Steamd.net

“Cleverness? I no haz it!” My wife thought she was...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:36:44 -0600

“Cleverness? I no haz it!”

My wife thought she was being clever on Words For Friends. Total epic fail!

Obama mocking the Bible Recently, someone contacted me about a...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:46:21 -0600

Obama mocking the Bible

Recently, someone contacted me about a blog post I made back in 2008 about Obama mocking the Bible. They were curious about what I wrote. It struck me as being really cool that someone would be interested in something I wrote on a personal blog four years ago. Being that this was a post about a rather controversial topic, I figured this would be a good one to revisit and offer an updated opinion. This is gonna be a long post so…bear with me!

The video above was the result of an email I received in 2008 with a link to Obama’s ‘Call For Renewal’ speech and the following statement:

DEFFINATALLY SHOWS HE IS NOT A CHRISTIAN !!!!! THIS IS A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY !!! DO NOT LET HIM CHANGE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Some of the comments I received about this video said that Obama’s comments were the most arrogant comments ever made by a politician and that he’s so far off base that it’s scary. Furthermore, Obama describing the Sermon on the Mount, one of the greatest sermons ever given, as being radical apparently is a sign of arrogance as well. But what really struck me more than anything is the notion that our nation is based on Christian principles. There are likely many Christians out there who feel that their heritage is being taken away from them, that we as a nation have lost our identity, and that our world was a better place when it was under the influence of Christianity. Thus they feel we should bring back the Majority Rule, bring back prayer in public schools, and overturn any liberal interpretations of the Constitution that supposedly restrict religious practices.

The problem with this video is that the whole thing is taken completely out of context. The video only shows a select portion of the speech. If one was to hear/read the whole speech then one would see that in no way does Obama mock the Bible in any shape, fashion, or form. Obama was merely talking about the problems associated with religion and politics, the importance of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, and the importance religion has in many people’s lives including his own.

Below is a excerpt from the ‘Call For Renewal‘ keynote address that includes the part shown in the video:

While I’ve already laid out some of the work that progressive leaders need to do, I want to talk a little bit about what conservative leaders need to do — some truths they need to acknowledge.

For one, they need to understand the critical role that the separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice. Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn’t the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland who didn’t want the established churches to impose their views on folks who were getting happy out in the fields and teaching the scripture to slaves. It was the forbearers of the evangelicals who were the most adamant about not mingling government with religious, because they did not want state-sponsored religion hindering their ability to practice their faith as they understood it.

Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America’s population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson’s, or Al Sharpton’s? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount – a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let’s read our bibles. Folks haven’t been reading their bibles.

This brings me to my second point. Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

Now, ask yourself some questions: Is he correct? How much do you know about the 1st Amendment? What freedoms do you think are protected by the 1st Amendment?

Back in 2008, I had jury duty and the judge who presided over the court gave us a little booklet that included a copy of the Constitution as well as a print out of an article from USA Today entitled “God and the Constitution“ (no longer available online). A survey of about 1,000 people was taken in which they asked “What specific rights are guaranteed by the First Amendment?” Here are the results of that poll:

What shocked me was that 55% believed that the Constitution “establishes a Christian nation”. Even more disturbing is the assumption of special status of just one religion, that the Constitution protects only Christianity. Here’s some other startling results of the poll:

98% said the right to speak freely about whatever you want is essential or important. But 39% would muzzle public statements that might be offensive to religious groups, 42% would bar musicians from singing songs others might find offensive, 56% would outlaw public statements that might be offensive to racial groups, and 74% would prohibit public school students from wearing a T-shirt that others might find offensive.
97% said the right to practice the religion of your choice is essential or important, but only 56% said freedom of religion applies to all religious groups.
93% said the right to be informed by a free press is essential or important. But 37% would not allow newspapers to freely criticize U.S. military strategy or performance; 61% would impose government requirements on balancing conservative and liberal commentary in newspapers.

And exactly what does the First Amendment say?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Freedom of religion, separation of church and state, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition. These are rights guaranteed to us by the First Amendment. As such, I do not believe that we’re strictly a Christian country, at least not in accordance to our Constitution.

As for the content of the speech, I don’t think Obama’s statements are arrogant at all. The main underlying point he was making is that he is a man of faith and that his Christian beliefs and relationship with God are very important to him. One’s faith does have a role when making decisions in politics. However, the position a politician takes must be more universal in nature. Politicians can’t make decisions that are entirely based on their beliefs. There are other factors involved.

And Obama’s mention of the Sermon on the Mount was referring to the fact that if our government was to run by the Word, Jesus’ words like “rest not evil”, “turn the other cheek” and the “Golden Rule”, then we would seize to have a military. Well, maybe seize is too strong of a word but an emphasis on defense-only strategies would likely be the case. It’s “radical” only because so many claim to believe it and yet their actions say otherwise. The Sermon on the Mount has been, in my mind, one of the main sources for Christian pacifism. Given the activities of our Defense Department, the idea of running our government based on the Sermon of the Mount is a radical departure from how things are now. If they did then they would have never invaded Iraq, an action that I think would go against the teachings of Jesus Christ in so many ways. Let’s look a little bit at what the Sermon of the Mount says:

Matthew 5:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’

39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’

44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Wouldn’t invading a country under the guise of imminent threat go against the principles of love your enemy and turn the other cheek? To me, imminent threat means that our enemy is going to attack our country directly. Was there any evidence at all that would suggest this in the case of Iraq?

These principles are not shared with Christianity alone. Other religions have very similar pacifist teachings. Both the Quran and Torah have similar messages as well as the teachings of Buddha. To say that these beliefs and philosophies are unique strictly to Christianity would be a very arrogant notion.

Christianity has been split along many lines for years even before the United States won its freedom and drafted the Constitution. Religious persecution existed as well and thus minority Christians like Baptists, Mormons, and others struggled to maintain their religious freedom. John Leland, a Baptist minister in the late 1700’s, may not have had direct involvement with the writing of the First Amendment but he was among many Baptists who were very vocal and campaigned for that freedom. He is just one example of someone who represented a group people who wished to have religious freedom.

The intent wasn’t to create a wall where religion couldn’t enter politics at all. That would be unrealistic. Rather it was a separation by a more permeable barrier where everyone’s beliefs would be honored. The fear was that state sponsored religion would have caused an opposition to some of the more progressive ideas of the time…like folks who wanted to teach the Bible to slaves.

If we are a Christian nation based entirely on Christian principles then we are going down a very slippery and dangerous road. What parts of the Bible are to become the law of the land? The Old Testament? The New Testament? King James version? Or the New American Standard? And who decides how it should be interpreted? The Pope? Billy Graham? Al Sharpton? Jerry Falwell? And what about other religions? What if certain laws go against other people’s religion? Do we just say, “Tough tiddy! We’re a Christian nation! Get used to it!“? This is the sort of thing that our First Amendment is supposed to protect. And if our government is oppressing your right to practice your religion then maybe you should do something about it. Personally, I fight for the freedom to practice all religions and not just Christianity. American Muslims, Buddhist, Jews, Hindus, even agnostics and atheists; they all have a right to practice their religion (or lack of religion) by the rights granted to them as native citizens of the United States and the First Amendment. After all, if there’s one thing that Jesus Christ was about it was tolerance. And love of course.

The Oatmeal: The State of Online Media Streaming

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:37:56 -0600

The Oatmeal: The State of Online Media Streaming:

WARNING: May be offensive to some!

The Oatmeal recently posted a cartoon illustrating his experience in trying to watch Game of Thrones online. While the cartoon does so in true Oatmeal fashion, he does bring up a larger point about the current state of online media streaming. Andy Ihnatko had this to say about the cartoon:

The intentional point is that the content distributors often make it crazy-stupid hard for us to give them our money. Most of these industries have been frustratingly slow to adopt to the patterns of the modern consumer. News flash: we’re not heading to Blockbuster Video any more.

Indeed. While I do go to Redbox now and then, I’d much rather just stream the damn thing in my home without dealing with all the headache of having to either wait for it to show up in my mailbox or finding which location I have to drive to in order to pickup the movie of my choice. This mostly applies to mainstream movies. What about TV shows?

HBO and other private networks could make more money if they simply gave us what we wanted: access to select programming at a decent price. I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops if I want to buy a full season of Game of Thrones and watch it online. With today’s technology, why is this such a huge hurddle? I don’t get it. Honestly, if media providers allowed for more competition when it comes to renting and selling of online content, my wife and I would likely buy more movies and TV shows than we do now.

Bottom-line is that someone is going to open Pandora’s box when it comes to providing customers with video media online; could be Apple, could be someone else. When that happens, media providers better wake up and start embracing it. The future is nearly here so…get used to it!

Microsoft's new Windows 8 logo: This one looks like a window

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:47:36 -0600

Microsoft's new Windows 8 logo: This one looks like a window:

There’s a bit of irony in that, given that the Metro interface does away with the window metaphor that’s been core to the operating system since its creation. The touch-friendly Metro style, which features tiles rather than icons to access applications, is designed to be immersive.

Maybe they should just drop the Windows name and call it Microsoft Doors. ;)

It actually looks a lot like the Windows 1.0 logo, only...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:54:47 -0600

It actually looks a lot like the Windows 1.0 logo, only slightly worse. Say what you will about using big kitties as the title and logo for an operating system, at least the OS X logo doesn’t look like it was drawn by a 10 year-old using Microsoft Paint.

I disagree. A 10 year-old could actually do a better job. ;)

Conventional Medicine Misunderstands the Fundamental Laws of Biology

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:20:55 -0600

Conventional Medicine Misunderstands the Fundamental Laws of Biology:

When it comes to explaining the benefits of functional medicine versus traditional medicine, I think Dr. Mark Hymen nails it in this article. The whole thing could be summed up as such:

…this approach [traditional symptom-based medicine] of completely ignores (sic) more subtle clues from symptoms and signs of disease, which may highlight underlying metabolic imbalances (especially when complemented by further testing). These imbalances may be remedied by the appropriate treatment—treatment that is not focused on some disease, but instead works to remove those things that alter or damage our functioning, and provides those things that enhance, optimize, and normalize our functioning by balancing the system rather than treating the symptom. We need to treat the system, not the symptom; the patient, not the disease.

Case point, I had a major flare-up with my ulcerative colitis late last year that landed my butt in the hospital. Good news was that I was only in there for 5 days and recovered nicely. However, while there, the doctor actually asked if I ever considered having part of my colon removed. Fast forward to now and my gastroenterologist wants to put me on drugs that knock my immune system down, specifically Imuran and Humira. To me, these are all highly reactive approaches to the symptoms I’m having. There is so much evidence to suggest that my disease could be treated with a combination of diet and probiotics. My GI doctor gave in to the use of probiotics, but diet? Nope. Still insists that diet has nothing to do with it…my disease just is. Sorry, but I don’t buy it. Pumping me full of drugs just to get rid of my symptoms doesn’t lead to a better quality of life. Seems more like an avoidance from doing what you’re supposed to do as a doctor: practice real medicine!

Saying that today’s doctors don’t practice real medicine is a harsh statement. But after you spend some time talking with a doctor that practices functional medicine and after you research the results others have had with a more functional approach to chronic diseases the more you realize just how bad today’s system of medicine really is. Seems like every problem these days can be solved with a pill or a drug (as if the glut of drug commercials didn’t give you any clue). Today’s medicine seems to be more reactionary, less proactive, and more about profitability than quality. Question is: How do we fix it?

A functional approach to medicine isn’t necessarily the fix. Even a good functional doctor will tell you that a functional approach isn’t right for everyone. Looking at the bigger picture, functional medicine is just a piece of the puzzle. What is more important is demanding better quality of care in the health care industry. That starts by asking your doctor to treat you instead of just your symptoms, to ask how you are instead of just looking at the results of a bunch of tests, to ask if there’s a better approach to treating you rather than just giving you a bunch of drugs. Quality health care starts with you.

Big Snickers, Twix bars are going to disappear

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:18:32 -0600

Big Snickers, Twix bars are going to disappear:

Mars Inc. says it will stop selling chocolates with more than 250 calories by end of 2013. Good for them! When a Big Snickers packs a whooping 540 calories, a third of the calories of an average diet, I would say it’s time for a change. Now, if you really want a 500+ calories Snickers the choice is very simple: just buy two Snickers! Me? I can’t eat the stuff anyways so…have at it! :)

RIM Says It’s “Ready To Compete” Even As It Loses Major Clients, Developers to iOS

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:52:04 -0600

RIM Says It’s “Ready To Compete” Even As It Loses Major Clients, Developers to iOS:

Ouch! Looks like it’s time to throw out that Blackberry and pony up for a real smartphone! ;)

New Van Halen album doesn't suck?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:09:17 -0600

Is it possible? After reading three different reviews as well as various customer reviews on Amazon, could it be that the new Van Halen album doesn’t actually suck? Sigh…guess I’m gonna have to buy it and see. This album better not suck because, if it does, it means the damn reviews got paid to say good things about the album.

Please don’t suck!

Please, oh pretty please, for the love of God, DON’T SUCK!

The Dumbest Idea In The World: Maximizing Shareholder Value

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:35:58 -0600

The Dumbest Idea In The World: Maximizing Shareholder Value:

In this article from Forbes, Roger Martin, author of Fixing the Game, makes the argument that corporations can learn a lot from how the NFL operates. I highly recommend reading Mr. Martin’s book. I just started reading it and, so far, it provides a very interesting perspective on the problem with our current system of business.

Bill Moyers talks with former Citigroup Chairman John Reed about...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:51:26 -0600

Bill Moyers talks with former Citigroup Chairman John Reed about his role in bringing down the Glass-Steagall Act. I urge you to take some time and listen to this interview. It’s very interesting and revealing about the full scope of the problems within our financial system. This is the part that I think really sums it up:

I used to tell my kids, “Why do you think a car has brakes?” And they all would say, “To stop.” And I’d say, “No, a car has brakes so that you can drive fast. If you got into a car that had no brakes and you knew it, how fast do you think you would drive? You wouldn’t drive very fast at all.” And that’s the same reason we have rules. You want the private sector to be free to be creative and exuberant and whatever, within a framework, okay?

Indeed, having a well crafted framework of rules that promotes balance and fairness would be highly welcomed. Why Congress hasn’t done this already is beyond me.

Fetching Cat Our 8 month old cat, Lucien, loves to fetch!...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:44:00 -0600

Fetching Cat

Our 8 month old cat, Lucien, loves to fetch! Apparently this is pretty rare. Entertaining as hell though! It’s about as close to having a dog as you can get!

This “masturbation notice” posted on the bathroom...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:26:30 -0600

This “masturbation notice” posted on the bathroom door of a school is absolutely classic! Here’s my favorite part:

“The recently refurbished toilet floors are not designed to handle your semen!”

But the floors will handle pee and poo just fine. Right. Got it.

Party with CSS like it's 1999

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:14:42 -0600

Party with CSS like it's 1999:

Non-web developer/designers should get a kick out of this. You’ll likely snicker at some of the stuff here. And to think someone actually took the time to create real-world replacements for this stuff!

The Dangers of Hydraulic Fracturing

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:31:10 -0600

The Dangers of Hydraulic Fracturing:

Saw this posted on Daring Fireball. Very clever indeed! I think more people need to be aware of the dangers of fracking and understand the full consequences of continued fracking. Personally I don’t think it’s worth it. We can do without it.

Windows XP still hanging on as dominant OS

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:25:09 -0600

Windows XP still hanging on as dominant OS:

It doesn’t surprise me that Windows XP is still the top OS in the market. Windows Vista was a horrendous release and, as such, probably didn’t help sales of Windows 7 very much.

For enterprise in particular, I would imagine that the holdout for upgrades to Windows 7 probably has a bit to do with rollout and management tools. With Windows Vista, Microsoft changed the setup process quite a lot. As such, rollout and management tools that used to work with XP wouldn’t work so well with Vista. Even with Windows 7, enterprise customers have to find ways to manage both Windows 7 and Windows XP computers at the same time. i would bet that managing both can be a real pain and thus they tend to stick with the lowest common denominator, Windows XP. I believe the old saying “If it works, don’t fix it!” would apply here.

Freddie Mac Betting Against Struggling Homeowners

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:56:13 -0600

Freddie Mac Betting Against Struggling Homeowners:

Wait a minute…so you mean to tell me that a taxpayer-owned mortgage company has executives making over $2.5 million and is participating in mortgage investments that are similar to the ones that caused banks to go bust? Something is seriously eschew here.

Neil Young: "It’s not that digital is bad or inferior"

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:49:34 -0600

Neil Young: "It’s not that digital is bad or inferior":

Neil Young is no dummy. He’s got a great perspective on what is wrong with the music industry:

“It’s not that digital is bad or inferior, it’s that the way it’s being used isn’t doing justice to the art,” Young said. “The MP3 only has 5 percent of the data present in the original recording. … The convenience of the digital age has forced people to choose between quality and convenience, but they shouldn’t have to make that choice.”

I’ve been asking the same question for years: Why doesn’t the music industry offer full quality digital downloads? Apple Lossless and FLAC may not be 100% perfect but they’re fairly standardized and allow for downloads that are still smaller than uncompressed audio files. I see FLAC versions of albums being posted on torrent sites all the time. The demand is there. And, just like MP3’s, you can curb a good portion of the piracy by simply giving people what they want. If given the choice, most people will choose to buy an album rather than pirate it.

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million. Non-satirical PACs to follow.

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:29:53 -0600

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million. Non-satirical PACs to follow.:

In true Colbert Report fashion, Stephen Colbert proves a point by creating his own Super PAC and raising $1 million. The result? Yes, it is true, Mitt Romney is a serial killer! (Not really but the commercial was funny.)

My dad gave me a really kick-ass Canon camera for Christmas....

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:28:00 -0600

Our cat, Lucien

Ain't he cute!

Playing with the fish-eye lens mode!

Too. cute. Can't. resist.

I think it's the eyes.

My dad gave me a really kick-ass Canon camera for Christmas. I’ve been playing around with it, trying out different things. Mainly been torturing my cats. Ended up with a few good ones of our little kitten, Lucien. Man, it’s amazing how much he has grown in the past 6 months! He was so small when we got him; he could fit in the palm of my hand!

Our first cat is a big black ball of poof named Morpheus. I named him after the main character in the comic book series The Sandman. When we got a new kitten, it was only fitting I name him after another character in The Sandman. I decided on Lucien, the librarian of the Dreaming who is Morpheus’ right-hand man and most trusted servant. Perfect name for our kitten!