Tangential

guilt by association

2012-01-24T12:30:00.001-05:00

Just as Chris Benoit's admirable career and various achievements are forever tarnished and diminished by his murdering his wife and child, any success Joe Paterno had as a football coach is sullied and stained by his negligence toward the horrific child abuse happening under his watch. He may have been a great coach and may have many accolades and accomplishments under his belt, but these are all overshadowed by the child abuse in which he is complicit.

The difference between Benoit and Paterno? Benoit may have committed the crimes himself, but Paterno's victims are still alive and still suffering for his silence.

and I'M the bad guy

2012-01-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

I get it. Tim Tebow luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuvs himself some Jesus. I get that he can be a good football player. I get that he luvs to tell everyone how much he luvs him the Lord -and isn't that brave? (actually, no, it's not. it's just cliche pandering and self-aggrandizement.) But holy shit, Rich Eisen! And everyone else! Do I have to come over there and slap Tebow's dick out of your mouth?!

10,000 strong

2012-01-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

I've been angry about this for over a month. I think I'll try to get it out of my system:

As of this moment 10,719 people "like" the Facebook page "RIP Cameron Lee DeVeronica 2/16/97-11/29/11" a page in remembrance of a teen who appears to have taken her life over the bullying she experienced.

Where the fuck were these ten thousand people when Cameron was alive?

I wonder if things would have turned out differently if, in life, she'd realized she had that much support.

Happy fucking Friday.

not so angry

2011-08-05T20:55:00.001-04:00

We're going to Disney World!! It's going to be the time of our lives! We'll never've felt this way before. I swaer. It's the truth.

That is all.

Want.

2011-04-23T20:54:00.003-04:00

I. Want. My. Caddy. For the first time. Only $8595.

I want it even more than I wanted to buy the Amityville Horror House, and way more affordable. Kinda.

So, gimme.

this week in information (4/01)

2011-04-01T16:30:00.001-04:00

I hate April Fool's Day, so none of this is a joke.

Important Perspective: Radiation Dosage Chart from Information is Beautiful

Along with the triangle choke (which is cool) and the Bermuda Triangle (which is dumb), there is another triangle about which you should know: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Friday (3/25) was the 100th anniversary of this tragedy, which set the stage for improvements in workers' rights, labor conditions and safety standards.
Let's not dishonor the victims by going backward, eh? I'm TALKING TO YOU, WISCONSIN!!!

I didn't participate in Earth Hour last week, but these pictures are really interesting and startling.

Nerdilicious epic battle: Einstein vs. Hawking Aaaaand I went to high school with that kid. Good to see somebody made it.

OMGyouguys!! The escaped cobra from the Bronx Zoo is totally on Twitter!!! Srsly, that is some brilliance. Oh, and I would totally watch an Animal Planet special about her, April Fool's or not. Update: she snuck back into the Reptile House and they think she was there all along. Clever girl...

Pretty: the aurora
Starkly pretty: South Dakota

My new favorite picture, if anyone's curious: me and other me, huggin' at derby, N-E-R-D-Y are we...

Let's end with some damn funny cats.

this week in information (3/25)

2011-03-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

Happy belated 0h0m0s Right Ascension, 0°0m0s declination!!!

Earlier this week, the Secular Coalition for America wanted me to contact my representative regarding legislation unnecessarily reaffirming the divisive phrase "In God We Trust" and encouraging its display. Great, except that my representative has already replied to each of my missives regarding equality and secular government with a patronizing dismissal.
He is clearly only interested in hypocritically pushing his own views onto his constituents and not in entertaining a difference of opinion. Barf.
I haz a sad. And so much angriez.

TV's Adam Savage is an atheist, and an inspiring one.

(Alleged) fraud Andrew Wakefield is trying to kill Somali children now. Somalia? Doomed.

3/24 marked the 137th birthday of eminent skeptic Harry Houdini. Ta-DA!!

Some perspective on radiation, if you're worried your face might melt off, what with the doom and all...

The "Do Something on Facebook and Pretend it Matters" bullshit has returned. This time, we're to post a flavor indicating our relationship status as our Facebook status to "confuse the guys" and raise awareness of breast cancer. Um, pretty sure people are aware of breast cancer. Also, pretty sure the guys don't care. No one cares. Facebook is not that big of a deal. More importantly, though: THIS SHIT DOESN'T DO ANY GOOD!! If you want to do some good, how about donating to an organization that actually helps breast cancer sufferers and survivors?!?! Or, just click here and give free mammograms! You know, DO something.
Sigh.

Rochester's Writers & Books is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and its 11th year of the If All of Rochester Read the Same Book program. My mother and I have read the book and attended programs each year for the past seven years, and were happy to participate in the program again this year -helping Writers & Books continue to have the highest participation per capita of any literary community center in the country. Hooray!!
The books chosen by Writers & Books so far have been:
2001: A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines
2002: The Sweet Hereafter, Russell Banks
2003: Kindred, Octavia Butler
2004: Peace Like a River, Lief Enger
2005: Servants of the Map, Andrea Barrett
2006: Name All the Animals, Alison Smith
2007: The Buffalo Soldier, Chris Bohjalian
2008: Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, Laila Lalami
2009: Jim the Boy, Tony Earley
2010: Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
2011: The Good Thief, Hannah Tinti

DINOSAURS!! RARR!!

Aaaaand, Astronom-O's!!

this week in doomed (3/18)

2011-03-17T16:30:00.003-04:00

Doomed. Doomed doomed doomed.
Japan? Doomed.
Libya? Doomed.
Wisconsin? Doomed.

The recent earthquake in Japan actually changed the earth's rotation. It moved the Japanese coastline eight feet (cue TMBG "Science" song). The tsunami swamped nuclear power plants and they are creeping closer to meltdown every day. The country is basically melting and drowning and also on fire. Oh, AND the homeopaths are cashing in on the disaster by offering worthless scams. Never fear, water's here!! Hooray.

THE LIBYANS are all fighting each other and trying to get their whackjob leader to step down and instead of realizing that he's in trouble and his people hate him, he rambles meaninglessly while carrying a parasol. Check the internoodlez if you don't believe me.

Wisconsin... No longer just for cheese and Packers. Nope, now it's for union-busting and teacher-firing. Because the way to fix an economy that's been sucked dry by banker bonuses and corporate tax cuts is to sacrifice kid's education and public employee benefits. Go, big business!! Again, check the internoodlez if you don't believe me. You'd have to be blind and deaf (or watching Fox News, which amounts to the same thing) to not know what's going on.

We're all still doomed, but at least we can laugh while we cry. "A legislative Schrodinger’s cat killed by the quantum mechanics of the legislative process"? What? Nice. Thanks Rep. Markey.

Also, GIVE. Give to help Japan.

Basketball is not interesting to me, but helping fund vaccine initiatives is.
Made up religious bullshit that I might be convinced to support: all hail St. Urho!! This is especially spectacular since I've always been a little weirded out by St. Patrick's Day because of the whole Catholics-driving-the-pagans-out-of-Ireland thing, but I literally just found out, ON St. Urho's Day, that I am in fact about an eighth Finnish!! Weeeee!!!

The moon is cool. The back side of the moon is cool, too. But it didn't cause the freaking earthquake. "We’re not making it any better by panicking over something we know isn’t real."

Also cool, Preserve's recycling program for number five plastics: Gimme 5.

At least we have Nick Frost and Simon Pegg re-enacting Star Wars.

Also, Monday was Pi Day. Mmmmm, Pi.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. I'm of two minds about it. One mind says I like to drink. The other mind objects to the Catholic subjugation and expulsion of everything different. Maybe I should be wearing purple. You know, for St. Urho. Hey, did you guys know I'm an 8th Finnish?

this week in information (3/11) -and also Lent

2011-03-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

It snuck up on me before I even realized it: Lent is here!! For most people who claim they are Catholics, this means giving up something meaningless in a transparent effort to get on the good side of a deity for which they cannot provide anything but emotional anecdotes as evidence. For a few Catholics, it means making an actual sacrifice of something truly meaningful in order to bring oneself closer to one's faith and savior; a time of penitence and reflection that one can only hope will carry over into the rest of the year.
For me, it means eating meat. Tasty, tasty murder meat and lots of it. The rest of the year, I buy my meat at the public market where the animals are raised with kindness and humanity and I am not supporting a sick culture of corn-suffocating antibiotic-pushing shit-wallowing miserableness.
I haven't enjoyed a McDonald's cheeseburger in over two years, I don't get street meat or cart hot dogs or have the burgers at family gatherings, I make my tacos with cheese and lettuce and sometimes other vegetables but I leave out the ground beef. I've learned to enjoy Quorn and some tofu creations (I have the tastiest vegan tofurkey/spinach/cranberry sauce/stuffing wrap after Thanksgiving this past year and I could eat that every damn day), Amy's and Annie's and Helen's (oh my!).
Lunch and breakfast every day are vegetarian, and dinners that do include meat are as responsible and ethical as I can make them without actually being a vegan or vegetarian. Which should ultimately be the goal, I know.
You're supposed to give up something important to you, for Lent, and so for Lent I give up giving up factory farmed beef. Not every day, but especially on Fridays. Because I am irreverent and sarcastic and kind of a bitch. Blessed be.

Lentien irreverency:
- PZ Myers on why everyone has smudgies on their foreheads
- via PZ Myers: hypothetical Christian science test

Touchdown, Discovery!! Phil Plait, as always, is well worth reading.

Mike Starr, former Alice in Chains band member, succumbed to his addiction this week, at age 44. Very sad, but also -more sadly- not surprising.

A greater tragedy: an 8.9 magnitude earthquake has shattered and burned Japan and lead to a tsunami that could reach as far as the tip of South America. And, of course, there are already woo-woo claims about the disaster... Sigh.

Cheer worth sharing:
- Baby Got Bugs music video
- Carl Sagan parody
- on the topic of the moon... WE LIKE THE MOON!!!

this week in information (3/04)

2011-03-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

Every morning, I click through the Charity USA "click to give" tabs and aid all sorts of groups through that simple, painless, free action. This week, I noticed that there is a new tab and new charity available that you can help with an easy click and I figured it was a good excuse to remind people of the ease with which they can do good.
No, seriously, all you have to do is click. Advertisers do the rest, and they really do provide the funds to help the way it is described. Links to partners, sponsors and beneficiaries are available on the pages themselves.
Set up an e-mail reminder, mark it as a favorite, make it a bookmark, add it to your toolbar... Whatever it takes, get there and click to help!
the Animal Rescue Site: help animals and pet shelters
the Hunger Site: help end hunger and poverty
the Breast Cancer Site: fight breast cancer and provide mammograms
the Veterans Site: give meals for homeless veterans
the Child Health Site: help children and provide child health care
the Literary Site: fight illiteracy and support reading and education
the Rainforest Site: stop global warming and protect endangered animals

Here's a scary reminder about why it's so important to be up to date on your boosters and vaccines: because the whole world IS out to get you!!

This week in awesome sciencyness: A picture of the shuttle taken from the ISS, as the shadow of the ISS passes across the shuttle!

This week in Tree Lobster awesome: AVP.

Great quote for the week: ‎"Our Republic only works if people are informed." - Brian Trent, The Rogues Gallery

Finally, apparently, the Great Ice Storm of '91 was twenty years ago today. And apparently, if the trending on Facebook is any indication, it's a big freaking deal. Granted, it was a disaster, and it was an awesome reminder of how nature can be so beautiful and destructive at the same time. But it was also twenty freaking years ago. Way worse has happened to the world since then, even in this year alone...
Twenty years... I was eleven, then, in 1991. Sixth grade, it must have been. I remember waking up through the night wondering why Mom kept walking up and down the stairs with her plastic cup full of ice water, because that's what the ice pinging off the windows sounded like to my eleven-year-old half-asleep ears. I remember that we lost power, and tree limbs were still cracking and crashing to the ground in showers of ice when I went out to see if the neighbors had power -I made it about halfway across the street before turning back. Ice storms are scary. I remember that my father built a fire and hung wool blankets and we tried to stay in the house, but Mom's asthma made that impossible. The parents of one of my schoolmates took us in, though our cat had to spend the week in their basement. I remember that my mother and I were so strung out that at dinner one night we laughed until we cried about an inexplicable Muppets episode. I remember that I watched "The Abyss" for the first time that week. I remember that a huge tree in our neighbor's backyard that down in thirds and trashed our yard, next door, and the tree's owner's yard. Fences smashed, yards torn up, wires down... It totally crushed the pussy willow tree in our yard so we cut it all down and tried to dig out the stump, but come spring there were green shoots and within five years it was a bush as tall as the tree had ever been. In the end, though, spring came and 1991 faded into the past as just another bad winter in western New York.

this week in information (2/25 belated)

2011-02-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

Still catching up from being on vacation (in St. Martin -suck it, bitches!!) so there's not too much to share this week, but...

While I was away, I missed Darwin Day and Valentine's Day.

Republicans are being dicks (shocking!), trying to cut funding for public broadcasting, education, public services, and family planning services. Because everyone knows that all Planned Parenthood does is carve full grown babies out of unsuspecting women's bodies, so of course they shouldn't get any funding for that. Right? Oh wait, what? That's just some bullshit extremist rhetoric? No Way!!
Planned Parenthood is the primary care location for man, many women, many of them poor and unable to get care elsewhere. PPhood provides counseling and referrals and family planning services (read: contraception, which actually REDUCES the number of abortions sought in this country!). Yes, some clinics perform abortions, safe and sterile and legal abortions which enable women to better care for themselves and their families as they make very difficult decisions. And the majority of these abortions do NOT use federal funding, because the law prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions unless the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the woman's life is at risk. However, Republicans are also seeking to change the definition of rape to mean only forcible rape. I'm so mad, I can't even keep typing about this bullshit. It's all over the internets so check it out. They are being dicks and they need to be stopped.
Stand with Planned Parenthood against dangerous libel!!

This makes my point, too: MacLeod Cartoons

Listen up, assholes.
Stand with Planned Parenthood!!

Homeopathy = water. Homeopathy is not medicine and should not be sold in pharmacies implying it is such -no, not even in St. Martin. If you don't have the nards to confront it when you see it on store shelves, you can probably at least get up the energy to sign a petition, eh?

In good news: Obama's seen the light and is declining to defend the idiotic and plain old MEAN Defense of Marriage Act. Hooray!! I suppose his incessant god blather and prayer whinging led him someplace good after all. Now, if only he could get his brain around the separation of church and state and do away with this whole National Prayer Breakfast kowtowing-to-Family-extremist shit...

In humor: I haven't read the comics in ages and always found Doonesbury a little too real and depressing, and this example is no exception, but hooray for Trudeau calling out Jenny McCarthy as a public menace!!

this week in information (2/03)

2011-02-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

We are kicking the ozone layer's ASS, you guys! Good work! Keep it up, with your aerosols and your CO-spewing rollover vehicles and whatnot. Woo-ho... Oh, wait. That's not right.

Why Kermit is a butcher and not a doctor, and why this case is actually an argument FOR safe, legal abortion (because if abortion is made illegal, more abortion facilities would be like this one as all would be unregulated and women's lives would be in more danger than ever -although that's never really the concern of the religious right because all they seem to care about is the pre-birth fetus...)
PZ Myers, as usual, really gets it. Even if he is a MAN (and I'm a walking talking bad girl cliche).

What's he harm in astrology? Often not too much, but some. And it's all blather anyway as (again) Information is Beautiful makes clear. So stop freaking panicking about it.

Aaaaaand, Phil Plait on the good idea that is charging higher insurance premiums to the anti-vaxxers.

Carl Sagan kicks woo's ass! And then eats apple pie. After first creating the universe.

That'll do it for the week, I suppose. I'm out for a while. Catch you 'round.

THE SNOWBYSS

2011-02-02T16:30:00.001-05:00

OMfsm, it's the Snowpocalypse!! Again. Or not. Personally, I prefer SNHURRTASTROPACALYSE. SNOWPOCALYPSE NOW is good, too. Or SNOWMAGGEDON! Or SNOWDEPENDENCE DAY! Or DEEP SNOWPACT! Thanks to Sarah Smart for that cold-medicine-inspired bit of brilliance, and no thanks to the media for feeding an ever-hungry public the fodder for yet another snowpanic.

Let's get one thing clear: Short-term weather prediction is a notoriously complex and thankless job. So when the meteorologists predict snow and we just get some rain, or when the public's interpretation of their words imply doom and indicate that panic is the only option and then the storm blows through (again), we must remain calm and try to refrain from the all-to-easy blame-the-weatherman rhetoric.
It is far better to be prepared for a storm that does not come than to be surprised by a storm that was not predicted or was not expected to be so violent as it got.
We are grownups. We have to use common sense. Yes, over-prediction of terrible storms risks making people complacent and falls into the crying wolf category, but how much worse if the news did NOT broadcast anything about the weather? Farmers would not cover their crops and protect their flocks, drivers would not know they might need snow tires or chains, kids would not wear scarves and boots (okay, who are we kidding, kids never wear scarves anyway), people might not fill their gas tanks or have extra food stored in their basements.

The concern of crying wolf is valid, but people need to use their brains. I suppose the anger directed at meteorologists and the resentment of panicky people can directly be traced to a lack of critical thinking in people as a whole.

Remember, this storm was pretty terrible everywhere else that it hit, just not here in Monroe County, and every indication was that it would clobber us like it clobbered everyone else. Would you prefer they not warn us at all and leave us to guess when the next blizzard will bluster by? Or should we perhaps pay attention to the warnings and take what precautions we feel are necessary and appropriate, and then take responsibility for those actions ourselves once the storm has passed -or not manifested- ?

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals. And you know it. So it's up to you to be smart. Don't be a sheople, but be aware of your surroundings, and try not to blame everything on the weathermen or the government or the media or the vitriol. Sometimes words do incite violence, sometimes preparedness is for naught, but sometimes (most times) we are responsible for ourselves and would do well to remember that.

Come on, kids, get over it. So, the storm blew through lighter than expected? That's a GOOD thing. Better to over-prepare than under-prepare. Watch the radar, wear your boots, get your flu shot, find your snow brush and roll with it.

Happy Imbolc.

this week in information (1/28)

2011-01-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

I heart the Information Is Beautiful website, especially for their supplement data, and this latest work about horoscope patterning is no exception. Your unique and specific horoscope? Hardly. Be sure to check out the meta-horoscope: good for all star signs! ...except, you know, Ophiuchus. Tip o' the BS Meter to Phil Plait (my always-source for all things pro-science and pro-real) for this one.

In too-good-to-be-true news, Bounce fabric softener sheets do NOT in fact keep mosquitoes away -but they have some success with fungus gnats! And, seeing as how fungus gnats are assholes and really annoying, that's wicked cool! Of course, mosquitoes are actually life-threatening in some areas, what with the malaria and West Nile and all, so it's really scary that the media is reporting this research incorrectly and implying people could forgo actual protection for fabric softener sheets... Yikes.

Holy shit, I agree with the pope about something!! Of course, I disagree with the fundamentals behind his beliefs, but the point remains valid: people have unreasonable expectations and often need counseling and not everyone should get married. Whoa. It's a freaking miracle!!

It's here! It's here! That shocking time of year! When tons of strained bipartisan thoughts miraculously appear! Yes, this week the President gave his State of the Union Address, which means that it was time once again for the State of the Union Address Drinking Game, 2011!!! (another version here)

Speaking of the SotU, check out these word clouds of such speeches, past and current.

European crack-down on "alternative" pet remedies (homeopathy: there's nothing to it!). Remember: if it worked it wouldn't be called alternative, it would just be medicine.

Athletes sued for being stupid.
Wait, how were athletes ever successful BEFORE they started wearing stupid meaningless necklaces or bracelets?
If the bracelets ARE giving them an edge, they should be disqualified for performance enhancing substances. But since there's absolutely no mechanism or science behind the company's claims regarding holograms and "energy flow," maybe famous people should just stop spreading false information and dangerous bullshit. Maybe. In a perfect world.

WHOA beauty! A national parks picture made up of other national parks pictures? Wicked awesome, NatGeo, wicked awesome.

WHOA solar flares!

Aaaaaaand, Tree Lobsters rock my BOOBS.

Happy weekend.

stuff worth sharing

2011-01-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

From Feministing: Happy MLK Day.

From Skepchick: Open letter to a teenage misfit.

Oprah's doing evil again. She gave Mehmet Oz his own show, on which Oz promotes the dangerous quack Joseph Mercola. Bad, bad, bad. From David Gorski, from Steven Novella, and from James Randi.
From me:

Mercola: medicine is bad; just take these unproven vitamins for your cancer
Oz: that seems reasonable; after all, you have a website -you must be for realz! also, and my wife's a reiki master so I have credibility
Oprah: here, assholes, have a show on which to spread dangerous bullshit! You get a show! And YOU get a show! Everybody gets a show!

Also, check out the Cynic's Guide to the Oprah Winfrey Network. Blerf, a whole network of awful. So much blerf.

Interesting, moving, and sad. The Poe Toaster is a no-show again... :(

Chaucer and a brief history of the word "cunt": Chaucer's Cunt. I like that cunt can mean a "clever or curious device or ornament." FTW.

Math is pretty? What? Yup.

Concerned about overpopulation? Grist gotchu.

James Randi wishes the FTC and FDA weren't such a bunch of frilly pansies, especially when it comes to internet scams.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is god. Kneel before Neil!!

Birth control does NOT cause weight gain. I've read this before, but the propaganda continues unabated because society sees women as petty and hopes to dissuade them from protecting themselves and committing the sin of family planning by fat-shaming them. Birth control lies are often spread by the anti-woman anti-choice crowd and I suspect this myth is no different. Anecdotes are not data, people, and you can't make popular assumptions without ASS.

Finally, GADS of great information and answers to frequently asked questions about childhood vaccinations, and vaccinations in general, at Immunize for Good.

In metal news: metal cephalopod.
In cute news: kittehs driftin'.

vaccine wins of late

2011-01-22T16:30:00.003-05:00

Andrew Wakefield's been disgraced (at least, he would be, if he had any sense of ethics or morals), and the house of cards the anti-vax community has built is coming apart at the seems.

It was clearly all about the money for Wakefield, but he lucked out when the enabling media and gullible scared parents came to his defense. Maybe now that his fraud is exposed, he'll lose some of the faithful. We can only hope.

Salon finally pulled a dangerous anti-vax article from their archives, and published a rundown behind the panic.

Elyse kicks ass and coins a new term: God Damned Mother Fucking Liar (TM)

Wait, parents who willfully put their children and everyone else at risk by refusing to vaccinate because of religion, conspiracy theory or scientific ignorance should pay more for health insurance? Great suggestion!!

Also, great site: Immunize for Good. Yes, good.

it's the dawning of the age of ...nonsense

2011-01-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

OMG-have-you-heard?! The zodiac is all new and different and you might be married to the wrong person!! Really!! No, not really. Astrology, as always, is bull. You'd be more affected by the gravitational pull of the sun or the moon or the doctor or your MOM when you're born than by a random grouping of stars millions of light-years away. But that doesn't stop people from reading their vague horrorscopes and staking their relationships on supposed astrological compatibility. Sigh.

The earth wobbles over time, and we've been aligning the wrong signs with dates for quite some time. The zodiac has always really had more than twelve signs, anyway. But now that the media has caught on, it's NEWS!!! Granted, they got their scoop from an actual scientist, Parke Kunkle, a board member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, but they're still all worked up about woononsense...
Speaking of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, they link to the original article in regards to the news reports, and also to (holy haleakala) Phil Plait!!! Weee!!!

Phil Plait gives a rundown; Neil deGrasse Tyson rants a bit about Ophiuchus; Rebecca Watson says OMG re: astrology, you guys!!; from the SGU blog; from Ben Radford on the inherent racism of astrology, besides

Also, an article from ABC News including the "new" signs. GASP!! I'm a Libra now!! Oh noez!! What's it mean?! Oh. Right. Nothing. Other than an awkward hanging of my Scorpius Yule tree ornament next year...

Much ado about hooey.
That is all.

FRAUD!!! ...allegedly

2011-01-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

Andrew Wakefield is, as has long been suspected, a FRAUD. Allegedly. The British Medical Journal has had a number of scathing pieces about his culpability and questionable ethics and his contribution to the illness and deaths of so many children through his misinformation campaign, and now the BMJ has declared his link between autism and vaccinations to be fraudulent.

Phil Plait, ever the undickish diplomat, has this to say:

If the charges of fraud can be made to stick, then we might be able to make some progress toward reality once again, and lower the rate of outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and polio… and save a lot of lives in the process.

His entire blog entry is great, and moving, and I too hope that this declaration of fraud will give parents pause and encourage them to look at the scientific consensus and preponderance of evidence, rather than nonmedical quacks.

Ben Radford has a write-up in Discovery News: Vaccine-Autism Doctor Accused of 'Deliberate Fraud' Sadly, he is probably correct that "the anti-vaccination movement will march on despite the fact that the only scientific research that supports their position was conducted by a discredited, unethical researcher."

Science-Based Medicine (imagine that, SCIENCE!!) blogger David Gorski shares his thoughts here.

Skepchick and real mommy-warrior Elyse doesn't mince words: Andrew Wakefield is, she says he's a Straight up mother fucking liar. Word.

PZ Myers: It wasn't just shoddy, it was fraud.

Also, articles from NPR and the NY Times, and Brian Deer's writeup (check back for part 2).

Unfortunately, this won't change many minds. The rabid anti-vaxxers will continue to cry "martyr" and "conspiracy" and will continue to dispense misinformation and ignore the (quite clear) science. Misinformed parents will continue to be fear-mongered out of protecting their children from deadly and disfiguring diseases. People will continue to get medical information from Google searches and Oprah Winfrey. Children and babies will still die and be harmed when they could have been protected.
We can point out the short-comings of Wakefield's study and decry his questionable methods and ethics, but the damage has already been done. It's too late for a lot of people. But it's not too late or you!! Talk to your doctor about your vaccine schedule! Ensure that you've had your booster shots! Make sure your kids are protected. Get your flu shot, especially if you're around children or the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. Get the facts, and then get your shots. Vaccines save the world, kids. Like Superman, only of terrestrial origin.

Happy Khristmahanukwanzulestivus, bitches!

2010-12-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

May there be made manifest an ecstatic yuletide to the planetary constituency and to that selfsame assemblage my most sincere and heartfelt wishes for a salubriously beneficial and gratifyingly pleasurable span of time subsequent to sunset and prior to dawn.

The 10 Days of Newton, Olivia Judson
On the tenth day of Newton,
My true love gave to me,
Ten drops of genius,
Nine silver co-oins,
Eight circling planets,
Seven shades of li-ight,
Six counterfeiters,
Cal-Cu-Lus!
Four telescopes,
Three Laws of Motion,
Two awful feuds,
And the discovery of gravity!

Happy birthday, Sir Isaac Newton. And Cab Calloway, Humphrey Bogart, Clara Barton and certainly Louis-Joseph Chevrolet.

Also, according to varied myths and legends involving mangers, miracles, virgins and disciples, happy birthday to Horus, Osiris, Attis, Krishna, Zoroaster, Mithra, Buddha, Heracles, Dionysus, Tammuz, Adonis, Hermes, Bacchus, Prometheus, and Jesus.

Random circumstances and the smooth operation of the laws of the universe bless us, every one.

stuff I shared on Facebook today (and yesterday)

2010-12-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy couple of days. Mostly I'm still pissed off at people who think changing their profile picture will stop child abuse when they could donate money to any number of organizations and do some actual good... That said, I posted a couple of links to DonorsChoose and one to Little Kids Rock, encouraging people to help kids get a better and more varied education (this is on top of the abuse prevention sites I'd already posted -and mentioned here). So, do that.

***

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Age of Autism planned to show some very misleading (is not outright false) promotional ads in movie theaters, claiming to help parents choose whether they should vaccinate their children or not (when in reality, they're just fear mongering and spreading false information regarding made-up and dis-proven claims about vaccines), but thanks to an outcry from the skeptic community, spear-headed by Skepchick Elyse Anders, AMC decided not to run the bullshit. Instead of vollying back with actual science or even a well-worded complaint, Age of Autism instead decided to smear Elyse, threaten her with harm and post pictures of her and her baby on that site. Because that's what grown-ups in the real world do.

Check it out:
Information is beautiful. Science saves lives. So do vaccines. Some people cannot be vaccinated, which is why the rest of us should make sure we are protected to protect them. Misinformation, on the other hand, actually kills babies. Stay informed! And help supporters of science stand up against those who threaten them with harm!! Despite a number of flags and requests that the photos be removed and the threatening language be stopped, Facebook has refused to act. Please to sign here to stand with Elyse and tell Facebook that Age of Autism is out of control.

***

The Salvation Army does some good, sure. But they do it while having discriminatory employment policies and making moral judgments that parents should be making. If I didn't already refuse to donate to them, this kind of thing would make that decision for sure. Twilight and Harry Potter toys aren't compatible with their Christian principles? Well, their Christian principles aren't compatible with my ethical code! So there!! Granted, "Twilight" is -in my opinion- less than fantastic and I don't know that such toys are in fact appropriate for kids, but I also don't know that this decision is the Salvation Army's to make (and admittedly, this is likely just one location and not necessarily across the board, though their anti-gay policies ARE). Parents should (ideally) be the moral compass for their children, not a charitable organization claiming to answer to a higher power. Especially when toy guns are considered appropriate for children, but magic and mystery are not. Guns actually exist and actually harm people. Vampires and wizards? Not so much.

***

This will give Jerry and Maury and all those other terrible programs a whole new aspect to exploit: "Using stem cell technology, reproductive scientists in Texas, led by Dr. Richard R. Berhringer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, have produced male and female mice from two fathers." Imagine the potential! This sort of process could help "preserve endangered species and even help same-sex couples have their own genetic children one day." KICKASS!!

***

Via Declaring Independence, John Scalzi writes of things about which he doesn't have to think, because he's a white heterosexual male. I don't have to worry about many of these things, either, by virtue of how and where I was raised and where I live now, but for so many of us these are real true worries, and so many shouldn't be. Please to read?

***

Finally, a lovely article about Elizabeth Edwards' passing. Her untimely death is a personal tragedy for her family and a reminder of how far we have to go in health care and understanding cancer; but her legacy shouldn't focus on her death, rather on what she cared about while she was alive.

***

Lastly, let's round it out with some beauty. Don't forget about the 2010 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar with a new image every day through Christmas, including this turbulent cosmic pinnacle within Carina Nebula stellar nursery from December 2nd:

addendum: Luscious Lauren's Guide to Gifting

2010-12-08T16:30:00.002-05:00

If you're like me, you probably have to actually GIVE people tangible gifts for the holidays, at least in most cases. When you can't get away with donating to a charity in someone's name, here are a few ideas for the smrt-minded among us:

Let's start with books. I almost always give books. Books can last a lifetime and are just freakin' awesome.

Science books for kids:
- The ever-important and breath-taking Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be by Daniel Loxton
- Douglas Richards' Prometheus Project trilogy: Trapped, Captured and Stranded
- George's Secret Key to the Universe and George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt by Stephen Hawking and Lucy Hawking
- the League of Scientists book series

Please check out my recommended non-fiction and my recommended fiction on Good Reads.

Among my most recommended are:
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan (and everything else by Carl Sagan)
Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, Olivia Judson
The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal, Jared Diamond
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
The Sea Around Us and Silent Spring, Rachael Carson
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers; Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife; Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex; Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, all by Mary Roach
everything by Michael Pollan, especially The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World
Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines, Robert Muller
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia
Medical Myths That Can Kill You: And the 101 Truths That Will Save, Extend, and Improve Your Life, Nancy L. Snyderman
Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth about Your Weight, Linda Bacon
Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine, Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst
Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, Michael Specter
Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, Paul A. Offit

Situation-specific books:
Putting Children First: Proven Parenting Strategies for Helping Children Thrive Through Divorce, JoAnne Pedro-Carroll
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert, John Gottman
V Book: A Doctor's Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health, Elizabeth G. Stewart and Paula Spencer
The Trouble with Christmas, Tom Flynn
Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion and Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief, Dale McGowan
The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Nonsmokers Using the Easyway Method, Allen Carr

...Now, on to STUFF!!

Tops of the list for the nerds and geeks among us has to be Think Geek. My favorites for the kids include Mad Science Alphabet Blocks and Giant Plush Microbes. There are also Heroine shirts featuring female scientists like Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie!
Also fun for t-shirts and other gear are Threadless and Northern Sun. Cafe Press and Zazzle also have great stuff for just about any topic which they can put on shirts or mugs or mouse pads, etc.

Maple Landmark Toys in Middlebury VT crafts a wide range of toys and gifts from local (to VT) materials which follow American standards of product safety, employee safety, and environmental protection. And the toys are beautiful and fun, too!

Looking for science (etc.) action figures? Check out Albert Einstein, Ben Franklin, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, and so on.

Beautiful jewelry for the science-minded: Surly Ramics. She even does custom orders, and I got a fantastic necklace for my sister-in-law last year.

Apparel and jewelry specifically for the geek girls in your life: Her Universe

Socks!! Who doesn't love socks? Well, I guess there are some people, but I know that I <3 socks, and I <3 Sock Dreams hard. Stuff for ladies, stuff for dudes, stuff for kiddies, not to mention accessories like leg warmers and garters and gloves.

Snaz75 also sells socks, but for the most part they are an excellent source (the northeast's largest distributor!) for outrageous shoes and outfits, stripper shoes, boots, costumes and accessories.

Looking for something smart and sarcastic? Placebo Bands to the rescue!! (I don't need to remind you why "Power Balance" bracelets are bunk, do I?)

Another gift that makes a point for those of your friends who understand the importance of vaccination: Hug Me, I'm Vaccinated gear!

Great Drinkers shot glasses and other neat-o gifts from the Unemployed Philosophers Guild

Darwin fish, humanism gear, liberal apparel and more at Evolve Fish

Have a crazy survivalist/ hunter/ doomsday prophet/ practical preparedness enthusiast in your life? Try Major Surplus & Survival for all kinds of gear, goodies, emergency kits, boots, cots, and even antiques and collectibles.

Gaiam is your source for green hippie compost yoga products, including bat conservatories and reusable water bottles. Beware, though, because they do sell whack-a-loon woo-woo stuff like light therapy and detox foot pads.
Burt's Bees also has great products, and Vegan Essentials is your one-stop shop for all things vegan.
Got a locavore to shop for? Check out Local Harvest for co-ops, restaurants and stores near your friend which use local organic ingredients and see if you can get gift certificates. Plus, gifts for gardeners, including seeds, supplies, clothing and books- can be found at Harris Seeds.

Want to buy gifts and still do good?
- Consider the UNICEF store, where everything you buy helps children around the world!
- The Natural Resources Defense Council has a Green Gift Giving Guide as does the Nature Conservancy.
- Proceeds from the Ford Cares Warriors in Pink campaign go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the site even tells you exactly how much is donated for each purchase.

Now, go forth and spend wisely!! Oh, and be sure to run your credit check annually!!

Luscious Lauren's Guide to Giving

2010-12-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again! Albeit, I'm probably too late for most people as you've likely been done with your holiday shopping since the summer and probably have everything wrapped and stacked and good to go -or wait, is that just me?- but here are some tips for next year, if not for this.

[disclaimer: As always, check out the Charity Navigator to see how your chosen charities are rated.]

So, you want to support skeptical and atheistic causes, or charities that are secular? Check out TechSkeptic's increibly comprehensive list.
Also, specifically:
- Secular Coalition for America
- James Randi Educational Foundation
- Freedom From Religion Foundation
- Skeptics and Humanists Aid and Relief Effort(SHARE), collecting funds for Haiti earthquake relief at the moment
- Center for Inquiry

Interested in green gift-giving? Try the Natural Resources Defense Council's Green Gift Guide!

Reproductive rights and women's issues?
- Planned Parenthood Federation of America
- National Organization for Women (locally: Rochester NOW)
- Guttmacher Institute

Stuff for kids and education?
- Donors Choose
- Victory Junction Gang Camp

Animals
- Humane Society (locally: Lollypop Farm)
- also local to me: GRASP (Greece Residents Assisting Stray Pets) and Animal Service League

Human Rights and social good?
- Human Rights Campaign
- Heifer International
- UNICEF
- KIVA microloans
- PBS (locally: WXXI)
- Plan USA
- Grist (a beacon in the smog)
- autism research that doesn't involve fear-mongering and spreading lies about vaccines: Autism Science Foundation

Remember, these organizations need support, donations and volunteers year round and not just during the holidays, but if you can give anything, even a little, it helps a lot. Send an anonymous check or request not to receive solicitations if you are worried about getting on a mailing list, but do send something. Perhaps in lieu of dinner out some night you could buy dinner for a less well-off family. Perhaps in lieu of buying a new DVD you could help kids learn to play an instrument, or eat. Perhaps in lieu of another new pair of sneakers, you could help supply warm shoes for a needy person. We all likely have more than we need, especially if we have the time to wile away on a blog, so we should take a few moments this season and see what we can share with others.

Besides, 'tis the season for giving, after all, and 'do unto others' applies to secular folk, too.

cartoon wars

2010-12-06T16:00:00.002-05:00

Change your profile picture to a cartoon character if you want to. Post an obscure color-only status, or a deliberately sexually-charged status if you want to. But don't pretend that it will prevent cruelty to children or raise awareness about breast cancer or really do any good at all.

It's the blind leading the blind out there on the internoodle. "What? Bill Gates is going to send me eight kajillion dollars if I forward this to everyone I know? It must be true, it's on the internet! It must be true, this e-mail says it was on Good Morning America and it says it ALL IN CAPS!! People who write and/or forward mass e-mails and use all caps never lie!!" (although in this case there is an actual CNN article, blithely reporting a Facebook fad without even linking to an actual cause site that might actually help children)

Bullshit. Wake up, sheople. Don't just change your profile picture to stop child abuse, DO something!! Donate actual damn money to help! And then don't change your picture back to you because someone said it's a pedophile campaign, research it yourself! Snopes is on the case as always and calls BS on both the cartoon helpfulness and the pedophile threat. Ug.

Skepchick Rebecca Watson: Somewhere a father is raising his hand to beat his child when he decides to check on his Farmville first, and when he opens Facebook he sees Snarf from Thundercats and he thinks, "You know what? I think instead of beating my child I'll take up knitting or maybe origami." Mission accomplished, Facebook friend!

Exactly.

Look, if you want to bring awareness to the real and actual tragedy that is child abuse and child neglect, give some stats! Tell people how prevalent it is and how easy the signs can be to miss!

240 children are sexually abused every day in this country! Nearly five children die every day as a result of abuse and neglect! 1 of every 5 girls and 1 of every 7 boys is sexually abused before their 18th birthday!
An estimated 905,000 children were found to be the victims of some kind of child maltreatment in 2006! 22,000 children still die each day from preventable diseases!

See? Statistics actually bring awareness and draw attention; tangentially related cartoons do not, unless you add some stats or information to status. Vague "it's bad so don't do it" statements won't cut it. We need ACTION!!

If you want to actually DO something that makes a real difference, consider the following:
- Bivona Child Advocacy Center
- Child Health Site 100% of sponsor money goes to charity, all you have to do is click (seriously, just click. no money, no obligations: you just click)
- Child Abuse Prevention
- New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
- UNICEF humanitarian relief for children

Bringing an end to child abuse and helping the victims are honorable and commendable causes and by all means you should do something toward that end, but you should actually DO something. Don't just change your profile picture or your status and act like that accomplished something, donate some actual money to a cause so you can actually help and actually feel validated. But please don't pretend that changing your picture to a cartoon or your status to a color does any good. Unless, of course, you live in imaginary fake website land.

ANECDOTE: I did not change my Facebook profile picture and yet somehow, amazingly, I did not beat any children all weekend! Nor did anyone in my family! Isn't that amazing?!

the Philadelphia experiment

2010-12-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time -or, in August- I discovered that there were a bunch of exhibits happening in Philadelphia that I desperately wanted to see, as well as other historical and scientific sites that interested me, and began to plan a trip. When my husband and I realized that he would be bored out of his skull if he came with me, we decided I should ask my nerd friend Farrah to come with me instead. My friend Farrah is basically exactly the same person as I am, except that she plays roller derby, and her hair is longer (now). We get excited about the same ridiculous science news and laugh at the same obscure references and appreciate the same nerdlicious humor. And so after some wrangling and finagling, off to Philadelphia we went!

Day One
Fucking traffic. It's a six hour trip under normal conditions but route 81 was an absolute clusterfuck which scarred me for the remainder of the trip. Apparently, to my recollection, a tractor trailer driver was distracted by his cell phone or some other electronic gadget and managed to overturn his truck and block the entire southbound side. So we were detoured off the interstate onto a one-lane-per-side road that got back on the interstate by way of a stop sign intersection. It. Took. Three. Fucking. Hours. I wanted to murder everyone. All I could think about was how much awesome nerd stuff we were missing as the minutes slipped by...
It was agony, and for the rest of the month any time I saw taillights lighting up ahead of me I would let loose a barrage of obscenity topped only by longshoremen and real housewives. Finally, though, we made it to Pennsylvania and found the signs for "Central Phila."

Our first stop was the Dialogues with Darwin Exhibit at the American Philosophical Society Museum -an exhibit of writings and sketches related to evolution and Charles Darwin, as well as a plethora of copies of "On the Origin of Species" in myriad languages.
According to the museum page, "Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection has produced more spirited dialogue than any other scientific idea in modern history. The APS Museum’s Dialogues with Darwin exhibition continues the conversation." Part of how they did this was by providing post-it notes and pens for people to record their thoughts on the exhibit, and on evolution and Charles Darwin, too. Unsurprisingly, many of them were dismissive of evolution or thought it was dumb or boring (so is your mom), some of them praised the exhibit and the science, and some even invoked the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Also unsurprisingly, the majority of the anti-evolution post-its were rife with misspellings and bad grammar and just plain had teh stoopid. Anecdotally, I've noticed that in an argument between pro-science and anti-science or between religionists and atheists (or between breeders and the child-free), you can often tell which side a person is on just by the way their words are spelled and their responses are worded...

Next, we drove through a whole mess of one-way streets and questionable neighborhoods to get to the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site. Poe lived in many houses over several years during his Philadelphia tenure (1837 to 1844) but this is the only one which still survives. And survives barely. The floors are uneven, the interior walls need plastering, it is unfurnished and sad and gloomy -and wholly Poe-appropriate. Spiders in the basement, suspicious characters on the sidewalk, and (a CD of) Christopher Walken reading "The Raven" in the sitting room. Ahhh, glorious.

We were hoping to make one or two more stops that day but, because of the traffic jam and because for whatever reason everything smart in Philadelphia is closed by 5p (and doesn't open until 10a -seriously, what is that about?!), we decided to just head to the hostel and get an early start in the morning.

We'd contemplated using Orbilocity or Traveltube or something to find a cheap hotel in Philadelphia, but there is no guarantee as to what hotel you are getting when you use a site like that, requiring a lot more trust than I'm comfortable with. We figured we could count ourselves lucky with a city-center hotel for around $100 a night, not counting overnight parking, but then Farrah suggested a hostel. Of course, visions of slaughter and abduction danced in my head, but the hostel in question, Chamounix Mansion International Youth Hostel, belongs to Hostelling International and they were very knowledgeable on the phone on top of having a very comprehensive internet site. And you can't really beat $20 per person per night. The hostel supplies sheets, a pillow and blanket (and no bed bugs, at the time!), towels are available for an extra charge, and there is a TV/VCR, an internet-connected computer, a kitchen full of dishes, pots and pans for cooking as well as refrigerators to store your food. There are several lovely sitting rooms with couches and arm chairs, and a wide expanse of lawn perfect for live-action role-playing -as evidenced by the well-behaved foam-sword-wielding hordes from Epic Adventures.
The hostel was comfortable and climate-controlled, and we got a lot of reading done at night and while waiting for the hostel to unlock its doors in the morning.

Day Two
We arrived early at the Mütter Museum, having navigated our way through the ridiculous mess of one-way streets and traffic circles that is Philadelphia. It was everything we'd dreamed of and more! Disturbingly informative, indeed. So many specimens (specimi?), so much gross fascination, so much Soap Lady... My only regret was not using up minutes on my pre-paid cell by calling all the numbers in the cases and getting an extra dose of geek...

On to the Academy of Natural Sciences (connecting people to nature since 1812)! Therein we toured the Dino Hall. Hooray for dinos! And the Outside In space -it's not just for kids anymore!! Okay, well maybe it is but we totally acted like we were kids. Madagascar hissing cockroaches, axolotls, vinegaroon, snakes, bunneh, rat, cow bird, fossils, shells, giant freaking crab, bees... And then the Butterflies! exhibit (that we totally didn't sneak into...); and finally, one of the big reasons I wanted to go to Philly in the first place, the Creatures of the Abyss exhibit. So much nerdawesome. So highly recommended. And also where, when discussing bio-luminescence, I coined the phrase "Evolution: it's like magic, only better 'cause it's real." Woot!

Then, 'twas lunch time. We'd brought some snacky food and road treats and didn't plan on spending a whole lot on meals -it was a nerdcation, after all, not a foodcation- but Farrah remembered hearing about a vegetarian cheesesteak place and had iPodTouched it the night before, so we decided to try to find that for lunch. When in Philly, after all -especially since I'd never had a Philly cheesesteak.
Sadly, the place was closed. But we did find a corner pizza shop with a parking space nearby and something like $1 slices, so we stuffed our faces for a few bucks, and the sweet lady behind the counter dragged a table outside for us so we could eat in the 95° weather instead of the 110° pizzeria and she even filled up our reusable water bottles for us! Twice!
And so, alas, I still have never had a Philly cheesesteak, vegetarian or otherwise. Or perhaps not alas. They look kind of gross...

Finally, our last stop was Eastern State Penitentiary. It's a ruin now but when it opened in 1829 as part of a controversial movement to change the behavior of inmates through "confinement in solitude with labor," it quickly became one of the most expensive and most copied buildings in the young United States. It is estimated that more than 300 prisons worldwide are based on the Penitentiary's wagon-wheel, or "radial" floor plan.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the season for the haunted prison tours, but we each got an audio tour and ambled around at our own pace for hours as Steve Buscemi recited history and anecdotes into our ears.
It was still about 95° but luckily most of the prison has a roof still, so we were able to spend a long time wandering and learning, even though it was blazing hot.

And then we were on the road again, heading back north to Rochester after a whirlwind of awesome geeky awesomness.

Farrah and I have already decided that if (when!) we get back to Philadelphia, not only will we probably have to go to all of these places again, but also the Franklin Institute, the Free Library of Philadelphia (though I did get some Free Library bookmarks when we were at Eastern State, and passed some of them on to my nephew, too, when he was in need of placeholders for his readings), the Philadelphia Museum of Art (especially the Rodin Museum), the Philadelphia Zoo, Adventure Aquarium (in Camden NJ) and Longwood Gardens (in Kennett Square PA). Just so's you know.

PS: You can see a photo tour of our glorious trip if you're friends with me on The Face.

Don't care.

2010-12-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Dear men who act inappropriately toward women (and anyone who makes light of their inappropriateness with an attempt at victim-blaming):

I don't care if a girl walks past you in a mini-skirt. I don't care if you can practically see her aureoles above her tank top. I don't care if she's naked. I don't care if she bills herself as the sexiest newscaster on television and wears tight pants. I don't care if you find her passed out in your bed half-dressed. YOU ARE STILL A GROWNUP and you STILL HAVE TO ACT LIKE A GROWNUP.

Everyone, stop making excuses for men acting like children! Worse than children. Even children know better than to yell obscene and uncomfortable things at strangers. Even children know to keep their hands to themselves.

I realize that women in questionable or unsafe situations ought to take care to ensure they are not dressed too provocatively, and should keep an eye on their surroundings at all times, should lock their car doors immediately, should not stop to give directions to strangers, should not smell "perfume" on proffered handkerchiefs... But why should SHE have to do all of these things? Why should she HAVE to? Why is it always the woman's responsibility? Why are we always judging what happens to women based on what they were wearing or how they were acting or what kind of underwear they chose that day or what kind of work they are in, when we should be asking, "why aren't men keeping their damn hands -and penises- to themselves?!"

I don't care if the stripper just spent ten minutes nakedly grinding away on your junk. I don't care if the pretty cashier smiled at you as she price checked your condoms and scented lube. I don't care if that woman's skirt blew up and you saw that she is wearing a thong. I don't care if that girl is drunk out of her mind and passed out right after you got to her room. You are still a grown-ass man and you are required to act like one. Stop saying things you wouldn't want people to say to your sister or mother or niece, and unless she actually says YES, assume the answer is NO.

Remember:
- Unless she is literally asking for it, in words, she is not "asking for it."
- Yes means yes, no means no, and silence means no, too. Silence (passed-out or otherwise) is not implied consent.
- Stop being a childish asshole and behave like the grownup you are. You know damn well what's appropriate and acceptable, so do those things and not the first thing that comes into your reptilian brain.

Sincerely,
me

bein' a gurl iz haaaaard

2010-12-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently. Or so the media would often have you believe. And the right-wing religious dickbags who treat women as property to be ruled over, who insist that a few cells in a woman's uterus are somehow more important and more deserving of life and protection than the woman who carries them. And the sexist stereotypes that insist women are too emotional, too flighty, to reactionary to be trusted with information or knowledge or the vote or any sort of decision that involves themselves, their families, or heaven forbid the country.

Amanda Marcotte addresses a new/same old article with this theme, so I'll just direct you to her words on the topic: Nothing is Natural focuses on the insistence that The Pill is somehow more unnatural than other forms of birth control and women are somehow to silly and dumb to understand just what the pill is and does.

Granted, women should be aware of the concerns and possible side-effects surrounding use of the pill, but the correct place for this is a doctor's office and not a magazine article harping on unlikely harm and fear-mongering about the supposed tragedy of "tricking" your body with contraception.

So, here's the familiar refrain from me... Be informed! Be responsible for your choices! Know your body and understand what you're putting in it! Get your medical advice from YOUR DOCTOR!

That is all.

Oh wait, except:

teh gayz r coming! teh gayz r coming!

2010-12-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm always surprised at the wording surrounding the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy of the US military. It's a policy that prohibits gay people from "serving openly." Because it's totally work-appropriate for heterosexuals to prance around with their cock winging about, being all openly straight. ...And don't even get me started on "mushrooming."

Personally, I feel like NO service members (or anyone) should be openly displaying and discussion their sexual preferences, at least not when on duty (or at work). It is not professional and should not be encouraged. But admitting that one is gay (or straight) or discussing ones spouse and lifestyle in casual conversation? No problem.

But, we must fear what is different and so we insist that letting teh gayz be all teh gay in the army would be teh badz. They're too frilly or too sex-obsessed or too flighty or they're somehow detrimental to morale (still not sure how that argument goes) or -best of all- they're big scary violent hate-filled Nazi baby-eating monsters and are just too volatile to allow into the military (yes, that's a real argument; I saw it on The Daily Show).

Can you tell which one is gay?

Yeah, neither can I.
(image source)

Or not fear. Maybe we could just act like grownups and accept that some people have different colors of hair while some people are attracted to the same sex and STOP MAKING SUCH A BIG FLAMING DEAL ABOUT IT!!

At last, the super-important are-teh-gayz-okay-for-teh-warz study has been released and (while this is exactly what he asked for in his last goalpost moving, McCain is claiming this isn't good enough, either) surprise, surprise, once again I get to say TOLJASO: "Ending a ban on gays serving openly in the armed services would not harm long-term military effectiveness, the Pentagon said yesterday in a long-awaited report that is expected to speed a vote on the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy."

Oh, and also: sign here to stand with President Obama as he moves to repeal this ridiculous policy.

belated thanks...

2010-11-30T16:30:00.003-05:00

Happy belated Thanksgiving. I just wanted to take a second to thank my parents for not only not indoctrinating me into the ridiculousness of religion but for ensuring that I grew up with access to quality comprehensive health care that included all of the recommended childhood vaccinations. I would like to thank scientists and doctors for persevering in the face of true stupidity and encouraging everyone to continue to protect themselves against dangerous, deforming and deadly diseases -because no one should have to die from whopping cough and no one should have to get the measles in this day and age. And I want to thank everyone who is aware of their vaccination schedule and their need to get regular booster shots to ensure that they, and the people around them, are protected.

This pretty much says it all:

Hugs for smart people! Hooray!!

Thanks.
-El

Ur: a city in Mesopotamia.

2010-11-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

Ur was an ancient city in southern Mesopotamia.
Hay Ur is a neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq.
Ur, Pyrénées-Orientales, is a commune of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France.
Ur, Catalonia, is a town in Catalonia, Spain (go figure).
Ur was the name given to the first known continent in tectonics.
Úr was a letter of the Ogham alphabet, and of the runic alphabets.
Also, Ur is a race of aliens in Fading Suns, a role-playing game, and a novella written by Stephen King, originally exclusively released for the Amazon Kindle.
UR is an abbreviation for several universities: Universität Regensburg (Germany), University of Regina (Canada), Universidad Regiomontana (Mexico), University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, University of Redlands and the chickenfucking University of Rochester, bitches.

Ur is NOT, however, in any sense of English, an appropriate abbreviation for "your" or "you're," and when you do that, you make me want to cut off your fingers with a straight razor and pull your tongue out with tongs.

On a related note, you say "you're so funny." Not "your so funny." Every time I read "your so funny" I think "My so funny, what?" and I die a little inside because you are to motherfuckitlazy to add an apostrophe where you should damn well know one belongs.

And if you don't know the difference between "there" and "they're" and "their," you should be banned from all electronic communications devices and have your fingers eaten off by scarabs.

Further enlightenment:
It is "another whole" or "another entire." It is NOT EVER "a whole nother."
It is "suffice to say." It is never "suffice it to say."
It is "especially" and "espresso," with an S. It it not ever, ever "expecially" or "expresso," with an X. Never.
It is "beside the point," NOT "besides the point."
It is "I couldn't care less," not, I repeat, NOT "I could care less." Because you mean to say that you could not possibly care any less than you do about the topic at hand, like Lady Gaga or "Twilight." When you say that you could care less, you are implying that there is a lesser level of caring which you could read about the topic, but you're not quite there yet. Which is, in all likelihood, not what you mean. So stop it.
It is -quite obviously- "ET CETERA" and not "eck-cetera." ...As should be pretty clear from the abbreviation, which is ETC and not ECT.
It is "I saw it," it is not "I seen it." It is especially not "I seen it" if you work for a publishing company.
It is "the thing is." It is NOT "the thing OF IT is" and especially not "the thing of it is is." Just "the thing is." Stop adding words!
It is "even so," and NOT "even still."

And please, by the power of grayskull, only use the word "literally" when you actually mean LITERALLY. Not almost, not practically, not virtually, not nearly, but literally. Yes, there is a difference. No, H and J are NOT literally right next to each other in the alphabet because I is between them. H is literally next to I.

Further bulletins as events warrant. Stop writing and speaking like a moron. Don't make me get my Alot and stampede your ass.

(image source)

symphonies? science? BOTH?!

2010-11-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

I hate autotune, but it occasionally has its uses; like here in this latest release from the Symphony of Science:

Be sure to check out all the brilliance from this series, including my still favorite:

You get a placebo, and YOU get a placebo, and YOU get a placebo! Everyone gets a placebo!!

2010-11-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

On Friday, the Red Dragon and I went to the mall. Gulp. I hate shopping, I hate the mall, I hate people, I hate holiday bullshit. But we had to go, so we consolidated a bunch of errands and did a quick tour, which hopefully will be our only trip to the mall this season (I make it a rule to avoid the place between Halloween and Valentine's Day if possible).

While there, we passed by a Power Balance kiosk and I had to be restrained from asking for a demonstration and then explaining "placebo effect" and "confirmation bias" to them...
In case you don't know, Power Balance bracelets are only one product in a long line of scams designed to make you feel like you're doing something useful or beneficial when really you're just wasting your money. You know, like Airborne, or detox products, or multi-vitamins, or acupuncture.
The Power Balance people bet on the idea that if you're sick or in pain, you're probably not 100% satisfied with your current treatment plan so why not add a rubber bracelet to your regimen? What's the harm? I mean, aside from wasting your money on a provably implausible gimmick and encouraging other people to forgo actual medicine and treatments in favor of an overpriced bit of junk. Because those seem to be pretty big arguments against it for me...

As far as the science goes, it's pretty conclusive.
Harriet Hall and Phil Plait (not to mention SETI’s Are We Alone radio program) gotchu. SGU gotchu. A round-up from Wired.com gotchu.
And it's a Shonky Award Winner. So, yeah. Shonky gotchu.

So, it's up to you. You can buy a Power Balance bracelet for upwards of $60-$90 and get absolutely no effect aside from placebo and confirmation bias, or you can buy a Placebo Band for $2 (Australian) and get exactly the same effects. Or you could buy, like, a beer. Your choice.

Personally, I desperately want the Placebo Band, but I don't even want to shell out the money to make a point. Maybe in the new year. Either way, though, you can read about how the Placebo Band "works" from the Skeptic Bros, and can see how the woo-peddlers trick you with the demonstrations.

And remember, if you see someone peddling nonsense and want to help them reason their way out of it, be calm and kind and empathetic and patient and please please please please DON'T BE A DICK.

the so-called conscience clause

2010-11-17T11:04:00.001-05:00

NOTE: point forward, anything I find share-worthy for Facebook is also going to end up here. It'll lead to more blog entries, of course, and also an archive of news and nonsense I felt compelled to share. So, here goes:

Pharmacist Refusal Clauses: There's No Conscience In Sending Women Elsewhere
Agreed. One of George W. Bush's lasting monstrous acts was to allow pharmacists (and by extension doctors and nurses) to refuse to fill legally acquired prescriptions for such things as emergency contraception or even regular birth control. Because Mr. Bush was so biased against a woman's ability to make her own decisions and so distrusting that women know what's best for them, and because of his misunderstanding of what different forms of birth control are and do, he decided that pharmacists should be able to refuse to do their jobs. This has allowed medical personnel to refuse care to pregnant women because it might harm their fetus -never mind the health or life of the woman- and has allowed nurses to forcibly remove IUDs and then refuse to reinsert them, and has forced women to carry pregnancies they do not want.
Here's the deal, people: if you don't approve of abortion or allow your religious beliefs to interfere with your decisions to the extent that you need to push them forcefully on others, maybe you shouldn't be a pharmacist.

Bottom line: If your beliefs interfere with your ability to do your job, find a different job.

In a similar vein, Planned Parenthood urges you to TAKE ACTION on a petition to provide no-cost birth control -to list birth control as a preventative measure and thereby exempt from co-pays under the new health care plan.
"Birth control matters. It matters to the young woman finishing college or starting a career. It matters to the family struggling to make ends meet. It matters to the woman suffering from endometriosis. It matters to mothers and fathers who treasure the children they have."

It matters, bitches. Let people prevent unwanted pregnancies and thereby be better able to care for the children they already have, or the children they might have someday. Or, perhaps, allow them to remain childfree if that is their desire.

Needless to say, I'm passionate about this topic. Reproductive rights and vaccines and environmental causes, that's me. So there.

you know it's a party when...

2010-11-04T16:00:00.002-04:00

There are parts of my college years (fall of 1997 to spring of 2001) which I recall with great nostalgia and fondness. And yes, there are parts at which I roll my eyes and parts that are marred by violent retching and parts that are grey and fuzzy all the way through. But never mind that.
One of the fond nostalgic parts was the "you know it's a party when" list, scrawled across some sort of beer poster, I think. It contained such gems as "Hans wears a sombrero" and something about beer-case-helmet-jousting. I'm sure there is a photograph of it somewhere, but we'll have to make do without.

Upon graduation and my eventual entrance into the wild world of homeowners, it occurred to me that I ought to start my own list. And so I did. And so here it is -a work in progress, of course.

You Know It's A Party When...
1. You have to squeegee the garage floor.
2. Someone falls out of the pool (or doesn't make it in).
3. There's a midnight beer run.
4. Someone breaks a drumstick.
5. You can't even look at the Tequila bottle the next day.
6. Chicks. Get. Naked.
7. Something or someone gets humped by The Chris.
8. Someone is carried up the stairs.
9. You wake up in bed without your pants, and have no memory of how you got that way.
10. There is photographic evidence of your absurdities, and you never saw a camera.
11. You don't remember where that bruise came from.
12. There's nothing but ping pong balls and shot glasses in the dishwasher.
13. You wake up half naked on the living room floor next to the recycling bucket.
14. Someone is banging on the ceiling, yelling "wake up, mother fucker!!"
15. You're so passed-out drunk that someone can put weights on you without being noticed.
16. It's Cuban, B.
17. Somebody says, "I don't even know what to say."
18. Sara Lovell points and laughs.
19. The Chris asks how one gets hit in the head with a ladder golf golf ball.
20. Someone gets hit in the head with a ladder golf golf ball.
21. We have to make a "no fireworks anymore, dude" rule. Again.
22. The only clean spot anywhere is the sink.
23. The bathroom door is locked, and someone is passed out inside.
24. Someone has to be told, "one hand on the counter; one hand on your cock."
25. Amanda is floppy.
26. Yoga happens.
27. Splits happen.
28. Amanda audibly shatters another shot glass, and then asks if it's broken.
29. Someone is TOO drunk to play Asshole.
30. You have no idea how the cake got melted.
31.

I have insomnia.

2010-10-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I count sheep. Sometimes I try the Crystal Countdown. Sometimes I just count and hope to be asleep before I get too far. Sometimes I actually get up and read or watch TV. I've tried all kinds of pills and just can't get my brain to turn off. A few nights ago, I figured I'd try reciting the alphabet and picturing something related to that letter, whatever fist came to mind, in the hopes that it would keep both sides of my brain busy and it would stop thinking of nonsense. Did it work? No. Not even a little. But I was so amused by the images my brain came up with that I decided to write them down, as best as I can remember...

Apple
Banana
Corn
Dandelion
Ephemera
Feather
Gorilla
Hippopotamus
Indigo
Jackalope
Kangaroo
Lemons
Mango
Nun-chucks
Ostrich
Purple
Quarry
Rucksack
Slime mold
Turtle
Uganda
Victrola
Woodchuck
Xylophone (of course)
Yellow
Zebra (pronounced zeh-bra, because of Weebks)

Any wonder that I didn't sleep?

history class

2010-10-11T11:34:00.001-04:00

I've had an epiphany about middle and high school education and I'm going to put it out here where no one will read it and it won't do any good, but at least I'll have gotten it out of my brain.

I think that students should get a broad overview of world history in middle school, and then start small in high school.
In 9th grade, students should learn their local history. Local leaders, historical figures, origins, heck even local businesses. City and county, that's what they should concentrate on. There is a lot of stuff I'm learning now that I don't remember learning in school. For instance, I know about Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas, but who the heck was the Troup Howell Bridge named for?! (Robert Troup and Nathaniel Howell, if you were interested; also, Robert Troup's daughter, Charlotte, was the inspiration for that oft-mispronounced bit of land by the lake) For whom was the Town of Gates named? (Revolutionary War General Horatio Gates) Did you know that Canawaugus means "stinking waters" or that Genesee means "beautiful open valley" in the native languages of those who lived here? Do you know who Indian Allen was?

Exactly.

10th grade, then, should be state history. State stuff, state laws, state stupids, state courts, state origins, state figures...

11th grade should be US history -with the option to take the regular course or the AP version- and 12th grade should be European history -with the same regular/AP options- or possibly another world history overview elective.

People don't know shitall about history these days, even their local history, and I'll admit to being one of those people. It needs to change, and the change needs to start by making grumpy kids learn more. ...Don't get me started on the debacle that is standardized testing, though...

I still have trouble watching it. (or, my angry 9/11 rant)

2010-09-10T15:51:00.000-04:00

I wasn't there. I didn't lose anyone. I didn't know anyone there. I don't think I know anyone who lost anyone. And yet I still have trouble every time I see those damn planes hit those damn towers, and every time I watch a damn show about New York City they seem to find a reason to show that damn pancake dust explosion and every time it's like a vise around my heart and throat and stomach and my whole face scrunches up like I've bitten into a lime and I just can't watch it. And I just can't look away.

Nine years. Nine years, and the WTC site still hasn't been built on, and we're still arguing and squabbling about what a replacement tower should look like and who has the right to do what, where. Not to mention, the wars in Iraq (oh, sorry, the combat's over there so that's not really a war anymore?) and Afghanistan are using money like a sieve, so to speak, without much accountability or even much question at all.

And now a group of Muslims has purchased an old Burlington Coat Factory four blocks from "Ground Zero" and wants to build a community center there, and now everyone's all "ZOMGHOWDAREZTHEY?!" or alternatively and more PC "ZOMGIKNOWTHEYCANBUTIDONTTHINKTHEYSHOULD!!!" Because apparently religious freedom only applies to Christians in this country. But we knew that.
I mean, yeah, Islam can be a violent and dickish religion. Know what else? Christianity can be a violent and dickish religion. Atheists, while not for their unfaith or cause so much but more as individuals, can be violent and dickish. Heck, even Buddhists can be violent (though rarely) and dickish (see the Dalai Lama's comments about the supposedly-unnatural aspects of homosexuality, for instance).
So, everyone's all careful and tactful and saying "yes, they have a right to build there, but should they?" mostly because Muslims were responsible for the attacks on 9/11/01 so building a community center so close to the former WTC-site would be like them rubbing it in our faces, or something. And yes, maybe technically it's a bit tactless for them to build there. But maybe we should be the bigger and better country and get over ourselves. Maybe a community center is exactly what that neighborhood needs, even if it is the dreaded Muslim kind.

**begin tangent**
And have I mentioned that I really hate the use of the term "Ground Zero"? I do. I really, really do. But maybe that's another essay for another day.
**end tangent**

**begin secondary tangent**
And while I'm at it, fuck you "9/11 Truthers." Yes, the attacks likely could have been prevented and perhaps we do not have all of the information about how everything happened and why and when, but when a giant fucking airliner full of jet fuel crashes into a building and severs the support columns and sets the fucker on fire, you get FIRE and COLLAPSE. That's how that works. No, steel doesn't burn at those temperatures but it sure the hell melts and warps and weakens and that's all you need. And once one floor mashes, you set off a chain reaction and get yourself a nice mashy death-filled building squash. As seen on TV. I know people have questions. I know people have doubts. But it's really not that complicated. OH! And also while I'm at it, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and Fred Phelps can all go suck a collective bag of dicks.
**end secondary tangent**

In response to the "Ground Zero Mosque" (which is neither a mosque -it's a community center- nor AT Ground Zero -it's four blocks away- ...and there is already a mosque six blocks away), some pastor in Florida is all "I'm going to honor the memory of those lost on 9/11/01 by burning a whole mess of Korans at my church on Saturday." Forgetting, I'm sure, that there were Muslims IN the Twin Towers that day, who died as well, and whose families might be a wee bit offended by the burning of their sacred book. Forgetting that everyone in this country has the right to believe -or NOT believe- as they desire, rights granted in the Bill of Rights in the (wholly secular, by the way) Constitution that so many people seem to point to these days while clearly not having read the darn thing. No, religious freedoms seem these days only reserved for those Christians who want to offend others.

The NYC Muslims have every right to build a community center (or heck, even a damn mosque!) near the WTC site. They have every right to worship and pray and commune as they please so long as their beliefs and practices aren't harming anyone. Just as Christians have every right to worship and pray and commune as they please so long as their beliefs and practices aren't harming anyone. And that shit about Islam being inherently violent and cruel and discriminatory and misogynistic? Sure. But have you read your Bible lately, sirs? Yeah, that sucker ain't so great, either. So unless you're ready to give up your stupid backward religion and practice Humanism and rationality and logic and science, the way I think everyone should, you don't get to make demands of Muslims about their religion -so long as no one's harming anyone else. Extremist Islamic terrorist training centers? Not okay. Community centers with basketball hoops and craft tables? Not so scary, actually. And heck, it's not like fundamentalist Christians aren't training creepy little Christ warriors right here in this country, too, right?

And as for Koran-burning, (...If you're interested in some PZ perspective on this particular topic (and let's face it, who isn't?), please click here) like it or not, people have the right to disagree with other people. They have the right to do so in writing or in words or even, yes, by burning shit. In this particular care, said shit happens to be the holy book of another religion -and a religion that happens to be rather violently hostile to the idea of people burning their holy book. The pastor is within his rights to burn the book in protest. Muslims are NOT within their rights (as humans, as Americans, as Earthlings) to threaten or harm anyone with whom they disagree or by whom they feel slighted. THAT is the problem, that we as a planet and as a civilization allow Muslims (and others) to react with an inapproperiate level of insult and violence when they are offended, and that we are so afraid of their reaction that we let them get away with it. And I call bullshit.

If you defile the sacred objects of another religious group, you're kind of being a dick. But people don't have the right not to be offended. Maybe, if religionsists (and pretty much everyone) would stop taking themselves so damn seriously, they wouldn't come across as such assholes and everyone else would have a much easier time respecting them.

In closing, this September 11th I encourage you to not be a dick. Don't burn something out of spite. But don't not burn something out of fear. Rather, just do something good. Do something nice. Do something caring and thoughtful and necessary. Attend a service or ceremony in honor of those lost but not forgotten. Volunteer on the September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance.
Along with anything else I might do or attend or charitize this weekend, I, for one, will be attending the Roc City Roller Derby intraleague bout (Rottenchesters vs. 5-H8-5s), Sink or Swim at the Dome Arena. It's a charity bout benefiting Rochester Police Officers (Badge of Honor Association) and Rochester Firefighters (Benevolent Association). And it's derby. Eat a hot dog, watch some derby, do some good and be proud to be an American, where we can and do disagree and should be able to, as long as we can do it calmly and rationally. So let's try that, hmm?

why I never...

2010-09-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

I often end up in a conversation which involves me saying, "oh, I never (...) growing up" and people look at me like my brain is crawling out of my ears.

I'm not looking for pity or pretending deprivation, I merely present this list as a statement of fact.

Why, I never...
1. read comic books (until Sarah Smart brought me back a couple from ComiCon 2010)
2. played video games (until college, where I played Mortal Kombat and Crash Bandicoot a handful of times, and that was it)
3. drank soda
4. made Christmas cookies (until last year)
5. watched MTV
6. watched cartoons
7. had candy other than at Halloween and even then only for a day or so, even if I won it in a contest
8. had chocolate of any sort (at least until I was three and my grandmother committed The Chocolate Felony)
9. had any topping on my pizza other than cheese and for the most part, still don't
10. had any kind of dressing on my salad until I was, what, 25?
11. had ketchup on anything except McDonald's cheeseburgers -and still don't
12. had mustard on anything, until I went to college and had to smother the food with something
13. knew there were football teams not named the Cowboys (until I was six or so)
14. fantasized about what my wedding would be like
15. wanted babies -except for a three-day period my senior year of high school
16. was a bridesmaid, and still my only in-wedding experience has been as a flower girl in my uncle's wedding when I was eight or so
17. watched an episode of "Sex in the City"
18. saw any Rocky or Godfather movie
19. had a Philly cheesesteak
20. had a Garbage Plate (heresy, I know) **EDIT: First official plate consumption (half plate grilled cheese, mac salad, fries from Martino's) occurred 9/11/2010!!**
21. drank coffee
22. ate a fruit roll-up
23.

FURTHER BULLETINS AS EVENTS WARRANT

Trust women.

2010-07-29T11:45:00.002-04:00

Leaving aside for the moment my personal feelings about IVF and the fact that I never really thought about this as an issue although of course it is, I want to share this blog post about women who choose to go through IVF and then for one reason or another choose to abort the outcome of that IVF: IVF and then Abortion

Trust women? Are you kidding? What a novel fucking idea. Act like women are separate independent entities with their own brains and thoughts and opinions, capable of making educated choices? WHAT? Now that's just crazytalk!

Sarcasm aside... DUH. Trust women. We're not stupid assholes. Individually, maybe on occasion, but on the whole not. And I couldn't have said it any better than Ms. Marcotte, and so I shamelessly co-opt her blog post instead of creating something moderately intelligent on my own. Because, you know, I'm not capable of independent thought.

And now I have "Just A Girl" stuck in my head.

three cheers and some twang for vaccines!!

2010-07-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

Vaccines are good. They save lives. Here's a song about them. It's called The Vaccine Song.

my number one bad boy

2010-07-09T16:00:00.001-04:00

To be fair, he should be everyone's number one bad boy. That's right, the one and only badass Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait. And he says neat, smart things. And I link to them because my neat, smartness pales in comparison. So here, without further adieu, is something I think you should read:

The world is subtle... and that’s why it’s beautiful

book recommendation: Putting Children First

2010-06-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my mother and I attended a book reading at the Pittsford Barnes & Nobel, by one of our friends, Dr. JoAnne Pedro Carroll. She is an award-winning clinical psychologist who helps families survive and thrive times of big transition in their lives, such as separation and divorce –especially where it relates to how the children are affected.
Her new book, "Putting Children First: Proven Parenting Strategies for Helping Children Thrive Through Divorce" provides sound advice based on an abundance of research and the wisdom acquired through three decades of research and clinical experience with thousands of children—all offered with clarity and genuine compassion.

The reading/ lecture was incredibly insightful and moving for me and I belatedly realized that I should have posted this on my Face in advance of the talk so that others could have benefited from the information and had a chance to buy the book or talk to JoAnne and ask questions.

If you know someone who might benefit from the information in this book, please do direct them to JoAnne’s website so they can take a look at the information, and to Amazon for those interested in purchasing. This is also an excellent resource for families that are not separating but have internal turmoil that needs addressing.

Lauren's Lessons for Life, updated

2010-06-01T16:00:00.001-04:00

Lauren's Lessons for Life (originally posted 2/17/09)

1. you're only as old as the number of kids you have
2. never share a living arrangement with someone you refer to as "Crazy Bitch." Or Crazy anything, really.
3. never make any life changing decisions (getting married, having a child, adopting a pet) because you think you should or someone tells you that you have to, only do it because you know you want to (and you're financially and situationally able to)
4. never make any life changing decisions because you think it will "make things better"
5. always dance to "your song" before you dance to it at your wedding
6. never get your partner's name (or lips) tattooed onto your body -that's just a fast track to doomsville (ask Johnny Depp or Tommy Lee if you don't believe me)
7. just because you can doesn't mean that you should (just ask billionaire John Hammond, founder and chief executive officer of International Genetic Technologies, if you don't believe me)
8. never buy anything from a "but wait! if you call now..." commercial and expect it to perform as advertised
9. never discuss another man's meat
10. never argue with a hot chick (especially when she's offering you alcohol)
11. shut the fuck up and drink
12. you can either shoot someone or you can tell them a story, but you don't get to do both (thanks, Dr. House)
13. never, ever wear clothes with words written across your butt -unless you are a roller derby girl and/or you're getting paid for it
14. never be in the wedding of anyone you actually want to remain friends with afterward
15. never put anyone else's marbles into your barn unless you first ask their permission

oh man oh man oh man oh man they did it again!!

2010-03-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

I know I mentioned the spectacular typo possibilities surrounding the large Hadron Collider in a post last January, but krikey they've done it again!!

It just makes me giggle.

in which I talk about knocked-uppery

2010-02-05T16:30:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am child-free but yes, I'm still going to talk about pregnancy and babies, just a wee bit. Mostly, how bullshit weaves its way into pregnancy and what you can do to ensure you're getting accurate information.

If you are an alive person, chances are you know someone who had to deal with THE CANCER. Chances are, too, that someone you know is or has been or will be pregnant. Now, I have no interest in having children myself, but I do have a vested interest in knowing that future generations are wanted, loved, cared for and provided with appropriate education and health care. The best time to start in on that is before you know you're pregnant, of course, so if you're of "child-bearing age," unless you know you don't want kids, you should probably be taking folic acid. And if you're actually trying to get pregnant or think you might want to soon, quit. fucking. smoking. Actually, you should quit smoking now, regardless, but specifically if you're going to be pregnant. And talk to your doctor about any meds you are on that might affect your ability to conceive or bring a pregnancy to term.

That's basic common sense. But you will get mad crazy advice about everything from everyone, most annoyingly from people like me who have never had babies but still know exactly what you should be doing about everything. Because, let's face it, what's more American than spouting off about shit about which we know nothing?

In this case, though, while I may not have any practical womb-on experience, I do have some resources and some recommendations -and what else is a blog nobody reads for, if not for linking to junk you think is important for everyone to read?

Enough rhetorical questions. On to the meat of the matter! (mmmm, meat)

Like I said, everyone will be giving you advice and anecdotes but in reality I have no advice other than this: don't take any shit from anyone. You'll know what's right for you and if you want info, ask ask ask, but don't be afraid to tell people to shut the hell up.

Just keep in mind, there's a lot of crazy out there on the internet so try not to panic and check with your doctor before worrying about things! Actually, that holds true for everything, not just knocked-uppery.

Certainly, depending on your situation and risk factors it might make sense to stay away from certain foods and beverages for the duration -but that's something you learn from your doctor.

Books you might like:
A Child Is Born by Lennart Nilsson (reviewed by a friend of mine as "very interesting and informative"
Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine, reviewed as "a cute light read"
What to Expect When You're Expecting, the basic 'bible' to pregnancy, by Heidi http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifMurkoff and Sharon Mazel, reviewed as "good to answer all the neurotic questions" [EDIT 9/09/11: ACK!! I take it back! I take it back! Too much CAM!!]
And might I also recommend another viewpoint? What to Expect When You're Expected: A Fetus's Guide to the First Three Trimesters by David Javerbaum

Internet resources (yes, much of this is science- and reality-slanted, because that's the only thing that makes sense to me):
BabyCenter, where you can sign up and receive weekly updates on how baby is developing.
My Labor Nurse, practical, evidence-based information about birth from a labor and delivery nurse
Skepdad, one man’s thoughts, opinions, and ideas about bringing up kids to be critical thinking adults in a world filled with superstition, mysticism, and pseudoscience
Science-Based Parenting, promoting quality science and refuting different types of speculative claims such as the supernatural, pseudoscience, alternative medicine, and any other extraordinary claim that contradicts facts established by science and/or reasoning (see especially the page on vaccine resources)
Parenting Beyond Belief, on raising ethical, caring kids without religion

Also, Skepchick is a blog of no-bullshit (mostly) women, some of whom are pregnant from time to time and post entries debunking many myths and nonsense around pregnancy. Specifically and recently,
What Pregnant Women Won't Tell You -warning: if you're wavering on the kid-fence, this post might push you over to the no-way-in-hell!!! side...

Oh and PS... I'm sure people will give you some recommendations and advice for "sure-fire cures" or "natural health care" or what-have-you and some of it may be fine and harmless and may even work, but keep in mind that herbs and supplements are drugs, too, and can interfere and interact with other substances but are not regulated by the FDA in the same way as more conventional medicine so you want to check with your doctor about that stuff -but if you want to get some fact-based information from the internet on something that may have been recommended or suggested, might I recommend my two "sure-fire cures" ;) for bullshit?
Snopes and What's the Harm.
These are good for every day baloney-detection, but if someone tells you acupuncture or chiropractic (or what-have-you) will cure your morning sickness, you can check out the dangers or ineffectiveness of such treatments.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And if it sounds like bullshit, it probably is, too.

Talk to your doctors, people.

Oh yeah, and: vaccinate the shit out of those kids!!

in which I talk about The Cancer -or, more specifically, The Chemo

2010-02-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

If you are an alive and aware sort of person, it's likely you or someone you know has been "touched by cancer" (as they say) in one way or another. There's a lot of blather about what causes cancer and how to prevent it, and there are of course dangerous misleading criminals out there who purport to be able to "cure you," but that's not what this post is about. You can do everything right to minimize your risk and maximize your quality of life and still get walloped with The Cancer. It sucks, but it happens and it happens a lot.

Luckily, we have modern medicine (you know, the dreaded "western" kind which actually works as opposed to "traditional" or "alternative" treatments which will just empty your wallet at best and hasten your death at worst), which has greatly improved the likelihood of survival for most kinds of cancer.

Unfortunately, modern medicine treatments for cancer are often pretty brutal. Surgery, chemo and radiation totally kick your ass. It's shitty, but that's just the way it is. And for anyone crowing about "natural alternatives" to chemotherapy, may I remind you that anthrax and rattlesnakes and arsenic are all "natural." Chemotherapy, for that matter, is synthetically derived now but it was originally derived from plant alkaloids. So, yeah. Pipe that in your smoke and stick it.

That said, there are always resources and therapy groups and little tricks a chemo patient can employ in order to help combat the effects of chemotherapy and that is what this post is actually about.

I make no medical claims with this information and it is, granted, anecdotal and based on one woman's experience with chemotherapy, not any sort of peer-reviewed research. Insert "your mom joke" here, because these tips and hints are, in fact, from MY MOM.

Surviving and Thriving through Chemo
(Different chemo cocktails have different side effects, or none, but these tricks and products got me through...)

On queasy days:
bland foods (be sure to eat! Cancer patients die from malnutrition... not good, not necessary!):
* Ore-Ida frozen mashed potatoes (healthy ingredients, easy to prepare)
* white rice
* plain waffles
* whole grain white bread
* whole wheat saltines

By the bed or sofa: (in a handy basket)
* Newman's Ginger-O's
* ginger lozenges
* bottles of ginger ale (room temp.)
* individual natural apple sauce servings & spoon (room temp.)
* Archway gingerbread men

To build you up and fight cancer cells:
* almond butter
* all kinds of berries
* green tea
* Z-bec vitamins
* orange food
* dark green leafy vegetables
* Bolthouse Farms drinks (in produce section)

To soothe and sustain you:
* rose & vanilla scented oil candles
* massage oil in the bath
* lots of long hot bubble baths
* gallons of moisturizers
* drops of pure lavender oil on a tissue put between pillow & pillow case
* lavender sachets
* lots of cool fresh air (ceiling fan, if you have one above the bed, ON on rough days or nights)

Drink lots of water, especially right after chemo. If your chemo potion might cause mouth sores, rinse twice a day with very warm water & 1 tsp. salt.
If you get the YUCK! taste in your mouth, Tic-Tacs or other hard candy or mints help (in the car, purse, end tables, have some wherever they're within easy reach).

Be selfish and take care of yourself! You can make it up to people later. Don't feel guilty. Good luck!

[disclaimer: I know, I know. I'm all blahblahblah anecdotes are not data and blahblahblah "boost your immune system" doesn't actually mean anything, but none of this stuff is medicinal and should not interfere with any of your treatments except to hopefully help you feel better]

[disclaimer 2: Please talk to your doctor before embarking on any sort of complementary regimen, even those involving exercise, foods, vitamins, herbs, etc., because everyone is different and everyone's chemo experience is different and your doctor may have better or other recommendations, or reasons to avoid certain of the above suggestions. And your doctor knows best. After all, s/he went to fucking medical school for this shit.]

Resources:
* American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org/)
* National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov/), part of the US National Institutes of Health
* NCI Resources for Financial Assistance
* For Rochester-area residents with breast cancer specifically: Elizabeth Wende Breast Care and Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester and the Pluta Center (this link takes you to prosthetic, clothing, and wig resources -my mom got hers from Alternative Hair, and they were beautiful and very self-image-boosting for her)
* For all-around baloney detection: What's the Harm and Snopes.

good news for the reality-based community

2010-02-02T16:30:00.001-05:00

We don't have it often enough, but here's some: Andrew Wakefield was found by the British General Medical Council to have acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in doing his research, and The Lancet has (finally) retracted that bloody paper that started the hysteria in the first place.

For a great write-up -with links- explaining further, I send you to the inestimable and brilliant Phil Plait, from Bad Astronomy.

Yes, autism is tragic and yes, we need to find the answers, but blaming and scapegoating vaccines when every peer-review study clearly shows no link is irresponsible and dangerous, and only leads to more injury and death when diseases like polio and measles and whooping cough come back.

the most controversial issue of all (upgrayedded)

2010-01-28T16:30:00.003-05:00

Vaccines. Do Not. Cause. Autism. Jenny McCarthy is an ignorant monster with a body count attached to her name, and she needs to be stopped. Andrew Wakefield is a lying shill. He made it all up to sell a treatment. Even the courts have ruled that there is no link between autism and vaccines.

Please take a moment (or a few moments) and read this science-based medicine run-down of the anti-vax movement and why they haven't a leg to stand on.

This is why we vaccinate. Choosing not to do so actually puts children, and everyone else, in even greater danger.

Of course you want to protect your children, and if they do get sick you want answers. But blaming vaccines is not the answer. Vaccines help protect us all against acute chronic illness, and diseases that can lead to encephalitis and seizures, deafness, heart defects and mental retardation, myocarditis and polyneuritis, or be crippling and disabling, disfiguring and deadly, deadly, deadly. They also give us herd immunity. The very old and the very young and those with compromised immune systems depend on the rest of us to get the vaccines they cannot, to ensure they do not contract these diseases.

The evidence is all in favor of vaccines promoting health and wellness. It seems fair to say now that Andrew Wakefield had ulterior motives and faked his research and data. All the other scientists from that study have disavowed it. Intuition and coincidences are not evidence, and every well-conducted study indicates that we do not know what causes autism, but that it is not the vaccines.

Of course we shouldn't put weird and crazy stuff into our bodies, but vaccines have years and years of trials and tests to ensure their safety. You can't say the same for your bottled water. And have you read the ingredients on your ice cream lately? There's scary stuff everywhere, but the stuff in your vaccines has been proven safe and effective. Not vaccinating may keep the vaccine out of your kid, but without the vaccine your kid is vulnerable and a health risk to everyone around. And for an overview of sixteen vaccine-preventable diseases in all their horrible horribleness, look no further.

I don't have children, so what do I care, right? Well, I care because Jenny McCarthy is wrong, and she is dangerous, and she is putting people's lives at risk because she doesn't understand science and medicine. She also, apparently, doesn't understand irony.

You don't have to believe me. I'm not a doctor (but then, neither is Jenny McCarthy and that doesn't stop her from dispensing medical advice). But Steven Novella is, and so is Orac. And so is Mark Crislip, the Chief of Infectious Diseases for Legacy Health System (see also here).
(Originally posted 4/03/09.)

Additional links:
- Remember, just because B happens after A DOES NOT MEAN that A caused B!!
- Orac search results
- Dr. Novella search results
- video from Dooce made by MOMS
- countering anti-vaxxers with Amanda Peet
- The Truth About The Evils Of Vaccination
- Anti-Vax KILLS, and now Oprah Winfrey helps (see also here and here)
- Do Children Get Too Many Immunizations? The answer is NO, in case you don't want to read the whole thing.
- Holding people accountable for "shouting fire" and fanning the flames of panic.
- For those of you who speak Spanish...
- Why a mother stopped vaccinating and then realized her mistake.
- Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, and Stephanie March should so celebrity death match Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carey.
- Why Does the Vaccine/Autism Controversy Live On?
- 10 Vaccine Myths: BUSTED
- Toxic myths about vaccines by David Gorski
- A website for those who DO choose to vaccine: www.whyichoose.org, with info and resources.
- Don't Listen to Jenny McCarthy, from Cracked.com
- An Open Letter to Frightened Parents, by Skepchick Elyse Anders.
- Get The Picture: Child Immunizations, released by the CDC, unfortunately, but still important and informative.
- Roald Dahl, 23 years ago, recognized measles as a dangerous illness and encouraged parents to vaccinate in order to not suffer the same terrible loss of a child as he did when his daughter died of measles encephalitis. His words still ring true, and I wish he were still alive so that he could bitch-slap that booger-eating botox-filled bag of nonsense.
- Cracking The Autism Riddle: Common Sense About Vaccines And Autism, by Harvey Karp
- help re-establish herd immunity in Nevada with the JREF!
- New anti-vax lies just in time for the swine flu vaccine, debunked by the SkepDoc, Harriet Hall
- Also, Phil Plait and Dr. Steven Novella talk about swine flu and new lies from the antivaxxers. To quote from Phil's blog entry, "That’s something to always remember: despite the garbage conspiracy theory-toting antivaxxers are purveying, diseases tend to be a lot more dangerous than vaccination. Talk to your doctor, read what Steve Novella has to say, and get the real scoop on vaccination."
- Phil Plait on Gardasil
- How Safe is the HPV vaccine?, 10/12/09.
- More vaccine nonsense debunking from the Skepchicks. No, really, it's NOT people.
- More Evidence for Vaccine Safety
- Autism rates back MMR jab safety
- Dr. Harriet Hall lecturing at TAM7.
- Orac and Dr. Steven Novella bitchslap Bill Maher for his ridiculous anti-vax statements.
- Skeptoid podcast about vaccine ingredients.
- Quackcast podcast about flu vaccine efficacy (and taradiddles).
- An anti-vax parent decides to vaccinate. Why? Because of evidence!
- Plus, Andrew Wakefield (the guy who started all this nonsense in the first place) has been found to have acted "unethically" during his trails where he allegedly concocted a link between autism and the MMR. Unfortunately, they didn't mention that alleged concoction or his conflict of interest, but it's still good news for science, reason and evidence. Aaaaand. he's been barred from practicing medicine in the UK! Aaaaaand here's a thorough evisceration of Wakefield worth the read.
-

Really good overviews:
- Vaccines and Autism, Topic Editor: Steven Novella, MD
- Dr. Steven Novella: The Truth About The Evils Of Vaccination

- super cool: GiveVaccines.org, For each word you get right, we donate funds to purchase .01ml of vaccine through the GAVI Fund to help end disease world wide.

One final image to leave you with: this is how Jenny McCarthy reacts when presented with valid scientific evidence which completely destroys her arguments:

'tis the season to think of others...

2009-12-17T12:30:00.002-05:00

On the heels of a post about charities I specifically avoid, I'll rehash some I think are worthwhile. Because I know you care.

Let's start out with a list of Skeptical and Atheist Charities, courtesy of TechSkeptic.

And now for those I care to support:

Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Purpose: to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual; to advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services; to provide educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality; to promote research and the advancement of technology in reproductive health care and encourage understanding of their inherent bioethical, behavioral, and social implications.

Donors Choose
An online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.
Here's how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class.
Then, you can browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, we deliver the materials to the school.

The Humane Society of the United States
Purpose: The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. We are America's mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond.

Victory Junction Gang Camp
Purpose: to enrich the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment.

Public Broadcasting Service
Purpose: is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States, with some member stations available in Canada.

Heifer International
Purpose: to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth; providing gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially-disadvantaged families around the world

Guttmacher Institute
Purpose: to advance sexual and reproductive health through an interrelated program of social science research, policy analysis and public education, designed to generate new ideas, encourage enlightened public debate, promote sound policy and program development, and, ultimately, inform individual decision-making.

Human Rights Campaign
Purpose: America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Efforts
Purpose: a secular alternative to faith-based relief efforts; a program of the Council for Secular Humanism; working with Americares (purpose: to provide immediate response to emergency medical needs and support long-term humanitarian assistance programs for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion)

Secular Coalition for America
The national lobby representing the interests of atheists, humanists, agnostics, freethinkers and other nontheistic Americans.

Freedom From Religion Foundation
The FFRF works to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism, and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.

Center for Inquiry
The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.

James Randi Educational Foundation
Its aim is to promote critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural ideas so widespread in our society today.

Plan USA
Our vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people's rights and dignity. If James "The Amaz!ng" Randi thinks this is a worthy cause, it must have something going for it.

The National Organization for Women
Purpose: NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society.

Kiva loans that save lives
Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.
Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

To restate what I said last year:
Remember, these organizations need support, donations and volunteers year round and not just during the holidays, but if you can give anything, even a little, it helps a lot. Send an anonymous check or request not to receive solicitations if you are worried about getting on a mailing list, but do send something. Perhaps in lieu of dinner out some night you could buy dinner for a less well-off family. Perhaps in lieu of buying a new DVD you could help others. Perhaps in lieu of another new pair of sneakers, you could help supply warm shoes for a needy person. We all likely have more than we need, especially if we have the time to wile away on a blog, so we should take a few moments this season and see what we can share with others.

As always, check out the Charity Navigator to see how your chosen charities are rated.

Besides, 'tis the season for giving, after all, and 'do unto others' applies to secular folk, too.

why I do not give to the United Way

2009-12-16T12:30:00.000-05:00

...because charity is supposed to be private and personal
...because charity should never been mandatory or compelled or bribed
...because I would prefer to donate to the organizations directly rather than go through a giant umbrella organization -that way I'm sure that my money is going where I want it to
...because, while the United Way undoubtedly does a great deal of good, and while it certainly meets the Better Business Bureau's Standards for Charity Accountability, I have a hard time supporting a charitable organization whose President and CEO makes $973,535 a year

And if anyone's curious as to why I do not give to the Salvation Army and why I avoid establishments in front of which they are allowed to panhandle, look no further than their stance on homosexuality -not to mention the fact that they are, you know, ridiculously faith-based.

RAmen.

Whew! Marriage is safe, for now.

2009-12-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

Since we all know how damaging it would be if consenting homosexual couples were allowed to get teh married, it's kind of a relief that the NYS Senate voted to NOT extend equal marriage rights to teh gays -by 38-24, no less, meaning that not only did ALL the Republicans vote against the bill (including my state senator, George D. Maziarz) but some Democrats, too. Oh wait, except that it's not. It's actually stupid and awful and shameful.

Seriously. Shame, shame, shame on you, NYS. FSM-forbid consenting adults all be given the same rights and protections. And no, "civil unions" aren't the same. I'm not going to get into the whole marriage-is-a-religious-institution b.s. (because if anyone wants a good example of how it's totally not, well, haaaaaaaaave you met me?!), but if straight folk get it, then so should gay folk. If you make marriage a religious thing only, and everyone else gets secularly civil unioned, then fine. We'll get un-married and will get civil union'ed. That's cool. But if it's a matter of different terms based on the gender of the person you love or denying equality all together, then no, that's not okay.

Blah, blah, blah "sanctity of marriage" blah, blah, blah "fragile children being taught teh gay" blah, blah, blah "Adam & Eve"... Yeah, shut up. I'll see your marriage myths and I will bust the fuck out of them.

Interestingly, Senator Maziarz sent out a special health bulletin to his constituents regarding H1N1, which I received yesterday. That's great and fine and good, the information is valid and accurate as far as I can tell, and it's good to get the word out to his constituents about this. The irony (that's irony, right?) in it is that he showed clearly on Tuesday that he really only cares about the well-being of SOME of his constituents. Namely, the straightees. Harrumph.

It's not the snow, it's the assholes.

2009-11-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

And so it has begun. Wednesday 11/25 marked the beginning of a month of you all hearing me bitch about the lights. If I throw my hat into the "War on Christmas" ring this year, it will be solely prompted by the blasted Christmas lights. What a bloody waste of time, money, energy and resources... But if you want to Griswold your house up for one month of the year, fine. Have at. It doesn't really affect anyone else. Except that, oh wait, it does! And it's not your lights and it's not your holidays or your Christianity or any of that. No, it's the assholes.
You like to drive around and look at lights? Great. But when you do, could you possibly try to remember that you are driving? On a street? You know, where other people might be driving?! Yeah, I'm just suggesting that you might want to keep an eye on the road instead of both eyes on the lights. That way, you don't have to slam on your breaks and hammer your horn and glare and flip the bird at people who are just trying to get home and might be expecting you to pay attention to your driving. Good? K, thx.

And today, Monday 11/30, we had our first spotting of snow flakes here at work -accompanied by the first grumblings and bitchings about said snow, even though it's practically December, people! And we live in upstate New York. It's supposed to be snowing! And to be fair, snow is pretty. See, it's not the snow that bothers me. It's supposed to snow during the winter. It's not the cold. I have cold weather gear. It's not the potential for storms and power outages -see, I know what to expect from a Rochester winter and I have a snow brush and shovel, we have a generator, we have emergency food and water. No, it's none of those things that bother me during the winter. Once again, it's the assholes.
You know you live in upstate New York, right? You know it's going to snow, right? It does it EVERY year. So can you explain to me why the first snowfall of the year makes you drive like you've never seen snow before? Come on, people, if you can't drive in the snow then get off the road! And is it really appropriate to stock up the day before a big storm is predicted? Wouldn't it maybe make more sense to already have your supplies on hand? And maybe could you quit bitching about the weather that is the same every damn year, and just try to appreciate the beauty of the turning of the year? Maybe just a little?

Also, you know, Christmas. The war on it and all that. I'm an atheist, but I don't get all pissy and offended when people choose to celebrate Christmas or when they wish me a 'merry Christmas.' What does bother me, unsurprisingly, is the assholes. The people who think it's their business what holiday anyone else celebrates (or doesn't), the people who flat-out say that everyone should be a Christian and misunderstand the entire origin of the holiday, the country and the Constitution... Guess what, folks? It's pagan! They're secular! So, shut up and celebrate in your own way, already, and I'll celebrate in mine.
Celebrate your holiday any way you want, with all the lights and presents* and hypocrisy* you want. Have at. Just don't be an asshole about it. Hmm?

In conclusion, dear readers, do me a favor this season and don't be an asshole. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to beat you.

*another topic for another post

excerpt of thanks

2009-11-25T13:29:00.003-05:00

Excerpt from Robert Green Ingersoll's Thanksgiving Sermon of 1897.

Whom shall we thank? Standing here at the close of the 19th century -- amid the trophies of thought -- the triumphs of genius -- here under the flag of the Great Republic -- knowing something of the history of man -- here on this day that has been set apart
for thanksgiving, I most reverently thank the good men. the good women of the past, I thank the kind fathers, the loving mothers of the savage days. I thank the father who spoke the first gentle word, the mother who first smiled upon her babe. I thank the first true friend. I thank the savages who hunted and fished that they and their babes might live. I thank those who cultivated the ground and changed the forests into farms -- those who built rude homes and watched the faces of their happy children in the glow of fireside flames -- those who domesticated horses, cattle and sheep -- those who invented wheels and looms and taught us to spin and weave -- those who by cultivation changed wild grasses into wheat and corn, changed bitter things to fruit, and worthless weeds to flowers, that sowed within our souls the seeds of art. I thank the poets of the dawn -- the tellers of legends -- the makers of myths -- the singers of joy and grief, of hope and love. I thank the artists who chiseled forms in stone and wrought with light and shade the face of man. I thank the philosophers, the thinkers, who taught us how to use our minds in the great search for truth. I thank the astronomers who explored the heavens, told us the secrets of the stars, the glories of the constellations -- the geologists who found the story of the world in fossil forms, in memoranda kept in ancient rocks, in lines written by waves, by frost and fire -- the anatomists who sought in muscle, nerve and bone for all the mysteries of life -- the chemists who unraveled Nature's work that they might learn her art -- the physicians who have laid the hand of science on the brow of pain, the hand whose magic touch restores -- the surgeons who have defeated Nature's self and forced her to preserve the lives of those she labored to destroy.

I thank the discoverers of chloroform and ether, the two angels who give to their beloved sleep, and wrap the throbbing brain in the soft robes of dreams. I thank the great inventors -- those who gave us movable type and the press, by means of which great thoughts and all discovered facts are made immortal -- the inventors of engines, of the great ships, of the railways, the cables and telegraphs. I thank the great mechanics, the workers in iron and steel, in wood and stone. I thank the inventors and makers of the numberless things of use and luxury.

I thank the industrious men, the loving mothers, the useful women. They are the benefactors of our race.

The inventor of pins did a thousand times more good than all the popes and cardinals, the bishops and priests -- than all the clergymen and parsons, exhorters and theologians that ever lived.

The inventor of matches did more for the comfort and convenience of mankind than all the founders of religions and the makers of all creeds -- than all malicious monks and selfish saints.

I thank the honest men and women who have expressed their sincere thoughts, who have been true to themselves and have preserved the veracity of their souls.

I thank the thinkers of Greece and Rome. Zeno and Epicurus, Cicero and Lucretius. I thank Bruno, the bravest, and Spinoza, the subtlest of men.

I thank Voltaire, whose thought lighted a flame in the brain of man, unlocked the doors of superstition's cells and gave liberty to many millions of his fellow-men. Voltaire -- a name that sheds light. Voltaire -- a star that superstition's darkness cannot quench.

I thank the great poets -- the dramatists. I thank Homer and Aeschylus, and I thank Shakespeare above them all. I thank Burns for the heart-throbs he changed into songs. for his lyrics of flame. I thank Shelley for his Skylark, Keats for his Grecian Urn and Byron for his Prisoner of Chillon. I thank the great novelists. I thank the great sculptors. I thank the unknown man who molded and chiseled the Venus de Milo. I thank the great painters. I thank Rembrandt and Corot. I thank all who have adorned, enriched and ennobled life -- all who have created the great, the noble, the heroic and artistic ideals.

I thank the statesmen who have preserved the rights of man. I thank Paine whose genius sowed the seeds of independence in the hearts of '76. I thank Jefferson whose mighty words for liberty have made the circuit of the globe. I thank the founders, the defenders, the saviors of the Republic. I thank Ericsson, the greatest mechanic of his century, for the monitor. I thank Lincoln for the Proclamation. I thank Grant for his victories and the vast host that fought for the right, -- for the freedom of man. I thank them all -- the living and the dead.

I thank the great scientists -- those who have reached the foundation, the bed-rock -- who have built upon facts -- the great scientists, in whose presence theologians look silly and feel malicious.

The scientists never persecuted, never imprisoned their fellow-men. They forged no chains, built no dungeons, erected no scaffolds -- tore no flesh with red hot pincers -- dislocated no joints on racks, crushed no hones in iron boots -- extinguished no eyes -- tore out no tongues and lighted no fagots. They did not pretend to be inspired -- did not claim to be prophets or saints or to have been born again. They were only intelligent and honest men. They did not appeal to force or fear. They did not regard men as slaves to be ruled by torture, by lash and chain, nor as children to be cheated with illusions, rocked in the cradle of an idiot creed and soothed by a lullaby of lies.

They did not wound -- they healed. They did not kill -- they lengthened life. They did not enslave -- they broke the chains and made men free. They sowed the seeds of knowledge, and many millions have reaped, are reaping, and will reap the harvest: of joy.

I thank Humboldt and Helmholtz and Haeckel and Buchner. I thank Lamarck and Darwin -- Darwin who revolutionized the thought of the intellectual world. I thank Huxley and Spencer. I thank the scientists one and all.

I thank the heroes, the destroyers of prejudice and fear -- the dethroners of savage gods -- the extinguishers of hate's eternal fire -- the heroes, the breakers of chains -- the founders of free states -- the makers of just laws -- the heroes who fought and fell on countless fields -- the heroes whose dungeons became shrines -- the heroes whose blood made scaffolds sacred -- the heroes, the apostles of reason, the disciples of truth, the soldiers of freedom -- the heroes who held high the holy torch and filled the world with light.

With all my heart I thank them all.

RAmen.

more getting-my-nerd-on

2009-11-20T12:49:00.001-05:00

Speaking of nerd-dom, I just celebrated my 30th birthday (no, not my "dirty thirty," as there was no mud wrestling or dust storm or anything, just a regular old birthday like any other birthday except this one had a nice round number -which I am doing my best to emulate with my dietary habits of late) and man, I got my nerd on.

My beloved indulged me with a trip to the planet-arium so we could watch Cosmic Disasters and snicker at all the sillies who buy into the 2012 b.s. (more on that from my corn crap blog post), and then to the Titanic exhibit and the Rochester Museum and Science Center. That was really interesting, and sad of course.

But don't worry, it wasn't all nerdness and smrts. We went to the final Roc City Roller Derby bout of the season (which is an entire other kind of geek-out) on Saturday and to see Zombieland (which is a whole other kind of kick ass!!) on Sunday.

I highly recommend doing all of these things, whether it's your birthday or not, although it does make for a great excuse.

see more dog and puppy pictures

Did I ever tell you about the time...

2009-11-20T12:48:00.000-05:00

Did I ever tell you about the time we visited Cleveland? No, not the character from Family Guy, the actual city in Ohio, the one named for General Moses Cleaveland (yes, we've been spelling it wrong all these years). No? I didn't tell you. Blast. I totally meant to. I musta got all caught up in my nannerversary and mah birfday and the news of the world and whatnot. My bad.

So, yeah, at the end of summer my beloved and I took a day trip down to Cleveland in his kickass new grumbly GXP. The point of the trip was to visit the A Christmas Story House and Museum (and gift shop!), and since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in in Cleveland, too, we figured we'd stop there as well.

The story in "A Christmas Story" took place in Indiana, but Indiana had changed too much by 1983 when they made the movie, so the director (Bob Clark) sent out location scouts for the exterior shots and they decided that this house, in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland's west side, was the house that best fit.
Of course, the house was a duplex at the time, so those scenes looking into the front room where the leg lamp is proudly displayed? Yeah, that was someone's bedroom.

So anyway, we took a tour of the house and learned the history of the house and how the current owner (Brian Jones) bought it off of E-bay without even seeing it, how he had to gut the whole place and recreated the interior as best he could to match the movie scenes. And there's a gift shop so we could get some loot. Plus, there's a museum of memorabilia across the street with props and photos and elves and everything. Wait, elves? Yep. Elves. Patty Johnson (Lafontaine), who played the head elf (you know "come on, kid!") in the Santa Visit scene, was there signing autographs. Jim Morelavitz, who helped deliver The Major Award in the movie and basically babysat the child actors during the filming, was also there. An obscure but informative addition -especially since she told us we couldn't leave Cleveland without visiting the Great Lakes Science Center.

The what? Science, what? I won't lie, my brain got a nerd boner right then.

Turns out, right next to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is in fact the Great Lakes Science Center. We hit the Rock Hall first and my first and loudest reaction is WHAT A FREAKING WASTE OF SPACE!!! Don't get me wrong, it was cool. There's a lot of neat stuff there and the exhibits are cool (if cramped and crowded) and if you're in Cleveland or passing through anyway (and now that you know that the A Christmas Story house is there, too, why wouldn't you go?!), you should stop and see the Hall. Watch out, though, it's damn expensive. And I have to say, maybe if they hadn't built half the walls out of glass, their HVAC bills would be lower and they could charge less... So yeah. Cool stuff, but a bad use of space and a bad design over all.
There was a special Bruce Springsteen exhibit at the tippy top of the museum, which was way better than the Kiss exhibit we were somehow afraid might be there. FSM, I hate Kiss.

But then there was the Great Lakes Science Center (insert choir-of-angels-like-ahhhhhhhhhhh! here). Oh, the Great Lakes Science Center. Right on Lake Erie, it's a big ol' science museum with an Omnimax theatre. We saw Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk (GORGEOUS -get it?) and went through the museum. Specifically, they had an exhibit on Charles Darwin for the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On the Origin of Species." Perfect timing for our visit! And there was a renewable energy exhibit and all the regular awesomeness that is museum stuff.

Yeah, totally got my nerd on.

Plus, the cafeteria at the science center recycles pretty much everything and even uses compostable utensils. Granted, it has to be composted professionally because of the high-heat required to actually ensure that they do compost, but the idea is a nice start anyway.

Plus, dinner at the Texas Roadhouse in Erie, PA. Mmmmmm, bread.

And then the drive home. Interestingly, as soon as we crossed the border into New York State and began driving on toll roads, it was potholes galore. Ahhh, our tax dollars at work... Although, to be fair, driving from W 11th St to the science center kind of tried to kick the GXP's ass, too.

There's corn crap on the radiator!! We're all going to die!!!

2009-11-17T16:30:00.002-05:00

Well, we ARE all going to die. Eventually. Some people will die in 2012. Some people will even die on 12/21/12. But a global or galactic apocalypse or catastrophe or consciousness-changing? No. And I should know. I took a course called "Ancient Languages and the 2012 Prophecies."

But don't believe me. Read it for yourself:
* Information right from NASA.
* NY Times article: Doomsday? Yes. In 2012? No. "If you want to worry, most scientists say, you should think about global climate change, rogue asteroids or nuclear war." Bazinga.
* Fact vs. Fiction picked up at the Strasenburgh Planetarium on 11/14/2009.
* Chart for Believers vs. Skeptics.
* Skeptic's Guide to the Universe H1N1 special report.
* TVsquad review of a SyFy program about 2012 -as usual, more Fy than Sy, plus Richard Hoagland, who is a whole different bundle of crazy. Point: "If the Mayans were so adept at looking centuries into the future to predict the end of the world, why weren't they clairvoyant enough to foresee the end of their long-extinct civilization and prevent its collapse?"
* If you believe, experts say you're off base.
* What actual Mayans are saying about 2012.
* Heck, even Foreign Policy gets in on the act.
* And of course we can always rely on the ever-accurate Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed the World Yet?

I got shot! In both arms!!

2009-11-14T09:39:00.003-05:00

I'm one of those people who feels it's important to practice what one preaches, so to speak. I can't really make a convincing argument against plastic water bottles or mountain top removal or for line-drying clothes or for the five things you should buy organic if I'm not even following my own advice.

That said, it is with great pride and not a speck of humility that I announce I got my H1N1 (other wise known as the it's-made-from-people!) vaccine on Thursday. Since I have asthma and was under thirty at the time (that's right, ladies, it's my birthday and I am shaking that healthy butt), I met the high risk criteria and luckily my doctor's office had some that had not yet been spoken for.

While I was there, I also got my (unbeknownst to me...) long-overdue Tdap. So now I can chew on rusty nails and hold whooping cranes and can avoid that otherwise unpleasant coma-leading-to-death thing.

My report? As expected, my Tdap arm hurts like hell (I mean, it sure as shit wasn't a love injection...), but my H1N1 arm is actually quite fine. And so far, no autism. No psychogenic movement disorder. No Guillain-Barre syndrome.

As I've said before, "You don't have to believe me, but you should talk to your doctor about any concerns you have for your health and the health of your family. That's what your doctor is there for: to help you make wise medical decisions and, unlike homeopathy or other "natural" and "alternative" remedies, to ensure that the care you receive is well-tested and evidence-based."

I guess I'm just one of those crazy people who trusts her doctor above ignorant screaming celebrities and long-debunked sham "studies." And you should be, too.

All swine flu, all the time.

2009-09-17T16:30:00.014-04:00

I am not a doctor. You should not take medical advice from me. You should not believe what you read on the internet without checking into it further. You should not take medical advice from celebrities. You should look to experts for your information and advice, experts who have devoted their lives to medicine and science. If you have a medical concern, you should ask a doctor. If you are not comfortable with the way your doctor interacts with you, get another doctor. Do not delay treatment or ignore symptoms. Take care of yourself and of your family. Get regular checkups, get blood tests as they are recommended, and get your vaccines and boosters as necessary.

Yes, I said the dreaded word: vaccines. Vaccines are a safe, effective and important part of our health care system which have enabled us to live longer healthier lives without fear of polio, measles, mumps, smallpox and innumerable other deadly and disfiguring diseases.
I realize that there has been a lot of fear mongering lately about vaccines, a lot of lies and bullshit spread through the media regarding what vaccines do or do not cause, what they do or do not contain, whether they are or are not tested. I also realize that occasionally some people do have reactions to vaccines, and some people cannot get vaccinated because of their age, other illness or the state of their immune system. That is why it is so important for those of us who can get vaccinated to make sure we are: to ensure herd immunity.

You may have read my other blog entry in which I rant and rave (semi-eloquently, I hope) about the hysteria promoted by Andrew Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy. There are LOTS of links and information about vaccines in general, and some specific links regarding Gardasil and Swine Flu.
If you don't want to read that whole thing, here are a couple of links that sum up (albeit, extensively) what you need to know about vaccines:
Dr. Steven Novella: Vaccines and Autism, and The Truth About The Evils Of Vaccination

However, I think the Swine Flu is enough of a concern to merit its own blog entry from me. And that's what this is.

I get the flu vaccine every year now (since my mother went through chemo and her doctors recommended it for close family members) and when it is available I expect I will get the swine flu vaccine, too.

Please read the following links which debunk many of the hysterical anti-vax claims about the swine flu vaccine:
- Dr. Harriet Hall: The Anti-Vax Movement and Swine Flu
- Dr. Steven Novella: H1N1 Vaccine and GBS
- Dr. Phil Plait: More antivax distortion: the Swine flu version
- Joseph Albietz: An Influenza Primer
- NY Times article: Preparing for a Stressful Flu Season
- NY Times article: One Vaccine Shot Seen as Protective for Swine Flu
- NY Times article: Vaccine for Swine Flu Is Ahead of Expectations
- Dr. Harriet Hall: Swine Flu Vaccine Fearmongering
- General flu woo dissected by Dr. Mark A Crislip on his Quackcast podcast.
- Swine flu myths busted.
- More reasons to ignore the anti-vax myths about H1N1, by Joseph Albietz from Science-Based Medicine. Emphasis on the SCIENCE here.
- Here, Orack deconstructs a bunch of anti-flu-vaccine bullshit that Bill Maher has been spewing.
- This NY Times article is anecdotal and not data, but it is a good example of why the H1N1 is so dangerous, especially for pregnant women. Some of the religious attributions are a little annoying, but I'd rather people believe that God made vaccines possible and get them, than rely on prayer.
- Skeptoid podcast about vaccine ingredients.
- Special H1N1 report from the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, featuring Drs. Steven Novella, David Gorski, Mark Crislip and Joe Albietz.

Many of the myths and lies propagated by the current fear mongering (that it's not adequately tested, that it's made from people, etc.) are addressed in these links, and any concerns you might have may well be put to rest after reading them.

I'm not insisting that everyone get the vaccine, even if it is available, but I am recommending that you talk to your doctor about it, and about other vaccines, and decide with a medical professional as to the best course of action for you. Some people are at higher risk than others for different kinds of illness and would benefit more from vaccines. Some people have no need for certain vaccines, but most people would do well to get them all.

You don't have to believe me, but you should talk to your doctor about any concerns you have for your health and the health of your family. That's what your doctor is there for: to help you make wise medical decisions and, unlike homeopathy or other "natural" and "alternative" remedies, to ensure that the care you receive is well-tested and evidence-based.

If you can't walk properly, perhaps you should re-think your clothing.

2009-07-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

Unless you are in your very own yard or on a beach, it is never okay to wear flip flops. I don't care how trendy they are or if everyone is wearing them (if everyone jumped off a bridge ...oh wait, never mind) -and besides, I guarantee you, NOT everyone is wearing them- or if they are "just so comfortable" or any of the other myriad reasons people spew out for taking part in that footwear train wreck. IT IS NOT OKAY.
Not all shoes that flip and flop are flip flops, I realize this. The others are called "sandals" and they are real shoes. Flip flops are not real shoes. They are rubber and plastic, usually dirty, always annoying, and never appropriate in a public environment. Neither are Crocs.

Some articles of clothing have certain purposes and certain approved public places. Gym shorts and spandex are obviously okay at the gym. NOT AT A METAL SHOW OR IN AN OFFICE!! Crocs might be acceptable if you're a pool cleaner. Or a nurse. And you never want to run anywhere ever. Pajamas are good for home wear. NOT AT THE MALL OR AT THE OFFICE. Perhaps when you are in a crowd, like at a concert or the public market, you would do well to wear shoes that protect your feet -i.e. not flip flops. And when it's raining? Yeah, you shouldn't wear rubber shoes that have no traction. Unless you want me to laugh uproariously at you when you fall on your ass. And plaid shorts? Well, plaid shorts are just never okay. Unless you're in hell sitting next to the Bay City Rollers.

You may think me stuffy or uptight, and that's fine. I'll take your opinion and stick it in the back of my closet underneath the gardening tools, where flip flops belong. And if you think it's okay to wear flip flops to work or pajamas out in public or think you'll be taken seriously wearing plaid pants or gym shorts, well, I hope your inappropriate clothing gets caught in an escalator and a bloodbath ensues.

And yes, I am exactly the right amount of upset about this.

Nostradamus may have been right this time

2009-05-04T16:30:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Skepchick Rebecca Watson, a Nostradamus statement (Century 2, Quatrain 89) predicting an apparently impending disaster:
One day the two great leaders will become friends,
Their great power will be seen to increase:
The new land will be at the height of its power,
To the bloody one the numbers are reported.

The following letter is adapted from the above-linked blog post, and I urge you to read it as it perfectly expresses my sentiments:

My dear friends and relatives who watch Oprah,

I know how much you enjoy Oprah, and I also know how much you enjoy children not dying. That’s why I’m sending you a quick heads-up that Oprah is about to make a big mistake by giving a lot of money and publicity to a terrible person: Jenny McCarthy, a former Playboy model who is trying to convince people not to vaccinate their children because she mistakenly thinks vaccines are harmful. Her actions have directly led to injuries, deaths, and the spread of diseases like measles that were previously considered to be eradicated in the United States thanks to the vaccination program.

You may want to avoid McCarthy’s new ventures and maybe even let Oprah know how you feel about this.

Love,
Your friend Lauren

things of which I am enamored

2009-04-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

- Nudibranchs
- clownfish

- The Large Hadron Collider
- The leafy sea dragon
- The blind cave salamander, the Proteus anguinus
- What's better than a spider or a scorpion? A scorpion that is like a spider: Vinegaroons!
- Bats. Just in general, but specifically the adorable Myzopoda, the awesome-faced leaf-nosed bat and the horseshoe bat.
- Birds of Paradise, especially the Superb Bird of Paradise, the Western Parotia, Victoria's Riflebird (despite its unfortunate stoner name), and the one that does the moonwalk.
- SHARKS!! Particularly the Goblin Shark, because holy crap! Have you seen that thing?!
- the Fascinating Mexican Axolotl. Dude, he's smiling!
- the badass-looking Rhinoceros Beetle
- the Thorny Devil. 'Cause it's got "horny" and "devil" in its name. Oh, and it's awesome.
- ME.
- Lolcats, of course.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
-

(more will be added to this list as more occur to me, of course)

Eat the View

2009-03-20T16:30:00.000-04:00

It's better than "Eat the Rich," even if that did end with a belch and you can't go wrong ending with a belch. But still...

So there's been this grass roots campaign to encourage the Obama's to "eat the view," i.e. plant a vegetable garden on the White House lawn to provide food for the executive mansion with any overflow going to local food cupboards and soup kitchens, and according to news reports, they are doing just that! I think it's really cool. Michelle Obama puts a pretty big emphasis on healthy foods for her kids and guests, and the school her kids go to serves organic fare, so she already has her finger on the food button, but I'm still kind of surprised they actually went for it. Apparently, Laura Bush served mostly organic food while she was in the White House, but didn't make it public knowledge.
I think it's a really good example to set: the commander-in-chief using sustainable gardening techniques and weeding a vegetable garden for his family... It shows people that personal and community gardens are possible and realistic. I know there are questions and controversies about the benefits of organic vs. conventional, especially when it comes to run-off and the use of manure, but no one disputes that local is the way to go, and a White House garden is definitely local (for them)! So, hoorah!

Not only will there be vegetables, herbs and berries, but "a White House carpenter who is a beekeeper will tend two hives for honey." Very cool.

too fat to save your life

2009-03-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

(Original post 2/03/09) There are physical requirements to qualify for a number of jobs, including police officers and firefighters, but judging from the specimens I see there are no continuing requirements, and possibly no requirements at all for emergency medical responders, automotive track personnel or security guards. I don't think it is discriminatory or in poor taste to require that the people tasked with saving or protecting our lives be able to get in and out of a vehicle with ease, be able to run a certain distance to respond to an accident, be able to walk up an entire flight of stairs without having to stop and mop your brow, be able to get your arms around your belly and operate a fire extinguisher...

UPDATE 3/20/09: Oh look, science backs me up, bitches!

dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb

2009-03-13T16:30:00.001-04:00

I'm confused. Are they saying that Anna Nichole Smith was too stupid to be allowed to have prescription drugs without handholding? I guess the charges are technically valid (dispensing without a prescription, dispensing pills to a known addict...), but ultimately the responsibility for her death really lies on her shoulders, don't you think? SHE is the one who took the pills. Are we going to start suing the hardware store clerk who sells the rope or the water company for providing the water that enables someone to end their life? Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but at some point it becomes your own responsibility to monitor your drug intake, no matter how many legal or illegal pills you have at your disposal.

who throws a shoe?

2009-03-12T16:30:00.001-04:00

Well, Muntader al-Zaidi throws a shoe. Twice. At President Bush. And for a time, it seemed to be catching on. What has happened to Mr. al-Zaidi since has been the subject of some debate.

You shouldn't throw anything at anyone, and you certainly shouldn't throw things at visiting leaders from other countries. But should you be beaten and tortured for this? No. Should you be punished with a jail sentence? Possibly. You shouldn't throw things. But three years? It's less than the seven initially expected, but it still seems a bit much for expressing a sentiment that so, so many people felt and feel.

Now I may have disliked President Bush and opposed many if not most of his policies but, unlike some conservative commentators with whom I disagree vehemently, I did not wish that he would fail. That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Or, at least the stupidest thing I've heard this month. I might have liked to throw a shoe or two at him, or at least shake him until he came to his senses, but I am not nearly as oppressed and wounded and destroyed as so many Iraqis are, and I never had the opportunity to be that close to the president. Which is probably a good thing. However, I can sympathize with a man who is so desperate and so hopeless that he feels his only recourse is to display his dissent through shoe-throwing. I do not condone it, but neither do I condemn it. And somehow, three years in prison does not seem a punishment on par with the crime.

better to remain silent and think your friends fools than to argue and remove all doubt

2009-02-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

Things you should never discuss with your friends, because you may not actually want to hear their answers:

- vaccinations
- the JFK assassination/ conspiracy
- the Moon landing/ hoax
- global warming/ climate change
- abortion
- George W. Bush
- man's supposed descent from his monkey cousins

sins most grievous

2009-01-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

Which sins are the worst sins? The deadliest? Murder? Genocide? Oh, no. According to the Vatican's The Apostolic Penitentiary, "abusing the confidentiality of the confessional by revealing the nature of the sin and the person who admitted to it" is a far worse sin than murder or genocide, forgivable only by the Pope himself. And, of course, defiling the Eucharist is considered a "sin of extreme gravity."

Let me translate this for you: a priest who hears a confession of continuing child abuse and does the right thing by reporting this crime to the authorities is a far worse sinner than a serial killer. A professor who defiles a "sacred" cracker (alongside symbols of other religions and unreligions) is a greater threat to humanity than those responsible for the genocides in Rwanda, Darfur, Bosnia, Nazi Germany and so forth.

A person who uses common sense and reasoning is more of a religious criminal than a person responsible for hundreds or thousands of gruesome brutal deaths. And people wonder why I'm not religious!

I got demons! They're multiplyin', and I'm loo-oo-oosin' contro-ol.

2009-01-14T16:30:00.004-05:00

Sins. Seven of them. The deadly kind. So deadly in fact that they even spawned a movie in which Brad Pitt got to whine a forever memorable "Awwww, what's in the box?"
Feared and shunned (though not in the Bible), a certain pathway to the various levels of Hell (as described by Dante Alighieri and not anywhere in Scripture), they most likely stem from the "eight evil thoughts" of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus, as reworked by Pope Gregory I in 590 AD (and may have been inspired by a far earlier pagan list). Apparently exiled to a monastery for inappropriate relations with a lady of some import, Mr. Ponticus proposed to pontificate about that which he felt free to do, but which we must not. From his hypocritical ways (I see this theme throughout much of religious teaching, don't you?), we have received the Seven Deadly Sins (each with its corresponding demon, of course, and its corresponding virtue).

sin - demon - virtue
Lust - Asmodeus - Chastity
Gluttony - Beelzebub - Temperance
Greed - Mammon - Charity
Sloth - Belphegor - Diligence
Wrath - Satan/Amon - Patience
Envy - Leviathan - Kindness
Pride - Lucifer - Humility

I'm no Christian, so I don't buy into sin or demons or any of that gobbledygook, and I'm continually amazed that there are people who actually literally do. Sure, there are activities best avoided, and sure most things are better for you in moderation, do unto others as you want to be done (heh heh heh), but demons? Real actual demons making you do things? Please.

Oh yes, sayeth the honorable and sincere Reverend Bob Larson of the Spiritual Freedom Church (freedom from demons, I guess, since he professes to be an exorcist, not freedom to be spiritual as you might see fit). Apparently, it's not your fault if you do bad things, no, you've got actual real demons inside you and the best way to get them out is to hit you with a Bible and pray at you while you writhe around on the floor. You bark, you growl, you claw, you drool. You sleep four feet above your covers. Shit, man, I could do that. I watch TV.

The History Channel (and all its affiliates) has been pissing me off lately. Sure, they do history, but they seem to throw in a lot of unsubstantiated woo-woo. Deadly triangles, aliens, UFOs, monsters, prophets... Usually presented as fact with an opposing (skeptical, rational, scientific) viewpoint very rarely included. Earlier this month (probably to coincide with all the New Years Resolution bullshit) they had a special on the deadly sins, one a night for (you guessed it) a week. But really it was just a seven hour plug for Rev. Larson's church and his supposedly healing hands. Every sin can be exorcised, every demon battled and defeated. There are apparently no earthly reasons for addictions or obsessions or compulsions -nope, it's all demons and only Rev. Larson (for a nominal fee, I'm sure -and have you seen his TV show?) can save you from them.

Never mind that an actual exorcism has to be approved by the church ahead of time and it's very hard to get approval to perform one legitimately.

Check out paranormal investigator Joe Nickell do his best to layeth the smacketh down on the Reverend on CNN:

(If you want to know which one is the revered Reverend, pick at the one who looks like a whiny frightened putz)

Fuck sin. Try moderation. There is nothing wrong with any of the "deadly sins" unless you overindulge, which is true for pretty much everything on this planet. Give me a break. Calling something a sin is just a way to make people feel bad about themselves for being completely human.

Besides, sins change over time. Any time anyone tells you that a certain something stems from scripture or Christian tradition, ask them if they wear cotton. And then tell them to stick it. And then ask them how they feel about the Pope's "seven modern social sins": environmental pollution, genetic manipulation, obscene wealth, infliction of poverty, drug trafficking, morally debatable experiments, and violation of the fundamental rights of human nature. And then tell them to stick it again.

But if you still doubt me (really? you doubt me?), Bob Larson has provided this helpful Demon Test® so you can determine your risk potential for demon possession. For point of reference, I am "at low risk for demonic oppression/possession" and I indulge in the seven deadlies quite regularly. But should you ever find yourself to be at high risk for demons, by all means find yourself a psychologist and get some practical help. Or I will smite the crap out of you.

And I'll leave you with my favorite sin:

more animals

Though, to be fair, he says:

more animals

still a favorite

2009-01-07T16:00:00.003-05:00

This just makes me smile every time: the answer to the question "Has the Large Hadron Collider Destroyed the World Yet?"

I know, I know, it's broken right now, but I still love the collider. I can't help it. It's the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, it is a collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 countries as well as hundreds of universities and laboratories, it is ridiculously expensive, outrageously complicated and the source of endless debate and predictions of doom. What's not to love?

Besides, according to Brian Dunning, the LHC will yield unprecedented findings medicine, clean energy production, unified field theory, computing and astrophysics. Plus, it can so easily be misspelled as the Large Hardon Collider. That's just good clean fun.

seculutions

2009-01-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

Nine for ’09: Resolutions for Secular Citizens

As an American who is grateful for a Constitution that prohibits the incursion of religion into politics and government, I resolve to:

Speak out and speak up about my beliefs and values
Since when is “secular” a dirty word? Why is it okay to bash atheists? I will claim my beliefs and defend my values at work, in book clubs, at the dinner table and any chance I get.

Join a local group -- it always starts at the grassroots
MeetUp is a great place to find like-minded folks in your own zip code. Plus, most of the Secular Coalition’s member groups have local chapters.

Become a walking, talking billboard for my beliefs
I will shop for merchandise from the Secular Coalition or the OUT Campaign or First Freedom.

Help build the secular constituency in my own political party
I will become involved in my local Democratic, Republican, Greenor Libertarian party organization.

Do my homework and keep up with issues affecting me
I can start with these great blogs: The Friendly Atheist, Rant & Reason and The Wall of Separation. I will also check out FFRF's Church/State FAQ’s for a handy legal primer.

Become a super e-activist
When I get Secular Coalition Action Alerts I will forward them to friends, family and colleagues and ask them to sign up because this is how you build a movement. I can even upload a Secular Coalition logo and URL into the signature file for all my e-mails!

Become a citizen lobbyist
When an Action Alert asks me to contact my leaders in Washington, I will. When it asks me to come to Washington for lobby days, I will. When I can’t come to Washington, I will contact and meet with my Congressional representatives in my home district.

Write letters to the editor and call radio shows
It’s called the media because the press mediates, literally, between citizens and their representatives. I will make sure my views are part of the conversation – especially in my local news outlets.

Give my time or money to groups that share my secular values
I will contribute to the Secular Coalition or its member organizations and learn about other groups that advocate for me and my beliefs.

Thanks, Lori Lipman Brown and the Secular Coalition for America!!!

but isn't it just a made-up holiday?

2008-12-29T16:00:00.003-05:00

I'm really tired of hearing all the bitchy comments about any non-Christian holidays from supposedly injured Christians (injured, you see, by anyone daring to celebrate a holiday other than Christmas or have a religion other than their form of Christianity or, Jeremy forbid, not have a religion at all!). Humanists and atheists who choose to forgo the holiday altogether are snubbed for not conforming, Jews find one of their lesser holidays elevated to a higher level because it happens to occur near Christmas and pagans try not to point out the obvious, that Christmas (not to mention Easter and Halloween) is basically a pagan holiday. Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Boxing Day, Bodhi Day, Id al-Adha holy days, Saturnalia, Yule, Zartusht-no-diso, Festivus, Omisoka, Shabe-Yalda, Human Rights Day… all are celebrated in December with varying numbers of followers and varying amounts of media attention. I guess the less you broadcast your faith, the less people take issue with it. But nothing is quite so questionable, it seems, as the audacity of celebrating Kwanzaa. Nothing gets more mocking in the "comments" section of an on-line article, nothing gets more eye-rolling in a family conversation. "Isn't it just a made-up holiday?" they ask -as if that aspect of it condones the mocking and simply dismisses the holiday out of hand.

Well, yes, Kwanzaa is a made-up holiday. It was created by African-American scholar and social activist Ron Karenga in 1966. No one disputes that. What people seem to forget, though, is that ALL holidays are made-up. ALL holidays are invented by someone at some point and much of what Christians hold dear about their December celebration are actually pre-Christian pagan practices condemned by the Bible they claim to follow.

In celebrating Christmas and assuming it is a far-reaching and universal holiday, you forget that December 25th was certainly not the birthday of Jesus but rather was co-opted by the Christian church to bring in all the pagans and heathens daring to celebrate other holidays at that time. You forget that the Christmas Tree is a pagan symbol and that Santa Claus as we know him is basically a creation of the Coca Cola company. Certainly the celebration of the birth of Jesus is a couple thousand years old but the holiday we know as Christmas is much younger. The Jewish Festival of Lights is a slightly older celebration, but certainly not one that has been celebrated since the dawn of time. Pagan celebrations are far older, and their roots can be found throughout most modern-day holidays. All holidays were made up by someone at some point or another and the only reason Christmas gets more respect than Kwanzaa or National Talk Like A Pirate Day is because it's a federal holiday -leading people to assume that the day takes on a federally accepted Christian meaning, which is simply not true. As soon as a day becomes a federal holiday, it automatically becomes secular because the Constitution of our country declares that the government shall not make laws impose religion onto their citizens.

Heck, most people -Christians included- don't realize that the Twelve Days of Christmas do not end with Christmas but rather begin with Christmas and the Twelfth Day is January 6th, also known as (surprise!) Twelfth Night.

As you may have read in my previous blog entry, Jesus is certainly not the first son-of-god-and-a-virgin born on December 25th. If anything, the Jesus myth is a story made up to match myths already in existence for other deities from Mithra to Buddha to Dionysus to Adonis. Christmas is as made-up as any other holiday, it's just that it's been made up for longer.

Kwanzaa is a made-up holiday that consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift giving. It is a celebration honoring African heritage. All bad so far, right? Nothing remotely normal or common place there, certainly nothing you might find in any other December holiday.
Now, keep in mind that each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. (For more information, please see the Official Kwanzaa Web Site). Again, nothing good here. Nothing worth lauding and contemplating incorporation of in ones’ own holiday celebration, right? No, community building and unity and responsibility and creativity are definitely things we should avoid at all costs. And we should definitely mock people who celebrate Kwanzaa for actually putting into practice many of the themes and principles which Christians claim as their own and yet so rarely espouse.

So before you start mocking anyone for their religion or their holiday or their customs, take a look at your own religion and holiday and customs and see if maybe yours aren't just as nutty as theirs. Or maybe theirs are simply more honest than yours. This is something I had to keep in mind during the election this year because sure, Mitt Romney believes in a nutjob wacko religion -but it's no more nutjob wacko than Scientology or Christianity or Flying Spaghetti Monsterists (though, to be fair, that's kind of the point of FSM) or Spiritualists. In my opinion, anyone who believes based on faith rather than evidence is equally in nutjob wacko territory so until we have out atheists running for office, I can't really make a voting decision based on the candidates’ belief system when none of them are really any more rational than the rest, in my view. Whew.

To steal from Tim Minchin, "Science adjusts its views based on what's observed. Faith is the denial of observation, so that belief can be preserved."

And stop judging others, lest ye want me to judge you. And smite you.

Happy Newtonmas, one and all.

2008-12-25T08:00:00.004-05:00

The Ten Days of Newton, Olivia Judson.

On the tenth day of Newton,
My true love gave to me,
Ten drops of genius,
Nine silver co-oins,
Eight circling planets,
Seven shades of li-ight,
Six counterfeiters,
Cal-Cu-Lus!
Four telescopes,
Three Laws of Motion,
Two awful feuds,
And the discovery of gravity!

Happy birthday, Sir Isaac Newton. And Cab Calloway, Humphrey Bogart, Clara Barton and certainly Louis-Joseph Chevrolet.

Also, according to varied myths and legends involving mangers, miracles, virgins and disciples, happy birthday to Horus, Osiris, Attis, Krishna, Zoroaster, Mithra, Buddha, Heracles, Dionysus, Tammuz, Adonis, Hermes, Bacchus, Prometheus, and Jesus.

May you never trample a fellow being for a DVD player, may you never beat up a Santa Claus, may your holly-days be food- and family-filled, and may the new year find you thankful for your fortunes and mindful of those less fortunate, and may you remember to do unto others as you would like to be done unto.

Here’s wishing you discovery and rational thinking, science and skepticism, a never-ending urge for wisdom and knowledge, and a space of calm contemplation in an otherwise mad, mad world.

Diverse, noisy and opinionated.

2008-12-19T12:00:00.003-05:00

“That’s part of the magic of this country,” said Mr. Obama, “is that we are diverse and noisy and opinionated.”

Diverse, noisy and opinionated. I guess that’s supposed to be a good thing -though “opinionated” generally has a negative overtone. “Holds strong opinions” doesn’t seem as cunty as “opinionated.” Kind of like “childless” vs. “childfree.” But anyway, diverse is supposed to be good, right? (though in college all it really meant was that we had to shell out a buttload of money for X-to-the-Z-ibit, leaving us with only enough left over for Sponge on the “undiverse” side of the aisle). But “noisy”? Is that supposed to be a compliment?

Obama was, of course, defending his decision to have the douchebag evangelist asshat Rick Warren give the opening prayer at his inauguration.

Yes, Rick Warren of the Biggest Honking Church In The Galaxy (because you know you can’t pray to your god unless your altar is at least a hundred feet wide). Anti-gay anti-abortion anti-the-ability-to-understand-how-people-could-possibly-live-without-religion-infiltrating-and-controlling-every-aspect-of-their-lives Rick Warren. Rick Warren of the indigestible “A Purpose Driven Life,” which is one of only three books that I have thrown down with great force upon being unable to finish. Ah yes, just the sort of man to pray over the beginning of a (hopefully) new era for our country.

Fuck Rick Warren. Yes, he’s done a lot of good, from a certain point of view. Yes, he speaks lefty-like about things that evangelicals normally shun (global warming, genocide), but he still compares gay marriage to incest and child abuse, and still values the potential life of a fetus over the current and actual life of me. And as for choosing him to pray over our country? Well, Mr. Obama, I am not disappointed. I am mad.

But I’m also mad for an entirely different reason. Can you tell me why we have an opening prayer and benediction at the inauguration at all?? Despite what the e-mail forwards try to convince you of, we are still technically a secular nation (and Christmas is actually a secular federal holiday, not a federally-approved religious one), and the government really isn’t supposed to pimp one religion over another, or any religion over none at all. “Wall of separation” and all that. Should atheists and pagans and Muslims and Buddhists and Taoists (et. al) really be forced to sit through an opening prayer by Warren and a benediction by Reverend Lowry? How inclusive and welcoming is that?

Not even a little.

...If you want something a bit more eloquent, though, here's what I wrote to the Obama campaign through Change.gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team:

I was very disheartened to hear of Mr. Obama’s choice of Reverend Rick Warren to read the opening invocation at the inauguration. As a non-theist, I regularly feel slighted by the common acceptance of pre-event prayers and religiously motivated speeches at public occasions. I am confused by the need for an invocation and benediction at a government function such as the inauguration, regardless of conventionally accepted habits, as I was under the impression that it was not government’s job to push one religion or another upon the American people.

I find the regular mixing of government and religion inappropriate -whether it is public prayer, nativities and ten commandment displays in government buildings, the Bible being used for swearing in ceremonies, the pledge, our currency- and I find the choice of a man such as Rick Warren to perform a religious ceremony at a government event even more inappropriate.

Mr. Warren is undoubtedly a man devoted to his religion and his cause, and certainly his celebrity has enabled him to address serious concerns such as climate change, AIDS and genocide. However, he has regularly compared gay marriage to incest and child abuse, and he values the potential life of a fetus over my current and actual life and well being as a woman.

I realize that Mr. Obama is seeking to be inclusive, to foster a culture of tolerance and acceptance, to “reach across the aisle,” but perhaps choosing someone who disagrees so vehemently with many of his supporters on such matters as homosexuality and women’s health is not the best ambassador of civility for the inauguration.

I strongly urge Mr. Obama to reconsider this invitation, and hope that he will consider the rights and hopes of secular Americans, as well as those of the more religious, at this historic time in our country’s history.

Sincerely,
Lauren Cocilova

So, you want to give away your money?

2008-12-16T11:30:00.002-05:00

Well, you probably don’t, but we all often do it anyway so I thought I’d share some of the causes and organizations which I think are most worthwhile. Because what is blogging, after all, if not an excuse to post a bunch of random shit no one really cares to know?

Guttmacher Institute
Purpose: to advance sexual and reproductive health through an interrelated program of social science research, policy analysis and public education, designed to generate new ideas, encourage enlightened public debate, promote sound policy and program development, and, ultimately, inform individual decision-making.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Purpose: to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual; to advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services; to provide educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality; to promote research and the advancement of technology in reproductive health care and encourage understanding of their inherent bioethical, behavioral, and social implications.

The National Organization for Women
Purpose: NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society.

Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Efforts
Purpose: a secular alternative to faith-based relief efforts; a program of the Council for Secular Humanism; working with Americares (purpose: to provide immediate response to emergency medical needs and support long-term humanitarian assistance programs for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion)

Human Rights Campaign
Purpose: America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

The Humane Society of the United States
Purpose: The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. We are America's mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond.

Public Broadcasting Service
Purpose: is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States, with some member stations available in Canada.

Heifer International
Purpose: to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth; providing gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially-disadvantaged families around the world

Victory Junction Gang Camp
Purpose: to enrich the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment.

Also, seeing as how it’s December 8th and everything, check out the Dimebag Darrell Memorial Fund and VH1's Save The Music Foundation and RIP Dimebag and Mayhem.

A final entry: check out Techskeptic's Data Daily Atheist Charities List, if you're tired of "charity" having such a condescendingly Christian overtone.

Added 12/15/08: Plan USA
Our vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people's rights and dignity. If James "The Amaz!ng" Randi thinks this is a worthy cause, it must have something going for it.

Added 7/06/09: SkeptiLove, a website devoted to reporting on the generous acts of non-believers, and to bringing skeptics, critical thinkers, agnostics, atheists, humanists, and secularists together to participate in charitable projects.

Remember, these organizations need support, donations and volunteers year round and not just during the holidays, but if you can give anything, even a little, it helps a lot. Send an anonymous check or request not to receive solicitations if you are worried about getting on a mailing list, but do send something. Perhaps in lieu of dinner out some night you could buy dinner for a less well-off family. Perhaps in lieu of buying a new DVD you could help others. Perhaps in lieu of another new pair of sneakers, you could help supply warm shoes for a needy person. We all likely have more than we need, especially if we have the time to wile away on a blog, so we should take a few moments this season and see what we can share with others.

As always, check out the Charity Navigator to see how your chosen charities are rated.

Besides, 'tis the season for giving, after all, and 'do unto others' applies to secular folk, too.

say no to the ho, ho, ho

2008-12-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

I don’t have children, but I don’t think that precludes me from pontificating on the plethora of perilous pitfalls into which parents plunge purposefully. I am a taxpayer and a community member, and the way you raise your children affects me -and often offends me. Just because I do not have or want children does not mean I know nothing about them and don’t get to express an opinion on them. You have chosen to have children, and you judge my decision not to have children, so I get to judge the results of your decision, too.

At this time of year, as greed runs rampant and hapless Wal-Mart employees are trampled by grown men and women who should know better, as we demand bigger TVs and more expensive jewelry from our spouses, or cars and vacations from our parents, as we turn Yuletide into a red tide of joyless rushing madness, I wonder what your children are learning from you.

We like to think the Christmas season is one of goodwill and charity, but we all know it’s about want and greed and disappointment. Our worst selves come out just when we should be our nicest, and the next generation sees it all. Why should they be good and patient and kind and forgiving when we’re not? Why should they believe us about anything when we lie to them about so many things?

And why do we feel the need to lie to our children, to scare them into being good? Why don’t we just tell them to be good for goodness sake? Not out of fear of punishment or desire for reward, but simply because this is the right thing to do? There need be no Santa Claus to fear, no Easter Bunny to expect, no Tooth Fairy to bribe. And certainly no God to lord fearsomely over you. Rather, be good simply because you should. Teach your children to do unto others -a timeless rule that need not be Christian-based. You wouldn’t want Johnny to steal your toys or pee on your cat or make fun of your haircut, so don’t do those things to him!

Besides, children who are wretched throughout the year nearly always get rewarded at Christmas and so have no concept of going without as a result of their behavior. How many kids have ever really gotten coal in their stocking?

Tom Flynn has an excellent list of reasons to “just say no” to Santa Claus in his book “The Trouble with Christmas” and I think they express quite well what I’ve been trying to say about this damn myth all these years.

Ten Reasons Why Thoughtful People Should “Just Say No” to Santa

Reason #1: To teach and perpetrate the Santa Claus myth, parents must lie to their children.

Reason #2: The Santa Claus myth exploits characteristic weakness in young children’s thinking, perhaps obstructing their passage to later stages of cognitive development.

Reason #3: To buoy belief, adults stage elaborate deceptions, laying traps for the child’s developing intellect

Reason #4: The myth encourages lazy parenting and promotes unhealthy fear.

Reason #5: The number of characteristics that Santa Claus shares with God and Jesus verges on the blasphemous.

Reason #6: The Santa myth harms children’s cognitive and emotional development and damages family dynamics.

Reason #7: The Santa myth stunts moral development because it encourages children to judge themselves globally, as good or bad persons, rather than to judge positive or negative behavior.

Reason #8: The myth promotes selfish and acquisitive attitudes among children.

Reason #9: Children may not enjoy the Santa Claus drama as much as parental nostalgia suggests.

Reason #10: Contemporary authorities who defend the Santa myth on psychotherapeutic grounds fail to make a convincing case.

-Tom Flynn, The Trouble with Christmas

Before surrendering to another year of madness and mendacity, think for a moment about what your actions are teaching your children (or someone else’s children). If you are greedy and selfish, of course they will be, too. If you put all your emphasis on the gifts instead of good behavior, is it any wonder children grow up unable to manage credit or balance a checkbook? When everything is handed out without condition, when there is no mundane punishment for bad behavior, when the season is about showing off and dressing up and give me give me give me, is it any wonder kids grow up unappreciative and resentful?

Besides, don’t you want your kids to thank you for all the good that is in their lives, instead of some mythical elusive invisible being?

oh, and p.s.

2008-11-15T21:22:00.004-05:00

The Abridged In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan (or, simple things you can do to eat more better)

Eat Food.
- Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
- Avoid foods containing ingredients that are A) unfamiliar, B) unpronounceable, C) more than five in number, or that include D) high fructose corn syrup.
- Avoid food products that make health claims.
- Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.
- Get out of the supermarket whenever possible.

Mostly Plants.
- Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
- You are what what you eat eats too.
- If you have the space, buy a freezer.
- Eat like an omnivore.
- Eat well-grown food from healthy soils.
- Eat wild foods when you can.
- Be the kind of person who takes supplements.
- Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks.
- Regard non-traditional foods with skepticism.
- Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet.
- Have a glass of wine with dinner.

Not Too Much.
- Pay more, eat less.
- Eat meals.
- Do all your eating at a table.
- Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does.
- Try not to eat alone.
- Consult your gut.
- Eat slowly.
- Cook and, if you can, plant a garden.

(content is probably copywrit so I'm sorry but I think it's awesome and you should totally read the whole book anyway)

Simple Things you can do to help the planet.

2008-11-15T21:21:00.002-05:00

Blah blah blah compact florescent bulbs, blah blah blah drive less, blah blah blah turn your thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter, blah blah blah, conserve water, conserve electricity, save the polar bears, read this book, read that book, believe this politician, believe this actor…
It’s enough to drive you crazy, right? It would be enough for me, if I weren’t already a little nutso. So, here’s what I decided: only do what you can and don’t freak out about the rest. A little is more than a lot of other people are doing (thanks, Andy), so do your best and sleep better for it.

So let’s cut through all the nonsense and the b.s. and check out some simple things you can do (many of which I do, and which you may already do) to make the world a better place.

1) While you’re on the internet anyway (and I know you are), visit The Animal Rescue Site (http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com) and click through the tabs at the top to help animals, the rain forest, improve literacy, improve child health, fight breast cancer, and fight hunger. You can sign up for e-mailed reminders (daily, week-daily, whatever-ly) from the left column. The site makes money from the sponsors and advertisers that pay per click so all you have to do is click. Also visit http://freerice.com/ and play the game. Not only does it improve your vocabulary and brain function, but for each word you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.

2) If you live within drop-off distance of me, save the aluminum tabs and bottle caps from your cans and bottles. I know that the internet says no one is collecting these, but my friend who works for the Kidney Foundation says differently, so I give them to her and they either pile up in her basement to keep the ghosts and spiders at bay or they help pay for dialysis, so either way we’re doing some good.

3) Don’t buy bottled water. Often, municipal water actually has stricter standards and is cleaner than bottled water, and can be helped along by a pitcher or tap filter. If your local water is really gross or you must buy bottled for some other reason, try to reuse the bottles for at least a week and recycle them when you’re done. Also try to find bottled water that didn’t travel halfway around the world to get to you. Wegmans bottled water comes from Forestport, NY. If you can, buy a reusable bottle, but try to find recycled aluminum or nonpolycarbonate plastic if you choose this option (http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/,http://www.sigg.ch/, http://www.camelbak.com/).

4) Take your own bags to the store, the library, your mother’s house, everywhere (keep them in your trunk so they are there when you need them). Save your clean plastic bags and return them to grocery stores that accept them. Wegmans accepts all kinds of plastic bags, saran wraps, plastic wrapping, bread bags, newspaper bags, pretty much anything you can think of. See here https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&productId=563786&catalogId=10002&krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D&ddkey=http:ProductListView or contact your local store for more information.

5) Donate, donate, donate.

6) Recycle, recycle, recycle.

7) When you recycle, save your plastic screw-on caps (peanut butter, soda bottles, nail polish remover, salad dressing, etc.) in a separate location and the beauty products company Aveda will recycle and reuse them (http://aveda.aveda.com/aboutaveda/caps.asp). Most garbage collection companies do not recycle this kind of plastic, so Aveda will be collecting them at their stores and salons in order to repurpose them into new Aveda packaging. Find an Aveda location near you: https://www.aveda.com/templates/door/locator.tmpl (when I contacted them, they said that local -Rochester- salons will start collecting caps in September, so call before you go).

8) Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. -Michael Pollan. Check out more advice from his book, “In Defense of Food” here: http://internettime.com/2008/07/09/eat-food-not-too-much-mostly-plants/

9) Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Avoid packaged and processed foods as much as possible.

10) Buy locally and/or organically, and buy what’s in season. Visit http://www.localharvest.org/ to find community supported agriculture, farmers markets, grocery stores and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, or you may even feel called to grow some food of your own. You’d be surprised what you can grow in a 3’ x 6’ plot or a few containers on your front steps.

11) If you buy nothing else organic, buy these five things: milk, potatoes, peanut butter, ketchup, and apples (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/five-easy-ways-to-go-organic/). Also check out http://www.foodnews.org/ for a list of the most and least pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables, to help you decide what you feel you should buy organically. I keep a list in my coupon box, along with a list of what’s in season locally (http://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles/; http://www.nyfarms.info/whatsinseason.html).

12) Try to avoid meat and dairy products that were not humanely treated during their time on this planet. Hormone-free, antibiotic-free, free-range, pasture-raised, grass-fed animals are far happier and far healthier, and the products are far better for you than their factory-raised counterparts. For me, this means buying all my meats and eggs from Heiden Valley Farms (Rick Austin is at the public market every Saturday and takes orders by e-mail), or from Applegate Farms (http://www.applegatefarms.com) (sold at Lori’s and the Abundance Co-op and sometimes Wegmans), and buying organic milk. It also means that if I want to eat meat in public it can only be poultry, as they are the least horribly treated by conventional methods, and I end up bringing my own meat products to family gatherings -but I try to do it in a non-judgmental way.

13) The Monterey Bay Aquarium has designed the Seafood Watch program to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. When you buy seafood or select it from the menu, have this helpful guide handy to determine what to avoid: http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch.asp.

14) Visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (http://www.safecosmetics.org/) and Skin Deep (http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/) to find out about the ingredients in your beauty products. Remember, though, there are no governmental standards regarding “organic” cosmetics, and no final determination of how safe or unsafe phthalates and parabens etc. really are. You have to be the judge and decide whether you really want to put something you can’t pronounce onto your face and into your body. Burt’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine, Badger, Kiss My Face, Jason, Avalon Organics, Nature’s Gate, etc. are all available at many grocery stores.

15) Use more environmentally friendly cleaning, household and laundry products. Seventh Generation, Ecover and Method products are available at many places, and you would be surprised how much you can clean with just baking soda and vinegar. Bathroom tissue, paper towels, toothbrushes, baby wipes, garbage bags, all have “green” alternatives. Hang your clothes out on the line as weather permits -it’s greener, and sunlight kills dust mites! If your towels and jeans end up a little stiff, fluff them in the dryer on an air-only cycle for five minutes or so.

16) Do use compact fluorescents when appropriate (most varieties cannot be used in recessed or enclosed fixtures or on fixtures with dimmer switches). All Home Depot stores will accept CFL’s for recycling at the end of their useful life (http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/).

17) Do drive less and walk more when you can. If it’s impractical to bike or bus or carpool to work, at least try to save gas when you do drive (http://www.mpgplus.com/) and combine errands to take less trips. Check out http://www.walkscore.com/ to see what’s within walking distance of your home or place of business.

18) Do conserve when you can, do more with less, use less, reuse more, buy used when possible.

18) Visit your local library to borrow books instead of buying them new, and donate books that you have back to the library when you are done with them.

20) Remember that you can’t do it all, but whatever you can do, helps.

Further Reading, if you’re interested:
- It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living, Crissy Trask
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
- In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Michael Pollan
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver
- Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating, Jane Goodall
- This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader, Joan Dye Gussow
- All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!, Mel Bartholomew
- How to Grow More Vegetables: and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops than you Ever Thought Possible on Less Land than you can Imagine: A Primer on the Life-Giving Grow Biointensive Method of Sustainable Horticulture, by John Jeavons
- The World Without Us, Alan Weisman
- Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun and Frugal Uses You’ve Probably Never Thought Of, Vicki Lansky
- Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You’ve Probably Never Thought Of, Vicki Lansky

- Grist Environmental New and Commentary: http://www.grist.org/
- Center for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/
- Organic Consumers Association: http://www.organicconsumers.org/
- Mother Earth News, the original guide to living wisely: http://www.motherearthnews.com/
- Kitchen Gardeners International: http://www.kitchengardeners.org/
- Environmental Working Group: http://www.ewg.org
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac: http://www.almanac.com/
- Seventh Generation (http://www.seventhgeneration.com), Method (http://www.methodhome.com/), Ecover (http://www.ecover.com/)
- Gaiam green living and organic products: http://www.gaiam.com/
- Planet Green from the Discovery Channel: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/
- Kraft Foods simple recipes for busy lives: http://kraftfoods.com/kf

And remember, I only nag because I care.

Yes, we can.

2008-11-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

Yes. Yes, we did. This is our moment. This is a great moment, a great uplifting, a relieving refreshing reassuring referendum. Is it a referendum? It's not really a mandate. More of a mandate than the 51% Bush bragged about four years ago, certainly, but I wouldn't call it a landslide. I would definitely call it a statement. Only 46% of us were nutters this year, and America is ready for change. America is tired of Republican rule, deregulation, war, housing crises, economic disaster, and Bush. Not bush in general, but Bush specifically. After all, as I've said (been there, done that, have the bumper sticker on the freezer in our garage): The only Bush I trust is my own.

So. We finally got our asses in gear and our heads out of said asses and figured out that the best option for this country is a man who is a member or the reality-based community, one who does not call his wife a trollop and a slut (at least, not within hearing of a recording news camera), one who is not eighty billion years old, one who didn't show his complete contempt for the women of America with his vice presidential pick, one who understands the value of science and technology and of scientific inquiry, one whose vision for America does not rely on derisive air quote and shoulder hunched cackling.

I am sadly amused that so many people are genuinely scared, that so many people are so ignorant and ill-informed that they are certain some demon/ Muslim/ socialist/ communist/ black/ vegetarian/ baby mama/ terrorist fist bump agenda has taken the helm of America and will drive us straight to hell in a pack of nabs. To you I say, don't worry! He doesn't take office until January 20th! That's plenty of time for your esteemed and well-spoken George W. Bush to slide through a bunch of last minute appointments and rulings and enactments that are sure to make women beholden to men (because, after all, it is 1806, right?) and suck the environment further down the carbon-lined tubes of doom.

Of course, I (and my ilk) was so terrified of the prospect of a McCain/Palin administration that I literally made myself sick and was forced to watch the election results come in through a blur of generic menthol cold medicine, with a generic allergy medicine chaser. Yes, this election was about fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of staying the same, fear of a charismatic black man who has dared to be open and honest about his past, fear of a "Washington outsider" painfully proud of her ignorance, fear of a creaky old man who will decide who gets to marry whom and will make all of your child-birthing decisions the business of the government and will ensure that your children receive a sound Christian "education" in public secular schools -but he'll let you keep your guns, so who cares, right?

I am cautiously optimistic. I wonder how many people voted for Obama because of who he is vs. people who voted for him because of who he is not (John McCain/ George Bush). I wonder how many of his supporters truly understand his platforms and his stance on the issues. Of course, the majority of his opponents don't know them either -they only know what they were forwarded in an e-mail. And if it's got big block letters and three different fonts, it must be true, right? Extra points if you can use "socialist," "terrorist," "Muslim," and "inexperienced" in the same e-mail, and if you can misspell Obama's name, all the better!

I can't imagine being more disappointed in Obama than I have been for the past eight years, so I'm of the mind that anything has got to be better than the Bush administration's disasterous anti-science anti-women anti-sense policies.

I want to include here a segment of an e-mail I got from the editors of Free Inquiry Magazine, because I think it's well-worded and has excellent points:

In order that the ideals of democracy may be extended further, we offer some basic, humanistic ethical principles and goals that we hope the nation can achieve in the coming years. Even as they confront an economic crisis of massive proportions, we call on President Obama and the new Congress to base their actions on the following principles:

* Renewal of regulation for the protection of the public. The unlimited free market has been discredited. Virtually every other democratic society displays a mixed economy with robust public and private sectors. America needs to learn from this example.
* Universal health care. We view health care as a human right. Every major democracy except the United States has universal health care. While preserving a significant private component, it is time to enact legislation that ensures that every American is covered.
* The right to privacy. Every person should have the personal freedom to pursue his or her values and style of life, so long as he or she does not prohibit others from exercising like rights
* Equal access. Every person, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or class, should have the opportunity to realize his or her goals without being hampered by discrimination.
* Equality of concern. All individuals should (a) be considered as equal before the law; (b) have the same right to education, whether poor or rich; and (c) enjoy the opportunity to pursue gainful employment.
* Civil liberties. In a free and open democratic society, any effort to censor or restrict free expression must be impermissible. This encompasses the right of each individual to believe in and practice a chosen religion—but also the right of dissent and nonbelief.
* Separation of church and state. The United States needs to adhere to the First Amendment. We call upon President Obama to rise above his campaign rhetoric on this issue and end public support for faith-based charities as a violation of the First Amendment.
* Commitment to developing alternative energy sources. We need to refocus national policy based on an energy mantra that exhorts us to go green, green, green! in place of drill, drill, drill.
* Restoring respect for U.S. leadership in world affairs. The war in Iraq needs to be resolved by the new administration as soon as possible. Ideally, this should include some form of truth commission that would investigate key members of the previous administration for their roles in taking the nation to war on false pretenses, establishing an illegal doctrine of preemptive warfare, and instituting such repellent practices as torture and indefinite detention. America should refocus its foreign policy and commit to using first diplomacy rather than military force as it seeks to resolve conflicts peacefully in cooperation with others in the world.
—Paul Kurtz and Tom Flynn, editors of FREE INQUIRY MAGAZINE, Center for Inquiry

Yes, I'm happy. Yes, I'm optimistic. Yes, I look to the future with a sense of hope. Yes, the phrase “President Obama” sends a friendly shiver down my spine. Yes, I have a dance that ends with a "terrorist fist bump" and I will perform it upon request. Feel free to join in as you are inspired. Because, as you know, yes we can. And we so fucking did.

I would like you to watch something.

2008-10-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

If you didn’t get a chance to see this last night, or if you would like to see it again, I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes (well, a half hour) out of your day and watch Barack Obama’s televised message.

You may have already made your decision for the election, heck you may even have voted already, but even if you have I think this is really worth the time. You can hear, in his own words, what Barack Obama would like to do for America, where he stands on a couple of key issues that are facing our country. It is a good summary, and a refreshing change from all of the attack ads and blatant lies and derisive air quotes with which we’ve been blasted.

This year’s election is very important, for a variety of issues. I feel very strongly that Barack Obama has the better plans in regards to the economy, health care, taxes, and foreign policy. He understands that medical decisions should be left between patients and doctors. He understands that science and technology are important to our future and worth funding, including stem cell research and a comprehensive energy strategy. Barack Obama has a clear vision for this nation and I like what I see when I look at his plans and what I hear when I listen to him.

Please, take a bit of time and watch what Mr. Obama has to say about our country and his ideas. It doesn’t cost you anything, just a little bit of your time, and you just might learn something and see the candidate in a different light.

This is our moment. Make it count.

Thank you.
-Lauren

Additionally:
Barack Obama on the issues, The New York Times' endorsement, and a Wikipedia list of other endorsements.

she is a rubber suit stuffed with different parts of dead animals (UPDATED)

2008-10-28T13:01:00.000-04:00

What can I say about Sarah Palin? Soooooo much, actually. In fact, I'm pretty much not allowed out in public for fear that I might just start wringing necks and cracking heads. I snuck out on Sunday while Andy was off winning a plaque and stickers in the Corvette and went to a Sarah Palin Does Not Speak for Me photo campaign, but most of all I just shake my head and rock back and forth a lot.

Instead of rambling on and on about how much I disagree with John McCain's platform, and how much of a monster Sarah Palin is, I thought I'd just point to a couple of particularly good things I've read lately (surely more will be added over time) and hope that you take comfort from the smart that's still out there... somewhere... on this pale blue dot...

Sarah Palin's Shotgun Politics, The Nation

ARRRGH, FINE!! I’LL WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT SARAH PALIN!!, The 1585

Alaska's biggest political rally

Point/Counterpoint, The Onion

Also, for more humor: some strongly worded sarcasm from The Beast.

Sarah Palin is a strong, successful woman. She is an example of how women can rise to the top, certainly. But her womanhood and her motherhood are the last reasons that you should vote for her. If you agree with her, if you really think that the earth is only 6000 years old and that personal medical decisions are the business of everyone except for you and that children who receive so-called abstinence only "sex education" won't have sex before marriage and that your gay friends can totally "fix" themselves through prayer and if you hate polar bears, then by all means vote for the McCain/Palin ticket.

However, if you think that science is kind of neat and you think it's important to recognize that cavemen and dinosaurs did not exist concurrently and if you like deciding for yourself whether and when you have children and if you're kind of partial to a variety of books in your library and if you think that vindictive inexperienced "irresponsible and flat-out dangerous leadership" is not exactly what we should have for America, then you know what to do.

And actually, it's even simpler than that: cast your vote for the candidate whose vice presidential pick can correctly pronounce the word "nuclear."

More sources:
added 9/27/08
Beauty and the Beast, by Joann Wypijewski
Lipstick on a Wing Nut, by Katha Pollitt

added 9/30/08
Palin Problem, byy Kathleen Parker
Palin Is Ready? Please., by Fareed Zakaria
And something a little more lighthearted: Let Me Get This Straight (sarcastic internet comparison, no sources listed)

added 10/03/08
Check it out: Google 2001. Search the Google archives from 2001 and see if you had an internet presence at the beginning of the century! Me, all I have is Charger Bulletin stuff and when I click on the link, the pages have been deleted from the UNH site. Guess who else has no internet presence in 2001? Sarah Palin. To be fair, though, "hockey mom" gets a bunch of hits, but "pitbull with lipstick" gets only one.
When Sisterhood Is Suicide and Other Late Night Thoughts by Robin Morgan (long, but worth the read)

added 10/07/08
Actually about McCain, but the point is the same: Make-Believe Maverick, by Tim Dickinson
Sarah’s Pompom Palaver, by Maureen Dowd
The choice is clear. Vote Bigfoot/Nessie in '08!!

added 10/08/08
summary of debates so far
all together now!!
Nice Peter's Ode to Sarah Palin

added 10/13/08
Lynda Carter says Palin is the anti-Wonder Woman

added 10/15/08
Gina Gershon is HOT!
Palin as President (point and click)

added 10/20/08
Why Sarah Palin is Bad for American Women

added 10/22/08
What’s the difference between Sarah Palin's mouth and her vagina? ...Only some of the things that come out of her vagina are retarded.

added 10/23/08
Palin is “Hardcore Pro-Life” (duh, but this is very well written, especially the part about Palin and Dobson being raging fucking hypocrites)

added 10/28/08
Sarah Palin's War on Science, by Christopher Hitchens

So, knock it off.

2008-10-20T11:40:00.001-04:00

Okay, listen up and listen good: PLEASE stop forwarding unsubstantiated garbage to everyone on your e-mail list! It is irresponsible and counterproductive and (dare I say?) cunty.

The next time you get an e-mail or see a MySpace bulletin or someone shares a story with you, just stop and think for a second. And then check it out. What with the internet and all these days, it’s pretty easy to check the veracity of all kinds of claims, from cancer-causing deodorants and Koran-swearing-in Senators to telephone scams, deadly light bulbs and dog poisonings. Don’t assume that an e-mail you receive is real -in fact, assume the opposite and nine times out of ten, you’ll be right.

When you get a forwarded e-mail, especially one that claims “I saw this on Good Morning America” or “This could save your life” or “This is real, I checked it” but doesn’t have a link, just check it out. There are plenty of sites to do this, specifically:

http://www.snopes.com/
http://www.breakthechain.org/
http://urbanlegends.com/
http://urbanlegends.about.com/
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/
http://skepdic.com/
http://www.whatstheharm.com
And you can even just Google something and find out pretty quickly whether it’s real or not. Heck, I’m sure the MythBusters have a show about half of them.

So, if you get something in the mail, check it out before just sending it on and spreading more garbage on the internet. When you discover it is crap, please ask whomever sent it to you not to spread this kinds of false assertions around, regardless of the subject.

And if you do choose to send something without checking it out, DON’T SEND IT TO ME. I already know it’s not true and you’re wasting your time and it will make me want to kill you a little.

This is especially important now, during an election year, when rumors and bullshit are running rampant on the internet, in the news media, and by word of mouth from people who should know better. So, knock it off. Stop believing garbage and nonsense just because someone sends it to you or tells you they read it somewhere. Make them give you a source, and then make them feel stupid for spreading around ignorance when you discover they are wrong. The time for patience and coddling is long past. We are too close to the election and the issues are too serious to take lightly. Don’t let people get away with spreading lies: check things out and make sure you correct people when they are wrong. Don’t be the asshole, too.

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one things of changing himself. - Leo Tolstoy

the end of marriage

2008-09-30T16:00:00.001-04:00

Oh no. I have to get a divorce now. Ellen and Portia got gay married. How can my marriage possibly mean anything if just anyone can go and get married? I am so totally affected by someone else's marriage that I can't possibly be happy in my own life and relationship unless I'm judging and controlling everyone else.

No, I’m sorry, my marriage is not defined by anyone else’s and it is certainly not endangered by other loving couples pledging to devote themselves to one another, regardless of the sex of those other couples. And neither is yours.

Andy’s always telling people not to get married. Mostly for humor’s sake, and mostly because he doesn’t want to lose friends to marriage and children and all that nonsense, but he’s also partially serious. Not because our marriage is particularly horrible (this is my hope, anyway!), but I think he does it out of concern that too many people get married for all the wrong reasons and never stop to think about whether they really want to or whether they should.

As a matter of fact, the idea of marriage is far more threatened when a man and woman are forced to marry because they have found themselves pregnant (especially when they were denied the means or understanding of how to protect themselves from just such an occurrence and then forced into a union they do not want, not to mention quite possibly a lifetime of unhappiness and regret).
My marriage is insulted by a man who allows himself to be badgered into proposing to and marrying his girlfriend simply because that is what society (and her friends and their coworkers) expects of him, regardless of the fact that he doesn’t want to marry anyone and probably doesn’t even really like her that much, let alone love her.
My marriage is undermined by people who get married for the sake of getting married, expecting a fairy tale, expecting everything to suddenly be miraculously magically perfect even though it wasn’t before, because they don’t understand what a marriage is about.
My marriage is slighted by people who demand to get married and throw a ridiculous wedding they cannot afford because it’s been their dream since childhood, and find themselves suddenly further in debt when they couldn’t pay their bills to begin with.
My marriage is affronted by such phrases as “bridezilla” and “diamonds are forever” and “postnuptial depression.”
My marriage is mocked by those who think having a baby or getting a pet will somehow make their relationship better, by couples who can’t communicate their needs and wants to each other in anything other than sarcasm and screaming, by people who have to take medication just to be decent to each other, by people who honestly believe their partner is a fool and yet feel obligated to stay with them because it’s “the right thing” or “the expected thing.”
Everyone’s marriage is diminished by multi-million dollar celebrity weddings and by the split-second Hollywood nuptials of people like Britney Spears and Nicholas Cage, the multiple marriages of people like Mickey Rooney and Zsa Zsa Gabor and Billy Bob Thornton -not to mention Jessica Simpson and Shanna Barker and Carmen Electra (note to self: never agree to a reality television show starring my marriage).

Now, these are the things that and the people who shame and disgrace marriage. This is what shows marriage in a bad light. This is what will be the "downfall of society," as they anti-gay-marriagers like to claim about getting gay married. Well, maybe we should spend a little more time looking inward and deciding what is wrong with our own lives and our own relationships that makes them so fragile as to be threatened by two consensual adults professing their love for one another in a way that is recognized by the state.

Wait, I DO want a child!

2008-09-29T14:07:00.000-04:00

Not just any child, mind you. A ghost child. I was watching a recent episode of “Ghost Hunters” (a guilty pleasure if ever there was one), and they were supposedly interacting with the ghost of a nine-year-old boy who was killed while working in a mill in the 1800’s. He likes to play games and tricks on people and is lonely (so they said). One of the ghost hunters invited the boy to come home with him because he already had a bunch of kids and there was plenty of fun to be had, etc., and it got me thinking. How awesome would it be to have a ghost child? I mean, you don’t have to feed it or take it to the doctor or get a babysitter for it, you always have someone to guard your house when you’re gone, you can strike a deal where you let him ‘live’ there and he doesn’t mess with you, but can mess with friends who come over... I mean, we’ve got plenty of toys for when my sister-in-law’s kids come over, he could play all the time! And if I have to watch The Muppet Show once in a while, that’s really no sacrifice.

So yeah, I’ve decided, if I ever do come to regret my decision and find that I want a child of my very own, Ghost Boy it is!

...That said, I have really got to stop watching Ghost Hunters. Somebody save me from myself!

voters I can respect

2008-09-26T11:55:00.001-04:00

A good voter is an informed voter and I believe it is the responsibility of everyone to do their research and decide for themselves who they think is the best candidate. I cannot respect a person who votes based on trivial things, like race or sex or parenthood status. You have to find the candidate whose values and statements best match your own, and don’t allow yourself to be mislead by sensational media stories or blatantly false e-mail forwards.

I highly recommend Project Vote Smart, where you can read candidate platforms, decisions, backgrounds, speeches, endorsements, issue positions and voting records, as well as those of their running mates, as available.
Also, VA Joe Candidate Calculator and Vote Help Candidate Calculator are invaluable resources for help determining which candidate most closely matches your positions.

Granted, I am highly biased and firmly entrenched in my decision for this year's election, but I still think it's essential for everyone to look at the information and come to his or her own conclusions.

When I hear that people are voting for McCain based only on the sex of his VP nominee, that "she's a mother and I'm a mother so she must understand me," that "I like Alaska so I like her," etc. that, to me, is missing the point. Whether or not a person is suited for public office is not based on their ability to conceive (or over-conceive) or the color of their skin. It is their background and experience, their platform, their values, their stance on the issues, their ability to comprehend science, their ability to separate their religion from their politics.

This is a very important election at a very important time in our country and I cannot fathom that there are people who do not feel strongly one way or another about the outcome. While I do not understand people who are on the "other side of the aisle," I can respect their decision if they are voting based on their understanding of the issues involved and they truly feel that the other candidate is really the better choice. However, I cannot respect the decision, while people certainly do have this choice, not to vote. How can you not be outraged, one way or the other? What has our system of politics in this country come to when there are people now, today, in this climate, who are actually ambivalent about the candidates? How can you not be completely appalled?

I am a bad pagan.

2008-09-23T13:24:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the autumnal equinox, when light and dark are again equal as the nights get longer and the days get shorter and shorter until the “sun is reborn” at Yule, the Winter Solstice, which is the darkest night of the year -at which time the days start getting longer again. The autumn equinox, also called Mabon, is one of the eight sabbats celebrated by most pagans, along with Samhain (Halloween), Yule, Imbolc (Candlemas), Ostara, Beltane (May Day), Litha (Midsummer) and Lughnassadh (Lammas). The sabbats are based on the changing seasons, the turn of the sun wheel, while esbats (full, new and dark moon celebrations) occur more frequently and are based around the moon. This is a time of thanksgiving, as we celebrate the manifestation of our labors and give thanks for the harvest that will sustain us through the dark months. The energies for this time are of balance, consideration, fruitful partnerships, and the promise of rebirth. Now is the time to prepare the spirit for an interval of introspection and growth. Mabon themes are: harvest, reaping, thankfulness, reflection, preparation for the dark times, and conservation.

There is something steadying and comforting about ritual. A group of like-minded people coming together to perform an action designed to send good things out into the universe, an individual going through familiar motions on a regular basis to commune with nature or deity… I understand all of this, and I have attended many an open circle and sabbat ritual in my day. I am interested in the history of different cultures and have read books from many religions, but mostly I’ve focused on the pagan traditions because their beliefs most closely align with mine (do no harm, respect for self, respect for nature, respect for others, no baby-eating…). For a long time I considered myself a pagan witch, because the pagan belief system made sense to me and I was comfortable with it. As I get on in years, though, I haven’t been as drawn to the ritual and ceremony as I once was. I am also not comfortable pretending to believe in deity, including deity in my rituals and attending rituals where deities are summoned or addressed. Perhaps the emphasis on god(s) and goddess(es) overwhelms what comfort I might draw from the familiarity of ritual (unless, of course, we are worshipping the god/desses Godiva, Ghirardelli and Sara Lee).

Maybe the real turning point came when I took a class about “Ancient Languages and the 2012 Prophecies” (possibly the last class I didn’t quit after one session). I was just interested to see what the different cultures say about the supposed 2012 doomsday, but the class was more focused on showing us a lot of different ancient languages and telling us why the prophecies can’t really be understood anyway because we look at them from the wrong perspective. The teacher did impress upon us the importance of critical thinking, which I thought was good, and that we shouldn’t take prophecies on face value (especially supposed Native American prophecies where the earliest know teller is a white Christian preacher man -hmmm…) without doing more research about them -which is true of just about anything, of course. But I didn’t want to do the research, I just wanted to be taught about them, that’s why I took the class.
However, the point is: we watched a History Channel program (“Doomsday: 2012” was the name, I’m pretty sure) which featured, among other people, Dr. Michael Shermer (Executive Director of the Skeptics Society). As soon as he appeared on the screen, the other women in my group immediately sucked in their breath and rolled their eyes and pretty much shut down, refusing to listen until he was no longer talking.

Wait a minute! Wasn’t the class supposed to be about objective viewpoints and getting all of the information before making snap judgments? Who better to provide an example of critical thinking than Dr. Shermer? And aren’t pagans as a whole supposed to be an understanding, accepting and tolerant sort? When we close our minds to others’ points of view, especially if they diverge from the way we want to see the world, we are being just the same as those we purport to differ from!

I was attracted to paganism because I liked the tolerance that pagans (usually) have for one another and for the world. I like the caring and the feeling of community. I like that pagans are nice and generous and compassionate. Sadly, I don’t see much of that from other religions, and increasingly I find that just beneath the surface of many pagans lies the snarky holier-than-thou attitude I find rampant throughout religious belief.

I remain interested in nature, environmentally and ecologically, and am still in agreement with the sound morals and principles held by most pagans, but I find it difficult to mesh my logical scientific side with a faith path that is so influenced by deity. More and more I am drawn to the rational science put out by people like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Phil Plait and P.Z. Myers, and the ethical principals espoused by Paul Kurtz’s secular humanism -all the good and happy and realism that I liked about paganism, but without the deity.

Too many people go blindly into the night, following the belief path they think they should without ever stopping to determine whether it is right for them. Too many people open their mouths and let unsubstantiated nonsense spew out (or, often worse, forward it via the internet) without stopping to think that maybe what they’re saying and posting isn’t completely true and that maybe they ought to do some of their own research on the matter to get a better understanding of the real situation.

I went along for a time seeing deity as a metaphor, using terms like “Great Cosmic Universe” and “Cosmic Feminine” and “Masculine Principle” to refer to aspects generally covered by one god or goddess or another, but more and more I realize that I just can’t pretend to understand what people mean when they think there is a literal Goddess looking out for them and caring for them. I don’t believe in the Christian God, don’t believe that He directs or influences anything or even exists, why would I suspend rational thought for the pagan deities?

So I don’t. My beliefs are more tangible and rational and easier to meld without a deity of any sort (Christian or pagan, literal or metaphorical) involved. Unless there is some sort of atheistic pagan path out there (and if there isn’t a Facebook Group for it, it can’t exist, right?), then I’m going to have to start correcting people from now on when they call me a witch [I’m not a witch, I’m your wife! But after what you just said, I’m not even sure I want to be that anymore! -sorry, couldn’t be helped]. Sorry, guys, I’m just not feeling it anymore.

Not sure what label fits me best (atheist? secular humanist? critical thinker? bright? non-religious? irreligious? faith-free? rationalist? planetary ethicist? reality-based?) at the moment (though apparently I’ve been dubbed an “Avon wife” without my knowledge or consent), so I’ll have to get back to you on that and in the meantime leave you to question why we really need faith/unfaith labels anyway -can’t we all just be nice to each other?

Oh, should I introduce myself?

2008-09-22T14:40:00.002-04:00

If you're reading this, you probably know me and so need no introduction. But maybe you stumbled across it randomly on the inter-web and are fascinated and enamored with the brilliance that is me and want to know just who is me.

Well, this is me, taken directly from my Facebook page because I don't feel like being inventive right now:
What is there to talk about? I should write more than I do, drink less than I do, eat differently than I do, talk nicelier and more eloquently than I do, watch TV less than I do, be more politically active than I do, commune with nature more often than I do, believe in myself more than I do, try harder than I do, sit on the couch less than I do, grow more in my garden than I do... About me? I am far less and far more and far meaner and far lazier than I should be. Blessed be.

I'm child-free, pet-free, pro-choice, bleeding-heart liberal, atheist-ish, college educated, incredibly opinionated, passionate... I subscribe to the theory of evolution (much as I subscribe to the theory of gravity) and equality and kindness and patience and sex ed and science and free choice ...I'm also hateful and spiteful and ridiculous. But it's part of my charm.

say hey mister driver man...

2008-09-19T14:41:00.001-04:00

This has bothered me for the last three days and now that I have a place to randomly wax rage-fully about it, you get it full blast.

Why is it that parents feel the need to DRIVE their children to the BUS STOP?? I can understand accompanying a small child to the bus stop, especially for the first few days, to ensure they actually make it to the stop and get on the bus without falling in a storm grate of something and heck, some schools even require a parental wave before letting the kids off the bus after school, but there is a difference between accompanying your child, and BEING SUCH A LAZY ASS THAT YOU ACTUALLY START THE CAR AND DRIVE HALF A BLOCK TO THE BUS STOP, and then you have the nerve to sit there in the car with the WINDOWS CLOSED AND THE ENGINE RUNNING talking on your cell phone and probably wearing Crocs or flip flops or some hideous mutant combination of the two while you wait for the bus in the sixty degree weather!!! I mean, come on, it’s NICE out! Walk the little urchin down to the bus stop of it can’t get there by itself. I can understand the car thing if it’s, like, twenty below, but in that case maybe if you have all this time to sit around at the bus stop anyway with your car running, you might as well just drive the damn kid all the way to school!

Seriously, child-rearing requires patience and dedication and determination and hard work (or, at least, it should), but it shouldn’t require coddling and stifling your child in a closed-up van because you’re just too damn lazy to walk your dumb ass down to the corner, thereby setting a good example, burning a calorie or two and diminishing your carbon footprint.

So, like, knock it off.

A little late to the party.

2008-09-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, fine. I give up. I give in. Whatever. Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t I? And if everyone else jumped off a bridge, Lauren, would you do that, too? Probably. It’d be damn lonely on this planet without anyone else about (or, abuut, as our neighbors to the north so charmingly say). So yeah, I’d jump off the bridge. But I’d read all the books first. And eat all the chocolate. And then I’d jump.

And so, I jump. Headlong, footloose, fancy-free (insert cute descriptor here) into the dreaded and long-avoided world of blogging.

Weeks ago, post-pointless rant about the stupids on the internet, Andy says to me (he says), “maybe you should just write a blog.” And you know what? He was right. I should just. And then yesterday Sarah said I would “do well with a blog,” and that I was the right about of smart and angry for it. Well, thanks. More angry than smart, no doubt, but we have Ross for the smart. And I’m not running for office so I don’t so much need smarts. Or maybe smarts aren’t actually a prerequisite? Ah, more on (moron?) that later.

I am an angry person. I don’t deny that. Stupid people make me angry -and there are a lot stupid people out there these days. (What keeps me going, really, is the hope that for every stupid person rattling off about nonsense they don’t actually understand, there are two or three smart people with sense enough to stay quiet.)

I consider myself a smart person. Sort of smart, anyway. But not smart enough to stay quiet, I guess. And when I find myself posting witty diatribes about how the educated voter is a good voter and that maybe two men getting married to each other doesn’t actually threaten you or your relationship or your little insular world in any way, I am personally attacked and derided for daring to have an opinion. Well, screw that. I need a place to spew my anger, where I can pretend I’m having an impact, but where no one can contradict me.

Even though I consider myself a writer (majored in it, creatively, in high school; worked for the newspaper in college; still eek out the occasional sorry excuse for a poem now and then -have you seen my Good Reads page?), I have long avoided the world of the blog (blogosphere? is that it?). Maybe because I didn’t figure anyone would be interested in what I have to say. But then, probably 90% of the bloggers out there have nothing to say and yet they keep saying it. Maybe because my first blog experience was from a ‘friend’ who pretty much posted her diary on-line for the world to see, and I’m just not comfortable sharing that sort of information. Who wants to know what I had for breakfast (although this morning I had Chocolate Underground yogurt and I have to repeat in case you haven’t heard: it’s 220 calories of AWESOME!!!!) or that I forgot to put in earrings or that I’m having a deeply personal issue that I really shouldn’t share publicly or that we’re out of bacon or that I’m sad because my sandwich is soggy? No one, that’s who.

Was it Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln who said the thing about keeping silent and being thought a fool rather than speak and remove all doubt? Well, I like to think I’m not a fool but there are so many other fools speaking, I might as well add my voice to the clatter. Especially since I know the difference between “bread” and “breed.” Besides, “Who can protest and does not, is an accomplice in the act.” So this lady is going to protest. Maybe too much, but so it goes.

And so here it is: Lauren’s belated entrance to blogging.