not a lot

I was driving to the allergist's today when I noticed that someone had stopped in front of me by pulling over into the lane of oncoming traffic and stopping their car.

That would, of course, be the lane in which I was driving. So I was all, "THERE ARE ONLY TWO CONTINENTS IN WHICH THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO. YOU ARE ON NEITHER OF THEM."

Not that they seemed to care, particularly.

I'm working on a CWU. Sorry for the late, I had a midterm today that, like the rest of Zoology to date, consisted mostly of a pile of facts and names. I can kind of deal with the pile of facts, but the pile of names made this experience very much like taking a Japanese (or any other language) exam, which means that despite intensive study of the names for over a week, I didn't know what phylum or class or order or whatnot was being referenced by abstract noun label about a third of a time. I recognised all the names and remembered studying them, but, well, couldn't assign them to actual species groups. That means I probably got something in the low 80% range, which doesn't sound that bad, except I really need my third straight biology 4.0 or the grad school will not be impressed.

But now I have an OSX security patch that wants a reboot. POST and REBOOT!
( Quizzes and such )

Today's Cultural Warfare Update

Today's Cultural Warfare Update has a special Musical Presentation, pointer courtesy ysabel. I wouldn't feel confident playing it at work. Just sayin'.

And now, today's news - or at least the first half of it, look for another half tomorrow.

The VA finally gives in; Wiccan soldiers will be allowed to have pentacles on their gravestones, as members of other religious faiths are allowed to do;

Balkinization has some good commentary on the short-term effects of Gonzales v. Carhart (2007);

FotF reports a Michigan student was sent home over a counter-protest to the Day of Silence protest against school bullying;

FotF cranky at "transgender" student (ftm, maybe? Maybe genderqueer, hard to say) who ran for Prom King;

FotF reports that New York State Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) will introduce a GBLT marriage equality bill;

FotF claims that the Alliance Defense Fund's anti-gay "Day of Truth" protest doubled its participation count up to 7,000 students this year;

FotF short news blurb about Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA) signing the domestic partnership bill in Washington State;

Faith and Freedom Network celebrates Supreme Court upholding the ban on so-called "partial birth" abortions, talks about the need to win more elections to get more judges like Mr. Alito and Mr. Roberts appointed;

Faith and Freedom Network condemns 1960 court decision removing official prayer from the public schools, demands legislation of their version of morality and the ending of "legislating immorality," though they don't get specific about what that is;

FFN condemns Govenor Gregoire's signing of the DP benefits bill in Washington State, promotes its "Change the State in '08" campaign to elect theoconservatives;

FotF successfully convinces State Rep. Joan Brady (R-Columbia, SC) to withdraw her bill to include the anti-cervical-cancer vaccine in the school vaccination regime for South Carolina;

Michigan State House taking up embryonic stem-cell research bill; "Michigan Right to Life" and FotF are, of course, opposed, saying there's "no compromise here";

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to contact senators about a vote on an amendment to yank RU-486 from the market; the amendment failed, but FotF wants thanks for the votes against and criticism against senators for votes for;

FotF and "Florida Family Association" unhappy with Shell for returning Playboy and Penthouse to sales counters;

FotF condemns bill in Congress that would codify abortion rights in Federal law;

FotF promotes the Family Research Council's "Values Voter Summit" this fall; the Family Research Council is a spinoff of Focus on the Family, if you're not aware of the history;

Jewish Sephardi leader blames Reform Jews in Germany for the Holocaust;

FotF and Alliance Defense Fund continue lawsuit defending anti-gay T-shirt worn as part of the ADF's anti-gay "Day of Truth" school protests;

FotF critical of Alaska for not sending an anti-gay ballot measure - one that would revoke health benefits for same-sex partners of state employees - to the ballot;

FotF report on Oklahoma vetoing anti-abortion bill;

FotF, state chair of the Republican party, condemn New Hampshire domestic-partnership legislation being signed into law;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM in Ohio to support law that would "strengthen the state’s indecency laws";

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM on Minnesota Domestic Partnership bill and against a sex-ed bill that isn't abstinence-only; they are, of course, against both in any form;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to demand state constitutional amendment ballot measure in Massacusetts to overturn marriage rights for same-sex couples;

FotF condemns Bush administration/HHS study showing that abstinence-only education has no value in preventing pregnancy;

FotF ACTION ITEM is a big one - to support 12(!) different anti-abortion amendments and riders in Congress;

Focus on the Family continues to revive the "special rights" rhetoric in condemning an Oregon civil rights bill that includes sexual orientation; they also condemn a domestic partnership bill that is likely to pass;

FotF ACTION ITEM claims that "hate crimes" legislation is being created specifically for GBLT people (in reality, last I heard, the bill would add sexual orientation to the list in pre-existing bills), saying that this would "grant extraordinary protections to homosexuals, setting them apart as a special class of citizen"; claims that if the bill passed, "Christians would be persecuted for their beliefs";

Focus on the Family article celebrates the Supreme Court upholding the ban on so-called "partial birth" abortion, a term the anti-abortion-rights movement made up; calls it "Nazi-esque barbarism"; notes that Bush appointees to the Supreme Court were the deciding factor; note that this bill provides no health exemption;

Alliance Defense Fund sues New York State over a state decision to recognise Canadian marriages for the purposes of retirement benefits;

Today's Cultural Warfare Update Special Musical Presentation.

( Articles and excerpts below )