journal

Insanity

Some IMAX theaters not screening volcanoes flick

The IMAX theater in Charleston and several others in the South have passed on showing a science film on volcanoes because of concerns it might offend those with fundamental religious beliefs.

[...]

The film makes a connection between human DNA and microbes inside undersea volcanoes. Buzzelli said the handling of evolution was considered in her decision.

IMAX theaters in Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas have declined to show the film, said Pietro Serapiglia who handles distribution for Stephen Low, the film's director and producer who is from Montreal.

"I find it's only in the South," Serapiglia said.

A significant portion of the world's population is insane (it's called 'religion'). I'm not saying all religious people are insane, of course. What I *am* saying is that if you believe it's raining cuz a &diety made it rain, you're insane. If you believe scientists are lying when they say some worm on the bottom of the ocean has genetic similarities to humans, even when the scientists have incontrovertible evidence of this fact, you're insane.

If you're offended that reality doesn't match your fantasy world, you're insane.

By definition. Look it up.

XM is rockin'

I listen to XM all day, and what I listen varies wildly depending on my mood. Just now, I'm in kind of a retro-newwavy-mood, and XM is delivering: the last 5 songs have been funky 12" remixes of:

• New Order (True Faith)
  
• Erasure (Stop!)
  
• Men In Hats (Stop Goes the World)
  
• Alphaville (Big In Japan)
  
• Wang Chung (Dance Hall Days)
  

Good thing I wasn't in a early Punk mood :)

Yay! Can we secede now?

Yahoo! News - Judge Says Calif. Can't Ban Gay Marriage

A judge ruled Monday that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, saying the state could no longer justify limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

I've always looked at goverment + marriage from a very cynical point of view. Historically, it has been good for governments for couples to marry and have lots of babies. It was one of Locke's measures for a country's wealth. In fact, looking at our current trends (educated couples are having less and less children, while the rest are still having plenty - this bodes ill for our country's future), it looks like we need more incentives, not cecessarily financial - an affluent couple isn't likely to pop out another toddler for another $2600 deduction.

So, while I do think the government should be at least somewhat involved in managing it's demographics, it should *really* lay off trying to manage its constituent's morals. So yay.

That said, I'm bracing for the onslaught of fear and hate, generally wafting over the mountains from parts East...

How to Establish a Personal Photographic Style

We all struggled with the concept of personal style as well as with the perceived necessity to somehow acquire a personal style. I remember the discussions we had among students first at the Beaux Arts, where I studied painting and drawing, then later at the American Center, also in Paris, where I studied photography. These discussions centered around how we were going to develop a personal style and how this was going to happen. At the time we could not visualize what that style was going to be nor if it was going to be. Our discussions regularly ended with the belief that personal style developed over time, that we had to wait, work at our current projects and expect a unique vision to emerge from our hard work at some point in the future.

The above strikes me as the beginning of a nugget o' wisdom. In reality, there is no personal style. There is only absolute excellence. What looks like 'personal style' is a shadow, a reflection, of the Best Way. Some of us (sometimes, it feels like the minority of us) are striving for the Best Way. There are nearly infinite Almost Best Ways (or Good Enough Ways, same difference), and when we figure one of those out, we consider it a Personal Style.

I'm no relativist. There are stupid, obviously Wrong Ways. Stupid, I say. See randi.org for a great list of Wrong Ways, for example. But My Way? It's probably wrong too. The only Right thing about it is that I'm still looking for the Right Way..

Never, ever ever blog whilst drunk. It ain't pretty. :P

A Picture Share!

the mood meter

Idiot School

KIROTV.com - Education - First-Grader Suspended Because Mom Wouldn't Spank Him

"The administrator ... called me outside her office and said that it needed to be handled. I said, 'OK, when I take him home, I'll use my form of discipline,' and she said, 'No, either you go inside my office and spank him, or I am suspending him from school for a day,'" Fallaw-Gabrielson said.

"At that point, my eyes filled with tears and I said, 'I guess he's just suspended for the day,'" she said.

We have never spanked our children. Ever. Are they spoiled? Not even slightly. You won't find two more respectful, courteous, sensitive kids anywhere. Moreover, they don't behave this way out of fear - they do it out of love.

When I say they respect people, I don't mean they treat people nicely because they might be punished if they don't. I mean the respect people. They do it because they are treated with respect. They do it because it is in their character, instilled by their loving parents.

Humans, oy!

The Australian: Russians embrace their old Uncle Joe [March 08, 2005]

Although several decades younger than most of those around him, Yuri Vassilyev, 33, was happy to admit to their common cause: a fondness for Joseph Stalin, the dictator whose purges are blamed by Western historians for the deaths of up to 20 million Soviet citizens.

"Look, everyone makes mistakes," Mr Vassilyev said. "Stalin wasn't a saint, but he was a great man who built up a strong state.

sigh

A Picture Share!

california has no money for teachers, but football? no problem.

Greenspan Now Officially Wingnut Mouthpiece

Yahoo! News - Greenspan Touts Idea of a Consumption Tax

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on Thursday said some form of a consumption tax - such as a national sales tax - could spur greater economic growth

Years ago, I respected Greenspan's fiscal conservatism - don't borrow more than you absolutely have to, live within your means, don't be stupid about your stock buys.

Lately, though, he's just about gone over the edge. When he gets up there and doesn't just not debunk SS myths, but actually endorses some of the wingnuttier ideas, he's just being a mouthpiece, another (old and prunish) Hannity.

And now this Flat Tax thing. Stupid.

The thing is, he hems and haws, carefully laying out all the caveats, all the reasons this might go wrong, and the enormous difficulty in pulling it off. All the repugs are going to here is:

greenspan: "blah blah blah national sales tax blah blah spur growth"

Bottom line, we don't tax enough. Huge portions of the fiscal lanscape aren't carrying their fair burden. Going to a national tax is just going to further excacerbate the problem, letting corporations off the hook entirely.

:: MWEB News :: >> Couples 'don't know where babies come from'

Some 30 percent of couples in the predominantly Catholic Philippines are not aware that having sex can result in babies, the health secretary said on Tuesday.

I give up. It's hopeless. I'm moving to Mars.