Re: Kansas wingnuts.

Did you read the interview with Richard Dawkins in Salon today?

It's often said that because evolution happened in the past, and we didn't see it happen, there is no direct evidence for it. That, of course, is nonsense. It's rather like a detective coming on the scene of a crime, obviously after the crime has been committed, and working out what must have happened by looking at the clues that remain. In the story of evolution, the clues are a billionfold.

There are clues from the distribution of DNA codes throughout the animal and plant kingdoms, of protein sequences, of morphological characters that have been analyzed in great detail. Everything fits with the idea that we have here a simple branching tree. The distribution of species on islands and continents throughout the world is exactly what you'd expect if evolution was a fact. The distribution of fossils in space and in time are exactly what you would expect if evolution were a fact. There are millions of facts all pointing in the same direction and no facts pointing in the wrong direction.

British scientist J.B.S. Haldane, when asked what would constitute evidence against evolution, famously said, "Fossil rabbits in the Precambrian." They've never been found. Nothing like that has ever been found. Evolution could be disproved by such facts. But all the fossils that have been found are in the right place. Of course there are plenty of gaps in the fossil record. There's nothing wrong with that. Why shouldn't there be? We're lucky to have fossils at all. But no fossils have been found in the wrong place, such as to disprove the fact of evolution. Evolution is a fact.

It's rather like a detective coming on the scene of a crime, obviously after the crime has been committed, and working out what must have happened by looking at the clues that remain.

So, you would think, if this type of evidence were not enough, that more anti-evolution folks would be against the death penalty. IJS.

I knew when I took this job that it would be partly in a personal-assistant capacity, but that seems beyond the pale. Glad to hear that it's not just me being overly sensitive.

No. I'm completely grossed out. Matt's right. I think drycleaning and picking up lunch when I think personal assistant. Other than that--PAY A FUCKING MANICURIST.

And this from a person that HAS to clip someone else's fingernails once a week. The difference is he's ONE YEAR OLD.

I think drycleaning and picking up lunch when I think personal assistant.

Parts of my job are personal assistant like- dropping off rent checks, picking up stuff from the store etc. I do not do anything more personal than dropping or picking up- maybe a phone call to a utility or creditor, but that's it.

Well, in her defense...

...no, there's no way I can complete that sentence. She's just crazy.

She's just crazy.

It really is hard to come up with something else unless broken arms are involved.

I managed to clip my nails with a broken wrist.

Tachyon Flow! (Forward / Reverse)

Phlebotinum Generator!

Dilithium Crystals (Yes/No)

etc.

I think you should add a Jeffries Tube. I never understood what it was, but it seem pretty important on one of the Enterprises or another.

Did you read the interview with Richard Dawkins in Salon today?

I gotta admit, I'm pretty much with Mr. Dawkins. That reminds me, I guess I need to read a few chapters in "The Purpose Driven Life" for my meeting this weekend. It's hard to get excited about reading a book when I reject the basic premise of the book.

Well, I could see clipping my mom's nails if asked. But a) she's my mother and b) she's in the middle of chemo, and can barely lift her hands, much less focus on her nails long enough to clip them. (And odds are dad will take care of it anyway.)

None of my bosses/managers/directors/glorious_leaders will be getting their nails clipped by me.

ETA:

It's hard to get excited about reading a book when I reject the basic premise of the book.

I dunno. I didn't exactly believe in Middle Earth, but I was happy to read it and watch the movie. But I bet your reading group wouldln't exactly like comments such as "James&Peter--OTP4evah!!!" and that was half the fun with the Tolkien stuff.