hippy types

portending the universe

We demonstrate that as we extrapolate the current ΛCDM universe forward in time, all evidence of the Hubble expansion will disappear, so that observers in our “island universe” will be fundamentally incapable of determining the true nature of the universe, including the existence of the highly dominant vacuum energy, the existence of the CMB, and the primordial origin of light elements. With these pillars of the modern Big Bang gone, this epoch will mark the end of cosmology and the return of a static universe. In this sense, the coordinate system appropriate for future observers will perhaps fittingly resemble the static coordinate system in which the de Sitter universe was first presented.

somebody needs to write it all down for those poor people 100 billion years from now---

how bad does it have to get?

bush's job approval rating slipped to 27 percent, his lowest number ever in a CBS News poll — 3 points less than last month and 1 point below his previous low of 28
percent in January. His disapproval rating is also at an all-time high of 65 percent.

the same poll found that only 22% thought the war was going well; 77% thought it going badly---you wonder where those people in that 22% are getting their information, if you are charitable, or whether or not they've got shit for brains, if you are not so charitable---

le mur vegetal

vertical gardens by patrick blanc----those crazy french prove you can garden anywhere--

kitty kitty kitty

Some 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the Near East, an audacious wild cat crept into one of the crude villages of early human settlers, the first to domesticate wheat and barley. There she felt safe from her many predators in the region, such as hyenas and larger cats, and the rodents that infested the settlers’ homes and granaries were sufficient prey for her.

they've found a human and an 8-month old kitty buried together 8,000 years ago---and how they came to be with us is totally different from the dogs----it's always been on their terms---i didn't know there were so many subspecies of wild cat (not feral cats, but truly wild)---and all of our house cats today descended from five females in one of those subspecies----that's a scottish wildcat behind the tree---there's only 500 of them left---

another rude opinion

In other words, all the kinds of functions that one might expect a Vice President to take care of - making token appearances on behalf of the President - are now done by a man who ought not have that much free time in his schedule. It's not that a President shouldn't occasionally make the appearance at the Little League game. But roughly once every other day? Sometimes twice in a day? That seems, well, perhaps disproportionate to the position of the Presidency. George Bush seems less like our fearless leader and more like a bored, rich housewife trying to fill her time between doses of Xanax. Another Laura, pretty much.

the luck of the irish

purty funny

utah's most wanted

a reminder that there are some very scary people out there---at least this one is clearly labeled----

parade

new democrats

obama:

Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a 30-minute speech before the national meeting of the United Church of Christ. "Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us," the Illinois senator said.

elizabeth edwards:

Elizabeth Edwards, starring at the kickoff event of San Francisco's signature Gay Pride Parade, came out in support of legalized gay marriage today -- taking a position which she acknowledged is at odds with her husband, presidential candidate John Edwards."I don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me,'' she said. "I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage.''

a fourth branch of government

the dark lord cheney has declared that as vice-president of these united states, he is not a part of the executive branch of govt and therefore not subject to oversight----the rude one has identified six other things the office of the vice president actually is:

Dick Cheney has decided that his office is a free-floating radical in DC, not quite an executive entity, not truly a legislative one, but some unholy Reese's cup of evil. Here's some other ways the Veep has untethered himself from mortal binds.

1. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a Native American religion, Cheney and his staff are free to smoke peyote at the start of every morning meeting.

2. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a breach in the space/time continuum, Cheney is free to enter at will his own dimension, the
realm of Cthulhu and the slime beasts.

3. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a motorcycle gang, Cheney is free to beat Senators with chains and blackjacks.

4. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but technically an executive bathroom, Cheney is free to wipe his ass with whatever documents are handy, memos, executive orders, Constitutions.

5. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually a freak show, Cheney is free to bite the heads off chickens. And nosy members of Congress.

6. Because his office is not an entity in the executive branch, but actually an insane asylum, Cheney is free to rain bedlam down on the whole of government.

let's put a dollar value on it. . .

Richard Florida, a professor from George Mason University and author of the book The Rise of the Creative Class argued that the more "gay-friendly" a city is, the more economically prosperous it will be

pride redux

The Stonewall riots were a series of violent conflicts between New York City police officers and groups of gay and transgender people that began during the early morning of June 28, 1969, and lasted several days. Also called the Stonewall Rebellion or simply Stonewall, the clash was a watershed for the worldwide gay rights movement, as gay and transgender people had never before acted together in such large numbers to forcibly resist police.

that's why we have pride this weekend and not some weekend in january----

3.5 million showed up for the parade in sao paulo a couple of weeks ago---i doubt that atlanta's will be quiet so rowdy---

another benefit of tax cuts for the rich

last year, deaths in new orleans were up 47% over rates for the two years before katrina---the city's largest and oldest public hospital, charity hospital, remains closed----

pride

It's not about you.It has nothing to do with an affront on you or your way of life - nor is it an attack on your moral sensibilities.It's just that you've told me all my life that we're sinners. You've told us, as we've grown up, that God hates us; that we're not worthy of walking your streets.And so we grew up believing that yes, we're disgusting. And yes, God hates us; wants nothing but sadness from us; has given us challenges that are too great for any person to take one. And it's not enough for you to leave us alone. For you, it's offense that we're even alive.And for many of us, it became too much to handle. We escaped - either into our minds or out of this world entirely.And some of us were blessed to find a community. A group of people just like us who knew what we felt. A group of people who had also spent their entire lives living in fear that one day it would all come crashing down.And we've grown up. We've come into our own. We've realized that we, too, are created in the Image of God, no matter how our brains are wired.And so we'll walk with you on your streets. We don't want to walk against you. We'd like for you to join us. We'd like for you to acknowledge that we, too, are created with a spark of the Divine. We'd like for you to realize what we've gone through; how hard we've worked just to feel normal.And we'd like for you to understand that when we get there; when we finally come to the point in our lives where we stop the fight and begin to look at ourselves as we truly are - as human beings with the same desires and needs as everyone else - that we can finally feel alive. That's why we march.To celebrate that we've survived in this world.To celebrate the sanctity of humanity.To show others that they, too, are not solitary abominations.God has created us all, in God's own image, and we, too, are good.

better late than never

it's a shame people couldn't have figured out his worthlessness earlier in the process. . .

June 21, 2007 - In 19 months, George W. Bush will leave the White House for the last time. The latest NEWSWEEK Poll suggests that he faces a steep climb if he hopes to coax the country back to his side before he goes. In the new poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday nights, President Bush’s approval rating has reached a record low. Only 26 percent of Americans, just over one in four, approve of the job the 43rd president is doing; while, a record 65 percent disapprove, including nearly a third of Republicans.

The new numbers—a 2 point drop from the last NEWSWEEK Poll at the beginning of May—are statistically unchanged, given the poll’s 4 point margin of error. But the 26 percent rating puts Bush lower than Jimmy Carter, who sunk to his nadir of 28 percent in a Gallup poll in June 1979. In fact, the only president in the last 35 years to score lower than Bush is Richard Nixon. Nixon’s approval rating tumbled to 23 percent in January 1974, seven months before his resignation over the botched Watergate break-in.

and now new york

A notable vote occurred yesterday: the New York State Assembly passed a bill allowing gay couples to have the same marriage rights as straight couples. The vote was 85 - 61, after governor Eliot Spitzer's ballsy and principled support. Now it's up to the State Senate. New York follows California's legislature in passing a legislative bill for marriage equality. This occurs after the state supreme court said the issue
was up to legislators - not the judiciary. One small but pertinent fact for cowardly Democrats like Obama, Clinton and Edwards: since Spitzer actually said what he believes about gay rights, his approval ratings have only improved.

"the science of gaydar"

EXAMPLE A: Hair Whorl (Men) Gay men are more likely than straight men to have a counterclockwise whorl.

crack-head republican

South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has been suspended from office,
following his indictment by a federal grand jury for distribution of cocaine.

the new cooper river bridge in charleston is named for his father--the ravenel family has been rich big shots in carolina almost since its founding---now the state treasurer busted for selling crack! oh, and he's a republican, chairman of guilliani's campaign in s. carolina---

bugs

i went over to the botanical garden today to check out their "big bug" exhibit---although nice it was somewhat less than i was expecting, being only four or five bugs in the whole place---however, bugs that there were were impressive----all varnished wood---plus the echinacea and the rudbeckia were very attractive today---