So now that it looks like we know who's going head to head in November, who do you think Obama & McCain should pick as their Vice Presidential running mates?

Do you think the VP choice makes a difference for voters?

Would you change your vote for one candidate based only on their running mate?

For me, I'd like to see Obama team up with Wesley Clarke. I think that VP candidates do make a small difference, but I wouldn't change my vote if Obama picked someone like, say, Zell Miller. I'd just want to make sure nothin' happened to him.

As far as McCain goes, I think he needs a young, charismatic conservative to balance their ticket. I keep hearing Bobby Jindal being mentioned. He's sure a young up & comer!

There's a documentary opening in Bakersfield tomorrow called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed that happens to address a particular interest of mine; the conflict some folks think exists between teaching evolutionary biology & their own personal faith.

I've been researching this movie ever since it was brought to my attention by a certain blogger on this site. Not only does it not present the truth about evolution, it distorts interviews with many scientists involved in evolution research & mistakenly links Charles Darwin with Nazis & the holocaust. It's a shameful presentation aimed at the majority of religious folks who (through no fault of their own) misunderstand the meaning of scientific inquiry.

For anyone who may be hoodwinked into viewing this particularly bad piece of cinema, please go to this link:

http://www.expelledexposed....

to find out the truth behind the curtain.

In addition to the false claims & dubious interview practices presented in this movie, it also appears that the producers & director employed questionable, if not illegal, practices in completion of this "project." Animation featured in the film seems to be a direct (albeit inferior) copy of animation produced by a leading educational institution. Music added in post production was not properly licensed for inclusion (John Lennon's song, Imagine.) Since this is presented by supposedly Christian film makers, what does this say about their commitment to God's commandments? Nothing good, that's for sure.

I urge anyone considering attending this film to investigate the background first. Please don't support this kind of propaganda by giving them your hard earned cash. The best way to combat this poor attempt to overturn the Constitution is by letting it die a quick, quiet death.

As for Ben Stein's participation in this piece of tripe, I'm sorely disappointed. I thought he was an intelligent man, but apparently I was wrong. Won't be the first time, but the disillusionment with this instance is almost sickening.

As a final note: if anyone believes so-called "Intelligent Design" is a theory equal in status to evolution and presenting it causes no harm to our educational process, consider the Wedge Strategy. It's clear from this document that those who support ID have more than the education of our children in mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

In twenty years, it is hoped by the group that they will have achieved their goal of making intelligent design "the dominant perspective in science" as well as to branch out to "ethics, politics, theology, and philosophy in the humanities, and to see its influence in the fine arts". A goal of the wedge strategy is to see intelligent design "permeate religious, cultural, moral and political life." By accomplishing this goal the ultimate goal as stated by the CSC the "overthrow of materialism and its damning cultural legacies" and reinstating "The proposition that human beings are created in the image of God", and thereby "renew" American culture to reflect conservative Christian values will be achieved.

So I'm going to have LASIK surgery to correct my nearsightedness next month. Has anyone here had this procedure done to them, or to anyone they know? If so, what was the experience like, & how did it turn out?

For those folks who are unsatisfied with the choices left for President, would you consider voting for Ralph Nader? Why, or why not?

http://www.newsday.com/news...

My poor little sweetie gave us quite a scare last night. I was just settling in for the evening, climbing into bed in our up stair's bedroom. Usually our female Akita stays downstairs through the night, but she came upstairs and started to circle around the bed & seemed much more animated than normal for that late in the evening.

A few minutes later my hubby came upstairs and said she was bloated; look at her stomach. This is probably our worst fear: large breeds are very prone to stomach bloating, and we had lost our last Akita (the day after we had moved to Tehachapi) to just this condition. Sure enough, all the signs were there. We loaded her into the car & hoped we could catch this one in time.

The AEUC in Bakersfield is a wonderful clinic for overnight emergency situations. Of course, the whole drive down there & spent in the waiting room was the worst Deja Vu for me. It was exactly like that awful night seven years ago when we had to make the decision to let Tasha, our first Akita, go. It happens so fast, and so slow.

But we got better news this time: the Vet, Dr. Osten, was much more confident with the surgical option available. Aki had a torn spleen, so that had to go, but there's just a small area of compromised tissue to worry about & no signs of an underlying cause, like cancer. We drove her to Tehachapi Vet Hospital this morning, & they're monitoring her heart & vitals today to see how she progresses. She was pretty drugged up in the car, but she perked up during the ride so my hopes are a little higher right now.

So, now I'm just sitting here waiting for good news. I hope it's good news...