False alarm. The Morlocks are not REPEAT NOT on their way.

I know, I know. It was fun while it lasted.

PhysOrg: Debunking The Commercial Press and Why Scientists Hate to Talk to the Media

The popular press ran a story over the weekend about the eventual split into two species of the human race. The sources cited were the preeminent London School of Economics and the work of Professor Oliver Curry. The story published as scientific fact is rebuked by Dr. Curry and this article explains how it all happened.

A wildly interesting story about the eventual division of mankind into two species by the year 3000 caught my eye over the weekend. The story originally published by the Daily Mail authored by Niall Firth on October 26, 2007 provided astounding predictions for the future of mankind. It was also given a top position in the American news index Drudgereport. The Daily Mail story has graphic displays of the evolution of mankind and film clips of the classic work by H.G. Wells, The Time Machine.

Eek! Morlocks!

Further, the story piqued my interest because the sources cited were from the eminent London School of Economics. Specifically, a professor, Oliver Curry who received his PHD from the London School of Economics. His dissertation concerns Morality as Natural History: An adaptationist account of ethics, published in 2005. In essence Professor Curry interests are about values and attitudes and where do they come from.

He is a research associate affiliated with the Centre for Philosophy and Natural and Social Sciences. He is a member of the Darwin@LSE group. He currently teaches Political Theory at New York University in London.

The Daily Mail article stated in pertinent part:

"The alarming prediction comes from evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry from the London School of Economics, who says that the human race will have reached its physical peak by the year 3000."

"These humans will be between 6ft and 7ft tall and they will live up to 120 years."

"Physical features will be driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility that men and women have evolved to look for in potential mates," says the report, which suggests that advances in cosmetic surgery and other body modifying techniques will effectively homogenize our appearance."

"Men will have symmetrical facial features, deeper voices and bigger penises, according to Curry in a report commissioned for men satellite TV channel Bravo."

Insert male genitalia joke here.

"Women will all have glossy hair, smooth hairless skin, large eyes and pert breasts, according to Curry."

Curry, you bastard, stop teasing us!

"Racial differences will be a thing of the past as interbreeding produces a single coffee-coloured skin tone."

Well that is just racist.

"The future for our descendants is a long life, perfect bodies and chiseled features, however, while humans will reach their peak in 1000 years´time, 10,000 years later our reliance on technology will have begun to dramatically change our appearance."

"Medicine will weaken our immune system and we will begin to appear more child-like. [Here is where the pedophiles started drooling. - F.G.] Dr Curry said: The report suggests that the future of man will be a story of the good, the bad and the ugly."

I read these astonishing predictions from an eminent professor educated at the preeminent London School of Economics and something looked fishy. It was enough to make anyone take notice. As it turns out selling papers and hyping an upcoming Bravo episode was the purpose of the article. It was not to educate the public at all.

Surprise! I, for one, am totally shocked.

In fact Dr. Curry has renounced any conclusions or misapplications of his work on the evolution of values, moral choices and the like. He is currently awaiting publication of his recent research, Patience is a Virtue: cooperative people have lower discount rates.

What?

Read the title of that research paper a couple of more times, kiddies. I suspect Dr. Curry's words are often "misinterpreted".

In response to the press releases mentioned in the Daily Mail article, Dr. Curry released the following explanation on October 17, 2007.

"In the summer of 2006 I was commissioned by Bravo Television to write an essay on the future of human evolution. The essay was intended as a science fiction way of illustrating some aspects of evolutionary theory."

"Bravo then sent out a press release on the essay, but did not release the essay itself. As a result, a wildly distorted version of what I had written ended up being reported as science fact in the media. I do not endorse the content of these media reports."

To read the original essay, please see below.

In essence Dr. Curry was asked to write a fictional account of what if and make some projections about some 1,000 years in the future for an episode of a popularized series on Bravo. He never intended that his Essay for Bravo be presented as scientific evidence. An examination of the quotes made in the Daily Mail article referring to a report confuses the peer review research he is conducting and an entertaining essay he never intended to have published as scientific evidence. His words and work are taken out of context.

Sure. He probably intends to lead an army of the brutes against La Schicklgruber [who will still be alive thanks to her voracious consumption of babies.] and the other beautiful Eloi.

Is it any wonder scientists and academics are skeptical of the popular media. In this instance, Bravo knew the basis of the Essay, it was for entertainment. The Daily Mail and other popular news services saw fit to publish a highly sensational headline that failed to mention the context of the words and works.

I would like to think Dr. Curry gets it...

See: http://homepage.mac.com/scottukgb/publications/bravo.pdf

Ivan Castro, American Hero.

Washington's other newspaper: Blinded First Lieutenant Proves He 'Can Do This'

It wasn't 1st Lt. Ivan Castro's eyesight, which he lost in Iraq more than a year ago, that knocked him off his pace yesterday at the Marine Corps Marathon. It was his sighted guides.
"His first two guides were women," said George Mannes, who held Castro's left arm as he crossed the finish line in 4 hours 14 minutes 10 seconds. "They both had to make bathroom stops."

Chicks.

I'll bet they went together.

But Castro, 40, was just happy to make it to the finish line. This was only his second marathon and the first since being blinded 1 year 1 month 26 days ago. He easily rattled the number off the top of his head.

"I've got a standard now," Castro said. "I've got a goal to beat next year. This is not the last. This is just the first. You're going to see more of Ivan Castro."

Amen to that, Brother.

Castro, an Army infantry officer stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., was blinded when his convoy was attacked while on a rooftop in Baghdad. He and two other soldiers were dodging mortars when one hit right in front of him, knocking him unconscious and instantly causing blindness in his right eye. Surgery to remove shrapnel claimed his left eye. The blast killed the other two soldiers.

May God have mercy on their brave souls.

To: Those with IQs over that of a radish
Re: The last paragraph

No, it is not you, kiddies. The convoy was not on the roof. Washington's other newspaper hires according to a reporter's doctrinal orthodoxy, not his ability to write and speak proper English.

The Carter Syndrome* spreads among our moral and intellectual superiors.

Sydney Morning Herald: Democrat candidate saw UFO

In the United States election campaign's most startling revelation yet, a Democratic congressman running for president said he once saw a UFO over the home of the actor Shirley MacLaine.

Even in Australia, that cow must be called an actress.

Dennis Kucinich was asked during a Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday about the claim in a book by MacLaine, quoted in US media in advance of publication.
"I did," Mr Kucinich said, to laughter from the audience.

Left unclear were details of the alleged sighting in Washington state, during which MacLaine says the politician saw a silent, triangular craft and "felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind".

"It was an unidentified flying object, OK? It's, like, it's unidentified. I saw something," Mr Kucinich said during the debate by seven Democrats hoping to win the party's nomination to run for president next year.

Not missing a beat, the congressman from Ohio claimed that "more people in this country have seen UFOs than I think approve of George Bush's presidency". But the debate's co-host, Tim Russert of NBC television, cited data that only 14 per cent of Americans say they have seen a UFO. Mr Bush's approval ratings are in the mid-30 per cent range.

As for Mr Kucinich, polls show 1 per cent of likely Democratic voters want to see the former Cleveland mayor and fervent opponent of the Iraq war run for president. His campaign slogan: Strength through Peace.

Strength Through Joy is more like it. [The Nazi does not fall far from the tree, kiddies.]

*Before we know it, Hitlery will be taken up to that great Nuremberg Rally [or is that Trial?] in the sky.

Health Nazis grab Nebraska newborn.

Arizona Daily Star: Lawsuit says seizure of newborn for blood tests violated Nebraska couple's rights

A Nebraska couple sued state health officials Thursday, arguing their rights were violated when their newborn baby was seized by sheriff's deputies so a mandatory blood test could be performed.

Joel Anaya, who was almost 6 weeks old, was kept in foster care for six days until the tests came back negative earlier this month.

His parents, Mary and Josue Anaya, believe that the Bible instructs against deliberately drawing blood and that ignoring that directive may shorten a person's life. State health officials "conspired to deny the Anayas their rights of due process, and to seize and test baby Joel without notice or a hearing in district court," according to the filed in U.S. District Court in Omaha.

Kooky but protected, kiddies.

"This is a classic case of the government overreaching and violating a family's constitutional rights," said Jeff Downing, the couple's attorney.

The Anaya family is not seeking damages, but they want to ensure that this won't happen again if they have more children.

It's the first time in Nebraska a child was taken from parents to draw the drops of blood from the baby's heel for the screening, said Marla Augustine, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services. Nebraska is one of four states — South Dakota, Michigan and Montana are the others — that doesn't offer a religious exemption for parents who don't want the test performed.

1] The child was not being endangered by his parents.

2] What happens when NebrasKKKa finds a baby with a disease? It hands pamphlets to the parents.

3] Any bets on how long before these [and other] tests are mandated for children in their mothers' wombs? Do you doubt a positive test will get "defectives" aborted?

Health officials say the newborn screening program is one of the state's most cost-effective public health programs. The newborn blood test — usually performed within 48 hours of birth — screens for dozens of rare diseases, some of which can cause severe mental retardation or death if left undetected.

Last year, out of 26,819 babies tested, 537 tested positive for one of the dozens of diseases, and 43 of those results were confirmed, according to the state's Newborn Screening Program.

Augustine said Thursday that state officials had not seen the lawsuit and would have no comment.

The decision to seize Joel Anaya and test him was made by Douglas County prosecutors who have said they only did what was necessary to protect the baby's health.

When the Anayas' daughter Rosa was born in 2003, a hearing was held in Douglas County District Court and the couple voiced their objections. The state Supreme Court eventually turned down their arguments, but Rosa never was tested.

This time, the county wanted to make sure the testing was completed, said Nicole Brundo Goaley, a deputy Douglas County Attorney. So the county got an order from a juvenile court judge to test the baby.

Sheriff's deputies came Oct. 11 to take the child, who remained in foster care until tests came back Oct. 16. During that period, social workers let Mary Anaya nurse her son several times a day.

BUSH KEEPS SLAUGHTERING G.I.s WHOLESALE...

...oops, never mind.

Denver Post: Sharp drop in Iraq deaths seen
Violent deaths of U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians appear to have fallen sharply in Iraq in October, according to the latest Associated Press tally.

News 24 South Africa: Iraq deaths drop to new low
Civilian and US military deaths in Iraq have fallen to their lowest level this year, bolstering the US assertion that a troop surge is reducing bloodshed.

Guardian Unlimited: US Iraq deaths lowest in 18 months
Death toll for US combat troops in Iraq dropped sharply last month in trend Pentagon claims shows 'surge' strategy is working.

America's McPaper hid this story on Page 5A...

USA Today: U.S. death toll in Iraq lower in October
The monthly toll of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq is on track to being the lowest in nearly two years, with at least 37 troop deaths recorded as of Tuesday, but the military cautioned it's too early to declare a long-term trend.

Another science-related tragedy.

National Geographic: Longest-lived animal found, then killed -- Clam was 405

A clam dredged from icy Arctic waters is being hailed as the world's longest-lived animal.
Climate researchers at Bangor University in the United Kingdom recently counted 405 annual growth rings in the shells of a quahog clam.

When this animal was young, Shakespeare was writing his greatest plays and the English were establishing their first settlements in the Americas.

The team plucked the mollusk from 262-feet-deep (80-meter-deep) waters off the northern coast of Iceland.

The team is studying growth lines in clam shells as part of a project to understand how the climate has changed over the past thousand years.

Another victim of the Heat Nazis!

"On a side note, we discovered this very old clam," said Al Wanamaker, a postdoctoral researcher at the university.

Quahog clams are known for their longevity.

A 220-year-old taken from American waters in 1982 holds the official Guinness Book of World Records oldest animal title. Unofficially, the record belongs to a 374-year-old Icelandic clam housed in a German museum.

The new clam is at least 30 years older, according to the Bangor University team. The animal died when the researchers counted its rings.

Curiosity killed the clam.

"There's probably many others that are actually quite older—we just haven't found them yet," Wanamaker said.

Or killed them...

Justice smacks down some false believers.

A jury in Maryland showed some sense for a change...

Albuquerque Tribune: Jury awards Westboro Baptist Church to pay Marine dad $11 million

It is a shame we cannot throw these cretinous clowns in prison for the rest of their lives...

Members of a fundamentalist Kansas church ordered to pay nearly $11 million in damages to a grieving father smiled as they walked out of the courtroom, vowing that the verdict would not deter them from protesting at military funerals.

"Absolutely, don't you understand this was an act in futility?" said Shirley Phelps-Roper, whose father founded the Westboro Baptist Church.

Members promised to picket future funerals with placards bearing such slogans as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."

They believe that U.S. deaths in the Iraq war are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. They say they are entitled to protest at funerals under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.

Albert Snyder sued the Topeka, Kan., church after a protest last year at the funeral of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. He claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.

A jury agreed. On Wednesday, the church and three of its leaders - Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Phelps-Roper and Rebekah Phelps-Davis - were found liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Jurors awarded Snyder $2.9 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages.

It's unclear whether Snyder will be able to collect the damages.

The assets of the church and the defendants are less than a million dollars, mainly in homes, cars and retirement accounts, defense attorney Jonathan Katz said. The church has about 75 members and is funded by tithing.

Take their damn 401(k)s!

The attorney had urged jurors to award damages that would send a message to the church: "Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again."

Craig Trebilcock, one of Snyder's lawyers, later called the verdict "Judgment Day for the Westboro Baptist Church."

"They're always talking about other people's Judgment Day. Well, this is theirs," he said.

Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict, while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.

They are confident the award will be overturned on appeal, Phelps said.

"Oh, it will take about five minutes to get that thing reversed," he said.

May God have mercy on their pathetic souls.

It Takes A Village To Staff A Gestapo Unit Update.

Former nazi financier Peter Paul still has not learned you do not cross the Schicklgrubers. Look for his lifeless body to be found near the Mena airport.

Independent Online: Anti-Clinton video finding a niche on the Net

A stinging 13-minute video by a bitter foe of presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton and her husband, Bill, the former president, is finding a wide Internet audience.

The clip, a preview of a longer film by one-time Clinton donor Peter Paul, has scored more than 1,4-million hits on Google Video and about 350 000 on YouTube during the past week. Its popularity has driven it to the top spot on Google Video over the past two weeks, and it is the most-viewed political YouTube video in Britain.

Paul is a Hollywood entrepreneur, former partner of Spider-Man creator Stan Lee and convicted felon, who has sued the Clintons over a celebrity-packed fundraiser he helped organise for her 2000 Senate race. A California appeals court ruled this month that Senator Clinton should be dismissed from the suit.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is All Saints Day. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.


Today's first reading is Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 23:1-6.
Today's second reading is 1 John 3:1-3.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 5:1-12.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.


Prayer to Saint Benedict

Sanctissime Confessor Domini, monachorum Pater et dux,
Benedicte, intercede pro nostra omniumque salute.

V. Domine Deus virtutum converte nos.

R. Et ostende faciem tuam et salvi erimus.


Oremus.


Excita, Domine, in Ecclesia tua Spiritum cui beatus Pater noster Benedictus Abbas servivit: ut eodem nos repleti, studeamus amare quod amavit, et opere exercere quod docuit.

Da nobis, quaesumus, Domine, perseverantem in tua voluntate famulatum: ut in
Diebus nostris et merito et numero populus tibi serviens augeatur. Per Christum Dominum Nostrum. Amen.


For those whose Latin is a bit rusty:

O most holy Confessor of the Lord, Benedict, father and guide of monks, intercede for our salvation and that of everyone.

V. Lord, God of armies, convert us.

R. Show us Thy Face and we shall be saved.


Let us pray.

Awaken, O Lord, in Thy Church the Spirit that our blessed Father Saint Benedict
obeyed, so that, filled with the same Spirit we may strive to love what he loved and practice what he taught.

Grant us the grace to persevere in the service of Thy will, so that our days may
see the people of Thy servants grow in merit and number. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

You want to dominate THIS list?

Daily Telegraph: British brains dominate list of living geniuses

Britain has more living geniuses per head of population than anywhere else in the world, according to a new survey which reveals the country's influence on science, technology, business and the arts.

Almost a quarter of those featured in the list of 100 living geniuses are Britons, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the world wide web, [Al Gore, call your lawyer's office. - F.G.] in joint first place, and physicist Stephen Hawking at seven in the list.

British artists and musicians feature heavily, including Brit Art leader Damien Hirst at number 15, poet Seamus Heaney at 26, playwright Harold Pinter at 31, Sir Paul McCartney at 58, David Bowie at 67, Harry Potter author JK Rowling at 83 and filmmaker Ken Russell at 100.

Sir Richard Branson, the head of Virgin Group, at 49, chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall, at 58, and psychologist Dorothy Rowe, at 72, also made the list.

With 24 Britons in the list, the country has generated one living genius per 2.5 million people – a higher proportion than any other country.

The list, compiled by a panel of six experts in creativity and innovation, is jointly topped by Sir Tim and Albert Hofmann, the Swiss scientist who created the drug LSD.

They are followed by George Soros, the American financier and philanthropist, Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and Nelson Mandela, the former South African president.

There are also some surprise entrants. Osama Bin Laden ranks at number 43, a spot he shares with Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and Mohammed Ali, the former world heavyweight boxing champion.

The Americans have 43 geniuses on the list – one per 6.9 million people.

Creators Synectics, a global consultants firm, chose their geniuses by awarding scores out of 10 to each entrant against a number of factors: paradigm shifting; popular acclaim; intellectual power; achievement and cultural importance. The firm emailed 4,000 Britons this summer and asked them to nominate up to 10 living people who they considered geniuses.

They received back 1,100 nominations for individuals in all walks of life, more than 60 per cent of whom were either American or English. Only 60 per cent were still alive.

The panel was then charged with ranking the list in order of genius and to present a resulting shortlist of 100, who were then scored against the five factors.

Nigel Clarke, a managing partner of Synectics UK & Europe, said: "Many people argue that a genius can be defined by their contribution, where it turns conventional thinking on its head.

"I think that Albert Hoffman and Tim Berners-Lee have this in common with the great geniuses of the past.

''Both of them have, in their own way, turned the world that we live in upside down. And it may be that alone that accounts for their acclamation as the world's greatest living geniuses."


1] Albert Hoffman (Swiss)
Chemist

1] Tim Berners-Lee (British)
Computer Scientist

3] George Soros (American)
Investor & Philanthropist

This is as far as any sane man needs to go before realizing this is either a monumental joke or the work of a madman.

4] Matt Groening (American)
Satirist & Animator

I am no fan of Citizen Mandela, but the guy who created The Simpsons?

5] Nelson Mandela (South African)
Politician & Diplomat

5] Frederick Sanger (British)
Chemist

7] Dario Fo (Italian)
Writer & Dramatist

7] Steven Hawking (British)
Physicist

Hawking proves that a fat PR man is worth his weight in gold.

9] Oscar Niemeyer (Brazilian)
Architect

9] Philip Glass (American)
Composer

Glass is tied for ninth? That is just sick.

9] Grigory Perelman (Russian)
Mathematician

12] Andrew Wiles (British)
Mathematician

12] Li Hongzhi (Chinese)
Spiritual Leader

If Citizen Li is not out of Slave China yet, he better start running right now.

12] Ali Javan (Iranian)
Engineer

Same for ol' Ali. Unless he is the Father of the Iranian Bomb, of course. [Don't worry, kiddies, I checked. He is safely ensconced at MIT and is co-inventor of the gas laser.]

15] Brian Eno (British)
Composer

Oy vey!

15] Damian Hirst (British)
Artist

15] Daniel Tammet (British)
Savant & Linguist

18] Nicholson Baker (American)
Writer

Who?

19] Daniel Barenboim (N/A)
Musician

Nobody will claim him.

20] Robert Crumb (American)
Artist

Who's Harry Crumb?

20] Richard Dawkins (British)
Biologist and philosopher

20] Larry Page & Sergey Brin (American)
Publishers

20] Rupert Murdoch (American)
Publisher

Oh, no. He's Australian.

20] Geoffrey Hill (British)
Poet

BTW, there are too damn many ties in this list. Prove you have a pair and pick one!

25] Garry Kasparov (Russian)
Chess Player

Fyodor's endorsed candidate for President of Russia.

26] The Dalai Lama
(Tibetan)
Spiritual Leader

Brave, yes. But a genius?

26] Steven Spielberg
(American)
Film maker

Viva Spielbergo!

26] Hiroshi Ishiguro
(Japanese)
Roboticist


26] Robert Edwards
(British)
Pioneer of IVF treatment

In vitro, nobody can hear you scream...

26] Seamus Heaney (Irish)
Poet

31] Harold Pinter
(British)
Writer & Dramatist

Hee-hee!

32] Flossie Wong-Staal
(Chinese)
Bio-technologist

32] Bobby Fischer (American)
Chess Player

That is just mean.

32] Prince (American)
Musician

HOLY CRAP!

32] Henrik Gorecki (Polish)
Composer

32] Avram Noam Chomski
(American)
Philosopher & linguist

Noam is a commie. It does take a lot of cogitatin' power to reconcile that with one's conscience. Or a lot of booze.

32] Sebastian Thrun (German)
Probabilistic roboticist

32] Nima Arkani Hamed (Canadian)
Physicist

32] Margaret Turnbull
(American)
Astrobiologist

40] Elaine Pagels (American)
Historian

40] Enrique Ostrea (Philippino)
Pediatrics & neonatology

40] Gary Becker (American)
Economist

43] Mohammed Ali (American)
Boxer

Un-be-freakin'-lieveable.

43] Osama Bin Laden (Saudi)
Islamicist

Goat rape is brain food.

43] Bill Gates (American)
Businessman

It takes a genius to sterilize poor women.

43] Philip Roth
(American)
Writer

Dumbass.

43] James West
(American)
Invented the foil electrical microphone

That surely tops M. Ali [#43 above], who only invented the rope-a-dope.

43] Tuan Vo-Dinh (Vietnamese)
Bio-Medical Scientist

49] Brian Wilson (American)
Musician

Oh my. I do believe I just soiled myself.

49] Stevie Wonder (American)
Singer songwriter

It is about time.

49] Vint Cerf (American)
Computer scientist

49] Henry Kissinger (American)
Diplomat and politician

49] Richard Branson (British)
Publicist

49] Pardis Sabeti (Iranian)
Biological anthropologist

We seem to be stuck on 49, kiddies.

49] Jon de Mol (Dutch)
Television producer

49] Meryl Streep (American)
Actress

Kissinger is gonna be pissed.

49] Margaret Attwood (Canadian)
Writer

58] Placido Domingo (Spanish)
Singer

58] John Lasseter (American)
Digital Animator

58] Shunpei Yamazaki (Japanese)
Computer scientist & physicist

58] Jane Goodall (British)
Ethologist & Anthropologist

58] Kirti Narayan Chaudhuri (Indian)
Historian

58] John Goto (British)
Photographer

58] Paul McCartney (British)
Musician

He did get away with murdering one of his "wives", after all. And he portrayed the maimed one as a golddigger. Brilliant!

58] Stephen King (American)
Writer

Dumbass.

58] Leonard Cohen (American)
Poet & musician

Ditto.

67] Aretha Franklin (American)
Musician

Yes!

67] David Bowie (British)
Musician

Another example of British genius.

67] Emily Oster (American)
Economist

67] Steve Wozniak (American)
Engineer and co-founder of Apple Computers

67] Martin Cooper (American)
Inventor of the cell phone

Hmmm...

72] George Lucas (American)
Film maker

72] Niles Rogers (American)
Musician

Hee-hee!

72] Hans Zimmer (German)
Composer

72] John Williams (American)
Composer

72] Annette Baier (New Zealander)
Philosopher

My eyes are glazing over...

72] Dorothy Rowe (British)
Psychologist

72] Ivan Marchuk (Ukrainian)
Artist & sculptor

72] Robin Escovado (American)
Composer

72] Mark Dean (American)
Inventor & computer scientist

72] Rick Rubin (American)
Musician & producer

Please, make it stop!

72] Stan Lee (American)
Publisher

I love Marvel Comics, but Stan must be blushing from head to toe.

83] David Warren (Australian)
Engineer

83] Jon Fosse (Norwegian)
Writer & dramatist

83] Gjertrud Schnackenberg (American)
Poet

She is a genius because she can spell her own name.

83] Graham Linehan (Irish)
Writer & dramatist

83] JK Rowling (British)
Writer

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

83] Ken Russell (British)
Film maker

Blah, blah, blah...

83] Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (Russian)
Small arms designer

Cheap, rugged automatic weapons for all the peasants. Definitely genius. Definitely Zardoz.

83] Erich Jarvis (American)
Neurobiologist

91] Chad Varah (British)
Founder of Samaritans

91] Nicolas Hayek (Swiss)
Businessman and founder of Swatch

91] Alastair Hannay (British)
Philosopher

94] Patricia Bath (American)
Ophthalmologist


94] Thomas A. Jackson (American)
Aerospace engineer

94] Dolly Parton (American)
Singer

Now the joke is exposed. Dolly is obviously #44...DD.

94] Morissey (British)
Singer

He's still alive?

94] Michael Eavis (British)
Organiser of Glastonbury

94] Ranulph Fiennes (British)
Adventurer

100] Quentin Tarantino (American)
Filmmaker

He has been promoted from everybody's third favorite foot fetishist to world's #100 genius. That's some serious marketing, baby.

Sport is dying.

The dumbasses' dumbass strikes again. At least Michelle Wie looks good when she pulls out...

CBS Sportsline: Daly does another disappearing act
John Daly was a big draw this week in the PGA Tour event at Port St. Lucie, Fla. One problem: After making the cut, Daly bails without explanation following the third round. Steve Elling says Daly's disappearing act is beyond tiresome.

Everyone's third favorite spokesthingee for melanin-rich females of the sporting persuasion apologizes for calling a pervert a pervert...

USA Today: Citing 'partial information,' Stringer apologizes to Thomas
New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas and Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer have made up after Stringer apologized to Thomas for critical comments she made Friday regarding the sexual harassment trial he and the team lost last month.

Et tu, Tyson?

Houston Chronicle: Arkansas track team loses two national titles
Arkansas' renowned track and field program lost two national championships Thursday when the NCAA imposed stiff sanctions for violations involving sprint star Tyson Gay and a former assistant coach. The Razorbacks also received three years' probation.

Triumph of the Gentlemen.

Winston-Salem Journal: Manning shows patience, poise in beating Panthers

No sane person would consider the Indianapolis Colts' 31-7 win over Carolina historic, but sanity took a holiday yesterday. Coach Tony Dungy broke Don Shula's franchise victory record, quarterback Peyton Manning broke Johnny Unitas' franchise record for touchdown passes...

Yes, Virginia, there really are martyrs among us.

Daily Mail: Austrian farmer executed by Nazis is beatified by the Catholic Church

An Austrian farmer beheaded by the Nazis in 1943 for deserting Hitler's army was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in the last major step before his possible sainthood.

Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presided over the ceremony in the northwestern city of Linz for Franz Jaegerstaetter.

Jaegerstaetter, who was declared a martyr in June by Pope Benedict XVI, was executed outside Berlin on Aug. 9, 1943 after the young farmer was arrested for desertion.

The devout believer and conscientious objector had been the only person in his village to vote against the creation of a "Greater Germany" shortly after Austria was annexed in 1938.

Jaegerstaetter's beatification gave Austrians a fresh opportunity to examine "our own wartime past: the war generation, inhumanity, and the terror of the Nazis," Austrian bishops Ludwig Schwarz and Manfred Scheuer said in a statement.

"He is a shining example in his fidelity to the claims of his conscience - an advocate of nonviolence and peace," they said, praising Jaegerstaetter for standing up to "the inhuman and godless system of Nazism."

In 1997, a Berlin court posthumously exonerated Jaegerstaetter, who was ordered to be put to death for treason after his request to be excused from regular army service for religious reasons was denied.

About 4,000 faithful and 30 crimson-robed bishops from Austria and abroad joined Jaegerstaetter's widow, Franziska, at Friday's ceremony, which was broadcast live on national television from Linz, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Vienna.

"I always prayed to the Lord God that he would let me live to experience this day," said his widow, now 94.

The beatification was held on Austria's National Day holiday, which marks the anniversary of a 1955 law declaring the country to be neutral.

In its official biography of Jaegerstaetter, the Diocese of Linz says he had a dream in 1938 warning of the horrors of Hitler's regime to come.

"In it, he saw a train carrying innumerable people to perdition, and its meaning was unveiled to him as representing the Nazis," it says.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

After World War II, two Franciscan nuns brought an urn containing Jaegerstaetter's ashes back to the province of Upper Austria, where he had long been celebrated as a martyr, meaning he died for the church.

Wrong. It means he died for God.

Last year, President Heinz Fischer named a park in honor of Jaegerstaetter in Hitler's birthplace of Branau am Inn - a town not far from where Jaegerstaetter himself was born in 1907.

Before he can be canonized, or named a saint, a miracle attributed to Jaegerstaetter still must be confirmed.

The process is complicated and usually takes decades, sometimes centuries.

Stupid and Horrible Way to Die of the Day. (Part Two)

UPI: Two killed while brawling on highway ramp

A wild fight in the middle of a Florida highway Thursday cost the two combatants their lives and held up traffic for hours, a report said.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the pre-dawn incident began when a man and woman got out of a car and began brawling on a ramp from State Road 7 to Interstate 595 in Davie and were then struck by another vehicle, The South Florida Sentinel said.

Ramon Perez and Marie Mary died at the scene when they were run over while wrestling on the pavement. They had been riding in a car driven by another woman.

The newspaper said the incident closed the ramp for several hours. It was not know what the pair was fighting about.

You know, Bono, $28.5 million would relieve a lot of third world debt...

Toronto Star: U2 makes $30M last year

U2 Ltd., the Irish band's music publishing company, raked in US$30 million-plus last year – and $25.8 million of it went to five unidentified "employees," according to documents obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

Ha! What was I thinking? Silly Fyodor.

It Takes A Village To Staff A Gestapo Unit Update.

Noted warmonger and vampire Senatrix Hitlery Schicklgruber (N-NY) devours a few babies [and $1.5 million in cash] to help her continue her relentless march toward total power over the likes of you...

New York Daily News: Happy 6ooth, Hitlery!

Rush & Molloy: At Hillary Clinton's 600th birthday bash, Democrats danced in the aisles of the Beacon Theatre Thursday night as Elvis Costello and the Wallflowers sang "Happy Birthday, Mrs. President."

Ah, Declan McManus...He is best known for referring to Ray Charles as a "blind, ignorant nigger." [There's that word again!]

It is nice to see ol' Hit running with the intellectualoids once again.

Senator Token Update.

KRLA: Liberal faith, Obama style?
by Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

After months of hearing Barack Obama opine about his faith and values, his priorities have finally been put to the test. Politically active gay leaders are asking that Obama remove popular gospel artist Rev. Donnie McClurkin from his “Embrace the Change” gospel tour. McClurkin, a powerful, award-winning, gospel singer has been impressed with Obama, whom he met at a fundraiser sponsored by Oprah Winfrey this year.

Gays quickly attempted to label the minister as homophobic. Nothing could be further from the truth. McClurkin told AP radio in a September interview that he was “once involved in those desires and thoughts.” Raped as a child and molested by family members, McClurkin had a great deal of baggage to overcome. Fortunately, McClurkin feels that God turned things around for him.

Amen to that, Brother.

Gays around the country have declared that he was molested by “straight relatives.” They want to distance themselves from the reprehensible thought of child abuse. Therefore, they seem to feel as though they must silence the testimonies of McClurkin and others.

Fascists.

In addition to the gruesome details of the singer’s family background, gay activists are probably more worried about his testimony of deliverance from the gay lifestyle. This is because McClurkin believes that gays can be cured. Ironically, McClurkin was open-minded enough to travel with Obama, despite a glaring difference in theology between them. Rev. McClurkin’s endorsement in black gospel circles is every bit as influential as that of Oprah Winfrey’s in society at large.

This week, Obama has caved in to gay activists’ desires for him to wave their banner. He added a less popular person – the Reverend Andy Sidden, an openly gay South Carolina pastor.
Although he has refused to remove Reverend McClurkin from the program, he has highlighted an inconsistency that I am sure he wanted to hide. To worsen matters, Obama is scheduled to appear on The Ellen Degeneres Show next week.

In case anyone wonders about Obama’s position, here’s what he says at his website:

“I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers
and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other
citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious
leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts of
our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach
of equal rights in this country.

I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must
stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with
Reverend McClurkin's views and will continue to fight for these rights as
President of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads
tolerance instead of division." ~ Barack Obama 10/22/07

Although Mr. Obama claims to be a bridge builder, he failed to seize a great opportunity last week to talk about both his candidacy and his faith at the Washington Briefing, which my organization co-sponsored. I find it ironic that he ran from an occasion to present his views to an important and well-informed group of Christians. Similar to the front-running Republicans candidates who snubbed Tavis Smiley by not attending the debate at Morgan State University, I feel that Obama has snubbed conservative Christians by refusing to come and talk with them. On the other hand, he seems to be groveling to receive the acceptance of a much smaller, and may I add, much more hostile group.

Perhaps his waning popularity in the polls is driving him to attempt to go into churches in South Carolina in a desperate attempt to play both the race card and the faith card to make his candidacy more viable. At the end of the day, I believe that the mixed message that Obama is sending to the black community will set back his campaign instead of advancing it.

Last week, before the Washington Briefing, I made a last ditch attempt to get the Senator to respond to our invitation for him to speak. I was very disappointed that we did not receive a response of any kind and wrote a letter to Obama concerning his lack of response. It reads as follows:

“Since you claim to be a born-again believer, Scripture clearly states we are considered to be a part of the same spiritual family. Obviously, we may not agree on everything, yet your sincerity now is suspect for many in light of your recent social stances and the disrespect you have shown to many conservative clergy members, myself included.

Senator Obama, this begs me to ask the question: Are you fearful of being rejected by fellow, Bible-believing Christians?

Perhaps you fear rationalizing to fellow believers your attendance at the Gay and Lesbian Presidential debate this summer. And what did it garner you? On August 10, 2007, E.J. Graff, writing for The Nation, said this about your appearance in the Gay and Lesbian forum:

“Edwards hit it out of the park. Hillary got smartly on base, to wild--even
excessive--cheers. Obama struck out.”

It is inconceivable (and hypocritical) to me that you would go to great lengths to criticize black pastors and their biblical positions during the LOGO television debate – which, by the way, failed to impress this tiny segment of the electorate – and then to host a ‘gospel tour’ of southern black churches.

Senator, if you are sincerely reaching out to the faith community and intend on ‘uniting’ this country as you have claimed, perhaps you should reconsider your priorities.”

From my perspective, McClurkin (now a pastor) is courageously declaring the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to change a person’s life. Maybe it’s Mr. Obama that needs to “embrace the change.”

Stupid and Horrible Way to Die of the Day. (Part One)

WCMH: Schoolboy Fight Leads To Death For Student's Father

The plan was simple: invite families feuding over problems between their fifth-grade sons to counseling sessions at different times.

When the first family took longer to leave school than anticipated, the plan went awry. Running into each other in the parking lot, the father of one boy and the boyfriend of the other boy's mother argued, then fought briefly.

Police say the father, 29-year-old Franklin Jude, was struck in the face and fell, hitting his head on the pavement. He died five days later and was buried Monday.

"Frank went down on the pavement and smacked his head really, really hard," said Joanie Parsley, the mother of another student at West Broad Elementary School.
"Frank didn't even have time to flinch -- that's how fast it was."

Franklin County Coroner Brad Lewis ruled Jude's death a homicide, but no charges have been filed. The case is under investigation, and a grand jury will hear evidence in the next few weeks.

Attorney Steven Larson says the boyfriend, Grant Reese, 23, was defending himself and gave police his shirt covered with his own blood to prove he was hit.

"As soon as he was hit in the nose he struck the fellow in the jaw which caused him to fall over," Larson said. "He said it was instantaneous -- 'I got hit, I hit back."'

Events leading to the Oct. 10 fight began the day before outside the school on the city's west side.

Witnesses say the two men had words after school let out, upset because one of the boys pushed the other. The school principal intervened, the police were called and meetings were set up for the following morning.

Violence is not uncommon in the area, a neighborhood of century-old homes struggling with poverty and drug abuse. A social worker was stabbed to death by a client in 2001 just a few houses away from the school. Last summer a 14-year-old boy was shot to death by a driver upset that his car had been egged.

On Oct. 10, Jude and his fiancee, Jhonda Phillips, arrived at the school for their 8:30 a.m. meeting with principal Peter Kurty.

A meeting with Reese and Star Caulley, the mother of the other fifth-grader, Kyler, was scheduled for about an hour later.

District spokesman Jeff Warner said the principal was careful to set up separate appointments because problems between the families over the boys and alleged bullying between them dated back to last year.

His meeting over, Jude waited in the parking lot with Phillips' brother, William Reed, while Phillips went back inside to give their son, Wesley, his lunch money, Parsley said.

Caulley and her boyfriend arrived in a van along with several of Caulley's other children.

What happened next is what police must figure out.

Parsley says Jude and the boyfriend began arguing and looked like they were going to start fighting. Before anything happened, the two calmed down.

Then, as the two men walked between their cars, Reese hit Jude in the face, Parsley said.

Larson says it happened the other way around and that Reese was rushed by Jude and others almost as soon as he pulled up in the van.

Reese was arrested the day of the fight on unrelated charges of burglary and possession of criminal tools. He was freed Thursday on a $25,000 bond. Larson is representing him only on the burglary charge but said he had talked to his client about the fight.

School starts at 9:30 a.m. and several children were around when the fight happened. Police and school officials said the adults should have done something to keep violence away from the schoolhouse.

"What kind of example are we setting when we fight in front of kids?" said Sgt. Rich Weiner, a Columbus police spokesman.

Jude worked in a warehouse and did construction, painting and other odd jobs. He and Phillips also had an 8-year-old daughter, Kaylie.

"He was a great guy. Just loved his family, loved doing stuff with his kids on the weekends and just worked during the week," said next-door neighbor Rob Hernandez, 40, a construction worker. "Just a regular kind of guy."

Wesley's grandmother, Gayle Gates, said the family disagrees with Reese's version of events and says Jude never had a chance to hit Reese.

"We want justice because my son-in-law was killed," Gates, 58, said Tuesday.

Parsley, 32, said Wesley hasn't been back to school since the fight. She said he made a brief phone call to her son, Justin; the two are best friends.

"He just wanted to know from my son, 'Did you watch the news because my daddy's dead,"' Parsley said.

From The Whistling Past The Ash Heap Of History Department:

One of Big Straight Mahmoud's* henchmen spouts off...

Detroit News: Iran confident U.S. won't launch attack

While the man himself battles snot-nosed brats who dare to hope to breathe free...

International Herald Tribune: Iranian president faces continued criticism following rare student protest
A day after Iranian students protested against hardline President Hungadunga*, official response was muted Tuesday, but the country's independent press and students continued to criticize the president.

*I am torn, kiddies, between calling him Hungadunga and Big Straight Mahmoud. I do love both sobriquets so.

What was he thinking?

The Altoona Herald-Mitchellville Index [!]: CR man arrested with inflatable doll

Police arrested a man after finding him in a government building restroom lying beside an inflatable doll.

Oh. The government. That explains it.

Cedar Rapids police charged Craig S. McCullough, 47, with indecent exposure after finding him Wednesday afternoon in the public restroom. He had his pants down and was "lying next to an anatomically correct inflatable doll," according to the criminal complaint.

He was found by an agent of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has an office near the restroom.

McCullough has a lengthy criminal record, including a 2004 conviction for burglarizing Just For Me bridal boutique in Cedar Rapids. Shortly after the burglary, officers found McCullough in a nearby alley, carrying a mannequin wearing a bridal dress.

Wow. I wonder if he grabbed a Vera Wang.

Anyone over age 10 who wears a Halloween costume is a moron.

WCBS: Long Island School Bans Costumes on Halloween

Call it the Misadventure of Captain Underpants and the Peeved Principal.

A suburban Long Island high school has banned all Halloween costumes after three senior girls showed up last year dressed as the underwear-baring subject of a series of best-selling children's books.

Long Beach High School Principal Nicholas Restivo, who sent the three seniors home to change last year, said the episode solidified his sense that the school's costume tradition was disruptive.

For the Captain Underpants costumes, the three girls donned beige leotards and nude stockings under white briefs and red capes to portray the superhero, who has battled such foes as talking toilets. To Restivo, the appearance was that the girls were naked.

Still, they sound very nice.

"I'm being a principal. I'm not being an ogre,'' Restivo said.

He added that some gory costumes could make some students uncomfortable.

Some students don't see it that way. They are circulating a petition opposing the costume crackdown.

"It's one thing if the school won't let us wear outfits that are revealing or inappropriate, but if it is an innocent Halloween costume, we should be allowed to wear it,'' said junior Meghan Beck.

Nigger Update. (If you think that is bad, kiddies, just wait until the next time I have to deal with the word nazis.)

Lancaster Ignorancer-Urinal: Downtown storefront art is fueling friction

A display in a downtown shop window has some city residents angry and offended.

But Sharyn Lesher, who has operated her vintage shop, Pop Deluxe, at 6 N. Prince St., for 14 years, said removing the art from her window would be censorship — even if that art makes her a little uncomfortable, too.

At issue is a piece by Lancaster artist Nikki Evans — specifically, a 40-ounce booze bottle with a red label that reads, "Nigga Killa, 33.3% mo crack." Under the writing is a sprawled-out figure.

Lesher said Evans, who could not be reached for comment Friday, is a friend who asked to display her art in the store window.

"It's been in there since First Friday," Lesher said. "I like to have art in the window. I don't particularly like the word either, but I wanted to believe people would have the ability to see past the word and think about what (Evans) was trying to get them to think about. I try not to suppress anyone's self-expression."

On Friday, Lancaster resident Tracy Lewis saw the display and was so upset by it that she called city police and confronted Lesher, who told her the artist is black.

What? She doesn't get a free pass because of her Melanin-American status?

"(Lesher) did explain that the artist is a black woman," Lewis said. "I said, 'I don't care who put it in there — it's wrong,' especially in this day and age. The word 'n-----' is not intelligent, no matter what color you are. That is very offensive. I was appalled."

Oh, right. She is not a famous Melanin-American like Snoop or Chris Rock. Only colored folks who rake in millions for white corporations can use "nigger" with impunity.

Dennis Johnson, an acquaintance of Lewis, said he also was outraged by the display, which includes several other pieces of Evans' work that reference black stereotypes.

"I'm probably taking it to the extreme, but I know racism is alive and well and living and breathing and walking amongst us in Lancaster," Johnson said. "And for it to be living and breathing and walking amongst us in Lancaster really gets me going."

"Probably"?

Lesher said some customers who "expressed concern" about the display were placated when she identified the artist as a black person.

See, kiddies? Many of us have internalized the double standard.

Friday, police took comments from Lewis and Lesher, but Lesher was not charged with any crime. Still, Lesher decided to add a note of explanation to the display after police left rather than remove Evans' art.

I wonder how many rapists and child abusers got away with it while Lancaster's finest were playing Word Police?

The sign quotes Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., chairman of African-American Studies at Harvard University: "Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice."

EEK! He referred to lynching! Racist.

Lesher added a few words of her own to Gates' quote: "Art should never be allowed to be censored; words only have the power we give them. Look past the word and contemplate the message."

Always remember, kiddies: "FEAR NO ART EXCEPT THAT WHICH IS FUNDED BY MONEY COERCED FROM TAXPAYERS" .

"In deference to taking the art down, I put a sign up," said Lesher, who is white. "Taking it down would have been censorship. That would have been letting the small minds win. I believe in self-expression, and (Evans) is making a statement about the use of words."


Johnson and Lewis are black. Both said they don't condone use of the word in any context, regardless of what race the speaker is.


However, both qualified that statement, saying use of the word among African Americans has a less cutting effect than it has when spoken by whites. And both questioned Lesher's actions, although, when asked, they said Evans also was to blame.

"It's not about self-expression. It's disrespectful to black people for a white woman to have that in her window," Lewis said. "I understand (Lesher) was trying to drum up controversy, but you do it in a way that doesn't show you're racist."

Racist. How do you know that window is white? White people can't own windows of color?

Johnson said he contacted Mayor Rick Gray's office Friday. Gray could not be reached for comment by the Intelligencer Journal.

That is the smartest thing Mayor Bow Tie has ever done.

Johnson said what he finds most offensive is that Lesher offered no apology and is ignoring complaints from the community she offended by not removing Evans' art. "(Lesher) has had it up for weeks, and she's done nothing about the complaints? She's the small-minded one," Johnson said.

"Don't blow it off as art. It may be art, but it's offensive art. If you've offended your community and your community is upset about it, what are you going to do about it?"

While Lesher said the point of art is to generate open discussion, [HOLY CRAP! Talk about the Death of the West! - F.G.] Lewis and Johnson said they are concerned about other possible fallout from the display. "(Mayor Gray) needs to be aware of this, and what he's going to do about it is the question," Johnson said.

Yes, Virginia, there really are word nazis.

Sports Illustrated: Tribes to decide fate of 'Fighting Sioux' nickname

North Dakota officials have three years to persuade Sioux tribes to support the Fighting Sioux nickname, under a settlement approved Friday that the president of United Tribes Technical College says shows contempt.

The state Board of Higher Education settled a lawsuit with the NCAA over the nickname, voting unanimously Friday morning to approve the deal after a closed-door briefing from Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

David Gipp, president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, said leaders of the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake tribes, as well as other tribes and groups, are on record opposing the nickname.

None dare call him The Gipper.

"Allowing a three-year period to influence the tribes leaves open the door for UND and its agents to continue their meddling in the social and political affairs of tribal nations, causing untold damage in the lives of good people and families who only wish to have their ways and heritage respected," Gipp said in a statement.

Stenehjem, who outlined the agreement earlier for tribal officials, said he believes negotiations over the nickname and logo should be led by top-level state officials.

Time to bribe the Sioux.

"There shouldn't be a huge number of people putting pressure on anyone," he said.

In 2005, the NCAA banned the use of the nickname in postseason play, labeling it hostile and abusive. UND sued to challenge the ban in October last year and got a temporary order allowing the continued use of the nickname and logo while the case moved through court.

"The settlement confirms that the Sioux people and no one else should decide whether and how their name should be used," Bernard Franklin, an NCAA senior vice president, said in a statement.

"The settlement is consistent with the NCAA's firm belief that Native American nicknames and imagery have no place in intercollegiate athletics," the NCAA statement said.

"We are not going to be fighting this in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years," Stenehjem said. "This is an issue that needs to be resolved, needs to be concluded."

If approval of the nickname is withdrawn later from either the Standing Rock or Spirit Lake Sioux tribes, the waiver will also be withdrawn, the agreement says. It also includes a statement by the NCAA saying UND is a "national leader in offering educational programs to Native Americans."

Sebastian Braun, an assistant professor in the UND Indian studies department, said the agreement seems reasonable.

"I don't think the tribes are going to change their minds on this, but it will perhaps give everybody some time to come to terms with the inevitable," he said.

Samantha Plante, a freshman from Brooklyn Park, Minn., says she hopes an agreement can be reached with the tribes.

"I personally don't think the school uses it as a demeaning logo," Plante said. "I hope something can be worked out, but this has been going on for a long time."

Jackie Stebbins, a second-year law student from Bowman, said the logo should be retired.

"I think our school has a dark cloud hanging over it because of the logo. It's time for it to go," she said.

Her name should be changed to Little Moron Who Senses Clouds.

Ron His Horse Is Thunder, [With a name like that, he should be a running back. - F.G.] chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, said he believed University of North Dakota officials should use the three years to plan for changing the nickname and dropping the logo, rather than trying to coax the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake tribes into accepting them.

The settlement will bring pressure to bear on the governing councils of the two tribes from UND alumni and others who support the nickname, His Horse Is Thunder predicted.

"That takes the onus off UND, in terms of Wayne Stenehjem having to battle a court suit, and it takes pressure off the NCAA ... and it puts all the pressure on tribes and tribal councils to somehow change their minds," His Horse Is Thunder said.

Previously, groups of tribal members have been bused to UND at the expense of nickname supporters for some lobbying, the Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman said.

"They've thrown a lot of money at individual tribal members, by taking them up to a hockey game and putting on a good face, and offering scholarship dollars ... to try to convince tribal members to go home and then lobby the tribal council to change it," His Horse Is Thunder said.

Eighteen schools originally were on a 2005 list of NCAA offenders using offensive American Indian nicknames and logos. A number of schools made changes while some won appeals with support from area tribes.

"I think it's important to remember that without this lawsuit, we would have been immediately subjected to the NCAA restrictions," Stenehjem said. "We had no options but to proceed to court."

The North Dakota lawsuit has cost an estimated $2 million in legal fees and services. Stenehjem said UND's costs were paid with private donations and "in my estimate, was worth the money."

If the nickname is changed, UND would have to remove most of its Indian imagery on its campus in Grand Forks. It could keep historical items and items embedded in the architecture, under the agreement.

Officials have estimated UND's Ralph Engelstad Arena has at least 3,000 Fighting Sioux logos, including a 10-foot sketch of an Indian head embedded in the granite floor.

Stenehjem said brass medallions would have to be removed from the chairs in the arena. Some likely could be sold "for quite a bit," he said.

Board of Higher Education President John Q. Paulsen said he was pleased with the NCAA statement that UND was a leader in Indian education.

"The University of North Dakota deserves to have its honor restored in terms of its long-standing commitment to programs for Native American students," Paulsen said.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of the Blessed Martyrs of Douai (or Douay), a group of 160 priests trained at the English College of Douai, in France. They were martyred in England and Wales during the century following the foundation of the famed college by Cardinal William Allen in 1568. All perished at the hands of English authorities while laboring to reconvert the island. Eighty alumni of Douai were beatified in 1929. [Please pray for their canonization.] Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Romans 8:12-17.
Today's Responsorial Palm is Psalms 67:3, 5, 7-8, 21-22.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 13:10-17.

Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.


Prayer to Saint Benedict

Sanctissime Confessor Domini, monachorum Pater et dux,
Benedicte, intercede pro nostra omniumque salute.

V. Domine Deus virtutum converte nos.

R. Et ostende faciem tuam et salvi erimus.


Oremus.


Excita, Domine, in Ecclesia tua Spiritum cui beatus Pater noster Benedictus Abbas servivit: ut eodem nos repleti, studeamus amare quod amavit, et opere exercere quod docuit.

Da nobis, quaesumus, Domine, perseverantem in tua voluntate famulatum: ut in
Diebus nostris et merito et numero populus tibi serviens augeatur. Per Christum Dominum Nostrum. Amen.



For those whose Latin is a bit rusty:

O most holy Confessor of the Lord, Benedict, father and guide of monks, intercede for our salvation and that of everyone.

V. Lord, God of armies, convert us.

R. Show us Thy Face and we shall be saved.


Let us pray.

Awaken, O Lord, in Thy Church the Spirit that our blessed Father Saint Benedict
obeyed, so that, filled with the same Spirit we may strive to love what he loved and practice what he taught.

Grant us the grace to persevere in the service of Thy will, so that our days maysee the people of Thy servants grow in merit and number. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.