A Son Of Liberty

Because I know what he's doing at "work".

See larger size here: [link] via [link].

When I walked on the Mall in Washington, D.C., I was in awe. When I saw this [link], I was rendered thoughtless.

The next big thing to hit the airwaves will be the videos of Gov. Palin saying that the Iraq War is "a task from God" and the Alaskan pipeline is "God's Will." From her teen years until 2002, she was a member of the Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal denomination that speaks in "tongues" [link]. Look for it coming soon.

Iceberg right ahead!

I (2x²+y²+z²-1)³-(1/10)x²z³-y²z³ = 0 you and I want to x²+y²=(1-z)z⁴ you.

Translation: I [3-D heart] you and want to [Kiss surface] you.

Links: Three-dimensional heart: [link]; Kiss Surface (aka ding-dong surface): [link]

Many times when we look into the political troubles of the day, we try to revert back to the good-ol' days.  Due to my age, my earliest memories of Washington politics starts with the end of the Reagan administration.  However, as I slide back in time I notice some big changes in US politics.  Remember as a kid the song from "Sesame Street": "One of these things is not like the others." [link]  Now apply this learned tool with the following US presidential election maps: [link].

What happened in 1964?  Well, the Deep South voted Republican for the first time since the Reconstruction in the 1870s.  Why?  Go explore.  It was a very interesting election!  It has also impacted our current political demographics.  And this was the good-ol' days ... pfffft!

Isn't it interesting when people you know who are not Christians preach sermons? What I mean is illustrated in the examples below.

First, at lunch today I brought up the subject of the Tennessee Lottery's Hope Scholarship. The conversation had died and we were eating in silence, so, being the social butterfly that I'm expected to be, I throw out a subject and wait for someone to take the hook. It was completely random, but I was interested to hear what my lost coworker's opinions were. They each have kids and certainly want the best education for them.

I said that one problem that many Christians and churchgoers are going to have to contend with if they haven't already had to think about it was this: Some, like my wife and I, are adamantly opposed to the lottery because it is morally wrong, it preys on poor people and ... well, it's morally wrong. But it will be a huge temptation for moms and dads when their kids come of college age and the huge, tasty carrot of a college tuition that is paid for is dangled in front of their face. For some, I said in the conversation, it'll be a very tough option to turn down.

The man sitting next to me -- lost and admits it -- dismisses the subject and everyone else's justification for accepting the "scholarship" with, "That's easy. You just have to decide if you're going to be a hypocrite or not." Dead silence. Next subject.

And then while talking to an alcoholic man who works in shipping and receiving and who lives a very immoral life and brags about it motioned toward a man who walked in the building. He pointed him out and said, "That man used to be preacher. The other day he cornered us and was telling us about the 'end times'. He said that he believes the world will end in two years." I snickered a little bit because no one knows for sure when time will end and thought that was the end of the subject. But the man continued, "I asked him in front of everyone why he doesn't sell everything he owns and live a good life for the next two years."

Two great sermons were preached today by people who you wouldn't expect to be so insightful.

First, don't be a hypocrite. Let your "yes" be "yes" ...

And, second, don't be a hypocrite. If you believe that Jesus is Lord and you believe that the world will end in two years, then those around you will dismiss both -- because the logical conclusion is that if the world doesn't end in two years then obviously Jesus isn't Lord. Our belief and hope as Christians isn't flippant and without substance. It is a confident expectation.

Class dismissed.

I'm not quite dry heaving, but it's close. I gave Obama a rash of stink pickles yesterday. Today? Check out McCain's possible veep selection and her "first man":

Call me old-fashioned. Call me sexist. Call me whatever you wish, but that doesn't change the fact that the man standing there during the swearing in of his wife is a dill weed.

Update: She could potentially be "one heartbeat away from the presidency" and from what experience is she going to pull? I thought it was scary how empty Obama's suit was, but this woman ... well, where's her foreign policy experience? Living closer to Russia than everyone else doesn't quite cut it.

For McCain and "soccer mom" to succeed in the Executive, they're going to have to admit their weaknesses and surround themselves with brilliant foreign policy advisers, chiefs-of-staff and cabinet members. Otherwise ... Katy, bar the door!

Update 2: She is cute as a button, though. She'll give Daniel D. Tompkins [link] a run for his money when it comes to veeps whose cheeks you'd just love to pinch.

I watch the Democratic National Convention on CNN and nearly vomit. And, honestly, I expect the same from the Replublican convention. It is a very, very troubled time for America. Here she stands, an old hag who's been around the block a little too many times and still whores herself out. If Jeremiah were alive today, he would have a very dark message for us -- repent or ... else.

Who wrote this? Screwtape? de Sade? Engels? Or a man who is credited for laying a political foundation for the current Democratic nominee?

Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins -- or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom -- Lucifer.

...

Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules. You can kill them with this. They can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.

Answer: Saul Alinsky, author of Rules for Radicals, source material for Michelle Obama's speech [link] and mentor for Sen. Barack Obama [link].

Now, I'm not too keen on conspiracy theories, but I do admit that Sen. Obama, son of a alcoholic polygamist with connections with Islamicist-sympathetic Odinga, his college mentors being Malcolm X and Frantz Fanon, follower of black liberation theology (Jesus was a black African Palestinian) and friend to Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers is more than just a tad troubling.

On top of that, I'm a one-issue voter who -- based on evidences -- knows that life begins at conception and finds Obama's lack of support Illinois' Born Alive Infant Protection Act -- an act that protects babies against induced labor abortion where the baby is born prematurely and then murdered -- to be downright evil.

I said in the past that I wouldn't waste my time with the Obamas, but I just had to get it off of my chest. What can you do? Pray. Pray hard.

When I was a graduate student, we would often sit around thinking nerdy thoughts.  One topic that might come up was the concept of traffic.  The problem was this: what is the most optimal driving method?

Some would compare traffic to fluid dynamics.  But this model is faulty (the reasons are beyond the scope of this post, but if you are interested, just ask).  Others would compare traffic to kinetic-molecular theory or collision theory bringing in the idea of Brownian motion.  (also another faulty model)

What was my thoughts?  Glad you asked!  I think traffic is best modeled by game theory.  Therefore, one strategy should be for drivers to attempt to be in Nash equilibrium.

Any questions?

see also: traffic psychology, intelligent transportation systems, road safety

Sometimes I feel like my commute to work in the morning is a lot like this:

Me likey: [link].

So, Skip Caray died and no one told me. He was like a grandfather figure to me and you said nothing. You should be ashamed. Boo. Hiss.

But it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
No one owns a piece of my time
And theres a five o'clock me inside my clothes
Thinkin that the world looks fine, yeah

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time ...

1. I found this on Neatorama.com [link]:

You’ve seen the text that explains how the human mind can read scrambled words, as long as the first and last letter of each word is correct. Now you can scramble a webpage in the same manner! ... Link

So, I viewed BJ's blog using the scrambling website and one of the sentences in his "The Week in Weird 08.15.08" post reads: "It's Fadriy and taht mneas poohts, and lot's of tehm." Poots and lots of 'em. That's great.

2. "I've been through the desert on a horse with no name..."

3. I have been updating my "It's the end of the world as we know it" course of action. Previously, I had Israel attacking Iran while America and Europe, neutered by populist leaders, do not get involved until nuclear war is imminent. Now, I have included Russia attacking south towards Israel, Iran, with a coalition of Muslims, retaliating against Israel's preemptive strikes, China finding the opportunity to strike against Japan, South Korea and pushing West to combat American allies in the Baltics and America imploding financially because of international embargoes on raw materials by these countries and our unwillingness to act because of guilt for being so wealthy and using more than "our share" of the world's resources. With everyone in agreement that religion -- specifically Christianity -- is the root to the world's problems, they line up against us. While waiting for the other shoe to drop, Jesus returns.

Again, it's a work in progress.

4. I'm reading Ken Follett's On the Wings of Eagles. Good read so far. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

5. Next, I'll read The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara. The Rising Tide was awesome.

6. Did anyone else see the pictures of the Hungarian weightlifter who turned his elbow inside out? Yikes. At your own risk: [link]

7. Five out of seven items with "I" as the subject and it's titled "we-Friday"?

8. OK, look. Get outside this weekend. Go buy a bike for you and the tots and find a greenway, trail or less-travelled road and ride. Or go on a hike. Just get outside. Between now and the middle of October the weather is going to be awesome. Go on. Do it. See you Monday.