Robguy 4.0

Survey Says… (part 3)

2008-07-25T02:09:00.001+10:00

What percentage of children being raised by same-sex couples in the US are non-white?

Your votes:

10 Percent	62%
30 Percent	12%
45 Percent	25%

The correct answer is: 45 Percent.

The children of same-sex couples are much more racially and ethnically diverse than those being raised by different-sex married couples. Among the children of same-sex couples, 55 percent are white, 23 percent are Latino/a, 15 percent are Black, 3 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander, 1 percent are Native American, the remaining 3 percent identified as some other racial category or as multi-racial. Thus 45 percent of these children are non-white compared to 30 percent of the children of different-sex married parents.

This racial and ethnic diversity among the children reflects similar diversity among their parents. While 73 percent of different-sex married couples (age 25-55) with children are white, only 59 percent of their same-sex coupled counterparts identify as white. Thus, same-sex parents are more racially and ethnically diverse than their different-sex counterparts and their children are even more diverse.

Sign you’re working in the wrong place…

2008-07-21T09:01:00.001+10:00

Sunday Blasphemy / Random Joke

2008-07-20T09:49:00.000+10:00

Einstein dies and goes to heaven. At the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter tells him, "You look like Einstein, but you have no idea the lengths some people will go to sneak into Heaven. Can you prove you're Albert Einstein?"

Einstein ponders for a few seconds and then asks, "Can I have a blackboard and some chalk?" Saint Peter snaps his fingers and a blackboard and chalk instantly appear. Einstein proceeds to describe, in arcane mathematics and symbols, his theory of relativity.

Saint Peter is suitably impressed. "You really ARE Einstein!" he says. "Welcome to heaven!"

The next to arrive is Picasso. Once again, Saint Peter asks for credentials. Picasso asks, "Mind if I use that blackboard and chalk?"

Saint Peter says, "Go ahead."

Picasso erases Einstein's equations and sketches a truly stunning mural with just a few strokes of chalk. Saint Peter claps. "You are definitely the great artist you claim to be!" he says. "Come on in!"

Then Saint Peter looks up and sees George W. Bush. Saint Peter scratches his head and says, "Einstein and Picasso both managed to prove their identity. How can you prove yours?"

Dubya looks bewildered and says, "Who are Einstein and Picasso?"

Saint Peter sighs and says, "Come on in, George."

He’s still thinking with the other head

2008-07-19T23:27:00.001+10:00

Terrorism Liaison Officers?

2008-07-18T19:21:00.001+10:00

One of the things that I’ve seen on TV here – that rubs me the wrong way – is a spot for being watchful for suspicious activities. I know that the goal is to get eyes and ears that will notice things like .. some guy in flight school that isn’t interested in take offs and landings. It bothers me because it reminds me of Nazi methods to get people to spy on their neighbours. When I saw these commercials I’d think “At least we don't have those in the US... yet".

Enter the TLO

They are entrusted with hunting for “suspicious activity,” and then they report their findings, which end up in secret government databases.

What constitutes “suspicious activity,” of course, is in the eye of the beholder. But a draft Justice Department memo on the subject says that such things as “taking photos of no apparent aesthetic value” or “making notes” could constitute suspicious activity, Finley wrote.

It looks like they will start off as civil servants but may expand to include the private sector as well. Maybe they could all wear brown shirts so we would know who they are...

Survey Says… (part 2)

2008-07-17T20:01:00.001+10:00

In which state are same-sex couples most likely to be raising children?

Your votes:

California	83%
Massachusetts	16%
Mississippi	0
South Carolina	0

The correct answer is: Mississippi

Among the nearly 2,000 same-sex couples in Mississippi, as many as four in ten (41 percent) are raising children under age 18. Other states with high rates of child-rearing among same-sex couples include South Dakota (40 percent), Alaska (38 percent), South Carolina (36 percent) and Louisiana (35 percent).

Far from being an urban or coastal phenomenon, same-sex couples raising children are found in 96 percent of all counties in the United States. Three of the five large metropolitan areas with the highest rate of child-rearing among same-sex couples are found in Texas. San Antonio, Houston, and Fort Worth rank 1st, 4th, and 5th respectively. Bergen-Passaic, NJ and Memphis, TN rank 2nd and 3rd. In all of those areas, at least one in three same-sex couples are raising children.

I can understand large cities having a noticeable percentage of families.. maybe some find that in the country they are isolated enough to not show up on the radar. My question to the folks raising their families in states that so overtly hate them – why don’t you move? I’m betting the answer is money. It really isn’t that easy to pick up and move. I’m sure some of them also have supportive family that they wouldn’t want to leave.

World Youth Day

2008-07-15T21:35:00.001+10:00

Catholic pilgrims have descended on Sydney for World Youth Day. In a move that reminded me of something Bush would do – the government passed a law a couple weeks ago that outlawed “annoying” anyone that was part of the event. It surprised me a little since it was something I’d have an easier time believing John Howard would do – and Australians sent him and a large chunk of his party home during the last elections.

Thankfully there were people with enough sense to have the annoying part of the law tossed out as unconstitutional. You’d have a hard time convincing me that the police needed any new powers to patrol this event that they didn’t have when Sydney hosted the Olympics or the APEC Summit or so many other high profile events.

Is it just me or does the idea of the Catholic Church hosting a huge event for children seem a bit scary? It can’t be just me because for the last week or so there have been a lot more commercials on TV about how to watch out for child-sex tourists. I know, I know, it was just a small percentage of priests that were raping children, but you have an organization that shuffled the rapists around to different parts of the country, whose leadership went all the way to the top (including moving Cardinal Law to Rome to prevent further litigation). They even put out a children’s colouring book warning kids to never be alone with a priest.

Events last until Sunday the 20th. I’ll stay in the shire till they’re gone.

What you might want to know about Australia

2008-07-14T18:19:00.001+10:00

This was sent to me years ago. It was supposed to have been on an Australian Tourism web site. I googled and found a similar list on amazingaustralia. Snopes even has an entry regarding the questions and the Sydney Olympics.

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK).

We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around
watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)

Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)

Sure, it's only three thousand miles--take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Australia? (Sweden)

So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)

What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in
Australia?(USA)

A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe.
Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does
not... oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in
Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is north in Australia? (USA)

Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you do
and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia? (UK)

Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)

Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y,
which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every
Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come
naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia? (UK)

You are a British politician, right?

Q: Can you get milk all year round, if so, where can I get it from?

No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.
Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense
rattlesnake serum. (USA)

Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from.
All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and
make good pets.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)

It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Sunday Blasphemy – The Bible Unearthed

2008-07-13T18:29:00.001+10:00

I know that I pick on Christians the most, but that doesn't mean I don't think Judaism or Islam or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster aren’t silly as well. It’s just that coming from a country that is largely Christian and living currently in a country that is largely Christian… and that the nuttiest of the Christians feel that homosex is the number one issue of all time – Christian nuttery is the low-hanging fruit.

This week rather that simply pointing and laughing, I’d like to recommend a show/book called The Bible Unearthed. Too often you find church funded digs that work to support the “history” in the Bible – Hey! we found a old rock that says King David, so the Old Testament must be true!. Sure, like the discovery of the city of Troy proved Athena and Ares were real.

The Bible Unearthed is a somewhat recent examination of what we know from an archeological point of view first, compared to what the Bible, or more specifically the Old Testaments say. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube. The New York Times also has a good summary. (here’s a shorter summary as well).

I remember when I was young, the bible study at my church was suggesting that instead of the Red Sea being parted to free the slaves, it could have been a different body of water with a similar name that during the right season, with the right tides and a good wind, could have been shallow enough for the freed slaves to walk across. (Grasping at straws?) What we know from a researched perspective is that we have good enough records of what was going on in Egypt that a mass migration of slaves would have been some where in the documentation. Also, “the wilderness” had enough Egyptian outposts that they would have been noticed instead of just wandering for 40 years. Plus, Canaan was part of the Egyptian Empire at the time, so even if you ignore the rest, they would still have still ended up in Egypt.

For those easily offended, the authors still manage to offer a great respect for the Bible and the people it writes about. They credit these ancestors with moving from polytheism to monotheism (I’m not sure how that is a good thing), the importance of written history, the evolution from tribal compounds to the nuclear family. I thought it was worth the 85 minutes to watch.

Four Minutes

2008-07-11T18:00:00.001+10:00

DNA Magazine sends me emails (cuz I signed up for them) that include lots of reasons why I’d want to subscribe to their magazine. Don’t get me started on the price of paper products (including books and magazines) here. I'm guessing Australia doesn't have the type of trees growing natively that make for good paper. They also have web content, and one of the things in their newsletter was the making of Madonna and J.T.'s 4 minute video.

I found it to be an entertaining 13 minutes. It's amazing, the work that goes into these productions; build a used car lot, build a convenience store. After all the set production the performers come in for a couple VERY long days to film a few minutes of video. I figured they used doubles for some of the scenes where the stars might get accidentally injured. I wonder how much of the dancing they end up doing.

butt smell?

The wild world of M - I would have thought that referred to the Marvel Comic crossover storyline from a few years back. Guess I should spend more time hanging out with Justin. Watch it all the way through for Madonna's secret for not slipping on the dance floor.

The finished video if you haven't seen it yet.

Survey Says… (part 1)

2008-07-10T15:12:00.001+10:00

What percentage of same-sex couples are raising children in the United States?

Your votes:

3 percent	14%
11 percent	42%
27 percent	42%

The correct answer is 27%.

However according to this source, 20% is the correct answer as of the last census. I thought I remembered that around 60% of married couples had kids (the article was on California specifically and noted that Latino lesbian coupled had children more often (69%) than straight couples. This source claims that only 24% of married households have kids. Even allowing for kids growing up and moving out, that number seems low.

The point is that being gay or lesbian doesn’t make one incapable of having children and it doesn’t negate the human desire to have children. It just makes it so we don’t accidentally have children (close to 50% of pregnancies in the US are unplanned).

Fox Attacks … again

2008-07-10T14:47:00.001+10:00

Over here, Fox is best known for it’s sports channels and as a cable TV provider (Foxtel). The Fox channel (Fox 8) isn’t even one of the primary networks. If you subscribe to Foxtel you get Fox News (the same American channel) along with CNN, BBC, SBS, and Sky news.

If Fox is known for it’s extreme right wing political activism here – I haven’t noticed.

Australia vs. U.S.

2008-07-09T19:52:00.001+10:00

Another addition to my observations on the differences between Australia and the US (from my personal perspective that may not be objectively true especially when you take into account regional differences).

Lasagna: The several times we’ve tried lasagna in Australia have been disappointing. The most obvious difference was the noodles. The most common lasagna pasta style here is a flat sheet. They sell the longer strips with the wavy edge, but they don’t seem to be that popular from the commercial offerings we’ve tried.

The second biggest difference that wasn’t immediately obvious (we could taste it but didn’t know what it was right away) was the cheese filling. Of course recipes vary, but a generic cheese layer in the US would include mostly ricotta cheese (even substituting cottage cheese), some Parmesan, an egg or two, spices and a cheese lover will throw some mozzarella cheese in the layers instead of just on top. What we’ve found (both eating out and looking on the box recipe) is instead of using cheese, they make a “cheese sauce” (3T butter, flour, 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup cheese). It gives the lasagna a consistency and taste of paste.

Debut: During rugby season we hear this word on TV a lot. The American pronunciation (you can click on the linked word for Dictionary.com’s audio example) is how I would pronounce day–bue. The rugby announcers always say dah–boo. There are differences in accents, and then there’s just odd ways to pronounce words.

Take away: This is the Australian version of take-out or pick-up. When you call Pizza Hut, they ask if you want delivery or take away.

Alcohol: I’ve mentioned that alcohol is more expensive here. If they sell booze in larger bottles than 1 litre (1.75 litre is a common size in the US) they aren’t commonly stocked. They recently passed a big increase on alcohol tax so the latest online price for a litre of Bicardi rum is $53. A 1.75 litre bottle in the US ran me about $20. Premixed canned drinks are very common here (a Jack Daniels and Coke in a soda can – liquor store price: $5 each). A large number of restaurants here are licensed for “bring your own”. Some will have a small selection of common beers and wines, but many will just allow you the option to bring it if you’d rather have alcohol with your meal. Driving while intoxicated is called Drink-driving and the limit is smaller. Most states in the US have dropped their limits from .1 % to .08%. Here the limit is .06% and they will pick random places to test everyone on a stretch of road.

It’s hard out there for a terrorist

2008-07-09T12:42:00.001+10:00

Editorial Cartoons: Ted Rall (check out his rants too)

A little funny, a little sad – cuz I’m pretty sure any terrorists that are out there have access to better funding than the average American worker.

Presentation is Important

2008-07-07T21:20:00.001+10:00

Random Joke – Next Summer

2008-07-07T14:11:00.001+10:00

One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Ave, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the US Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here."

The old man said, "Okay" and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here."

The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same US Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the President and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"

The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."

Another Blink

2008-07-07T13:21:00.001+10:00

Just like Dvd Spot, Shelfari, 30 Boxes, etc. I’ve found another place on the Internet to help organize my stuff.

One of the things I liked about OneNote, for the short time I used it, was as a place to keep my recipes. I’ve never been very good at keeping recipes in a physical card folder. Now I’ll see if keeping them online works better for me.

It doesn’t seem to have an obvious way to share your profile or recipes with others. I guess they just go into the database for searching. Has anyone found a recipe organizer they like?

Sunday Blasphemy – Praying at the Pump

2008-07-06T17:45:00.001+10:00

I think a “miracle” would be if Congress closed the Enron Loophole and started to seriously encourage alternative fuels. Isn’t it interesting that these people think god has nothing better to do than worry about their gas prices.

No Comment

2008-07-05T05:54:00.001+10:00

(artwork copyright of the Onion)

YouTube News: Disaster Strikes (Happy 4th)

2008-07-04T12:58:00.001+10:00

Playlist

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=—jIkdC9ItM

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwzvs7lvfkE

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=AKHSjIVOv38

I can’t help it, I’ve got a huge lesbian crush on Rachel Maddow.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=CkHuc9TE7ic

It’s about time Colmes’ balls finally dropped.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=GXzladhscMQ

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=QR48WX1xyIo

Got Melon?

2008-07-04T09:56:00.001+10:00

I’ve never been a big fan of watermelon. It tastes ok, but I’ve always thought of it as barely flavoured water (much like my thoughts on iceberg lettuce). It turns out there may be more to watermelon:

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.

On a unrelated note(?), the person that sent me this news had also just sent me an email full of jokes about the mental prowess of Texans:

A Texas State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-20. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

-------------------------

The owner of a golf course in Lufkin was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help.

He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from The University of Texas and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?"

The secretary thought a moment, then replied, "Everything but my earrings."

The most important thing about ED is that it can be a symptom of lots of things that need medical attention, so you should discuss it with your doctor. Another important point about this news is that you’d have to eat about 6 cups before you’d start to have any effect. Researchers are looking at ways to increase the Citrulline and decrease the sugar.

I have to wonder if they’re putting as much research into curing cancer as they seem to be working on his “little man”.

4th of July: Founding Printers

2008-07-04T09:21:00.001+10:00

A little history about the Declaration of Independence for this July 4th. Here are a few quotes about two people whose contributions to U.S. history, while little known, were essential. Click on the link in the first paragraph for the full article.

It was John Dunlap of Philadelphia and Mary Katherine Goddard of Baltimore, who should forever be known as the "Founding Printers." Why should they be given such exalted status?

Dunlap was no ordinary citizen. An Irish immigrant who would later fight with George Washington as an officer in the American Revolutionary War, Dunlap served as an apprentice in his uncle's print and bookselling shop from ages 10 to 19, when he took over the business. Now, at age 29, instead of taking the order online as he would today, Dunlap was handed a piece of parchment that would change the course of human events.

And what of Mary Katherine Goddard? On Jan. 18, 1777, the Continental Congress moved that signed copies of the Declaration of Independence be more widely distributed and hired Goddard to do the job. In addition to being the first American woman postmaster, she operated a Baltimore newspaper, the Maryland Journal, and owned a print shop. Goddard offered use of her printing press for this treasonous duty.

Cranberry Cake

2008-07-03T02:36:00.001+10:00

Normally I have a loaf of banana raisin bread available to make toast in the morning, but with the game I didn’t have a chance to go shopping (we’re out of raisins and bananas).

I pulled out this recipe from my aunt and substituted blueberries for the cranberries (I haven’t found frozen cranberries at our local stores yet).

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cranberries

After the batter is well mixed, stir in the fruit. Scoop into a greased 8” square pan. Sprinkle top with brown sugar. Bake at 350(f) for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy.

State of Origin – Game 3 of 3

2008-07-03T02:20:00.001+10:00

Last night as I was about to drift off to sleep, John comes in from the living room and asks me if I’d like to go to the State of Origin game tonight. A work contact has come across 2 pair, first come – first serve.

For those that aren’t familiar with what the State of Origin is.. I think of it like the All-star game. The best players from the National Rugby League, representing the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland face off for a series of 3 games. Queensland has dominated the contests in recent years. This year NSW won the first game and lost horribly in the 2nd so tonight would be the big win.

A friend who got the 2nd pair offered to drive as he was going to bring his sons as well (which meant he had to buy 1 ticket – even up in the nosebleed seats the ticket was around $115). We got off on a bad start. He dropped us off at the stadium and went to get his sons. Unfortunately, he was a little confused and dropped us at the wrong stadium! John was whereising on his blackberry to figure out how we were going to get to the right stadium when our friend called back after realizing the mistake and would pick us up where he dropped us off.

Even with the delay we managed to grab a chicken wrap from a vendor and get to our seats before they sang the national anthem. Climbing up to the seats was a feat. If it weren’t for good drugs, I wouldn’t have made it.

The game was great. Both teams were very into it and the score remained tight till the end when Queensland managed a third try (touchdown in US football terms) to win it. I’ve never been much of a sports fan, but rugby is an awesome game.

*more recent photos

IMGA0566.JPG [Flickr]

2008-07-02T10:28:22-05:00

Robguy1 posted a photo:

Setting up for Award Ceremony
Uploaded with the Flock Browser

IMGA0559.JPG [Flickr]

2008-07-02T10:28:07-05:00

Robguy1 posted a photo:

Up in the nose-bleed seats
Uploaded with the Flock Browser

IMGA0558.JPG [Flickr]

2008-07-02T10:27:51-05:00

Robguy1 posted a photo:

the closer blur is Brett Stewart warming up for the game
Uploaded with the Flock Browser

Record Oil Prices, No-bid Contracts

2008-07-02T14:08:00.001+10:00

In an attempt to fast track oil production the government will award six contracts on a no-bid basis, to a handful of mainly US companies.