aM laboratory

I love the ToneMatrix that Andre Michelle made. He must be really cool, because that toy is crazy fun.

Once again, found via Gelman's blog.

Religions and Political Affiliation

I swear, I won't be blogging about religion and politics forever. Maybe just once in awhile, but this is also very cool (click on the picture to see larger), found on Infosthetics via Andrew Gelman's blog. Truly, it's very interesting to think about the fundamental ideas within a political affiliation and the ideas within a religion. It also makes so much sense once you've read The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber.

It's fair to say that a constant gripe in the jellybean house is over the willful ignorance of evangelical Christians. Separately, recently in one of my classes we did a whole unit on Abstinence Only programs, and if you want a concise understanding of how jacked up that topic is, read the Waxman report on Abstinence Only "Education" Programs. Also, randomly, NOVA just ran Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial. It was quite good, see it if you can. Also, I'm a sociology major, so I think about how ideologies relate to one another and how systems work. Also, there was a creepy segment in Maxed Out, which I watched Monday, where there was a preacher telling his congregation that when people are having troubles it's almost always because they're not tithing enough.

Heh.

I guess it's just been that kind of week.

Oh, did I mention I just finished reading On The Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche?

He is so amazing.

Christians and Climate Change

OK. I don't really know how to break this to you. But climate change, to the extent that we're experiencing it today, is REAL, and HUMANS CAUSED IT.

I know. You need to sit down now, right? It's going to be OK.

When you've finished composing yourself, please call up your freaky white evangelical Christian brother, sister-in-law, auntie, or parent, and share the news.



Yes, his/her understanding of science is very hazy. Yes, he/she probably thinks that scientific proof carries about as much weight as myth and stories. Yes, he/she has been brainwashed by creationism and abstinence only programming. All we can do to save these people is to keep chipping away at their ignorance. I know that sounds pretty evangelical, but the earth people. The EARTH is our ONLY RESOURCE.

Thank mother earth for the Pew Foundation. Keepin' it real since 1948.

Promise-filled

Quite honestly, that is how the day feels.

I am consistently reminded of the long view over the past couple of days. One month until the end of the semester. Mere days until warm weather. One year until South Africa.

If you aren't a high anxiety person, you probably won't be able to identify with what I'm saying, but isn't it an exquisite feeling when you let yourself just be? I had this foreign impulse this morning that it would be simply fine to look slightly messy today. Earlier in the morning I had the impulse that my normally very long Tuesday would end up totally fine if I got up at 4 am, as my body was wanting to do, and started working on my paper. On my way to work, I felt certain that showing up three minutes late, with a warm cup of strong coffee and a chocolate muffin, would absolutely not end in cataclysm.

Exquisite is the only word.

LUE generally conspires to knock you flat on your ass when you feel certainty, but sometimes it's actual instinct, rather than reason that has set you on your path. Instinct knows when to lean into the cracks, as Bjork would put it.