Global Incident Map

On the link bar to the left you'll see a new addition entitled "Global Incident Map", which shows security-related issues around the globe (mostly terrorism related). Today's pretty quiet compared to normal; generally there's at least half again as much stuff going on.

200 Lashes

I've met some pretty disgusting flavors of Christianity in my time, growing up near CBN in Pat Robertson's stronghold of Virginia Beach, but even at the nastiest "kicking heathen ass" (this is a real quote) flavor of Christianity, even the most idiotic Old Testament Pseudo-Christians who haven't clued in that Jesus's message wasn't "an eye for an eye", wouldn't sentence a rape victim to six months in prison & two hundred lashes. Even the most moronic "she was asking for it" dim-wit would consider that her offense, riding in a car with someone she wasn't married to, had already been amply punished by the rape that ensued.

The center of Saudi Arabia isn't some backwater where no-one knows what Islam is supposed to mean; this's the center of the freakin' religion. Imagine the Pope or the Ecumenical Patriarch calling such a thing just -- it just boggles the mind. My mind has now been made up -- I was ready for all manner of arguments in favor of "moderate" Islam, but upon seeing this, while I don't know what justice is, it's obvious that Islam is far removed from anything remotely just.

Honestly, if it weren't for all the innocents who'd suffer, I'd say just nuke Mecca and wipe Islam off the face of the Earth. It's a disease.

Poor getting Richer, Rich getting Poorer

I know that a bunch of folks are apopleptic(sp?) about Bush Jr.'s affect on the economy, how he's ruining lives, etc., but the latest treasury data shows just the opposite affect during the last 9 years (an implied nod to Clinton too). "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer" isn't born out by the tax data. It's more like "the poor get richer, the middle gets richer, some of the rich get richer, and the really rich get poorer", as shown in the chart below.

If you were to ask my opinion, I'd guess that it's because the rich make their money via investment, aka putting their dollars at risk, rather than labor. Anyway, here's the chart -- note that this's median income, not mean income, which is much better news than if it were the converse.



UPDATE: should have checked the data better, the originating article isn't substantiated.

uncivilized

I know the Texan contingent is going to jump down my throat with swords and axes, but it's the week before Thanksgiving and it's 82 degrees outside. That's just not civilized -- this should be baking weather!

mrrr

UPDATE: it's now a very civilized 59 degrees!

New House

Moving to Livermore, CA. Two major terrain features from San Francisco, and a blue-******* ***** of a commute, but a very nice area in general: one of the few affordable places in the region that isn't completely covered over with foundations.

Not a fan of the landscaping, but otherwise it's a nice place with plenty of room to be ensconced for the forseeable future, which, at California real-estate prices, really means the foreseeable forever....


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