This Is Getting Out of Control

"By Greg Miller
ScienceNOW Daily News
2 October 2008

With the meltdown of the global economy, many people think that their financial future is beyond their control. In such uncertain times, it's probably a good idea to take a deep breath before making any big decisions, because, according to a new study, the mind can play tricks on people when they think they've lost control of a situation."

This also explains the delusions, paranoia and conspiracy theories about Obama

I did go fly yesterday

 

I don't always rant. I flew for an hour yesterday and the last Young Eagles rally for the year is next weekend.
Gas is down a little, with my discount is was only $5.04. Why do they price auto gas to the thousandth? $3.319? Oops, sorry, that is ranting...

And She's the California Constitution

YouTube - And She's the California Constitution:

I fully believe marriage is a religious idea that got forced into our laws.  If I had my way, all reference to "marriage" would be removed from our laws to be replaced with civil union.  But that ain't happening anytime soon.

Who Caused the Economic Crisis?

FactCheck.org: Who Caused the Economic Crisis?: "The U.S. economy is enormously complicated. Screwing it up takes a great deal of cooperation."

That is damn straight.

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

WAZZUP!

Excellent Debate Last Night!

 

In Defense of Dignity - Features - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper

In Defense of Dignity - Features - The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper:
"The proper response to religious opposition to choice or love or death can be reduced to a series of bumper stickers: Don't approve of abortion? Don't have one. Don't approve of gay marriage? Don't have one. Don't approve of physician-assisted suicide? For Christ's sake, don't have one. But don't tell me I can't have one—each one—because it offends your God.
Fuck your God."

ISS and Moon

I caught the space station passing by the moon tonight. http://www.heavens-above.com had the times and showed it passing just by the moon. If we had gone down to Santa Cruz, it would have passed closer but I didn't notice that until to late to run down there.

For the nerds: Cannon Rebel XTi on an Orion 5" Maksutov 1540mm telescope. 1/1250" at ISO 1600.

Evolution

Evolution is a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations.
http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-is-evolution.html

Make-Believe Maverick

Religulous

 

Liz, Allena, and I went to see Religulous Friday night.  It was both very funny and scary if you take it literally.  Bill Maher mostly interviewed the kooks so it is a bit skewed, but there are some mainline points that I don't think are off the mark.  The crazyness that people are fighting and dying for the "holy land" even today is insanity.  Especially since nuclear weapons are involved.   He stresses on the kooks but anyone with serious faith is going to have to look at themselves to see if they are just as kooky. And then face the last point:

"Grow up or die."     

 

"80% of Republicans are just Democrats who don't know what is going on." 

 

Biden / Palin debate - favorite Bidenisms

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/debates/transcripts/vice-presidential-debate.html

BIDEN: I'll be very brief. Can I respond to that?

Look, the maverick -- let's talk about the maverick John McCain is. And, again, I love him. He's been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people's lives.

He voted four out of five times for George Bush's budget, which put us a half a trillion dollars in debt this year and over $3 trillion in debt since he's got there.

He has not been a maverick in providing health care for people. He has voted against -- he voted including another 3.6 million children in coverage of the existing health care plan, when he voted in the United States Senate.

He's not been a maverick when it comes to education. He has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college.

He's not been a maverick on the war. He's not been a maverick on virtually anything that genuinely affects the things that people really talk about around their kitchen table.

Can we send -- can we get Mom's MRI? Can we send Mary back to school next semester? We can't -- we can't make it. How are we going to heat the -- heat the house this winter?

He voted against even providing for what they call LIHEAP, for assistance to people, with oil prices going through the roof in the winter.

So maverick he is not on the important, critical issues that affect people at that kitchen table.

---

BIDEN: Look, past is prologue, Gwen. The issue is, how different is John McCain's policy going to be than George Bush's? I haven't heard anything yet.

I haven't heard how his policy is going to be different on Iran than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy is going to be different with Israel than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy in Afghanistan is going to be different than George Bush's. I haven't heard how his policy in Pakistan is going to be different than George Bush's.

It may be. But so far, it is the same as George Bush's. And you know where that policy has taken us.

We will make significant change so, once again, we're the most respected nation in the world. That's what we're going to do.