It’s much worse.
This past Sunday a Tornado ripped across the Midwest, doing probably the most damage in Iowa and causing the most fatalities in Parkersburg. Luckily we only dealt with high winds and hail at our house, as most of the storm ended up a few miles further to the north. I have some family in Dunkerton that had some landscape damage to deal with and my parents took some pictures when they went out there.
You can view them at http://lucasj.net/weather.
There’s also a community group for Parkersburg on Facebook with several more photos showing what they’ve had to deal with as far as home and business damage. Aplinton-Parkersburg will not be finishing what would have been their final week of school this week. You can check out that support group with more information here.
Many people treat the issue of Intelligent Design as a matter of purely religious interest; however, as the following article insightfully demonstrates, ID has purely logical grounds and its opposition oft appears dogmatic in its suppression of ID as a serious topic.
Link To Article
I don’t believe, by any stretch of the imagination, that this is an issue with the majority of residents in small towns. I don’t even think it’s an issue with the majority the people in mine – but a conversation with a high school upperclassmen last night was pretty disheartening and really showed me how racism and ignorance are still prominent.
Yesterday I was at a friend’s bonfire and after hearing the word “nigger” thrown around several times and hearing my friends talk about the Nazi mini-flags they had bought at a gunshow, I wasn’t really phased-I knew the people engaged in the conversation and I didn’t really think they meant half of the stuff they were talking about, regardless of the fact that it did bother me. I have black family and close family-friends.
Then the conversation came about how some Aryan supremacy organization had written a statement indicating they would assassinate Obama should he win the Presidency. I mentioned that I had full intentions of voting for Obama and asked how they felt about that.
Read more…
Cath…
She stands with a well intentioned man
But she can’t relax with his hands on the small of her back
As the flashbulbs burst she holds a smile
Like someone would hold a crying child
I am back – finally. It was a good weekend but it’s not easy to sleep on a six-foot long bed when you’re 6′5″ so, obviously, I’m glad to be back to my own. My aunt took some really neat photos and some decent videos while in Africa that hopefully she’ll upload as the week progresses. I’ll pop a link up when I get word. They brought back several shotglasses for me from each of the areas they went to, so I’m pretty psyched.
They also had several interesting stories which I might post if I get one or two in text form. I know they had kind of a crazy trip at times. The pictures I’ve looked at are amazing, way better than my crappy zoo photos I posted on facebook. 
Although I’m jealous I didn’t get to go to Africa, we had lots of fun in Chicago. We hit the Woodfield mall in Shaumberg, the Brookfield Zoo, and Ed Debevic’s, which is always fun.
Remember, new Death Cab album is out TODAY. Now I’ve got to jet.
Soon everybody will ask what became of you
Your heart was dying fast and you didn’t know what to do
Cath…
It seems that you live in someone else’s dream
In a hand-me-down wedding dress
With the things that could have been are repressed
But you said your vows and you closed the door
On so many men who would have loved you more
Soon everybody will ask what became of you
Your heart was dying fast and you didn’t know what to do
The whispers that it won’t last roll up and down the pews
And if our hearts were dying that fast, they would have done the same as you
I’d have done the same as you
