Obama resigns from his church

One of Obama's great strengths has been his ability to stand by his friends, even when they embarrass him. When Reverend Wright's racially-charged sermons came out, Obama did not use the opportunity to distance himself, but to open a dialogue about race in America and the differences between generations. But now, he has decided to resign from his church in light of the latest comments from his pastor and other pastors in the same building. Honestly, while I would never attend such a church myself on a regular basis, I can't help wondering if Obama is giving up the high ground in the interest of political expediency

Obama campaign communications director Robert Gibbs said Obama had resigned from the church "over the last few days."
Campaign aides said they weren't immediately certain how the resignation took place, whether by letter or in some other fashion, and were trying to find out.
Messages left for a church spokeswoman in Chicago were not immediately returned Saturday afternoon.
The development came as Obama campaigned in South Dakota.

This one is for Bowhunter

This may easily be the funniest and most painful thing I have read in months. Only click thru if you have no problem delighting in the pain of others. Luckily, Looney Tunes and Itchy and Scratchy prove few of us have a problem with this. Bowhunter has to read this either way!

As I sit here behind this laptop, I now realize that this definitely wasn’t the brightest idea I have ever had. I was going to rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it...The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope.

That deer EXPLODED.

The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity.

A deer– no chance.

Al-Qaeda on the verge of collapse?

I imagine after the political fiasco of the "Mission Accomplished" banner, the Bush Administration is loathe to call any conflict "near victory". But the CIA has now released a report indicating that Al-Qaeda may be on its last legs.

"On balance, we are doing pretty well," he said, ticking down a list of accomplishments: "Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally -- and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically' -- as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam," he said.

The sense of shifting tides in the terrorism fight is shared by a number of terrorism experts, though some caution that it is too early to tell whether the gains are permanent. Some credit Hayden and other U.S. intelligence leaders for going on the offensive against al-Qaeda in the area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the tempo of Predator strikes has dramatically increased from previous years. But analysts say the United States has caught some breaks in the past year, benefiting from improved conditions in Iraq, as well as strategic blunders by al-Qaeda that have cut into its support base.

"One of the lessons we can draw from the past two years is that al-Qaeda is its own worst enemy," said Robert Grenier, a former top CIA counterterrorism official who is now managing director of Kroll, a risk consulting firm. "Where they have succeeded initially, they very quickly discredit themselves."

This may also explain the rumored Bin Laden tape which calls for the use of WMDs on Western Civilians - a sign of desperation and a complete abandonment of any moral high ground by even the most ardent Militant Islamic observer.

Ward and I were discussing just yesterday the administrations unwillingness to toot its own horn right now in the Iraq War and the battle against Al-Gaeda. Do you think this is a reversal of that policy, or is the CIA trying to make their own news outside of the White House news cycle?

Build Your Own Font

Ever wanted to build your own font? It used to be that you would have to sit there with expensive software and lots of patience. Now, you'll still need patience, but at least it's free. I've only gotten as far as the letter A, but Fontstruct lets you create and download your own type interface for personal, non-commercial use.

It is all about your priorities

Where should politics and religion intersect?

Another interesting post went up recently at Revolution in Jesusland, a blog by a former (?) atheist who is studying the movement in Christianity today to revitalize itself. There is a lot of interesting stuff in there, but the piece that caught my attention was this.

On those points, the movement answers: "Okay, maybe, but Jesus never taught us to ‘take power.’ And so we must limit ourselves to witnessing from the ‘bottom’ and never try to put ourselves on ‘top’ in positions of power."

In college, I had friends who went off to join a weird little secretive Maoist party that was active on campus. It was a crazy thing to watch as they transported themselves back in time to the China of the 1940s. All their calculations about making social change here in America were messed up because their paradigm was based on the regime that Mao Zedong’s communists lived under as young persecuted revolutionaries. I think there’s a bit of that going on with this movement of Christian revolutionaries today. Too often, they’re applying the Way of Jesus to our modern-day world as though nothing has changed since the first-century Roman Empire.

But haven’t 2,000 years of redemptive history taken place since then?

This is a debate that Ward and I have from time to time. Where is Christianity supposed to be a "personal" phenomenon and where it is supposed to be a larger political force in the world. To break it down to the bare essentials of our argument, I would say the two sides are: (Nomad) "Jesus did not work on a political level and overtly rejected politics as a means to his ends. Thus, we should focus on the person-to-person side of our Christianity." (Ward) "Jesus's teachings affect all aspects of our lives and politics are just one more extension of our lives. Thus, our politics should be an active reflection of our morality and our Christianity." (This is obviously so simplistic as to almost be a caricature of the arguments, but I trust you get the point. Please be charitable in your responses.)

The question I continue to struggle with is how our personal sphere and the political sphere should intersect as Christians. Some people have wrought major change with political movements - Pat Robertson, the Moral Majority etc. But in the end, most of these are seen as failures or even embarrassments to the Church. But overall, the Christian movements that I see which have transformed our society have been apolitical - Promise Keepers, Billy Graham, etc.

What do Mod-Bloggers thing?

Rats, Rats, Everywhere...

A Piratie Thing

True for Many Men

Too much truth can be painful

Taxing the rich has no effect on revenues?

One of the ongoing debates in American politics is whether the rich pay their fair share. Republicans tend towards supply-side economics which says by freeing up the money of the rich, you ensure they have an incentive to reinvest in the economy which creates jobs for poor, middle class, and rich. Democrats tend to go the other way by saying by taxing the rich you free up additional money for the government to use in helping the poor. An interesting article on WSJ.Com claims that both sides are missing the point and no matter what the tax rate, the amount of money gathered by the IRS has stayed at about the same level.

Mr. Hauser uncovered the means to answer these questions definitively. On this page in 1993, he stated that "No matter what the tax rates have been, in postwar America tax revenues have remained at about 19.5% of GDP." What a pity that his discovery has not been more widely disseminated...The data show that the tax yield has been independent of marginal tax rates over this period, but tax revenue is directly proportional to GDP. So if we want to increase tax revenue, we need to increase GDP.

What happens if we instead raise tax rates? Economists of all persuasions accept that a tax rate hike will reduce GDP, in which case Hauser's Law says it will also lower tax revenue. That's a highly inconvenient truth for redistributive tax policy, and it flies in the face of deeply felt beliefs about social justice.

What does this mean for the next President? Perhaps that they need to rethink the standard politics of tax policy.

Edited 4:22 PM on 5/26 to correct spelling of "IRS" as per Ron's note.

Note to NBA Broadcasters

AGGRESSIVENESS IS NOT A WORD. The proper word for "displaying or characterized by being aggressive" is "aggression". Please make a note of it. The continual use of this non-word in describing players or what players should be doing is robbing me of any enjoyment of the NBA finals.

Thank you for your attention.

Wi-Fi Allergy?

I've heard a lot of wacky things in regards to technology, but this may take the cake. A group of people in Santa Fe are claiming to be allergic to wi-fi. Now I don't doubt that there is a possibility of people being sensative to particular forms of energy or radio broadcasts, but something about how these people are describing their problems makes me wonder if they're just looking for a way to complain. It seems that if you're allergic to cell phones you'd be sick pretty much all the time, especially in a major city like Santa Fe. And with wi-fi being so prevelant it seems like it would almost be impossible to go outside. I don't know, this just sounds fishy to me. What do you think?

Happy Birthday, Nick

Well, I'm a little late in the day for this, but Happy Birthday to frequent poster Nick!

Proof Math Geeks can sing...

...and pretty much proof they can't dance.

Even more Hulk to tease Ward with

Finally, an FM transmitter for iPhone without the GSM interference!

My Pontiac Vibe's radio has no "aux in" or iPod connector, so I have to stream my iPhone music to it via an FM transmitter. The one I have works fine, but as with all such devices I have to put up with GSM interference when the iPhone "phones home" to check for voice messages, etc. Finally, someone is coming out with a device that filters out the interference and will allow a full iPhone transmitting experience.

Of course having an Aux In or iPod Connector in your car is a better solution, but I don't want to spend several hundred dollars on a replacement radio or several thousand on a new car. And I am no audiophile.

Penthouse goes after Christian singles?

Tip o' the hat to Wacko for this one. Did you know Penthouse has up a new website for Christian singles? Is it an attempt to diversify the portfolio or get their pornographic foot in the door of the kingdom?

Further testimonial from a fresh-faced woman leaves little doubt as to the site's higher purpose: "I feel like my prayers of finding a respectable man have been answered! Thanks BigChurch!!"

So it may surprise users that BigChurch.com has a decidedly promiscuous corporate parent: Penthouse Media Group Inc. At a time when ever-raunchier Internet porn has made such mainstream mags as Penthouse and Playboy seem like throwbacks to more innocent times, these well-established brands have been trying to diversify and reinvent themselves. "If you're looking for adult content today, there are so many more places and many other ways to do that," says David Miller, an industry analyst and managing director at Los Angeles-based Sanders Morris Harris Group. "You can get it over the Internet for free."

Unfair or not. This means there is NO WAY I would ever give this website a try. Porn has destroyed too many lives and relationships for me to risk the fruit of a poisoned tree. Do Mod-Bloggers think that is fair or unfair?

The concept behind Holy Water

Having been a Protestant my whole life, my only real experience with Holy Water has been its use in vampire movies as a prop to fight the monsters. But I knew it was widely used by Cathoics and Eastern Orthodox Christians in their rites. I could see no biblical support for such a practice, so I was curious to see how it is justified. Wikipedia had some interesting answers.

Biblical References:

In the Old Testament, holy water is mentioned in Numbers 5:17, with regard to the preparation of the Bitter Water in the rite of the Jealousy Ordeal. Numbers 5:17 actually uses the phrase "holy water".
Other verses they may be used as reference for understanding the sacrament (not so much its effects) are Exodus 29:4, Leviticus 8:6; Exodus 30:17; Numbers 5:17; Numbers 8:5-7; 1 Kings 7:38-39; John 9:6-7; John 13:4-10; John 19:34
In John 9:6-7 we see Jesus using clay, spit, and the water of the "pool of Siloam" to heal a man. In John 13:4-10 Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles and seems to imply that the water cleanses. This event occurs right before the Last Supper, where Catholics believe that Jesus established the Eucharist and the Priesthood, thus John may be alluding to the rites described in the Old Testament (such as in Exodus 29:4, Leviticus 29:4, and Numbers 5:17)

Another View:

The use of holy water is based on the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and the Orthodox interpretation of this event. In their view, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, and the people came to have their sins washed away by the water. Since Jesus had no sin, but was God incarnate, his baptism had the effect not of washing away Jesus' sins, but of blessing the water, making it holy—and with it all of creation, so that it may be used fully for its original created purpose to be an instrument of life.

A very interesting view, to be certain. I still do not think there is any real Biblcal mandate for "Holy" water in Christian practice, but now at least it makes more sense to me. And I will admit I find the second quoted view to be quiet poetic and beautiful.

Is there a truly selfless good deed?

Dressing for Church

It has long been a controversy between the young and the old. "What is appropriate attire for church?" Some eras, it has been the old pushing for formality, while the young push for informality. Other eras, it has been the old comfortable in their informality, and the young pushing for nicer clothes and more formal experiences. The current swing appears to have the older Christians generally pushing for "dressing up" and younger Christians pushing for "dressing down." The two theories appear to go like this:

Dressing Up/Formality: Church is where we come to worship God. Part of worship is telling the object of worship how important they are by your dress. This is why we dress up when going on a date with someone new, and why we wear elaborate dresses and tuxedos to a wedding. God is the most important being in the universe and our lives individually, so we should wear our best when coming to worship him.

Dressing Down/Informality: Church is where we come to worship God. God is not one who looks at the outward person, but who looks at the heart. Our worship is a set of actions welling up out of an internal reality of love and devotion, and our outward appearance has little bearing on the inward reality. While we do not want to overtly disrespect God with our outward appearance (Paul advises us to "dress modestly"), it is simply not a matter that otherwise is important. So worshipers should be comfortable coming to worship in whatever clothing works for them.

I have spent most of my life in the latter group, and did not understand the former. "If God was not concerned about David dancing naked before him," I thought, "It will be no great issue to him whether I show up in a suit and tie, or a tshirt and jeans." But recently God has been working on my heart, and showing me that at least some of this attitude in me has been pure selfishness. I did not want to wear uncomfortable clothes, so I was looking for excuses to wear comfortable ones. Thus, for me, it has been more important of late to dress up a bit to show God that I put him first. But this is just my walk, and I do not plan to press this "revelation" on anyone else. Perhaps for others, "dressing up" is a sin of pride, for example, and God may ask them to dress down for a time.

What do you think? Where do you fall? Do you think church (or synogogue, etc.) should be a place of dressing up/formality or dressing down/informality? I am interested to read the reactions of other Mod-Bloggers. I know we don't all see it the same way.

$100 Laptop 2.0 Revealed

I have gone thru many stages with the One-Laptop-Per-Child project: excitement, confidence, (I then bought one thru the Give-1-Get-1 program), denial, anger, depression, cynicism, and now finally acceptance that the whole thing is collapsing under the weight of Nicolas Negroponte's ego. What began as a high minded attempt to bring educational change to the world has degraded into an attempt to become the next big laptop maker. Between Negroponte's attempts to torpedo all other cheap laptops and the decision to switch to Windows XP (after having dismissed MacOS X as "not free enough"), I simply no longer have any excitement or interest in the project. I view its value as primarily having been in driving the low-cost laptop revolution exemplified by the Assus EeePCs.

But that being said, the OLPC organization has a very different opinion of itself (well, those who haven't quit), and has just released the conceptual design for the XO-2 or OLPC 2.0. The highlights are that they want to make it an eBook-type device with two touchscreens (sort of a like a Ninentdo DS). It'll be smaller, cheaper ($75 is the target price), and require less power (the goal is to make it powerable off a hand-crank, something removed from the final XO-1 design). It is due out in 2010.

Will the XO-2 thrive where the XO-1 has... well... stagnated? My guess today is "No." Especially with its major supporters leaving right and left. But you never know. Mr. Negroponte has plenty of nay-sayers the first time around who never thought he'd ship one OLPC. And he proved them wrong.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

iPhone 3G releases June 9?

Many sites are now reporting that the iPhone 3G, a.k.a. iPhone 2.0, will launch on June 9. This allegedly has been confirmed by "inside sources" and matches other leaks found on fringe sites. This is exciting news, if true. I love my iPhone and the overall user experience. I have even caused a few friends and family members to get ones of their own.

I won't say that I will upgrade immediately. But I will mention I may have a used iPhone 1.0 for sale soon.

Senator Kennedy has brain cancer

It is being reported today that Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, after collapsing the other day with a seizure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_go_co/kennedy

Mod-bloggers who know me in real life may be aware that my father died of the same kind of malady. While the exact kind of cancer that the Senator is suffering from has not yet been determined, it is the same general classification. The good news for the Senator from our experience is that my father lived a long time after his first diagnosis - he was first diagnosed when I was in 4th grade and lived to see me enter college. The bad news is that it did eventually take his life - when I was a sophomore in college.

My prayers are with Senator Kennedy and his family today.

Senator Kennedy Has a Brain Tumor

The doctors for Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy have announced that he has a malignant brain tumor and they believe this is why he had a seizure last week. Our father had a brain tumor and lived another 10 years after his first surgery, so Senator Kennedy may yet live quite a bit longer depending on the type and aggressiveness of his type of tumor. Even those of us on the political Right wish him many more happy years on this earth.

We've all been there

Hulk CGI continues to evolve

A few weeks back, we had a short debate over the looks of the new Hulk in the upcoming INCREDIBLE HULK movie. I had posted images of various versions of the hulk on the small and big screen for comparison. It is now worth noting that the newest TV spots show an upgraded Hulk who looks even better than the one shown in the images from the earlier post. Click on over to check it out.

Got Milk?

A truck overturned today that was carrying Oreo Cookies and spilled 14 Tons of Oreos onto the street and median. All I can say is that I'm sure the squirrels or rabbits in the area will be hyper for weeks.

What is the REAL story of Hillary Clinton's loss?

Over the weekend, I have been seeing a LOT of articles castigating Democratic voters for not choosing Hillary Clinton as their nominee. Almost invariably, the gist of the article is "Hillary Clinton's loss is proof that America is still stuck in a world of male chauvanism and complete patriarchy." For an example, here is a New York Times article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/us/politics/19women.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&partner=MYWAY&adxnnlx=1211191320-3f%20LWxMJoE%20zlbaMhirBLQ&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

...But my own observation has been that Mrs. Clinton has been treated as the equal of Barack Obama by most commentators and voters. And that this is why she is losing. It is not that she is "too feminine" or "not strong enough", but rather that most of them feel she represents failed policies and an approach which will not work. She essentially was judged by the content of her character, not the color of her eyeshadow - to paraphrase MLK Jr.

What do Mod-Bloggers think? Was Senator Clinton hurt by sexism, or was it conspicuously absent from the race?

McCain on SNL

One negative McCain post, so one positive one, I guess.

McCain vs McCain

I have never been a big fan of John McCain. While I do think he is firm in his beliefs, we have seen over and over again that his beliefs are not quite the same as the average American or even the average Republican. I would rather have had more an idealist and a statesman.

Now that the Clinton/Obama contest is for all intents over, attention will turn toward the weaknesses of Senator McCain. This video is one such attempt, by a clearly anti-McCain website. Get ready. This is only the beginning.

The Trap of BluRay

I feel this way right now, although I did just upgrade to BluRay.

City to Church: STOP Feeding the Homeless!

There are times when it makes sense to speak up. And there are times when it is wisest to say nothing and look for your own solution. Take, for example, this case where a town had asked local churches to help with homelessness. One church began feeding the homeless, and now the town is asking them to stop.

Peace Lutheran Church has been delivering breakfast items like cereal and juice boxes every Thursday to homeless people in Jubilee Park.

But city council says the free food is also drawing in drug dealers and addicts, who have taken to congregating on the front steps of a seniors' centre next door.

The church says it won't stop.

The town needs to realize that they need to address the underlying causes of these issues, and not attack the church for making the problems visible.

Control the World!!! (Or at least a webcam)

Ever think "everyone is having a better time than me"? Well you can find out now by controlling a webcam at the Lake Pleasant Central School. Here I caught BowHunter on one of his charitable outings. He was in Upstate New York helping get Deerfoot Lodge ready for camp this summer. When you get to the webcam page, click on the Webcam icon to the bottom right of the picture and you can control the webcam with the sliding bars.

Visualizing 9/11

Warning, while there is nothing graphic about this video, some may wish to not view it as the visuals are quite intense. It gives some sense for what it would have been like to be inside the WTC when the planes hit on 9/11/01.

California Court Rules Ban On Gay Marriage Unconstitutional

Here in California we have a great process that allows us to keep our legislators in check. If we want a law and the legislature keeps dragging its feet, we can put it on the ballot, vote for it, and make it law. It's "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Back in March of 2000, California passed Proposition 22 which amended state law to read "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or
recognized in California." 61.4% of the people who voted on the proposition voted yes. Unfortunately, since it is only law and not part of the Constitution, it is still subject to the courts. Well, the top court in California has had its say and has deemed the ban on gay marriage unconstitutional. Now, I am against gay marriage, believing that, by definition, marriage is between one man and one woman, but I am also upset at how the will of the people were subverted by the courts. The system of checks and balances is a great thing... by having the courts able to declare a law unconstitutional, it is a check on the legislature. The problem I have is that the courts, instead of being "for the people" have decided to legislate from the bench not only overriding the people's will, but "creating law" as well - getting rid of the check and balance system. The next step for traditional marriage proponents will most likely have to be a constitutional amendment, which means more spending to "change" the law back to what it "is".

Information on Prop 22 taken from ProtectMarriage.com and the Official California Legislative Information site. Disclosure: ProtectMarriage.com is a former customer of my company prior to the sale of that part of our business.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

A New Trend in Crime Fighting

I think a new trend will begin in the post-9/11 world. I think victims will be more likely to fight back against those who are committing a crime. An example of this is a recent situation where some guys who were playing basketball behind a church were attacked by a guy with an AK-47. They rushed him and subdued him until the police could get there. Also, I heard on the radio on my way home from work today that a convenience store manager in Bridgeport, CT was approached while closing his store and threatened with a gun. He pulled out his own gun and shot the guy. The robber fled the scene and later tried to claim he was a victim of s drive-by shooting. He was arrested at the hospital.

Edwards endorses Obama

It took long enough, but finally Edwards has jumped off the fence. Now we'll see Clinton's counter-move. She is unlikely to take what she will see as betrayal, sitting down.

Woody Allen & Billy Graham

I had no idea this conversation ever took place. Proof that a Christian need not shrink back, even before the sharpest wit. Had tip to Boing Boing for finding this one.

Is the GOP's only hope an anti-establishment revolution within the party?

As the Republican Party is reeling from a major loss in Mississippi - once considered the reddest of red states - the party is facing the obvious: it is going to be a bad year to be a Republican running for office. Interestingly, however, I do not get the sense it is a bad year to be a Conservative. As I poll the people around me, most are still open to traditionally Conservative values - family, freedom of religion, pro-life, fiscal restraint, etc. - but disenchanted with the part of George W. Bush, specifically.

This raises the obvious question: IS IT TIME FOR ANOTHER REPUBLICAN REVOLUTION? The first in my lifetime was the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan lead a transformation in the party that has become legend. The second revolution was the Contract With America which swept Republicans into a majority status in Congress where they had been the minority for over 20 years. There is a common strain to both of these revolutions was: fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, smaller government, and government accountability. Guess what has been undermined since 9/11 transformed the GWB White House: fiscal responsibility, smaller government, and government accountability.

It is time for someone - probably NOT John McCain - to start the third revolution of my lifetime dedicated to Conservative principles, and not just the Republican party. Problem is, I have no idea who has the credibility and appeal to do so. Not Ron Paul. But it is exactly this need driving his candidacy.

Catch-22

Scanning membership cards into your camera-phone

This is a great idea. I am always losing those "frequent buyer cards, but my iPhone is always with me.

http://www.tisgoud.nl/blog/2008/05/11/WalletCardsOnMyIPhone.aspx

Fraggle Rock coming to a cineplex near you

I never really watched the show, but I had/have lots of friends who did. So, I'm fairly certain they will be excited about a Fraggle Rock movie that is being produced. Fortunately it'll be produced in large part by Jim Henson Co., so at least it'll be somewhat like my friends remember.

Random Thought - Speedometers

If automobile companies want us to be law-abiding citizens, why are speedometers set to show speeds up to (and in some cases beyond) 120 MPH? And why are they tilted in such a way that when you reach 65 MPH (the average max speed allowable on American highways), the needle is still not at the "midpoint" of the gauge visually? Would changing the orientation of speedometers lead to less speeding?

Or is it all just a conspiracy to meet police budgets by giving out tickets? ;-)

Super Memory

I would not say I have a great memory, though I do have a knack for remembering random trivia. Still, while I wouldn't mind my memory improving, I'd hate to have the memory that these people have. Some people are able to remember the littlest detail of events years ago.

Why do they cut off dog's tails?

This weekend, while walking our dog Biscuit, a black spaniel came up to greet her. It was cute to see the spaniel wagging her tai, but it had been docked (removed) so close to her rear that she was basically wagging her butt. I had wondered before why people dock the tails of some dogs, and the answer I always heard was "Just because." There was no logical reason to be had, no matter how many times I asked. Finally, to day I think I have found the answer and it makes some historical sense.

A number of working gundog breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation and thick brambles, where their fast tail action can easily lead to torn and bleeding tails which are painful and extremely difficult to treat. Docking the end of the tail eliminates the risk of injury.

Working terriers are docked for the same reason. In addition, terriers which are bred to hunt below ground for purposes such as fox control, have their tails docked to a length which is more practical when working in a confined space.

Other non-working breeds which have an enthusiastic tail action, are also liable to damage their tails, even in the home.

Since docking was banned in Sweden in 1989, there has been a massive increase in tail injuries amongst previously docked breeds.

I am still not sure it makes complete sense, but at least there is a real reason now.

L.I.N.D.A. Club

My mother just told me about this site. Any guess as to what her first name is?

This is cute: MY NO TV

This is a cute anti-TV screed. I don't entirely agree, but I think it is worth thinking deeply about.

We have a No TV in our living room.

Sometimes I think it’s our most valuable possession.

Our No TV gives the whole family somewhere between one and six extra hours every day. It’s hard to add hours to a day, but the No TV does it.

I do wonder if with the digital TV conversion coming February 2009, more people will decide to forego TV than upgrade.

New Clone Wars Trailer!

A new trailer is up! And now we get some sense of the plot: Jabba the Hutt's son is kidnapped and the Jedi need to retrieve him before the Clone Wars are a two front war which the Republic would likely lose.

Personally, I am always ready for more STAR WARS.

Mitt Romney: Freedom and Religion are Inextricably Linked

Recently, Mitt Romney gave another speech on faith and government at the Metropolitan Club in NYC, where he was accepting the Becket Fund's Canterbury Medal for defending religious freedom. He took this chance to answer some critics of his earlier speech who condemned him for ignoring the contributions of the a-religious - specifically atheists.

...Would America and the freedom she inaugurated here and across the world survive--over centuries--if we were to abandon our faith in God?

I don’t believe so...

Nor can we overlook that people of faith have a unique appreciation for freedom. Because the practice of religion requires freedom, liberty is especially precious to people of faith. They are willing to sacrifice much to protect it.

“We and God have business with each other,” even the father of pragmatism William James once observed. “In opening ourselves to his influence, our deepest destiny is fulfilled.” When a people’s “deepest destiny” can only be realized in a land of liberty, you can expect that that land and its liberty will be preserved at any cost. As indeed it has!

It is an interesting argument and one that I suspect the Founders would have had no problem with - even those who were deists who believed in only a clockmaker God who wound up the universe and never much interacted with it again. But it still leaves open the question whether reason - unrestrained by a particular religious creed or belief in God - can sustain a government dedicated to Freedom. No such government has been founded and endured, although some would argue the secular European states are evidence that it could work. But, of course, the primary anti-religious governmental structure of the last 100 years - Communism - was certainly also anti-freedom in its practice by each and every example of its government.

What do Mod-Bloggers think? How linked are religious practice - belief in God, anyway - and freedom and liberty as in the American sense?

Useful Tool: MemoToMe.Com

Here is another useful online tool. You can set it up to send you scheduled e-mail reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, monthly commitments, or one-time events. I am using it to remind me to bring my camera to work on Monday. And it is free (the service, not the camera).

http://www.memotome.com/

They Won't Accept Help

Showing again that some countries just won't let others help, the military government of Myanmar has seized UN relief shipments into their country which has forced the UN to stop sending in more food and supplies. The Government has not given a reason to the UN yet, but the company line for why the government is not accepting other types of help is "We can handle our own situation better with out others." It makes you wonder what the government is hiding.

McCain/Clinton 2008: Not Gonna Happen

I used to respect Mike Gallagher in his early days in WABC radio in NYC. He was a talk show host who tried to keep the perspective of the common man, but with a Conservative spin. Unlike Rush Limbaugh, he did not engage in theater for its own sake. And unlike Shawn Hannity, he did not lapse into shtick when he got bored or annoyed. But after he was paired with a particular partner, Mr. Gallagher decided that the "honest, common man" approach was not paying the bills, and began a career of constantly shooting at easy targets to get a reaction via cheap shots.

http://townhall.com/Columnists/MikeGallagher/2008/05/09/the_ultimate_conservative_nightmare

This newest article is another attempt at the cheap shot. He asks the what-if question (which he claims a caller brought up first) of a McCain/Clinton ticket for 2008, and speculates that such a ticket would be unbeatable. But the reality is that such a ticket would be unelectable for a number of reasons. (1) Only hard-code McCain and Clinton supporters could stomach such a ticket. The base of the GOP (Conservatives) could never vote for any ticket with a Clinton on it, and the base of the Democratic Party (Liberals) could never vote for a ticket that includes someone who opposed their nominee. Without either base, you're in a minority. (2) John McCain's draw is as a man who sticks by his guns, even if his ideas are sometimes at odds with his friends. Hillary Clinton is opposed to John McCain in nearly every important issue. (3) While McCain is known for crossing the aisle and working with Democrats, Hillary Clinton has not been known for the same kind of spirit. It would be one thing to embrace Joe Lieberman, but another entirely to embrace an extreme partisan. (4) Hillary Clinton has seen what Vice President meant for mean like Al Gore, and that being a losing running mate can end your career. She wants power, not position, and would only take VP in an administration she knew she could have considerable control over. (5) Hillary Clinton has ambitions beyond the presidency. If she loses this nomination, she would be a front-runner for New York Governor. And even if not, she has considerable power in the Senate. Why give all that up for a political stunt? (6) Whatever John McCain does in this election is his last political Will and Testament. Do you really think he wants his last memorandum to history to be "I'll hitch my wagon to anyone to win."

So, if you hear this meme on Talk Radio, see it on Drudge, or get forwarded it by a well-meaning panicky friend, recognize it for what it is. It is a cheap shot at a showman looking for ratings. It has no connection with reality.

CallerComplains.Com

Even though I am registered with the Do-Not-Call list, I still periodically get a call from an unknown number which turns out to be an unsolicited sales call. (Usually in Spanish, for some reason.) I typically use Google to try and track down these numbers, but now there is a new website that can be of more direct help. The Website CallerComplaints.Com is a free site where consumers aggregate their experiences with Do-Not-Call Scofflaws so that the rest of us can know who left that unanswered call number on our caller id. Click on over and check it out the next time you are not sure who is calling.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Mmm... New Star Wars Poster...

The new poster for the STAR WARS CGI movie is up and ready for your viewing pleasure. Personally, I am just a slave to the Star Wars marketing machine, but if you interested for better reasons, click on the image below for the news.

Why do they euthanize horses with broken legs?

After the sad end of Eight Bells in the Kentucky Derby, the logical question was raised, "Why not put her on a horsey bed and let her recover?" this article explains why this makes sense for a human but not a horse, in a medical sense.

http://www.livescience.com/mysteries/080506-llm-horse-bones.html

Russert: It's Over, Obama is the Nominee

Last night, the vote counts appear to show a large margin of victory for Obama in North Carolina (15 points or more) and a small win for Clinton in Indiana (less than 5 points). This has lead Tim Russert to finally declare it is over and Obama is the nominee. Apparently, Senator Clinton has cancelled all public appearances for a few days while she reviews the results and considers her next steps. The question now is, will she concede, or will this fight be taken all the way to the Convention floor. We all know the Clintons are capable of deciding to use every dirty trick to try and overturn the results, but doing so would likely destroy the Democratic Party in the near term. Can she put the good of her party ahead of herself?

It could be an interesting week for politics-watchers.

Lemmings

Free Christian Music

iTickets.com is offering a free Christian single of the week in exchange for registering. I have just registered, so I can't comment on the amount of spam, but as always when registering with an unknown site, use an e-mail address you don't care about. You can get the free song here.

Products From Google You May Have Not Known About

Lifehacker has up the "Top 10 Google Products You Forgot All About". For me, I had heard of most of them, but some of them were new.

Why ethicists needs to watch Star Trek

I have gotten grief over the years for my enjoyment of science fiction. Many see it as an art form devoid of maturity, suitable only for adolescent boys seeking wish fulfillment. But the fact is that science fiction is the story form of the moral dilemma. It allows one to put a character into extreme situations where ethics are pushed to their limit, and it works out the proper course of action. From 1984 to Star Trek (Guardian on the Edge of Forever) to The Matrix, it helps us to find the edges of our morality and find the human answers to hard questions.

The reason I bring this up is a new report from the American College of Chest Physicians which attempts to figure out how to properly triage patients during a worldwide pandemic. In an attempt to provide objective, universal guidelines, they have laid out an Orwellian nightmare where doctors are choosing which of us have more or less value. The old, the handicapped, and those with mental diseases are to be put to the bottom of the list. Is it reassuring to know that John McCain (old man), FDR (paralyzed from the waist down), and Abe Lincoln (extreme, crippling depressioN) might be left to die under these guidelines?

But science fiction has crossed this rubicon many times, in many different short stories, novels, television shows, and movies. The real human method of triage is simple and the same one used in battlefields all over the world. Treat the patient LEAST likely to die first, then the next, and so on. The only judgement required here is medical in nature, not ethical, and thus no doctor or medic is forced to make the impossible choices of whether a retarded boy, an old woman, or a seriously injured soldier is more "worthy" of treatment. The only question to ask is, "Who am I mostly likely to be able to save.

We need to send these people the DVDs to Firefly. Seriously.

Microsoft to Yahoo: "No mas!"

In a surprising move, Microsoft has called off the dogs and will no longer pursue a Yahoo acquisition by any means. It appears that Microsoft was prepared to go hostile until Yahoo's board made it clear that they were willing to commit corporate suicide in order to prevent such a takeover by outsourcing its search-ads business to Google - essentially dumping the talent that Micosoft was hoping to acquire by the takeover.

There is a lot of speculation out there for what this means for the I/T world: Steve Balmer being fired as a failed CEO, Yahoo's stock suffering a fatal plunge in a "Black Monday" selloff, Google announcing formal acquisition of Yahoo, antitrust charges being filed against Google, etc. We'll have to wait and see what reality brings.

But as a Yahoo stockholder, I am glad to know I will not soon be a Microsoft shareholder.

Cinco De Mayo

I was asking around this last week what "Cinco De Mayo" was, and got answers that varied from "Mexican Independence Day" to "Spanish Marti Gras". So, in the end, I decided to give up and check out Wikipedia instead.

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "5th of May") is primarily a regional and not an obligatory federal holiday in Mexico. The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), which is the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

So there you have it. Now at least if you go out partying tonight, you'll know why.

New DARK KNIGHT (Batman) Tailer is up

Click on over. Please be aware it is pretty intense and somewhat disturbing.

A Good Reminder

Best... Political Ad... Ever!

Pet ownership

Lenovo vs MacBook Air

Everyone I have spoken to or read who owns a MacBook Air love it. But it is definitely NOT the device for me, and this spoof by/for Lenovo makes the point pretty well as to what the Air leaves out. Plus, it makes me laugh.

Comparing Hulk 2003 to Hulk 2008

A good deal of the discussion of the HULK trailer the last couple of days has been whether the new Hulk looks too much like the old Hulk. Here are a few photos to compare.


Hulk 2008


Hulk 2003


Hulk 1978


Hulk 1962

Movie Review: AUGUST RUSH

First, a moment of pause. This is Mod-Blog's 5,000 post.

[Pause]

AUGUST RUSH is an inspiring movie staring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, and Robin Williams. Evan Taylor (Highmore) is given to an orphanage where he grows up not knowing his mother or father. He can hear music in the world around him and believes that through the music of the world, he will be able to connect with his parents. The film runs with this theme with an amazing soundtrack. The soundtrack is not such that you should run out an buy it, but rather that it is so closely woven into the film, it is almost a character itself.

Lyla Novacek (Russell) and Louis Connelly (Meyers) have a random meeting with the end result being Evan Taylor. Lyla's father, wanting to protect his family's reputation, breaks them up and tricks Lyla into thinking that Evan is dead when in reality, he has sent Evan to an orphanage to be forgotten. Terrence Howard plays Richard Jeffries, a social worker trying to make a difference, especially with Evan. Evan loses the contact information of a person he is supposed to call and instead finds himself wandering around New York City. While he is walking around, he finds a boy playing a guitar on the street who introduces him to "Wizard" (Williams), a used-to-be beggar who now has made an enterprise of finding street kids, teaching them to play, and then making money off of them. When "Wizard" sees Evan's talent, he tries to groom Evan as one of his own, putting obstacles in his way of reconnecting with his parents. The story continues building, blending the separate story lines into one story using music as a catalyst along the way. While the film would be a decent feel-good movie without the music, the music is what makes this movie worth seeing. If you haven't seen August Rush yet, you should.

August Rush is rated PG for some thematic elements, mild violence, and language. It is 113 minutes long. The Kids-in-Mind review can be found here