Just In Case You Were Unsure

The Pro-Life movement is not just about abortion. It is about establishing a legal fundamentalist Christian/Catholic sexual ethic.

If that premise [that God is always described in Scripture as the sole procreative decision-maker] is true, who has the right to say no to God? Who can say they have a better grip on timing than God? Pro-aborts are right. Contraception is next issue after abortion. And pro-lifers must work it through.

The Stuff Of Nightmares

Just, please God, no.

And The Duh! Award Goes To...

So, if you cut funding for family planning programs and push sex education that only teaches abstinence, the number of unplanned pregnancies rise? Amazing! Oh, but of course, it doesn't rise in all demographics. Just those that rely on public funding for family planning services, such as free or cheap birth control. And let's not forget that extra special side effect that higher rates of unplanned pregnancies cause an increase in abortion rates. Pro-life, huh? Because I haven't heard feminists and other social liberals screaming about this since Bush took office.

[Note: I apologize for the utter disregard for proper grammar in this post. I am so outraged at the "Democrats are pro-death and pro-abortion" rhetoric that has been thrown around for the past several years that I cannot a formulate calm, rational response.]

11. Is That Also Their IQ?

I may not always succeed, but I try to avoid condescending remarks that imply someone with a different opinion is stupid. It's rude and an incredibly poor argument. Well, here is a case where I will not succeed. An article on Yahoo news reports the results of a survey regarding the trustworthiness of news sources. When asked to name the most trusted news source, the leading answer for American respondents was Fox News.

Utterly. Un. Believable.

I cannot fathom this. I simply have no words to express my dismay regarding this fact.

The positive spin of this, though, is that only 11% named Fox. I see that as a mixed blessing. In this country, there are many options. I would imagine that the responses for CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, the AP, Reuters, etc. would not be far behind that 11%. So that leaves some hope.

Hallelujah

All I can say is hooray!! From the article:

In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

I wanted the trilogy on DVD, but I absolutely refused to buy it when I heard that Anakin's ghost at the end of RotJ was replaced with Hayden Christensen. Although, it could have been worse. They could have replaced it with Jake Lloyd...

Done

Two semesters of grad school. Complete. In the record books. OK, well, the grades haven't been reported yet, but I do not have to contribute one additional iota of mental capacity toward finishing Advanced Operating Systems. I wouldn't mind doing more work for Security. Actually, I will be since that is the field of my thesis. But I am now done with that class.

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

I have learned a lot this year, and not all of it has been directly related to course topics. Rather, I have learned that I have no interest in doing advanced work in the area of computer science known as "Systems." I now understand that my primary area of interest is the mathematical and theoretical aspects of computer security. The ability to formulate the thought in the previous sentence is, by far, the most valuable piece of knowledge that I have accumulated in the past year.

At this moment, I now feel more confident and more able to pursue a Ph.D. than I previously felt. That is an exquisite feeling.