A bad day

I escaped the tedium of a hospital waiting room yesterday for a few minutes in the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at California State University Long Beach. My mind was not on photography. Only a few of the photographs I shot were passable.

I was looking for peace and quiet. I found it. The garden is quiet, even with a dozen visitors. I liken it to a cathedral. People act with hushed reverence when walking around the stately koi pond. It is easy to loose oneself in the serenity of this exquisite  little oasis.

I am off to the hospital again this morning. My stepfather is gravely ill with cancer. I do not know if he will make it. It is time spent with my wife, phone calls with friends, moments alone with my music, and visits to the Japanese Garden which help get me through these tough times.

Technorati tags: photography, koi, fish, Japanese Garden, cancer

Update: Herman "Double-Life" Lewis

I am following the trials and tribulations of Pastor Herman Lewis here on Deep Thoughts because he appears to be the worst sort of sanctimonious hypocrite. He earned the nick name Double-Life after allegedly going on a drug fueled bender a few weeks ago.

Lewis is suspected of barging his way into a Shari’s restaurant and trying to drag a waitress to a his loaner Chevy Corvette while sexually assaulting her in the process. He’s also accused of punching out a senior citizen who tried to stop the incident and then ramming a police car during a short chase that ended in his apprehension.

Now Lewis has completed a two-week mental evaluation and wants a special panel to assess his sanity. Of course, the story does not end here. Lewis was released on bond after his evaluation. He went back to his church where he told his congregation his actions were the result of a voodoo curse.

Herman Lewis has a long list of excuses:

1. He claimed to lead a double-life filled with crack and prostitutes (for which there is ample evidence).
2. He claimed to be God and above the authority of local police, and even above the authority of he presiding judge.
3. He claimed mental illness (self-diagnosed).
4. He claimed a voodoo curse (pulled out of his ass).

A psychiatrist can attest to his sanity. A special panel is simply another ego device. My guess is that he was released from the mental hospital because he was found sane. Now he wants a special panel because he needs a more liberal assessment to stave off 30 years in prison.

I am sure there will be more to follow...

Technorati tags: Herman Lewis, Pastors Gone Wild

Feed the Muse: Photowalking

Who knew? People like me actually take camera's along while walking around with other photography geeks specifically to take pictures. They call it photowalking. I have my own version, I call it photodriving. It's just like photowalking but with added challenge of shooting while driving a truck.  The photo below is an example from  last week.

As I pulled up to a red light in Cerritos, I noticed these ubiquitous purple flowers. They were in a decorative road divider. I shot a few pictures before continuing my drive.

I like the idea of photowalking, except for the whole social aspect of course. I wonder if there is a local group? I'll have to read photowalking.org to find out.

Technorati tags: photography, photowalking, photodriving

eharmony follow-up

I owe this to the women who responded to my eharmony profile - all 10 of them. eharmony does not discriminate against Atheists. In fact, I am sure that one of their personality dimension is religion. They made sure I was matched with people who were not religious. I do not agree with this approach, but what do I know about dating? 

My first response was from Alabama. A 40 something mother of an adopted Russian girl. She was looking for any excuse to leave the trailer park. She terminated our relationship before it could start - It was all my fault... or so she said. My guess is that she did not like the word Atheism used in ever other sentence of my profile (I sounded a little fundie). Of course it could have been the picture of John Candy which I used in my profile.

All the other women were quite normal. The were between the ages of 35 and 42, had a least one kid, were divorced, and genuinely interested in me. Most were into new age stuff, walks on the beach, and meeting "real people".

I've got to be honest. The only woman who appealed to me was the 48 year old Italian with three kids who liked to cook. She went into great detail about the types of Italian food she could cook. She also make a point of saying that the kids were almost out of the house, and that she could cook up a storm. I don't think she will be single for long.

Technorati tags: eharmony, atheism, culture

Top Ten: Number One

I've put off witting about my number one song because I am conflicted. I could not decide if I should write about "our song" or about my song. After thinking about it for a few weeks, I decided to mention "our song" and write about my song.

"Our song" is Oh Darling by Supertramp off Breakfast In America. I do not listen to Supertramp much these days. For my wife and I, Oh Darling has special meaning. When it plays, we share a secret look and a smile. It is truly our song. If you would like to hear it, I found it on Rhapsody here. Yes - I know it is corny, I don't care.

My favorite song is In The Garage by Weezer.

I’ve got the dungeon master’s guide.
I’ve got a twelve sided die.
I’ve got kid pride.
And nightcrawler too, waiting there for me, yes I do.
I do.

Why?

To start with, let's look at my Top Ten plays of the last 12 months.

1. In The Garage - Weezer - (77)
2. My Best Friend - Weezer - (74)
3. The Mariner's Revenge Song - The Decemberists - (59)
4. King Without A Crown - Matisyahu - (56)
5. When the World Ends - Dave Matthews Band - (55)
6. Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd - Dave Matthews Band - (53)
7. Drive - Incubus - (51)
8. 54-56 That's my Number/Ball and Chain - Sublime - (49)
9. Greatest Hits - Sublime - (48)
10. El Scorco - Weezer - (47)

I play Weezer a bunch, and In The Garage the most. My 12-year-old son likes to listen to the top three songs on the way to School in the morning. We have sing-a-longs. It's great fun. My 26 year old son cut High School back in the 90's to listen to Weezer open the Cerritos Town Center - to this day he is still a huge fan. What can I say, Weezer is in our blood.

In The Garage is a geek anthem of sorts. And... well, I guess I can be called a geek. After all, I've got an original Dungeon Masters Guide, and dozens of 12 sided dice. As further evidence, Settlers of Catan is playing on the X-box live in the background as I write this and Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head is playing on iTunes. I'm ok with being a geek. I would not have it any other way.

Technorati tags: Music, Top Ten Songs, Weezer, In The Garage

Sacred Stories

Sacred Stores gives the visitor a chance to see a a flash based rendering of an important story from a religion's holy book. The Islamic stories are graphical limited because the artist honors Islamic rules about not depicting Mohammad.

I'm not even sure how I found this site. It just appeared in my browser. it must be a miracle! Oh wait - I pressed the Stumble! button by mistake.

Technorati tags: religion

James Dobson, eharmony and discrimination

In casual conversation, I've brought up the fact that James Dobson help found eharmony and that as a result, eharmony is run using his evangelical social principles. I will not go as far as saying it is a Christian dating service, but I will say that eharmony deliberately excludes gays. Nobody ever believes me.

eharmony discriminates in the beginning. When you join, you are offered two options, man seeking a woman or woman seeking a man.

eharmony is all about social engineering, by excluding gays they deliberately seek to devalue the lives of gays Americans. People notice this kind of hate, and they sue.

...on Thursday, she [Linda Carlson] filed suit in Los Angeles accusing eHarmony of violating a California law that prohibits businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation.

I chuckled when I read E-Harmony's response:

...He said the law prohibits only arbitrary discrimination that lacks a legitimate business purpose.

Right... we don't discriminate on accident. We discriminate on purpose.

eharmony does not end its discrimination with gays, there are religious tests too, but they are less prohibitive. Eharmony's 436-question test asks your religion and religious preferences in several places. I filled out a profile while writing this post (to the chagrin of my wife) - and yes, religion is an important part of the onboarding process. Some Atheists have experienced problems using eharmony; the problems pale in comparison to outright exclusion.

I'll post a few of my eharmony matches if I get any. After all, how attractive can a tall (6'2"), well paid, healthy, intelligent, well educated, outgoing, caring, compassionate, Atheist be? It is a good thing they did not ask my weight.

Technorati tags: eharmony, discrimination, gay rights, Atheism, James Dobson

Mitt, Mormon & Divisive

I'm not surprised to find more press coverage of the divisive nature of Mitt Romney's Campaign. The fact that he is a Mormon will automatically attract religious zealots.

As Mitt Romney campaigned in a restaurant in New Hampshire on Monday, he approached a man seated at a table and said hello. The man, later identified as Al Michaud, replied: "I'm one person who will not vote for a Mormon.

It occurred to me the other day that Mitt Romney has other problems. When we first elected evangelical George Bush, we were asked to accept his religiosity as part of package. We were even told it would make Bush a better president. The rising level of Presidential hypocrisy, couple with his illogical "War on Nouns" (Terrorism, Pornography, Drugs, and Science) , and his fervent support for divisive social issues, has soured America on Presidents who wear religion on their sleeves. Mitt Romney is doomed.

Technorati tags: Mitt Romney, Politics, 2008 Election, Mormonism

Pedophile Priest busted in Albany

Father Raymond Ethier was busted with child pronography on his personal computer. it is an odd story, it seems the Department of Homeland Security napped this freak.

Federal papers show this was a quick investigation run by the feds. It started after a man told another over the Internet he was abusing his step-children. Investigators say they tracked down a person using the screen name "nudistdude23" to Ethier. But it was what they allegedly found on his computer that is at the core of the charges.

Ethier was busted by Homeland Security. Why does that sound odd?

Technorati tags: Raymond Ethier, Pedophilia, Albany, clergy abuse

Zero Tolerance

The Presbyterian Church has a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct. To prove it, they fired the Reverend Dennis Cobb for exposing himself to an undercover detective in a public park. 

Cobb has pled not guilty to the charge. I can see his defense now. "I was sitting in my car with my pants off...".

Zero tolerance is a good idea. I wonder if the loose collection of individual churches operating under the banner of "Baptists" are listening?

Technorati tags: clergy Abuse, zero tolerance

Insane in the membrane

Naveed Haq, the alleged perpetrator of the shooting rampage at the Seattle Jewish Center in the summer of 2006,  plead insanity to all charges today. I am not surprised, Haq is whacked. He has a well established history of mental illness and suffered from bi-polar disorder. Is this why he went on a shooting rampage with Jewish women as his target? I don't think so. My guess is that hatred was the motive, religion was the catalyst, and metal illness is his excuse.

Damn
I feel like the son of sam
Don't make me wreck shit hectic
Next to the chair got me goin' like General Electric

Haq was raised a Muslim but converted to Christianity in December 2005. While shooting his helpless victims, Haq was recorded saying ""These are Jews and I'm tired of getting pushed around and our people getting pushed around by the situation in the Middle East." Haq was all about religion, which makes his actions hate crimes.

Bipolar disorder itself is not enough to allow Haq to escape punishment. There are plenty of highly functional people who do not go around shooting people. The defense will have to show Haq was not responsible for his actions, which will be difficult. Haq is a religious (or cultural) terrorist. Religion drove him to kill. Hopefully, the jury will see this and put him away for the rest of his life.

Technorati tags: Naveed Haq, Religion, insanity

Death for pedophiles

There is no doubt that pedophiles are the lowest of the low. I cringe when I write about them here at Deep Thoughts. I'm all for punishment, hard time, registration, and lifestyle restrictions. I draw the line at putting pedophiles to death.

The idea of executing child rapists, even when there in no loss of life, is making headway in the United States.

The Louisiana Supreme Court last week upheld the death sentence for a pedophile, and the governor of Texas is soon to sign into law legislation to that effect.

In 1995, Louisiana was the first state to adopt legislation authorizing the death penalty for child rapists.

Ten years later, the movement to make pedophilia punishable by death really picked up steam after nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford was raped and buried alive in Florida by a man with a prior conviction for sex crimes.

Read More...

 It is no surprise that this is a popular idea with some. Heck, I even find it appealing in some ways. However, the State is notoriously bad at putting people to death. Innocent people die, while the guilty escape punishment. Giving the state a wider range of death sentence options does not seem wise. In fact, it seems foolish.

Is there any justification for this? Are there any other options?

Technorati tags: Death Sentence, pedophilia

arrr, what say ye?

Dan Marvin has requested membership in the Atheist blogroll. After I picked myself up off the floor, I decided to ask the blogroll. What do you think about our favorite troll joining our ranks? 

Hurry... I plan on getting back to him right after hell freezes over.

Technorati tags: The Atheist Blogroll

Feed the Muse: Carl de Keyzer

Carl de Keyzer  is an interesting photographer. His flash intro contains some sardonic images of the faithful captured in the practice their religion. I don't like his individual portraits, they seem contrived. The causal collections offer the most visually stimulating images. I enjoyed Disneyland Paris, San Francisco and London Tourism.

Technorati tags: Photography, art

Diary of a Christian Terrorist

Via Nona of Fish Wars on Carson, I found a link to the  Diary of a Christian Terrorist - a looking inside the mind of dobsonian terrorist Mark David Uhl.

"Christians, we have been given life after death and we should help others receive it and not sit here in our big buildings and sing to ourselves so we can go home and feel good about ourselves," Uhl writes. "Christians, fear of death, fear of death. The fear of death shows you don't believe." [emphasis added].

I fear Uhl is the product of Dobson's (and other evangelical's) hate mongering. So do others. I've been watching for a response - so far, it has been radio silence. An eery silence...

Technorati tags: James Dobson, Liberty University, Mark David Uhl