Politics, diffent communities and some thoughts

Comments: 10 Comments
Published on: August 10, 2005

I have been doing some thinking about groups and politics. I have been thinking about this since I started to look into the biking “community” in Pittsburgh. I have found that this so called community is very intolerant of any one that holds any political view that is not their own. I tried to ignore the politics of the other cyclists in Pittsburgh. But I found it very hard to ignore, since at the places they run they have anti-republican posters. They also make all their events political in nature, even if it is simply a bike ride, they will find a way to put a political spin on it. The final straw was they have been harassing me and a few of my friends at our pro-life rallies. I know that they have the right to make their statements but they are trying to push us off the side walk and into the road, where we can not be legally while protesting ourselves, so they are in a sense violating our free speech. At this point I have come to the conclusion, that I have found the the cycling community, and I do not want to be part of it. A good number of people in the biking “community” has also made it clear to me that I as a conservative am not welcome around them at all.
As to other groups I belong to. The first group I am going to explore is wplug I know that most computer people are liberal leaning, but at wplug I have not had a problem of me being discriminated against or made fun of for being a conservative. For the most part the people at wplug do not really care what the other people’s political views are. A few people there (I included) have talked politics, even though we did not agree. It was still civil, which I can say is more then the cycling people in Pittsburgh. For the most part I will say that on the whole wplug has good people.

The next group is my church (First Trinity), and politics do not enter into it. At church the only thing that is at issues is the Christian (Lutheran, LCMS) faith.
I think that covers the groups I am a member of right now. And even where I work which is academia which is historically very liberal, there has not been any problems for me as a conservative, I just for the most part keep to my small work group, and do not go to far out of it, and things for the most part have been fine. In fact I don’t even think that they really care about my politics there, which is a good thing, since the work place should be a place that is free of politics (unless you work for a political organization.)
I wonder if there is another set of cyclists in the Pittsburgh area that are either, conservative, or less confrontational about politics.

CNN Agrees To Air Lies Against Judge Roberts

Categories: Politics
Comments: 1 Comment
Published on: August 10, 2005

This was originally posted over at Powerball and being reposted (word for word, cut and past) with promision.

CNN has reviewed and agreed to run a controversial ad produced by a pro-abortion group that falsely accuses Supreme Court nominee John Roberts of filing legal papers supporting a convicted clinic bomber! The news network has agreed to a $125,000 ad buy from NARAL, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, for a commercial which depicts a bombed out 1998 Birmingham, AL abortion clinic.

The Birmingham clinic was bombed seven years after Roberts signed the legal briefing. The linking of Roberts to “violent fringe groups” is the sharpest attack against the nominee thus far. However, the non-partisan University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Factcheck.org reviewed the NARAL ad and found it to be “false.”

Factcheck.org found “in words and images, the ad conveys the idea that Roberts took a legal position excusing bombing of abortion clinics, which is false.”

The Republican National Committee is preparing to send a letter to television stations asking them to pull the spot, according to sources. The RNC’s letter claims: “NARAL’s ad is a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts that has no purpose but to mislead the American people.”

DRUDGE REPORT

A good read

Comments: 3 Comments
Published on: August 9, 2005

See unspace for a very very good read, I love the second one of the 2 thought experiments. The one called “The Yesterday Experiment.”
Now I wish you ask my few readers that same question but I will just quote it insteade of using my own words.

If I told you that an extremely powerful being created the entire universe sixty minutes ago, and created it as if it had existed for 13.8 or so billion years, when you remember existing yesterday, what are you remembering? Did it really happen?

The answer should be “You’re remembering false memories.” But I clearly remember yesterday. I clearly remember noticing that time was passing and wondering “What if the universe was created 60 minutes ago?” It feels as if there is some external “reality” to these memories. But given the maleability of eyewitness testimony, is that so?

The Wplug picnic

Categories: Friends, Geekdom, Play, Technology
Comments: 2 Comments
Published on: August 7, 2005

The wplug picnic was today. It was up in Whitehall. Bike up to it, it took me 2 and a quarter hours to bike up there. And the way back only took me 3/4ths of an hour. The picnic was alot of fun, food, and a few games. You can see some of the pictures here I am hoping that next year it will not take me so long to get there. They way I tried to get there to start with was I used the GPS coordinates that were posted on Wplug’s site. It got me close but not there. When I got to the coordinates I tried to get to the park with out success. Then I called for help and finally got there. This is an annual event we have at wplug maybe next year we could get more people, and wplug is open to any one that wishes to go. It is fun to hang out with some computer geeks at and not be tied to a computer.

Biking up the massive inclines we have Pittsburgh is only part of the fun of being car free in Pittsburgh.

Podcasts

Comments: Comments Off on Podcasts
Published on: August 5, 2005

I think Podcasting is a mixed bag right now. There are many people doing it, I have read that there are many pod casts that are really bad. I know of a few podcasts that I do like, but also these podcasts are real radio shows that are on the air, and are professionally done. The reason I listen to them on podcast is because 1 they are not broadcasted in the Pittsburgh area. 2 The times they are on I am usually out biking. The shows are on KFUO in St. Louis. They are Issues, Etc, and Law and Gospel. They are very well done. So right now I download them though iTunes (yes they are listed in the iTunes podcast directory) and in the morning I just copy the newest downloaded episodes to my Shuffle. So when I go to work I will listen to Issues, Etc in the morning from 9 am to noon. At noon I turn over to the computer and log into the Rush Limbaugh’s web site to listen to his show. Then I finish up the day with Law and Gospel at 3 to 4. I guess the term Todd Wilkins (the host of Issues, Etc,) uses fits me well, and that term is “Talk show junky”. The rest of the iPod is filled up with a few other miscellaneous talk shows, so when I go biking I still have a few things to listen. I think it is great the KFUO podcasts there shows now.

More thoughts on amniotic epithelial cells

Categories: News, Politics
Comments: 5 Comments
Published on: August 5, 2005

I would think that to help increase the supply of amniotic epithelial cells we should allow hospitals (or research groups) pay woman for them for the placenta. I know this is a strange thought, and that the laws would have to be changed a bit to allow for this. But I think that allot of good would come from this. It would give some woman one more reason to give birth to their child, and not kill said child before birth. It helps increase the supply of the amniotic epithelial cells. And with the increase in the amniotic epithelial cells could then be used to find cures for diseases.

Great news, I just read over at one of my favorit blog: amniotic epithelial cells — or the “need” for embryonic stem cells is now gone

Categories: News, Politics
Comments: Comments Off on Great news, I just read over at one of my favorit blog: amniotic epithelial cells — or the “need” for embryonic stem cells is now gone
Published on: August 5, 2005

PowerBlog has a entry that UPMC found a cell that works like a embryonic stem cells with out the destruction of a unborn baby. Also let me note here I was never against stem cell research, I was just against embryonic stem cell research, I was all for adult stem cell research. But now we have a new cell called amniotic epithelial cells. And since these cell do not involve the creation and then the destruction of a human baby, I am all for this. Also for those of you who like a “real” news source here is the Tribune Review’s article on it. I say lets go full speed ahead on amniotic epithelial cell research. I say this is great news for all.

Working out

Comments: 2 Comments
Published on: August 3, 2005

I been biking allot but ignoring the rest of my body so I am thinking I am going to try to go down to the gym 3 times a week if I can and do some upper body work. Let’s see how this works out. I also have been using the exercise equipment my mother gave me, but I still have to do some work on repairing the NordicTrack, and I still need some clamps for the weight bar. But the other 2 pieces of equipment are designed to more focus on the mid-body. If I can do 1/10 of the workout on the other parts of my body that I put into biking I will be in great shap.

Ads

Comments: 6 Comments
Published on: August 2, 2005

Is it me or are ads getting louder and more obtrusive. The new Burger King commercial is one of the most annoying one TV. And now they idiots who make ads now have talking ads. The person who thought of that should be shot. And TV commercials are getting to be a pain; you have to turn the TV on mute because the commercials are 3 to 4 times louder then the TV show you are watching. I fear that the ads are going get more intrusive, now that people are working on technology to filter out ads. TiVo has the ability skip commercials. Popup ads are now blocked by the web browsers them self’s. They are working on better spam filters. I fear the day where they have people come to your door just to force ads into your face.

WPLUG: Picnic August 07, 2005

Comments: 2 Comments
Published on: July 28, 2005

WPLUG is having its Annual Picnic. I will be biking down, I am going to try to organize a bike ride there in the afternoon, we will be late to the picnic but not to late to enjoy it. See the wplug site for more details.

Got this in the email today, Venture Outdoors Singles Night out

Comments: Comments Off on Got this in the email today, Venture Outdoors Singles Night out
Published on: July 27, 2005

This was sent out via Venture Outdoors, since Pittsburgh is getting better at being singles according to Forbes Magazine. I will not be there, but I thought I would pass this on to every one. I hope that VO does more Singles Nights; I would love to go to one.



PSVN, PUMP, Venture Outdoors and the Coro Center (and a coalition of other organizations yet to be announced) invite you to celebrate Pittsburgh’s success!

We know it is short notice, but join us anyhow!

Tomorrow, Thursday, July 28th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM – brought to you by Bossa Nova, Pittsburgh’s Cool Downtown Bar for Singles and Young Professionals (providing $1.00 off drinks and free chips and salsa!)

It’s official! Pittsburgh is moving up in the world of best cities for singles and young professionals. As noted by the Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Trib, Forbes has re-ranked Pittsburgh by moving us up 11 spots towards the top! We are being recognized for, among other things, our great nightlife and cultural opportunities!

This brings us to the other half, we got hammered on “Coolness” which we totally disagree with and know that the leaders of Pittsburgh’s Business, Non-profit, Education and Political Institutions can do something about for next year. So, in addition to celebrating we are inviting you to strategize with us on launching a city-wide campaign on how to get everyone else to realize what we already know, that Pittsburgh IS Cool.

We look forward to seeing you at Bossa Nova!

An intersting rant over at bloggledygook

Categories: News, Politics
Comments: 3 Comments
Published on: July 27, 2005

An intersting, but long windded rant over at bloggledygook make some intersting points. IAn interesting, but long winded rant over at bloggledygook make some interesting points. It is a bit long so be warned. It talks about the 5 that were arrested that were possibly plotting a bombing of the NYC subway system. It goes into the statement that Tom Tancredo made about bombing Mecca. But all in all it is a good read.t is a bit long so be warnded.

I hope this is just the FBI over reacting

Categories: News
Comments: 3 Comments
Published on: July 27, 2005

PowerBall Blog, has an artical about how 5 people were arrested by the FBI for posably planning bombing the NY subway system. I hope (no I pray) that these people were not planning that, and that the FBI was over reacting. But I fear this might be just the tip of an iceburgh and a plan might be in the works for the terrorists. If these people were truly planning this I hope they get a good long sentance in jail, where buba can have his way with them.

Franklin

Comments: 1 Comment
Published on: July 26, 2005

Wow we are already up to Tropical Storm Franklin already. Any one wants to take a bet on what name we will get up to this year. My bet is on Nate this year. Check here for a list of the names and pick the name you think we will get up to in the Atlantic this year.

These spammers are getting annoying

Categories: Blog Stuff, Web Site
Comments: 3 Comments
Published on: July 26, 2005

These spammers are getting annoying; today I got over 100 spams on my blog in the form of trackbacks. I have so far deleted all of them, so that they don’t get any Google benefit of them being linked too, also I have been banning there IP’s. I know most of the IP’s will be of anonymous proxies, but I don’t really care if an anonymous proxies can see my site, and after those come Russian IP’s followed by German sites. Most of my readers (99.9%) of them are in the US, the only reader I really care about that is out of the US is my sister. And I know her IP address, and to my understanding she and her husband have a static IP. I have to find a way to verify if a trackback is a true one or just a spammer. One thing I have seen so far is I get 2 weeks of incredible amount of comment spam, then it is followed by 3 weeks of no spam, then it repeats like that. I hope some day to have an IP ban list that will kill most of the spam.

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