tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134674582024-03-13T12:36:27.326-07:00It's Just Who I AmNoahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-27493905060696891712010-12-18T16:16:00.000-08:002010-12-18T16:22:02.100-08:00The End of DADTI am very proud of my country today!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Noah --<br /><br />Moments ago, the Senate voted to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."<br /><br />When that bill reaches my desk, I will sign it, and this discriminatory law will be repealed.<br /><br />Gay and lesbian service members -- brave Americans who enable our freedoms -- will no longer have to hide who they are.<br /><br />The fight for civil rights, a struggle that continues, will no longer include this one.<br /><br />This victory belongs to you. Without your commitment, the promise I made as a candidate would have remained just that.<br /><br />Instead, you helped prove again that no one should underestimate this movement. Every phone call to a senator on the fence, every letter to the editor in a local paper, and every message in a congressional inbox makes it clear to those who would stand in the way of justice: We will not quit.<br /><br />This victory also belongs to Senator Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and our many allies in Congress who refused to let politics get in the way of what was right.<br /><br />Like you, they never gave up, and I want them to know how grateful we are for that commitment.<br /><br /></span><strong><a href="http://my.barackobama.com/Repealed4?keycode=&firstname=Noah&lastname=Wiles&email=knoawyls@mac.com&zip=91117"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Will you join me in thanking them by adding your name to Organizing for America's letter?</span></a></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />I will make sure these messages are delivered -- you can also add a comment about what the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" means to you.<br /><br />As Commander in Chief, I fought to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" because it weakens our national security and military readiness. It violates the fundamental American principles of equality and fairness.<br /><br />But this victory is also personal.<br /><br />I will never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of my sexual orientation.<br /><br />But I know my story would not be possible without the sacrifice and struggle of those who came before me -- many I will never meet, and can never thank.<br /><br />I know this repeal is a crucial step for civil rights, and that it strengthens our military and national security. I know it is the right thing to do.<br /><br />But the rightness of our cause does not guarantee success, and today, celebration of this historic step forward is tempered by the defeat of another -- the DREAM Act. I am incredibly disappointed that a minority of senators refused to move forward on this important, commonsense reform that most Americans understand is the right thing for our country. On this issue, our work must continue.<br /><br />Today, I'm proud that we took these fights on.<br /><br />Please join me in thanking those in Congress who helped make "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal possible:<br /><br /></span><strong><a href="http://my.barackobama.com/Repealed4?keycode=&firstname=Noah&lastname=Wiles&email=knoawyls@mac.com&zip=91117"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://my.barackobama.com/Repealed</span></a></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />Thank you,<br /><br />Barack</span></span></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-71423211295124886112010-09-20T08:36:00.000-07:002010-09-20T08:36:07.154-07:00Takedown of NOM's Misleading Iowa Ad<object style="background-image:url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/kzYRKpzg62Y/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kzYRKpzg62Y?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kzYRKpzg62Y?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-21110042230560390102010-04-24T08:57:00.000-07:002010-04-24T09:05:13.477-07:00Gina Trapani Schools Us on Facebook Security<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(57, 55, 51); line-height: 21px; "></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gina Trapani does great work and here is a good article from her. Here she is trying to help educate folks about some of the moves Facebook recently made that affect your privacy and then shows you how to take control of how much you share through your use of Facebook.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you are so inclined, please leave a comment thanking Gina. She does good work. If you are a huge Google fan, then you'd want to learn more about Gina. A lot of her work is focused on Google products.</span></span></span></span><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#393733;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#393733;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; "><h2 id="hdr_article-headline" style="font-size: 24px; margin-top: 6px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; position: relative; font: normal normal normal 16px/normal georgia, geneva; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: georgia, geneva; line-height: 26px; "><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1624745/time-to-audit-your-facebook-privacy-settings">Time to Audit Your Facebook Privacy Settings, Here's How</a></h2></span></span></span></div></div></div></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-40644549255344918942010-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:002010-04-21T08:04:07.152-07:00Yet Another Threat From the World of Islam<a href="http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/21/video-islamic-website-vs-south-park/">Islamic group threatens Trey Parker and Matt Stone</a>.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Yet another of the COUNTLESS examples of why it is dangerous to believe in the supernatural. You can't make sound decisions about how to lead your life when those decisions are founded on the delicate navigation of and the impossibility of deciphering any meaning from supernatural beliefs.</span></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-6869906549641094902010-04-14T08:29:00.001-07:002010-04-14T09:14:47.625-07:00Praise God! Oh, that's the Devil.I have to admit that when I hear someone attribute a personal achievement to god or a personal failure to the devil, it really annoys me to no end. How does actually believing this make for a healthy perspective on what it means to live in the real world and embrace how life actually works? From my perspective, this kind of thinking is a symptom of a person who is still struggling to grasp the reality of their lives and this world.<div><br /></div><div>When you attribute an accomplishment to god, you are not honoring what it is that YOU have actually accomplished all on your own. You are denying yourself the full praise for what YOU have done. I think that is bullshit and self destructive. At the same time, we often achieve accomplishments through the help of others. Typically those others would be people who care about you. So here you are also disrespecting or dishonoring their efforts to help you achieve what you did.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you pawn your failures or shortcomings off on the devil, you are not taking full responsibility for your own actions and mistakes. This is clearly an issue in any society considering that your actions and decisions will always affect someone else to some degree or another and here you are skirting some or all of the responsibility to closely and fully evaluate the results of YOUR decisions and actions so that you can determine if there are better ways or even what those other ways are.</div><div><br /></div><div>That touches on the concepts of what critical thinking and intellectual honesty are all about. These are two things that people in the scientific, skeptic and free thinking worlds strive to honor and raise up above most other things. It baffles me that apparently most of the world prefers to live their lives and often force decisions onto other peoples lives based on how they have personally been able to decipher a bunch of contradicting made up non-sense about a vengeful yet loving sky daddy thing that cannot be proven exists and that we quite certainly could never truly know the motivation or desires of even if it did.</div><div><br /></div><div>My perspective on this also goes for "random" or "uncontrollable" events beyond the individual. One could say that the insanely low quality of the infrastructure in many of the poorer countries that have been hit with all these various natural disasters was to blame for the resulting horrific numbers of deaths. Of course, there are also psychopaths like Pat Robertson who have their own unique perspective on things. The answer is quite simple in my eyes. W<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; ">E, as a whole planet full of the same human race, are to blame for the fact that WE are failing in our responsibilities to ensure that we are all protected and provided the same safe guards equally or at least much more equally then they are now.</span></span></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-13495601547387828152010-01-26T08:37:00.000-08:002010-01-26T08:45:05.112-08:00Price Drop for TV Shows in iTunes Store<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">A single song can easily stand alone. People don't mind buying them individually. I personally prefer full albums from the artists I love, but again I seem to be the minority rather than the majority. As a fan of a TV show though, someone isn't going to just want one off episodes. Maybe for some series you can get away with that, but there are plenty of series these days with a clear overarching theme. Why would people only buy a single episode here and there? They want to see the whole series. If the prices were cut, I agree with that you would see many more people snatching up whole seasons of shows through the iTunes store. I know i've been waiting for this moment to start snatching them up. I just hope I do not turn out to be the minority once again in this case.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(32, 38, 39); font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; "><h1 class="gray" style="outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); text-decoration: none; "><a href="http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/10/01/26/executives.frustrated.with.video.sales/">Apple arguing to have iTunes TV show prices cut?</a></h1></span></span></span></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-1412546528517305052010-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:002010-01-17T11:34:42.289-08:00How To Find My Representative and Senators<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-size:85%;">https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm</span></div></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-family: verdana, lucida, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(80, 77, 72); "><table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="zeroBorder" style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; border-collapse: collapse; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><tbody><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" align="center" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><b><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">District Office</span></span></b></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td width="20" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "></td><td colspan="2" align="center" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><span style="font-size:85%;">87 North Raymond Ave, Ste. 900<br />Pasadena, 91105M<br />Phone: (626) 304-2727<br />Facsimile: (626) 304-0572</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td width="20" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "></td><td colspan="2" align="center" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><b><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Washington, D.C. Office</span></span></b></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td width="20" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "></td><td align="center" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><span style="font-size:85%;">326 Cannon House Office Building<br />Washington D.C. 20515<br />Phone: (202) 225-4176<br />Facsimile: (202) 225-5828<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-family: arial; "><table width="430" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" class="zeroBorder" style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; border-collapse: collapse; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><tbody><tr style="text-align: left; "><td class="contenttext" align="left" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><a href="http://boxer.senate.gov/" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: arial; "><u><span style="font-size:85%;">Boxer, Barbara </span></u></a><span style="font-size:85%;">- (D - CA)</span></td><td class="contentext" align="right" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Class III</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" class="contenttext" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" class="contenttext" align="left" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">(202) 224-3553</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" class="contenttext" align="left" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Web Form: </span><a href="http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: arial; "><u><span style="font-size:85%;">boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/</span></u></a></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><br /><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-family: arial; "><table width="430" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" class="zeroBorder" style="font-size: 1em; line-height: inherit; border-collapse: collapse; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; "><tbody><tr style="text-align: left; "><td class="contenttext" align="left" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><a href="http://feinstein.senate.gov/" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: arial; "><u><span style="font-size:85%;">Feinstein, Dianne </span></u></a><span style="font-size:85%;">- (D - CA)</span></td><td class="contentext" align="right" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Class I</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" class="contenttext" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" class="contenttext" align="left" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">(202) 224-3841</span></td></tr><tr style="text-align: left; "><td colspan="2" class="contenttext" align="left" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: dotted; border-right-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: dotted; border-top-color: gray; border-right-color: gray; border-bottom-color: gray; border-left-color: gray; color: black; font-family: arial; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Web Form: </span><a href="http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: arial; "><u><span style="font-size:85%;">feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactU...</span></u></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></span></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-13386824337907662392010-01-17T10:11:00.000-08:002010-01-17T11:32:43.358-08:00Spiritual Health Care<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><div>This is the letter I am sending to my Representative and Senators. I hope enough people take the time to speak out on this. The only part I wrote is the last paragraph.</div><div><br /></div>January 17, 2010<br /><br />Dear Representative Schiff,</span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Dear Senator Boxer,</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-size:85%;">Dear Senator Feinstein,</span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Tucked into the health care reform bill passed by Sen. Harkin’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee is a mandate that insurers reimburse for “religious or spiritual health care” that is classified as a deductible medical care expense by the Internal Revenue Service. See S.1679, Section 3103(a)(1)(D).<br /><br />The House Energy and Commerce Committee on which Congressman Bruce Braley sits has added a similar measure to the House health care reform bill. See Section 125 of HR3200.<br /><br />If the federal government forces the insurance industry to pay for prayer, the Christian Science church and other faith healing practitioners will use the federal law as another argument that Christian Science “treatment” or prayer should be a legal substitute for medical care of sick children.<br /><br />Between 1 and 5 children currently die in the United States, per month, from religiously-motivated medical neglect. If the Congress passes into law these provisions equating prayer with medical care, this number will surely increase.<br /><br />There will be more laws like West Virginia’s religious defense to fatal neglect of a child when parents withhold medical care and instead rely on prayer-treatment “if fees and expenses incurred in connection with such treatment are permitted to be deducted from taxable income as ‘medical expenses’ pursuant to regulations or rules promulgated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. (West Virginia Code 61-8D-4a(b)).<br /><br />Iowa’s religious defense to felony child endangerment and manslaughter at Iowa Code 726.6(d) has been justified on similar grounds.<br /><br />The government should not be forcing anyone to pay for prayer. We urge Congress to remove all provisions in the health care reform bills that require insurers to reimburse for prayer or any other “health care” that is not evidence-based.<br /><br />The irony here is that it is typically people of faith who pull the "but it's to protect the children" card to evoke the emotional reaction they need to sway people to an irrational stance that supports their side of many arguments. Now here we are, many of the non-believers of the world, having to pull that exact same card. Yet, we are having to pull it for the REAL and PROVABLE abuses that WILL occur under the kind of measures such as the one in question. They would be abuses perpetrated by people of faith no less. What is happening to our country!? It floors me that this and many other kinds of atrocities perpetrated in our world, of which are fueled by ridiculous ideas stemming from the Abrahamic faiths, are not enough to convince more of the world how dangerous religion and belief in god is. This kind of lunacy needs to be stamped out of our country not turned into law. Contrary to popular belief this country was founded on secular principles and it survives as well as it does because of those secular principles. Keep faith in churches and especially out of our government. I will not be forced to pay my tax dollars to people who will get paid for abusing and killing children!<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Mr. Noah Wiles<br />5019 Santa Anita Ave<br />Temple City, CA 91780-3618</span></div></div></span></span></span>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-81461703147981683722009-08-28T07:28:00.001-07:002009-08-28T07:32:58.184-07:00In Health Care Debate, Fear Trumps Logic : NPR<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">There are those occasions when I wish I was an alien who could finally throw down my hands and bow my head in disgust and simply climb back into my spaceship and take off for good. My final thought as I left would be, "There's just no hope for you ignorant bastards. It takes you way too long to get a clue."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><a href="http://shar.es/PrUN">In Health Care Debate, Fear Trumps Logic : NPR</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com/">ShareThis</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-20932832815228780912009-08-19T13:31:00.001-07:002009-08-19T13:35:39.453-07:00I love technology! This is my first official blog entry entered through SMS from my iPhone. I am actually at work right now though. I suppose now is not a good time to dive into any rants. Oh well.<p>I feel so connected! :-) I'm out!Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-74293794529348847682009-08-18T17:47:00.000-07:002009-08-18T18:19:02.938-07:00C Street, Ensign and SandfordContrary to popular belief, the constitution is a secular document purposefully calling for a separation of church and state. If this whole scandal surrounding C Street and Senator's Ensign and Sanford isn't one of the most glaring examples of the reasoning behind this, I don't know what is. Government should NEVER be used to push or promote a specific religion on its people AT ALL. This should be obvious. That goes hand in hand with purporting to be a nation that protects freedom of religion or for some people freedom from religion.<br /><br />Also, I am severely annoyed that these hypocritical self righteous "Republican's" are not calling out for the resignation of these two pricks! These two guys have been very outspoken about how the honorable and right thing to do for certain other politicians who have been caught with their pants down was to resign and here they are caught up in their hypocrisy and scandal and refusing to resign. Bullshit! This is the kind of thing that burns my ass that many conservatives don't seem to register. You have these self righteous bastards preaching up and down all these morals, telling people who to hate and who not to hate, doing nothing really than paying lip service to their constituents, and low and behold we find out that they are just like everyone else. Oh my goodness! They sure had me fooled. Not! Get a clue people!Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-340817797641682072009-06-14T14:09:00.001-07:002009-06-14T14:09:33.252-07:00<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item" align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/ff410a9a-a941-4d06-86c4-c9fc5188d472_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-91255786949853935912009-06-05T14:25:00.001-07:002009-06-05T14:25:42.905-07:00<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item" align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/89869eaf-8a08-4fc6-86eb-2462d9c26f31_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div><div class="pp_item" align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/516016de-f4e4-48f2-8ee9-39467e57f7f9_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-71294762137947633572009-05-28T15:09:00.001-07:002009-05-28T15:12:48.762-07:00Ballmer Says Netbooks AreI did a little commenting on this article. It's a discussion about if there is any real future for netbooks.<br /><a href=http://shar.es/XWAy>Ballmer Says Netbooks Are... ‘Revolutionary’</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com">ShareThis</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-90256075964558102402009-05-08T10:24:00.001-07:002009-05-08T10:24:35.787-07:00<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/a37a5667-43bc-4a11-b751-5d79936c771a_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><h5>Posted via <a href="http://pixelpipe.com">Pixelpipe</a>.</h5></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-90366757909672058382009-05-08T08:37:00.001-07:002009-05-08T08:37:19.707-07:00MacBook Users: Turn off This Bluetooth Default Setting NowI checked my setting and the default was for it to be turned off. I am assuming though, that this setting defaults to on once you've actually synced up a bluetooth mouse to your MacBook. I have not done this. I find the awesome design of the trackpad and gestures to be more than sufficient. I don't need a mouse.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/macbook-users-turn-off-this-bluetooth-default-setting-now/'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/apple/MacBook_Users_Turn_off_This_Bluetooth_Default_Setting_Now'>digg story</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-66627474282009296512009-04-30T16:25:00.001-07:002009-04-30T16:25:56.222-07:00The Last Device<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/b57dd04d-2781-4258-a9ab-4c89ec26759e_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /><p>I sure do look happy here!</p></div></div><h5>Posted via <a href="http://pixelpipe.com">Pixelpipe</a>.</h5></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-21664531420762883272009-04-29T20:10:00.001-07:002009-04-29T20:10:12.449-07:00<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/8038ee85-6b17-4b2c-8753-b062ddd96642_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/b3e4ead8-7a13-43ba-8c3d-431ed797bcf3_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/9b52c477-6fc4-42fe-89ef-7673b753897f_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><h5>Posted via <a href="http://pixelpipe.com">Pixelpipe</a>.</h5></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-28183806585649144022009-04-28T11:16:00.001-07:002009-04-28T11:16:12.414-07:00<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/c599e208-9b56-4a2c-a4cf-8a113afcb6c4_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/ff53a834-834d-4e93-a358-81536de0ef6c_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/38c54376-d525-4413-9a2d-1a33657bc1f3_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/09e25005-be0f-410a-8548-4a73a757626c_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/41416eb9-15f1-4355-a5f6-c04113ddb6b1_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/eefb5117-ab9e-450f-aaa7-4768104c4861_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><h5>Posted via <a href="http://pixelpipe.com">Pixelpipe</a>.</h5></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-64522142748941280702009-04-27T08:33:00.001-07:002009-04-27T08:33:04.709-07:00Panel 1<div class="pp_items"><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/825653f7-3e84-403c-a869-b9a9ba7c18db_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><h4>Panel 2</h4><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/d6b329e7-0962-4b6d-9846-407044f0c7a7_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><h4>Panel 3</h4><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/5e899540-52b6-4c0a-81de-f83fb595bae9_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><div class="pp_item"><h4><div align="center"><h4>Panel 4</h4><img src="http://static.pixelpipe.com/7e24662a-aa03-48ac-9ed1-e693fccdf0a0_m.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div></div><h5>Posted via <a href="http://pixelpipe.com">Pixelpipe</a>.</h5></div>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-12053474394723168462009-04-07T08:19:00.001-07:002009-04-07T08:41:15.977-07:00Things Seem to be Looking UpWell, it seems that we have been able to pull through some tough times. Partly due to perseverance and partly do to simple luck. Tina and I have come out on the other end with a solid game plan and the ability to start getting our financial situation in order. The first step will be paying off the car which we can actually do right now! When that is done, we will then be able to aggressively attacking the remainder of our debts and will finally have the ability to start building some real savings. I am very happy I finally got my head out of my ass on this issue. I actually feel like this horrible recession we are all going through was a bit of a blessing for me. It put the fear in me that forced my head to pop out and start paying attention. How do you like that for visuals? :-)<br /><br />On top of all of that, I was even left with enough room to finally purchase my first Mac computer! How exciting is that!? I am such a junky when it comes to Apple products that I am tempted to stay home the rest of the week until it shows up. I want to be here as soon as it gets here. I know. It's horrible.<br /><br />I'll be getting a refurbished 2.4 GHz Mac Book. Buying refurbished is saving me three hundred bones. Here are the full details:<br /><br />Enclosure = Precision aluminum unibody<br />Processor = 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo<br />L2 Cache = 3MB shared<br />System bus = 1066MHz<br />Memory = 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500); supports up to 4GB<br />Hard drive1 = 250GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm<br />Slot-loading optical drive = 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)<br />Graphics = NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory2<br />Video = Built-in iSight camera; Mini DisplayPort output port with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI (requires adapters, sold separately)<br />Display = 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution<br />USB = Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)<br />Audio = Built-in stereo speakers, built-in omnidirectional microphone, combined optical digital input/analog line in, combined optical digital output/analog line out<br />Networking = Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet<br />Wireless = Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification)3 ; built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module<br />Hardware accessories = 60W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-polymer battery<br />Height = 0.95 inch (2.41 cm)<br />Width = 12.78 inches (32.5 cm)<br />Depth = 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)<br />Weight = 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg)4Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-10526920484746593552009-03-27T08:22:00.001-07:002009-03-27T08:22:47.236-07:00How the iPhone 3.0 Will Create a New Mobile EconomyI love how Apple is making all these arrogant cocky asshole dinosaurs in the mobile phone manufacturing industry eat all those words they were spewing out of their mouths when the iPhone was just a phone no one had seen yet, but knew it was on the way. Now look at it. It is creating whole new markets that didn't even exist before. We are heading for an Apple world. People just don't realize it. Apple is taking over and I love it! The bottom line is that their products, in many specific ways, are superior. Damn it I'm such an Apple fanboy!<br/><br/><a href='http://mashable.com/2009/03/21/iphone-economy/'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/apple/How_the_iPhone_3_0_Will_Create_a_New_Mobile_Economy'>digg story</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-69061800129184260642009-03-18T12:01:00.001-07:002009-03-18T12:01:36.250-07:00Adam Lambert sings Ring of FireThe beauty of this performance is not only that it was arguably THE most brilliant arrangement and performance ever done on AI, but also that Adam pushed the envelope so far he stumped everyone and forced them to expand their perception and understanding of what good music can be. That is what is called TRUE talent. When you look closely at the songs Johnny decided to cover in that cover album he put out just before passing away, I have no doubt what-so-ever that he would have LOVED this version and performance of his song and that he would have wanted to meet Adam.<br/><br/><a href='http://intelnon.com/?p=58'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/television/Adam_Lambert_sings_Ring_of_Fire'>digg story</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-40650233512118295772009-03-15T09:31:00.001-07:002009-03-15T09:31:15.939-07:00Urban Desi: A Genre On The RiseBollywood star Akshay Kumar and Snoop Dogg collaborated on the song "Singh Is King" for the soundtrack of a popular Bollywood film. - This is a bit of an old article I came across that still seems very relevant to me. Being that I am a huge fan of music and especially being a fan of the fruit that is born when american music is blended with music of different cultures from around the world, this struck me as something that more people should learn about.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95739927'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/music/Urban_Desi_A_Genre_On_The_Rise_2'>digg story</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13467458.post-21293320954569645942009-02-05T07:45:00.001-08:002009-02-05T07:45:08.832-08:00Atheists in the US: A turning tide?I used to be afraid to admit that I did not believe. I especially could never say this to my family! For the most part, they are all so much into the Jesus thing. I used to hate feeling like I could never speak up. Then I got brave and started to admit I was agnostic. Now I don't care anymore. I'll admit I'm an atheist any chance I get.<br/><br/><a href='http://current.com/items/89785291/atheists_in_the_us_a_turning_tide.htm'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/arts_culture/Atheists_in_the_US_A_turning_tide'>digg story</a>Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995879564819346510noreply@blogger.com1