80% of the time I'm just as self-absorbed as I ever have been in what I'm thinking about (wedding shoes, wedding appointments, emails, work drama, the minor tragedy of a sudden cold).

The other 20% of the time (mainly when reading internet news or listening to NPR) I'm railing to myself: What the fuck am I doing with this inconsequential shit when ( Read more... )

My allegiances to a Democratic contender have been constantly shifting over the past few months, so it was almost more relieving than annoying that I couldn't vote in the CA primary. Back then, I was pretty strong for Hillary. After a few months of being annoyed at Hillary because, well, she's Hillary and has always had the charisma of a raisin, I ( Read more... )

As a followup to the Expelled post from the other week, here's a sign that friendly ole' atheist Richard Dawkins and his webmasters have waaaay too much time on their hands:

Click to view

In which various respected academics rage over the fact that they have lost credibility for believing the Story Theory of human reproduction (parody of Ben Stein's trailer, of ( Read more... )

I was thinking about going to see the Horton Hears a Who movie, until I was driving to pick up my glasses the other day and heard this little gem on the radio. It's a scathing review by Peter Sagal - the host of NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell me newsquiz. I'm glad it saves me the $9, but irritated that once again Seuss has been carved up by the movie ( Read more... )

Ben Stein has a movie coming out, Expelled, in which he argues that the scientific establishment is engaged in a willful Crusade to expunge all scientists who don't hold to the dogma of Darwinism, but instead argue for a theory of intelligent design.
The movie contains interviews with PZ Meyers, mild-mannered biologist and atheist agitator who ( Read more... )

What did everyone think of Obama's speech? I really liked it. The things he said weren't earth-shattering, but there's disturbingly few people running for president who would lay their opinions about race on the line like that. Plus, he's very articulate. That always helps. After Bush, I have a deep-seated suspicion of pithy, inarticulate people ( Read more... )

According to Perez Hilton (not a source I should ever cite ever again), a man was recently arrested in an Oregon Target for masturbating in an aisle and ejaculating on a woman.  He was charged with harassment, a criminal misdemeanor.

Why not sexual assault charges?

It's the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (just wrote "Rove v Wade"!) this Tuesday, so abortion statistics and articles have been popping out of the woodwork lately.
MSNBC (shockingly) had an article I found surprising in several ways.
Who's getting abortions? Not who you'd think
"Half of the roughly 1.2 million U.S. women who have abortions each year ( Read more... )

It's been awhile since the death of a public figure has come as such a punch to the gut and such a feeling of disbelief. Probably the last one to hit so hard was Johnny Cash when I was in my final year at college, but that was accompanied by a feeling of inevitability and release for a tired old man. Her targeted assassination, while not totally ( Read more... )

I submitted my applications on Wednesday and Friday last week, and got a letter of acceptance yesterday from one of my two top choices!! o_O I wasn't even nervous yet, because I didn't expect to hear for another month or so...Haven't accepted yet, because I'd like to see how my funding options pan out at the other schools as well ( Read more... )