Deneb

For all two of you who follow my blog, I apologize. I haven't had much to blog about, mostly because I have finally started working. However, seeing as how it is 3:30 AM and I can't sleep (mostly thanks to said work) I will blog.

I went stargazing for the first time since starting my astronomy class tonight. I only had to go out to my 'front yard' (which is a parking lot...how poor am I?) but I was able to see a triangular portion of the 'northern cross' constellation, and most notably Deneb. Modern estimates put Deneb at approximately 1,550 light years from Earth. That means the light I am getting in my eye at this moment in time was created when the following was happening on earth.

410: Rome sacked by Visigoths

c. 440: Anglo-Saxons settle in Britain

453: Death of Attila the Hun

476: Traditional date of the fall of the Western Roman Empire

Also in the 5th century: The founder of Zen Buddhism was born, the horse collar was first used in China, and metal horseshoes became common in Gaul.

Imagine where the human race will be 1,550 years from now, when the light that Deneb is producing now reaches our descendants. Will they be speaking of how 2009 was the point of no return for the American Empire, or will the history books instead read about how a world united itself under the banner of peace and understanding in the 21st century. Either way, the stars will continue to shine, providing distant generations a common link to the past.

Couldn't Say it Better

START EATING REAL FOOD!

Americans Split 50-50 on Abortion

This is unacceptable. I can and can't believe that America is regressing after we had been showing such positive upticks in the area of personal freedoms. What a woman does with her body is her choice. It is not the choice of the government, the husband, the doctor, and definitely not the choice of a priest who is supposed to never have known a woman's touch.

So let's be honest here. Do we really want the fundamentalists telling women what they can and can't do with their bodies?

WOW

I can't believe I'm saying this, but researchers have released fossils today that not only resemble human beings, but are 4.4 million years old, a million years older than Lucy, linking us back even further to our cousins in the Animal Kingdom! What an exciting find!

I just wanted to say to the Creationists: you guys had a good run, you guys had a lot of people on your side, but can we just call it a day now? I mean...you can only fight fact for so long.

Can't do anything but nod my head solmenly (STOLEN)

The story of Cameron Todd Willingham ought to be read by everyone. Willingham seems to have been a kind of Texan dumbass, an uneducated, wife-beating piece of work, but he was also the father of three children, who he, by all accounts, loved. Those kids died in a house fire. Forensic 'experts' declared the fire an arson, Willingham was arrested, tried, and convicted of murder, and was executed.

Only problem: he didn't do it. The fire experts were good ol' boys who were operating on folklore and fairy tales about how fires propagated; real experts have looked at the scene and since declared that it was an accidental fire. Nobody killed those little girls, but their father was killed for their deaths.

That's not the most disturbing part of the story to me. You have to watch these videos of Judge John Jackson (he was prosecutor in the case, and is now a judge). He openly admits that the evidence for arson was weak, and that he looked at the circumstances to determine Willingham's guilt. Those circumstances? Willingham was a low-class ruffian with tattoos of skulls who like heavy metal music. Therefore, he was probably a satanist. Therefore, he probably killed his children.

I'm not joking. That was the basis for this smug cracker's determination of guilt, that led directly to his execution. Why not just criminalize tattoos and Metallica? It would make it easy to round up the riff-raff and exterminate them.

The state of Texas murdered an innocent man, and we can see the whole chain of incompetence, bigotry, and cowardice that led to the tragedy, from this ass of a prosecutor to Governor Perry, who refused to heed the evidence of malfeasance. Why aren't all of them being impeached or fired, and facing criminal charges in a court of law? Is it because they don't have any tattoos and listen to patriotic tripe from Lee Greenwood, Brooks & Dunn, and Tim McGraw?

End the death penalty everywhere. Drum the red-necked blundering boobs out of office, at the very least.

This story was stolen from Pharyngula because I was too lazy to write my own.

A Medical Tragedy

A 14 year-old girl has died after being given the first shot in a series of three shots for a vaccination from cervical cancer. My thoughts go out to the family of the girl and I hope they can get some answers as to why she died.

Sadly, however, I can already hear conservatives saying that she died because of socialized medicine, so let me say it first: anyone who will turn this political (I'm looking at you Michelle Malkin) should have their mouth sewn shut. This is a time for grief, not politics.

Update on Iran's Nuclear Plant

I guess that they will be letting in the IAEA after all. That's one step towards disarming this situation. Let's just hope that it doesn't go like the nuclear inspection in Team America where Hans Blix ended up getting eaten by "sharks".


Let's just hope.

Oh boy...

It seems as though Iran's top-secret secure nuclear isotope weaponization lab has been detected by the U.S., U.K. and France. I can understand Iran's want to have a nuclear weapon, because, after all, they are bordered with Pakistan and just next to Pakistan is India, both of whom are armed with nuclear weapons. However, I can't say I feel completely safe about having the ayatollah's hands on the red button, ready to bring us all to the land of paradise, or however you see your personal version of the afterlife. I'm not going to stress out about it too much, because it's way out of our hands, but I will keep updates posted as I hear about them.

If anyone is surprised by this, punch them in the face

Randy Quaid arrested for skipping out on a hotel bill. Yup, the guy who played the poor redneck uncle skipped out on a $10,000 bill at a hotel in CA and was caught in Texas. What the fuck was he thinking?

"Yeah, I've starred in one of the most popular christmas movies of all time, I'm sure no one will recognize me."

Dumbass.

Discovery of (some kind of) Water on the Moon!?!?

Yeah, I know. NY Times is reporting that some form of water has been found on the MOON. Yeah. You heard it here first ladies and gents. A form of water has been found on the moon. Huge day today.

Well, it's a noble idea at least

Iran agrees with Japan on something: they both want to get rid of nuclear weapons. I mean, hey, I'm all for the idea of completely ridding the world of nuclear weapons, just like I'm for ridding the world of guns. I don't know how I feel about Iran lobbying for this, however. I think that, while Japan's advocacy is more than likely valid, Iran's is not. It's probably just trying to save face by signing on to a plan that they know Russia and the U.S. simply won't go for. I don't know how I feel about this though, because if we were to abolish them, and then Iran or some other crazy nation got its hands on one it might spell out bad news. I'll keep an eye on it though.

Holy Crap!

Months after the house passed the cap and trade legislation (which has thus been stalled in the house) the president actually spoke about how if we don't stop now our planet could end up like Venus (with a surface temperature of about 460 C which adds up to about 860 F)! Mind you, it would take thousands of years for our problem to get this bad, but seeing as how we've made it this far, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that humanity at least wants to make it another millennium or two.

Take the Anti-Socialism Pledge

The Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge

I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:

I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.

I will complain about the destruction of my 2ndAmendment Rights in this country, while I am duly >being allowed to exercise my 2ndAmendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.

I will foreswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls. Also.

I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:

• Social Security

• Medicare/Medicaid

• State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)

• Police, Fire, and Emergency Services

• US Postal Service

• Roads and Highways

• Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)

• The US Railway System

• Public Subways and Metro Systems

• Public Bus and Lightrail Systems

• Rest Areas on Highways

• Sidewalks

• All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009federal senate appropriations--http://grassley.senate.gov/issues/upload/Master-Approps-73109.pdf)

• Public Water and Sewer Services (goodbye socialist toilet, shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, outdoor hose!)

• Public and State Universities and Colleges

• Public Primary and Secondary Schools

• Sesame Street

• Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children

• Public Museums

• Libraries

• Public Parksand Beaches

• State and National Parks

• Public Zoos

• Unemployment Insurance

• Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services

• Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, Stateor Federal Government (pretty much all of them)

• Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding (again, pretty much all of them)

• Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro (Nazi-NASA Inventions)

• Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD's ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking

• Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies

• Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies

• If a veteran of the government-run socialist US military, I will forego my VA benefits and insist on paying for my own medical care

I will not tour socialist government buildings like the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

I pledge to never take myself, my family, or my children on a tour of the following types of socialist

locations, including but not limited to:

• Smithsonian Museums such as the Air and Space Museum or Museum of American History

• The socialist Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments

• The government-operated Statue of Liberty

• The Grand Canyon

• The socialist World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials

• The government-run socialist-propaganda location known as Arlington National Cemetery

• All other public-funded socialist sites, whether it be in my state or in Washington, DC

I will urge my Member of Congress and Senators to forego their government salary and government-provided healthcare.

I will oppose and condemn the government-funded and therefore socialist military of the United States of America.

I will boycott the products of socialist defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Humana, FedEx, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others that are paid by our socialist government to produce goods for our socialist army.

I will protest socialist security departments such as the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Department of Justice and their socialist employees.

Upon reaching eligible retirement age, I will tear up my socialist Social Security checks.

Upon reaching age 65, I will forego Medicare and pay for my own private health insurance until I die.

SWORN ON A BIBLE AND SIGNED THIS DAY OF ____________ IN THE YEAR ______________.

___________________________ ___________________________

Signed Printed Name/Town and State

What a thought

It looks as though, if you don't act like the bully on the block, people won't bring their brass knuckles to school in case you come to their part of the yard.

It really amazes me how Bush acted like we couldn't talk to our adversaries or concede on anything because if we concede then the terrorists win and America isn't #1. USA! USA! USA! USA!

Please.

We take our stupid "missile defense system" out of Poland and the Czech Republic, and Russia scraps its plans to put big ol' missiles right next to Poland.

Yeah, I'd say that's a win-win-win for the entire world. (Office reference there)

Slow News Day Today

And I'm not really in the mood to rant, so I'll just link to The Best Scenes from Wicker Man. Enjoy

Fed considers limits on compensation

I guess the federal reserve might be getting some balls in limiting what the richest rich get paid.

It wouldn't, as it says, just limit pay, but would instead examine the risk-taking factor attached to their bonuses and would then determine if that was good for the country or not.

I can hear it now: next joint session someone's going to yell 'Socialist!'

I've got dibbs on Michelle Bachmann.

T-Rex Evolutionary Fossil Found

A smaller version of a T-Rex has been found in China recently. Pretty amazing article, if I do say so myself, and even though I'm not at the intellectual level in biology to fully appreciate the find, I'm almost positive that that means, for today, Logic -1 Creationism - 0.

I do like the name for it though: Raptorex.

I've also heard rumblings about a recent Liger find in Africa (shout out to anyone who gets that).

Obama is the Anti-Christ?

Obama is the Anti-Christ!

Just...wow...1/3 of New Jersey conservatives really think that?

Much like most of what Christians say, I hope this is a joke...yet I don't think it is.

How funny, yet not at all surprising.

I guess a new study was released today that linked the degree of fundamentalism to the rate of teen pregnancies, and it seems to correlate.

When I looked at the numbers in the study, though, I noticed that states like New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada all ranked low on fundamentalism, but were near the top of the chart. I sat there for a good 10 seconds before it donned on me.

Immigrants! Viva la teenage sexy time!

Thanks to Pharyngula for this story.

What do you call it when the government lets you down?

Democrats. Republicans. I truly can't stand either at the moment. Let's break down why.

As I said to a non-friend in a debate, the Republicans are like a contestant in a game show who, after losing, has plopped their ass down on the ground and has not only refused to move but has then begun kicking and screaming to try to drown out the noise of the rest of the show.

The Democrats are like the judges or hosts of the show? What should they do? They should call security and have the bitch tazed and escorted out of the building so the show can go on. Instead they are trying to accommodate the lost contestant by not only putting them back in the game, but setting up the game so whenever they complain about anything it is promptly removed.

Case in point: the public option.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a HUGE fan of the public option. I am a much, much bigger fan of a single payer system like they have in Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, or any other kind of industrialized nation that makes sense. That's honestly what I would be out campaigning for right now.

Obama has let the fact that he is relatively new to big politics shine through. Instead of coming to the table with more than he wanted (that being single payer) and then whittling that down to a public option he came to the table with the public option, which has now, in the senate, been debated out of existence.

Senator Max Baucus has released his bill from the gang of six which has absolutely no Republican support and has almost no Democratic support. This bill probably won't even get out of its own committee, which is what we have been waiting for for the past three months or so. If it doesn't make it out of committee, at least we'll have someone to completely blame if health care reform doesn't pass.

His bill is no good because it has a mandate without a public option. Think for a second what that means. If you thought "A mandate without a public option...won't that mean more customers for the insurance companies?" then you thought correct. This would give the 40 million or so uninsured Americans over to the insurance companies, which would then in turn boost their profits from ridiculous to astronomical and I just won't tolerate it.

I am so sick of this government, for as long as I have been born, working for entrenched interests instead of the people. This is why I am a democratic socialist, and this is why I'm moving to France.

To start

I hate religion. I really, really do. I just can't stand it. I've been reading The End of Faith by Sam Harris and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and I also watched Religilous last night and it has just made really sit back and think about what religion has done to this planet.

To quote Harris' book:

"Our technical advances in the art of war have finally rendered our religious differences -- and hence our religious beliefs -- antithetical to our survival. We can no longer ignore the fact that billions of our neighbors believe in the metaphysics of martyrdom, or in the literal truth of the book of Revelation, or any of the other fantastical notions that have lurked in the minds of the faithful for millennia -- because our neighbors are now armed with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. There is no doubt that these developments mark the terminal phase of our credulity. Words like "God" and "Allah" must go the way of "Apollo" and "baal," or they will unmake our world."

Too true. What happens if a religious fundamentalist gets a hold of the power of the presidency in this country, or if some nut in the middle east got some nuclear weapon in the middle east and decided to use it? We could kiss civilization as we know it goodbye. The radiation and fallout wouldn't destroy the world as many believe (not unless a truly catastophic turn of events took place) but the world would be so devastated by even two or three of these attacks that civilization as we know it would be over. Whether or not that would take a turn for the better, by casting our such ridiculous beliefs as a virgin birth, or if it would take a turn for the worse with a simple spiral down to the bronze age is unknown to anyone living at this time.

This is why I want to move to Europe. While still a very religious place by my standards, it has one of the largest collections of non-believers on the planet. A Harris poll conducted in France pegged 32% of French people as agnostic, another 32% as non-believers, and a final 27% believed in any kind of god or supreme being. Now those are numbers I can live with.

Note to self: take French classes next semester.

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