Science Flies You to the Moon

Courtesy Richard Dawkins: http://richarddawkins.net

Big Oil Creates a Hybrid!

Found on the Union of Concerned Scientists site on this page

From the too true to be good department again.

To Breed Or Not To Breed, That Is The Question

When Population Connection posted this on their official Facebook page, they warned of strong language. If 4 shits and a fuck are too much for you, you’ve come to the wrong blog. The cursing is neither particularly offensive nor in high enough quantity to detract from the content, IMNSHO.

We Have Enough Humans, Thanks.

6 Well-Kept Secrets About America In One Graphic

Click for larger image

BTW, for anyone who thinks the founders based our government on Christianity, or any sect of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic religion, please read the Ten Commandments. Then read the Bill of Rights. Which one gives more freedom and liberty? Which is the better decalog? I know my answer.

Republicans: Is It Time to Stage a Violent Coup Yet?

Why do repugnicans still bother to pretend that they want to live in a democracy? Why not just violently overthrow the government and make Jesus the king? At least it would be less hypocritical. Of course, Jesus who said “love thy neighbor” and gave health care to the sick without checking for either citizenship or insurance would never have wanted such a thing. And, of course, there would have to be some raving lunatic at the helm claiming to be receiving Jesus’ instructions directly. (Didn’t we have that already for eight years?) But, let’s not quibble about how badly the extremist rethugnicans misinterpret the Bible that they believe to be infallible but have never read.

Let’s just look at the way the party gets whatever they want whether they are in power or not and how they get into power at all.

First take a look at this unconscionable and despicable strategy to take the 2012 presidential election by redistricting a key state. Shockingly, this is actually perfectly legal and constitutional.

The GOP’s Genius Plan to Beat Obama in 2012

Why You, Yes You, Should Oppose the WTC Cross

Here’s an excellent post explaining the problems of the World Trade Center Girder Cross, why there is a lawsuit to stop it, and why you should be opposed to this monument even if you’re Christian. The first paragraph is a quote from President James Madison that is so perfectly apt even to this day that I will post it in its entirety here in addition to a link to the rest of the explanation about this cross in particular.

It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. We hold this prudent jealousy to be the first duty of Citizens, and one of the noblest characteristics of the late Revolution. The free men of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise, and entangled the question in precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they avoided the consequences by denying the principle. We revere this lesson too much soon to forget it. Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects? that the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute three pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment in all cases whatsoever?

– President James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (1785)

Glucose Meter Accuracy: (Please Vote) Is 20% close enough for you?

Please vote in the poll below, even if only to let me know that I’m being overly anal-retentive.

I only learned recently that the industry standard level of accuracy for blood glucose meters is to be within 20% of lab results. I learned this after a doctor’s visit where I tested my blood glucose (BG) via my home blood glucose meter within a minute of my blood being drawn for lab work. I noted my BG as 82 and thought, good, right on target.

Anyway, this time, I was careful to check very close to the time that the blood was drawn and equally careful to note that particular reading. Again, my meter said 82.

My lab result was 69! This is a difference of just under 19% (((82 – 69) / 69) * 100) = 18.84%, though perhaps I should just round to 19 since I don’t really have that level of precision in the actual readings.

Billionaire Funds Faux-Libertarian Island Creation

Correct me where I’m wrong, but isn’t funding the actual creation of the land on which the country is to start the very definition of big government? And, since the type of government is pre-determined rather than being voted into existence, isn’t it a totalitarian large government? I fail to see how these islands could in any way be considered libertarian.

Silicon Valley billionaire funding creation of artificial libertarian islands

Just goes to show that most of today’s self-proclaimed libertarians are most definitely not libertarians.

Caution: Do Not Make Connections!

The narration is the text of an op ed piece in the Wasthington Post by Bill McKibben. No need to read the text since it’s all in the video with powerful imagery added. Kudos to Stephen Thomson of Plomomedia.com for a great job making this into a powerful video.

100+ Years of Electric Cars

Here are some seriously classic fully electric cars from over 100 years ago.

7 Electric Cars Over 100 Years Old

So:

• 1891 – 50 mile range, better than Chevy Volt’s pure electric range
• 1901 – 57 MPH
• 1902 – fully electric bus
• 1906 – regenerative braking, like my 2011 prius
• 1909 – 100 miles on a charge

Now, I must ask, what the hell happened?

Keep Spreading Santorum

Looks like it’s time to dig up all the old santorum posts. He does not appear to have gotten any better with age.

http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/santorum-global-warming-limbaugh-science

So, sorry to bring up a fairly disgusting topic again. But, don’t worry. The substance is less disgusting than the human being.

http://spreadingsantorum.com/

Unfortunate Wording: Evacuation Drill

Two words I did not want to hear or read together: evacuation drill.

My office is having one today. One might hope that this will be some bizarre ritual where the entire building gets together for the exercise of creating a large dung midden. This would be a rather unpleasant exercise at best.

However, when I read the words evacuation drill my mind went immediately to power tools. I had thoughts of a device that was a cross between a colonoscopy and a roto-rooter. BOHICA! (Bend over, hear it comes again.)

There’s an image I didn’t need stuck in my … um … brain.

Can we go back to calling these things fire drills please?

Happy Slapture Day!

For any who are unaware, there is a group of religious fanatics who believe that today at 6:00PM the rapture will come, the beginning of the end. Jesus is coming. (Don’t get any on you.) He will bodily take a group of the worthy up to heaven today at 6:00PM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Camping

Um … yeah … right. In case you didn’t notice, this is the second time this guy has predicted the rapture with certainty. Last rapture was 1994, in case no one noticed. I know I didn’t.

I suggest instead that we make today the day of the Slapture. Taking a meme from the show How I Met Your Mother and their Slapsgiving day, I suggest that today is the day of the Slapture.

Holy F-Day: World’s Christians Unanimous – Life Begins At Birth (not before)

This post is not safe for work due to strong language and deliberately offensive content. Click to see more only if you have thick skin or are an antitheist. Note however, that though I originally intended this to be a fun, humorous, deliberately offensive, anti-religious post, as I typed it, I found that I had made at least one very serious point.

Religion Going Extinct?

One can only hope. Or rather, this one is surely hoping.

Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says

Actually, I’m not really that hopeful. First, note that the U.S. is far from being on the list of the nine countries and wields an undue influence on the world partly because of the internet, partly because of the entertainment industry. Second, and perhaps more importantly, for it to go extinct, you would need consensus. I’m not aware of any time in history when humans had consensus about religion either way. Even small pockets of religion will keep it alive waiting for a pendulum swing the other way.

I would love to be as optimistic about the loss of the scourge of religion, but simply do not believe humanity will really go that way with the strength necessary to truly make religion extinct.

Your Preacher is Lying to You About the Wall of Separation

You’ve probably heard of Jefferson’s letter where he speaks of a wall of separation between church and state. You probably know that these words are not in the constitution of the United States or its amendments or in any other official document. That is true. You may not even concern yourselves over much with the fact that these words from the author of the first amendment were used by the supreme court until the McCarthyism of the 1950s as evidence of the intent of the first amendment and thus as an aid in interpreting it. However, here is the great lie, a huge and deliberate sin of omission of which you may be unaware.

A Real Threat to Marriage

Here’s a bit of humorous irony. With all of the religious folks who want to legislate their Bible morality on the LBGT community and deny them the same rights to marriage that the rest of us have, it seems they’ve missed the real threat to marriage. Remember these folks are claiming that somehow if a homosexual couple marries, my own 23 year and counting marriage will be weakened. Huh? Well, they are saying that gay marriage will weaken the institution of marriage. I don’t claim to understand this argument at all.

However, the real threat to marriage seems to be the civil unions they dreamed up in response to the perfectly reasonable request that homosexuals be allowed to marry.

Straight Couples in France Are Choosing Civil Unions Meant for Gays

In France, where they have now had civil unions for a decade, what has really happened is that heterosexuals have said enough of the death-do-us-part tradition of marriage. Overwhelming numbers of heterosexual couples are choosing the far easier to break contract of a civil union.

Oh horrors!! This could put divorce lawyers out of business.

2.5 – 6.5 Feet of Sea Level Rise by 2100 — Or More?

Once again, the IPCC estimates are proving to be underestimates of the problem of climate change. That’s what you get with consensus. Yes, we’re confident that the results will be at least as bad as the IPCC forecasts, else some country with financial interests in continuing to burn fossil fuel will reject the statement. But, what we don’t get is the full range of estimates. We get the most watered down statement, not a statement of the greatest odds.

As Glaciers Melt, Scientists Seek New Data on Rising Seas

Birdbrains!

Here’s an interesting brief article with video on the intelligence of the kea, the mountain parrot of New Zealand. When I was there, I had a ball watching these birds. They play like kittens. The video is quite cool, and is narrated by David Attenborough. It’s just under 10 minutes and well worth it. Apparently, their intelligence may rival monkeys.

Smart Parrot Gets Smarter

Traditional Marriage Perverts the Tradition of Marriage

Here’s an interesting post containing a whole bunch of information about traditional marriage, meaning real traditional marriage, not what is being touted today. I had known, of course, that polygyny (polygamy is multiple spouses [spice?] without specifying which sex; polyandry is multiple husbands; polygyny is multiple wives) was common in biblical times. And, of course, I had known that for much of history, especially since agrarian times, that marriage was a business deal. However, there is much about the marriage ceremony and about today’s ceremony and its origins that did surprise me. Anyway, if your idea of traditional marriage as one man marrying one woman in a house of worship, this may surprise you.

Traditional Marriage Perverts the Tradition of Marriage

Perhaps this will give you something to consider the next time someone suggests that we need a constitutional amendment defining marriage. In my not so humble opinion, any couple or group of people who want to legally declare themselves life partners should be allowed to do so. The only issues are figuring out the tax code and ensuring that the law does not discriminate. If we choose to allow polygamy, the law must truly allow any number of partners of either sex. I, for one, wouldn’t want a law that specified polygyny or polyandry, but left out the other.