Canadian Citizenship!

Ridley is officially a Canadian Citizen!
(yes, finally!)

Dr. Laura...huh?

According to Snopes.com, this letter has been circulating through email since 2004.
Dr. Laura claims homosexuality is an abomination because it says so in the bible. Below is a letter a listener apparently sent to her...
(Maybe reading this out loud makes it funnier? It was a struggle to read this out loud because I was laughing so hard.)

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

Early signs of political leanings??

This article in the Toronto Star caught my eye. Click here
to read it. A couple of excerpts...

"Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative."
The study also claims "The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals."

Interesting to read but I think studies like this are potentially dangerous when you consider how much some parents micromanage their kids. Micromanaging and pigeonholing kids is going to spawn a whole new crop of studies (and a whole new crop of kids in therapy). Just watch.

Creative Vision: M aka Ipod Killer

I talked myself right out of my new ipod video. It goes back to the store tommorow due to the dismal battery life. (about an hour and 15 mins video) The Creative Vision: M comes out monday and I'll be picking it up instead. It has a nicer screen than the ipod video and 4 hrs of video playback. It supports divx and xvid, has an fm tuner, voice recorder and the video out is better.

The Ipod video is very nice but Apple would be wise to add a brightness control to the next firmware update. I think it would make a difference in the battery life. My old Ipod 3g suffered from lackluster battery performance so I promised myself I would run at the first sign of battery troubles.
Oh well, maybe next time Apple!

Margaret Atwood - The LongPen?

I really like Margaret Atwood but this struck me as unusual.
I'm not the type to stand in line to shake hands/exchange a few words/get an autograph but this seems impersonal yet at the same time not so impersonal. Weird.

The LongPen

Mystery solved! Yippee!

Remember all that sinus stuff I keep whining about? Well, mystery solved. I went to the ENT yesterday and found out I have a deviated septum and will have to have surgery to correct it. The waiting list is about a year long but I'm just happy to have a resolution. To say I am thrilled would be the understatement of the year. :)

A deviated septum can cause...
Blockage of one or both nostrils
Nasal congestion, sometimes one-sided
Frequent nosebleeds
Frequent sinus infections
At times, facial pain, headaches, postnasal drip
Noisy breathing during sleep (in infants and young children)