Fight fire with fire...

http://www.venganza.org/touched.htm

From an open letter to the Kansas School Board:

" Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent
Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief
that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was
He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly
that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards
evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by
Him."

Yes--I've become a Pastafarian. Read on, and you will find humor, if not enlightenment.

May the sauce be with you.


(here's where it came from if you want more icons!)

CODA: Thanks to tinkerbell_mk for The wikipedia
entry on pastafarianism

They finally draw a line in the sand...

"Jealous Lover Program Creator Is Indicted"

The creator and several buyers of a computer program designed to
allow jealous lovers to snoop on their sweethearts' online activities
have been indicted for allegedly violating federal computer privacy
laws.

Read the article

From a letter to the editor...

Lawmakers must act to stem Lyme spread

Are tick-borne diseases the new AIDS? Government latency to the problem has allowed Lyme disease to spread all over the United States, and may lead to the next pandemic. Shame on our legislators who pale in the wake of our Connecticut neighbors who addressed this problem first and foremost, whilst the Hudson Valley may become No. 1 in tick infections.

Doctors' hands are tied by health insurers causing sufferers who don't get swift and comprehensive treatment to become a chronic statistic.

Ticks now carry Bartonella, babesia, ehrlichiosis and other blood infections.

The Centers for Disease Control's outdated and inaccurate information has created a black hole for doctors, insurance companies and patients. Mid-Hudson physicians are misinformed or arrogant about Lyme. I can't tally those I know who have been misdiagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, arthritis, heart attacks, etc., when it's Lyme.

Tick infections are being spread through sexual contact and blood transfusions, mosquitoes and other arthropods. And the medical community is still arguing about acute versus chronic Lyme.

I am optimistic, but not holding my breath, that our leaders will appropriate money appropriately should the Lyme Act of 2005 pass. Legislators would be sage to stop witch-hunting Lyme literate doctors and engage them for their knowledge of tick diseases.

Steve Ascenzo, Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie Journal
August 21, 2005

Joke of the Week...

"They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore."

(Attributed to Bill Maher)

I confess, this works for me

How No one understands the difference between science and religion classes anymore

"Under a policy implemented with little fanfare a year ago, UC admissions authorities have refused to certify high school science courses that use textbooks challenging Darwin's theory of evolution, the suit says.

Other courses rejected by UC officials include "Christianity's Influence in American History," "Christianity and Morality in American Literature" and "Special Providence: American Government."

The 10-campus UC system requires applicants to complete a variety of courses, including science, mathematics, history, literature and the arts. But in letters to Calvary Chapel, university officials said some of the school's Christian-oriented courses were too narrow to be acceptable."

Not pumkin chunkin, but a few thrills--

'Get your sweaters, mittens and hats ready. The Farmers' Almanac warns that the coming winter will bring unusually sharp fluctuations in temperature, and says readers "may be reminded of riding a roller, or in this case, 'polar' coaster." '
They were right about snow in the summer of 1816

"But an article also describes how a hollowed-out pumpkin can be used as a boat, as is done each year at the Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Festival and Regatta in Nova Scotia.

Potential participants beware: "Your pumpkin, or personal vegetable craft (PVC) as they are known, can rarely be used twice due to structural ravages," the almanac says."
___

On the Net:

Farmers' Almanac: http://www.farmersalmanac.com

Start praying for New Orleans. Mother Nature bats last.

We will never pray, even jokingly, for a hurricane again.

I remember this story from months back, and wondered if the government was working on it. It was a lot more terrifying than terrorists. The Louisiana Wetlands are dying, and each year New Orleans is more threatened. This prescient 20 minute audio (or article) from American RadioWorks’ was pointing out that if a Category Five hurricane hit New Orleans, between 20,000 and 100,000 people would die. The buildings you've seen walking along Royale and the others--under 20 feet of water. And the city would be literally wiped away, because The Levee System, the great system that dwarfs all other levees, is only capable of handling a 12 foot storm surge. Water will go over the levee--and it has no way to go out. The turbines that pump water from the streets will be under water. They can't start up until they are no longer under water.

I have to wonder if somewhere at this very moment, a group of somber men are in a concrete fortress with their finger on the button, ready to blow one of the levees in a fragile chance the water will rush back out to sea.

It they do, the surge may take the city, of course. It will take all the poor, who could not evacuate. I have friends there, and I pray they left town days ago.

Theresa Nielsen Hayden has links to the hot spots. This is not a drill. Here's what the NWS* has to say about the storm, and I've never seen them this blunt.

Hurricane Katrina is now twice the size of Camille. I don't think it can diminish enough to save New Orleans. And this is only the smallest hurricane people are predicting that global warming may cause--we may have category 6, 7 and 8 storms someday. And no coastal cities, of course.

Read the American Radio Works link fast--before it's under water.

Update: Here's the first check-in site I found. No trolls, please--this is for people to let loved ones know they got out of NO and are safe.

http://webnews.sff.net/read?cmd=xover&group=sff.discuss.hurricane-katrina-check-in


*This information was verified by a half-dozen readers of MAKING LIGHT, Theresa's blog. It was not one of the critical bulletins, oddly enough. Check in the 50-70 comment range for info on it.