Thursday, April 28, 2005

House Passes Bill Tightening Parental Rule for Abortions

New York Times

The house pushed a bill through making it a federal crime for "any adult to transport an under-age girl across state lines to have an abortion without the consent of her parents"


One small step for a nation, one giant leap for a life.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Heard of this?

AP news

A heard of about 9 buffalo escaped into a suburb and procede to run around. Someone had some creativity, because the police officers were able to herd them backtogether using their cars.

Monday, April 25, 2005

Putin

Sorry I haven't been able to blog lately.
Here's a quick post on Putin. He just announced that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a tragedy.

Exploading Toads

Exploding Toads Baffle Experts

Hehehe... This is really strange.

Wonder if a kid grabs one of these, takes it to school as a "show an tell", can it be classified as a greneade, and thus a weapon?

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Gullible e-bayers


Ebay chicken breast
Originally uploaded by lizzielefevre.
Some ebayers are extremely gullible.

Today, I thought I'd post something of substance. But, since I won't be blogging tomorrow, I decided not to. Sorry to get your hopes up.
I ran across this auction while surfing through Ebay.

Its a picture of a piece of 10 day old chicken breast, supposedly resembling the recently deceased pope. Do you see it? I see a man, but sorry, I don't see any pope. What amazes me is not that a person would post an auction like this (some people will do anything for money), but that people are actually taking it seriously.

A person wrote the seller saying:
"Please advise me if this comes from a smoke free home. I am deeply religious but I do have allergies. Thank you."

No, I am not kidding. I copied that off of the auction website, which you can see, here.
So far, there are 49 bids and the "Pope" is going for around $3,000.

I repeat, some ebayers are extremely gullible. Still don't believe me? Check out this other auction for a doll. What's so weird about this doll? Its supposedly haunted.

I copied this item description from the auction webpage:

"
Okay here it is. This doll is all yours. Please take him away from me. This doll gives me the "Heebie Geebies!"

When I was young my parents bought this doll for me. I would sleep with it every night because I thought he was the coolest thing ever. You could say he was like "MY BEST FRIEND". I Took him everywhere with me.

Until, weird things started to happen.

1. Hearing things in the middle of the night.

2. Getting cold chills when I would hold him.

After all these weird things would happen, I wanted to get rid of him. SCARED the Heebie Geebies out of me. MY parents burried him in the backyard knowing that I would forget about him forever!!! Until, YEARS and Decades later he came BACK. eeeeeeeeewww! ITS VERY DISTURBING!!!!!!! His smile makes him look like a nice guy. HA!! Yea right!!

Now, he is packed really good in a secured BOX. I just want to get him out of here!!!!!!!"

I will not be corny and use the title of this blog as my ending phrase, though I am sorely tempted. I will end with the statement (and I think you will all agree)--this world is weird.

Monday, April 18, 2005

"This is sooo kindergarten"

Chinese article on what is going on

Japanese article on possibly boycotting Beijing's 2008 games

BBC's views on the China vs. Japan--good read if you are at all interested

I've been watching the China vs. Japan stand off over Japanese textbooks, and honestly, I think its retarded. Why? Allow me to explain:

China is upset because Japanese textbooks show Japanese history in a very self-righteous light, not acknowledging their aggression during WWII.
Now, I do know for a fact that the Japanese are not taught very much about their imperialism in the early 20th century. When I visited Japan, I asked my tourguide about the Japanese involvement in WWII and Pearl Harbor. He knew little of what I was talking about, other than the fact that Japan did take part in WWII and was bombed at Hiroshima. But, we can now ask, why is this such a big deal that Chinese protesters are willing to set themselves on fire outside of Japanese embassies? Such a heated argument between countries over something so trivial seems very "kindergartenish".

It all boils down to the animosity between communist China and capitalistic Japan. China does not allow protests (remember Tianamen?) unless it is about an issue that it agrees with. This is not about textbooks. I have a feeling that the Chinese gov. is using this as fuel to ignite more dislike in its people against "Westernized" (i.e. "capitalistic") Japan, and that this is very closely tied to the latest N. Korea/Chinese relations and nuke talks (or lack of them).

I've written a lot, and chances are, no one will reply. Yet I always feel a little more well rounded after posting something on foreign news. :-)

Two reasons I love to read....

A couple of great articles/columns:

"What would John Wayne do?"
An article on the lack of manliness in America today. Would be interested in your ideas on this.

"Spreading Salt"

An interview with the author of a book on how Christianity has changed the world. Very good article in light of our latest discussions. Briefly answers questions about slavery, science, equality, and Christianity had to do with it.

Ann Coulter on "Time" cover


Ann Coulter on "Time" cover
Originally uploaded by lizzielefevre.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

W. Virginia tries to make law on making English its official language

Link
Their legislation was vetoed because of a "technical error" but they might try again.
Do you think English should be the state's official language?

I think this is a rather interesting issue.....

Don't ask/Don't tell

"For the people who support banning gays from the military due to moral issues, I pose this question: would you discharge a member of the military for having an affair with somebody who is not a military officer (and thus there's no issue of rank involved)? Should people who commit adultery be banned from the military? Adultery finds its way into the Ten Commandments, but there's nothing there about homosexuality."
--John

What are ya'll's views of this?

Friday, April 15, 2005

Fake News Scandal

The New York Times, which suffered through its own fake news scandal in the Jayson Blair case, thought it had caught the Bush administration in similar practices in a March 12 front-page story on the use of video news releases, or VNRs, by the federal government. It was headlined, "The Message Machine: How the Government Makes News; Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged News." Over 6,000 words were devoted to the matter.

It was an issue tailor-made for Senator Hillary Clinton and other Democrats, who had previously issued a statement declaring that the Bush administration's use of VNRs constituted illegal "covert propaganda." Clinton had declared, "It is critical to the credibility of an independent news media that covert government propaganda be rejected for use by news organizations." But it turns out that the Clinton administration had produced them as well.

The Clinton administration produced the same unlabeled prepackaged news segments, under the same department, on the same topic (prescription drug benefit), using the same "tactics" that the Bush administration was lambasted for. The Democrats had done the very same thing.

Full article here

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Re-opening of the debate

I'm very disappointed the entire narrative was deleted because I posed questions about bibical interpretation and was looking forward to getting answers. As somebody who is not a bibical scholar, I was curious how one supports their anti-gay belief with a literal reading of scripture--e.g., previously cited passages in Leviticus and Romans--but don't literally interpret other verses. For instance, in Romans, Paul suggests that homosexuality is bad, but he also says in Corinthians that women should absolutely be silent in church. Thus, a literal reading of Paul's words would not only say that homosexuality is bad, but women shouldn't sing nor pray in church.

I also mentioned that a passage in Exodus says people who work on the Sabbath should be put to death. Why does that ignored by Christians?

Obviously, I'm suggesting that people using the Bible to condemn homosexuality are--perhaps unknowingly--reading it in such a way to suit their purposes. The historical example is southerners using the Bible to support the institution of slavery in the nineteenth century.

Tell me why I'm wrong. And if I'm wrong, what bibical passages matter and which ones can be ignored? Why does the passage in Exodus get ignored but Paul's take on homosexuality in Romans is approved? And if Paul is correct about homosexuality, why is he wrong about women being silent in the church?


Ok, with that thought in mind, we will begin a debate on homosexuality, and the morality of it.
Please be civil, and argue within the arena of ideas, not shameless emotional appeals.

Free for all

Ask questions. Get answers.
This WILL be moderated.

Cat hunting update

AP

This bill won't pass, or so says the states govenor.

I hadn't recognized this, but both South Dakota and Minnesota allow cat shooting.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

"Gay Desires to Serve Openly" deleted

Okay, I've officially deleted the "Gay desires to serve openly" section because of the unhealthy direction that it was traveling. If there cannot be a civilized debate ruled by reason and not by emotion or bashing of individual people, then what is the point of debating? Tearing down other people is not the way to win an argument, and I don't want this blog to become a "people bashing" kind of place.
I applaud those bloggers that kept cool heads, but their numbers were very few, on both sides of the issue.

Stay tuned. I'm bound to step on your toes again sometime soon.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

49% don't want a women president

Story

I heard this on the radio last night, so I went out an found it. A poll asking about whether having a woman candidate would affect their vote, because of the gender.

It would certianly affect mine. Would a women president be able to send another mother's son off to war? Would she be able to have the respect of the congress? Because women in general are more succeptable to emotions, how would this affect social programs?

*hunkering down for major attack*

Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting

Yahoo! News

Heh... This is weird. Enviromentalist groups pitted against each other. The bird lovers trying to protect the 47 million to 139 million songbirds killed by 2 million wild cats each year.

Monday, April 11, 2005

The slippery slope....

I saw this at another blog (thank you, www.worldmagblog.com) and thought it was very much worth posting. Since Terri Schiavo was starved, the next step has already come.

"An 81-year-old Georgia grandmother is clinging to life almost two weeks after her 36-year-old granddaughter, Beth Gaddy, disconnected her feeding tube. Mae Magouirk was not terminally ill, comatose or in a "vegetative state" when her granddaughter placed her in a hospice facility; she had only been hospitalized two weeks ago for non-life threatening aortic problems. "Grandmama is old and I think it is time she went home to Jesus," Gaddy told extended family members. "She has glaucoma and now this heart problem, and who would want to live with disabilities like these?" The removal of the feeding tube is in defiance of Magouirk's wishes, outlined in a living will, which stated that fluids and nourishment were to be withheld only if she were either comatose or "vegetative." She is neither, although heavily sedated with morphine and a tranquilizer."

Will murder become common place?

Google gulp....

This is weird

I've decided that it is getting a little heated around here, and while that is a good thing, so is releasing that anger.

So, on that light hearted note,

Google is releasing a beta version of their "drink" in a viral marketing campaign, much like gMail (for those of you to unfortunate to have this, send me an email). Aparently, the cap uses an RIFD tag to wirelessly send your genetic profile, (which it reads from your saliva as you drink), and then subtly alters your nuero-signals from your mouth to your brain.

Sounds interesting... Soda on major steroids.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Wendy's finger

I had heard about this* several days ago, and was rather surprised. I like Wendy's. Unfortunately, I don't think I could eat there (unless it was a vegetarian meal) until this lawsuit is figured out.
Even the idea of finding a finger in my food is nasty. Nasty. Nasty.
Yet there is evidence that Wendy's is innocent, because this woman who is charging them over the finger incident has begun several lawsuits in the last few years, including another one with a different fast food company. It sounds very suspicious to me..........

*Just in case you hadn't heard, here's the summary: A woman supposedly found a piece of a person's finger in her Wendy's chili. It is thought to be a woman's finger because of the long nail (I know, its disgusting). The woman who "found" the finger is suing. Yay.

Saturday, April 09, 2005

Former Nazi Guard's U.S. citizenship revoked

Is this right?

"John Hansl, 80, had argued that he freely disclosed he'd been in the German army when he and his family came to the United States in 1955.

Prosecutors said, however, that Hansl failed to reveal he'd been in the SS Death's Head battalion that guarded concentration camps at Natzweiler in France in 1944 and at Sachsenhausen near Berlin in 1943."

Link

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Sign on Mexico border


Sign on Mexico border
Originally uploaded by lizzielefevre.
"A sign warning drivers about pedestrians running across the highway is posted by the side of the highway at the US-Mexican border near San Diego. The United States announced it would tighten its borders by requiring US citizens, Canadians, Mexicans and Bermudans to show passports to enter this country.(AFP/File/Hector Mata)"

Homeschoolers "recruited" by Oregon school district

Full Article

"One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music.

The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents.
Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to their annoyance that the teacher's questions were part of an effort by the Myrtle Point school district to persuade home-schooling families to give the public system a shot.

Enrollment has been dropping steadily as timber jobs have dried up, and Oregon's budget cuts have left Myrtle Point facing a $675,000 gap for next year. Since Oregon bases its state school funding on enrollment, every home-schooled child Myrtle Point can woo means an extra $5,000 or so. An estimated 100 youngsters living in the district are home-schooled....
"I like instruction where the instructor, not just the body of knowledge, is important," Teckla Wilson said. "Home-schooling allows you to work out the pace that is best for them. And, we are Christians, and for me, it is important that I teach them to think with a biblical world view."....

The fate of the school has provoked plenty of discussion in the town of 2,700, and prompted a tart opinion column by school board member Dal King in the weekly Myrtle Herald.

"Families who home school or choose to send their kids to other districts, we need your full support, not just what's convenient for you," King wrote. "While you may have good reasons, please do your part by enrolling your kids full-time in the district and don't just `cherry-pick' music or sports."

Your thoughts?


Pope

Why is the pope still on display? He wasn't even embalmed! Its been days since he died and its still open casket. Does anybody have any idea why the Vatican would choose not to embalm him?

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Update on Librarian vs. Harvard

"Harvard University did not discriminate against a library assistant who claimed she was repeatedly turned down for promotions because school officials saw her as "a pretty girl"...

Desiree Goodwin, who is black, also claimed that Harvard passed her over because of her race and gender. She had been seeking damages for emotional distress and lost wages."

Article

Monday, April 04, 2005

Al Gore and Google

Yahoo! News

Al Gore has been working hard the last few months, and this is the result. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the new station, "Current" for the masses (younger ones anyways).

First of all: Al Gore to attract younger viewers?? I guess if this isn't spread around, it should work. The networks plan:
-"The channel will show professionally produced segments as well as viewer-produced videos mostly short in length, running from a few seconds to up to 15 minutes."-

Second: WHAT IS GOOGLE THINKING??? I think I'm going to switch to MSN search. They got no love for the democrats, esspecially after they were sued for a bogus anti-trust lawsuit.

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Sandy Berger

Sandy Berger should have stuck with his family name and flipped hamburger patties at Mickey D's. Instead he played jeopardy with U.S. level 'X' security documents.

What I keep wondering about are the documents that he supposedly shredded. Do we have any proof that he did not sell them? And if he did destroy them, then why? It does not seem wise to me, to close this case before knowing for sure what happened to those secret documents.


"
In addition to removing the five documents and lying about his actions, Berger acknowledged that he destroyed three of them with scissors. His associates strained to explain the puzzle of why he destroyed three documents but preserved two others that were nearly identical.
"It isn't a great answer but he doesn't really know," said one associate. "He knew he shouldn't destroy all of these things but he didn't want to have a whole lot of classified documents sitting around in his office." Berger was notorious for having a desk that looked like it had been hit by a hurricane, and his defenders seemed to be suggesting he had held onto some copies and cut up others in order to avoid losing them."

LA Times article here
Link

Friday, April 01, 2005

the Pope

Its been all over the news--the Pope is dying. I'm not as worried/concerned/grieved as a Catholic would be, because I do not regard him as my father or as a father figure. To me, he is just a man. I do not understand why some would wish to elevate a fallen man as someone like God or as a mediator between God and man. That's Jesus place, and His place only.

However, as a human being and Christian, I can feel sad that he is dying. I respected this pope for his stand for life and how even during his health problems he still strongly advocated dignity for the dying and for life for all. One thought that is constantly going through my mind is what the Pope said a few months ago. He said that one of the reasons he has held on so tight during the health problems is that he loves life and he wants to continue supporting everyone's right to life. What a severe irony! that he may die the day after Terri Schiavo.

The end of the US

A Koran scholar says that Muslim prophecy predicts that the U.S. will not exist by 2007.
"The tsunami waves are a minor rehearsal in comparison with what awaits the US in 2007," the researcher concluded in his study. "The Holy Koran warns against the Omnipotent Allah's force. A great sin will cause a huge flood in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans."

It amazes me how much some Muslims love America.
Link

On another note, America is doing well, according to Jonah Goldberg's column.