Via:

The industrial engineering graduate program in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering is ranked eighth among peer programs nationally. The civil engineering program in the Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is ranked 10th. These two specialties are typically the highest ranked among Virginia Tech’s engineering graduate programs.

Overall, the College of Engineering’s graduate program rose from a ranking of 31st last year to 30th in the current survey. Once again, the Virginia Tech engineering school achieved a rating of 18th among those at public universities. Programs at 187 private and public engineering schools that award Ph.D.s were included in this year’s survey.

Yay for Virginia public education! Top ten is the goal I think?

Yesterday I wasted a lot of time over at ytmnd.com and though I would share with you the fruits of my labour. Make sure you’ve got sound on for these.

• The wikipedia article explaining ytmnd’s
• Of course the original.
• Chunk is indestructible feat. Captain Picard.
• The Nooooo’ller coaster
• Batman: ualuealuealeuale
• The emosong
• Ducktails in japanese

So there you go waste some time.

Technorati Tags: wtf

More from Newsvine

Technorati Tags: wtf

Fox News brings us this story:
Afghan Man Faces Death for Allegedly Converting to Christianity

The defendant, Abdul Rahman, was arrested last month after his family went to the police and accused him of becoming a Christian… Afghanistan’s constitution is based on Shariah law, which states that any Muslim who rejects their religion should be sentenced to death.

I’m trying to keep religious objectivity here, and not enter into a muslim-bashing tirade, but I feel like people should hear about this. People often try to downplay all the crazy actions and statements by muslims worldwide as a being from a few select radicals, but in this case we have the official constitution of a country stating that leaving Islam is punishable by Death.

I mean, nobody’s allowed to draw cartoons about their religion or they’ll cry and hit things with shoes, but if they don’t like your religion (meaning any religion other than Islam) they’ll kill you?! Nice reasoning skills.

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Via Scott:

Scientology’s “Top Gun” Tom Cruise succeeded after his fellow Hubbardite Isaac Hayes had failed to persuade anyone, especially South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, to pull the show.

Unlike Hayes Cruise went to the top at Viacom, which owns Comedy Central the cable network that carries South Park, warning that if he didn’t get his way he would reportedly “boycott the promotion for Mission Impossible III. Source.

Waaahhhh Waaaaahhh I’m Tom Cruise, don’t make fun of my wacky religion it will make me cry. Waaaahh.

But you do have to admit, Matt Lauer doesn’t doesn’t know the whole history of psychiatry.

Technorati Tags: Scientology, wtf

Times Dispatch Story

Wilder: Braves balking on downtown ballpark
Braves official ‘blown away’ by mayor’s talk

This story blows my mind. I don’t even know what’s happening- there seems to be utter confusion about the whole project and/or the RTD writer is terrible. This story should be important to anyone who cares about the city of Richmond. Whether you agree or disagree with plans, or love or hate baseball, this project will have a major impact on the city (positive in some areas in negative in others, no doubt). Having read the article, I am more confused than ever about what’s happening with this project, but I’m still willing to throw in my opinions and interpretations of the latest saga….

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No more Isaac Hayes on South Park. He is quitting because (gasp!) South Park makes fun of religion.

What’s wrong, children?

“There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends, and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins,” Mr Hayes said in a statement. “As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.”

Uh, in the first episode, Jesus fought Santa. Did you not notice?

But the whole argument is moot, because he’s not quitting because of that. He’s quitting because South Park got around to making fun of HIS religion. He’s a scientologist, and scientologists don’t take too kindly to being made fun of. I guess your freedom to move your fist ends at your own nose.

Lastly, I’d say that this part of Isaac Hayes’s statment, although true of governments, shouldn’t be true for private citizens:

“Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honoured. ”

Lets not get too carried away here. If your religious beliefs are hilarious and/or harmful to society, I don’t feel bad about asking questions that you might find disrespectful. I don’t feel bad if people are making jokes at your expense. Should you be allowed to worship whoever you want without government interference? Sure. But no matter what you believe, people are going to find it ridiculous, and they shouldn’t be expected to pretend not to notice, forever.