Santa's Interstellar Origins

Mr. & Mr. Claus

Church Stripped of Catholic Affiliation for Abortion

St. Joseph's hospital -- Phoenix's oldest -- has been stripped of its association with Catholic church by Bishop Olmstead. The reason? The hospital performed an abortion for a woman who was in her 11th week of pregnancy. She developed pulmonary hypertension and would have died without the procedure. The church allows "indirect abortion" in such cases, where a fetus dies because of a necessary secondary procedure, but does not allow a direct abortion, which is what happened in this case. The Sisters of Mercy who run the hospital stand by their decision.

I offer you a passage from the bible (Matthew 12:11) that seems relevant.

And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

That's Jesus responding to the Pharisees who were trying to trap him & asked him whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath day. I think the same principle applies -- who would not perform an abortion when the outcome if you don't is the death of both the mother and the child?

PhDs Are Not Worth Much

With few exceptions, I advise undergraduate students away from PhDs. Sometimes I do that because they don't have a background that's strong enough to get into a doctoral program, let alone finish it. However, a lot of time I do it, because the value of, say a Clinical PhD over an MSW (Masters of Social Work) is rarely worth the work that goes into it.

This article is a little depressing, given what it says about my future job prospects, but at least I know I'm not lying to my students.

Indeed, the production of PhDs has far outstripped demand for university lecturers. In a recent book, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, an academic and a journalist, report that America produced more than 100,000 doctoral degrees between 2005 and 2009. In the same period there were just 16,000 new professorships.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Authority!

These kids are going to be so embarrassed about this in 10 years. I think the current school-age generation should be called Generation Why the Hell Did My Parents Let Me Upload That to YouTube.

UhMeriKuhns R Dumm an Fat

This is really really REALLY depressing.

A sampling:

The report by The Education Trust found that 23 percent of recent high school graduates don't get the minimum score needed on the enlistment test to join any branch of the military. Questions are often basic, such as: "If 2 plus x equals 4, what is the value of x?"

The military exam results are also worrisome because the test is given to a limited pool of people: Pentagon data shows that 75 percent of those aged 17 to 24 don't even qualify to take the test because they are physically unfit, have a criminal record or didn't graduate high school.

What's Wrong with America

You Are Really Small

Bad Writing

The writing of the average male undergrad. Color me amused.

It begins...

The first thing—and this for obvious reasons—is that you must prefer “within” to “in.” “Within” is longer and takes up more space on the page; plus it’s a word that makes you sound smarter because it makes you sound smarter. So you begin thus: “Within the poem …”

Games as Art

Videogame designer Brenda Brathwaite has designed a few board games that are more about art and social statements than games. One of them is called Train. Two players play Train. They have boxcars, and they can use their turns to speed down the track, load the boxcar with yellow pawns, or slow its progress. The goal of the game is to reach the end of the track. At that point the player draws a Terminus card, which has the name of a place on it. Like Dachau. The players aren't told in advance that it's a game about the Holocaust. (But, come on. You're racing to shove little yellow men into trains. Might you suspect something?) Brathwaite says her goal was to put the player in the shoes of the train conductor -- make them feel a sense of complicity.

The game doesn't end when the game officially reveals itself as a Holocaust game. The players can choose to continue until all the pawns are moved. The players can also use the rules to slow the trains down and save the pawns. For the most part, players never move all the pawns over, and they use the rules to save the pawns. I find it pretty fascinating that most players feel either morally obligated or socially pressured to save tiny, wooden pawns.

I recommend the whole article.

So gay

This is the gayest thing ever.

Hiatus

for the semester.

Sarah Palin is a True American

because she understands the need to be a hateful bitch about everything, but most recently about that mosque. Wonkette expresses my feelings well. Here is an excerpt:

Somebody is not getting it! Somebody is being insensitive! Perhaps with some education, Sarah Palin could understand that “those Muslims” are Americans. And perhaps she might understand that the mosque that is ALREADY THERE gets pretty crowded! That is one reason why it would be good to put another one in this location! And perhaps she can understand that cities are places where people are not just white and Christian! And perhaps, for a fucking second, she can try to understand how it feels when somebody hates you and associates you with terrorists because of your religion or your name or the color of your skin, even though you love your country. And then perhaps she can understand that she does not live in this fucking neighborhood and has no idea what should or should not be built there. There is probably a crazy homeless man who masturbates at the World Trade Center site every day, but she has no idea.

*Apologies about the language for the easily offended.

Stoning

Two young lovers are stoned to death by relatives and villagers in a Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan. There are no words for this.

Hello from the people of earth.

Greetings from the People of Earth from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

The Mormon PR Machine

Mini Sculpture

Tiny sculptures carves in the graphite of old pencils. More here.

Ann Coulter & The Gays

Some gay GOP-ers invited Ann Coulter to their shindig, and she said yes, and everyone was confused. Here's Wonkette being funny about it.

And here's some really adorable stuff Ann has said about the gays in the past. She's so droll.

Tax Cuts

More here.

Illegal Immigration

A gut-wrenching exposé of what illegal immigrants have to go through to get here.

Maddow on DADT

AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Sarah Palin makes my head want to explode. I really enjoy the eye-rolling when the woman states she's a teacher. Teachers are such losers!

Anti-DADT Ad

WWII on Facebook

It's in poor taste, but it's mildly amusing.

Dogs Chasing Cars

Here is a great article titled, "Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty," about Republican Bob Inglis who lost his Congressional primary race in South Carolina. A sampling:

While he was campaigning, Inglis says, tea party activists and conservative voters kept pushing him to describe Obama as a "socialist." But, he says, "It's a dangerous strategy to build conservatism on information and policies that are not credible...This guy is no socialist." He continues:

The word is designed to have emotional charge to it. Throughout my primary, there were people insisting that I use the word. They would ask me if he was a socialist, and I would always find some other word. I'd say, "President Obama wants a very large government that I don't think will work and that spends too much and it's inefficient and it compromises freedom and it's not the way we want to go." They would listen for the word, wait to see if I used the s-word, and when I didn't, you could see the disappointment.

Why not give these voters what they wanted? Inglis says he wasn't willing to lie:

I refused to use the word because I have this view that the Ninth Commandment must mean something. I remember one year Bill Clinton—the guy I was out to get [when serving on the House judiciary committee in the 1990s]—at the National Prayer Breakfast said something that was one of the most profound things I've ever heard from anybody at a gathering like that. He said, "The most violated commandment in Washington, DC"—everybody leaned in; do tell, Mr. President—"is, 'Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.'" I thought, "He's right. That is the most violated commandment in Washington." For me to go around saying that Barack Obama is a socialist is a violation of the Ninth Commandment. He is a liberal fellow. I'm conservative. We disagree...But I don't need to call him a socialist, and I hurt the country by doing so. The country has to come together to find a solution to these challenges or else we go over the cliff.

and

With Boehner and others chasing after the tea party, he says, "that's going to be the dog that catches the car." He quickly adds: "And the Democrats, if they go into the minority, are going to have an enjoyable couple of years watching that dog deal with the car it's caught."

Prop 8

I generally have some compassion for far-right gay haters who turn out to be closeted homosexuals. However, when Tony Perkins has a big fat gay scandal, I'll really have to dig deep to find any compassion. Click here to see him being a lying liar and getting called on it. (I can't get the embed code to work...clearly my blog doesn't care for Tony Perkins either.)
Also, I really love that being gay makes the judge biased in a case that supposedly affects heterosexual marriage. I mean, that's the basis of their entire case. So wouldn't a heterosexual judge also be biased? Silly me, applying logic.

Here's a video of Ted Olson being smart and well-spoken on Fox News.

People, like, literally don't know the meaning of the word literally

David Cross expresses my feelings. (*Note: cursing abounds.)

Gay Marriage

Mila's Daydreams

This mom creates little scenes around her sleeping daughter, imagining what her dreams might be. Mom claims she creates them while the baby is sleeping, but I'm not sure I believe her. On at least some of them, it looks like she made them at one point & then put the baby there later. But what do I know.

T minus 172 years

Stop having kids now. Otherwise, your great-great-great-great-great grandchildren might go kablooey in 2182, when this big ole asteroid has a .054% chance of slamming into Earth. (Although maybe it's not that big? I didn't read closely enough to note a size, but it's labeled "a potentially hazardous asteroid. I imagine that's big enough to make it really annoying.) Anyhoozles, have fun kids!

Bill O'Reilly

You know, sometimes I like a good enigma, and other times, I don't. When people like Bill O'Reilly say things lucid, logical things like this:

"President Obama has the power to stop this 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' business. Just sign an executive order. I don't know why it's taking so long—it's not fair. We should stop this nonsense."

it makes my head hurt. I hope someone posts a video of him doing something inane soon, so that my universe will right itself.

Ted Haggard: A Morality Tale

Man, do I love Ted Haggard. He's already grown his backyard barn church into a 200-person congregation that's moved into a bigger space. I've followed him through his spectacular fall, his search for grace and forgiveness, and his new start. I would give just about anything to spend a day inside his head and see what he really thinks about God, redemption, love, and sexuality, and how he sees himself fitting into all of it.

I find him compellingly complex, endlessly charming, and totally enigmatic. Is he delusional? Is he a self-aware charlatan? Take these two pieces from the above linked Wall Street Journal interview:

"Tiger Woods needs to golf. Michael Vick needs to be playing football," Mr. Haggard said as his new congregation joined him and Gayle in their backyard for a post-worship picnic. Little kids, shrieking with joy, splashed in the pool. Men grilled burgers. Women set out chicken salad.

"Ted Haggard," Mr. Haggard said, "needs to be leading a church."

and

"I over-repented," he said. . . . He portrays his encounter with the prostitute as a massage that went awry and said he doesn't have same-sex attractions.

That's got to be a flat-out lie. I just cannot believe that he is that delusional. But then I also think he sincerely wants to lead his flock to the Truth. So...he tells himself this little lie is OK for the greater good?? I don't know! That's why I love him.

To me, Ted Haggard and his life are the real-world version of a fabulously written TV show. He could have easily been written by Matt Weiner (Mad Men) or Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer (Big Love). He's a compelling character with massive personality flaws that are not ever fully grasped or understood by either the character or the audience. And played out in the battle with himself are the narratives and questions of religion, politics, and humanity. Somebody definitely deserves an Emmy for this.

And They Shall Surely Be Put To Death

A poster from Maggie Gallagher's National Organization For Marriage's bus-tour campaign in Indiana. (Link from Sullivan.)

Here are some other relevant biblical quotations I'd like someone to put on a poster (KJV):

Matthew 5:31-32.

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I [that's Jesus, folks] say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Leviticus 20:10.

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

And here is an interview with one of the Traditional Marriage people. Some things to note: his physical revulsion in response to a man he thinks is gay (or just a gay supporter?) compared to his not as-hatey-as-it-could-be language. And hang around for the whole thing. It takes a FASCINATING turn around the 3 minute mark.

Religion & Recession

"No Atheists in Foxholes and Other Myths of the Recession" -- a quick, easy read about the association between church attendance & the economy.

Abandon All Logic, Ye Who Enter Here

Some really awesome Americans, who are probably more "real American" than I am, have decided that it would be cool to burn Qurans on 9/11 this year. I know Jesus would be all over that. He loved getting his hate on.

Shirley Sherrod

Not up-to-date on this whole Shirley Sherrod debacle? Here's the quick and dirty: Sherrod, a current USDA official, told a story about THINKING about treating a white farmer unfairly in 1986, but ended up doing the right thing and saved his farm. Some website showed a heavily edited video of this and it looked like she currently did things to screw over whitey. Then she got fired. Except maybe not. Except maybe she doesn't want her job back. Anyway, here's another, more detailed, albeit rambling, version from Rachel Maddow.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Making Money off of Mel

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Repeal Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Paves Way For Gay Sex Right On Battlefield, Opponents Fantasize

Weird

Jello cups:

Levi vs Sarah: Smackdown Raw

A rundown of the shit stirring Levi has done regarding his future mother-in-law. Ain't families grand?

No Homo!

A little primer on the phrase, "No homo." Like, "That girl is pretty, no homo." I'm familiar with this phrase mostly because my Big Brother, Big Sister kids used it occasionally when they forgot who they were with. I gave them this look:

OK, not that exact look, because I am not secretly Obama (or am I?!), but being good little whipper snappers, they stopped their shenanigans in response to The Look.

Yearbook Pictures

She looks better with dark hair.

Glenn Beck, You are a toad.

The title for this post was going to be, "Glenn Beck wants to edumucate the masses," but my auto-fill-in feature gave me the above option. It seemed appropriate, so I went with it.

Anyhoozles, Glenn Beck is starting an online "academic experience" that will educate paying "students" about religion, American history, and economics.

Wow, I didn't know Glenn Beck had a PhD in those things. I'll have to go look at his credentials and maybe re-think my view of Beck. ..... OK, I'm back! You'll be shocked to know this, but Glenn Beck doesn't even HAVE a PhD in religion, history, and economics. Not even one! It turns out -- you might want to sit down for this one -- Glenn Beck didn't go to college! I take that back. He took a class on early christian something or another. Good enough! You go, Glenn Beck.

Weird Wonder Bread

Wonder Bread Art. I am not loving it.

BIOB: Blame It On Bush

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Blame
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Hell, I say Blame Canada!

Excitement Abounds

Vesuvius

How they died at Pompeii.

Whoopsies

California welfare recipients withdrew $1.8 million at casinos over 8 months, using their state-issued debit cards. The losers who did this will undoubtedly fuel the conservatives who bemoan welfare as handouts. First, this occurrence would certainly seem like a valid argument against a debit card method of welfare. Second, and more importantly, these withdrawals accounted for about 1% of the total withdrawals. That's a lot--no doubt--but whatever system you use, you'll have losers. A more conservative approach will increase the number of deserving, hardworking families who can't get the brief leg-up they need. A more liberal approach will increase the number of wasteful leeches who really just want a handout. I would argue that a 1% waste-rate is better than shoving deserving families into further poverty. (Again, however, the government should have been aware that these debit cards were being used for gambling before now!)

Fetal Pain

A new study suggests that a fetus cannot feel pain at 24 weeks. I doubt this will do much to change the minds of hardcore abortion foes. For people who struggle with the moral implications of abortion, this might make them more likely to support a woman's right to have an abortion.

"American news media finally realized they kind of suck."

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
McChrystal's Balls - Honorable Discharge
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Decoy Jews

Amsterdam authorities are considering using decoys -- plainclothes officers wearing yarmulkes -- to combat a supposed rise in anti-Semitic acts. They are also considering increased surveillance cameras, despite some evidence that surveillance cameras are not especially good at reducing crime and can actually increase fear & perception of crime.

Maddow on Republican Strategy

I got a little bored toward the end, but the first 5 minutes is good stuff (and some past there too).

Michelangelo

Is there a brain stem in God's neck?

Cambodian Sex Trade

One in 40 Cambodian girls will be sold into sex slavery.

Some girls will be sold for as little as US$10 and be as young as 5.

One former sex slave is fighting back. Despite her past and lack of education, she speaks 5 languages and is raising three children, including her sister's daughter. Time calls Somaly Mam one of the most influential people on the planet.

Oil Dependence

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
An Energy-Independent Future
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

"We've redefined success and still failed."

A Condom with a Bite

A doctor has developed a female condom with "teeth" that will grab onto a rapist's pecker & will not let go until he seeks medical attention. The doctor hopes that this will increase the number of prosecuted rape cases.

Go Biden, Go Biden

Comic

Poor BP

The BP exec just wants his life back, and now the oil giant has been the victim of a shakedown. When will it end??

Each frame is created by a different person. Go here to contribute.

Tsk, Tsk, Rand Paul

Turns out that "board-certified" ophthalmologist Rand Paul isn't really board certified. At least not by the only board that is recognized. He's certified by a board that he founded in 1999. That seems wrong on so many levels. I thought this Paul character was a principled guy who just has a completely different view of reality than I do. I believed him when he said he wasn't a racist. Well, I'll stand by that -- he's probably still not a racist. But is a liar. Or a truth-stretcher, if you will. Not cool, Rand Paul. Not cool at all.

Madonna, Gaga, & Religion

Lady Gaga is no Madonna. For one, she can actually sing. But that's not the point of Mark Judge. He argues that Lady Gaga's video for "Alejandro" is cheap, stale blasphemy, whereas Madonna's "Like a Prayer" video was "an intelligent and even devout meditation on grace, love and conscience." Worth a read.

Painting with Tape

Mark Khaisman uses packing tape and then backlights the image.

Wacky Bridge

This bridge is part of a proposal to connect Hong Kong to mainland China. In Hong Kong, they drive on the left side of the road; in China, they drive on the right. The solution? A bridge that twists under itself. Cool.

Waves

More photos by Clark Little here.

BP's Coffee Spill

I debated whether to post this. It seems a little tacky to make light of such a major disaster. However, I think it's healthy to make fun of BP. So, here you go.

Obama Calls Palin

Amusing.

The Queen's English

I say "couldn't care less"! However, I did not know that the English say "titbit" instead of "tidbit." Aren't they quaint?

Politicians and their mics

Goodness gracious. When will people learn that they should watch themselves whenever they are ANYWHERE near a mic or a camera? It could be on, people!

Here's Carly Fiorina making fun of Barbara Boxer's hair. It happens in the last 20 seconds or so. Forward to about 4:00. I like the look on her face when I presume that someone off camera reminds her that she's being recorded. (Also, from earlier in the tape...Carly, learn to cover your mouth when you yawn.)

Art

Pencil drawings by Paul Lung here and here.

Ebert, Murals, & Race

Roger Ebert has a thoughtful piece about the Arizona mural that is definitely worth a read.

Changing Tides

Changing views on homosexuality & awareness of knowing someone who's homosexual.

Drinking

From Andrew Sullivan.

The Gays

Presented Without Comment

Biggest Oil Spill

happened in 1910.

Gay Hater Gets Transgender Opponent

Sally Kern, the Oklahoma State Representative who declared homosexuality to be a greater threat than terrorism, is going to face off against Brittany Novotny, a transgendered woman in the general election. (*Note: I know the difference between transgendered and gay, but I seriously doubt Sally Kern does or cares.) Anyway, good luck Novotny!

Big Cats Love CK Obsession

Friendship Matters

Humpback whales form friendships that last years.

Nutter Bars

Some clerics are suggesting that adult men drink a woman's breast milk (either in a glass, or directly from her breast) to circumvent the laws against mixing between the sexes. Now, you might be wondering a grown man suckling a woman's breast "circumvents" anything related to propriety between men & women. Lemme 'splain.

A man is considered a relative of any woman from whom he breastfeeds. Sons can be alone with their mothers without punishment. Apparently, it is not uncommon for sisters to breastfeed their nephews for this reason. So if a lady comes in contact with a man frequently, then she should share her milk. Then the relationship is maternal and will, if I understand correctly, prevent any untoward behavior between them. Religious logic is bizarre.

And just FYI, according the article, it sounds like most people in the countries from which these fatwas have arisen (Saudi Arabia & Egypt) think they're nuts.

Old Gladiators

Archaeologists have uncovered what they think is a gladiator graveyard. Mostly I'm posting this because I miss Bones.

Texas Board of Education

A good article on the new Texas schoolbooks that print Jefferson Davis' inaugural speech next to Lincoln's.

Sexsomnia

I saw an episode of Special Victims Unit about "sexsomnia," the tendency to have sex while asleep. It appears to not only exist, but to be more common than you might think. Eleven percent of men and four percent of women referred to a sleep clinic reported this problem. The rates in the general population would obviously be much, much lower.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

A color-coded diagram.

Arizona

An Arizona councilman doesn't understand why a school would paint a mural and make the "black guy" the most prominent. Said councilman also "can't stand" the word "diversity," but he's "not a racist" and even has some black friends! Also, the "black guy" in question -- actually a Hispanic kid. But, hey, a minority is a minority, amiright?

Scientists Can Be Funny

I was reading about some of the greatest astrophysics discoveries of the last 100 years. Winner of the 1930s was Fritz Zwicky, who first suggested the theory of dark matter. However, his other major contribution to humanity was to coin the term "spherical bastard," as in no matter what direction you look at him from, he's still a bastard.

Fun with Hearing

Here.

Today in the News of Duh

College cheerleaders are at risk for eating disorders. Next they'll be telling me that sorority girls are at risk for eating disorders.

Ted's New Church

My favorite disgraced gay evangelical is starting a new church, in defiance of his old church. Good luck, Ted. Don't be a homo-hater, or I'll have to find a new favorite disgraced gay evangelical. They're not in short supply, so it shouldn't be too hard.

The Beginning

A clue about why matter prevailed over anti-matter.

Alabama Primary

538 has the rundown.

Baby Hears

Jonathan hears his mom with the help of a cochlear implant. If this doesn't make you smile, then you need to check whether your heart has been replaced with a lump of coal.

Ultrasounds & Abortion

Oklahoma's recently passed restrictive anti-abortion laws may backfire, at least in part. One of the laws requires that women be forced to look at an ultrasound and hear a lengthy description of the fetus. The idea is that women will be shamed out of having the abortion. In Alabama, where women are given the option of viewing the ultrasound (admittedly, not directly comparable), there has been no decrease in abortions.

In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests that such an approach backfires, particularly for younger embryos and fetuses. Embryos do not look like humans, and that can be reassuring when deciding to terminate. Opponents of ultrasound requirements worry that it will emotionally scar women without actually changing their minds, but data from England suggests that's not the case. Seventy-three percent of women in those studies looked at the ultrasound when given the option, 84% of those said it did not make the decision more difficult, and no one changed her mind about having it done.

It is the second law that I actually find more disturbing. This law prevents a woman from suing a doctor who intentionally hid information about birth defects while the baby was in utero. There are many non-abortion related reasons to know about birth defects before a baby arrives. (As a reminder, Sarah Palin had prenatal tests to confirm a disability in her child.) Even without that fact, I am appalled by legislators making it legally acceptable for a doctor to lie and mislead a patient about anything. That's how you end up with situations like the Tuskegee Experiment.

Relativity & Climate Change

Apparently, there are some similarities between the anti-relativity camp of Einstein's age and the anti-climate change camp of our own.

ACLU real & imagined

A look at the right-wing version of the ACLU and the actual ACLU.

How to get your camera back

with help from this guy.