How did that cartoonist steal it out of my head?
Speaking of spiders, I’ve mainly been reduced to just feeding them twice a week. I’ve got a 4-day weekend coming up on the 18th, maybe I can find time to do more with the adorable little critters then.
I’m afraid I looked deeper into the late Lewis Wolpert’s views, and I found a lot of cringeworthy stuff.
I made a quick trip to the lab this morning (it’s -25°C! I walked quickly!) to take some fly photos for this week’s genetics lab. The students are doing a simple complementation assay with fly eye colors — can you tell which one is scarlet (st) and which one is brown (bw)? Every year it’s a struggle to get them to recognize even obvious mutations like these, but it’s not the students’ fault. This is their first time working with flies, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the alienness of Drosophila.
Me, I’m always impressed with how beautiful their eyelashes are.
Of course, immediately after their glamorous photo shoot, these flies were sacrificed on the altar of the spider gods.
This week, I gave my first exam of the semester — a take-home, with ten multi-part questions requiring lots of calculations and and statistical tests, and I required that all answers by typed and in a specific format. It was due last night at midnight.
Nobody took the hint. I got 100% on-time submissions, so this morning I’m looking at a big stack of pages of numbers and formulas and explanations and hard work that I have to get evaluated this weekend.
Why didn’t you guys tell me to make it all multiple choice and true/false? I’m blaming you all. You need to come to my house and grade them for me.
I shouldn’t have laughed at the Space Force naming themselves “Guardians”. It turns out they requested submissions and we had a boaty-mcboatface situation. Take a look at the list if you’re looking for a laugh.
They could have been “Galaxians”, or “Celestians”, or “Trekkies”, or “Geeks”, or “Loonies”, or “Homo spaciens”, or “Wookies”, or “Stormtroopers”.
You know what? They were all silly. No matter what they choose, they were going to look ridiculous.
Spotted this morning: a pair of pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) hanging about the birdhouse on our tree.
binary comment
Silly birds. You’re much too large for that house.
If you ask fundagelical Christians about God’s sex, they are adamant that He is definitely male. It doesn’t make sense to me — to use the usual TERFy arguments, does “he” have a penis? Does “he” make small mobile gametes? Does “he” even have gametes? Is “he” a “born biological male”? How does this even work? I have to wonder if this supernatural being should even be regarded as possessing any of the characteristics of a physical person. We could ask whether he has two arms, two eyes, or ten fingers, or even needs eyes and fingers, but some Christians are obsessed with questions about whether “he” has an adequate penis. The smarter metaphysical types are content to argue that “his” masculinity is a matter of essence, not crude biological bits.
Austin Powers is an ass, so perfectly appropriate to use him to illustrate AiG.
God uses male pronouns, therefore he is male. Well, that sure was easy!
The pronouns and verbs used in the Bible to describe God are always masculine, as are most of the nouns and images (Lord, King, Redeemer, Father, husband):
The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ (Numbers 14:18)
Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 47:4)
For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of armies; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:5)
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9)
Jesus said…I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.” (John 20:17).
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (Ephesians 3:14–15)
he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, (1 Timothy 6:15)
Well, that’s easy. It’s probably sacrilegious to ponder the length of God’s penis, or his sperm count, or his testosterone levels, so let us respect his privacy and avoid all the discussion of genitals, or which restroom he’s allowed to use when he urinates. I hope AiG applies the same courtesy to their fellow humans.
I do have to note that the essay does briefly nod at the idea that their god’s masculinity is a metaphor, and that most scholars agree with that, but only to immediately dismiss it on the authority of someone named John C. P. Smith. AiG is not going to tolerate any weakening of the literal language of the Bible!
Some may argue that it is true that God is presented as male but that this is only metaphorical language used to describe God’s character. Even though the modern scholarly consensus seems to suggest this latter view is correct, it is by no means a unanimous view. Pastor and Old Testament scholar John C. P. Smith gives several good reasons to think this is not the case: (1) God consistently and repeatedly represents himself as male making a deliberate assertion about his nature; (2) The presentation of God as male throughout the Bible is ubiquitous and supports the notion that his maleness is a reality and not a metaphor; and (3) the term Father is not simply one metaphor among others in the Bible: it is what God in actuality is for his worshippers.
Note, of course, that god’s masculinity is entirely a product of what words he chooses to use to describe himself, which seems fair. You might wonder who John C. P. Smith is — I never heard of him, but he’s a pastor in the UK who writes articles for — you guessed it — Answers in Genesis. He’s not a guy who was privileged to peek under God’s robes.
Donald Trump has been kicked out of the Screen Actors Guild! Boo-hoo. You can tell it burns him, though, since he felt compelled to write back with a “you can’t fire me, I quit!” letter. It’s so pathetic and petty, just like Donald himself.
I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my
union membership. Who cares! [You do, Donald, you do]
While I’m not familiar with your work, I’m very proud of my work on movies such as Home Alone 2,
Zoolander and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; and television shows including The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air, Saturday Night Live, and of course, one of the most successful shows in television history,
The Apprentice – to name just a few! [He just has to pat himself on the back. His little cameos were’t that impressive]
I’ve also greatly helped the cable news television business (said to be a dying platform with not much
time left until I got involved in politics), and created thousands of jobs at networks such as MSDNC
and Fake News CNN, among many others. [He thinks that because he was such an asshole that news agencies had to report on all of his lies, he deserves credit for their work]
Which brings me to your blatant attempt at free media attention to distract from your dismal record as
a union. Your organization has done little for its members, and nothing for me – besides collecting
dues and promoting dangerous un-American policies and ideas – as evident by your massive
unemployment rates and lawsuits from celebrated actors, who even recorded a video asking, “Why
isn’t the union fighting for me?”
These, however, are policy failures. Your disciplinary failures are even more egregious.
I no longer wish to be associated with your union.
As such, this letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA. You have done
nothing for me.
Poor baby. Even better, though, is SAG-AFTRA’s reply, which is short and sweet.
It’s so nice to see every little cut delivered as Trump falls.
Oh, get stuffed with your ludicrous “free speech” whining.
It’s not all good news, though.
The House of Representatives has voted to strip Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments, following uproar over her past incendiary comments and apparent support of violence against Democrats.
Thursday’s vote was 230-199, with 11 Republicans joining with all Democrats to back the resolution.
Almost 200 Republicans refused to condemn her remarks, and thought it was just fine to have a treasonous conspiracy theorist serving their agenda. This was just a vote to kick her off the budget and education committees, not to repudiate her and kick her out of congress, as she deserves.
I’d like to see Cruz and Hawley booted off their committees, but I predict nothing will be done there.
The Republican party really must be destroyed.
She was an awesomely nice person.
Obituary
Loving wife, mother, sister, and friend Julie Lynn (Bjornsson) Myers passed away Friday, January 29, 2021 at her home in Hoquiam, WA, she was 59 years old. Julie was born August 31, 1961 to Dwight and Shirley Bjornsson in Ballard, WA
Growing up Julie lived most of her life in Ballard but also spent some time in Tacoma, WA. She graduated from high school then went on to continue her education at University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University earning her master’s degree. After earning her degree Julie held many jobs in the health care field as a project manager.
Later in life Julie met the love of her life James Myers and they later married, and both moved to Hoquiam in July 2015. Julie was an incredibly involved member of the Peace Corp in Samoa as well as the Pierce County Democrats and would faithfully attend services at the Ocean Shores Lutheran Church. She also has many hobbies such as traveling, hiking, sewing, and volunteering at the North Beach Paws.
Julie is survived by her husband James Myers of Hoquiam, WA; stepsons Charlie Myers of Bellingham, WA and Evan Myers of Rogers, AR; stepdaughter Rachael Hahn of McCleary, WA; brother Doug Bjornsson of Tacoma, WA; sister Margo Bjornsson of Ballard, WA; as well as her grandson Alexander Hahn. She is preceded in death by her parents Dwight and Shirley Bjornsson. All who knew Julie loved her and enjoyed her company.
Arrangements are entrusted to Harrison Family Mortuary of Aberdeen. To share memories or to sign the online guestbook please visit www.harrisonfamilymortuary.com.
