Q: Which Dyke are you?

A: The AstroDyke, of course! But also:

Which Dyke to Watch Out For Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mo You are Mo, a guilt-ridden, kindhearted liberal who doesn't relax enough. You are ordered to buy a pint of non-organic, dairy ice cream and watch Comedy Central for a week. PBS will still be there when you get back. Mo 80% Lois 60% Toni 60% Clarice 60% Stuart 55% Sydney 55% Sparrow 30%

Troll-spotting

A Field Guide, to Trolls on the Internet: part 1, and part 2. Handy! And useful outside the interwebs, too. You may meet a few in person, from time to time.

Important science policy speech by Hillary

Science policy speech by Senator Clinton, here.
Steinn's rundown here.

Excerpt:

When science is politicized, when the truth is subjugated by ideology, it's worse than wrong -- it's dangerous. Ending the war on science and once again valuing the ever-skeptical but always hopeful scientific enterprise is about more than our economy. It's about more than our security. It is about our democracy.

"Excuse me -- are you the dark matter?"

Feel free to suggest a better astro-themed caption.

(From the London Zoo archives, via the BBC.)

Shortening time-to-Ph.D.

NYT Article on shortening the time-to-graduation in Ph.D. programs around the US.

The dissertation is a hurdle that must be cleared, not a magnum opus, the capstone of a career. Princeton’s Mr. Wu has made that calculation. “You do not want to stay forever,” Mr. Wu said. “It’s a training process.”

Barney on ENDA/GENDA

Go read Barney Frank's statement on the status of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The short summary: they're cutting transgender protection from ENDA. It doesn't have the votes. Congress will pass ENDA w/o trans protection, Bush will veto it. It'll become law with the next Democratic president, and then we'll work on amending it to add trans protection.

I understand how outraged members of the LGBTQ community, especially the T part, are over this. It's breaking my heart. But the votes aren't there, not yet. We'll keep educating, we'll keep standing up for our trans sisters and brothers, and dammit, we will get it passed. Eventually. Under another Congress. Sigh.

Barney, I know your heart is in the right place. Keep going, keep pushing. Nobody wants to swallow two bitter pills -- that politics is the art of the possible, and that the Best is the enemy of the Better-than-we've-got-now. Keep pushing, keep doing all you can.