Question #1 Down (mostly)

Well, I've written 15 pages in response to question #1 of my comps, but I'm not too sure if I properly answered one part of the question. So much information, so little space to write. I've opted to mark it complete, but I embedded some notes so that I can review the content and make sure it's what I want to say.

So as of last night I began researching for question #2. Not too bad I guess, but I can't find any articles that specifically address all three parts of the question. My strategy is to address each part separate, but then relate them together. There may actually be somewhat of a disconnect between theory and practice, and I'd like to see if that gap has been explored or, if not, perhaps it could be a dissertation topic?

I'm expecting to be finished with research and possibly the writing of my response by Sunday. If that happens, I'll be 50% of the way done in only one week, which is a usage of about 16% of the alloted time, if you figure about 16% per week (16 * 6 is 102, so rough amount). Not too bad really.

I think a lot of my classmates are having trouble with the research, so it is good to know it is a common issue. Many seem to be doing these all at once, as in researching everything and writing later. This isn't a good idea in my opinion as I'd rather get familiar with one set of research, write the response, then get intimately familiar with the next set of research to answer the next question.

But hey, whatever works for you. There's no need trying to learn a new research method when it comes down to comps. Their method would never work for me, and mine would not likely work for them, or at least not now since they'd have to adjust.

And it has begun

Well, it's happened; today I received my comprehensive examination questions. I have to answer four questions, each one answer comprises a 15 page research paper. It's actually not very difficult I don't think, but it is make or break time. I have six weeks to complete these questions; they are due on December 1st, by midnight (CST), along with a plagiarism report from another website. If I fail any one of the questions, I have two weeks to rewrite it based upon the feedback given. If I fail the second time, I'm out.

The good news is that, according to my classroom advisor, the pass rate is in the 90s (as in percentiles), but that he would place rewrites at around 1 in 3, so I can expect to possibly have to rewrite my answer to one or more questions. The biggest complaint seems to be the simple "not answering the question"; in other words, you write your 15 page paper but you never actually answer the question that was given. The second complaint is in style, meaning that your structure isn't very good or you don't present your arguments in a very good way.

BTW, 15 double spaced pages is nothing, I can do that in my freakin' sleep. It's the research that kills ya, having to look all of this up.

Now I can't talk about the questions I have and I can never post my answers, but I'm going to keep everybody up to date as to what is going on. I don't know if I get any readers or not, but I don't allow commenting on my blog. It's my own personal space and I'm in no mood for some big internet blog debate about evolution or the paranormal; the jury is in on all of those subjects and they are bunk.

So if you actually read my blog, wish me luck. Of course, that won't have any effect whatsoever, but still, it's a nice gesture :)

Later folks

Autistic teen found -- "kin" thank Papa Smurf

Well, here's the article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21376041/

Yup, the family of the lost autistic boy here in my home state of West Virginia have thanked god for the boy's return. Yup, the same god who apparently made the boy go lost. Screw the efforts of law enforcement and volunteers, hell, what did they really contribute? I mean they only spent four days looking for this kid, but fuck them, god was the the one who brought him home.

Hey folks, next time your kid goes missing, tell the locals not to bother looking for him, just sit and pray. I mean, I'm sure that will work, right? Your god will bring him home, right?

Drop the superstition you dumbfucks.

Evolution is only a theory!

This just begs to be repeated, mostly for the morons who want to argue semantics (a rose by any other name...)

http://www.notjustatheory.com/

Left Behind Games sues Bloggers?

Well, the losers over at Left Behind Games has now started suing people who give negative reviews of their christian game, a real-time strategy title to boot. Hmm, what strategy does a christian have? I mean, how do you simulate in real time the christian ability to ignore evidence and adhere to strict dogma, worshiping papa smurf in the sky, and at the same time threatening with violence and/or legal action anyone who would dare question your "faith" (definition: faith: noun, the total belief of anything without, or in spite of, any evidence whatsoever; see bible-thumper).

Ok, newsflash Left Behind: ANY CHRISTIAN GAME IS A PIECE OF SHIT, YOURS INCLUDED.

Feel free to sue me, I'll be upstairs fucking a coupla girls after they go down on each other.

Richard Dawkins

Dr. Dawkins has posted a great entry over at richarddawkins.net. It is from Nobel prize winner Steven Weinberg, and is one of my favorites as well, so I thought I would post it here.

"With or without [religion] you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion."

I am proudly an Atheist and a Humanist/Naturalist. I will do good because it make sense to cause as little suffering as possible, not because some imaginary papa smurf in the sky commands it.

Jeebus have fur cheeto

So this week I've decided to put flooring in the attic. Right now there is a single 3/8" OSB at what appears to be 4'x8' in one spot, followed by a couple of smaller boards in another spot. Not quite enough room to store all of the shit that we own; so, I bout 4 sheets of 4'x8' 5/8" OSB at Home Depot from a cashier with enormous jugs. The plan is, of course, to measure and cut the boards to fit the area in the attic. The greater thickness allows me to store heavier items without worrying about the board breaking and the contents spilling into the room below.

So anyway, my wife is actually helping me bring the majority of the boxes and tubs down from the attic so that I have plenty of room to work, and I will say that my back was about to snap. The lower right quadrant (medical right) of my back is hurting like a bitch; sometimes I can't even move, missed a day of work because of it. So I'm was thinking, why the hell would jeebus make the human body so susceptible to damage like this?

Oh, right, he's fictional. Doesn't take a genius to realize that an all loving creator would have made us capable of moving some boxes or digging out some bushes without serious injury. I'm going to have to go to a doctor at some point to find out WTF is wrong, since over a week later, I'm still in extreme pain. I won't be praying to jeebus, he's too busy giving cancer to babies. I'll stick with medicine.