Stephanie's Journal

So, this weekend my sister and I came into some OSU-PSU game tickets at the last minute. It was a pretty good game, although it rained like mad during the first half.

I seem to be in the middle of a flare-up and sitting in the rain didn't help any, so now I'm stuck with a fever and pain pills.

Not a bad weekend, though. It was great seeing my aunt and uncle who flew in from Oregon for the game and I got to meet some new people.

So I found out today that I got into the Univ. of Wisconsin's Master of Library and Information Science program.

Help! I think I'm accidentally becoming a vegetarian!

I don't know what it is, but I can't stand the taste of meat anymore. With the exception of bacon bits on my salad. Mmmmmm.... salt.

How did this happen?

*sigh* Things like this make me sad.

Iran's hard-line president urged students Tuesday to push for a purge of liberal and secular university teachers, another sign of his determination to strengthen Islamic fundamentalism in the country.

...

Iran still has strong moderate factions but Ahmadinejad's administration also has launched crackdowns on independent journalists, Web sites and bloggers.

Speaking to a group of students Tuesday, Ahmadinejad called on them to pressure his administration to keep driving out moderate instructors, a process that began earlier this year.

Dozens of liberal university professors and teachers were sent into retirement this year after Ahmadinejad's administration, sparking strong protests from students, named the first cleric to head Tehran University.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_university_purge

Bush compares terrorists to Nazis, Communists -- "As veterans you have seen this kind of enemy before," Bush said. "They are successors to fascists, to Nazis, to communists and other totalitarians of the 20th century. And history shows what the outcome will be."

It frightens me that the president knows so little about history, but it scares me even more because I know so many people are buying it.

I haven't posted anything of substance in a while. Let's see... I'm 99% sure that I'm going to switch my thesis topic. I also found out that there's a low ropes challenge course as part of my workshop (to build teamwork), but I've been assured that I don't have to do anything that I don't feel I can handle. Also, one of the B&Bs emailed me back and said that they'd offer me a discounted rate for an extended stay, which is great. I'm supposed to call and make a time to meet with them.

I watched Rockstar: Supernova tonight and have to say that I LOVED one of the performances. I won't say who because I don't want to spoil it (don't look at my friends page if you don't want to know), but I actually watched this one three times. Just kept rewinding.

So that's all. I'm boring. And tired.

Well, I suppose 3 hours of sleep is better than none.

My laptop is back home where it belongs!!!!

from http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/idolchatter/2006/08/is-jon-stewart-god.html:

Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Is Jon Stewart God?
This past weekend, I was sitting in New York City's Union Square, waiting to meet a friend, when a group of people caught my eye. They were all wearing long, white, flowing robes. Their leader was strumming a guitar. And they were all holding up signs reading, "Jon Stewart is God." They sat in a ring, singing together, and waiting for curious bystanders to approach them. A camera guy tried to look blasé and hid behind a tree, taping the whole thing. I couldn't tell whether he was with the group or was just following them around for his own purposes.

I went home that night and Googled the group. Their website explains the basic principles of "Jonism," including the faith's theological foundations. Why is Jon Stewart a God? According to the "Jonsons," it's because, "He is not a man because no man can be consistently that funny. He is not an animal because he is way too articulate. He is not a plant because... well... he moves too fast. He is neither an idol nor is He a statue of any kind although his exquisitely times pauses make us wonder sometimes."

The Jonsons are releasing their single "Jon Stewart is God," on iTunes in September. Here are some sample lyrics:

Jon Stewart is God
No minor deity
Jon Stewart is God
More than you and me
Before Buddha and Allah
Cast their cosmic dice
They seek Jon's advice

J-O-N-S-T-E-W-A-R-T-I-S-G-O-D
B-E-L-I-E-V-E-I-N-H-I-M-O-R-D-I-E

Thanks to the internet, the Jonsons have a way to proselytize and convert the masses. They even manage to get in a dig at TV pundit Tucker Carlson, whom Jon famously insulted on CNN's now-cancelled show Crossfire. According to the Jonsons, "The extent of sin is so great that its effects continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, sickness, suffering, death, taxes, bad movies, fast food, and politcal pundits who wear bow ties."

Whether it's a gang of true believers or just an elaborate joke is yet to be determined. What's for sure, though, is that their song is pretty catchy. (Click http://www.jonstewartisgod.com/images/Jon_Stewart_is_God_Master_Dave_Vocals.mp3 to listen to it.)