One of the Greats

A moving tribute to one of the greatest stars of our generation, Jean-Claude Van Damme.

To celebrate the occasion of his 47th birthday, I sat down with five of his movies I'd never seen, looking forward to a long evening of maximum Van Dammage. It turns out that I'd seen them all. Three of them I'd seen twice. And that's the magic of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Whether he's playing a character named Chance Boudreux, Jack Robideaux, Edward Garrotte, William Guile, Phillip Sauvage, or Gibson Rickenbacker, he's always the same. Some action heroes need a gimmick to stand out. They need quips, a catchphrase, a bullwhip, or a .44 Magnum, but not Jean-Claude. He doesn't stand out at all. He's like the wallpaper.

This is due to his natural limitations. His physical limitations he's overcome through hard work. Jean-Claude Van Damme started out in life as a baby, which was tremendously frustrating for him because babies are, by their very nature, skinny and weak. In adolescence, a thick pair of enormous glasses were added to the equation, and in photos of him at this age he looks like an annoyed duck. Finally, his dad couldn't take it anymore and enrolled him in karate classes. Jean-Claude trained fanatically, took up bodybuilding, and then, realizing that he would never be as big as the other karate students, he trumped them by becoming more flexible, and he took up ballet.

Read the whole thing. It will bring a tear to your eyes.

Cold Medicine Isn't For Kids

The FDA is now saying kids under 6 should not take any cold medicines.

"The data that we have now is they don't seem to work," said Sean Hennessy, a University of Pennsylvania epidemiologist, one of the FDA experts gathered to examine the medicines sold to treat common cold symptoms. The recommendation applies to medicines containing one or more of the following ingredients: decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines and antitussives.
...
Some of the drugs — which include Wyeth's Dimetapp and Robitussin, Johnson & Johnson's Pediacare and Novartis AG's Triaminic products — have never been tested in children, something flagged as long ago as 1972 by a previous FDA panel.

An FDA review found just 11 studies of children published over the last half-century. Those studies did not establish that the medicines worked in those cases, according to the agency.

For the most part, the results from tests in adults have been extrapolated to determine whether the medicines work in children. But even that evidence is "modest at best," said panel chairwoman Dr. Mary Tinetti of Yale University School of Medicine. Indeed, all but one of the 22 panelists then voted to say that extrapolation is unacceptable.

The speed at which people run to the cabinet for drugs for the slightest little thing is amazing to me. Whatever happened to staying home and getting some rest when you didn't feel good? We seem to have developed the notion that we should never have to face bad things so if we don't feel good, get doped up even if the evidence that the medicine does anything is shaky. Until a cure for the common cold is developed, I think people need to learn to live with the symptoms.

Secrets Are My Life

PostSecret

Car Shopping

I'm not sure which is more painful, shopping for a vehicle or the hokey-pokey room. I hate car shopping. Hate, hate, hate it. Car salesmen are pretty close in level to gas chamber attendants as far as I'm concerned. I was stalked around a lot by one salesperson while he talked on his cellphone. Another cornered me and went on and on about his company and their mission. When I found a car I was interested in, I had to sit around playing the back and forth game. "Okay, I'll take this offer back to my manager and see what he says." After about four times of that I got up and walked out when he went to talk to his manager. Then I had to deal with him calling me over and over and leaving multiple voicemails. "I don't know what happened, Shane, but call me." I never answered when he called and I certainly didn't return any of his calls.

Why does shopping for a car have to be such a pain in the ass? Car salesmen have to know most people think they are slimy spawns of Satan. I bet a lot of people, myself included, would pay more for a vehicle if they didn't have to deal with a salesperson. I'm going to have to find a private seller or else I'll never get another car out of sheer annoyance with the whole process.

Who Says Money Isn't Everything?

'Cause it is in poltics. Senator Rockefeller of West Virginia is pushing to give telecoms retroactive immunity for turning over their records to the government. He has also been receiving large amounts of money from them. Big surprise, eh?

American Monarchy?

Slate has a scary article about a Presidential directive to keep the country running in case of a disaster. It is called NSPD-51

I don't want to be alarmist, I have no evidence there's a coup brewing. But I think the American people and their congressional reps deserve some say in how they will be ruled when the ordinary rules go out the window in a national emergency. For one thing, what will happen to the Bill of Rights' guarantees of individual liberty and the courts that are supposed to enforce them?

If you ask me, setting aside any paranoid fantasies, it is clear on the most basic level—read it yourself—that NSPD-51 is the creation of irresponsible incompetents, bulls in the china shop of our constitutional framework. It is a recipe for disaster. For a catastrophe of governance that would match whatever physical catastrophe it followed and threaten the re-establishment of constitutional democracy. It would make the partisan warfare over the 2000 election in Florida seem like child's play. We might recover from a disaster but we might never recover from the "continuity coordination" that followed, "coordination" that could forever undermine any faith in the actual continuity of constitutional liberty in America since it would put it at the mercy of any president who wants to "coordinate continuity" rather than govern legally.

As the author states, it is obviously prudent to plan for disasters. However, the President needs to bring in Congress on this issue. The go-it-alone approach isn't going to cut it. We also need the media to be harping on this more. Aren't they supposed to be the fourth estate? And while Republicans seem to have mostly supported the Bush administration's push for more executive power, I can't see them being so happy about it when a Democrat is in office. I also can't imagine some Democrats (read: Hillary) willingly turning over any power that Bush has so kindly acquired for her.

No matter who is in the White House, this is a nightmare. America is not supposed to be a monarchy.

UPDATE: Fixed typos.

Birth Order

Once the domain of folk wisdom and old wives' tales, birth order is now being seriously studied by scientists.

The importance of birth order has been known—or at least suspected—for years. But increasingly, there's hard evidence of its impact. In June, for example, a group of Norwegian researchers released a study showing that firstborns are generally smarter than any siblings who come along later, enjoying on average a three-point IQ advantage over the next eldest—probably a result of the intellectual boost that comes from mentoring younger siblings and helping them in day-to-day tasks. The second child, in turn, is a point ahead of the third. While three points might not seem like much, the effect can be enormous. Just 2.3 IQ points can correlate to a 15-point difference in sat scores, which makes an even bigger difference when you're an Ivy League applicant with a 690 verbal score going head to head against someone with a 705. "In many families," says psychologist Frank Sulloway, a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and the man who has for decades been seen as the U.S.'s leading authority on birth order, "the firstborn is going to get into Harvard and the second-born isn't."

The differences don't stop there. Studies in the Philippines show that later-born siblings tend to be shorter and weigh less than earlier-borns. (Think the slight advantage the 6-ft. 5-in. [196 cm] Peyton Manning has over the 6-ft. 4-in. [193 cm] Eli doesn't help when he's trying to throw over the outstretched arms of a leaping lineman?) Younger siblings are less likely to be vaccinated than older ones, with last-borns getting immunized sometimes at only half the rate of firstborns. Eldest siblings are also disproportionately represented in high-paying professions. Younger siblings, by contrast, are looser cannons, less educated and less strapping, perhaps, but statistically likelier to live the exhilarating life of an artist or a comedian, an adventurer, entrepreneur, GI or firefighter. And middle children? Well, they can be a puzzle—even to researchers.

I think that as long as people remember that hard and fast rules are hard to come by in social sciences, studies like this are interesting and give parents something to think about when raising their children.

And for the record, I am a first-born. I guess that means I'm guaranteed brains, fame, and fortune.

Yeah, if only.

Not Just the White House

I've tried to make it clear before that it is not just the Bush administration that is signing off on torture. It is every member of Congress that has not stood up and made an effort to check the President's power (as our government is designed to work). People like Representative Rohrabacher of California who says that extraordinary rendition has saved "millions of American lives."

Even were it true, and none of the evidence I have read suggests it is, I would not support it. It's a slippery road when you say it is okay to hurt someone to save a few lives. How far do you go? Can you torture hundreds of people to save even more American lives? Can you kill people to save American lives? When does it stop?

If you haven't read it, I highly suggest reading the graphic novel Watchmen, which tackles in part the question of whether or not the ends justifies the means.

Religious Fact of the Day

Much of the tension between Jews and Muslims stems from the fact that Muslims have erected the al-Aqsa Mosque (the third holiest site in Islam) and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount where the Jewish Temple was before being destroyed (first by the Babylonians and then the Romans). Many Jews (and fundamentalist Christians) would like to build the Third Temple there.

Kirk Has Been Cast

J.J. Abrams has found his young Kirk for Star Trek XI. Chris Pine will attempt to fill the boots of William Shatner as the famous Captain. I have not seen him in anything, so I have no clue what he is like as an actor. I'm also disappointed that Matt Damon will not be taking the role. When rumors started swirling that he was up for it, I thought he would be an excellent choice.

I'm still very nervous about this movie. I don't think it will be a complete flop as Abrams is quite talented. Still, I don't want it to be just good. I want it to be awe-inspiring.

The English and Torture

One of Andrew Sullivan's readers writes to him with some background on torture in English history.

But the key to all this litany of pain is that the English stopped torturing, at least officially. The last torture warrant dates from 1642, just before the start of the Civil War. Several reasons have been advanced for the forgoing of torture as a tool of investigation or the discovery of evidence. But the two most pertinent were the recognition that information under torture was not reliable, and even more significant, that the English jury system allowed for juries to find fact, thus eliminating the need to have a confession to prove guilt. In other words: if you trust the rule of law, you don't need to act in ways that would make Jesus weep.

Andrew also addresses one of his critic's notions that his beliefs on torture are "subjective arguments."

My view of what torture is is grounded in the plain language of US law, in the plain English of what torture has always meant, and in the clear precedents of American legal and military judgment. It is based on the Geneva Conventions, American law, American history and the consensus of the entire civilized world for a very long time. And it is grounded in what conservatives themselves used to say about the subject - when waterboarding was used by the Khmer Rouge, when hypothermia, sleep deprivation and stress positions were used by the KGB and when the exact techniques used by Bush were deployed by the frigging Gestapo.

Sigh. How far we have fallen as a nation when we can have serious debates about torture instead being able to stand united in condemning someone who thought it was the proper course of conduct. Sadly, it doesn't seem Bush's latest pick for Attorney General is going to fix things. He won't say whether or not waterboarding and other specific techniques are actually torture or not.

Mirror, Mirror

A group of scientists at Oxford believe they have proved that parallel dimensions do exist.

Too bad Star Trek is way ahead of them:

Dammit! What a Bunch of Shit!

A certain level of cursing may be good for the workplace. I'm not sure how well this would fly at my job (a Catholic hospital), although one of my coworkers and I do swear a bit when no one else is around more as a joke than anything. And the security guards do their fair share of swearing. Aw, hell. Fuck it! I'm swearing as much as I damn well please at my job because it's just a bunch of bullshit anyway!

Healthcare Plans

Whether you agree or nor with increased government funding for health insurance (ala SCHIP) or full on socialized medicine, it can be all to easy for opponents (many Republicans) to fall victim to attacks such as this. I haven't heard any Republicans make any good arguments for keeping our current system. The only thing they seem able to say is "government just makes things worse" or "it takes away personal choice." These may be true, but Republicans need to be seen as something other than best friends with big corporations and rich people, not to mention better articulation why they feel healthcare should remain in the private sector.

Does Anyone Have High Standards Anymore?

So much for Mukasey being a check on presidential power.

Improv Everywhere

I saw a post about these guys, Improv Everywhere, and checked out their website. It's a group of people in New York City who get people together, sometimes dozens, to stage giant pranks. Their latest one was getting over one-hundred guys to shop at at an Abercrombie and Fitch store without their shirts on (all at the same time). They have also had dozens of people riding the subway sans pants, had lots of people dress in blue polos and khakis and invade a Best Buy, stationed a bathroom attendant McDonalds, and planted a "suicide jumper" on a four-foot high ledge." There are lots of others, too.

It makes for some hilarious reading. They have lots of pictures and videos of the events. The reactions of the bystanders are priceless. Maybe I should try to organize something like that around here....

Evolution and Moral Relativism

Steve Martin over at An Evangelical Dialogue on Evolution disputes the notion that belief in evolution leads to moral relativism. It is amazing to me how fearful people can be of science (not Steve, but people such as those who wrote the article Steve comments on).

Religious Fact of the Day

The oldest books in the New Testament are the authentic letters of Paul, the oldest of which, 1 Thessalonians, was written between 50 and 52 CE, twenty years of the death of Jesus.

Church Secrets

Slate takes a look at what is in the secret Vatican archives.

An AG Against Torture?

Mukasey seems to be saying all the right things when it comes to torture. It must be remembered, though, that Alberto Gonzales said the right things in his confirmation hearings, too, though. Mukasey doesn't seem like he will be a Bush toadie, but I'm withholding final judgment until I see what does as AG.

Who's Donating to Whom

A breakdown of candidate donations. Rich people are donating to Clinton. Not-so-rich people are donating to Obama. What does that say about each of them?

"No Pin" Gate

This is why I love Bill Maher. Though I disagree with some of his politics, few comedians have the irreverent sarcastic wit he does. Some things are just so stupid, condescending humor, not a calm and reasoned rebuttal is what is needed. We need people like Bill saying, "And they give cover to people like Sean Hannity, who reported on "no pin" gate and then had to call a doctor because his fake outrage hard-on lasted longer than 72 hours." I laughed my ass off when he said that on his show the other night. You should check it out if you haven't, though you need cable (it's on HBO). One of the few TV shows worth your while.

Can I Slam My Head Against the Wall Now?

I called a mechanic today about my car to see if I could get it in today. When I described what was going on he said he didn't need to see it. "Sounds like you blew a head gasket." He proceeded to tell me that it would cost about $1200 to fix.

So, I didn't bother taking the POS in because I'm not going to sink that much into a car that is 18 years old and has all ready cost me a ton of money and given me a mountain of grief. I really don't want to get into a loan for a car, but I don't see any other options at this point.

Only Tuesday?

I agree with the rest of the nation.

Ha Ha

A reader of Andrew Sullivan's blog compares Hillary Clinton to Galadriel. No, not the usually good, righteous elf, but the one that was tempted by the One Ring to become an all-powerful queen. That's one of the more humorous (and probably true) analogies I have heard for Clinton.

Religious Fact of the Day

Being that I am studying religion and want to teach, I thought it might be fun to have a religious fact of the day around here. Religious knowledge is seriously lacking in this country, so maybe some people can learn something and maybe it could spark some interesting discussions.

Note: I am not someone who believes the Bible is literally true and inerrant. That means you aren't going to see any facts like "God created the world in six, twenty-four hour days." That also doesn't mean that every fact is going to be completely indisputable. Even amongst secular researchers there is a wide variety of opinions on various topics.

If you want to discuss it further, please do so in the comments section or send me an email. Please, though, if you want to dispute a fact, offer up some evidence or a source for your counter-argument. And, no, "the Holy Spirit told me" is not evidence. Not unless you tell the Holy Spirit to come tell me the same thing.

Anyway, without further ado...

The Torah also known as the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) was compiled from oral stories and brief written accounts in the period after the destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. It was basically complete in the form we know today by 400 BCE.

Drug Use

An interesting article on Slate about prescription pill abuse.

That's because over the last two decades, the pharmaceutical industry has developed a full set of substitutes for just about every illegal narcotic we have. Avoiding the highly charged politics of "illegal" drugs, the pharmaceutical industry, doctors, and citizens have thus quietly created the means for Americans to get at substitutes for almost all the drugs banned in the 20th century. Through the magic of tolerated use, it's actually the other drug legalization movement, and it has been much more successful than the one you read about in the papers.

...

That's why drug legalization is happening in a wholly different way. Over the last two decades, the FDA has become increasingly open to drugs designed for the treatment of depression, pain, and anxiety—drugs that are, by their nature, likely to mimic the banned Schedule I narcotics. Part of this is the product of a well-documented relaxation of FDA practice that began under Clinton and has increased under Bush. But another part is the widespread public acceptance of the idea that the effects drug users have always been seeking in their illicit drugs—calmness, lack of pain, and bliss—are now "treatments" as opposed to recreation. We have reached a point at which it's commonly understood that when people snort cocaine because they're depressed or want to function better at work, that's drug trafficking; but taking antidepressants for similar purposes is practicing medicine.

Anymore it seems that the answer to any problem is medicine/drugs. When people get a cold, they drink cough syrup, snort decongestants, pop pain pills, and whatever else they think they need. It's a short jump from there to "I need a pick-me-up. How about some Ritalin?" Why do so many people feel they can't cope with their life without drugs, whether illegal or not?

Father Issues

PostSecret

Awesomely Bad Video

This lady must be competing for some sort of anti-talent show.





The Emperor feels a disturbance in the force.

What Kind of Reader Are You?

One of those silly online quizzes. I am...

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Try it yourself here.

UPDATE: Obviously their html doesn't work too well. You are ranked in each of the categories listed above. While the percentages aren't visible, they are listed from highest to lowest, so my highest category was "Obsessive/Compulsive Bookworm." Sounds about right.

Interrogations

A former Army interrogator writes about some of his experiences including the slippery slope to torture and the need to understand our enemy rather than simply demonizing them.

Nearly six years after the 9/11 attacks, we've succeeded in killing a lot of people. We've invaded two countries, captured thousands of terrorists, and set up new, democratic-style governments in place of the dictatorships we ousted. It has been an incredibly therapeutic six years -- at least it felt good at the beginning -- but it hasn't been effective at stopping or even slowing terrorism.

The people who decide our counterterrorism strategy are far better informed than I, but I suspect that, when we are successful, it will be because we recognize our enemies as human and develop plans that recognize their humanity. We need to be tough, and we shouldn't back down from a fight, but we also need to learn that empathy can be as powerful a weapon as missiles.

I wish more of our leaders in the White House, Congress and the Courts would think like this. And act on it.

Cursing

Steven Pinker is a well-known psychologist who has done a lot of research in linguistics. Over at The New Republic, he has a fascinating article on swearing, why we do it, its history, censorship, and so on. I have always been interested in why some people make such a big deal out of it. I do not swear frequently, and I try to be careful about who is around when I do, but I have never found it personally offensive. As Pinker mentions in his article, I wouldn't want to take away all of the power of swearing by making it mundane and commonplace thereby losing something from our language, a way to stress something or express great emotion. At the same time, I do think some people make too big a deal out of it.

The Search for Self

At least this guy tried. Most people don't seem to get that far.

The Car Woes Continue

Readers may recall that I was having a lot of difficulty with my car a couple of months ago and two different shops could not figure out the problem. Mysteriously it went away and has run fairly well since then.

Alas, my respite is over and my car is now acting up again. I noticed over the last two days that is has been idling roughly. Last night, after eating dinner at Olive Garden with my mother and daughters, the car did not want to start unless I revved the gas. It felt rough all the way home and by the time we got there, it was smoking profusely from the exhaust. I tried to start it again an hour later. It wouldn't unless I revved it and then I got a huge plume of smoke from the back end. Needless to say I didn't drive it anywhere and now, once again, I have transportation issues to figure out.

I wonder if I have offended the car gods in some manner. Perhaps a sacrifice of some sort is in order to appease them and let them end their punishment of me.

Speaking Too Soon

I recently wrote about my excitement in sharing some of my favorite books with my daughters including the Dragonlance Chronicles. They have really been enjoying it and I've been thrilled that they haven't been preaching to me about the evils of books and movies with gasp, the horror...magic.

Well, it seems that horse has reared its head again. At dinner tonight, Erica told me that she did not want to continue reading those books because she realized she "wasn't setting a good example" of being a Christian, that the books are "evil," and she has a "strong feeling" God doesn't want her reading them. After some prodding, she admitted that this came about because she told their grandmother, Lisa, why they were late coming home last week (just one more chapter, Dad?) and she flipped out. Yes, she is my ex-mother-in-law, but she is genuinely mentally disturbed. Despite the verbal abuse my daughters take from her (a short time before this discussion, Erica told me about wanting to shake Lisa), they believed her (it's reinforced with their mother and church, too) and realized that, yes, fantasy novels are a tool of the Devil to lead people astray and into the pits of Hell.

I'm amazed sometimes that I am able to remain calm during these situations and not shout, "Think about what you are really saying!" but I do. I just question my daughters and force them to articulate exactly how they feel about the books. Why are they evil? Other than reading these books and believing something different from you, have you seen my, your father, doing anything evil? If you have free will, how can a book give you bad thoughts and make you evil? What, exactly, is a "good" Christian? Does your mom, grandmother, or church give you a reasoned argument for why these books are evil or is it just "they are because we said so?" Why is this fiction bad, but other types are not?

Of course, my daughters cannot give any good answers for questions like these. I know that, but I force them to really think about it. Erica was crying by the time we were done, but she did admit she liked the book before Lisa said anything to her. I was hoping our talk would be enough to convince them to read tonight, but they didn't want to, at least not Dragonlance. These battle are so wearying mentally, but I can't, won't, give up on my daughters. I owe them that.

Another Trek Flick

So, J.J. Abrams is delivering his take on the Trek universe next year. Apparently many fans are cautiously optimistic. I'm a little more ambivalent.

On one hand, I do think that the characters, especially the Holy Trinity (Kirk, Spock, and McCoy) are iconic enough that they have transcended their portrayals by Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelly. I don't have a problem with revisiting these characters. On the other hand, I don't think that a movie is the place to do it. Part of it is that it is going to contradict previous continuity while still ostensibly being a part of it. I also think that of the six Original Series movies, the only one that really lived up to the potential of the series was The Wrath of Khan. Even if you aren't a big fan of Star Trek, you can't really deny that it is a kick-ass movie. Sure, III and VI were decent, I and IV less so, but not bad. There's rumors of a fifth movie, but I'm sure that's all they are is rumors.

So, I'm not sure what to think about the new movie. I do think J.J. Abrams is talented and if anyone is going to pull it off, he can. I was excited about the prospect of Matt Damon playing Kirk. I think he would have been a damn fine James T. Kirk, but alas it won't be him. We'll see.

I've have actually fantasized for a long time about being the lead writer on a Trek TV show that remade The Original Series. As much as I love it, I don't think that TOS ever lived up to its full potential. I would kill to be the lead writer/producer on this show. It would be five seasons, with the broad arc plotted ahead of time, and a healthy mix of one-off episodes and multi-arc stories. It would retain the swashbuckling adventurism and exploration of societal issues that the best episodes had while being brought together into a cohesive whole. Sure it's perfect in my head, but I think I could make it a darn good reality. Are you listening, Paramount?

Titan Pictures

Titan is one of the more famous satellites in our solar system because of the presence of water. Since life as we know it requires water, Titan could be a source of life (not flying saucers and grays, but bacterial life or primitive plants). The Cassini probe has taken some new pictures of Titan. Very cool stuff.

Hellfire and Damnation

I see I'm not the only one who has to deal with stuff like this. My daughters are much better about it than they used to be. There is a lot less tears and saying "You're going to hell" than there ever used to be. Still it is galling to me that my daughters (and other children) are being raised this way. It is psychologically traumatizing for a child to believe that one of their parents is destined for eternal torment. Not to mention that it can put a huge wedge in a relationship. Is that what Jesus would do?

Guns. We Need Lots of Guns.

I caught part of a story on NPR driving home today about an Oregon teacher who wants her school to allow her to carry a gun on campus. She has a conceal-carry permit and is worried about her ex-husband doing her harm and all of the school shootings.

Now, leaving aside the actual argument of whether or not this is a good idea, I want to address one of the arguments she gives for allowing it. It is one I have heard frequently from gun-rights activists. "It's my second amendment right." These people seem to think that because it is a right, there can be no limits on it whatsoever. Unfortunately for them, that is not the case.

Free speech is a right, but we put limits on it. You can't shout "Fire!" in a theater just because. You can't tell deliberate lies about someone or something in a newspaper. I don't think anyone (well, I'm sure there is some nut who would disagree) thinks that these limits are bad. Why should it be different for the right to bear arms. Why shouldn't there be limits on it as well? The teacher in the story dodged the question when she was asked why she should be allowed to bring a gun to school when she couldn't take it into a bank or the federal building. She played the card of "we need to make sure our kids our safe" and "you never know what's going to happen."

Fear has become the basis for far too many decisions in America. I'm not saying we shouldn't take steps to be safe, but I am saying we need to stop making decisions based on "Oh, my God! What if?!"

Sue Crazy

A cop is suing a family she helped. She assisted in rescuing their one-year-old from a pool. The child survived, but suffered serious brain damage. The cop slipped in a puddle of water in the house (a puddle left by wet people who were trying to rescue the kid) and broke her knee. She is suing the family for "unspecified damages."

Eichhorn's attorney, David Heil, said she now has persistent knee pain and will likely develop arthritis. He said city benefits paid by workers' compensation and some disability checks helped with medical bills, but it wasn't enough. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

"It's a situation where the Cosmillos have caused these problems, brought them on themselves, then tried to play the victim," Heil said.

When is the lawsuit insanity going to end?

Laws Against Helping People

This is appalling. How do people sleep with themselves at night when the pass laws against feeding people, e.g. the homeless. Oh yeah, it's because too many people see the homeless as lazy bums rather than human beings like them who have mental problems or have fallen on very hard times. These people typically don't have support networks. Making it illegal for people to feed them just makes it more difficult for the homeless. Ignoring them isn't going to make the problem go away.

I'm sure my friend, Jeromy, can offer some more thoughts on this as he has done a lot of work with the homeless.

A Couple of Poems

I came into work later than usual yesterday and today giving me a chance to hear The Writer's Almanac on NPR. It is one of my favorite features on that show and they didn't disappoint offering up two great poems.

"They'll" by Cheryl Denise

take your soul
and put it in a suit,
fit you in boxes
under labels,
make you look like the Joneses.

They'll tell you go a little blonder,
suggest sky-blue
tinted contact lenses,
conceal that birthmark
under your chin.

They'll urge you to have babies
get fulfilled.
They'll say marriage is easy,
flowers from Thornhills
are all you need
to keep it together.

They'll push you to go ahead,
borrow a few more grand,
build a dream house.
Your boys need Nikes,
your girls cheerleading,
and all you need is your job
9 to 5 in the same place.

They'll order you never to cry
in Southern States,
and never, ever dance
in the rain.

They'll repeat all the things
your preschool teacher said
in that squeaky too tight voice.

And when you slowly
let them go,
crack your suit,
ooze your soul
in the sun,
when you run through
the woods with your dog,
read poems to swaying cornfields,
pray in tall red oaks,
they'll whisper
and pretend you're crazy.

"The God Who Loves You" by Carl Dennis

It must be troubling for the god who loves you
To ponder how much happier you'd be today
Had you been able to glimpse your many futures.
It must be painful for him to watch you on Friday evenings
Driving home from the office, content with your week—
Three fine houses sold to deserving families—
Knowing as he does exactly what would have happened
Had you gone to your second choice for college,
Knowing the roommate you'd have been allotted
Whose ardent opinions on painting and music
Would have kindled in you a lifelong passion.
A life thirty points above the life you're living
On any scale of satisfaction. And every point
A thorn in the side of the god who loves you.
You don't want that, a large-souled man like you
Who tries to withhold from your wife the day's disappointments
So she can save her empathy for the children.
And would you want this god to compare your wife
With the woman you were destined to meet on the other campus?
It hurts you to think of him ranking the conversation
You'd have enjoyed over there higher in insight
Than the conversation you're used to.
And think how this loving god would feel
Knowing that the man next in line for your wife
Would have pleased her more than you ever will
Even on your best days, when you really try.
Can you sleep at night believing a god like that
Is pacing his cloudy bedroom, harassed by alternatives
You're spared by ignorance? The difference between what is
And what could have been will remain alive for him
Even after you cease existing, after you catch a chill
Running out in the snow for the morning paper,
Losing eleven years that the god who loves you
Will feel compelled to imagine scene by scene
Unless you come to the rescue by imagining him
No wiser than you are, no god at all, only a friend
No closer than the actual friend you made at college,
The one you haven't written in months. Sit down tonight
And write him about the life you can talk about
With a claim to authority, the life you've witnessed,
Which for all you know is the life you've chosen.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

This is not good news for those hoping the Supreme Court would put the brakes on the administration's torture policies. They are set to look at a related case involving Gitmo detainees. Maybe this one will have better luck.

Still, it is amazing to me that a president as criticized and unpopular as Bush is still seems to get his way on so many things. Congress can't (or won't) do anything to stop him. The Courts aren't checking his power much. It seems the politicians and judges are split between "torture is a-okay" and "I might get hurt politically if I make a real stand, so I'll just make a lot of noise without doing anything substantial."

George Washington would be proud.

Obama's Religion

Andrew Sullivan has an upcoming essay for the Atlantic dealing with religion in politics which I am looking forward to. Today he gave a brief excerpt from an interview he did with Obama for the piece.

AS: This is I think one of the more (to me at least), the most interesting part of your candidacy. Because we live in a world in which atheism - militant, contemptuous atheism - is on the rise. Religious fundamentalism is clearly the strongest force. Your faith - this thought-through intellectual faith, in many ways, but also a communal faith – is beleaguered, isn’t it?

BO: You know, it doesn't get a lot of play these days. But, you know, reading Niebuhr, or Tillich or folks like that—those are the people that sustain me. What I believe in is overcoming - but not eliminating - doubt and questioning. I don't believe in an easy path to salvation. For myself or for the world. I think that it’s hard work, being moral. It's hard work being ethical. And I think that it requires a series of judgments and choices that we make every single day. And part of what I want to do as president is open up a conversation in which we are honestly considering our obligations - towards each other. And obligations towards the world.

AS: But you don't think we're ever going to be saved on this earth do you?

BO: No. I think it's a ... we're a constant work in progress. I think God put us here with the intention that we break a sweat trying to be a little better than we were yesterday.

Obama's faith comes off as genuine to me from what I have seen of him. Still, the marriage of religion and politics is scary to me and it is worse this campaign season. I think it is great if a politician has a particular set of religious beliefs that guide them in life. I don't think it should be paraded for everyone to see or as a litmus test of whether or not to vote for someone. Don't vote for Romney not because he's Mormon, but because he will say anything to get a vote and wants to "double Guantanamo." On the other hand, don't vote for Obama because he seems to be a good Christian, but because you like or agree with his policies.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

My niece, Alexis, three years old just came into my room. Shawna just bought her a new dress because they are going to visit West Yellowstone where my friend Patrick died in a car wreck last October. We started talking about her dad and had this exchange.

Me: "Patrick was my friend."
Alexis: "He's still your friend."

Yes, he is honey. Yes, he is.

Keychain Love

My daughter, Erica, gave me another keychain last weekend. She made one for me awhile back and I used it, but it broke, and I never got it replaced. Truth be told, I don't really like keychains. I don't like having anything in my pocket, and keychains just make it worse by making my keyring bigger. When I pulled my keys out of my pocket at work today, though, I looked at the keychain and got a big smile on my face. Thinking about Erica making that keychain and the smile on her face as she put it on my keyring and the look she gave me when she handed it to me filled me with so much joy. I don't like keychains, but I love this one as a reminder of her. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

So We Are Moving

My Mom talked to her realtor today. She had been exploring options for my Mom to keep this house or at least be able to purchase another one. Unfortunately neither option is going to happen. My mom can't get approved for a loan high enough to cover the remaining cost of the house and get my brother his equity. What she can get approved for is not enough to get her anything near what she would want.

I imagine it will be very soon. Shawn is desperate to get to Missoula not only to be with his "true love," but because he has it so rough here. *eye roll* He's been telling Shawna that he's got it rough here because he's sleeping in the laundry room with the cat litter box (I offered to give him his room back, but he declined). My cat knocks over his water glass (I've told everyone that it's something he's not going to be broken of, so don't leave 'em lying around). And he "has to" fix the basement bathroom sink (No one asked him to and Mom was going to hire someone to look at it). Shawn is a very unhappy person right now and it's just going to get worse the longer he is here. Of course, he is not self-aware or wise enough to understand that nothing here is making him unhappy, nor is his girlfriend going to make him happy. That comes from within. I just hope he learns that sooner rather than later.

In the mean time, Mom and I have to move. I hate moving because it's such a pain in the ass, but I hate more the pain my mom is feeling right now because of all of this.

It Ain't Easy Being Green

Barack Obama announced his plans today for dealing with global warming, and Matt Yglesias likes the looks of it.

The Uber-Family Circus

I never understood the appeal of The Family Circus. It was never funny or insightful. This is a version of the comic that I could get behind, though. The pairing of Nietzsche's words with Bill Keane's drawings makes for a strip that is actually very amusing.

Wow

A church sign I ran across:

"Reason is the greatest enemy faith has."

I don't know where to start. Weren't we given a brain by God? Doesn't it make sense that God would give us something he expects us to use? I suppose "making sense" is a product of reason, so I guess people that put signs up like this don't realize this.

Still Rockin'

It's great to see classic hard rock/heavy metal bands from the 80s coming out of hiding and touring. Somebody needs to show the darn kids these days what good music is.

Huh?

I understand "diff'rent strokes fer diff'rent folks" and all that, but sometimes I really wonder. Is this something that this couple will look back fondly on? Will they get misty-eyed thinking about the "magic" of the moment? Will they give each other that "look" while they recount their story of getting married at Wal-Mart to their grandchildren?

Whatever floats their boat, I guess.

Still...Wal-Mart? I feel dirty just driving by one of their stores.

Evangelicals and the Military

I believe that evangelicals end up doing more harm than good to their cause with stunts like this. Attempting to force your beliefs on others or at least making them uncomfortable in their own faith is a travesty and just makes you look like an inconsiderate bully. Yes, atheists do this, too, and it's just as unacceptable then. What ever happened to respect?

Science and Morality

Changes in science and technology come so rapidly anymore that we don't have time to understand the full ramifications of them before we are forced to deal with them.

Tony Frudakis, a molecular biologist, has been doing some groundbreaking work in DNA encoding. With a sample, he can predict someone's race with 99% accuracy, iris color with 96% accuracy, and is close to having accurate prediction of height and skin color. He has used this to help in a few forensic cases which is what he has been developing it for, but business is not booming. Many people are scared of the implications of this and fear it could lead to someone "proving" that one race is superior to another. Even the prosecutor from one of the cases he helped solve is uncomfortable with it.

But even the people one might think should be his biggest allies aren't supporting that, including Tony Clayton, the special prosecutor who tried one of the Baton Rouge murder cases. Clayton, who is black, admits that he initially dismissed Frudakis as some white guy trying to substantiate his racist views. He no longer believes that and says "had it not been for Frudakis, we would still be looking for the white guy in the white pick-up truck." But then he adds, "We've been taught that we're all the same, that we bleed the same blood. If you subscribe to the (Frudakis) theory, you're saying we are inherently unequal."

He continues: "If I could push a button and make this technology disappear, I would."

I understand some of the discomfiture, but I strongly disagree that Frudakis is saying people are unequal. I think his work shows that people are different and that some of those differences can be found in our DNA. The science of our DNA is plunging ahead rapidly and we need to have a national dialogue about it. People need to be educated on the topic to eliminate some of the misconceptions. It's going to go forward whether or not people are comfortable with it or like it, so people need to know what DNA is and what DNA tests can/cannot do in order to form at least somewhat informed opinion.

Another Week, Another Secret

PostSecret

Winter is Coming

We had some snow today. It only hit parts of town and not where I live, but I still was upset. Well, not upset, but certainly not happy. It's supposed to warm back up over the next few days, but it won't last. It's getting back to that time of year. I told a co-worker the other day that I can't wait to be living somewhere where people think it's cold when it's below sixty, it snows every couple of years (maybe) and the town just down because people don't know how to handle it. That sounds nice to me. If I get homesick for snow and cold (*snort*), I can look at pictures.

Dragonlance and the Next Generation

I've been reading the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy to my daughters over the last couple of months. After tonight we have only one chapter left in the first book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. They have been very excited about it, especially Shaena, and are constantly bugging me to read "one more chapter." I first read the series back in junior high and it is an enormous pleasure to share my love of these books with my daughters.

Sometimes I find myself really amazed at the impact a parent has on their children. Sure, most people understand the big things, teaching your children right from wrong and all that good stuff, but it goes down to the smallest things. I've introduced my daughters to Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance, and many other things I enjoy. They like these books and movies now, too. If I had never shared these with them, would they even know about them or be interested in them? Will they share them with their kids in the future? It's almost scary thinking about these things. I hear them repeating phrases of mine or espousing opinions of mine (without fully comprehending them) and I just shake my head. There are two lives being shaped like clay in my hands (and their mother's unfortunately). Who am I to have that power?

America and Torture

Okay. Okay. One more...

Andrew Sullivan has been coming down hard on the Bush administration for its authorization of torture for a few months now. You can read his devastating piece on some of the similarities in techniques used by the Nazi regime and those Bush has endorsed (they used the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques" too).

Today he responds to the New York Times piece on the DoJ memo which has just come to light and clearly states that torture is okay. Sullivan is understandably livid as all Americans should be.

There is no doubt - no doubt at all - that these tactics are torture and subject to prosecution as war crimes. We know this because the law is very clear when you don't have war criminals like AEI's John Yoo rewriting it to give one man unchecked power. We know this because the very same techniques - hypothermia, long-time standing, beating - and even the very same term "enhanced interrogation techniques" - "verschaerfte Vernehmung" in the original German - were once prosecuted by American forces as war crimes. The perpetrators were the Gestapo. The penalty was death. You can verify the history here.

We have war criminals in the White House. What are we going to do about it?

Is this the kind of country we want? I almost feel ashamed not only that it is happening in my country, but that so many people seem to not really care because it just happens to non-whites and it supposedly keeps us "safe."

Some things shouldn't be compromised.

Fairy Tale Murder Mystery

I should be going to bed (or at least doing homework), but I want to write about the TV show I watched last night. I don't watch a lot of TV and typically if it's a good show, I just catch it on DVD. Last night, though, I sat down to watch one of the new fall shows that appeared very intriguing, Pushing Daisies.

In a nutshell: impressive. It was a great blend of fairy tale romance, macabre murder mystery, and quirky characters. Ned discovers when he is a young boy that with a touch he can bring dead things (people, animals, plants, insects) back to life. It sounds great, except there is a catch. If he touches the person or thing again, they die. However, if he does not touch them again within a minute, someone close by dies in their place.

This leads to a very traumatic experience for Ned. When he is 8, his mother has an aneurysm in front of him. He doesn't yet know that a second touch will kill her or that if he doesn't touch her in a minute, someone else will die. Ned is in love with Chuck, the girl next door. When his mother is alive for more than a minute, Chuck's father keels over and dies in the yard. Then when Ned's mother tucks him in for bed that night, she gives him a kiss and promptly falls over dead.

Chuck goes away to live with her neurotic aunts and Ned develops a neurosis about touching or getting attached to people. He makes a quiet living making pies until a private detective learns about his ability. Together they make money by solving murders. Ned reanimates the corpse, asks them "who did it?" and kills them again before a minute is up.

This works out well for them until Chuck turns up dead. The private investigator, Emerson, does not know of the history between Ned and Chuck who have not seen each other since they were 8. He tells Ned their is a big reward for this case, but Ned cannot bring himself to kill Chuck again once he has resurrected her. Of course, he cannot touch her again and their are many sweet (and funny) moments in the episode as they grapple with this.

It's nice to see a show that's different. Shows about lawyers, doctors, and cops are a dime a dozen and most of them are all too similar. There is nothing like Pushing Daisies on TV and I can't wait to see more episodes. I'm hoping that it catches enough of an audience to stay on. Too many good shows don't seem to get an audience and are cancelled (Arrested Development, Boomtown). So, check it out. Let the suits know we don't want more of the same junk they're always trying to peddle on us.

Nightwish - Dark Passion Play

Nightwish has finally released their latest CD, Dark Passion Play. It came out on Tuesday. I've been anxiously awaiting this album for awhile now, but somehow with everything going on I forgot about it until I was leaving work today. Needing to fix this grievous error, I immediately went to the local Hastings and picked it up.

So, how does it measure up to previous releases. I've only listened to it all the way through once and I am half way through a second listen as I type. It's going to take a few times through to really get a feel for it, however, I have to say I really like it.

Of course the big change with this album is the new singer, Annette Olzon. She does not have a classically trained voice as Tarja did. She has a "poppier" sound. I do like it, though. She has good range and emotion. It will be interesting to see how she sounds singing their older material.

The heart of Nightwish has always been Tuomas Holopainen. His poetic lyrics and beautiful compositions are what makes Nightwish Nightwish and he doesn't disappoint here even as some other band members share song writing credits on two songs. With Dark Passion Play, Tuomas has gone over and above their last CD, Once, in epicness. A full orchestra is used and the liner notes credit some fifty people in two choirs for backing vocals. This is on full display on the album's first song, The Poet and the Pendulum, a fourteen minute show-stopper about death, hope, love, and the power of music. It is probably my favorite track at this point, very reminiscent of Ghost Love Score, another of my favorites.

Marco Hietala continues to be more prominent vocally, getting lead vocals on a couple of songs, and prominent as back-up in several others. His gruff voice sets up a great contrast with Annette and makes for some dynamic interplay.

Tuomas has always been very personal with his lyrics, but a few songs seem more so on this album. It is obvious that parting with Tarja was very hard in him. He doesn't talk about his personal life much, but it is clear that he really loved her. Unfortunately for him, it was unrequited. The song Bye, Bye Beautiful really captures the anger, torment, and loss he feels. The song Master Passion Greed is most definitely about Tarja's husband and the anger Tuomas (and the rest of the band) felt with the way he treated them and pushed Tarja to go after her solo career.

All in all, while the voice may be different, Dark Passion Play is still classic Nightwish. I'm not sure how I'd rank it in relation to the others right now, but it is damn good and highly recommended if you like epic, melodic heavy metal with female vocals.

Fall Classic

I don't follow baseball near as much as I once did. After I stopped playing myself and went through the turmoil of the last 15 years ('94 player's strike, steroids, etc.), I've become bored and disinterested with the sport for the most part. In fact, I didn't even realize that my beloved Cubs made the playoffs until a few days ago.

So, with the eternal optimism of a true Cubs fan, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Presidential Trivia

Mental_floss ran a contest to give away some books. Players had to answer questions about American presidents and could submit their own nuggets of presidential trivia including this gem:

“Lyon Tyler, whom John Tyler sired at the spry young age of 63, went on to continue the family tradition and in 1928, at the age of 75, fathered a child himself. That son, Harrison Tyler (at right, in 2006) is still alive. The grandson of the tenth president of the United States, the grandson of a man born in 1790, is alive today. He currently lives on his grandfather’s estate, Sherwood Forest, in Virginia. And ladies, if you’re interested, he may be looking to continue the family legacy.”

And I thought it was amazing that my dad's dad was born in 1884.

Obama's Game Plan

Obama has pledged to run a "different" campaign, one where negativity and attacks on one's opponents wouldn't happen. Some have been saying lately that with Clinton's numbers remaining very strong that Obama needs to go on the attack to more sharply differentiate himself. I think, though, that it would be a mistake to do so. For one, he has said he is not going to do that and to change now would only make him look bad. Second, the primaries are still months away and many (most) people have not been paying that much attention, yet. I think when they do, Obama will begin to look better and better. Not to mention that Obama has been criticizing Clinton, just not overtly.

Andrew Sullivan writes briefly about Obama's recent speech at DePaul University and has the full text of it. It is long, but worth the read. It is inspiring and, for me, highlights why he is the best candidate in the race. He comes down hard against torture, talks about diplomacy (imagine that!), says we need to get out of Iraq immediately but not precipitously, calls on Americans to serve, promises to be open and honest, and says he wants to unite America.

Sure, politicians always talk big when they are running, but this is better stuff than what the other candidates, on either side of the aisle, are saying (double Gitmo! free money for being born!). This is what I want to see in a leader even if I don't agree with all of his policy ideas.

Reshaping Education

Slate has an article about a new book, Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race, and Democracy. As the title suggests, it is about Albert Shanker and his quest to improve schools in America starting in the 60s.

In the process, Shanker transformed American education. His efforts significantly boosted teacher salaries, equalized pay between men and women, assured minimal standards in schools (not least by capping class sizes), and forced the National Educational Association, the nation's most powerful teachers' union, to embrace collective bargaining. He also encouraged his sometimes reluctant membership to embrace necessary reform; the American Federation of Teachers, under Shanker's leadership until his death in 1997, backed provisions for ousting incompetent teachers, public school choice, and the standards movement. And unlike Reuther's UAW, Shanker's union has held onto its gains. Today, there isn't a teacher in America whose life hasn't been touched by Shanker's own.

Sigh. Another book added to my list of "must reads."

Religious Humor

Check out this video. This is the first in a series at MrDeity.com. I was laughing my ass off. Warning: if you are at all sensitive to religious humor, you may find some of the videos blasphemous.

From Crackle: Mr. Deity and the Evil - Episode 1

The School Bell is Ringing

I am back in school today. I logged on to my classroom for Introduction to the Old Testament and got my assignments for the week. I have about forty pages to read from the textbook and I have to get on the messageboard and post about the reading.

I'm excited to be back in the mix.

Dialogue

I love dialogue. It is a wonderful chance to flex your mental muscles, test your ideas, and learn something.

My good friend, Jeromy, sent me a link to a blog he came across called An Evangelical Dialogue on Evolution. The author wants to build a bridge for a discussion of evolution between scientists and creationists. From his introduction:

And that brings us to the reason for this blog – a dialogue. The current relationship between evolution and evangelicalism can best be characterized as warfare. I believe that ending this warfare will be good for science, and much more importantly, good for the gospel. Our Christian commission is to tell the good news of Christ’s resurrection, his present and coming kingdom, his new creation. The evangel in evangelicalism should remind us of this everyday. And I strongly believe that our misguided war on science in general and evolution in particular is hurting the gospel; it is preventing many from hearing and responding to the good news. And it is causing some who have heard and believed to now doubt whether it is good news at all. Dialogue is the first step towards a ceasefire.

A noble undertaking. I haven't read more than his introduction at this point, but I intend to keep up with his posts. For the record I believe in God/Jesus and evolution.

I Don't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry

How can people get anywhere in life being this stupid?

Work Ethic

Apparently, Protestants work harder than people of other faiths. It's part of their basic morality or something. Darn it, why couldn't those early Protestants made a virtue of lounging around and reading or something?

Burgeoning Entrepreneurs

Normally, I pick up my daughters after work on Friday, but last Friday I picked them up in the morning on my way to work. The volunteer department at the hospital was hosting a craft fair. The table fee goes to the volunteers who use the money for purchasing things around the hospital.

I signed up my daughter, Erica, for a table so she could sell her key chains. She has been bugging me for a year to let her sit in the front yard at my place and sell her wares, so this was a golden opportunity for her. Shaena sat with her and helped her. She sold her keychains for either $1 or 2$ depending on how much was involved in each one. By the end of the day, she made $31. She was so excited about the whole thing and she's already talking about the sale next year.

I didn't think her mother was going to let her go because it meant skipping school and she had been telling Erica for a few weeks she didn't think it was a good idea. I am surprised, actually, that in the end she permitted it. I'm very glad, though, because it was a wonderful experience for both of them. I got lots of compliments about how smart, polite, and cute they were which made me feel very proud.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

I get the sense that there are a lot of people like this. They want something more from their life, but they are too scared or just don't know how to get out of their rut and go after what they want. Something I've tried to stress to my daughters is that if they want something, they are the only ones holding themselves back from getting it. Big dreams are worthless if you are not willing to take big actions to make them come true.

Obama and Hope

Andrew Sullivan wrote about Obama's speech at Harvard. He also includes a full transcript. It is very good and is an example of why I think Obama is the best candidate in the running now.

The truth is, though, one man cannot make a movement. No single law can erase the prejudice in the heart of a child who hangs a noose on a tree. Or in the callousness of a prosecutor who bypasses justice in the pursuit of vengeance. No one leader, no matter how shrewd, or experienced, or inspirational, can prevent teenagers from killing other teenagers in the streets of our cities, or free our neighborhoods from the grip of homelessness, or make real the promise of opportunity and equality for every citizen.

Only a country can do those things. Only this country can do those things. That's why if you give me the chance to serve this nation, the most important thing I will do as your President is to ask you to serve this country, too. The most important thing I'll do is to call on you every day to take a risk, and do your part to carry this movement forward. Against deep odds and great cynicism I will ask you to believe that we can right the wrong we see in America. I say this particularly to the young people who are listening today.

Channeling a bit of JFK there and that's not a bad thing. I think many of us in this country have forgotten how to sacrifice and serve. We need leaders guiding us back to that, leaders who will help us rise above ourselves and become a part of something big.

No More Hugging

I guess this school has solved all of their other problems because they have just banned hugging on school grounds.

The principal says the rampant hugging is creating bottle necks in the hallway and making kids late for class. Furthermore she says although hugs are supposed to be handshakes from the heart some times they don't seem so innocent.

So, teachers can't just monitor the halls and tell the kids to keep moving if they are causing a traffic jam? I guess they can't just tell kids to tone it down if their hugs are becoming more than hugs, either. I mean, really, banning hugs? It sounds like something out of a bad Orwell knockoff.

More Teen Sex Insanity

A 17-year-old boy is being charged as an adult with sexual assault in New Hampshire for having consensual sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend.

What benefit does this bring for society? Will other teenagers see this and think, "Gee, maybe I better not have sex with my partner?" No. The only thing that will come from this is the boy's life being ruined if he is convicted as he will be looking at jail time and registering as a sex offender. Why can't they just let parents handle these things (as long as they don't act like the girlfriend's dad, anyway, who beat the boy up at school)?

Celebrity Look Alikes

MyHeritage is a web site with some interesting features. One of them is a celebrity look alike function. You upload a photo of yourself and they show you celebrities that resemble you. I uploaded the head shot of me from on the front page of my blog and got this:

I tried another photo and got this:

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Interesting. Three people appeared on both lists. I had no clue who Chester Bennington was, but Wikipedia says he is the lead singer for Linkin Park. That explains why I don't know him as I'm not a fan of their music. Hrithik Roshan was also a mystery to me, but Wikipedia tells me he is a Bollywood actor. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the other person to be on both lists.

I think I've learned that I need to look like the first picture more often because that one apparently makes me look like Gavin Rossdale and Leo DeCaprio.

Try it out and let me know who you look like.

UPDATE: I went back and tried a different layout for my pictures since it was hard to read the names in the other style.

UPDATE 2: I did it again with a different picture.

Many Thanks

Debbie, wife of my best friend Jeromy, made a big bowl of chicken fettuccine alfredo as well as a dish of garlic butter for my mom and I yesterday. It tasted very good and the best part was, of course, that I didn't have to cook. So, thank you very much, Debbie.

Scandal Prone or Just in the Spotlight and All Too Human

CNN has an article about the recent Juanita Bynum scandal and asks whether Pentecostal preachers are more prone to it than other movements. This quote from the article is the best answer to that question:

But Anthea Butler, a professor of religion at the University of Rochester in New York believes Pentecostals are no more trouble-prone than other Protestants. "The same sort of thing is happening to Baptists and Presbyterians," she says. "Except for one big thing. They are not media figures." Notes Charisma's Grady: "There's something about someone who is excited about the things of the Holy Spirit that makes them want to get up and proclaim it" — often on TV. "But you'd better have character, or there's going to be a national scandal."

Exactly. If you are going to be in front of millions of people, you better keep your skeletons in the closet or they're going to end up a big deal even if it is something stupid that wouldn't do more than cause a rolling of the eyes or a raised eyebrow if your neighbor or co-worker did it.

Take Away the Mystique

Can this really be a surprise to anyone? I've blogged about this and sex before. I really think that a big part of the problem is that our society trains kids to rebel and then tells them that alcohol and sex are really bad (while media tells them how cool it is). Is it any wonder that teens get drunk and screw? Is it any wonder that kids go off to college and get drunk and screw?

Our current system isn't working so we obviously need to try something different. By making an issue - be it alcohol, sex, drugs, smoking - less mysterious, less black and white ("It's bad! Don't do it ever!") you make it more difficult to be something that can be rebelled against and less likely for a teen to want to do it "just because." It won't stop all teen drinking/irresponsible college drinking and sex, but nothing will. We're only human after all.

Newt

Just what the Republicans need. Another fake candidate.

Ron Paul seems to be the only principled candidate on the Repub side, but he's a little too out there for most people. I like that he stands by his principles and I'm glad that he's injecting some new ideas into the debate, but I don't agree with a lot of his principles. Even John McCain seems to have given up some of his principles supporting as he has the president's right to take away habeas corpus at will.

It's a pretty sad bunch for the Republicans this election. I don't see how they can win the White House, short of the Dems nominating Hillary that is. Then they've got a fighting chance. Hell, the Republican candidate probably couldn't even beat Mike Gravel.

Poor Guiliani

Guiliani is upset that people are judging his personal life. I think it's called...politics, Mr. Guiliani. Should it happen? Well, of course not, but we are only human. I don't think Guiliani does himself any favors by invoking Jesus on this issue, though. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't freak out over ferrets.

In the same story, Guiliani uses 9/11 as an excuse for taking phone calls from his wife in the middle of speeches. What can't you use 9/11 as an excuse for anymore? I thought that was over a few years ago, but I guess not. Maybe I can use it as an excuse to take a few days off from work. Hmmmm...

Free Money!

Seriously, how can anybody think this is a good idea? It's a half-step removed from paying people to have kids, not to mention that giving somebody money for nothing is never good (unless you're the Dire Straits). I can't imagine that Hillary could get this passed if she was President, but just the fact that she thinks it's a good idea is one more reason not to vote for her.

Cold Mountain

I finished this book a couple of days ago. It was a very enjoyable read. I saw the movie when it came out a few years ago, but not since, so some of the details of that are fuzzy. The biggest difference is in the portrayal of the romance between Ada and Inman. It is much more low-key in the book. In fact, though it is the prime motivation for Inman's actions and plays a big part at the end, it is hardly a major part of the book. Rather it is the story of two people's journeys - Inman's physical journey to return to Ada, his mental journey coping with the things he has seen in war, and Ada's emotional journey to mature and grow into a self-reliant person. The romance is secondary to these and I think more poignant for it. I understand why they played it up for the movie (and I did enjoy it), but the book is more powerful because of it's low-key approach.

Snake Handlers

Like Ransom at mental_floss, I have long been fascinated with the Christian sects that handle snakes and speak in tongues. I haven't read much about it; I need to get some good books on the subject. Ransom does have a video with clips from a 60s documentary about a West Virginia church that features these things. The sound isn't the greatest, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

Teaching Methods

I agree with Alex that we can't be hoping for real teachers to be like hero-teachers in the movies, but I disagree with him strongly that what teachers need is a strict script to go by. I think teachers need flexibility to address individual students. One size most certainly does not fit all in education. With a system like that you end up teaching to the middle and losing the kids on the ends of the spectrum. I know because I've been there.

When Can You Consent to Sex?

William Saletan writes about the issue of sexual consent age and our laws around it.

This is the reality of sex with minors: The ages of the parties vary widely from case to case. For more than a century, states and countries have been raising and standardizing the legal age of consent. Horny teenagers are being thrown in with pedophiles. The point of this crackdown was to lock up perverts and protect incompetent minors. But the rationales and the numbers don't match up. The age of majority and the age of competence are coming apart. The age of competence is fracturing, and the age of female puberty is declining. It's time to abandon the myth of the "age of consent" and lower the threshold for legal sex.
...
Lay out these numbers on a timeline, and you have the beginnings of a logical scheme for regulating teen sex. First comes the age at which your brain wants sex and your body signals to others that you're ready for it. Then comes the age of cognitive competence. Then comes the age of emotional competence. Each of these thresholds should affect our expectations, and the expectations should apply to the older party in a relationship as well as to the younger one. The older you get, the higher the standard to which you should be held responsible.

We need to do something about sex laws in our country. When a 17-year-old gets a 10 year prison sentence for having oral sex with a 15-year-old, there's a problem. I could go off on other issues like being convicted on rape charges when the woman consents to sex, changes her mind after it starts, admits the man stopped, but still accuses him of rape; but I'll save that for another time.

Acting

I have had a lot of fun at work yesterday and today, not just a "good" day, but fun.

I assisted the Public Safety department with two drills. Yesterday, they ran a violent patient drill in Outpatient Rehab. I got to play an agitated head injury patient on the verge of violence. The rehab staff knew it was a drill, but the employees responding to the Code:Grey call did not. Even though some of them recognized me, they thought it was real and that I was really freaking out. One lady told me I was really scaring her. I was pacing around yelling, "This is bullshit!" and "You can't keep me! I just want to go home!" A few people told me I need to go into acting. Only if I can just take the role of agitated patient, though. I was just copying all of the people I've had to babysit at the hospital while doing security. It was a great stress reliever, though. I was imagining all of the things that make me mad and channeled that. Everyone should get a chance to be an angry, confused person.

Today, the drill was a baby abduction and I got to be the kidnapper. I put on street clothes, my jacket, took my glasses off, and put on a baseball hat pulled low. A girl from patient accounts, Ann, was the mom. The nurse manager took us into a room and gave us a baby doll. Ann put on the gown. My job was to get as far as I could with the baby. Ann gave me a brief head start and then went to the nurse's station and told them that she went into the bathroom for just a minute and when she came out her baby was gone. Apparently she gave a very convincing act with tears and all and the nurses started freaking out. For my part, I made it out of the building in about a minute without being apprehended. I walked by a few people that know me but did not recognize me. I had the doll hidden under my jacket and walked with a purpose but not too fast. I walked to the end of the parking lot and sat down and waited. After almost two minutes a few staff members started surrounding me because my description started to get out and someone had seen me go out. If had a vehicle, though, I would have been long gone. I had a lot of fun and I helped identify some weaknesses in our system for preventing baby abductions.

Both drills were a blast. I can't wait to help with another one.

Another Blade Runner

Ridley Scott is releasing a definitive version of his classic, Blade Runner. His director's cut in the early 90s was closer to his vision (and definitely superior to the original cut), but apparently not quite up to his standards. His new cut will be out in DVD in December. Wired has an interview with Scott about the movie.

And, of course, this is the perfect excuse to link to a clip of one of the most incredible scenes in cinema.

Chaos at Home

I haven't written much lately in part because I've been busy, but more because I've been frustrated and in a bad mood. Home has been crazy lately. Mom fell on Saturday and hurt her side. She was still in a lot of pain on Sunday, so I took her to the emergency department. Thankfully nothing was cracked or broken; she was just bruised up. She's still in a lot of pain, and doesn't get off the couch unless to use the bathroom or go to bed. I took most of Monday off work to help Mom because she was feeling sick from the pain meds and babysitting her granddaughter, Alexis. She's had to babysit too much this week (well, every week). No one seems to want to clean up after themselves around here and I end up cleaning up after my siblings and their kids. Sharie and Shawn live here, but they either avoid everyone or just get angry and moan about how "bad" they have it.

Sorry about the rant/whine, but I had to get it out of my system.

"...an open relationship with the Lord."

A moving account of one person's spiritual journey.

Overly Dogmatic

People make a big deal out of orthodoxy, what someone's beliefs are. That's why there's some 35,000 different Protestant sects and each one will tell you their beliefs are the correct ones. Sadly, the difference are often very minor and yet lead to conflict and a spirit of noncooperation. An interesting article examines this issue, specifically relating to our origin and the conflict that has been built up between those who believe the world is 6000 years old and those who believe it is far older. The good old Religion vs. Science debate. The author, a believing Christian, writes that by being overly dogmatic on this issue, Christians are putting a "stumbling block" up for bringing in non-believers who do not accept the young Earth theory.

I am dedicated to standing strongly for Scripture in those areas that are essentials of the faith, regardless of what the “world” says. I can join Luther and say “here I stand”. But when we are talking about areas that are not essential, which are not “salvation issues”, and upon which sincere and dedicated Christians differ, dogmatism can be dangerous. And, I think one of the most serious examples of this danger today comes when Christians take a dogmatic position regarding their view of origins.

The reason why I engage in these discussions is very simple: I want to remove the stumbling block to the Gospel message that is being created by a dogmatic presentation of Creationism. Not the belief in a young earth and creation without evolution per se, but the “either/or” teaching that comes with it. I am not here to argue for an old earth or evolution, necessarily, but against the false dichotomy that so often comes along with Creationism. More and more people are being taught that an old earth/evolution and Christianity are wholly inconsistent and that if you believe one, you can not really believe the other. Such a blanket statement puts two very distinct groups in crisis and I am convinced that souls are being lost to the Kingdom as a result. This may sound a bit over-dramatic, but I have seen too many people distracted from the Gospel message by this issue.

I think a lot of Christians would do well to think about this.

Pathetic

Stealing from old people is pathetic enough. Trying, and failing, to rob an old person is even more pathetic.

Muslim Voices

Muslims have been criticized for not being vocal enough in their denunciation of terror, but their are Muslims voicing their disapproval as Salman al-Audah, someone Bin Laden very much respects, did recently. Muslims may not be as outspoken against terror as they should be, but I don't think the media reports it as much as they should. I haven't seen any report of this other than on the link above. If we want Muslims to speak out we need to ensure their voice can be heard.

Israel and Palestine

Iraq will no doubt be the defining issue of the Bush presidency, but I think historians will also regard his failure to take seriously the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as almost as criminal as his incompetence in the Iraq war. Scott McCleod writes about it on his Time blog.

Everybody knows what the outlines of a settlement are: Israelis and Palestinians came very close to a deal back in 2001 when Clinton was still president and before Bush took America out of the mediation business for six years. My hunch: there will be a meeting, it will be postponed until early '08, the Saudis and other players will excuse themselves, Olmert and Abbas will sign a memo stating some progress, and Bush will urge them to... hold some more meetings.

Old Guard vs. the New

Andrew Sullivan looks at the differences between Clinton and Obama.

Clinton, in other words, represents payback for the Democrats and liberals after the Bush era, just as Giuliani is emerging as the inheritor of the Bush legacy of divide and rule. Right now, Obama remains to the side, offering Americans something else: not payback, but a new page.

Neither black nor white, neither atheist nor born-again, a candidate who favours withdrawal from Iraq but an offensive against Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, a progressive offering the working poor a tax cut, his bet is that, in the end, America wants to come together again. The unanswerable question is whether America really does.

The primaries are quickly approaching. Whoever gets their party nomination and then the presidency is going to need to unite our nation. I'm not sure any of the current candidates could do this with the exception of Obama.

Marriage Secret

PostSecret

Marriage is a funny thing these days. We have unprecedented freedom to choose our mate, but people don't seem to be happier in their marriages and we certainly have plenty of divorces. I can attest to it because I've "been there, done that," but I think one of the biggest reasons for marriages failing is that people rush into them too quickly. You fall in love, and thinking that "all you need is love," you get married. Then you learn all about your mate. That's backward, of course. Before you stand before one or one-hundred witnesses and take a vow of lifetime commitment, you need to learn all about the person you want to marry. You need to sit down with your potential spouse and ask tough questions about life goals, money, children, etc. If your ideas of what your lives should be like are too different and can't be worked out, there's no shame in deciding to not get married. Marriage and a vow of commitment should be taken seriously and not rushed into even if divorces are easy to come by.

Bill O'Reilly the Blowhard

I can't stand this guy. I think he's a pompous ass. Still, it's a bit surprising that he could be this openly stupid.

Helping Out

On Friday I helped a coworker in the Care Management department out. They assist patients with many things from getting set up for in-home care to getting out of town family members a place to stay while a loved one is in the hospital. Theresa needed to get a bus ticket for a patient being discharged, but could not leave to go get it. Often times a Public Safety officer will do it, but the officer on duty was working by himself and could not leave the campus. He suggested Theresa talk to me. I didn't have anything critical going on, so it wasn't a problem for me to run to the bus station and get the ticket.

Theresa was very, very grateful and even called my boss to tell her how happy she was and how great it was that I would do this. It felt good that Theresa was so thankful, but what is always somewhat strange in these situations is the seeming surprise from the person you help, surprise that someone would go out of their way to help them.

Why is that? Why do we live in a society where people are shocked when someone helps them? Especially for something like this where I was on the clock so I got paid for my time. I used a company vehicle, so I didn't have to use my own gas money. I really didn't sacrifice anything to help Theresa out, but somehow it was still amazing to her that I would help. It's sad that we live in a society that greets help with amazement. We should be grateful, but we shouldn't be surprised.

A Moment of Silence

I'm not sure how I missed this news. Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time series of novels passed away last Sunday. He was only 58. Jordan was diagnosed with primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy last year.

I've been following the Wheel of Time since the second book came out in 1990. Though the series began to become bloated and decline in quality with the last few books, it still ranks as a favorite of mine. The (supposed) last book in the series remains unfinished. I'd like to be frustrated that it may never be finished, although his wife does have all of his notes for it, but I can't. Robert Jordan has passed away too young and he will be missed.

Photo by Jeanne Collins, taken November 2, 2005 at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego, California at a book Signing for Knife of Dreams.