Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Women's Studies Professor Laments How Women Vote
Interesting.
Interesting.
In every election, there's a chance that women will be the decisive force that will elect someone who embraces their views. Yet they seem never to have done so, and I've never seen a satisfactory answer as to why. My own theory is that women don't decide elections because they're not rational political actors -- they don't make firm policy commitments and back the candidates who will move society in the direction they want it to go. Instead, they vote on impulse, and on elusive factors such as personality.
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he second lesson is that elections that turn on the female electorate bear an unfortunate resemblance to a popularity contest. The Republicans have succeeded with women at the polls when they've made Democrats look not just mistaken, but clownish or geeky. Reagan in blue jeans beat Jimmy Carter in a cardigan. George H.W. Bush looked like John Wayne next to Dukakis peering over the edge of a tank in a helmet.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Too Weird, Even for Hamas
Lions Club and the Rotarians, tools of Zionism. Yeah, sure.
Hamas dismisses the Freemasons, Lions Club, and the Rotarians as organizations promoting "the interest of Zionism." It accuses those organizations, and the "Zionist invasion" in general, of being "behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds."
Lions Club and the Rotarians, tools of Zionism. Yeah, sure.
Labels: Lions Club, Rotarians, zionism
Thursday, January 25, 2007
A Test of Wills and the Senate Resolution
Osama bin Laden thought the United States was soft. "A paper tiger." Apply a little bit of pressure and they will capitulate.
Now, with that in mind, what does unwillingness to succeed in Iraq signal to our enemies? How about Muslims who under pressure in the Middle East?
Would you want to align with the United States? I don't know about you, but I know my real friends. They help me when things are going badly. They don't abandon me.
Osama bin Laden thought the United States was soft. "A paper tiger." Apply a little bit of pressure and they will capitulate.
Now, with that in mind, what does unwillingness to succeed in Iraq signal to our enemies? How about Muslims who under pressure in the Middle East?
Would you want to align with the United States? I don't know about you, but I know my real friends. They help me when things are going badly. They don't abandon me.
Labels: iraq
Monday, January 22, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Plantinga on Dawkins
Based on the review, it appears Dawkins gave me the runaround when he tried to answer my comments. More on that later.
Based on the review, it appears Dawkins gave me the runaround when he tried to answer my comments. More on that later.
Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter
An Imperial Porter made with espresso from my local brewery. I'm going to have to get some of this even though I don't consume caffeine.
An Imperial Porter made with espresso from my local brewery. I'm going to have to get some of this even though I don't consume caffeine.
Labels: beer
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Iran Funding Sunni Insurgents
I would tell the Iraqi Shi'ites this immediately in order to drive a wedge between Iraqi and Iranian Shi'ites.
I would tell the Iraqi Shi'ites this immediately in order to drive a wedge between Iraqi and Iranian Shi'ites.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Why Junk DNA Is Important to Discuss
I've posted a good bit regarding Junk DNA. The comments on this post help explain why.
I've posted a good bit regarding Junk DNA. The comments on this post help explain why.
It was once supposed that 98% of the human genome was junk. To the Darwinists this was evidence of bad design, and further more, they said “junk” in the genome is more consistent with a mindless, wasteful evolutionary processes than intelligent design.
One prominent researcher wrote me an unsolicited e-mail and said I should disbelieve the design hypothesis because of the “pathetic architecture of the human genome”. He was apparently referring to the “junkDNA”.
These scientific developments appear to refute the “junkDNA” arguments.
Also, and this is far more technical, in order to rescue evolutionary theory they had to invoke junkDNA to solve a problem posed by geneticist Motoo Kimura. Kimura realized the overwhelming majority of the molecules in organisms are not subject to natural selection, nor could they ever have been…
Therefore, it became evident that finding large amounts of functionality in the 3.5 giga base pairs of our genome and in the genomes of other creatures would signify that there exists very many designs in nature that cannot be theoretically accounted for by Natural Selection. That amount of base-pairs is too many for natural selection to create one-base-pair at a time given the number of possible individuals within each species.
That is why there is strong institutional bias against the work of Dr. Pellionisz and others. The new findings fly in the face of everything they have been asserting for decades. Pellioniz work which can improve medical research can also be used to bash evolutionary biology.
...
From and empirical and theoretical standpoint let me point out, these developments combined with the work of Kimura and elaborated by ReMine and Standford (and Designer-willing many more) have shown that Natrual Selection can’t be the source of these designs.
To illustrate, consider that you have a mouse-like creature, how much functional change to it’s genome can you expect on average over time per generation? Not much. Evolution has a limited amount of parts it can add even under favorable situations. If 3.5 giga base pairs of DNA are mostly functional, there is simply not enough time and resources to build such a fabulous structure.
In addition to that, there are serious rumblings that DNA could be only a fraction of the real information storage of the cell. A FRACTION! ID-friendly researcher James Shapiro (he is not formally an ID proponent) is doing exciting work on this topic. It may be, the whole cell, and not just the DNA is a wonderfully recursive memory storage device where almost every molecule counts for something!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
How to Lower New Jersey's Property Taxes
Gov. Corzine wants to lower our property taxes. More power to him, but I have an idea.
New Jersey, from what I hear, puts demands on the municipalities and local school districts without funding them. If you eliminate unfunded mandates, property taxes could be lowered.
Gov. Corzine wants to lower our property taxes. More power to him, but I have an idea.
New Jersey, from what I hear, puts demands on the municipalities and local school districts without funding them. If you eliminate unfunded mandates, property taxes could be lowered.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
How the USA Today Tries to Scare with Graphics
I saw the above graphic in the following article about warm winter weather wreaking havoc.
Notice they want to make a 1 degree Fahrenheit raise in temperature since 1860 scary. And how do they do this? Degrees 0 to 56 are lopped off the Y-axis of the graph.
I saw the above graphic in the following article about warm winter weather wreaking havoc.
Notice they want to make a 1 degree Fahrenheit raise in temperature since 1860 scary. And how do they do this? Degrees 0 to 56 are lopped off the Y-axis of the graph.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Gerald Ford Wanted His Legacy Be Based on Justice Stevens
The article goes over Stevens's reading of the establishment clause.
The article goes over Stevens's reading of the establishment clause.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Through the Bible in a Year
The highlighted portions struck me. Emphasis mine.
The highlighted portions struck me. Emphasis mine.
I am sure many can testify that they STARTED a through the Bible in a year reading plan, only to leave the task unfinished somewhere along the way. What was meant to be something that brought them closer to God, actually became a means of guilt that the enemy used to increase the sense of distance between them and the God who has revealed Himself in His holy Word. Well if that sounds like you, hold on, help is on the way! Here are some very practical ideas and encouragement from Noel Piper that may just be all you need to complete the task this time.
Why the Boise State Game Was the Greatest Football Game Ever
I'm not going to pretend I watched this. But...lead changes, trick plays, overtime, a final 2-point conversion, and a proposal? That is one nutty game.
Now, lots of teams mount comebacks. And that's a wonderful thing. But to do it with these kinds of zany plays and wacky fiddle-faddle takes this to a whole other level.
It's isn't just scoring a touchdown on a 50-yard hook and ladder play on fourth and forever with the clock winding down to tie it; or, a scoring pass on an option pass by a wide receiver who took the snap while the quarterback trotted into a pass patter; or to win the game on a State of Liberty run when they could have gone for a routine, game-tying extra point.
No it is having the guts and imagination to try those plays, to come up with them, practice them, have the courage to call them, and then to pull them off that makes it remarkable. We're still taking about the hook and ladder play in the 1982 AFC playoff game between Miami and San Diego, but that was at the end of the first half. This was for the ball game. If any one of those gambles had failed, it would have been over.
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To that we offer Boise running back Ian Johnson. Johnson, does, in fact, knit. In fact, apparently his knitted caps for women are something of a marketing sensation up in Boise. The story is that mother suggested he take up knitting to help him relax. So that's cute.
Then, when Johnson crossed the goal line for the two point conversation that won the game, he threw the ball into the stands.
Exuberance? Sort of. Actually, Johnson knew where his father was sitting and tossed the ball to him. Here's betting that ball ends up in the Boise Hall of Fame eventually, but it was a very nice thought.
But wait, there's more.
Interviewed on national television, Johnson decided to go with an announcement he'd been planning for next week. He got down on one knee and proposed to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics.
I'm not going to pretend I watched this. But...lead changes, trick plays, overtime, a final 2-point conversion, and a proposal? That is one nutty game.
Good News for the New Year: Somalia's Islamic Forces Flee Final Stronghold
John Piper on Anxiety
When I feel the fast-moving nature of time, I get a little sad or anxious (or something like it). I don't like the feeling, but I don't like how time moves either.
Well, John Piper is a great preacher. He is a great preacher because he clearly conveys truth. Truth you may have known.
I read the first part of this sermon, and it was great. I plan on listening to it when I get back to work (I'm home sick).
When I feel the fast-moving nature of time, I get a little sad or anxious (or something like it). I don't like the feeling, but I don't like how time moves either.
Well, John Piper is a great preacher. He is a great preacher because he clearly conveys truth. Truth you may have known.
I read the first part of this sermon, and it was great. I plan on listening to it when I get back to work (I'm home sick).
Labels: anxiety, John Piper
The 9/11 Commission and Infallibility
I'm in the middle of reading through the Torah (albeit sinfully sporadic). When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he didn't bring back the 9/11 Commission Report.
I read that Pelosi wants to fully enact the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. That may or may not be a good idea. But there was never a debate about their recommendations.
They aren't infallible. There may be good reasons not to enact everything they recommended.
I'm in the middle of reading through the Torah (albeit sinfully sporadic). When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he didn't bring back the 9/11 Commission Report.
I read that Pelosi wants to fully enact the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. That may or may not be a good idea. But there was never a debate about their recommendations.
They aren't infallible. There may be good reasons not to enact everything they recommended.