So, I'm about to go all grammar nazi on teh intarwebz at large. I'll admit, I use a spell checker frequently when I post, so I avoid a lot of these nasty pitfalls, but since it's built right into my browser and word processor, I expect the rest of the world to conform to my lofty standards. Please get with the program. Spell checkers take care of typos, but they don't conquer grammar.

I subscribe to a bunch of blogs. Subscribe, but don't typically read. Most of these blogs cover the range of my pinko commie leanings (well, to most people they'd seem to, but most of them just piss me off) and I typically skim the titles and first paragraph for noteworthy content. These are national blogs that have become just as mainstream as the mainstream media, and with that massive exposure comes awesome responsibility. I refer, of course, to speaking and writing correctly in your native tongue.

How the hell do you expect me to take you seriously as a pundit if you can't even differentiate between "there," "their" and "they're?" Come on, people. If you can't speak or write in your native language, you shouldn't be strutting around acting like you know anything about anything else. And I'm not talking about the occasional cock-up, I'm talking about endemic failures in the blogosphere's grasp of the English language and its proper usage.

There's the aforementioned inability to distinguish there, their and they're, but there's also the horrific misuse of the apostrophe. ("Its bad that the Senate can't get it's shit together!" and "That Congressman fondle's little boys!") Then, there are the more egregious violations that I can't even give examples of, because they simply involve sentence structures that have (mostly) English words arranged in a style reminiscent of Lorem Ipsum. What the fuck are you saying? Do you even know? Do you even care that you wrote an entire paragraph that doesn't convey an actual thought?!

Now, there's the very real possibility that I have, in the excoriation of the grammatical prowess of my internet peers, committed such an error myself. However, I make an attempt to not fuck up like that on a regular basis, and these people do not. That makes my errors mistakes, and their errors ignorance.

My mother spent the majority of my formative years working as a proofreader, and she's very good at it. I guess that ability rubbed off on me, because these errors simply leap off the screen at me. Years and years of TSR-printed novels helped me hone this skill. The only problem is, I can't turn it off. When I see errors that I can tell aren't just typos, they crawl into my eyes and burrow into my brain. And once they're in, they cloud whatever it is you were trying to say with a burning rage over the fact that you can't even write English.

-pb

Alrighty, folks, I finally got off my ass and put up my professional portfolio. Now, hopefully, I can use it to score myself some freelance gigs. And by freelance, I mean paying, not trade. Because trade hasn't been working out too well. It's hard to use trade stuff as a resumé builder (which is primarily why I was doing trade stuff) if the web site you spent all that time developing never goes live and then you find out that they went and got someone else to do their site for them.

So, if anybody knows anyone that's looking for a freelance web developer, let me know!

-pb

My beliefs have changed drastically throughout the course of my life. I’ve been the average Christian bystander, bordered on raving fundamentalist, quasi-fluffy Wiccan, non-fluffy Pagan, and pretty much every shade in between and then some. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a “religion of the week” kind of person. These changes have been gradual, a spiritual journey, without a road map, and, I admit, at times beset with the metaphysical version of ADHD.

I have recently come to a new point in this journey. As I’ve done with a number of things in my life, I’ve decided to quantify exactly what it is I believe. This hasn’t been easy, and I’ve had to ask myself a lot of uncomfortable questions and justify a number of things to myself.

In this quantification, I realized that there were two options: Reason and Faith. I could either attempt to explain my entire spirituality rationally, or I could do it on faith. You’d think that quantifying one’s spirituality on faith would be the logical path… right? But, wouldn’t doing that imply reason? So, I abandoned the notion of saying “I believe this because I believe it”, and decided to go with “I believe in Y because X”. Now, I just had to come up with X.

This internal conversation wasn’t nearly this structured.

So, we have Y, that is, what I believe, and X, that is, why I believe Y. Let’s cover the Y. It’s pretty straightforward.

I don’t believe in the supernatural. At all. Nothing supernatural exists.

Yes, I know I just explained a positive with a negative, but it’s far easier to concisely define what I don’t believe in, because the converse to that explains what I do believe in. So, here’s X:

I believe in the natural. Everything is natural. Science can explain everything. Scientists just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

This is my grand indictment of all religions: Science and Reason can explain anything. Miracles? Science and Reason can explain them (either they’re hearsay and fabrications, or there’s a scientific explanation for them). Ghosts? Science and Reason can explain them.

Here’s where I’m going to cop out of a complete explanation: Dark Energy. Physical cosmology posits that 22% of the universe is comprised of dark matter, 74% is dark energy, and only 4% is ordinary matter. Scientists admit that 96% of the universe exists in a state that they simply don’t understand. I don’t need to believe in an all-powerful deity, because Science tells me that I still don’t understand practically anything. I don’t see that as a reason to fill that void with a god.

Let’s take Arthur C. Clarke’s three laws:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

That last one is the driving force in my personal spirituality.

Let’s say, for instance, that you’re in the basement, changing a blown fuse, and suddenly you and your flashlight are whisked off to the year 1387. You meet a villager, who marvels over your flashlight. You explain to them that it’s simply two batteries and a light bulb. Do they, even after years of explanation, accept your simple explanation?

Nope, they burn you at the stake for harnessing demons in little metal cylinders.

We stopped burning people at the stake in the early 1800’s, but the concept is still there. Claiming to be able to explain the afterlife? Don’t try getting that paper published. But why can’t science explain the afterlife? Like I said, 96% of the Universe is a mystery.

So, does your god exist? Maybe, but at some point, science will be able to measure, quantify and categorize it to the point that while it’ll be powerful, it won’t be, well… godly. Not any more than a man is to an ant.

So where does all that other stuff from the title fit in? Let’s tackle prayer. People have posited that prayer has power. That their deity answers prayers. There’s scientific evidence that people in surgery that are prayed for fare better than those that aren’t.

Science can explain it, and it doesn’t need to use E=MC^God to do it. It’s a basic matter of energy transference. It is the same thing as magic: the willful manipulation of reality. “God” just becomes the focus, the conduit. Prayer, in my mind, is the biggest argument against an all-powerful deity. Why would an all-powerful deity even need lowly humans to pray for anything? Wouldn’t he/she/it just do it? “Please save my dog, God!” “Well, I wasn’t going to, but now that you’ve asked!”

Prayer is a self-fulfilling prophecy. “I prayed, nothing happened, God has a plan”. “I prayed, it was answered, God is looking out for me”. I reject that. Prayer is magic. It’s the willful manipulation of reality. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Eventually, I am confident that science will be able to explain it. When that happens, prayer will become more powerful, because then we’ll know exactly how to do it right.

And finally, the Druidism. That’s the path I’m on right now. How, exactly, do I reconcile a pagan religion with everything I’ve just said? Simple: I don’t have to believe in my deity’s actual existence to use them as I’ve already described. I believe that every deity is simply a manifestation of the universe, an aspect of something we desire. A creation, if you will, of the human subconscious that acts as a conduit to the greater untapped power that surrounds us. Do I need to call the Great Bear of the North to watch over my rites? No, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. The Great Bear of the North only exists due to the will that is put into its existence. Is it going to watch over my rites? Who knows. Who cares? It’s a personal choice that adds to what I get out of my particular religion.

And that is the core, the argument in favor of religion: Regardless of what form it takes, if it refreshes the spirit, lifts the mind and energizes the soul, it’s serving its purpose. It’s the point that it turns from that to demanding exclusivity and claiming a monopoly on truth that it becomes malevolent. It ceases to serve the purpose that faith and spirituality are there to serve. The Universe, as a whole, is divine, at least to us, just as an individual cell would see the whole of our bodies as divine. It doesn’t really care about us or watch over us, but it provides for us and contains a vast well of power that we can tap. We just don’t understand nearly all of it. The closer we come to explaining it all, the more powerful we’ll become. The closer we’ll come to the divine.

That’s where science and reason have lead me.

-pb

With a hat tip to crystalsage...

I've got a bunch of people who have friended me that I don't know. So, here's my friending policy:

a) If I know you personally, and you've friended me, chances are I'll friend you back. This doesn't mean that I might not unfriend you later, though, if I feel like it.

b) If I don't know you personally, and you've friended me, then I'm just going to ignore you until you formally introduce yourself. Writing a reply to one of my posts does not count as a formal introduction. And please, people. If you're going to introduce yourself, don't be afraid to go back a bit to find a post that you can actually add to. I've got three years worth of material, I don't care if you comment to someting from May of 2005. I'm going to get the email.

Don't say "Hi! I'm so and so! You're cool! Friends!?" in response to my latest spleen-venting. Go through my tags and find something you'd like to actually comment on, and then introduce yourself.

Mmmkay?

-pb

It's that time again! Every year around this time I take the Political Compass test to see where I stand.

This time around, I'm at:
Economic Left/Right: -8.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.33



In 2004 I was at -8.00 / -5.79, and in 2005, I was -7.25 / -8.51. So, I'm further left economically than I was two years ago (and much further left than last year), and about halfway between my two scores on the social scale. I wonder what influenced that?

-pb

On 06 May 2004, I was

Economic Left/Right: -8.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.79

Just over a year later I'm

Economic Left/Right: -7.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -8.51



I moved a .75 up towards center on the economic scale, which is pretty much within a margin of error, but I dove down 2.72 on the social scale. Interesting. I guess perhaps I've just refined my positions.

Take the test!

-pb

Emergency Stay Keeps Schiavo's Feeding Tube In Place

Just for future reference:

If I am ever EVER EVAR comatose, on life support, and have less than 50% chance of becoming a normal, functioning adult of my average age, please, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

PULL THE FUCKING PLUG!

Do not go to court to keep me suspended in what I can only assume is a limbo worse than the Christian version of Hell. Do not hold candle-lit vigils and demonize those who wish to let me rest. And, for fuck's sake, do not let other people do this.

Once again, for good measure:

If I'm ever comatose, on life support, and have less than a 50% chance of ever being a normal functioning adult of my average age, let me die. I guarantee I'll be much happier in the Summerland than stuck in a broken meat shell.

Thank you.

-pb

1.) My journal is called _____ because _____.
2.) My subtitle is _____ because _____.
3.) My friends page is called _____ because _____.
4.) My username is ____ because _____.
5.) My default userpic is _____ because_____.

1. My journal is called Beyond the Pale because that's where I go.

2. My subtitle is When you get to the stick, make a left because it's like a road map.

3. My friends page is called Notes from the Resistance because it's kitschy.

4. My username is pbagosy because that's my first inital and last name.

5. My default userpic is always a picture of me, because I want people to know who they're dealing with. Currently, it's a picture of me all wild-eyed with the caption 'Pinko Commie Bastard'.


That is all.

-pb

This is the problem with LJ: we all think we are so close, but in actuality we know nothing about each other. I'm going to rectify it. I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Ask away.

Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you.

-pb

What is your stand on.....
Created by spyndakitrose and taken 15783 times on bzoink!
Abortion?	Is necessary to ensure the health of women.
Death Penalty?	I have a long and complex answer that boils down to "I'm against it"
Prostitution?	Legalize it, regulate it, and make it safe. People are going to pay hookers for sex. Keeping it illegal is just hurting the hookers.
Alcohol?	Yes, please
Marijuana?	It's more harmful as an illegal substance than it would be were it legalized.
Other drugs?	Are definately a problem. I prefer treatment over punishment, though
Gay marriage?	Were I gay and in love, I'd be living in Saskatchewan right now.
Illegal immigrants?	We need a better border control system.
Smoking?	It's dumb, and I quit.
Drunk driving?	It's like playing Russian Roulette, except you're pointing the gun at a crowd of people.
Cloning?	Is dangerous territory
Racism?	Is the sign of a low IQ.
Premarital sex?	Pre-marital, marital and post-marital sex are all ok in my book. I've already had two of the three, and boy, was it fun. The third, however, isn't likely to happen.
Religion?	Organized religions are scary. That's why I'm a practitioner of a disorganized religion.
The war in Iraq?	100,000 dead Iraqis all agree: BAD IDEA.
Bush?	Is an illegitimate dictator.
Downloading music?	95% of the stuff I've downloaded I've either heard repeatedly on the radio, own on CD, never actually listen to, or plan to buy.
The legal drinking age?	Should be lowered to 18. Either that, or the age for military eligibility should be raised to 21.
Porn?	pr0n r0x0r.
Suicide?	If we're talking about suicide from depression, then I feel it's preventable and tragic. If we're talking about terminal patients ending lives of suffering, I'm all for that.
Create a Survey | Search Surveys | Go to bzoink!

-pb

-pb

--------
eXpressive: 3/10
Practical: 5/10
Physical: 5/10
Giver: 2/10


You are a RPYT--Reserved Practical Physical Taker. This makes you a Stoic.

You are intelligent, rugged, disciplined and profound. Even if you're saddled with a desk job, you are starving for the outdoors. You are very slow to warm up to people, and people are slow to warm up to you, but once they know you they never forget you.

You do not get much attention from your target sex, and this means you can feel unloved or unwanted. This is not the case! You are just a hard nut to crack, and your social anxiety leaves you overlooked or outside the frame altogether. What is good for you is increments of low-interaction group activity, like sports or outdoor work. The person who can chop wood with you will melt your heart.

In a long term relationship, you are loving and devoted. You are calm in a conflict until your partner presses your buttons -- it's never the problem at hand that gets under your skin, but how your partner handles it. Don't take offense! Sometimes it's just the only way your partner knows how to express things.

You would never cheat, and your approach to sex is conventional and almost prudish. But sex for you is a release and a necessity of life, and you have a sense of entitlement about it that can be trouble. Make sure your partner is comfortable and satisfied -- by communicating both in and out of the bedroom -- and you will be more satisfied yourself.

You may take a lot of what your partner does for granted. Make a special effort to reward and validate him/her, and you will be repaid in spades.

You have nice legs.

Of the 65157 people who have taken this quiz, 4.4% are this type.
--------

Excuse me? "and your approach to sex is conventional and almost prudish." Who are they talking about? Not me.

-pb

You Know You're From Philadelphia When...

You punctuate every sentence with, "You know" at least twice. - True You want olive oil, not mayonnaise on your "hoagie". - True You hate the Redskins - True You hate Dallas. - True (and New York, hello?) You realize that your favorite dessert is "wooder ice". - Not my favorite, but I understand. You find yourself using "yo" and "youse guys" when talking long-distance to family members. - True You know how to spell Schuylkill. - True You pronounce ACME "ACK-A-ME". - True You think that $2,500 a year for insurance on a 1977 Toyota Corolla is a bargain. - True You find youself at a nice restaurant thinking "I wonder if they have cheese steaks?" - Well, not anymore, but I used to. You sleep soundly through gunfire and ambulance sirens. - True You visit New York and are impressed by how clean it is. - FALSE. You can't eat french fries without Cheese Whiz. - True You call sprinkles on top of your ice cream cone "jimmies". - True You don't think Wawa sounds funny. - True You snub a cheese steak that isn't on an Amoroso roll. - True Your parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles all live on the same block. - False You know who Jim O'Brien is and how he died. - True You can't imagine lunch without a Tastycake. - True You're still not sure about Jerry Penacolli. - True (Free the mouse!) A vacation at the Jersey shore (pronounced "Down the shoore") is better than going to an island (there's more stuff to do, plus you know everybody.) - True You know where to find the Rocky statue. - True You know that only tourists go to Geno's, Pat's and Jim's for authentic cheese steaks. - True You only go if you're drunk and it's 3:00 a.m. - False. You can make a cheese steak and you've never been taught - True You've never been to the Liberty Bell, or the only time you were there was on a class trip in third grade. - True You know what and where "Boathouse Row" is - True You will buy a pretzel from anyone, anywhere without even thinking of where it was - or where his hands have been. - True You can't imagine a breakfast without scrapple. - Not any more, but I understand. You don't know what a sub is, but you think they are trying to describe an imitation HOAGIE. - True You aren't a bandwagon Sixers fan…you loved them when they sucked, and before they had A.I. - False. They sucked before, they suck now, they will suck later. You go to The Gallery or South Street in the summer time just to chill. - True You have the pizza place on speed dial. - True You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Philadelphia. - You make the call.

-pb

theleeb, leigh137 and victoria_fusion, I hate you all for doing this to me.
( now, feel my wrath. )

-pb

I just retook the political spectrum test at politicalcompass.org.

I scored:
Economic Left/Right: -8.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.79



In other news, there's a chance that V. may have to hop across the pond to Deutchland for a business trip.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.

-pb