Unitarian Jihad

I almost didn't want to write about this because of the recent tradgedy in Knoxville, TN, but there really doesn't seem to be any harm. This group (this joke, really) has no connection to the Unitarian Church, and obviously does not encourage or condone violence. Some humor and peaceful talk is probably the best remedy.

But this article is awesome. I know, its old, but I love the idea of radical rationality, that measured dialogue has become fringe. Some time it does seem that the country has decided it will only pay attention to the squeakiest, and craziest, of wheels. Voices of intelligence and thoughtfulness have been marginalized and replaced by screaming faces like Rush and BillO and (yes, him too) even Olbermann. Even the sounds coming out of our government have become more belligerent and opinionated. Irrational Ideology has become mainstream, demands loyalty, and has thrust Reason into the realm of Extremisim.

This was the best line:

We will require all lobbyists, spokesmen and campaign managers to dress like trout in public.

I totally agree, with this particular jackass as People's Exhibit A.


Mark Penn, not Joe Trippi.

My Unitarian Jihad name is Brother Shotgun of Quiet Contemplation. I love it.

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Did you just double dip that chip?

Everyone has seen the Seinfeld episode where George double dips his chip at a party. Probably a pretty common faux-paus around house parties, especially with the Super Bowl coming up. This recent NY Times article describes some new research (who's manuscript has yet to be published)concerning just how many bacteria are transferred by a "double dip". Here is the poster the NYT took for their article.



Without the research being published yet its hard to examine the procedures and get a true feeling for what the numbers mean but here are a few of my guesses: 1. even though the number of bacteria and other foreign bodies being transferred are relatively high, most of them will be normal floral origin within the mouth and buccal area; 2. Of the intrinsic bacteria found most, causing problems to a recipient most likely originate in the gut; 3. The common viruses may be the realistic threat of transmission as it takes relative very few particles to constitute an infection, these include the rhinoviruses and coronavirsuses, but could also inlcude viruses which cause much more serious illness including adenoviruses, paramyxoviruses, and enteroviruses.

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