What the Hell?!?!?!

U.S. Rep for Florida, Katherine Harris has really shown her true colors. In a recent interview with the Florida Baptist Witness, Ms. Harris declared that the concept of separation of church and state is a "lie we have been told. (Read: CNN's breakdown.)"

I shudder for the future of our country.

Ultra Conservatives have no place in our democracy. They can't think rationally! Her comments border on religious fundamentalism, and we all know what that leads to...

The best part of the entire episode is the fact that her fellow Florida Rep is a Jewish woman, who said she was disgusted by the comments. And she should be!

Campaign spin artists quickly "clarified" Ms. Harris' comments:

"The comments reflected "her deep grounding in Judeo-Christian values," the statement said, adding that Harris had previously supported pro-Israel legislation and legislation recognizing the Holocaust. (via)"

So it seems values are "Christian" until you offend a Jewish person, then they are "Judeo-Christian values."

Christian Politicians need to reevaluate their role in office soon or we as Americans are looking at a morality war in the future. Politicians are not employed to protect the morals of the country. They are not shepherds protecting the flock by enacting laws which they deem appropriate because we "don’t know better." They must protect the health and livelihood of the people they represent. Abortion laws shouldn't have any moral agenda, they have come about because women were seeking horrible solutions to a problem which they saw no positive end to. The laws allow for healthy solutions to a serious problem for some women. Granted, some believe its not too healthy for the fetus, but that's not for us to decide. If Christian politicians believe so strongly that abortion, gay marriage, or any other morally debatable topic is against God's wishes, then they should also believe God will take care of it. The belief is that God is all powerful and such, maybe Christian politicians should leave it to him instead of acting on his behalf.

A parting quote:

The Bible says we are to be salt and light. And salt and light means not just in the church and not just as a teacher or as a pastor or a banker or a lawyer, but in government and we have to have elected officials in government and we have to have the faithful in government and over time, that lie we have been told, the separation of church and state, people have internalized, thinking that they needed to avoid politics and that is so wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers (via, 7th. question).

Well if God chooses our rulers, Ms. Harris, maybe you should sit at home until God casts his vote, otherwise, try respecting values and opinions that are not your own.

(Now I agree that there is some hipocricy to the last statement, but my belief is that as an elected official, you must forgo your own opinions and be a true representative of the people, both majority and minority...)

Growing up is hard to do...

So I'm an idiot...
I never learned how to fold a fitted sheet. I amazingly got through college by simply washing the sheets already in the laundry to replace the "mature" sheets on the bed. So sheets were never clean AND in need of storage. While doing a recent load of laundry for my queen size Aero, I realized my inabilities and did what any god-fearing adult would do: I looked it up on the internet! The results of my search produced a large number of methods/tutorials but my favorite was certainly a Flickr photoseries by catiecake. The cat doesn't wake up as far as I can tell...

Moooo? Are you from Boston by any chance?

Being engaged to a Speech-Language Pathologist has allowed me a better understanding of communication and language and the importance therein. This, however, is just ridiculous.

"Um Yah..." Science

U.C. Berkeley News has an article on their website pertaining to Trap-Jaw Ants. This ant genus of ants from South and Central America can close its mandibles(jaw-like parts) at a speed of up to 145 mph. This is the world record for "the fastest self-powered predatory strike in the animal kingdom." While this is interesting enough, I often wonder who funds these scientists. With the all the disease and mayhem in this world, you think the Ant-Jaw-Speed-Experiment Funds could serve a better purpose in the fields of say Cancer Research, Inexhaustible Fuels, and other clearly more important fields of study - with more far reaching effects. While I am fascinated by ants for their complex society mechanisms and seriously doubt anyone can utilize the knowledge of how fast an ant can cleave a grasshopper for the betterment of our world. (via)

On a lighter note: They did take some great video that shows the ants using their spring loaded jaws of doom as a defensive tool: springing themselve high into the air to avoid predetors!

Dr. Carlson's Science Theater

Check out Dr. Carlson's Science Theater. Its a physics teachers blog, in which he vlogs about various science topics! (via)

Magnet Letters

This might be one of the most unique online multiparticipant "games" I have ever seen. What seems to be pointless quickly results in addiction...

F.C.C. Auctions for A.W.S.

The Advance Wireless Services spectrum recently went up for auction by the F.C.C. This practice has been going on since 1994 and replaces what seems to be a very bureaucratic system of determining "Best public use." My concern, however is the reinforcing aspect of the new system for the dominant telcos. Since the licenses go to the highest bidder, doesn't that mean simply that the telco with the most money can "buy" a license to a specific band and further their dominance over the little guys? This appears to be whats happening in the most recent round of bidding, as satalitte cable providers were the first to bow out of bidding.

Pirates of Sweden

The infamous Pirate Bay draws back the curtain for Wired Reporter Quinn Norton. Check out this great article.

Dell Battery Pack Recall

Dell has put out a website in which you can check your battery pack for the recall(only some types are recalled). While the overall site asks you a bunch of questions regarding the battery pack, the easiest thing to do is simply remove the battery pack and enter the PPID into one of the fields on this page