publishers, but using the likeness of a professional athlete in these games is proving to be an increasingly contentious undertaking. The upcoming UFC Undisputed 2009 serves as the most recent example of this, as reports surfaced yesterday that popular fighters Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck were on the outs with the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. The reason? They were being asked to sign away their likeness rights for life. For Fitch, the disagreement has become so intense that he had already been cut by the company.

Moral money managers now slamming games for GLBT content
With the holiday season upon us, shoppers are kicking their spending into high gear, and these consumers often consult gift guides for advice on what to buy. A popular choice? Creating lists that advise parents on what to NOT buy their kids. In the video game industry, we've all gotten used to seeing such lists surface around this time of the year; this week, we were treated to such an item by The Timothy Plan, a group that manages money based on Judeo-Christian principles. While profanity and violence were on the list, the group's attitudes toward homosexuality are what raised the most attention.

Government
Atheist group sues state Homeland Security department
Edwin Kagin, a Boone County lawyer and the national legal director of American Atheists, said he was appalled to read in the Herald-Leader last week that state law establishes praising God – and installing a plaque in God’s honor – as the first duty of the Homeland Security Office.

International
The aftermath of the Mumbai attack
They say it’s over but how do we, the common citizens cope with this? It’s going to take some time for life to get back to normal and I am not sure that I want it get back to normal. We are a nation in mourning and will be for some time. I was not anywhere near the death and destruction, although a person I know was trapped in there the whole night. He got away unscathed but many didn’t. Images flash before my eyes. 60 innocents, men, women, and children, shot on v.t station as they alighted from trains. 17 men and women lined up in a hotel corridor and shot to death mercilessly. The Israeli rabbi and his wife tortured to death on wednesday night. Brave firemen rescuing people trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel rooms even as the battle raged on, unmindful of the bullets. A police jeep ambushed, killing three brave men. Hotel staff maintaining their calm and helping guests out of the hotel, risking their own lives. People huddled in their rooms, frightened to death. Terrorists shooting civilians on sight, killing hundreds. Two killers cornered at Girgaum chowpatty by policemen. NSG commandos storming the hotel and Nariman House…

Law
The Lil’ Hos Go Down
Knowing my utter loathing for the whorelicious line of dolls known as Bratz, the entire concept of which seems to be to show little girls just how good life will be if only they will turn themselves into vapid pre-teen mall sluts, several people have forwarded me stories of how a judge has ordered Bratz dolls — all of them — off the shelf after the company that made them lost a copyright suit to Mattel, maker of Barbie. Their expectation is that I would be greeting this news with something close to joy.

Movies
Why “Twilight” is hurting America
This movie makes me sad at so many levels. But most of all, it makes me sad that thousands of teenage girls, including my niece, think this is one of the greatest movies ever. That this is how love is supposed to be. That it’s romantic to subsume your entire being for a boy with a spiky haircut and awesome abs. And that the only way to attract said man is to look a certain way. Edward never fell in love with Bella’s mind, her kindness or her wit. He noticed her because of how she looked and, moreso, how she smelled.

Religion
Hitler And Stalin Again
The point that struck me was that contrary to the usual Christian blather about how horrible atheists have been in the 20th century, it is the religion of Christianity, specifically that of the Inquisition, that compares more favorably to Nazism and Stalinism, than anything even remotely atheistic. The Inquisitorial Toolbox, as Kirsch refer to it, was left open and used repeatedly by the Nazis and the Stalinist Russians, and not because they were atheists, but because they were dogmatists whose primary directive was mind control of the population, not conversion to atheism.

Sexuality
Why Bother to Promote A Healthy Attitude Towards Nudity?
On the other hand, there are at least two, broad reasons for somewhat caring how nudity is viewed (shameless pun intended). First, the notion that nudity is scandalous, immoral, and even dangerous contributes to all sorts of socio-political absurdities. Janet Jackson once exposed her nipple for less than two seconds on national television and caused a controversy lasting several days that at its peak swept aside major news stories. A school teacher was reprimanded then fired for taking her children to a museum that displayed nude sculptures. A grandmother was prosecuted for photographing her two partly-clothed granddaughters bouncing on her bed. Here in Colorado Springs, a woman threatened to sue a drug store for “trauma” after she accidentally received images of a nude man from the store’s photo lab. And a man in another state was once convicted of sex offender charges for walking about nude in his own home without closing his drapes. All of these examples and others point to some of the consequences of our accepted, but ridiculous attitude towards nudity.

Amapalooza

2008-12-04T07:04:00.001-06:00

Just doing my part to stimulate the economy...

Actually these were mostly a result of Amazon's Cyber Monday specials. We might have a few more showing up tomorrow, but our Christmas shopping is almost done with hardly hitting a physical store.

Winter Sucks!

2008-12-03T05:46:00.001-06:00

I made a pledge to stop being so negative after ranting about work for the past two weeks on Twitter, but I have to say it. Winter sucks.

Normally I like winter, or at least, in the dog days of winter (February), I tolerate it. The cold has never really bothered me unless it's really cold. And really cold for me, for those of you in Canada, is below freezing for weeks at a time. Okay, so that's not really cold, but it's cold enough. Even when it was too cold outside to really feel comfortable I could always curl up on the couch with a blanket and a book and be fine.

I even tried to talk Matt into moving further North a few times. I may not enjoy winter, but I absolutely hate summer. Early summer is all right. Once it gets above a reasonable temperature, which is not far above standard room temperature, I'm miserable. I've never been able to take the heat very well. I blame it on growing up with air conditioning.

But this year winter hit me suddenly. I'm freezing my fucking feet off and it's not even really cold yet. I don't know if it's getting sick right as the weather is changing or not pulling out my winter wardrobe quickly enough, but it's chilling me to the bone. I dread going outside to take pictures. Last year I was content to throw a robe over my PJs and run outside barefoot. This year I'm still shivering with a coat, gloves, scarf, and boots.

Hopefully I'll adjust, but it sucks to be longing for Spring before Thanksgiving is even over.

A Week of Sun November 25 - December 1, 2008

2008-12-02T06:00:00.002-06:00

There wasn't much sun this week and I didn't look for photos very often since I was sick, but I think this set captures the feeling of the weekend very well.

Original Source

Reading List for November

2008-12-01T21:55:00.003-06:00

I admit it. I didn't finish The Canon. I just didn't like Angier's writing style. She skipped all over the place in a manner I found frantic. I'm happy that she's enthusiastic about science, but I couldn't get a coherent story from her without jumping around through three or four at the same time. I found myself skipping pages, then chapters, and finally putting the book down for good.

I also skipped the last story in Fisherman. I enjoyed the stories, but when she got into the Hanish, I lost interest. I haven't read any of her Hanish novels and the story just didn't grab me. After slogging my way through the second-to-last short story, I stopped once I realized the last story would be more of the same. I don't know if I should consider the book completed, but I finish the rest of the stories, so I'm claiming it anyway.

Despite that, I'm looking forward to Wave, a collection of essays, and I can't wait to start on The Universe, a similar book to The Planets, which I read earlier in the year. It's a collection of essays on astronomy mixed with science fiction short stories.

Read in November
Ultimate Guide to Digital Photography 2nd Edition - David Fearon
A Fisherman of the Inland Sea - Ursula K LeGuin
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Currently Reading
The Wave in the Mind - Ursula K LeGuin

Coming Up Next
The Universe - Byron Preiss (Editor)

Mmmm.. Babies

2008-12-01T05:25:00.000-06:00

More proof that atheists eat babies.

My Dogs Ate My Reader

2008-11-30T09:54:00.006-06:00

No reader today. I'll combine the reader items I have tagged from this week with next week.

I'm still sick. I feel, well, disgusting. I won't even go into it.

It's snowing. It's been snowing since last night and I can't even get excited about it.

Here are a couple of pictures of the floppy dogs from Thanksgiving to tide you over.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T12:04:00.003-06:00

The turkey is wrapped and ready to go. The potatoes are mashed. The stuffing is baked (though not browned yet), the casseroles are done, and the wine is spiced. The gravy is in the crockpot getting thick and we're about to take off for Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful though for my family, my in-laws, and my husband. I'm thankful that during this time when people are worried about the future, we still have plenty. I'm thankful for good friends and good food. The only thing I'm not thankful about is that somehow yesterday I developed a cold.

I hope you all have a great day, wherever you are, whether you're celebrating or not.

Six Things Meme

2008-11-26T12:13:00.002-06:00

Chappy has tagged me with the Six Things Meme.

These are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random, arbitrary things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

#1 & 2 are done. On to the rest.

1. I love making the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I've never had a turkey that's as good as a home-cooked turkey. You cannot get turkey that isn't processed unless you make it yourself, at least I've never found any. I only make it at Thanksgiving and occasionally Christmas because with two people in the house, there's too much to eat. So I prefer to make it and take it over to someone's place to share.

2. I still bite my fingernails. I've tried to stop for 20 years.

3. I don't have a favorite food or favorite color. In fact, I find it difficult to pick a favorite of anything. My tastes change too often.

4. I do have a favorite flower though, and it's stock.

5. I'm the youngest of four, by many years. I used to get picked on for being too young. Now I can pick on them for being old.

6. My university gave me foreign language credit for taking classes in programming languages. I took one year of Spanish in junior high school. I always wished I was more proficient in at least one more language, but I'm too lazy to do anything about it.

In accordance with rule 4, I am tagging the following people:

Killalla
Mamacita Chilena
Paul
Sean
Toniya
Venjanz

Mechanically Inclined?

2008-11-25T14:01:00.003-06:00

I found this test on Toniya's blog. I am also not convinced, but it's kind of fun. What does it say about your blog?

A Week of Sun November 18 - 23, 2008

2008-11-25T06:16:00.002-06:00

I wasn't very happy with the way most of the photos turned out this week, but some of them aren't too bad. #3, 5, and 9 are my favorites.

Original Source

Anniversaries

2008-11-24T17:01:00.001-06:00

Last Tuesday was an anniversary for my husband and I. It was the date four years ago when he proposed to me. It's also the birthday of one of my best friends, which is why I actually remember the date.

Another friend also reminded me this year that it was also the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown deaths. Thanks, dude. Way to go ruining one of my favorite days of the year.

I'm old enough to remember Jonestown. I was pretty young when it happened, but I know it was a big blow to the religious community my family belonged to. Although Jim Jones had been completely discredited by the time of the deaths, his movement, always viewed as somewhat eccentric, was seen in a good light by the charismatics. Here was a man who was making things happen in the name of God.

And even now, watching the documentary there are many positive things that he and his followers did. I find it sad that a movement, which could have been positive and peaceful, ended up being such a tragedy.

It was earlier in 1978 that my parents moved to North Carolina to join the movement of another Jim. Fortunately Jim Bakker never called on his followers to give up their lives. I never thought of PTL as a cult, but as I was watching the video of Jonestown I noticed many parallels between the two movements. Both men exhibited an extreme paranoia of the government and an ego maniacal sense of godhood. Both wanted to build an empire.

But for all I reject the teachings of the community, PTL was still a positive experience for me. People worked hard, often many hours without sleeping to make sure everything was perfect for Jim. Yet, for the most part we were happy. We were a community pursuing the same purpose. Parents felt safe about having their children there.

I think that there must have been an underlying sense that something wasn't quite right. How many people really questioned what we were doing? I know my mother had questions, but we stayed in the community. We continued as if nothing would ever change.

How many people at Jonestown felt the same way?

I guess I'll never know how far I would have gone in the name of religion. My gut reaction is that I would have never gone so far as to harm myself or my friends or family. But what makes a community turn from productive and happy to paranoid and deadly?

Quiz: What Kind of Girl Am I?

2008-11-24T13:56:00.002-06:00

You are a Career Girl!

You may not be a CEO yet, but you're well on your way to success. You take your career seriously, and you wouldn't stop working for any guy! An independent woman, you pay for your own car, clothes, and housing. And men appreciate that - at least, the ones as driven as you are.

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Yeah, I don't see it.

Danielle Steele? That's not real reading.

(via The Greenbelt)

This Weeks Reader November 23, 2008

2008-11-23T06:32:00.012-06:00

Astronomy
Anticrepuscular Rays Over Colorado

Civil Rights
Conservative, Strict-Constructionist Judiciary
Even though the courts may issues rulings with which I do not agree, I am pleased that our judicial system recognizes that society progresses and evolves and that laws need to be understood afresh within that changing context. Though we hold our Founding Fathers in respect, a dynamic view of the judiciary recognizes that their views and writings are not divine writ. They may have been insightful, but they did not envision our contemporary society with its plethora of issues, nor are their views without flaws that subsequent generations have had to address. They themselves understood this, which is why they build an amendment process into the Constitution. I am pleased with a dynamic posture of the judiciary, for a fixed view of the Constitution and Bill of Rights is not justice. A static posture is blind legalism which, as the decades pass, creates an unjust judicial system that lacks wisdom and fairness.

Games
Spore designer promotes used games, doesn't mention EA's DRM
I had a remarkably similar reaction to reading this article about why used game sales are a good thing on Soren Johnson's Game Design Journal. He makes many good points: GameStop is a part of this industry, and having specialty game retailers is a good thing, more people buying games means more people are playing games, and people who buy used games may buy new games in the future. Good man, these are things I like to hear from the industry; if you buy a new game you should be able to sell it, and if someone wants to put a game on eBay or sell it to GameStop they should have that power. You're preaching to the choir, and it's good to see someone in the industry stand up for consumers. Who is this Soren Johnson guy, anyway?

Yeah, he works for EA Maxis. He was a designer/programmer on Spore.

'Playing Gods' satirizes religious violence
A typical steely grey wrath card would "Bring down the Darkness: Kill two sects," while a sunny yellow conversion card recalls Elijah's showdown with a priest of Baal in the Bible (1 Kings 18:38). "Another god's follower challenges you to prove you exist; you fry him with lightening in front of a crowd. Gain one sect."

Politics
Is It Historic Because He’s Black?
I asked my mom about this.

“What’s so historical about electing Barack Obama President of the United States?”

In a hushed voice, she answered, “Don’t you know he’s black?”

“Yes, Mom. I know he’s black. That doesn’t answer the question.”

Or does it?

Obama Isn't a Citizen!
So here's the deal, you pus-brained paranoiacs: You are the true enemies of America. This country is founded on democracy and the rule of law. You are undermining both of those right now, and that makes you an enemy of my country. That makes you my sworn enemy as well, because I have in fact taken an oath to defend my country and its Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I for one am sick of your bullshit, and especially your pretense at being "real America" while you relentlessly attack our Constitution's guarantees of freedom, equality, democracy, and the rule of law. So please shut the fuck up right now. About 7 years ago I demanded my money back from a benefit concert I went to because the person in charge felt the need to announce that "George Bush is not my president." I hated it when liberals did it, and I hate it just as much when you conservatives do it. Whether that person liked it or not, Bush was her president. And whether you like it or not, Obama is going to be your president. So shut up, grow up, and deal with it like adults, not like the whiny little bitches we all know you conservatives really are.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Church - Still Screwing Up!
I personally have this to say to the Rev. Roy Bourgeois. I don’t believe in your god or your religion. But I do very much admire your courage to stand up for womens’ rights in this matter. Because as long as there is there is something in our society that men can do that women are not allowed to do, it diminishes us as a people.

is religious fervency hormonal?
When the service was over, I stopped in the ladies room before driving home and was glad that I had a tampon in my purse from last month. As I took the tampon out of the wrapper, it hit me. I was crying because I had PMS, not because God was speaking to me. Had this happened before? How many times? Had all of my spiritual awakenings been the result of hormone fluctuations? I didn’t want to think about it, but I couldn’t stop myself.

Same-Sex Marriage and Logical Fallacies

2008-11-19T17:57:00.006-06:00

Over at The Apostate's Chapel there's been a lively discussion over California's Proposition 8. Here are some of the arguments offered up by the opponents of same-sex marriage (these are actual quotes):

98% of the world’s population does not recognize same-gender marriage

The majority finds this lifestyle disgusting and we do not want to see it, much less issue special rights because of it.

SSM supporters are out of step with fellow Americans.

SSM denies all children in those relationships the connection to one of their biological parents. Because of this, I remain unconvinced it is a step forward.

People who adopt are not responsible for the failure of the original family. Same sex couples intentionally deny a child one of their biological parents.

Right, so lets address these points. Whether or not most of the world recognizes same-sex marriage is not a valid argument. If 98% of the world thought men were not competent to run their own affairs and needed a guardian, would that not still be a violation of rights? Stick any argument in place of the group in question and the argument stays the same. This is also called argumentum ad populum or appeal to the majority.

Whether or not most people find same-sex marriage disgusting is also not a valid argument. Many people found interracial marriages disgusting. It was only through granting those rights that people came to see that there was nothing unnatural about a relationship between two people of a different race. This is not only argumentum ad populum, but outright bigotry.

Whether or not supporters of same-sex marriage are in the majority of American people is also not a valid argument. While, in many things we live by majority rule, the US Constitution (specifically the Bill of Rights) is in place to guarantee that individual freedoms are not impinged upon. Minority groups should not be oppressed or discriminated against just because the majority of Americans don't like them or don't want to be icked out or don't want to give up their own privilege. It's also, once again, argumentum ad populum.

Same sex couples do not deny children their biological parents any more than opposite-sex parents. This is a perfect solution fallacy and a guilt by association fallacy based on an appeal to emotion. It's also missing the point that we don't deny marriage to couples of the opposite-sex because they also adopt, use artificial insemination, use sperm banks, and use surrogate mothers. If those practices are wrong, then they should be protested and changed. But I don't see same-sex marriage opponents calling for the end of any of these practices.

It's also one of my pet peeves. "Do it for the chiiildren," they yell. Yes, let me tell you about the children.

I know a couple that could not have children naturally. They applied for and were approved to be adoptive parents after going through a rigorous set of classes, tests, and inspections. They agreed to be foster parents so that they wouldn't have to wait as long on the adoption process. They requested two children, preferably siblings and preferably a boy and a girl.

Within weeks they received a call that three siblings were in need of a home and asked whether they would consider adopting all three children. The children came from an abusive home and were removed from their father and mother for their safety. The couple agreed. They took the children in as foster children while the state worked to place the children with any remaining living relative. As it turns out, none of the relatives wanted to raise the children and the couple was given permission to adopt the children.

After a year of monitoring the children in the couple's home, the adoption was finally approved and these children were recognized as their children by the state.

What do you think of this couple? Do you honor their altruism or do you find them repugnant for denying these children a home with their natural parents? Would your opinion change if the couple was in a same-sex relationship instead of an opposite-sex relationship? If so, why? If you again say it's for the children I ask you for evidence that this family is not loving and supportive and that the children will not have a better life with this couple. Evidence to-date supports same-sex families as healthy.

If you find yourself cringing inside at the thought of having same-sex couples marry, perhaps you should question your motives. Are they based on sound arguments and science or are they based on personal beliefs and biases? And ask yourself, do you want your own life ruled by someone else's personal biases or do you want them to give you the same freedoms they enjoy?

After all, look what will happen if gay marriages are made legal in the United States:

Update: Adding a link from Toniya about traditional marriage.

Name Quiz

2008-11-19T06:48:00.000-06:00

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother/Sister Axe of Enlightened Forgiveness. What's yours?

(via The Greenbelt)

A Week of Sun November 11 - 17, 2008

2008-11-18T05:08:00.005-06:00

I was a little bummed that all of the leaves are brown now and falling off the trees. But with the leaves mostly gone I can see the amazing shapes in the branches of the trees. Especially in silhouette, they're striking.

I'm experimenting with new places. The gray days have caused me to experiment with other kinds of shots. I still miss shots because the sun sets so fast now. I found an incredible new location for sunsets not far from work, so hopefully I can catch a few beautiful sunsets in the next couple of weeks.

I also learned that it's not a good idea to run out into a corn field after the rain in heels. It's a good way to ruin a brand new pair of shoes. Note to self: Keep a pair of old tennis shoes in the trunk.

Original Source