Creationist Louisiana State Senators

Fools on Parade. Indeed.

Once upon a time, people actually had some shame. First off, there's THIS, which I'm not even sure how to process, then there's this video of Julie Quinn making a complete ass of herself.

"I am an attorney and I would like an answer!" - Julie Quinn, lawyer and moron. Speaking of lawyers, I wonder how Quinn, as a lawyer and a one of those entrusted to oversee taxpayer dollars, would comment on how Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District was a good use of taxpayer funds, because it's only a matter of time before Louisiana gets its ass sued off. More here.

"People with little letters behind their name" include doctors, engineers, and scientists. But, Julie Quinn is a lawyer, so it's all good. She can fix our levees, design deepwater oil platforms, heal the sick, discover cures to diseases, invent new things, ... Oh wait, no she can't actually do anything; she's a lawyer. If one useless man is called a disgrace, what are two useless men called? A law firm.

Kudos to Karen Carter Peterson (the new head of the burnt-out cinder of what used to be the Louisiana Democratic Party).

Unfortunately, KCP is outnumbered by the asshats. See the sad evidence below.

Here's Zack's take:

Note that the push to repeal LSEA failed.

Science Links and an Experiment

Why do ants never get in traffic jams? No overtaking, lots of tailgating, and everyone moving in unison.

Creationism's huge win in Texas. Creationists on state school board order watering down of Texas school books. Since Texas is one of the largest markets for textbooks, it's likely that every new science textbook in the country will have to be watered down to please creationists.

Where oil comes from. Instant refutation of creationism.

Cold fusion breakthrough? We'll see if it's science or pseudo-science. It's a Navy lab, so you can't just discount it immediately.

Nuclear power comes to Antarctica. Tired of lugging around lots of diesel, 1960's scientists turn to nuclear power for their scientific needs.

Photos from a guided tour of Chernobyl. Extremely cool. I'd love to tour Chernobyl one day. I like the part where he describes how the guide threw a shit-fit when someone put their cap on the ground (and hence picked up radioactive dust).

$200 garage-made space probe. Very cool project by a bunch of high school kids.

The internet. Represented as a subway map.

And now for the experiment of the day:
Cannonball thrown into a vat of Mercury

Will it sink or will it float? Here's your hint.

Dinosaurs running around in the Louisiana Governor's Mansion

Since Louisiana's governor is a nutjob who really believes in creationism and thinks Rush Limbaugh is a "great leader," here's a post dedicated to you, Bobby:

Bill the Science Guy takes on Pseudo-Science




I've actually felt a little guilty about not writing more about this earlier. Thanks Oyster, Maitri, et. al. for covering Jindal's anti-science agenda.

Links to peruse while waiting on Parades...

How to ensure a constant supply of bacon on hand.

3,000 cars sit abandoned in the parking lot at the Dubai Airport, left by fleeing, debt-ridden foreigners (who could in fact be imprisoned if they failed to pay their bills). Debtor's Prison. Wonder when someone will try to institute that in this country... Dubai, while you're at it, could you take care of this guy for us?

The Sean Tevis Bill could pose a big threat to future internet-based fundraising. More on Sean Tevis at Wikipedia.

Run a university that looses $200 million on mortgage backed securities and "running it like a business?" Need cash? Sue the alumni! Tulane sues Newcomb alumni, claiming copyright infringement for newly-registered trademark. Can we say, "Patent Troll?"

A bright side to the Financialapocalypse? Lawyers laid off in record numbers. Related: More "FDIC Friday" seized banks. Some more related: Laundering drug money? Yet more related: Tale from the Bush Recession. Very wise business advice: Never deal with someone you wouldn't work with over just a handshake.

Hipster movers. A checklist.

Court to kill exclusion rule? Despite Justice Scalia’s claims, police misconduct is rampant.

As bad as Louisiana's legislature is, at least they haven't pulled this. Yet. What qualifications does one need to be a member of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus? The ability to fall off a log and then claim it’s the fault of the log because real American logs don’t spin when a fat man stands on them?

The Broadmoor urban farmers featured in this week's The Gambit cover story. Great read.

For great local blog reads, check out some of the latest posts at The American Zombie and Oyster's profiling of how Jindal is pushing Creationism on Louisiana public schools and the economic effects. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Also, don't forget about Nagin's missing emails. Is this yet another time when Nagin = Our Bush?

And for one last link, the winner of the "honesty in advertising" award: "CAUTION THIS VEHICLE IS FULL OF POLITICAL PROMISES"