So we've had a national referendum on gay marriage also?

Apparently the fact that the people of Massachusetts chose a Republican to take over Ted Kennedy's seat means that everyone in the US is against health care. So, by that logic, since Massachusetts has legalized gay marriage, we've had a national decision already made on that also.

I'd rather not do that to my child

With our new baby came an instruction manual (well, maybe a book that my in-laws got us). It has some good advice, it's mostly fact-based (i.e. it does a pretty good job shutting down the anti-vacciners), but one thing caught me eye. It's about soothing a fussy baby:

Dan, a chiropractor father of a fussy baby, came up with this fuss fixer. Hold baby at his hips and swing him upside down at sixty beats per minute, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. According to chiropractic research, upside-down swinging has a calming effect.

Yikes... how did that research get IRB approval?

Holy crap!

I'm a father.

Oh, no! We've qat another target!

With all the recent talk about Yemen (and Fox News telling everyone that Despite Al Qaeda Threat, US Not Planning to Expand Terror Fight in Yemen - don't click on it, it'll go to Fox News), reminds me that we may be on the verge of "liberating" yet another country that we don't understand. Yemen is a pretty interesting place, the history and politics of which does not fit any of the other oil-rich middle eastern countries. I recommend reading "Motoring with Mohammed" about life in Yemen (it's an awesome travel book by Eric Hansen). Plus, you'll learn a lot about qat (a euphoria-inducing stimulant used daily by the Yemeni).

Gotta love the qat break

At least we're not elephants

Still waiting for mxh jr. Mrs. mxh is getting pretty tired of being pregnant... but I guess he'll get here when he gets here.

10 month elephant fetus... only halfway to birth

See National Geographic's In The Womb specials for more cute animal fetus pictures.

Everything causes cancer in California

... so you'd better stay away. The San Francisco environment commission just approved a measure requiring cell phone manufacturers to say that their products may cause cancer. The mayor is expected to approve it. Even though every legitimate scientific study has found no link. The head of the city's "Toxic Reduction Program" says...

Do you wait until you have proof of cause and effect, or do you look for indications from reputable scientific sources?

Apparently what any random person off the street says counts as reputable scientific sources, because every reputable scientific source I've seen says there is no effect of "radiation" from cell phones on human tissue. That's why everything seems to cause cancer in California, but nowhere else.

ps. Merry something-or-another

Breaking News on CNN

Let's see, what happened today? The entire east coast is getting like 2 feet of snow, the healthcare bill got enough votes to avoid a filibuster, the climate conference in Copenhagen comes to an end, and Lil' Wayne gets arrested for pot possession... and none of these stories make the biggest headline on CNN. Instead it's Can Joel Osteen Help You Pay Your Bills? and the poll of the day is "Should information about women who get abortions be posted online?" WTF?? This is what the media has become? A big advertisement for a televangelist as the major headline and a poll that in a country that supports human rights should be 100% No?? Just when I think that US media can't get worse, it proves me wrong. I think I gotta take a tip from my friend, MadDR2 and give up on the news for a bit.