Doogie Howser is gay. That’s right; Neil Patrick Harris came out to People magazine. “The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships. So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.” Good for him!
No surprises here: “America is now seen as a threat to world peace by its closest neighbours and allies, according to an international survey of public opinion published today that reveals just how far the country’s reputation has fallen among former supporters since the invasion of Iraq. Carried out as US voters prepare to go to the polls next week in an election dominated by the war, the research also shows that British voters see George Bush as a greater danger to world peace than either the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, or the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both countries were once cited by the US president as part of an ‘axis of evil’, but it is Mr Bush who now alarms voters in countries with traditionally strong links to the US.” That’s right, poppets, our preznit (and therefore our country) is seen as more dangerous than North Korea and its ronrey reader, Kim Jong-Il. Only bin Laden is seen as more dangerous.
I previously linked to a few photos of a deer and rabbit hanging out together. Now you can see the whole series, and boy are they cute! [via Mark H at Biomes Blog]
It seems we’ve entirely lost control. “The recent security breach at Los Alamos National Laboratory was very serious, with sensitive materials being taken out of the facility — possibly including information on how to deactivate locks on nuclear weapons, officials tell CBS News. Officials say there is no evidence the information taken from Los Alamos was sold or transferred to anybody else, but there is no way to be sure right now.”
How out of touch can Rumsfeld be? “As if the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal weren’t bad enough for America’s image in the Middle East, it briefly appeared to much of the world that one of the men implicated in the scandal was returning to the scene of the crime. The U.S. military told TIME on Thursday that Sgt. Santos Cardona, one of the soldiers convicted for his role in Abu Ghraib, having served his sentence, had just been sent back to serve in Iraq.” And get this: he was being sent back to train local police. In what? Aggravated assault and abuse, I would assume. Only after the story hit the news did the military stop the transfer and decide not to send him back. For his own safety, that was a smart move.
Weekend Cat Blogging #74 is now online. The photos included are of a stunning cat, and there are plenty of links to other photos.
Uh-oh. “In 2005, globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reached their highest levels ever recorded. The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) 2005 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, published Nov. 3, says quantities of CO2 were measured at 379.1 parts per million (ppm), up 0.53 per cent from 377.1 ppm in 2004.”
Scathingly unadulterated truth: “An editorial scheduled to appear on Monday in Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times, calls for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.” Go to the link to read the editorial.
Thank Goodness! “Two weeks ago, I was rushed by ambulance to a hospital where it was determined by c-t scan that I had a ‘dissection of the aorta’–the lining of the main output vessel carrying blood from my heart had been torn up, creating a two-channel pipe where there should only be one. Fortunately for me, the fact that I’d had a coronary artery bypass graft seven years ago probably saved my life…..” As an atheist, he goes on to say who he thanks for his survival and who he forgives for empty gestures of support. This is a most excellent read for everyone.
As for Ted Haggard, here’s what I know. He’s admitted the voice mails are from him. He’s admitted he did in fact buy drugs from the male escort, but he only bought them once and didn’t use them—apparently an act of curiosity with which he later lost interest. Let me stop there and say this: That’s a big fucking lie. One of the messages says: “Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply.” Note the “any more” portion of that. If he only purchased them once and didn’t actually use them, why would he be calling and asking if they can get more? Fucking liar. Anyway… He claims he received massages from the escort but did not have sex, and he was referred to him by a hotel clerk—from a hotel he can’t remember or identify. Again, that’s a big fucking lie. We know from the escort’s advertisements that his services were only offered through gay magazines and web sites, and he is not listed with any hotel concierges. Would an anti-gay bigot who preaches hate and intolerance toward homosexuals really expect us to believe he repeatedly visited a gay male escort only to get massages? And, um, I suspect he kept his clothes on for those massages, right? And he kept the masseur away from his privates, too, right? Next he’ll be saying he visited gay bath houses to take baths (that’s what they’re for, right?). This man is as dishonest as they come, and he’s so typically Christian in his deception. Remember, his first response was that all of the allegations were untrue and that he didn’t even know the escort. Then it was that some of the allegations were true. Now it’s spin time by making claims that directly contradict the evidence and facts of the case, and the lies aren’t even believable. I’m so tired of religion and the vicious assholes who practice and preach intolerance and hate in the name of some vacuous deity.
And via PZ comes this bit of hopeful information: “Nearly half of Americans are not sure God exists, according to a poll that also found divisions among the public on whether God is male or female or whether God has a human form and has control over events. The survey conducted by Harris Poll found that 42 percent of US adults are not ‘absolutely certain’ there is a God compared to 34 percent who felt that way when asked the same question three years ago.” The article then gets bogged down in whether this mythological divine being is male, female, or has a human form, but none of that really matters. What’s important is that Americans appear to be coming to their senses about this whole faith nonsense. Let’s hope the trend continues.