Global Warming Alert!

Grab you shorts and shades, and lets head for the beach!

• Snow blankets London for global warming debate: "Snow fell as the House of Commons debated Global Warming yesterday - the first October fall in the metropolis since 1922."
  

But one event does not a climate make you say?

• Record snow storm triggers delays: "According to MeteoNews, the Swiss lowlands received the most snow for any October since records began in 1931. Zurich received 20cm, beating a record of 14cm set in 1939."

But that's Europe too, it's the same storm, it's not like it's Florida, right?

• Record cold swept over the [Ocala, FL] region Wednesday: It was a record for Oct. 29 and the second lowest temperature ever recorded in October since 1850.

Huh . . . well it's still all the polluters in the Northern Hemisphere who are pumping all that methane gas (a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2) into the air.

• MIT Scientists baffled by data, contradicts global warming theory: Scientists at MIT have recorded a nearly simultaneous world-wide increase in methane levels. This is the first increase in ten years, and what baffles science is that this data contradicts theories stating man is the primary source of increase for this greenhouse gas . . . it is now believed this may be part of a natural cycle in mother nature - and not the direct result of man's contributions.

Hey, if the Greens can blame individual hurricanes on global warming, I can have my fun too . . .

How to Keep Your Kids From Losing Their Legos

Tired of finding legos all over the house?

Tired of never being able to find that one particular piece you need?

They don't have that problem in England!

Obama's Real Economic Views

This is how Senator Obama talks about economic issues when he's not on his guard. This clip is from an interview he gave with Chicago Public Radio (a friendly audience) in 2001.

Scary stuff. Sounds like Marx's "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

Watch the clip here.

Read a more spirited condemnation on the National Review. An excerpt:

I would appeal to any American who claims to love the Constitution and to revere the Founding Fathers… I will not only appeal to you, I will beg you, as one American citizen to another, to consider this next statement with as much care as you can possibly bring to bear: “And uh, to that extent, as radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution — at least as it’s been interpreted, and [the] Warren Court interpreted it in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties: [it] says what the states can’t do to you, says what the federal government can’t do to you, but it doesn’t say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf.

The entire purpose of the Constitution was to limit government. That limitation of powers is what has unlocked in America the vast human potential available in any population.

Barack Obama sees that limiting of government not as a lynchpin but rather as a fatal flaw. . .

There is no room for wiggle or misunderstanding here. This is not edited copy. There is nothing out of context; for the entire thing is context — the context of what Barack Obama believes. You and I do not have to guess at what he believes or try to interpret what he believes. He says what he believes. . .

If this does not frighten you — regardless of your political affiliation — then you deserve what this man will deliver with both houses of Congress, a filibuster-proof Senate, and, to quote Senator Obama again, “a righteous wind at our backs.”

We no longer have an independent, fair, investigative press. That is abundantly clear to everyone — even the press. It is just another of the facts that they refuse to report, because it does not suit them.

Remember this, America: The press did not break this story. A single citizen, on the Internet did.

There is a special hell for you “journalists” out there, a hell made specifically for you narcissists and elitists who think you have the right to determine which information is passed on to the electorate and which is not.

That hell — your own personal hell — is a fiery lake of irrelevance, blinding clouds of obscurity, and burning, everlasting scorn.

You’ve earned it.

The Real Danger of Communism . . .

. . . is that everyone would only be able to buy the items in this old Soviet mail-order catalog from 1983 called: "Goods for Personal Use."

Keep in mind this catalog wasn't just from one company, it was from the only company - the state. There were no other vendors for many of these items. Different factories would produce variants in some cases, but not all.

I ate off those flower dishes myself, and the big brown cabinets near the bottom were in literally every single apartment I ever saw. There were slight variations in color and layout but it was depressingly uniform.

No wonder Feng Shui wasn't practiced in the USSR, any interior designer with an once of artistic ability would be driven to suicide after one look at these items.

California's Prop. 8

The presidency is not the only thing at stake in this election. Also to be decided is the definition of marriage for over 10% of the population of the United States.

Proposition 8 - on the ballot in California - will, if passed, define marriage as between a man and a woman. If this sounds vaguely familiar, it should. California already passed such a proposition a few years back (Proposition 22 in 2000). The state supreme court recently overturned that one in a decision that reads like a newspaper editorial rather than a legal decision.

So this time the definition of marriage will be placed in the state constitution, where it will be immune (in theory) from judicial redefinition. 31 other states already have such amendments. All but 4 states define marriage in the traditional way in either their constitutions or in state law. There is a clear national consensus on what marriage is. I hope the citizens of California are not shamed into believing they are bigots because they want to preserve the foundation of our society.

To those in California: don't be afraid to stand up for what is right. Just because you're told gay marriage will be harmless doesn't mean it will be harmless. In fact, there is much research and opinion to the contrary.

I've be helping out a site called 'What is the harm?' We've collected information, arguments and research in defense of traditional marriage. There is likely something there to help you respond to any argument you may hear. At least it will give you the chance to see the well-written, well-reasoned, but under-reported arguments for preserving marriage.

(Start shameless plug)
I also have a legal paper posted on the site. On the menu, click on 'Arguments' then scroll down till you see "Is Marriage a Right?" It's probably boring to non-lawyers, but I think it makes good points (obviously, I wrote it).
(End shameless plug)

Don't let local issues get lost in the fever of the presidential race, sometimes these local issues can have huge consequences, even beyond the borders of the state.

Electoral Food for Thought

This article may be a little harsh on Obama, but not much in my opinion. Unlike much political opinion, the author does in fact link to supporting evidence.

None of this would go unreported if McCain had said or done it. Anyway read it and weigh it yourself. I find some of it persuasive, some not. But an Obama presidency would not be a good thing.

"Time to use the C word."

He Obviously Has No Children Around

From the "Too Much Time On His Hands" department:

The HMS Hood built to scale from Legos.

The Motto of the European Union

I just found out that the EU has a motto. Who knew?

We all know the motto of the United States "In God We Trust." It's solid, reassuring and says something concrete about the country. As mottos go, it's a good one (as are most things the Founding Fathers put out).

The EU motto also, unintentionally I presume, says something concrete about that "country." The motto is:

"United in Diversity"

That's it!? . . . what the heck is that supposed to mean? That's right out of the Oxymoron Dept.

I can hear the dialog in the committee meeting that came up with that . . .

France: "I'm glad we can come together to celebrate our differences."
Germany: "Yes indeed, we are united in our diversity . . ."
Italy: "Eureka! that's it! the new motto - 'united in diversity'"
France: "Sacre bleu! you are right. It's perfect, concretely vague . . ."
Germany: "Disturbingly reassuring . . ."
Italy: "Universally unique . . ."
France: "It absorbingly reflects all of the foreign policy, economic and social positions on which we've agreed to disagree."
Italy: "not to mention our shared individual non-binding commitment to Democratic Socialism.
Germany: "Plus it has a nice ring to it - like 'French Victory!'"

(stiffled laughter)

France: "That's not funny . . ."
Britain: "But it is seriously ironic!"

Anyway, it is the perfect motto for the EU.

Why Auto Insurance is So Expensive . . .

. . . or "Life Imitates Art" - well, at least life imitates Tommy Boy.

Ever see one of those stories that just couldn't be any more ripe to mock?

This item comes to us from one of America's best-loved newspapers - The Leaf Chronicle. (don't laugh, according to the site, it's "Your Connection to Clarksville, Tenn."). The man's name has been changed to protect the innocent idiot (and the punchline at the end of this blog post),

Anyway:

[A man] was driving home from his job in Dover Wednesday at about 11 p.m. when a beautiful red fox dashed in front of his SUV. After he ran over the fox, he stopped his GMC Jimmy . . .

You may be thinking to yourself, "Oh how nice, he wants to see if the fox is okay. Just like those two guys in Tommy Boy, when they hit the deer - Maybe he's never seen one up close before."

You would be wrong. This is Tennessee after all.

After he ran over the fox, he stopped his GMC Jimmy to get the fox to cut off its tail for a souvenir, and he put it in the back seat, said Dale Grandstaff, a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wildlife officer.

The wildlife officer, by way of explanation said:

The tails are real bushy and pretty and thick this time of year.

Ah, well, that explains it . . . at least he's cleaning up the roadkill. But, with the fox in the back seat, (just like the deer from the movie) the eerie parallels to Tommy Boy continue:

Things took an odd turn when [the man] heard a noise coming from his back seat and realized the fox was alive — and not happy.

Gee, I wonder why the fox was enraged?

The driver desperately searched for something to hold the fox back and prevent him from climbing into the front seat and biting him, he told [Wildlife Officer] Grandstaff.

As he looked in the back seat to get a blanket to block the fox, he took his attention from the road.

The SUV crossed the center line and wrecked in a ditch, flipping once and landing upside down in the 3900 block of Lylewood Road, Grandstaff said.

So, an enraged live animal causes the destruction of a car . . . sounds familiar.

[The man] suffered minor injuries and bruises and was treated at the scene by Montgomery County Emergency Medical Service. The fox was found dead in the SUV. Grandstaff said it was not clear whether the fox died of injuries caused by being hit by the SUV or if it died in the wreck.

Either way, a really bad day for the fox . . .

The Wildlife Officer, who obviously knows a lot about animal psychology, explained the fox's behavior:

Grandstaff said there was nothing wrong with [the man] taking the animal after striking it. But foxes don't like to be caged, especially when they are alive, he said.

The dead ones apparently don't mind . . . It's also lucky for this guy that skunk tails aren't "real bushy and pretty and thick this time of year."

And the final irony, (drum-roll please): The man's name is Tommy Fox.

P.S.

It was also not known if Tommy Fox got to keep the tail.

Christianity

No, not the kind you're thinking.

This stems from an conversation I had with my mom last night. She saw my new name badge (see previous post), and lamented that the badge had 'Chris Williams' on it.

"After all the trouble I went through to call you 'Christian.'" she lamented.

I had to explain why I started going by Chris. It began in elementary school when Night Ranger released the song Sister Christian. My class was apparently full of Night Ranger fans, and they enjoyed singing the song over and over to me - at lunch, at recess, in the bathroom, in the hall . . .

As Wikipedia explains above, the song was written about a band member's sister, Christy, he added:

the real Christy was so mortified when the song came out she nearly changed her name.

yeah, no kidding. At least she was A GIRL!

Anyway, the wisdom of my decision was confirmed years later after I met Becky, and she told me about a high school classmate of hers named Christian who referred to himself, completely missing the irony, as 'Christian the anti-Christ'

So now there are two good reasons . . .

Where The Heck Have I Been?

I keep getting comments form my loyal readers (all three of you) welcoming me back to blogging.

First of all, thank you. Second, I should probably update everyone on why I took some time off posting. Let's go through the chronology:

July - we decided to move about July 10th. We spent the following days packing and preparing. All this time I was also studying for the bar exam. We actually moved between July 16th and July 19th. (many thanks to Mike and Melissa for their help). We spent the next few days unpacking while I continued to study for the bar.

July 29-30 - I took the bar exam in Salt Lake City. (and mentally recovered for the next week). I did pass, btw.

August - I . . . hmmm . . . don't remember much but stress, and applying for jobs all month. I had a couple of interviews, but was always rejected. The closest were SirsiDynix and the State Legislature. I really would have loved the State job.

September - More of the same stress. I eventually got one offer from a Tech company in SLC called SIRE Technologies. It wasn't enough money for us long-term, and it utilized only a small subset of my skills. We were at the point, though, where it was Friday afternoon, and I was ready to take the job on Monday if nothing else came up. I sent out a few last applications and went to sleep. Anyway, I got a call back on Saturday, an interview at 7:00am Monday morning, and an offer right there on the spot. Needless to say, I declined the first offer. I eventually did accept the new one.

Now I'm a Network Administrator for Messaging Architects in their Provo office on the Novell campus. It's a good opportunity and I hope to grow into a legal/tech hybrid position. this will serve our needs for the time being. We aren't thrilled at having to move again, but we'll be OK.

Anyway, that's why posts have been scarce. I hope to be more regular from now on.