Free Books

Tor has a promotion going on now in which they are giving away free ebooks. Go to their page and sign up and you will receive a link once a week to download an ebook. Now, yes, reading a book on your computer is nothing like holding a real book in your hands, but, still, free books!

I just downloaded my first one, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Who knows when I'll have time to read it, but it is getting some good reviews. Check it out.

Indiana Jones Trailer

As skeptical as I have been of the new Trek movie, I have been even more skeptical of the new Indiana Jones movie. How can Indy be 60+ and still doing his thing? Well, Lucasfilms has released the first trailer for the movie and I couldn't help but get a little excited about it.



Seeing the hat, the whip, the grizzled Harrison Ford mug, and especially hearing the awesome John Williams score has me itchin' to see this.

Star Trek XI Pushed Back

It's now coming out in May 2009 because the studio wants to cash in on the big summer crowds.

McCain Okay With Some Torture

The man who was supposed to represent integrity. The man running the "Straight Talk Express." The man who was himself tortured. The man who has been very vocal in his opposition to American-practiced torture. Suddenly, he's not so opposed to it.

It's very sad, but that's what it appears the Republican party is about these days and McCain wants the Presidency so bad, he'll pander even on this issue. What has happened to the moral heart of this country?

More Support Against Torture

Rod Dreher relates a story of torture in Soviet Russia and the administration's move from denying we torture to defending torture, ahem, enhanced interrogation techniques.

Florida Bound

I got a confirmation email two days ago for the class I will be attending in Florida in March. This is the one I was supposed to attend last December. I don't know, yet, if I'll be going by myself or if there will be one other person. Either way, I'm excited. It will be good to get out of town (way out) for a couple of days.

"But, his Dad thinks you're a shit."

Ah, ha, ha.

Why is Congress Worried About Steroids?

I have no clue, but I'm in agreement with Matt Yglesias that Congress has much better things to do. I guess they must have taken care of carbon emissions, the economy, and the Iraq war when no one was looking and out of sheer boredom thought, "That whole steroids thing in baseball really sucks. We should check into that."

The Potomoc Primaries, Part 2

Obama crushes Clinton in D.C and Maryland. He is now ahead in delegates even counting superdelegates. This is looking worse and worse for Clinton. Her Giuliani strategy seems to be working about as well as it did for the mayor. Don't expect a graceful exit from her, though. She will fight tooth and claw until (past?) the bitter end.

McCain Thinks You're Dumb...

...if you disagree with him on the war. Is this really someone we want in the White House? Disagree with someone? Fine. Think they're dumb for disagreeing? Not so fine. Not that a he has a chance if he runs against Obama. Clinton is another matter.

CNN's Self Promotion

I don't watch a lot of TV, but as far as news stations go, I am partial to CNN. I have to say, though, that it is getting aggravating hearing "the best political team on television" every other sentence. Aren't the people watching CNN most likely to already have a favorable view of the station? Do they need to constantly tell people that they think they're the best? After awhile it sounds like the insecure person who brags a lot to make themselves feel better. Just shut up and tell me the news without all of the self-fellating, CNN.

The Potomoc Primaries

Obama is crushing Clinton in Virginia and is predicted to win handily. Isn't this the state people were saying might be a close race?

Tax Season

I e-filed my taxes earlier this evening. We'll see if it gets rejected like it did last year forcing me to do it on paper or if it will go through.

Last year the IRS rejected my return saying that one of my dependents, my oldest daughter, was claimed on someone else's return. When I called to find out what I had to do, I was told to submit it on paper. I did and got my return and forgot about the whole thing.

That is until a few months later when I got a letter from the IRS. Since one of my dependents was claimed on another return, I had to submit proof that I was allowed to claim Erica. I knew exactly who had claimed her, of course. I called her and asked her about it. She told me her tax preparer told her she could her even though our divorce agreement said that I wold claim Erica and she would claim Shaena. I sent a letter back to the IRS and a copy of our divorce agreement. I never heard back from them. I also never heard exactly what happened to my ex over this.

This weekend, the issue of money came up with my daughters and Erica told me something interesting. She said that their mother told them the "guy who did [our] divorce" screwed up. I asked her how and she said that their mother told them she was supposed to be able to claim both of them on her returns. Yeah. She looked it over and signed it. She knew exactly what it said.

Of course, she has also been telling the girls that I have not been paying any of their medical bills which is an outright lie, but that's another post.

Faulty Preparations for the Iraq War

An indepth RAND study has shown a massive lack of coordination and planning by the military and administration leading up to the Iraq war. Unfortunately, the Army is working hard to bury it.

“The RAND study simply did not deliver a product that could have assisted the Army in paving a clear way ahead; it lacked the perspective needed for future planning by the U.S. Army,” he said.

A Pentagon official who is familiar with the episode offered a different interpretation: Army officials were concerned that the report would strain relations with a powerful defense secretary and become caught up in the political debate over the war. “The Army leaders who were involved did not want to take the chance of increasing the friction with Secretary Rumsfeld,” said the official, who asked not to be identified because he did not want to alienate senior military officials.

Disgraceful. The public deserves to know the truth about this.

Obama's Charge Continues

Obama won Maine today meaning he won all five contests (quite handily) this weekend including Washington, Louisiana, Nebraska, and the Virgin Islands. Clinton seems to be taking a play from the Guiliani playbook and is counting on the March contests to get her back in the race while playing down expectations for all of the contests this month. We saw how well that worked for Guiliani, didn't we?

Whether or not Clinton does blunt some of Obama's momentum come March, it is not likely that either of them is going to pull significantly ahead in delegates. He leads now in pledged delegates. Counting superdelegates, however, gives her a slight advantage. I think it would be very damaging for the party if it comes down to the superdelegates and they end up giving the nomination to the person (whichever of the two) who did not get as many pledged delegates. They can, of course, do that, but that would be seen by most as very un-democratic and could be very problematic for the Democrats should it occur.

Weekly Music Video

Coldplay performing "White Shadows" live in Glastonbury.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Clinton and the Republicans

Remember Ari Fleischer's comment on CNN last Tuesday?

"There is no doubt ... we hope and pray every night to run against Hillary Clinton."

President Bush is getting in on the act as well.

The president weighed in on the Democratic race, saying it "seems far from over to me." And he rejected criticism of former President Clinton's work on the campaign trail for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

"I can understand why President Clinton wants to campaign hard for his wife. And those accusations that Bill Clinton's a racist, I think is just wrong. I just don't agree with it."

As for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Bush said, "I certainly don't know what he believes in."

The only way the GOP has a chance of keeping the White House this November is if Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee. Clinton is a very divisive figure. The vitriol she generates may be unfair, but it is there. And even if she does get the nomination and does win in November, it won't be a majority. It will be the 50%+1 victory and our country will be very divided in a time when we need to be united to solve some of the big problems our nation faces - Iraq, terrorism, healthcare, the economy, nuclear proliferation, failed states, and many others.

Of course, Obama is not some wizard who will cast a spell and have everyone holding hands and singing "Kum Bah Ya." What he does have, though, is the respect of many on the right as well as the charisma to bring people together. He offers a chance to move beyond the old Baby Boomer fights and into the future. That's what I want for America. That's what we need.

Improving America's Schools

The Atlantic has an article about our public school system and what should be done to fix it. It boils down to removing local control and nationalizing our schools because that is how some of the most successful nations have done it.

I don't think that is a good idea. Giant bureaucracies are not efficient or adept at dealing with small issues like little Jimmie struggling with his math. Here are a couple things that I think we need to improve our school systems.

1) Teacher accountability. It is asinine that teacher's can get tenured and then only be fired for "gross misconduct" or something else. Tenure is good, but it should only cover things such as what the teacher publishes or talks about and the like. Teachers should most certainly be held accountable for student performance. If a teacher's students continually fall short then the he or she needs to be held accountable. What other industry can you get into where you are virtually immune to termination even if you don't do your job?

2) More teacher autonomy. Teachers need more free reign within their classroom. Yes, their students still need to be taught certain things, but the teachers need more latitude in how it's done. This would better allow them to target individual students who are ahead or behind in certain areas.

3) Students as individuals. We need to develop plans for individual students and not for masses of students. Every student is unique in learning style, likes/dislikes, temperament, and abilities. Schools need to treat them as such and create plans for individual students. Yes, this will create more work for schools, but that's why I think we need to recruit more teachers in order to shrink classroom size. We should also have more teacher's aides to assist them in this effort.

I don't think we need to make a big effort to increase teacher pay. Do teacher's deserve it? Probably, but they already typically make higher than average salaries. We need to spend money hiring more teachers as I mentioned previously, but also making sure that we provide teachers and students the tools they need. Schools should not be crumbling and falling apart. Teachers should not have to buy their own supplies - paper, pencils, and other basic materials - for their classrooms. Schools should have heat and air conditioning. Schools should have large, safe playgrounds. These things are where we need to be spending more money.

In short, I believe we do need to make changes in our schools. Bureaucracy is not the answer, though. We've all seen how well the Department of Homeland Security functions.

Homework

A Canadian study shows that homework offers no benefit to kids before junior high and, in fact, may be doing some harm in terms of stress and marital stress.

Homework is of little benefit to students from junior kindergarten to Grade 6, say the authors of a just-released Canadian study, who also found it is often the source of stress and burnout in children, as well the cause of conflict – even marital stress – for many families.

This sounds about right to me. Kids that age need to be kids. Even going into junior high and high school, while I think there should be homework, it should be somewhat limited. Even high school kids shouldn't be doing three or four hours every night.

My favorite part of the article was at the end, though.

But He said her daughter doesn't enjoy the schoolwork. "To be honest," she said, "she prefers to play."

Ya, think?

Ah, Parenthood

I don't think I'm going to get much sleep tonight. My youngest daughter, Shaena, is spending the night at a friend's house. I can't stop thinking about all kinds of nightmarish scenarios that could happen. My mother no doubt went through similar moments and now that I am a parent, I can understand.

Faith and Lost Souls

If you have any religious beliefs at all, you should read this story.

Living Your Beliefs

Rod Dreher has a great post on the importance of living your beliefs and not just talking about them on Sunday.

What's the broader message for people of faith? That passing on the faith to our children is not something we can or should rely entirely on the institutional church (sermons, Sunday school, Christian schools) to do. We have to do it in our homes and in our cultural lives -- and not in the sense of, "Tonight, children, we are going to discuss the doctrine of the Incarnation." The Christian faith (or any faith) has to be woven into the fabric of everyday life, has to be experienced not as an interesting add-on to normal life, but as normal life itself. This is particularly challenging in a culture like ours, where increasingly the only normative belief is that there is no normative belief. But what choice do serious religious believers have?

This is very true no matter what your beliefs may be. It doesn't take long for (most) parents to realize that so often with their children what they say isn't nearly as important as what they do.

Conservatives or Authoritarians?

A scathing critique of the direction many Conservatives have taken.

We need a change in nomenclature. Those who continue to support the administration’s radical theory of executive power are properly described as authoritarians. Once upon a time they may have been conservative but I think it’s safe to say that circa February 2008 conservatism has been orphaned by its ostensible champions. As a philosophy for governance it has no meaningful support on the national stage and hasn’t for years. I won’t dwell on long-forgotten odes to small government and fiscal responsibility, the counseling of prudence and pragmatism in foreign affairs, or reverence for tradition and precedent in conducting the nation’s business. All of it deserves more attention and the erstwhile conservatives served us all very poorly by abandoning it, but what bothers me most is their enthusiastic embrace of militarism, torture, fearmongering and a near-voyeuristic obsession with surveillance. They are at best former conservatives, as are those who maintain a discreet silence while all this happens. Some like Andrew Sullivan have explicitly distanced themselves from it and identified as Burkean conservatives (a lonely tribe at the moment, but possibly the only long-term alternative to extinction for the Republican party). The rest don’t deserve the legitimacy “conservative” implies.

As I've written before, I think the Republicans are really adrift right now. They are going to need a strong leader to bring them back to the core principles their party was founded on. Who knows when that person will come along, though, and how far the party will sink before he or she does.

Rules of the Library

A fellow bibliophile writes about the rules for his library. My favorite?

RULE #3: NO BORROWING -- No borrowing of books is allowed under any situation.

I do lend my books out, but I'm always worried that they won't return.

Refinancing a No Go

Mom talked to the mortgage company earlier this week. She wanted to refinance the house for a longer period of time to drop the house payment. Unfortunately, it wouldn't work because she's got such a great interest rate now that if she went for the new loan, her rate would go up and the payment would drop by (literally) a few dollars. So, that's not going to work.

If anyone knows someone who wouldn't mind sharing a house with a geek and his Mom, send them my way.

Another First

I donated money to a political campaign today for the first time in my life. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out to whom.

A New Era of D&D

I don't get to roleplay near as much as I used to or would like for that matter (oh, why must I be a responsible adult?), but I still try to keep up on the goings on in the world of table-top RPGs. Wizards of the Coast is putting out the 4th edition of D&D this June. In a somewhat surprising move they are going to release a license for the rule set, but unsurprisingly it is going to be much more restrictive than the OGL that accompanied 3rd edition. Chris Pramas, one of the major (and better) third-party developers blogs about what this means for WotC and the industry.

Clearly many changes are in the wind. Until we see the Game System License we won't know all of them for sure. No matter what I'm positive publishing under the original OGL will continue (that's how we'll do M&M and True20, for example). A year from now the publishing landscape will likely be quite different though. I think the big question is whether any of the prominent third party publishers will decide to just skip 4E and the GSL and continue to publish 3.5 material. I think Paizo is best positioned to pull this off but it would be a gamble for sure. As for WotC I guess I continue to be surprised they are making this attempt at all. I seriously wouldn't blame them for saying, "This is a huge headache with few tangible benefits for us, so 4E will not support 3rd party publishing."

Clinton's Woes

First she loans herself $5 million and now some of her senior staffers are working for free. I think she is more concerned than she is letting on.

Religion Fact of the Day

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, falling forty days before Easter. A priest or minister will draw ashes in the shape of a cross on the foreheads of believers while reciting a short Biblical verse. As the ashes are sacramental and not sacrements, anyone can recieve them. The penitential Psalms are usually read during the service. Ash Wednesday is a day to remember human mortality and express penitence for sins committed. Many Catholics also fast and abstain from meat for the day or throughout Lent.

Super Tuesday, Part 5

Clinton is now the projected winner of California. This is big for her, but it looks like Obama has eked out a victory in Missouri. California or not, I think Obama has a lot to brag about after today.

Who's Patriotic Now?

I wonder what McCain would say if he was asked about the fact that the two candidates getting the most donations from members of the military are Ron Paul and Barack Obama, the two most adamant anti-war candidates. Would he insinuate that the troops don't support the troops?

Super Tuesday, Part 5

CNN just predicted Romney will win my home state. Ron Paul came in second. I'm glad to see that he got 25% of the vote, but it would have been nice to see him win one state.

Super Tuesday, Part 4

Obama's victory speech is very good. He has really done well lately at drawing distinctions between himself and the Republicans. I think this would be one of Clinton's biggest weaknesses were she the nominee with her vote for the Iraq war, the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, and her hedging on torture. The only way McCain or any other Republican has a chance of winning in November is if Clinton is the nominee.

Super Tuesday, Part 3

The biggest story of the night may be Huckabee. He is doing surprisingly well especially in the South. The Republican party really is fractured. Unless something drastic occurs, I imagine that a Democrat will win the White House this year and in 2012. Will this be enough for the GOP to rebuild itself or will it continue to crumble?

Super Tuesday, Part 2

Two more states for Obama - CO and ID. Early numbers from California show a big lead for Clinton, but that's to be expected as the larger cities have yet to report. It's also fascinating to see the breakdowns - whites and African-Americans break strongly for Obama while Asians and Latinos are coming out strong for Clinton.

Super Tuesday, Part 1

They may end up in a dead heat delegate wise, but Obama has won 8 states to Clinton's six at this point. If he keeps this up, he will have some good spin in the coming weeks.

The Darkness That Comes Before

I just finished this book last night. It is the debut novel of R. Scott Bakker and the first of a trilogy, the Prince of Nothing series. A very impressive effort. It has some of the basic fantasy tropes such as a world on the brink of disaster from an ancient evil, but is very different in many respects. The main character, Anasurimbor Kellhus, is almost superhuman having been trained by monks since in agility and intellect. It bears some similarities to darker fantasy stories such as A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin in that there are no white knights who are paragons of virtue. No, the characters all have very real flaws and come across as very human. It also owes a lot to the classical world with many Greek parallels especially in philosophy and to the history of the Catholic Church.

The story starts 2000 years in the past with all members of the royal family save one son dying in an abandoned fortress after a disastrous war with the No-men and the bestial Sranc. An order of monks, the Dunyain, soon come by and take the boy in. Flash forward to the present and Anasurimbor Kellhus, descendant of the royal family, is living in the same fortress. The fortress is in a remote part of the north, far from civilization, and Kellhus has never been out in the world, his existence consisting only of the Dunyain monks and their training. He receives a dream message from his father, though, the only person to have ever left the community. Kellhus decides he must find his father.

Elsewhere in the world great events are being set in motion. The leader of the Thousand Temples, the great church is about to declare a Holy War. The Emperor of the most powerful nation in the Three Seas wants to use the Holy War to increase his own power and wealth. The Schools, practitioners of magic and considered blasphemers, are concerned the Holy War will be declared against them as it has in the past. Achamion, from the Mandate school, is tasked with discovering the nature of the Holy War. The Mandate school's mission has always been to keep an eye out for the Consult, leaders of the No-god and unseen for 2000 years.

On his mission, Achamion encounters an old flame, an old student turned priest, multiple factions vying for power in the chaos caused by the Holy War, and Kellhus. A man whose name and story hint at the Second Apocalypse.

I can't wait to get into the next book. The Darkness That Comes Before is an excellent book, one of the best fantasy books I have read in a good while, unique and intriguing. Highly recommended.

Military Spending

Matt Yglesias writes about America's massive spending on defense. We are now spending more than we did during WWII. Is this really justified, especially considering the fact that our budget for this is more than the next several spendiest countries combined. I support a strong military, but this is ridiculous. Think of all the great things that money could go toward.

The Abortion Debate Cont.

Jeromy commented on my previous abortion post.

The new language that pro-choicers have adopted (and it has been popularized the media) is that abortionists are pro "reproductive rights." And Joe America says, "Hey, I'm all about rights..."

This is exactly what I'm talking about. The language we use helps shape our thoughts and so in a debate this serious; it becomes critical to use the right language. Obviously people who support abortion rights have done a fantastic job (from their POV) of using language that makes it easier for them to support their views. If you call your side "pro-choice" or "pro-reproductive rights" it becomes harder to argue against that because suddenly you're a fascist who wants to suppress people's "rights."

It's why I support a bottom-up approach to tackling abortion rather than a top-down approach. It's easier to talk to individual family member, friends, and acquaintances than to be a demagogue (no matter which side you are on) trying to persuade the masses that your team is the right one. You can connect to people better and (hopefully) have a better debate this way rather than a shouting match that does nothing but inflame emotions and shut down real debate.

My First Foray into Vlogging

I thought I would give this a try just for the hell of it.

Another Endorsement for Obama

In a rather surprising move, Maria Shriver has come out in support of Obama. She is a Kennedy, but her husband, the Governator, recently announced his endorsement of McCain.

That's got to make for some interesting dinner conversation. Maybe Schwarzenegger will go back in time and attempt to assassinate her before she announces this. Hmmmm....

Weekly Music Video

How about something a little different this week? This is funtwo playing an arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon for the electric guitar. Check out how fast his hands move. Insane. This kid is awesome and it's a great arrangement of one of my favorite classical pieces.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Minesweeper: The Movie

I am totally stoked for this flick, a sure-fire Oscar winner if ever there was one.



Courtesy of these fine folks.

The Abortion Debate

In response to something my friend, Jeromy, wrote on his blog, I promised some thoughts on abortion, so here we go.

I'll start by saying that I am firmly against abortion excepting in very rare circumstances (the health of the mother for example). I think that no matter why it is done, it is an incredibly weighty decision that should not be taken lightly. The cavalier attitude taken by many toward abortion is disturbing to me. I would like to see abortions go away completely except for the afore mentioned "rare circumstances."

That said, I do not think that the current methods most pro-lifers use is the best way to accomplish this goal. First, having a law outlawing abortion is not going to make abortion go away. Murder is against the law, but it still happens. Now that doesn't mean I think we shouldn't have a law against murder. Rather we need to change our culture so that abortion is considered just as wrong as murder. People still murder each other, but for the vast majority of the population it is considered a vile, reprehensible act. That is what we need for abortion - a majority consensus that it is wrong.

Second, the tone of the debate needs to change. By letting the supporters of abortion become "pro-choice," opponents of abortion have put themselves at a great disadvantage. This is Ameria; we take pride in our freedom (except when a certain Republican President is doing everything in his power to curtail them, but I digress). If someone is against "pro-choice," then obviously they are evil fascists who want to control you and it is imperative you stand up to them. Language is important and the current phrasing of the debate only serves to inflame the opposition into irrational tirades that do nothing to further the cause.

I think that those who oppose abortion need to take a bottom-up approach. Talk to family members, friends, fellow church goers about abortion. Make sure the people around you know that they can talk to you about it if they need to. Make sure you don't come across as holier-than-thou or accuse people who get an abortion of being hell-bound baby-murderers. You may feel like that, but it doesn't help your cause if you voice your opinion this way. This method is much more likely to achieve productive results. Maybe I'm crazy, though, and bombing abortion clinics and killing doctors who perform them will be more productive in the long run.

Things Aren't Looking Up In Iraq

Joe Klein writes about the current situation in Iraq and has harsh words for the current administration's plan or lack thereof.

The Surge has helped a great many Iraqis in the neighborhoods of Baghdad return to normal, relatively secure lives--despite the occasional Down Syndrome bomber--but it is a tactic, not a strategy. We have no coherent strategy going forward, at least none that I've heard.

Cowardly Democrats

The only Republican to vote against the Iraq War has some harsh words for the Democrats who privately voiced concern, but publically went along with the plan and voted for it.

Chafee was the only Republican senator to vote against prosecuting the war. "The top Democrats were at their weakest when trying to show how tough they were," writes Chafee. "They were afraid that Republicans would label them soft in the post-September 11 world, and when they acted in political self-interest, they helped the president send thousands of Americans and uncounted innocent Iraqis to their doom. [...]

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. The Bush administration may own the bungling of the actual operation of the war, but both Bush and Congress are responsible for our presence there. I also think Clinton's vote for the war is going to be one of the issues that sinks her campaign.

Home Theater Room Themes

I'm jealous. These are freakin' cool.

Reconciliation in Iraq

It's not happening.

It looks as if, as was widely expected in dovish quarters, Iraq's new de-Baathification law is proving unacceptable to Sunni Arabs, and Iraq's Sunni Vice President is saying he'll veto it.

Why isn't Congress hammering the President on this a lot more than they are? The stated purpose of the surge was to "create space" for political reconciliation. It's not happening, but we're plowing forward regardless. Have you noticed that when things were looking very grim that was a sign we needed to stay and help the Iraqis. Then when things are looking slightly better, that's a sign our plan is working so we need to stay. Heads I win; tails you lose.

The Healthcare Debate

Megan McArdle writes about why universal healthcare is not a good idea.

But clinical trials for a single successful drug cost $500 million, and not because the labs have outrageous administrative overhead. Even if the government were in charge of running them, they would still be on the hook for that $500 million, which would have to come out of taxes. We can get existing drugs on the cheap by essentially stealing the property of shareholders in drug firms, who risked a lot of money on drugs that they reasonably expected to be profitable under existing laws. But that's a one-trick pony. We cannot get new drugs at bargain basement prices.

This is one of the main arguments against universal healthcare and perhaps the most persuasive. How many new drugs come out of Europe? Very few.

Obama and Israel

Some neocons are concerned about a President Obama's policies toward Israel.

The folks over at Commentary magazine (intellectual base of neo-con thinker Norman Podhoretz, who is a Giuliani advisor) have been scrutinizing Barack Obama's Middle East advisors and policies. Noah Pollak has zeroed in on Samantha Power, a human rights advocate, Harvard University professor and TIME columnist. Pollack goes so far as to suggest that if Obama was elected, Power would be advising him to repudiate Israel and appease Iran--"America's greatest ally in the Middle East," and its "greatest enemy," respectively, in Pollak's view.

Of course, Obama has not really mentioned anything specific about Israel and the Middle East. This is all being based on some of his advisors and as the article notes, one of his advisors is staunchly pro-Israel. That said, I think America would be a much more credible third-party in Middle East negotiations if we weren't seen as tied to Israel at the hip. Yes, Syria, Iran, the Palestinians, and so on have done some despicable things, but Israel is no saint. We need to call out Israel just as strongly when they do not live up to their end of a bargain as we do everyone else in the region.

Edwards is Done

I find it amusing when a politician says something like, "I'm still in it and I'm going all the way to the National Convention," and then drops out a few days later.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out seeing as how Edwards was for the most part pulling support from Clinton and not Obama. I hope Edwards endorses Obama, but there is some scuttlebut that says he is angling for the AG post under a Clinton Presidency. We'll see.

Fear

M. Willard Thornton has some insight for us all.

Brain Scans and Blood Draws

I had my yearly checkup for the MS study last week. My neurologist said the MRI looked great. He did say that my white cell count is still low normal which is expected for people on interferon medications. However, looking back at my first blood draw before I was on drugs, he noted that my white count was low then, too, so it is probably my normal range.

Other than some fatigue and occassional depression, I have felt great. I should be with all the shooting up I have to do. What's the point of doing drugs if they aren't going to make you feel good?

Thermodynamics of Hell

I'm not one to get excited by FW: emails. They are typically not insightful, funny, or intelligent. However, I got one the other day that made me laugh. I had to edit it for grammar, of course (what the heck is up with chain emails and bad grammar?). It really makes the baby Jesus cry. Anyway, without further ado.

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term. The answer by one student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.'

This student received an A+.

This guy sounds like a smartass. I like him already.

Angry Women

The New York branch of the National Organization for Women (NOW) is a bit miffed (okay, they're freakin' pissed!) that Ted Kennedy has endorsed Barack Obama.

And now the greatest betrayal! We are repaid with his abandonment!" the statement continues. "He’s picked the new guy over us. He’s joined the list of progressive white men who can’t or won’t handle the prospect of a woman president who is Hillary Clinton.
...
This latest move by Kennedy is so telling about the status of and respect for women’s rights, women’s voices, women’s equality, women’s authority and our ability – indeed, our obligation — to promote and earn and deserve and elect, unabashedly, a president that is the first woman after centuries of men who ‘know what’s best for us.’

This is exactly why radicals for any position tend to come off as whack. 'Cause you know Kennedy just can't be supporting Obama because he finds him a better candidate. Nope. He's a closet misogynist! I bet he's a Nazi and baby-raper, too! Come on, ladies, let's lynch the prick!

*ahem* Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of something or cry at the stupidity, weeping for the future of our race.

Consumerism

Author Benjamin Barber has a post on his blog about the economy and why giving people more money to spend is not going to help in the long run.

Too often capitalism has tied itself to American vices: an arms race, shopoholism, dependency on imported oil, and then cried foul when reformers try to treat the dependency. “See what you’ve done? You’ve stopped people from taking out mortgages they can’t afford and now the housing market has collapsed! Shoppers are staying away from the mall and refusing to buy all those goods they don’t need, and the economy’s going down the tubes! Next thing you know, Americans will start taking public transportation instead of driving gas-guzzling cars, will start saving instead of spending – acting thrifty! – and then we real really be in a mess!”

Almost all of the proposals for dealing with the looming recession are about getting bucks back in the hands of consumers so they will start spending again! But exhuberent spending is what is inflating the trade deficit, wrecking the dollar, draining savings, and allowing foreign investors to buy up America — not to speak of corrupting American morals.

Crazy Hippies

My good friend, Jeromy, has built a community with other like-minded individuals living under one roof, the goal of which is putting into practice their vision of Christianity (humble life, service, smoking pot). He explains it much better, so I'll let him do it.

A reporter from the LA Times heard about their little venture and decided to do a story on it which just came out. She visited a few times over the course of a year to get a good feel for just what the community was about. Jeromy responded to the article as he felt that the story places too much emphasis on the conflict that is going to inevitably ensue when people live together.

I feel like he is being too critical of the article, though. Perhaps it is because I know him so well, but I did not get that vibe. To me, it seemed a story of genuine human beings attempting to carve a new path in their lives that would lead to something greater than themselves. Of course there are going to be bumps in the road, but reading about the community helping a homeless guy, or giving two battered women with kids a place to stay one night, or giving a recovering meth addict a home gives me hope that there are good people in the world and that if people come together they can make a difference. There are so many of our fellow human beings who need a hand and it is heartwarming to see people attempting to step up and fill that void.

I applaud Jeromy and everyone else in his community for taking a stab at this. As the article makes clear, it has not been easy. But, then, how many good things are?

And, I can't mention the story without noting that if you look through the photo gallery accompanying it, specifically the second pic, you will see a dorky cool looking guy on the right that may or may not bear a striking resemblance to yours truly. Step one on my road to fortune and glory.

Oh, and no, Jeromy and company are not crazy hippies. If that wasn't clear to anyone who read anything from the links above. Although, I suppose if that wasn't clear to you, I'm probably not going to be able to convince you otherwise.

Some People Just Don't Like to Really Think

Andrew Sullivan posts a cartoon about how man made dinosaurs evil and an excerpt explaining why evolution is a religion, both from a website called Answering Genesis. These extreme positions against reason really blow me away.

Weekly Music Video

Witness the awesomeness that is Metallica and their best song, "One." Anyone who claims heavy metal is puerile or just "noise" needs to check this powerful statement about the destructiveness of war.

Weekly Secret

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Obama's Victory Speech

This guy knows how to talk.



I've heard lots of criticism of Obama's campaign and speeches as being a bunch of nice rhetoric, but ultimately meaningless without solid action to back it up. I disagree. One, because I think his record speaks as a man who does put his principles into action. Two, 99% of politics is talk. Even when pols are in Congress trying to pass legislation, they do it by talking. I think it is also important (no matter where you are) to have leaders that can inspire their people to rise up to something greater. Obama does that in a way that no other politician I have seen in my lifetime, not even Bill Clinton in his heyday. I want that. I want a President who will say, "Let's come together and create a whole better than the sum of the individual components." I don't even agree with many of Obama's positions, but I do believe he can raise our country up. All of us.

Big Victory in South Carolina

Barack Obama has pulled off a landslide win in South Carolina. He got more than twice the votes Clinton did. More importantly, he won in nearly every major demographic group, including older voters and women. This is exactly what his campaign needed. The last two weeks have shown voters the real nature of the Clintons (if they didn't know it before) and it hurt them in South Carolina. Of course, this race is not over, but I think this decisive victory is going to make it much harder for Clinton. I see some hope for our nation.

Going forward for Obama, I think it is very important he rise above the Clintons' smear tactics. It gets him off message and brings him down to their level. A positive focus is vital for him to keep this momentum otherwise he runs the risk of looking like just another pol. Yes, he needs to respond to attacks, but it needs to be specific and brief. I think he has what it takes and whatever else one can say about this election, I think it will strengthen Obama and make him that much tougher as a politician.

Paybacks

My mom tells me that my kids embarrassing me is payback for the times I embarrassed her. I got some payback today. I've been telling my daughters for a couple of months that I was going to take them to the bank to start a savings account for each of them. As it turns out, one of the teacher's aides at their school, Miss Ricki, works at my bank and told my daughters that I should talk to her because the bank has a promotion going on now.

So, yesterday I met her when I picked Erica and Shaena from school. She asked for my number and said that she would get an appointment set up for me and call me with the time. She did and this morning at 10:00, the girls and I went into Wells Fargo. We had to wait a little bit because the lady who was going to set up our accounts was still with another customer. While sitting in the lobby, we had this exchange.

Shaena: Dad, do you like Miss Ricki?
Me (knowing where this could go and groaning inside): Uh, she seems really nice.
Shaena: There's this girl at school who went over to Miss Ricki's for supper and she said that Miss Ricki is a really good cook. (Of course, my daughter's know that I do not like to cook.)
Erica (loudly): Shaena, do you think he's going to marry her?
Me (face turning red): Uhhhhh

Thankfully Miss Ricki was not nearby, though I'm sure a few other employees of the bank heard this. Kids. You gotta love 'em.

Joel Osteen's Message

An interesting article about Joel Osteen contains this gem:

“The reason [Osteen is] so popular is because of the spiritual infantilism of America. Not just spiritual, the infantilism of American culture,” Anthony says. “And he feeds the Paris Hilton, Britney Spears culture. It’s all me. Benefit me. What can I do for me? How can I feel better? What can I do about me? How you can get the best of your life? It’s all me-centered.”

Of course, Joel Osteen is popular. He asks nothing of you. Those sorts of people are easy to get along with. Unfortunately, if you surround yourself with people who accept the status quo and never strive for something better even when things may be pretty good, you will end up leading a shallow, empty life. Surround yourself with people who constantly say, "We can do better," and your life will be rich, the rich that counts and not the material wealth Joel Osteen wants you to have.

Bill Clinton's Desire

The truth comes out. I think this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one.

Heath Ledger Passes

Actor Heath Ledger has been found dead in his apartment. Drug overdose is the most likely culprit at this point. What a shame. I think he had a fine career ahead of him. I feel bad that one of my first thoughts was, "I hope he's filmed all of his scenes for The Dark Knight."

Star Trek Trailer

Paramount has released the first teaser for the new Star Trek film coming out this December. It's definitely a teaser, so there is little in the way of detail. A new beginning definitely seems to be what they are going for. There are lots of shots of the Enterprise being put together. Whether this is a refit or a new ship remains to be seen. Hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice was also very cool. As skeptical as I am, I couldn't help but get a little excited.

More Nevada Shenanigans

Another first-hand account of underhanded tactics by Clinton supporters in Nevada. Do you think we'll see either Clinton coming out against this? Yeah, right.

Weekly Music Video

A classic 80's video: a-ha with "Take On Me."

Weekly Secret

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Uplifiting Words

Check out this transcript of a speech Obama gave in Atlanta this morning. Just reading it gave me chills. It is exactly why I support him, because words can be an opening to something greater.

Clinton Tactics

A first-hand account of some underhanded maneuvers by Clinton supporters in Nevada.

One voter who hadn't even finished registering said that she was undecided, and the Hillary operative physically escorted her to the Hillary side. I went to talk to the woman, but she was immediately surrounded by 3 Hillary supporters who would not let me in, and I had to attend to others registering at that point (our operatives were outnumbered by hers 2-1).

This kind of crap makes me sick. No, I don't think Clinton gave orders for any of this, but I don't doubt that it was not discouraged either. Is this really the kind of leader we want in the White House?

Nevada Results

On the Democratic side, Clinton took the race with a 51-45 victory over Obama. The race is certainly not over, but this is not good for Obama. The more Clinton's name is in the headlines as a victor, the more chance she has of building up a solid momentum. The breakdown of voters is interesting and highlights what Obama is going to face in southwestern states. Latinos overwhelmingly supported Clinton. Obama did get a majority of the black vote which should help him in the South if he can continue his support there. Edwards only managed low single digits. He's vowing to stay in until the August Democratic convention, but unless he pulls off a victory or close second in South Carolina, he needs to consider dropping out.

Andrew Sullivan has a brief post about the Latino/Black split in Nevada and a video with some insight into the minds of the Nevada voters.

Romney won the Republican caucuses. This victory is beginning to give Romney a solid lead in delegates. South Carolina could catapult one of the others back into the race, but it is looking more and more like Romney's nomination to lose.

Star Trek Pics

Moviefone has a picture of the Enterprise from the upcoming new movie. It's not the best shot, so it's hard to make a judgment on it. They also have pics of all of the major cast members. Even though I like J.J. Abrams, my expectations remain rather low. I hope I'm proved wrong.

Arrogant Clintons

The extreme arrogance of the Clintons, Bill and Hillary, is one of the most off putting things about both of them and a large reason I would have trouble voting for Hillary. The linked story is about Bill getting quite upset with a reporter over a question regarding the suit brought by Clinton supporters in an attempt to stop the casino caucuses in Nevada. They, of course, did not have a problem with them until a union endorsed Obama, a union that provides most of the staff for the casinos that will be hosting caucuses. They really seem to be baffled that anyone would stand in the way of them getting back into the White House.

Please, Democrats of the nation, give Obama the nomination. It will be better for us all.

The Tomb of Jesus

The controversy surrounding the possible tomb of Jesus first discovered in 1980 just won't go away. Of course something this volatile probably won't ever completely die out. No matter how much evidence is amassed one way or another, someone believing the opposite will refute it and carry the fight on. I personally find the tomb very fascinating and no matter what secrets it may hold they will not affect my spiritual beliefs.

One thing I disagree with from the article, though, is this quote from James Charlesworth, a theologian at Princeton Theological Seminary:

After all, [Jesus's] followers believed he was the Son of God.

The disciples of Jesus and his followers for a few generations after his death did not believe Jesus was the son of God, at least not in the divine way we think of it today. They certainly believed that Jesus was the messiah, that he was chosen by God. They did not believe he was divine himself, however, as this would have been an infringement on their strict monotheism. It was not until later that belief in a divine Jesus developed.

Another Girl

My family's takeover by females continues with the birth of another girl. Earlier this evening, my sister gave birth to Brooklyn Rae. She is a few weeks early, but doing fine. I now have four nieces in addition to my two daughters, three sisters, a mother, and my ex-wife. What have I wrought to deserve such a fate?

I can only hope that my friend, Jeromy, will continue having boys and balance this out somehow.

Armor of God PJs

Wow. Whatever happened to a nice metaphor? I guess I just don't understand the desire for always being literal. Next thing you know they will be peddling plate armor and real swords (they're cross-shaped!).

Did NH Have a Problem With Its Voting Machines?

Lots of theories are being floated as to why there was such a discrepancy between poll numbers and actual results in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. One person has been crunching numbers and thinks there may have been a problem with the Diebold machines.

To my complete (and continuing) amazement, the "diebold effect" on Hillary's votes remains after controlling for any and all of those demographic variables, with a p-value of <.001: that is, there are less than 1:1000 odds for this difference occurring through chance alone, and that's after adjusting for variability in Hillary's votes due to education, income, total population, and population density.

I'm a big proponent of technology especially if it can improve something, however there are times where there cannot be a margin of error. Electing officials is too important for mistakes to occur in the counting of votes. It may not have happened here. Chris is getting feedback from some more knowledgable statisticians. I do think that voting machines need to have paper trails for now until they have a proven track record.

Babysitting Dad

It's not something you typically expect to have to do, but, hey, what's life without the occasional banana peel?

My brother, Shawn, and I took our dad out last night. We try to do it every couple of months at least. We shoot some pool, have some drinks (well, they do, anyway) and just try to have some fun. Last night proved to be more, uh, interesting than usual. When Shawn and I went to pick up Dad at about a quarter to seven, we saw that he had already started drinking despite the fact that Shawn told him to not have any drinks until we went out. Dad has never been able to hold his liquor and we didn't want him falling down drunk an hour after we left.

We went to a local bar and it seemed like it was going to be just a normal night. We played a few games. Shawn kicked both our asses at pool since he plays quite a bit. A few hours roll by. I'm thinking it's about time to call it a night because I'm feeling tired and I have to work in the morning. Dad looks ready to fall asleep. Then they came over.

There had been two girls playing at a table next to us. One of them, Kelly, came over and started talking to Shawn. She thought she recognized him and she said his name sounded familiar. After playing question and answer, she remembers that she knows our sister, Sharie. They did not go to school together, but met through some guys they knew. She brought the other girl over, her sister, Jessica, and introductions were had. Shawn asked them if they wanted to play doubles and they agreed to after they finished their doubles game with another pair of guys.

A few minutes later they came over. And Dad came to life. Now, my dad is charming, lady-killer when he's sober. When he's drunk, he's over the top. Suddenly there are two twenty-something girls at our table and turns his charm up to 11. Before I know it, he's smacking one on the butt, calling them endearments, telling dirty jokes, blowing kisses, and so on. Of course, the whole time he's smiling and laughing and clearly having a good time. He's 71 years old. My brother and I are apologizing to the girls, but they just laugh and say he's cute. Yeah, cute, because he's 71 freakin' years old! If I was acting like that I would have been slapped and thrown out by the bouncer.

I tried cutting Dad off a couple of times, but if I turned my back for a second, he managed to get himself another drink. I went through the rest of the night red-faced. I told Kelly at one point that I might have to have the "son-father talk" and I wasn't looking forward to it. Finally, about eleven-thirty everybody was getting tired and Dad was nearly falling-down drunk. He said he had to go to the bathroom. When I asked him if he could get there okay, Jessica offered to walk him there. I groaned and rolled my eyes. They both said over and over that they didn't mind him at all and thought he was "hilarious," "cool," "a hoot," and an assortment of other complimentary terms. I was thinking more "drunken, dirty old man," but, you know, different perspectives and all that.

Kelly said that she and her sister had fun and wanted to exchange numbers so that we could all hang out again some time. My brother and I dragged Dad out as soon as he got out of the bathroom. After we dropped our dad off, I told Shawn that if she calls, she's probably going to ask, "Is your dad coming?" and insist that he does. It is funny, but more so in retrospect. For most of the night I just felt embarrassed.

I suppose the other somewhat amusing anecdote unrelated to my father was shortly after Kelly and Jessica came over to our table. About the only words out of my mouth so far have been, "Hi, I'm Shane." I'm not the gregarious social animal my father is, far from it. I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt that says "I do all my own stunts." I'm fairly clean-cut, no strange tats or funky hair-do. Kelly pipes up and says, "So, are you one those, uhm, Dungeons and Dragons guys." A brief moment of silence passes as I think, what the hell? Nodding, I say, "Uh, yeah. I didn't think I had a sign on declaring it." "You just look like it," she says.

I didn't realize we D&D players had a "look." A little dorky or maybe average looking is what would come to mind if I had to describe myself, but I'm not sure my first thought if I saw me on the street would be "Roleplayer." I would have expected someone to hear me talk a little bit before they figured it out. Not that I'm embarrassed about it. I enjoy it and could care less what anyone else thinks about it. I just don't expect it to be the first question from someone who has just met me.

Music Likes

Messing around with iTunes a few weeks ago, I came across a feature called MyTunes. Apple has some code for a couple of widgets that allow you to display recent purchases and "favorites" (artists you've purchased) from their store. Being a big music fan, I thought I might add them to my page just for the hell of it.

It is not a comprehensive look at the music on my computer as any physical CDs I purchase are not listed. It's kind of cool, though, so check it out. And feel free to mock me for anything such as Whitney Houston or Josh Groban that you see floating across the screen. They're balanced by Metallica, Slayer, Priest, Iced Earth, and so on.

But you can still make fun of me.

Batshiat Crazy

My good friend, Jeromy, sent me a link to this video. It reminded him of someone and I had the same thought when I watched it. This lady sounds like my ex-wife.



Besides my ex, this video brought a few other things to mind:

A true "dark-sider" if ever there was one.


A thought on being crazy.
David Mills (Brad Pitt) in Se7en talking to John Doe (Kevin Spacey). "I've been trying to figure something in my head, and maybe you can help me out, yeah? When a person is insane, as you clearly are, do you know that you're insane? Maybe you're just sitting around, reading "Guns and Ammo", masturbating in your own feces, do you just stop and go, 'Wow! It is amazing how fucking crazy I really am!'? Yeah. Do you guys do that?"

Scandal's awesome song, "The Warrior."


A picture worth at least 997 words.


I know what I am going to say a prayer of thanksgiving for tonight.

Weekly Music Video

One of my favorite songs ever: "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure.

I'm a Warlock

One of the teachers at my daughter's private school is the cousin (or some such) of one of my sister's friends. She told my sister recently that my ex-wife told her that I am a warlock. Yes, she said this in all seriousness and honestly believes that I am an Satan-worshipping, magic-using, force of evil. I have to admit that it would be really cool to be that, but, alas, I am not.

Weekly Secret

An amusing one this week.



PostSecret

The Journey to the White House is Just Starting

The National Journal has an excellent piece examining the current state of the presidential race. Bottom line? "This could go on awhile."

Combined with the outcomes of the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire results leave the parties confronting similar situations. Each side faces the prospect of an extended nomination fight between candidates who have established clear demographic strongholds, but have not yet demonstrated enough strength to dislodge their opponents from their strongholds or to unite all the divergent elements of their party's coalition.

This has certainly been a fascinating election year. I can't wait to find out what the outcome will be.

Isn't Texas Great?

A Texas school wants to offer a degree in "Science Education" (read: Creationism). Now, if only there was some science behind creationism (the literal kind, i.e. the world was created in six 24-hour days 6000 years ago). Bah, who needs science? It's obviously a tool of Satan used to steal our souls!.

Great Expectations

Time has a sobering assessment of Bush's recent efforts in the Isreali/Palestinian peace process.

Bush capped the two days of talks Thursday evening with a restatement of U.S. goals for a peace deal as well as encouragement for both sides to pursue talks. But if it hasn't been already obvious, Bush's trip to Israel and the West Bank this week has made one thing abundantly clear: the Israelis and Palestinians aren't making peace anytime soon. Israel is as resistant to basic peace process concessions as it has always been and the Palestinians are alternately weak or violent, depending on which part of their territory you look at.

Perhaps I'm cynical (I am) and perhaps I am highly critical of Bush (I am, but it's not like he hasn't asked for it), but his current push for settling this conflict comes off as a half-hearted attempt to salvage some sort of legacy for his presidency. I don't think he's even put a whole lot of thought into this beyond "You know, it seems like them Israelis and Palestinians should get along. I bet if I sit them down together, they can work this little misunderstanding out."

This conflict has been going on decades. A half-hearted attempt by a President in his last year of office who has lost all credibility in the Middle East is not going to work. Sad but true.

Who Wants to Be Invisible?

Scientists are getting closer to making invisibility a reality. As cool as this is (and oh so ripe for abuse), though, my preferred super-power is flight. When is someone going to get me my own personal flying device?

Early Birthday Gifts

My birthday is not until tomorrow, but I have received a few gifts already. Yesterday, my co-worker, Brenda (or my "work-mom" as she calls herself), gave me Star Trek V and VI to round out my collection of the original series films. She said she wanted to wait until my birthday, but she saw I has having a bad day at work and thought I could use the pick-me-up. Brenda is also the type of person that has trouble waiting for something like this because she gets so excited. One of my tail lights was out in my vehicle and Brenda also had her son fix it for me.

Today, my mother took me to the bookstore (okay, I took her) and let me pick out a few books. She is very traditional and did not want to do it this way, but she hasn't had a chance to get a ride from anyone else, so it was up to me. I picked out The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker, the third in his Prince of Nothing trilogy. I haven't read the first two, yet, though they have received rave reviews. I also picked up Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook which collects the first trilogy of his Black Company novels. I have been wanting to read these for a long time and now I don't have an excuse not to.

Anyway, a big thank you to Brenda and Mom for my gifts. They are much appreciated.

People Are "Doing It"

A fascinating new study points to the liklihood of this happening right now somewhere, maybe even nearby.

Religion Fact of the Day

Belief in the Trinity as most Christians currently know it was not always so clear cut. Arius was a Christian pries in Egypt in the late 3rd/early 4th centuries. He stirred up a lot of controversy by claiming that Jesus did not exist from the beginning with God, but was created later and by implication less than the Father. Athanasius was the major opponent of Arianism as it became called. The Council of Nicaea in 325 was an attempt to resolve this dispute, but the wording of the Nicene Creed, specifically the word homoousios ("same essence"), only served to inflame the conflict. It wasn't until 381 when the creed was rewritten that the dispute was settled with Arianism losing out.

New Hampshire Makes Things Interesting

In stark contrast to all of the polls from the last few days, Clinton eked out a narrow victory over Obama in the Granite State. After looking very emotional and tired over the last few days, I'm sure this will invigorate Clinton. We'll see how things fall out, but I still don't think Clinton will go all the way.

On the Republican side, things become more confusing as McCain gets a solid victory. This looks to be shaping up as a Huckabee/McCain battle. Romney and Guiliani are fading in the polls. Thompson seems to have lost any ground he gained with his late-inning entry. That said, while the Democratic front-runners are clear, it is much murkier for the GOP. It could go anyway at this point and that seems to point to confusion within the party for the direction they need to go and to disillusionment with any of the choices this year.

An interesting year for politics to say the least.

Girls' Self Image

This is the sort of thing I worry about with my youngest daughter.

[Girls] who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular. Researchers said the study showed how a girl's view of her social status has broader health consequences.

Shaena is such a sweet girl, but her self-esteem is in the gutter. She thinks she's worthless and not as smart or beautiful as her sister. I try to boost her up, but it's so hard especially when her home environment is so negative. She needs to get away from that and she needs some positive female role-models in her life. I need to do more for her.

Why Campaign Coverage Sucks

Chris Hayes, editor of The Nation, explains why media coverage of political campaigns is typically poor and offers some solutions including this one:

2) Go more for features and less daily reporting. The Times has been doing this, though, their feature coverage has tended to focused on such burning issues as what Hillary Clinton wrote in letters to a penpal 35 years ago. But it also produced an excellent piece about Giuliani’s fraught relationship with New York City’s black residents. These kind of longer-form, non-deadline pieces are fun to read, and far, far more informative than the daily dispatch.

I think this could be extended to many news stories and not just campaign coverage. The 24-hour, instant gratification news cycle is tearing our media apart.

Religion Fact of the Day

The Southern Baptist Convention is the second largest Christian denomination (next to Roman Catholic) in the United States. It was founded in 1845 in Georgia in part as a reaction against other Baptist movements denouncing slavery. It was not until 1995 that the SBC formally renounced its racist origins.

Weekly Music Video

How about a little 90s flashback with the Pet Shop Boys and their cover of "Go West."

Weekly Secret

PostSecret