Radical Ideas to Combat Climate Change

Artificial clouds to reflect away sunlight, creating colossal blooms of oceanic algae and the global use of synthetic carbon-neutral transport fuels are just three of the climate transforming technologies in need of urgent investigation, according to leading scientists. These scientist argue that with governments failing to grasp the need for new methods to combat climate change, radical – and possibly dangerous – solutions must now be seriously considered.

This is some chilling news, especially considering how little is currently being done. It's hard to imagine that, rather than adopt smart policies like a cap-and-trade program for carbon, we might have to institute more drastic programs.

Same-Sex Couples Offer Insight Into Gender and Marriage

Same-sex couples may be the target of ridicule from some conservative activists who claim that they are not worthy of marriage or raising children. But according to the New York Times, a growing body of evidence shows that same-sex couples have a great deal to teach everyone else about marriage and relationships. Most studies show surprisingly few differences between committed gay couples and committed straight couples, but the differences that do emerge have shed light on the kinds of conflicts that can endanger heterosexual relationships.

Notably, same-sex relationships, whether between men or women, were far more egalitarian than heterosexual ones. In heterosexual couples, women did far more of the housework; men were more likely to have the financial responsibility; and men were more likely to initiate sex, while women were more likely to refuse it or to start a conversation about problems in the relationship. With same-sex couples, of course, none of these dichotomies were possible, and the partners tended to share the burdens far more equally.

California Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage!!!

Well, despite having a state supreme court made up of 6 republicans and 1 democrat, the California State Supreme Court today ruled 4-3 in favor of overturning California's gay marriage ban, effectively legalizing gay marriage in the state.

This is an amazing day for all Californians, and the day we've all been waiting for. Who would have thought that such a conservative court would legalize same-sex marriage in California? But as stated in the majority ruling, we must protect the minority from the tyrrany of the majority.

LA Air Quality

Today I looked outside and noticed it was a bit smoggier than normal. Gone are the nice, crisp, clear days of winter as the summer fog and smog season approaches. Since I was recently diagnosed with asthma, air quality has been on my mind quite a bit. If you ever wonder about the current air quality or forecast for Los Angeles, you can find it here thanks to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

An interesting fact I found on the website is that the long term air quality trend in Los Angeles has been one of improvement, especially thanks to technological advances such as catalytic converters. Contrast this with global CO2 averages, which have of course been trending upward.

2008 Expected to Be Among Top 10 Warmest Years on Record

Well, we're only a few months into 2008 and already scientists are saying that this year could end up among the top 10 warmest years on record. This doesn't really come as a surprise when you consider the rise in global temperatures over the last half century. Barring any statistical anomaly, why should 2008 be any different?

Read more here

The Gay Joke

is not funny

lacks sophistication

is offensive

reveals your own insecurities

promotes misunderstanding, ignorance, and hate

So you're not funny, and you go for the easy laugh? You're not so popular with the ladies and you need to feel like you're better than someone? You're in a fraternity and that's just the way people talk in your particular organization? I love it when ugly guys freak out thinking about gay guys in the locker room oggling them. Hey, you're ugly, if girls think you're ugly, what makes you think guys would be so desperate? I swear it's only the ugly ones that say that! (come on think about the last person you heard that from, and if that person was you uhhhh awkward....) You know why its ok? Cuz even though you can't find the few obscure references to the sinfulness of promiscuous homosexual acts in the Bible, you cling to calling it a sin because YOU are uncomfortable with it, because YOU have your own insecurities, because YOU feel like God somehow empowered you to judge His people, because the speck in your neighbor's eye bothers you more than the plank in your own. Don't try to hijack my Faith, if you've ever read a page of the New Testament, you'd know that He reserves His harshest criticism for the Pharisees, (you know, the scripture-thumping hypocrites who had a little too much to say about who they thought were good Jews or bad Jews)... well who's the Pharisee now?

I have digressed from probing the gay joke. Confused yet? Please consider the consequences of your off-color, poorly conceived gay joke. It's not even about propagating stereotypes, it's about ridiculing a group of people. It's about reinforcing the message that being who you are is not always the right thing to do. Because if you happen to be gay, you may be laughed at. If you happen to be gay, you may even be killed. And if someone who is gay makes the mistake of confessing to you that they're crushing on you, you may be under the impression that you need to do whatever it takes to disassociate yourself from that person, lest others think that you too are gay. Are you gonna be a part of this process? Are you gonna make it a little harder for someone to figure out who they are? Are you gonna make it a little easier for someone to pull that trigger to defend their masculinity? Is it a leap to say that your gay jokes are somehow connected to Larry's death? Maybe. But maybe not.

Source: My roommate, Scott Sia

Ellen DeGeneres Discusses The Recent Tragic Death of Middle School Student Lawrence King

Here's Ellen DeGeneres's reaction to the death of Lawrence King, which I had posted on earlier. As Ellen mentions, it really is sad that people are motivated to kill just because someone has a crush on them. Can you imagine if Lawrence had been told by a female classmate that she had a crush on him and reacted by shooting her? Unimaginable. And, yet, incidents like this one happen far too often.