Randomness

I'm IT! Perky Skeptic tagged me to participate in a blog meme. What's a blog meme? Glad you asked. Because I like it (and because I'm lazy), I will quote PalMD's definition of a blog meme:

For the uninitiated a blog meme is sort of a meme but not really. A meme is a unit of information passed though learning or behavior, rather than genetics. A blog meme is a set of questions passed from blogger to blogger until it finally peters out. It gives bloggers a chance to connect to each other and to connect their readers to other blogs.

Here are the rules:

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

So, without further ado...

6 Random Things About Me

1. I like little things. Literally. Miniatures, doll house furniture, well-crafted toys; Anything that is a realistic representation of something big except, uh, little.
2. I have a big toe. Everyone has a big toe, but I have a big big toe. Shoe salespeople have commented on it.
3. I'm a tenor.
4. I have a fascination with conspiracy theories. I don't buy any of them, but I can spend hours on conspiracy theorists web sites, just marveling at the stupid.
5. I am a computer geek, a techo-fetishist who adorns himself with electronic gadgets. But I love pencils and paper. At heart, I'm pretty analog.
6. I don't feel like a grownup. I thought turning 30 would do it, but, nope. So I figure I'll just go with it. Helps me relate better with my kids, I guess.

There you have it, a random sampling of the strangeness that is me (or should that be 'I'?)

Now, to tag people:

• The Goddess - you know why ;-)
• Maggie @ It's Good To Want Things - tagged!
  
• intelekshual at Enemy Combatant Trailmix Appreciation Club - mostly because I like the name of the site
• Rev. BigDumbChimp - he makes me laugh
• Tall Penguin - she definitely will have something interesting
  
• Sandra Taylor at One Cobble at a Time - I love her work and would like to see what she comes up with

Some of these people might not know me from Adam but, what the hey.

Link: http://cyberlizardscollection.blogspot.com/2008/10/tagged.html

It could have only been 34,998...

...if not for Mrs. CyberLizard and her intrepid friend Maggie over at It's Good To Want Things. According to the Orlando Sentinel: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton rally for crowd of 35,000 in Kissimmee. That's right, the 'Lizard clan was representin'! And all because Maggie drug her out of near-bed at the dead of night (9pm). You can read all about their crazy late-nite adventures in politics.

And in case you've been living in a cave and haven't gotten the message:

GO VOTE!

Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-obama-clinton-rally-102908,0,417265.story

What's really important

So you can watch this and wonder how people can be in such denial, but I could only think one thing: I LOVE this dudes hair! It's like all white, but not old-person white or dingy grey. It's like it's made of mithril. Having never seen this guy before, I have no idea if it was just the lights of the studio creating the effect or what, but it was cool. It reminded me of the pictures we used to draw in high school of futuristic cyberpunk characters.

Anyway, I've dented my hetero creds enough. Here's the clip, courtesy of Daily Kos:

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/30/10401/906/450/646356

Active, Perky-style

Three cheers for the Perky Skeptic! She's actually been exercising, something I fail miserably at. I started this as a comment on her blog, but in the spirit of not leaving loser-length comments on others blogs, I decided to spew it here.

When I was a young slip of a girl, I was a powerlifter.

I weighed 125 lbs, could bench-press 155 lbs and squat with 240. It was insane how much time I used to spend in the gym! Three hours a day was not unusual for me. This was at age twenty-two.

Damn, she sounds hawt! (not that I'd say that to her, she sounds like she can also kick my ass)

It was great. I was HIGH ON ENDORPHINS and LOVING IT! (I only stopped because I realized, eventually, that working out was taking up every minute of my free time.)

Now I am age 40. I weigh 144 lbs. I am working out on exercise machines instead of freeweights, doing fast, light, swimmers' workouts instead of pushing my max on everything. I am spending fifteen minutes in the gym and then walking/running a mile on the track.

First of all, I'm astounded that she would post her age and weight online for all the world to see! I thought that women had a gene to block the revealing of that information ;-)

I joke to cover the fact that I'm actually envious, 'cause I can't get my lazy bum up to do anything anymore. I'm 34 and closer to 200lbs than I'd like to admit. Once upon a time I could carry 4 50lb bags of potatoes on my shoulders with no problem. I could wear size 32 jeans. I was a sexy blond with a killer rack. Or maybe that was the just in the dream I had last night. Anyway, the point is that I, too, was once in relatively good shape. And I might still be considered to be in good shape, if you like the shape of round. Unfortunately, the appetite suppressing features of the amphetamines have worn off (they're legit, I've got ADD). Now I've just got to rely on good old-fashioned will power. *sigh*

But the Perky Skeptic's attitude is definitely inspirational:

As you may have gathered, I started my LIFESTYLE CHANGES. Low cholesterol! Lots of exercise! Eat right! Limit those calories!

Well... that SUCKS! I'm hungry all the time, and sore! And, and, and... yeah... really, it's not so bad. Honestly, I'll probably be used to this within a couple of weeks to a month, and life will be normal again, only I'll be in a very healthy routine instead of a mildly lazy, eat-like-my-five-year-old routine. I can do this!!!

I've been shocked at how easy it is to buy organic, healthy food for the kids and then turn around and stuff myself with crap. Talk about hypocritical. The boy-child is getting old enough to start calling me on it, too.

And with all her effort and struggles to get into shape, she can still be magnanimous to us losers:

May I just take the opportunity to give a round of applause and my personal STANDING OVATION to anyone reading this who is actively trying to lose weight! I have a relatively fast metabolism and a background of lifetime exercise to fall back on, and STILL my efforts to cut calories drove me INSANE for-- well, they still kind of are. I'm eating a lot of oatmeal so I'll feel full. So those of you, including my close friends and family, who have been doing the hardcore weight loss thing, my hat is OFF to you! It is HARD to change eating habits.

:-P

I'm just playin'. I'm hoping this will be motivation to do what I've been thinking about doing and actually do something.

Here's one last piece of advice:

One thing I have discovered-- a bag of salad can be munched on like potato chips ALL DAY LONG. This is helpful to me. I can TRICK my body!!! I can EMULATE unhealthy habits, but STILL be eating HEALTHILY!!! I AM SO STEALTHY!!! I'm like a HEALTH NINJA!!!!!!!

She better watch out for the HEALTH PIRATES!

Link: http://cyberlizardscollection.blogspot.com/2008/10/wednesday-whine-fest-yes-yes-i-would.html

The Banana Dilemma

Is is possible to pick up a banana and not hold it up to your ear like a phone? Or am I just weird?

A different view of the elections

Blake Stacey of Science After Sunclipse brings us a fresh view on the impacts of the Presidential elections:

Obama Takes Lead in Galactic Polls

Polls compiled by the election-statistics website Five to the Thirty-Eight reveal a development surprising to some analysts: the galaxy Messier 101 has swung overwhemingly to Obama, with only a few pockets of McCain support in the outlying regions.


Read more analysis of the galactic campaign...

Link: http://scienceblogs.com/sunclipse/2008/10/obama_takes_lead_in_galactic_p.php

I Voted!

Yup. I did it. I cast my vote. Did it yesterday afternoon. I was actually a little ambivalent about the whole early voting thing. It seemed kind of, I don't know, "fake". Like, what's election day really for if we don't actually vote on that day. Why don't we have an "Election Week" instead? However given the prospect of standing in line for many hours on November 4th, most of it outside in the Florida sun, and trying to wrangle two wiggly Little Lizards, I changed my mind. Actually, Mrs. CyberLizard changed my mind. She got a sitter and said "we're going to vote today". And it was a good thing. Spent about 30 minutes in line, filled out my little card, got my ballot and started bubbling in my scantron form. No fuss, no muss. Not like last time, when I filled in two people in the same category and had my form rejected by the machine. Humiliated at my stoopidity, I had to go get another form, fill it out, then spend ten minutes making sure I had done it right. Not this time, baby. Nailed it the first time!

So the moral of this story is to get your ass out there and VOTE! (even if you're voting for McCain. I'd rather have you out there voting than whining about how we stole the vote)

The amazing pictures of a giant spider eating a bird

I like spiders. I prevent people from killing them when I can. But I've never had one this big in my yard.



The amazing pictures of a giant spider eating a bird | Mail Online

Vote, dammit!

I have just about convinced myself that it's OK to be excited about Obama. Not that I don't agree with him (I do), I just didn't want to go through the heartbreak of being emotionally invested in an election only to lose.

And then I see this headline and realize that, even if Obama wins Florida, other forces are at work out there doing their damnedest to prove what a backwater shithole Florida is:

Poll: Most Floridians will vote to ban same-sex marriage -- OrlandoSentinel.com">Poll: Most Floridians will vote to ban same-sex marriage

C'mon, what's wrong with you Floridians?!? Get it in gear! The vote on this amendment could conceivably have a more direct impact on you than the presidential election.

This isn't about gay sex, it's about human rights. It's about love and respect; respecting the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. You can't say, "I respect teh gays, I just don't want them to get married." BUZZZZZ! Wrong answer! You can't have it both ways. Separate but equal didn't work in the Jim Crow south and it ain't gonna work in this case either.

Don't you hate it when this happens?

I say, go for the bingo!

Link: http://xkcd.com/492/

I must have missed the memo

The memo that said that in order to homeschool your children you had to be a bible-thumping, dinosaur-riding, right-wingnut. Somehow, in our decision to homeschool, Mrs. CyberLizard and I missed that obvious fact. Apparently a large majority of homeschooling families are doing it out of a desire to save their children from that secular cesspool known as public education. You know, that place where they try to turn your kid gay and force them to become socialists and allow old washed up terrorists to participate on boards who's whose goals are to improve the quality of edumacation.

Anyone who knows me or Mrs. CL knows that in our homeschooling we are bucking the trend. We're trying to bring that gay-friendly, secular, skeptical thinking mindset out of our public classrooms and into our home. I'll be damned if I let some bureaucracy turn my kid into a gay socialist terrorist sympathizer; I'm gonna do that myself.

So we completely missed the memo and are only now being confronted with our nonconformity. It is becoming more difficult to disentangle ourselves from the tentacles of the religious whackaloons grip on homeschooling. Most recently, in a completely secular home education co-op group we belong to, the nutjobs are trying to jump in with their propoganda in support of Amendment 2, the proposed amendment to the Florida constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Amazingly, this person thought that it was perfectly acceptable to post their screed on the dangers to our rights as homeschoolers if teh gays were afforded the same rights and responsibilities as the rest of us.

In a twofer on the religion front, Stephen Colbert has on his show Michael Ferris, president of Patrick Henry College. This school is apparently primarily a place for religious homeschoolers to send their kids to college after preventing their children from actually learning anything factual about the nature of the world around them.

All I can say is, we're not all like that. Some of us not only have brains, but use them and encourage our children to do so as well.

It's a God-off!

Nation, once again Stephen Colbert has proved to the world that not only is he a political genius, he completely understands the true nature of spirituality and faith in America. Personally, my money's on Cthulhu.

Nailed it!

Jon Stewart and his crew over at the Daily Show have managed to hit the nail squarely on the head. And then pound it in. Until it hurts so much you laugh. After working up a righteous indignation by watching Keith Olberman, it is a welcome relief to view the ridiculous side of this clusterf#@k.

Who hasn't done this?

From the Orlando Sentinel:

An Orlando man faces two counts of exposure of sexual organs, accused of twice driving through the Lake Jesup toll plaza on State Road 417 with his pants pulled down and his genitals exposed.

Michael John McDonnell, 39, was arrested this morning at his residence. According to an arrest affidavit, he is a delivery driver for beer distributor Wayne Densch Inc. in Sanford.

Seminole County deputy sheriffs were called to the toll plaza in the early morning hours of last Wednesday after a toll collector went to hand a motorist change and saw that he was exposing himself. The toll collector told deputies the same thing happened Oct. 9 and at the time she warned him never to come through her lane like that again, Deputy Nelson Pitre wrote in the arrest report.

Maybe he was just trying to get a discount. After all, this particular toll is $2. Can't blame a guy for tryin', can ya'?

Link: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2008/10/driver-charges.html

The Silence Is Deafening

In case you've been wondering where I've been, I recently have been suffering from a bout of severe information overload. I've recently subscribed to feeds from Daily Kos, FiveThirtyEight.com, NPR Blogs: Vox Politics, The Orlando Sentinel and Central Florida News 13. I've got about 18 science-related feeds in my Google Reader plus many, many, many other blog feeds ranging from Legos to funny pictures. I spend more time parsing through my feeds than I do reading email. As far as email goes, I have a compulsion to not leave any unread items in my inbox. I must process them.

I think a confession is in order:

My name is CyberLizard and I am an information addict.

Whew, I feel so much better now that I got that off my chest! Now let's see if I can actually bring myself to click "Delete" on any feeds. I think this blog will be much better if I can actually think and write my own thoughts.

Dirty Old People

Props to Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel for bringing this to my attention.

Fishnets and flu shots? Seniors don't bat an eye at strip club

Norma Smith was a little apprehensive about stepping inside Rachel's for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

Smith, after all, is 77. And while she has often passed by this adult club, she never had the slightest desire to go inside.

But on this day, in addition to dancing women, Rachel's was offering free flu shots to seniors.

So Smith cautiously stepped inside this dimly lit Casselberry club, allowing her eyes to adjust from the midday's beaming sun. When they did, Smith paused.

Standing before her was a woman in fishnet stockings whose smile was winning and whose bustier was losing -- the battle with her cleavage, that is.

Smith returned the smile but later confided she was thinking: "Oh, dear. Is she the one giving me the shot?"

She was not. In fact, if naughty nurses were anywhere in the joint, they were pretty much ignored.

Today, the women in the spotlight were medical professionals. And the only thing they flashed were needles.

Still, the offering was enough to entice dozens of elderly residents: Retired couples. Daughters with their octogenarian mothers. Even a shuttle-load from a nearby Catholic church.

Forget the stock pages. Anyone wondering how deep our economic woes are running needed look no further than the Rachel's dance area, where a lonely negligee-clad performer shimmied for a nearly nonexistent audience -- while dozens of seniors lined up in side rooms for free flu shots. And a pot-roast lunch.

The club ran out of vaccinations after giving 300 last week -- twice as many as years past -- and decided to do so again Tuesday.

"People need the help," said club owner Jim Veigle. "That's why we do it."

Smith, who lives alone on a fixed income, confirmed as much. "If I'd had to come up with fifteen dollars," she said, "I would've missed my shot this year."

Likewise, Bonnie Grillakis jumped at the chance to bring her 87-year-old mother.

"Has my mother ever been here before?" Grillakis replied with a laugh. "Oh, no. I mean, I know people who have. But not my mother. No. No. Really. No."

Still, Grillakis' mom, Edith Kantor, a great-grandmother and former opera singer, became a fast fan of the club that's better known for scantily clad women, MBI raids and political headaches. Besides the shot being painless -- "Honey, if you can stand arthritis, a flu shot's easy." -- Kantor said the stages reminded her of her performing days in the '40s.

"What time can we come back for the show?" she asked her wide-eyed daughter.

The Volovskis weren't quite as excited about the possibility of catching a late-night show. But this retired couple didn't have any qualms about coming to Rachel's, either.

Sixty-seven-year-old Robert Volovski, a retired armored-truck driver, took a practical approach: A free shot at Rachel's was less hassle than dealing with his insurance company or doctor's office.

And his wife, Rita, a recently retired nursery-care worker, said that anyone who dislikes dirty dancing is free to stay out, whether they were offering flu shots or not.

"It's really pretty simple," said Rita, 63. "If you don't like it, don't come in."

Plus, the dancing hasn't really been all that dirty since Seminole County residents voted to ban nudity at the clubs in 1998.

Still, some of the elderly folks who came to Rachel's for flu shots admitted they were a little curious about the club's other offerings. Recalled Veigle: "One woman brought in her 93-year-old mother and told me her mom had always wanted to see a pole dance."

Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/wednesday/localandstate/orl-maxwell1508oct15,0,7643269.column

Nobody Fucks With John McCain

Nobody fucks with John McCain

See more Hayden Panettiere videos at Funny or Die

Hat tip:: Liberals Must Die

Link: http://liberalsmustdie.com/2008/10/15/Nobody+Fucks+With+John+McCain.aspx

RUA Christian?

This is the kind of thing I get to see on my drive home from work.

The flip side was just as good.

You're seriously going to hold up Sarah Palin as an example of hope and change? Seriously? Sarah Palin, who abused her power as governor, who made women pay for their own rape kits, who wanted to ban books from the library, who makes incindiary and fraudulent remarks about her opponent? That Sarah Palin?

Watching Obama climb in the polls was beginning to give me hope that we might be actually moving past the stupidity and small-mindedness of the right-wing xian garbage that has seen such a resurgence in the last 8 years.

Then I see this and realize that we have a looooong way to go.

Identity Theft!

All right, maybe not quite identity theft. But it's still disturbing. I stumbled across a post on a Christian forum by someone called "cyberlizard" (I admit it, I'm not ashamed: I Google myself sometimes). Now, I'm not so full of myself that I imagined that I would be the only one to come up with that moniker, but did the other person have to be a religious whackaloon? Here is what he was wondering:

any insight

---

the bible is at times full of obscure verses which do not appear to make any sense, or get a brief mention but never get another look in.

here is a good example.... coming from Matthew's gospel.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

ZOMG, zombie attack!!! Quick, grab your shotguns and baseball bats! Where's the nearest S-Mart?!?

does anyone else ever read this verse, scratch their head and wonder why the verse is never mentioned anywhere else, or what happened to them after that. The bible does not say they ascended, nor does it ever speak of them again.

I am open to ideas.....


Steve __________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blessed is the one coming in the name of ha’shem - בּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יְיָ


Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling..... be glory, majesty, dominion and authority for ever. (Jude)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah, Steve, there's a whole lot of things in the bible that do not appear to make any sense. But rather than truly examine them and try to come up with a rational explanation, your kind immediately just accepts them as truths. I'm actually quite surprised at even this superficial level of questioning. But your compatriots are there to save you with their responses:

A powerful example of the effects of Jesus' resurrection. The history of where they went is not revealed except that they went into Jerusalem and appeared to many.

I would think they had much to testify about the power of God having been in the reality of "life after death" and the truths of it.

And:

I read a teaching around that passage which supposed that there were so many supernatural things happening in those few days, that the dead coming out of their tombs was just another.
Like ' the day turned to night, the temple curtain was torn in two, there was a massive earthquake.. oh yeah and some dead people came back to life'
I'm surprised that no-one wrote about it in a book, Josephus or his peers. It would have been fascinating to read.

Hey, if your looking for good zombie fiction, check out The ULTIMATE Zombie Book List.

But this reply by Angeloffire enters into WTF-land:

There actually is more on what happened in the bible, but it doesn't refer directly to what you quoted verbatum. Let me explain:

Paradise use to be near Hades. I can even prove it scripturally but before I do, several have had dreams and visions and seen it too. Mary k. Baxter I think...if memory serves me correctly was one such person.

God moved paradise! He set those who were in prison in paradise free.

Matt. 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

This is the location of hades....the heart of the earth.

Now look what he says to the guy hanging beside him on the cross:

Luke 24:43 And Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

He took the man with him to paradise in the belly of the earth where for three days and nights he preached the gospel!

When he went to preach to those who were in a spiritual prison 1 Pet. 3:19 and conquered death, that is why the people were climbing out from the graves and preaching.

He preached to those who died in the flood and removed paradise to a different location....now the third heaven 2 Cor. 12:2-12:4....

It is amazing that nowhere does it mention what happened to the dead guys who were walking. I personally believe that as the bible says that Jesus is the firstfruits of the dead, whether these people dead people continued to live, I don't know.

I have also wondered what the effects of preaching to those who died during the flood would accomplish....odviously the purpose was to save them and give them a chance at salvation. Whether they were able to leave hades then or not I do not know.

God is wonderous and His ways past finding out....I so love every little bit of truth he shows me and I long for more daily. What a wonderous God we serve.....

I am sooooo tempted to sign up and post, just for the lulz. At least there are enough differences between us to tell the difference, right?

That was HOT!

This comic is a must read every M,W,F. Especially for us geeky types.

Link: http://xkcd.com/487/

Boy Suspended For Sporting Rayhawk

Now this is just plain stupid [emphasis mine]:

TAMPA -- The Rayhawk, a trend ever since Tampa Bay Rays players starting sporting them, has gotten a 12-year-old boy an in-school suspension.

"I was surprised. It's just a hairdo, really nothing, just a hairdo," said Zach Sharples, an honor student at Lincoln Middle in Manatee County.

Sharples said he must stay under in-school suspension until he changes the haircut or grows it out.

Boy, this must be some harido. I mean, it must be dangerous or something to cause them to suspend an honor student. What did administrators have to say?

...a representative for the school district said it is outlined in the dress code -- no distracting hairstyles.

This thing must be bright purple with sparklers in it and stand two feet high to be distracting. This is Jr. High after all. So let's take a look:

OMG!!!!!!111!!11!eleventy-one!1 I can't concentrate! My synapses are failing! Must...not...look...at...hair...

Seriously? Distracting? WTF?!?

Actually, come to think of it, this is bringing back memories. When I was in elementary school, oh, about 25 years ago, a kid dared to come to school with a mohawk. The uproar was incredible. We couldn't stop talking about it. For about a day. After that, it was like, meh. Administrators flipped out then too. Forced the kid to wear a hood till it grew out. It's nice to know we've made such advancements in 25 years.

I just thought of something else for administrators to ban at the school: Marines! I mean, how different is that mohawk from a Marine's "high and tight"?Sad, sad, sad. I can't believe our armed forces are allowing such distractions. What if there's a war? Our soldiers might be gawking at hairdos rather than killing the enemy. We need to get these brave school administrators and put them in the Marines to combat this kind of distraction. Our troops deserve the best.

I don't have to worry about hairstyles. This is what happened to me after reading the article:

Link: http://www.cfnews13.com/Sports/CentralFloridaSportsReport/2008/10/9/boy_suspended_for_sporting_rayhawk.html

Facebook is pissing me off

In the immortal words of Dr. Bruce Banner, "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

So I've got a Facebook account (no, you can't be my friend). I've been kinda into it. And they have this little feature where you can import a blog into your Notes. "Cool," I think, "I'll just import my blog into Facebook and get additional exposure" (I'm not generally so egotistical to think that people might actually be interested in my babblings, but the Facebook crowd are generally personal friends so it's cool).

Anyway, I do the import thing. All my old posts show up. So far, so good. And my new posts are showing up correctly. So today I get a comment on a Note and go to check it out. And I'm confronted with this:
WTF? I haven't done anything other than use a feature they provide. So I visit their FAQ page. Check this out:
Time to call "bullshit".

Facebook has determined that you were using a feature at a rate that is likely to be abusive. Before you were blocked, you were given a warning to slow down your use of this feature.

[emphasis mine] Um, no, they didn't. No notification, nothing in my inbox indicating there was a problem. Warning my ass.

So, what are the limits? Seems like a reasonable question. I'd like to play by the rules and avoid this in the future. Let's see what Facebook has to say:

Unfortunately, Facebook cannot provide any specifics on the rate limits that we enforce. Please know, however, that the speed at which you are acting and the sheer number of actions you have made are both taken into account.

Fracking brilliant strategy. You've exceeded the limits, but we're not going to tell you what they are. Oh, and by the way, if you exceed them again we'll ban you.

Fine. Be dicks. How long with this stoopid block last?

The duration of the block varies depending on the nature of the offense, ranging from a few hours to a few days. When the block is over, please proceed with your site activity at a slower rate so as to avoid hitting another block or having your account disabled.

Facebook will not lift this block for you until the entire penalty time has elapsed.

You know what? At this point I'm about ready to say "frack you" and delete my account. I tend to post in bursts, put up a bunch of stuff while I'm thinking about it, then move on.

I've got to ask myself, how much do I need "flair" anyway?

Right, fair and balanced...

... and I've got a bridge to nowhere to sell ya'.

Just for fun I keep the Fox News feed in my iGoogle page. Today, I see these gems:


I'd ask if they think we're fracking stupid, but the answer is obvious.

How about that debate, huh?

So, what did you think? How about that time when Barack said that thing and then John said that other thing? Pretty amazing, huh?

*sigh*

You got me. You and your "gotcha" questions. Fine, I confess: I didn't watch all of the debate. I wanted to, really. I got back up at midnight after falling asleep with the little Lizards. After catching up with the news (which means watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report), I switched over to the debate (aren't DVRs great?). I got through a question and a half before I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. I was a little annoyed at the beginning of Obama's answer to the first question. Enough rhetoric, answer the damn question! But when he did, he was a lot clearer and more factual than McCain.

I will be sooooo happy when this election is over and I don't have to see that little troll every single day. Of course I'll be glad that I won't have to see the candidates either.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Straightforward and accurate representation of the candidates


Hat tip Hat tip to Caroline McCarthy via PZ via Rev. BigDumbChimp

Check out more here

Olbermann calls out Palin on her bullshit

I've never watched Keith Olbermann, but after seeing this, I'm gonna have to set my DVR to pick up this guy. Bravo for unflinchingly pointing out the utter hypocrisy and pure bullshit coming from our favorite VP candidate.



Hat tip: Gay Agenda

Link: http://www.gayagenda.com/2008/10/gayagenda-salutes-and-love-keith-olbermann/

Kris Straub hits it on the head

This comic captures the attitudes perfectly:

Link: http://www.soulgeek.com/comics/sse/wp/wp-trackback.php?p=103

I was really hoping we were past this

Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was aware of racism, but it seemed to me to be a much more hidden, insidious thing than what I heard about from the past. Apparently, it's much more in the forefront than I had realized, and runs deeper too. When I read articles like these, I am in shock:

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Neo-Nazi Republican Delegates in Michigan

I had actually thought that our British friends were a little more advanced on this subject, but then I read Man shot three times by racist gunman - for wearing Barack Obama T-shirt

I know, I'm naive. I truly don't know what the best approach is. My 6 year old son doesn't know the term "black" or "white" when describing people. When he asked me why his friends had such dark skin, I showed him my sickly-pale white arm and compared it to his mother's olive-skinned Greek beauty. I compared those to his own tanned skin and explained that everyone was different and that different melanin levels caused different skin color. That's how I always thought about it.

He's going to have to understand the dynamics of race as he gets older, but for now I just don't want him to have to deal with such hatred. I want to delay the end of innocence. The lament of all parents, I imagine.

Forget the environment, save our penises!!!

Forget vaccines and Autism, forget cancer, here is something that the scientists of the world need to jump on!!!

Do Babies Exposed to Phthalates Have Smaller Penises?

Via Treehugger (emphasis mine):

Phthalates, the plasticizer used to make vinyl soft, have been known to be a gender-bender that has been shown to affect the masculinity of rats. Even the Bush Administration, not renowned for its defence of the public against the chemical companies, has banned it from childrens' toys.

Now new research has found new evidence of "phthalate syndrome"- smaller penises, and undescended or incompletely descended testicles- in humans. Shanna Swan, director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester's school of medicine, who led the research, says phthalates are ""probably reproductive toxins and should be eliminated from products gradually because we don't need them."

ZOMG!!11!1 We can't let this become an epidemic!

Of course the American Chemistry Council, representing the companies that make the chemical (Exxon Mobil, BASF, Ferro Corp., and Eastman Chemical) warns us to be "cautioned against over-interpreting any individual study."

Of course they would downplay the risk. It's a conspiracy to shrink our dicks!!! I wouldn't be surprised if these companies had a direct connection to the witches in Africa stealing penises. Someone needs to measure the phthalate concentrations in Africa. It can't be a coincidence.

Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/new-phtalates-research.php

Orlando Cleared to Offer Same-Sex Partner Benefits

Finally, some decent news from America's wang:

Orlando’s Mayor Buddy Dyer announced Thursday the city plans to extend domestic-partner benefits to gay city employees when the City Council approves changes to its employee health-care policy this coming Monday.

Orlando is the first local government in central Florida to offer same-sex partner benefits to it’s employees, but joins about two dozen other Florida cities which provide such benefits.

Dyer commented; “We’ve been looking at doing it for quite a while. I think it’s the right thing to do.” Same-sex partners will have to sign an affidavit declaring they are in a committed relationship.

But the domestic-partner benefits will apply only to same-sex couples, as unmarried straight couples “have the option of marriage,” Dyer said.

Via::Gay Agenda

Link: http://www.gayagenda.com/2008/10/orlando-cleared-to-offer-same-sex-partner-benefits/

Rev. BigDumbChimp: Lil O'Reilly

Rev. BigDumbChimp: Lil O'Reilly

I have no idea how he finds these (I'm really that lazy) but as long as he keeps them coming, I'm happy.

Link: http://cyberlizardscollection.blogspot.com/2008/10/lil-oreilly.html

Screw the debate, I scored an interview with Palin!

How's that for a scoop! I got to talk to the Sarah-cuda in person. Well, as close to "in person" as is possible for any of us (including mainstream media) to get. Courtesy of the website Interview Sarah Palin.

Q: How will you fix the economy?

A: The economy and putting it back on the side of the grade of problem that America is facing today. As I say, we are today with so much collapse on Wall Street, affecting Main Street. And we've got to be able to speak with him the other party, also. Americans are just getting sick and tired of a lot of background work first and shoring up our economy. It is, somebody was saying this morning, a toxic waste there on Wall Street. That's to blame. And that is just that acceptance of the message that Americans are just getting sick and tired of a process that's not allowing that process that progress to be able to go back and forth.

Q: Why should the US elect Senator McCain?

A: McCain and I have the same answer that I just gave you. But, again, we've got to count on our allies to help us do that in this post-9/11 world, where we are at a point, here, seven years later, on the side of the people, and that has much to do and serving for the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans and trade we've got to be done in unifying people and companies to get caught up in this one and who the bad guys are.

Q: What is your foreign policy experience?

A: Alaska Oil and coal? Of course, it's a fungible commodity and they don't flag, you know, first, Fannie and Freddie - that, that's paramount. That's more than a heck of a process that's not allowing that process that progress to be found here. Consumers and those who were predator lenders also. That's, you know, the molecules, where it's not. But in the war. You can't blink. So, I believe that what Congress is going to continue good relations with Saakashvili there. I do bring to this table, and that's the beauty of American elections, of course, that is needed to help us do that in this mission of keeping our eye on Russia.

Don't miss out on your chance to put lipstick on a bulldog. Go to http://interviewpalin.com and get your own scoop!

Hat tip: Ed Brayton over at Dispatches from the Culture Wars

Link: http://interviewpalin.com

I'm lazy, read other people

I had been looking forward to the debates all day. I had it written down in my DayTimer. I was all set to go. Then dinner came. And one of my little Lizards wanted to play Wii. Then we went to bed. And I completely forgot.

So here are some reactions from others who are more diligent than I am.

• Enemy Combatant Trailmix Appreciation Club
• Athiest Revolution
• Pharyngula
• Dispatches From The Culture Wars
• The Field Negro
• Rev. BigDumbChimp
  

I'll try to dig it on YouTube later and see what I think.

Dobson getting inducted where?!?

C'mon, seriously, WTF are these people thinking? From the Gay Agenda:

The Museum of Broadcast Communications has announced it will induct right wing extremist James Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson runs a so-called “ex-gay” program and has said that allowing gay people to marry will “destroy the earth.” In the past two years, at least seven researchers in three countries have accused Dobson of distorting their research to back his anti-gay teachings.

This just blows my mind. So now we're honoring bigots because lots of people like them. Does that reflect worse on the Museum of Broadcast Communications or the populace in general? The best part is that Dobson's biggotry is a direct result of his "Christian" faith. God hates teh gayz!!!1!11

But he doesn't just save his love for teh gayz. No, children are in his sights to receive God's love too:

• "[P]ain is a marvelous purifier. . . It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely."
  • From Dare to Discipline, pages 6 and 7

• "Some strong-willed children absolutely demand to be spanked, and their wishes should be granted. . . [T]wo or three stinging strokes on the legs or buttocks with a switch are usually sufficient to emphasize the point, 'You must obey me.'"
  • From The Strong-Willed Child, pp. 53-4.

Brilliant advice. <-- sarcasm, in case you hadn't figured it out.

Back to the issue at hand. The Chairman of the National Radio Hall of Fame (HRHOF) Bruce DuMont has issued a response to the "...controversy surrounding the 2008 inductees". He tries to cover their ass with stuff like this:

The 157 members of the National Radio Hall of Fame represent a broad cross-section of individuals and diverse program formats. Nominations are made by the National Radio Hall of Fame Steering Committee, which consists of radio executives, academicians, trade journalists and others interested in preserving the rich history of radio and recognizing its role in society. The nomination process follows published criteria and is based solely on individuals’ tenures and accomplishments in the radio industry.

A broadcaster’s political, social or religious views never are considered when deciding to include or exclude a candidate. Likewise, the National Radio Hall of Fame does not endorse or support the views voiced by any nominee or inductee on the air or via any other platform.

He then goes on to explain the voting process:

In prior years, voting on the annual nominations was open to the general public only if individuals were members of the Museum of Broadcast Communications (home of the National Radio Hall of Fame), or became new online members by payment of a $15 fee. A change in the voting process for 2008 enabled the general public to vote for nominees online without joining the Museum.

The very nature of radio often creates large numbers of fans devoted to their favorite personalities, and the number of votes cast in 2008 increased significantly.

Nice try, blaming the unwashed masses for inducting this unapologetic bigot. But your little steering committee had to actually nominate Dobson. You can't foist this off on the voters that easily. Luckily, they're going to review their open-access policy to voting for next year:

The change in the voting process was not designed to make membership to the broadcasting shrine a mere popularity contest. The National Radio Hall of Fame will re-evaluate the voting and nominating processes for future elections.

Still doesn't let you off the hook, buddy.

Visit dumpDobson.com to participate in their efforts to get the organization to rectify this egregious error in judgment.

Link: http://www.gayagenda.com/2008/10/museum-of-broadcast-communications-to-induct-dobson/

Please tell me we're beyond this

Rev. BigDumbChimp: Um....wow

http://view.break.com/580075 - Watch more free videos

No. Fucking. Way.

Link: http://cyberlizardscollection.blogspot.com/2008/10/umwow.html

And the Molly goes to...Rev. BigDumbChimp!

Congrats to the Rev. for his winning the August Molly award over on Pharyngula! For you non-Pharyngulites, the Molly award is "a monthly award here on Pharyngula, in which commenters can nominate and vote for one of their own as the best and most interesting and most deserving of acknowledgment."

Reading and responding to his comments is a big part of what got me hooked on this blogging thing. Congratulations!

Link: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/10/catching_up_with_molly_1.php