Sidetrackedery

(From September 4, 2009)

Sidetrackedery, n.: the weird, interesting, and/or fun stuff I find via my ever-behindness in my LJ flist, from Twitter, emails, going back through friends' LJs, and elsewhere.

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:: Neato! From a_tergo_lupi, Gay families to join White House egg roll :D (from msnbc.msn.com)
:: Also from a_tergo_lupi, U.S. Census and Same-Sex Families: Epic Fail *disappointed sigh* (from bilerico.com)
:: And the main blog from above: The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ. One for the blogroll. :)
:: WORD. "Senator Kennedy did not go to England" Because he was a US Senator who had some of the best insurance available. FAIL, Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women For America. FAAAAAIL. (from bilerico.com)
:: From rahmbamarama, Obama's TV: sports, surprises Interesting. (from politico.com)
:: Horrible weird shit happens in Florida, makes Australian news. From atheism, Deranged mother shoots son, self at Florida shooting range. *headdesk* (from news.com.au)
:: From lavenderfrost, Not Yet Rain. Go watch it! (from notyetrain.org)
:: From antitheism, IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE AN ATHEIST. Right on. :) (from soulpancake.com)
:: From rahmbamarama, The Avatar Face Maker! (from manga.com)
:: From antitheism, Doctor pushes science over religion. (from media.www.gwhatchet.com) WIN:

Schempp, who holds a Ph.D. from Brown University, said he is a firm believer in the role of science and its dominance over religion. He is an accomplished physicist and was involved in the development of the MRI.

He said devotion to science is what made it difficult to believe in religion.

"The Bible is not a book of truth - no more than any other book written 2,000 years ago," he said.

It is because of these feelings that Schempp has devoted much of his life to limiting prejudice against atheists and increasing the separation of church and state. He finds the idea of forcing young children to recite prayers to be ludicrous, as they are doing so without meaning.

"Robots are neither patriotic nor spiritual," he said.

Ultimately, Schempp said he sees himself not as a critic of religion but as a firm believer in the First Amendment and the freedom of choice.

He told the audience to remember, "The Constitution mentions religion only twice, and both times 'no' is attached to it."

:: This fascinating conversation in atheism: The conflict between parsimony and hypothesizing the infinite.
:: Fuck yeah Florida! (Well, part of Florida.) From @FreedomToServe, Broward County, FL Passes Resolution Against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
:: From @USArmy, Soldiers try to maintain 'cool' during Battle Lab experiment
:: From eh_notsomuch, Rober Ebert on Bill O'Reilly. Right on:

Dear Bill: Thanks for including the Chicago Sun-Times on your exclusive list of newspapers on your "Hall of Shame." To be in an O'Reilly Hall of Fame would be a cruel blow to any newspaper. It would place us in the favor of a man who turns red and starts screaming when anyone disagrees with him. My grade-school teacher, wise Sister Nathan, would have called in your parents and recommended counseling with Father Hogben.

:: Two great webcomics: PVT Murphy's Law, which Chris introduced me to (we have all the books), and Jenny the Military Spouse (don't remember where I found that one...)