Dating and Religion

A recent Match.com poll asked whether religion is a dating dealbreaker. For the most part, people don’t seem to think differing views on this topic mattered much; over 73% in fact. But what the numbers don’t show is whether faith was considered an important factor in that person’s life. For those that religion was only slightly important, of course they’d say, “Sure, I have no problems with it.” But if you greatly value your faith, making a lifelong contract with someone who’s views don’t “match” up with your own, is only asking for trouble.

Darwinism Under the Microscope

Many people hold evolution as fact. Why? Because most textbooks portray it as such. But there is gaining momentum to teach it for what it is… a theory. Not too long ago, schools in Georgia were allowed to teach the theory of Creationism along side of Darwinism. This supports a basic tenet of science—posit and test hypotheses. Of course, the anti-religious ACLU is spending millions on lawyers across the country to fight this practice, all in the name of protecting our civil liberties.

But shouldn’t it be up to the students to hear the evidence of both theories and make their own judgements? Sounds reasonable to this guy.

Childless Couple Told to Try ‘Sex’

If it weren’t so sad it would be hilarious, but there’s a reason why I’m posting a link to this story. There is an incorrect perception by some that people of faith are anti-sex. It’s actually the opposite. People of faith are pro-sex… inside of marriage. There are plenty of stats that show that married couples have sexual relationships that are more fulfilling than those scamming for a quick score.

Now, this German couple apparently didn’t get the memo so would somebody get the name of that religious group and let them know about the Song of Solomon?

The Fool’s Map

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not pretending to be a master geographer… but I do know that Timbuktu is in Africa. (It is, right?) Most Americans have trouble locating Spain on a map, much less places like Myanmar (thanks Peterman), Camaroon and Guyana. So what would it look like, if you combined all these inaccurate thoughts into a single conglomeration of misguided misconceptions? Why, it’d be the Fool’s World Map, of course.

K.I.S.S.®

No, this isn’t about the musically deficient, over-the-top 80′s rock band, K.I.S.S. stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. I’ve been saying this for years, but now that M.I.T. is preaching the power of simplicity, maybe it’ll catch on.

• Step 1: Kill the I.R.S and adopt a flat tax.
• Step 2: Force the health care companies to do away with all the crazy co-pays, co-insurance, deductible-FSA-HRA, par/non-par provider crap and give us something easy to use.
• Step 3: Let Apple do the design for 80% of all consumer goods.

Hey, I can dream can’t I?

Tattoo You

Ever wanted to get tatted up but didn’t want the long-term commitment? Well, Paladin brings you some good news. Power Paper has created the first ever, semi-permanent tattoo. Now you can test-drive that scary grim reaper tat before you buy. Plus they’ve cut down the health risks. Sounds like a win-win to me. So what should I get… the tarantula or a funky, black tribal design?

Judge Offers Vasectomy Option

There are just some things that make too much sense. A judge in Newport, Kentucky has given a deadbeat Dad the choice between jail time and a vasectomy. And it since offering this option, only 1 man has opted for jail time. Take this concept one step further and wouldn’t sterilization make sense for rapists? Gotta applaud the judge on this one.

Groundbreaking for New WTC Announced

The newly dubbed Freedom Tower will break ground, appropriately enough, on July 4th. Here’s what Gov. Pataki had to say:

On July 4, as fireworks burst in the sky, ephemeral reminders of our liberty, we will begin to reclaim our skyline with a permanent symbol of our freedom.”

Read on for my thorough, albeit unprofessional, analysis of the designs.¬?
The winning design was fine. It was ok. Nothing earth-shattering but certainly not my favorite.

Here’s what I had to say about 7 of the entries back in December of 2002. I have no idea where the those other two intruders came from.

Concept by Firm A | “Diamond Twins” / Nice and tall but far too fragile. Tells the world, “Can some terrorist come knock us over?”
Concept by Firm B | “Prestige & Grass” / Stately and reserved. Firm must be a bunch of scardy cats. My least favorite. Says, “We’re stuck in the 1800s.”
Concept by Firm C | “Topsy Turvy” / Big and bulky conglomeration of steel and glass. Says, “We like our buildings nice and drunk.”
Concept by Firm D | “Shards!” / Lots of non-traditional angles and sharp points. Tells the world, “Look out! Or we’ll cut ya!”
Concept by Firm E | “Dual Vacuum Hoses” / Futuristic design. Doesn’t look like much room for people. Says, “Our tower is bigger than your tower. Nya nya nah nya nya.”
Concept by Firm F | “Cloud City II” / Similar to Topsy Turvy but much slicker. Looks quite sturdy. Says, “Try to knoch THIS down!”
Concept by Firm G | “Tic Tac Toe” / Oh so geometrical and solid as a steel brick. Tells the world, “A giant helped us build this thing.”

For some reason, I was just drawn to the “Tic Tac Toe” design, perhaps because it was so very different. It screams, “France may have it’s Eifel Tower but I could kick its ass!”

Prestige & Grass was, by far, my least favorite. Nothing says bland bureaucrat like 18th century architecture. Horrid.

Cloud City II reminded me of some new Star Trek Borg-collective spacecraft, so of course, I thought it was hip.

But in the end, they go with “Shards.” The designers decided to go cheesy by naming it “Memory Foundations.” You think that’s why it won? Hope not. Not bad, but I’d much prefer their runner-up selection—”Dual Vacuum Hoses.” Naming this entry blandly, “World Cultural Center” was likely the death of it.

They should have let me name it, then it might have had a chance.