Sunday, August 26, 2007
Mr. President, We Have a Situation
Doctor, I've noticed that "Friends" has recently started becoming funny. Is this something I should be concerned about?
To Boldly Go
Packindagos always a pretty emotional time for me. 'Tsbeen a great summer, though it hasn't been a big party. Can't quite say I worked my tail off, but I went into the lab every day and put in my time, ran my experiments, made my contribution to science, to my education, to my life...
I went off the pills. Didn't mean to, but I ran out and couldn't replace the stash so now that I went through the tingling shocks and constipation of withdrawal I figure what the heck. I'm not rushing back to them. They may have eased the death wish, but they also quashed the life force so who can say what's best? Truth is, I'm not convinced they actually did anything.
The weekend was party city. Something just went beep beep in the hallway. Something bit my computer. Anyway, the weekend. The megaclubs, the sauna scene, the beach and even the sushi. Way crazy. White city? Try slut city. To put it mildly. But boys will be boys. And life is beautiful. And so not worth it. How come the boys I really want, I don't get and all the others beg at my feet?
Supervisor hasn't returned from vacation, so I'll miss her when I leave. Said my goodbyes, brought in a cake for the lab, went out for dinner with some of the summer students who are left. Back to school is in the air, and I am holding onto summer like my life depends on it. Cause it does. I could hang myself when winter comes. Don't think I will but it is depressing. And if you try to lock me up or stuff me with pills because you are afraid I'm suicidal, I swear I will stick your balls through your eye sockets and make you wish like hell you could die. Now you have another reason to advise me to seek treatment. Oh for Christ's sake, you know I'm kidding.
So, New York, NY. Opportunity, sure. Responsibility, too. To go back undergrad for some bio courses? Where to apply for grad school. How to commit to a project for the length of a Phd?
I made a lot of good friends over the summer. Going back, I don't know. Most of my friends in NY are pretty religous. They wouldn't feel comfortable going out for a drink or a movie. So I don't know what to do, how to spend some quality time. I mean, we could get a coffee and talk. I think I'll do some of that. Must make an extreme effort to be social. Not ball up in a little cave like sometimes happens when I'm home. Oh, it's a tough life. Yah, an easy life is a tough life. I don't know what a hard life is and I don't want to. Though I sometimes suspect that it can't be worse than this. Then I give myself a good hard kick in the shins and remember that it can get a whole lot worse and things are really really good. Then I get depressed again because if this is good, life really sucks.
Feel like you've heard all this before? They called it a heat wave, but I thought the weather was absolutely incredible. I just eat up the heat, remembering cold, wet nights in New York.
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.
I sat there with Sally.
We sat there, we two.
And I said, "How I wish
We had something to do!"
Too wet to go out
And too cold to play ball.
So we sat in the house.
We did nothing at all.
Only, it wasn't only the wet days either because you can't go out on the nice days either. Hot isn't fun in shachor lavan. Why can't I fall in love with someone who will return that love?
I always hold everything inside, afraid if I let it out I will get hurt. This isn't paranoia, though it sounds just like it. I almost certainly will get hurt. But maybe that is the price of life. Maybe I've been too careful. Or maybe I'll just F up everything.
This Jewland's been a pleasure. And now I guess it's time to say farewell. Onward ho. Don't look back. Also, don't look forward. And definitely don't look at the present. Not a good idea. So I guess it's - how does William Shatner say it -
To explore strange new worlds
To seek out new life and new civilizations
To blindly go where no man has gone before
Or to boldly go. That could work too.
I went off the pills. Didn't mean to, but I ran out and couldn't replace the stash so now that I went through the tingling shocks and constipation of withdrawal I figure what the heck. I'm not rushing back to them. They may have eased the death wish, but they also quashed the life force so who can say what's best? Truth is, I'm not convinced they actually did anything.
The weekend was party city. Something just went beep beep in the hallway. Something bit my computer. Anyway, the weekend. The megaclubs, the sauna scene, the beach and even the sushi. Way crazy. White city? Try slut city. To put it mildly. But boys will be boys. And life is beautiful. And so not worth it. How come the boys I really want, I don't get and all the others beg at my feet?
Supervisor hasn't returned from vacation, so I'll miss her when I leave. Said my goodbyes, brought in a cake for the lab, went out for dinner with some of the summer students who are left. Back to school is in the air, and I am holding onto summer like my life depends on it. Cause it does. I could hang myself when winter comes. Don't think I will but it is depressing. And if you try to lock me up or stuff me with pills because you are afraid I'm suicidal, I swear I will stick your balls through your eye sockets and make you wish like hell you could die. Now you have another reason to advise me to seek treatment. Oh for Christ's sake, you know I'm kidding.
So, New York, NY. Opportunity, sure. Responsibility, too. To go back undergrad for some bio courses? Where to apply for grad school. How to commit to a project for the length of a Phd?
I made a lot of good friends over the summer. Going back, I don't know. Most of my friends in NY are pretty religous. They wouldn't feel comfortable going out for a drink or a movie. So I don't know what to do, how to spend some quality time. I mean, we could get a coffee and talk. I think I'll do some of that. Must make an extreme effort to be social. Not ball up in a little cave like sometimes happens when I'm home. Oh, it's a tough life. Yah, an easy life is a tough life. I don't know what a hard life is and I don't want to. Though I sometimes suspect that it can't be worse than this. Then I give myself a good hard kick in the shins and remember that it can get a whole lot worse and things are really really good. Then I get depressed again because if this is good, life really sucks.
Feel like you've heard all this before? They called it a heat wave, but I thought the weather was absolutely incredible. I just eat up the heat, remembering cold, wet nights in New York.
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.
I sat there with Sally.
We sat there, we two.
And I said, "How I wish
We had something to do!"
Too wet to go out
And too cold to play ball.
So we sat in the house.
We did nothing at all.
Only, it wasn't only the wet days either because you can't go out on the nice days either. Hot isn't fun in shachor lavan. Why can't I fall in love with someone who will return that love?
I always hold everything inside, afraid if I let it out I will get hurt. This isn't paranoia, though it sounds just like it. I almost certainly will get hurt. But maybe that is the price of life. Maybe I've been too careful. Or maybe I'll just F up everything.
This Jewland's been a pleasure. And now I guess it's time to say farewell. Onward ho. Don't look back. Also, don't look forward. And definitely don't look at the present. Not a good idea. So I guess it's - how does William Shatner say it -
To explore strange new worlds
To seek out new life and new civilizations
To blindly go where no man has gone before
Or to boldly go. That could work too.
Homosexuality Gene?
"What if homosexuality is genetic, and has been spread due to widespread rejection socially, thus homosexuals married/procreated? Could this potentially mean that in the future, the acceptance of homosexuality would decrease future homosexual populations?" Covoluted on Digg
Monday, August 20, 2007
How's Your Sense of Smell?
Featured Articles : Neuroscience Gateway: "Male mice lacking TRPC2 court both female and male mice."
US genetics bill
news @ nature.com - US genetics bill blocked again - One-man lobby halts antidiscrimination law.
Legislators rush into action without understanding the issues in another example of preemptive lawmaking. Every company wants to hire the most suitable candidates. They use resumes, interviews, questionnaires, tests, and contact with previous employers as surrogates for the information they seek: Is this person my best candidate? If there is a genetic marker that will provide this information as accurately or more accurately than current methods, is it fair to make companies continue to go the roundabout and inefficient route to picking employees? To answer no is to promote either gross inefficiency and waste on the part of companies using imperfect selection practices or an obscurely random style of welfare that has companies taking on a percentage of unequipped employees because it couldn't use an appropriate filter system.
Do I advocate racially biased hiring practices, then? No, of course not. What has one thing to do with the other? Why is the epithet of "racial discrimination" flung at anyone who believes that the genotype of a human being contributes to his or her phenotype in a way not radically dissimilar to the way the genotype of say, a rat, contributes to its phenotype?
Many school districts use parental income or location as surrogates for race. Banned from overt racial discrimination against Caucasians by law, they give preferential admissions treatment to people from "black neighborhoods" (who often belong to a certain race - can you guess which?). This is just one example of how surrogate measures are obscenely concocted to circumvent anti-discrimination protocols. It is also an example of what any company has to do when hiring: It can't measure competence directly - there is no "employee competence scale" - so it uses surrogate measures. Ultimately, efficient companies will find the most competent employees. So assuming that genetic screening could become a practical tool in employee selection (an unlikely possibility in the near future), this proposed bill will dictate either inefficient selection procedures or lead to not hiring the most suited employees.
Legislators rush into action without understanding the issues in another example of preemptive lawmaking. Every company wants to hire the most suitable candidates. They use resumes, interviews, questionnaires, tests, and contact with previous employers as surrogates for the information they seek: Is this person my best candidate? If there is a genetic marker that will provide this information as accurately or more accurately than current methods, is it fair to make companies continue to go the roundabout and inefficient route to picking employees? To answer no is to promote either gross inefficiency and waste on the part of companies using imperfect selection practices or an obscurely random style of welfare that has companies taking on a percentage of unequipped employees because it couldn't use an appropriate filter system.
Do I advocate racially biased hiring practices, then? No, of course not. What has one thing to do with the other? Why is the epithet of "racial discrimination" flung at anyone who believes that the genotype of a human being contributes to his or her phenotype in a way not radically dissimilar to the way the genotype of say, a rat, contributes to its phenotype?
Many school districts use parental income or location as surrogates for race. Banned from overt racial discrimination against Caucasians by law, they give preferential admissions treatment to people from "black neighborhoods" (who often belong to a certain race - can you guess which?). This is just one example of how surrogate measures are obscenely concocted to circumvent anti-discrimination protocols. It is also an example of what any company has to do when hiring: It can't measure competence directly - there is no "employee competence scale" - so it uses surrogate measures. Ultimately, efficient companies will find the most competent employees. So assuming that genetic screening could become a practical tool in employee selection (an unlikely possibility in the near future), this proposed bill will dictate either inefficient selection procedures or lead to not hiring the most suited employees.
From Politically Incorrect Truths
". . .the human pupil dilates when an individual is exposed to something that she likes. For instance, the pupils of women and infants (but not men) spontaneously dilate when they see babies." Psychology Today
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Latest LinkList
Wired
Tailrank
Textism
ClosetConundrums
Everything's better if you do it on a huge scale, and automate it. - Virgil Griffith
Tailrank
Textism
ClosetConundrums
Everything's better if you do it on a huge scale, and automate it. - Virgil Griffith
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The Economics of Congestion Pricing
Bloomberg's traffic reduction plan has won federal grant money to the tune of $350 million (Daily News). Why they need a federal grant to charge more money is beyond me, but let us examine the logic of congestion pricing as a traffic reduction plan.Bloomberg argues that a congested city will not attract business as well and this will hurt New York's economy. He therefore proposes a plan to charge tolls for cars and trucks entering the city to reduce the amount of traffic and make the city more appealing.
The catch is obvious: The only way the fee will reduce traffic is if its cost is higher than the cost of sitting in traffic! If people would rather shell out than sit in traffic, the city will be clogged anyway. And if the fee is high enough that it is worse than the traffic, then it will drive people (and business) away faster than grid-lock. So what gives?
Sunday, August 05, 2007
For He is a Jolly Good Fellow
Who saw the news headline, 4 Dead in Minnesota Bridge Collapse, Toll Likely to Rise? No pun intended, I'm sure.
Summer winding to a close, project deadline approaching. Too soon it will get cold again. And Wake Me Up When September Ends will pulsate through me so violently I'll feel like a plucked guitar string. The longing for those summer days will make me wish I was dead. And it will be a sweet feeling. And then winter will wash over me and make me dead. I'll hibernate. Walk through life unthinking. Unfeeling. Until summer. Until I don't exist. Until I realize that this is existence. That life is like that.
I love movies that make you say, "Life is like that." Books can do it even better sometimes. And even though life isn't like anything. It is nice to see that someone knows what life could be like if it was.
The question mark of next year looms large again, glaring at me from its haughty place above the horizon. So I stare back at it, daring it to make the first move. It won't. Because things happen. Life is like that. Who is John Galt?
Shabbos was relaxing. Eat and sleep and sleep and dream. And stay up late because I slept all day. And wake up early for lab Sunday morning and ride the bus, the legroom-free special, cursing the day until I get back on campus and like magic my mood picks up, a smile lifts my face, and I'm ready to face to day. To go get 'em tiger. I didn't even take a coffee before lunch.
So I've applied for quite a number of jobs for next year, but no one seems to want me. It's like a Groucho Marx kind of situation: I wouldn't want to be a part of any company that would hire me. I only apply to jobs for which I am not qualified. Anyway, better to take it easy for a while. I'll need the time to study for GREs. Maybe take a few extra prereq courses. Working isn't sexy is it? Somehow school seems so much sexier.
Summer winding to a close, project deadline approaching. Too soon it will get cold again. And Wake Me Up When September Ends will pulsate through me so violently I'll feel like a plucked guitar string. The longing for those summer days will make me wish I was dead. And it will be a sweet feeling. And then winter will wash over me and make me dead. I'll hibernate. Walk through life unthinking. Unfeeling. Until summer. Until I don't exist. Until I realize that this is existence. That life is like that.
I love movies that make you say, "Life is like that." Books can do it even better sometimes. And even though life isn't like anything. It is nice to see that someone knows what life could be like if it was.
The question mark of next year looms large again, glaring at me from its haughty place above the horizon. So I stare back at it, daring it to make the first move. It won't. Because things happen. Life is like that. Who is John Galt?
Shabbos was relaxing. Eat and sleep and sleep and dream. And stay up late because I slept all day. And wake up early for lab Sunday morning and ride the bus, the legroom-free special, cursing the day until I get back on campus and like magic my mood picks up, a smile lifts my face, and I'm ready to face to day. To go get 'em tiger. I didn't even take a coffee before lunch.
So I've applied for quite a number of jobs for next year, but no one seems to want me. It's like a Groucho Marx kind of situation: I wouldn't want to be a part of any company that would hire me. I only apply to jobs for which I am not qualified. Anyway, better to take it easy for a while. I'll need the time to study for GREs. Maybe take a few extra prereq courses. Working isn't sexy is it? Somehow school seems so much sexier.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Gibberish for Another Day
blithering fuckers
big fat lies
evil conspiracy plot
murderous disgusting hateful
sweet smell of flowers in the garden
hot bodies all gyrating and moving together
hard work and blissful sleep
slacking off and wasting time
late as usual
to call or not to call
consecutive waking hours: 23
big fat lies
evil conspiracy plot
murderous disgusting hateful
sweet smell of flowers in the garden
hot bodies all gyrating and moving together
hard work and blissful sleep
slacking off and wasting time
late as usual
to call or not to call
consecutive waking hours: 23
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
The Paradox of Murdoch's Bid
That post about the WSJ seemed pretty biased and I just thought I should point out that it was not in the spirit of your usual insistence on honest reporting. Why do you get all worked up about this issue when you remain calm discussing topics from God to War to the Devil to Love or Sprots or Sports or Politics? About this you get worked up?
Well, first, when you put it that way it does seem silly and I'm ready to take back the heat. But the idea is that this brings head to head to issues that I care about. Journalism and Freedom. Only, here those two things that so often go hand in hand collide. Usually, free press operates both in an economic and journalistic sense in that anyone can open up a news media outlet and say what they want independently and people choose what to hear and read and believe. In such a case, the interests of freedom and journalism are served by allowing the invisible hand to move the economy undisturbed.
The problem here is that people trust a news source that has the means, the resources, to deliver great reporting. Another interest wants to takeover the WSJ and the repercussions may be harmful to the quality of future reporting or even introduce bias. So a free market economic system may now damage the free dissemination of information. Government regulation, which usually acts not in the interests of freedom, may in this case operate to protect knowledge and freedom. Paradox.
Well, first, when you put it that way it does seem silly and I'm ready to take back the heat. But the idea is that this brings head to head to issues that I care about. Journalism and Freedom. Only, here those two things that so often go hand in hand collide. Usually, free press operates both in an economic and journalistic sense in that anyone can open up a news media outlet and say what they want independently and people choose what to hear and read and believe. In such a case, the interests of freedom and journalism are served by allowing the invisible hand to move the economy undisturbed.
The problem here is that people trust a news source that has the means, the resources, to deliver great reporting. Another interest wants to takeover the WSJ and the repercussions may be harmful to the quality of future reporting or even introduce bias. So a free market economic system may now damage the free dissemination of information. Government regulation, which usually acts not in the interests of freedom, may in this case operate to protect knowledge and freedom. Paradox.
A List
Masada. Ein Gedi. Dead Sea. Holy Sepulchre. Ναός της Αναστάσεως. Tower of David. Much Tiredness. A coworker came back, so I had to switch workstations. Another left. Went to a better place. In this world. Actually, I don't know if the other place is actually better, but the job title sounds more important. And that's how it is. So my new computer was broken. Had been for months, but no one needed it. It was fixed today. Within 2 hours. It's like that, too. Saw a kid grab a little kitten and chase another kid with it. Then he threw it. Landed about half a foot away from me and ran off. Then another guy marched by with a giant cross and a pack of people singing in Latin. Here come a guy in a black robe. Another one, older, sitting in the corner next to the door holding a fan up in front of his face so you can't see him. Israel finished the ceiling in 2000 because the factions couldn't agree who should do it and the Second Coming was coming. Confessions in English, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, French, and Greek. Beat that! No head coverings, please. For women, it's okay. But no shorts. Can you perform the Salaat? Sorry, no Jews on the Temple Mount. Here, try some candy. Take my picture. Here, with the white horse. Won't you please give me something for it? Just two shekel? Can you make it 5? Atah hagever!
Wall Street Journal, Dead at 118
Rupert Murdoch advanced today in his bid to destroy. . . er cough cough. . . to buy. . . the Wall Street Journal from Dow Jones & Company after his gangsters, whoops, I meant negotiators, broke enough legs to force, that is, erhrr, secured the agreement of several members of the controlling Bancroft family. News Corp. is expected to pay $5 billion for the leading financial newspaper. (link) Aww, we might as well just read the Springfield Shopper or the USofA Today. btw
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Give Up Your Right Arm for Peace
Egyptian and Jordanian ministers visited Israel for high level peace talks today. They promised Israel recognition and normal relations in return for Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders and the creation of an independent Palestinian state within Israel's current borders.
Promising. Great. The question is this: Who are they? Meaning, the point of contention is between Israel and the palestinian refugees, who are supposedly represented by the Palestinian Authority. The neighboring Arab countries really have no say in the matter. Sure they can aid in the negotiations and pressure the Palestinians, but they cannot guarantee Palestinian cooperation, nor can they make deals on their behalf. Furthermore, Hamas maintains its refusal to recognize Israel, despite anything Egypt or Jordan or even the Fatah-led PA emergency cabinet can will say.
The whole thing is a misnomer. It is like Chad or Kenya saying, "We will grant recognition to the refugees in Darfur if they give us a pound of flesh." Even if they desperately wanted recognition and gave up a pound of their flesh, Chadese or Kenyan recognition will not help them because they are being pursued by Sudan. The NYT is hopeful. Probably hopeful that it will be able to use this somehow to make Israel look bad.
I am going to start an organization called GUYRAP? Give up your right arm for peace. It will be a parody of the so-called peace organizations that recommend doing essentially just that, only most of these don't seem to fully appreciate their right arms.
Promising. Great. The question is this: Who are they? Meaning, the point of contention is between Israel and the palestinian refugees, who are supposedly represented by the Palestinian Authority. The neighboring Arab countries really have no say in the matter. Sure they can aid in the negotiations and pressure the Palestinians, but they cannot guarantee Palestinian cooperation, nor can they make deals on their behalf. Furthermore, Hamas maintains its refusal to recognize Israel, despite anything Egypt or Jordan or even the Fatah-led PA emergency cabinet can will say.
The whole thing is a misnomer. It is like Chad or Kenya saying, "We will grant recognition to the refugees in Darfur if they give us a pound of flesh." Even if they desperately wanted recognition and gave up a pound of their flesh, Chadese or Kenyan recognition will not help them because they are being pursued by Sudan. The NYT is hopeful. Probably hopeful that it will be able to use this somehow to make Israel look bad.
I am going to start an organization called GUYRAP? Give up your right arm for peace. It will be a parody of the so-called peace organizations that recommend doing essentially just that, only most of these don't seem to fully appreciate their right arms.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Mall Madness
I was walking through the mall, and this totally hot guy suddenly motions to me and asks, out of the blue, "rotzeh lit'om?" (would you like to taste?) Umm, yaah. Snap back to reality. He's manning a booth selling spices and teas. At some point I made it to the movie theater, loaded with spoiled meat (I didn't know until it was too late), and saw the latest Potter movie. Enjoyed it but was disappointed. You must know what I mean. My "3 weeks" beard is pretty annoying.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
John Jacob Jingelheimer Schmidt
Oh, Jakey, you're great. On the way to see Harry Potter 5, he found this gem:
JIM: "So, you excited about HPV?"
ME: "Wait ... let me think of a witty response ...... I have a burning desire to see it!... I've really been itching to see it!... This movie better start or I'm about to turn red!"
What's the rule if a whole room full of people are watching Kong and the soccer championship is on TV? Well, football comes first. Wasn't it obvious?
How about this one. You are using the computer and someone else needs it "for just a minute to check something". Is it impolite to insist he wait until you are finished? What if it is already late at night and he "needs to check it before he goes to sleep"?
Ah, the beauty of economics. Economics? Yes, economics. The study of the allocation of scarce resources among competing needs and desires of individuals and society.
JIM: "So, you excited about HPV?"
ME: "Wait ... let me think of a witty response ...... I have a burning desire to see it!... I've really been itching to see it!... This movie better start or I'm about to turn red!"
What's the rule if a whole room full of people are watching Kong and the soccer championship is on TV? Well, football comes first. Wasn't it obvious?
How about this one. You are using the computer and someone else needs it "for just a minute to check something". Is it impolite to insist he wait until you are finished? What if it is already late at night and he "needs to check it before he goes to sleep"?
Ah, the beauty of economics. Economics? Yes, economics. The study of the allocation of scarce resources among competing needs and desires of individuals and society.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
When Literature Goes as Freight
how i wished we could sleep in the same bed and cuddle together and talk and laugh and cry. it wasn't even sex i wanted. just him. i left him a note when i left "bye sexy, thanks 4 the awesome evening" it's the closest i came to letting someone in on my secret, but i could always say it was a joke if questioned wrong about it. actually a french guy in my summer school started hitting on me yesterday. the trouble is, maintaining my self-confidence requires being intimate only with people i really respect and admire - or at least, am truly infatuated with. so if someone isn't really hot, i won't get in bed with them. smart idea, right? problem is, that limits my options. anyway, this parisian dude didn't make the cut. nice guy and all, i said we could just be friends. the whole scene was like something out of a movie.
first i was watching tv, and he kept looking over at me. then i got up to go do my laundry and i knew his eyes were following me. he came into the laundry room and tried feebly to strike up a conversation (remember the laundry scenes in 40 Yeary Old Virgin?)
He asked something about the quantity of clothing i was washing, and i responded something about how often i do laundry and liking to keep my clothing clean. i excused myself to get my detergent from my room, and wasn't surprised to find him still in the laundry room when i returned. it was clear already this was more than standard introductions. so i asked his name and where he came from, what he was studying and for how long he'd been here. the standard questions. At some point he asked:
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"no... do you"
"no, i'm gay, so i wouldn't have a girlfriend. how old are you?"
"howoldiam. how old are you"
"howoldiam. you know, you're really cute"
"thanks [note: i don't add 'you're really cute too']"
:he leans in for a kiss: :i back off slightly:
"actually, i'm a little confused right now"
"that's ok. do you want to close the door?"
"we can go for a walk and talk about it if you'd like"
:walk outside: :silence:
"so. how did you know?" :smile:
"well, i wasn't sure"
:they walk and talk for a while:
:he tries again for a kiss:
"i don't think we should do this. i've never had a friend who i could discuss my true feelings with and it would be a shame to ruin that by having sex" [question: did this sound like an obvious brushoff? cause it was part of my cheshbon. a big part. though admittedly it wouldn't have mattered if i thought he was mad sexy]
"do you want to just try it?"
"not now." [notice how polite i am]
:more talk:
"you know if we do end up having sex, it will be just for fun. i don't want emotions in it, so no one gets hurt. I don't want to fall in love with you or have you fall in love with me [note: if there was any minute chance of that happening, you just blew it] because you are going back to america after the summer and i will go back to france. under the circumstances, it is not a good idea."
"so basically you're saying 'i don't really like you that much, but i haven't got anything better at the moment...'"
"no, i think you are very cute. it's just the circumstances, you understand"
i did understand. but of course though it seems weird to be so open about that, it is only what i would have wanted from it as well to be honest. he's from paris, i'm from new york. it couldn't work long-term even if i did like him. but the other guy, from my old school. he could be a real option. if only i could feel safe enough to talk to him about it...
first i was watching tv, and he kept looking over at me. then i got up to go do my laundry and i knew his eyes were following me. he came into the laundry room and tried feebly to strike up a conversation (remember the laundry scenes in 40 Yeary Old Virgin?)
He asked something about the quantity of clothing i was washing, and i responded something about how often i do laundry and liking to keep my clothing clean. i excused myself to get my detergent from my room, and wasn't surprised to find him still in the laundry room when i returned. it was clear already this was more than standard introductions. so i asked his name and where he came from, what he was studying and for how long he'd been here. the standard questions. At some point he asked:
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"no... do you"
"no, i'm gay, so i wouldn't have a girlfriend. how old are you?"
"howoldiam. how old are you"
"howoldiam. you know, you're really cute"
"thanks [note: i don't add 'you're really cute too']"
:he leans in for a kiss: :i back off slightly:
"actually, i'm a little confused right now"
"that's ok. do you want to close the door?"
"we can go for a walk and talk about it if you'd like"
:walk outside: :silence:
"so. how did you know?" :smile:
"well, i wasn't sure"
:they walk and talk for a while:
:he tries again for a kiss:
"i don't think we should do this. i've never had a friend who i could discuss my true feelings with and it would be a shame to ruin that by having sex" [question: did this sound like an obvious brushoff? cause it was part of my cheshbon. a big part. though admittedly it wouldn't have mattered if i thought he was mad sexy]
"do you want to just try it?"
"not now." [notice how polite i am]
:more talk:
"you know if we do end up having sex, it will be just for fun. i don't want emotions in it, so no one gets hurt. I don't want to fall in love with you or have you fall in love with me [note: if there was any minute chance of that happening, you just blew it] because you are going back to america after the summer and i will go back to france. under the circumstances, it is not a good idea."
"so basically you're saying 'i don't really like you that much, but i haven't got anything better at the moment...'"
"no, i think you are very cute. it's just the circumstances, you understand"
i did understand. but of course though it seems weird to be so open about that, it is only what i would have wanted from it as well to be honest. he's from paris, i'm from new york. it couldn't work long-term even if i did like him. but the other guy, from my old school. he could be a real option. if only i could feel safe enough to talk to him about it...
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
What's the Redneck Agenda?
The Blogger site is still in Russian and I can't read a word of it and I can't write titles for my posts. Had to post this, from Alice Zheng:
Most people can't understand
how others can blow their noses
differently than they do.
-- Turgenev
Shabbat Dreams in Your
Amazing Shabbat. Went with a friend, stayed by family, great food, wonderful company, caught up with old friends. One guy I saw Friday night and just couldn't get him out of my head. He is so hot and beautiful, cute and sweet. Just perfect. When he said something about putting on weight since coming to Israel, getting a beer belly (it was clear he had no such thing), I wanted to say, "I saw you when you came and you were damn sexy then and you are fucking hot now!" I just had to see him again. Next night instead of returning home, I went back to see him and spent the night. We went out and played pool (my first time) and then chilled, he cleaned up his room, and we listened to Dave Chappelle. I loved every minute. When I'm with you, everything is perfect. Please don't take this the wrong way. I care about you so much. You inspire me. Now, if only you could know. But of course, there is that old "don't want to mess with a good friendship by making it sexual" thing. And the whole awkwardness of coming out and all, of course.
When he was in his boxers and sitting on his bed and I sat on the bed across from him and got an "upskirt" view of his parts when he shifted in his boxers it was like a lick of Carvel. And I love ice cream. They were beautiful. And I'm usually not a fan of men's privates. Gay or not, I'll be kissing and cuddling and a guy will start taking off his pants, and I'm like whoa Johnny, hold it right there boy. And when I do deal with cock, I'm not one of those "I like big dick and and I cannot lie" type of people. I like 'em pretty. But when I'm really in love with a person and worship him from head to toe, well, those parts are just that many more inches of him to love. Sof kol sof, he has a real nice package.
I had a dream that I got married. I was thinking maybe if I got married we would sleep I Love Lucy style on our own beds because lovemaking is fun when you are awake, but I see no reason why I should have to give up on ever getting a good night's sleep without elbows in my face or my dick in funny places just because I'm married. I'm all for cuddling and stuff. I enjoy that as much as anyone, but there is a time for everything and while I'm sleeping, I prefer you to let me sleep. In peace.
Anyway, back to the dream. So those thoughts (above) may have provoked the dream. My new wife is sleeping on the couch and I approach her and ask why doesn't she come to bed. She is unused to the whole concept of being a wife or even being with a man because she grew up in a haredi home where she never even spoke to boys. So I want to be good to my wife and speak gently and caringly, trying to be there without being pushy. She says she isn't feeling well. After ensuring she is well, I tell her that it would make me happy if she would come up to bed, but she should do whatever she feels is best. I don't remember the name she had but it sounded like Lola or Lila, probably based on the opening paragraph of Nabokov's Lolita.
"But Lola," I said, "can we make a date for tomorrow?" And I must have seen this scene in some movie, she replied, "A date? But Teddy. . . we're married!"
"I know, Lo sweetheart, but I just don't get to see you enough."
"You're right Teddy, with both of us working. . ."
The nice thing about dreams is that they are entertaining like watching a movie, but you get to sleep while you are watching them, you get to direct the action yourself, and when there is a sex scene, you are in it! Dreams are God's gift to mankind.
When he was in his boxers and sitting on his bed and I sat on the bed across from him and got an "upskirt" view of his parts when he shifted in his boxers it was like a lick of Carvel. And I love ice cream. They were beautiful. And I'm usually not a fan of men's privates. Gay or not, I'll be kissing and cuddling and a guy will start taking off his pants, and I'm like whoa Johnny, hold it right there boy. And when I do deal with cock, I'm not one of those "I like big dick and and I cannot lie" type of people. I like 'em pretty. But when I'm really in love with a person and worship him from head to toe, well, those parts are just that many more inches of him to love. Sof kol sof, he has a real nice package.
I had a dream that I got married. I was thinking maybe if I got married we would sleep I Love Lucy style on our own beds because lovemaking is fun when you are awake, but I see no reason why I should have to give up on ever getting a good night's sleep without elbows in my face or my dick in funny places just because I'm married. I'm all for cuddling and stuff. I enjoy that as much as anyone, but there is a time for everything and while I'm sleeping, I prefer you to let me sleep. In peace.
Anyway, back to the dream. So those thoughts (above) may have provoked the dream. My new wife is sleeping on the couch and I approach her and ask why doesn't she come to bed. She is unused to the whole concept of being a wife or even being with a man because she grew up in a haredi home where she never even spoke to boys. So I want to be good to my wife and speak gently and caringly, trying to be there without being pushy. She says she isn't feeling well. After ensuring she is well, I tell her that it would make me happy if she would come up to bed, but she should do whatever she feels is best. I don't remember the name she had but it sounded like Lola or Lila, probably based on the opening paragraph of Nabokov's Lolita.
"But Lola," I said, "can we make a date for tomorrow?" And I must have seen this scene in some movie, she replied, "A date? But Teddy. . . we're married!"
"I know, Lo sweetheart, but I just don't get to see you enough."
"You're right Teddy, with both of us working. . ."
The nice thing about dreams is that they are entertaining like watching a movie, but you get to sleep while you are watching them, you get to direct the action yourself, and when there is a sex scene, you are in it! Dreams are God's gift to mankind.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Beautiful Thing (1996)
Such a beautiful movie. I didn't even know what it was, it was just on TV, and then I noticed the boys were so cute and hoped something would happen betweeen them. As luck would have it, that is exactly what the movie was about!
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Religion in the Schools
When we teach the Gettysburg Address or the Declaration of Independence or King's I Have a Dream, we reinforce the message of Creationism. That all men are created equal. Besides the inherent meaninglessness and/or absurdity of the statement, it is a most glaring and blatant violation of the Establishment clause of the Constitution to teach this in public schools. Not only do these works contain the message of Creationism, they promote a specific account of Creation by saying that all men were created Equal. I happen to believe that I was created sugar. And I know at least two people in my school who were created Splenda. My mom was created honey for sure, and Derek Jeter evolved. So what's with created equal, dudes?
Tags Label Topics 3X Fast
Oh my Gpod! What's a Gpod? This was so awesome. I had some of the world's best falafel with amazing ice cream and fantastic company. And then I solved a Tower of Hanoi puzzle in my head. Only level 1, but still cool. Science is cool. People are as interesting as ever. And yes.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
When You Get Tagged
See here. Now that's cleared up:
1. I love to travel. Also hate to travel, but there is something magnetic that pulls me on.
2. If all men were created equal, life would be damn boring; don't you think?
3. When I do laundry here, I need to do three wash loads to fill the dryer once.
4. I have a crush on Doron.
5. Sandals, not sneakers or shoes.
6. My limit is two and a half liters of beer. (or equivalent?)
7. I read the Star-Spangled Banner on July 4th and found it wanting.
8. I think Doodle is the shizz. (That's a good thing.)
9. Are you saying I can't count?
10. Ice cream is seasonal, but not how you are thinking it. . .
If you are one of the first eight people to read this and haven't yet been IT, I hereby initiate the process whereby you will find yourself in a position of being yourself tagged.
1. I love to travel. Also hate to travel, but there is something magnetic that pulls me on.
2. If all men were created equal, life would be damn boring; don't you think?
3. When I do laundry here, I need to do three wash loads to fill the dryer once.
4. I have a crush on Doron.
5. Sandals, not sneakers or shoes.
6. My limit is two and a half liters of beer. (or equivalent?)
7. I read the Star-Spangled Banner on July 4th and found it wanting.
8. I think Doodle is the shizz. (That's a good thing.)
9. Are you saying I can't count?
10. Ice cream is seasonal, but not how you are thinking it. . .
If you are one of the first eight people to read this and haven't yet been IT, I hereby initiate the process whereby you will find yourself in a position of being yourself tagged.
I'm Not Here For Your Entertainment
Why won't Google fucking integrate its websites? Why is it that I can't just click a button from Gmail or GoogleDocs to get iGoogle? Not create a damn pop up window. Not make me type the URL in my address bar. Just transfer me to my homepage. Simple.
I like eat beer for tomatoes. This is a thing.
Hiyeh I'm a Borat. I comeh from a Kazahkstan. I like your titties, yes. Is ok I love your titties? Theya so eh much big eh moneys. We make a sexy fun time, yes?
Too shy to tell you I love you. Know that I do.
I like eat beer for tomatoes. This is a thing.
Hiyeh I'm a Borat. I comeh from a Kazahkstan. I like your titties, yes. Is ok I love your titties? Theya so eh much big eh moneys. We make a sexy fun time, yes?
Too shy to tell you I love you. Know that I do.
That One's Gotta Be Worth a Wank
The site is in Russian today; I guess the last one to use the computer changed the language settings. Beach party for Independence Day. Bar with friends on cheap beer night. Hot boys of MyTown. Crashing by random people. Science on the tongue. A Song for Old Clatterbones. Jewy bitch. What is on your mind? What was? Aww, how sweet! Dumb TV to watch when you are drunk and tired but don't want to go to sleep yet. Stumbling across the street for a water and ice cream, bonus getting to meet some hot boy hanging out at the shop late at night. Not making sense. One of the bonuses of being. Making friends with a girl for the first time this late in life. Step in the [fill in the blank] direction. Getting up early for work when I haven't gotten much sleep at night. Have you ever gone to Jew Camp? Was that a Jewy school? Did you go to Ramaz? Locker room frenzy. Sleazy people. Friendliness. Bliss. God. Heaven. Shit. Random. Up. Power. International. Pride. Love. Death. Words. Flow. Cytometry. Biochemistry. Structural biology. Cell biology. Change. Cartoons. Real live cartoons.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
A Quarter of Facebook Users Are Gay
In a recent survey of 200 people conducted by Facebook polling, 25% of male respondents reported having had a crush on another male.
Monday, July 02, 2007
L'hiyot Am Chofshi B'artzenu
hatikvah. still relevant.
btw, is there anything more beautiful (and sometimes heartbreaking) than Israeli youth?
btw, is there anything more beautiful (and sometimes heartbreaking) than Israeli youth?
Sunday, July 01, 2007
To Stop Discrimination
School administrators and bureaucrats are so heavily invested in the idea of diversity that they will try an amazing array of policies to get around the ban of the use of race. John Yoo, UCal Berkeley (NYT)
The new US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in a string of recent decisions, has been steadily eroding American freedoms and expanding the power of federal government. Not surprising, considering he is a Bush appointee.
Notwithstanding, his latest decision was a win for racial equality. In a 5-4 decision, the Court has ruled that schools may not use race as an admissions criteria for public high schools and elementary schools. School disctricts in Seattle and Jefferson County had labeled students "white" "black" or "non-white" and used these values to disadvantage white students in school assignments. In the opinion of the Court, Roberts wrote, "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
The new US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in a string of recent decisions, has been steadily eroding American freedoms and expanding the power of federal government. Not surprising, considering he is a Bush appointee.
Notwithstanding, his latest decision was a win for racial equality. In a 5-4 decision, the Court has ruled that schools may not use race as an admissions criteria for public high schools and elementary schools. School disctricts in Seattle and Jefferson County had labeled students "white" "black" or "non-white" and used these values to disadvantage white students in school assignments. In the opinion of the Court, Roberts wrote, "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."
Sunday, June 24, 2007
A Dream Deferred
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
What Happened Over the CHAMSHUSH
Going to the sauna with Adonis himself. Salsa dancing. Eilat. Beaches and shops and coral reefs. Seret: Hasodot. Working. Tired. Seinfeld. Smile. Mood swings. Satisfied. Sleeping on the bus.
If my honesty don't kill me, it sure as hell gon' kill everyone around me.
"So, what did you think of Eilat?"
:shrug: :shrug: "Well, it has you."
"So you might get bored of me in a week?"
"Possibly."
"Then put your pants back on."
"Okay." :slip my underwear on: "Now what are you doing? Oh. Ooh. Mmm. You just told me to get dressed. Ahh. I think I'll take it back off then."
"Come on, do something for me. You think sex works one way?"
"Basically, yah. What I'm in the mood for."
If my honesty don't kill me, it sure as hell gon' kill everyone around me.
"So, what did you think of Eilat?"
:shrug: :shrug: "Well, it has you."
"So you might get bored of me in a week?"
"Possibly."
"Then put your pants back on."
"Okay." :slip my underwear on: "Now what are you doing? Oh. Ooh. Mmm. You just told me to get dressed. Ahh. I think I'll take it back off then."
"Come on, do something for me. You think sex works one way?"
"Basically, yah. What I'm in the mood for."
Monday, June 18, 2007
Israel Now: Deja Vu?
Katyushas are falling again in the North. There haven't been any casualties yet, but they did cause some property damage in and around Kiryat Shmona. The IDF is preparing to respond.
Jerusalem smells like burning garbage now.
Jerusalem smells like burning garbage now.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
The Du"ch from Yerusalem: Milchama Ba'ir!
So Shabbat was a party, great people, great food, no pressure. Met an IDF officer who said we are likely in for another war very soon; maybe we'll do Syria this time. Met a family of recent olim and hung out with a bunch of college kids. Joined the war. They are playing haredim versus homo'im. I am on both sides and neither, so it's double the danger, double the fun. The yassams are beating people with sticks and the water cannons are back in action: parade season is here. Wow, there wasn't this much commotion in Tel Aviv and their parade was much more ritzini.
I got to climb to the top of an unfinished apartment building, run around the city like a parkour course, and watch the water cannons blast through fourth story windows and dump broken glass on sleeping babies. Doodle, I finally saw your tapuach signs. This country is awesome.
I got to be mekayem the pasuk of "ki mitziyon tetzei torah" for real when I was asked a halakhic question at work and asked a rabbi in yerusalem on shabbat and returned to home with the answer.
Learned to play poker.
The news spent most of its time on Retzuat Aza, every so often they'd say "Surya", and twice an hour they'd cut to Jerusalem and the haredi riots. Just the riots, mind you, never the violent police response. Israeli news is so simple. The female news anchor is gorgeous, but a poor reporter. Then again, I guess that's all you need. Out.
I got to climb to the top of an unfinished apartment building, run around the city like a parkour course, and watch the water cannons blast through fourth story windows and dump broken glass on sleeping babies. Doodle, I finally saw your tapuach signs. This country is awesome.
I got to be mekayem the pasuk of "ki mitziyon tetzei torah" for real when I was asked a halakhic question at work and asked a rabbi in yerusalem on shabbat and returned to home with the answer.
Learned to play poker.
The news spent most of its time on Retzuat Aza, every so often they'd say "Surya", and twice an hour they'd cut to Jerusalem and the haredi riots. Just the riots, mind you, never the violent police response. Israeli news is so simple. The female news anchor is gorgeous, but a poor reporter. Then again, I guess that's all you need. Out.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Happy Hour With a Purpose
What a brilliant concept: Thursday after work is happy hour. In the lobby. Free beer and refreshments celebrate a week well done. Scientists from the various labs in the building gather and discuss their work, fostering a spirit of friendship, happiness, familiarity, and loyalty, and providing a framework for interdisciplinary collaboration in a casual setting.
Gmail Address Book
This is me being angry at Gmail for its poor handling of contacts. Normally, you write a message, click contacts, and your adress book pops up so you can click on whoever you want to send your email to. But not in gmail. In order to use your adress book to address a mesage, you must first go to the address book and then type your message. Has anyone else noticed this oversight or am I the only fool who hasn't figured out how to do it yet?
Remember to import your gmail contacts to facebook.
Remember to import your gmail contacts to facebook.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Oops, I Did It Again
stop codons on 288c ethidium bromide gel pcr reactions nil1p beach soccer does this sound like one of those random strings of words you get in your spam mail do you ever wonder why they do that beautiful weather incredible trees and grass and sun air conditioning cafeteria food that tastes good sabbath plans party bye
Monday, June 11, 2007
Tel Aviv Billabong
Tel Aviv Pride: So I get to Tel Aviv, and hail a sherut to kikar Rabin. The drivers are scared to go anywhere in the city center because the parade street closings have created crazy traffic. The parade had moved on by the time I arrived, so I hailed a taxi and asked him to drive to the mitz'ad. He pretended not to have heard of it! This is a taxi driver who suffered traffic all day. You couldn't be in Tel Aviv and not hear of it - 1/5 of the whole city was there. So I guess he was anti-gay and just refused to drive me there.
Finally caught up with them at choff gordon (Gordon Beach). Partied on the beach, then had fun watching people's reactions as we walked around the streets kissing. Friends, don't try this in Jerusalem.
Finally caught up with them at choff gordon (Gordon Beach). Partied on the beach, then had fun watching people's reactions as we walked around the streets kissing. Friends, don't try this in Jerusalem.
Whatcha Mean'm We, Kemo Sabe
Gene splicing and regulatory pathways anyone? What fun! Putting things in test tubes and taking them out again. Measuring them, mixing them, reading about them...
Beautiful campus, great people, learning a lot, shocking everyone with my unorthodox background - I am a lone psych major in a hard science universe - affirmation of life.
Beautiful campus, great people, learning a lot, shocking everyone with my unorthodox background - I am a lone psych major in a hard science universe - affirmation of life.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Last Month GQ Said Gays Make Great Bosses
My award-winning fashion sense received an honorable mention in Shopstyle.com's Set The Trend 2007 virtual fashion contest. Take that, Details! (Details magazine just ran an article questioning the notion that has taken hold of gay men as style-savvy. Of course not all gay men are but it's still more common than by the common folks.)
Crossing the Atlantic
Mon: finish school
Tues: planned to pack, never got around to it, got a haircut at Cutler from James - real cutie
Wed: rushing to pack everything before i miss my flight while my mother is completely nervous and trying to help by not getting in the way but she really would like to be actively helping, flight
Thurs: arrive, meet the group, soccer, Ocean's 13 (before it even came out in US!)
Fri: meet the prof, tour the lab, tel aviv pride parade after-party at gordon beach, sabbath meal at prof's house.
Sat: synagogue, kidush, shiur for teens and young adults about premarital sex, lunch at a really nice guy who randomly invited me out of the goodness of his heart, frisbee on the lawn, nap, read up on molecular biology, met my roommate's really cute brother who stopped by our dorm, updated my blog
Wow, stuff actually happened this week.
Tues: planned to pack, never got around to it, got a haircut at Cutler from James - real cutie
Wed: rushing to pack everything before i miss my flight while my mother is completely nervous and trying to help by not getting in the way but she really would like to be actively helping, flight
Thurs: arrive, meet the group, soccer, Ocean's 13 (before it even came out in US!)
Fri: meet the prof, tour the lab, tel aviv pride parade after-party at gordon beach, sabbath meal at prof's house.
Sat: synagogue, kidush, shiur for teens and young adults about premarital sex, lunch at a really nice guy who randomly invited me out of the goodness of his heart, frisbee on the lawn, nap, read up on molecular biology, met my roommate's really cute brother who stopped by our dorm, updated my blog
Wow, stuff actually happened this week.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Just Ask Yourself: What Would Ashton Kutcher Do?
It's official. Last final is in the past and my flight is days away. Now I just need some serious sleep. And I really must pack. And clean my room. Check out one of my all-time favorite poems, by William Cartwright on platonic love. I can't believe I took my finals going on about 2 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. I hope my essays didn't come out sounding as hopeless as my last blog post. Oh, don't be silly Ted: you aced 'em! Fasshiz
I Don't Need to be Doing This Now
Sorry I haven't been updating much lately; I'm behind filter software at home and school. Finishing up the last of my finals and set to begin a summer job next week. It's raining. Pretty rain. Quiet as only a rainy morning can be. I read Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without a Country. A long rant about everything on his mind. Today's politics, the past, the future. My mother just woke up and was shocked to see me up this early. Not in a good way. She's worried as usual. She said she feels like I am ripping out her heart. I feel bad, but helpless. It was just a bout of insomnia. Likely brought on by staying up all night last night. And sleeping a good part of the day. My life is so sorry. So I go clubbing at night till late and wake up late. It's so nice to be on vacation (or is the word 'unemployed'?) and yet so lonely. And it isn't even really vacation yet. Classes are over but we still have finals coming up. My summer job starts next week. My mother is so worried how I'll be able to get up in time for work considering I've been waking up after 10:00am pretty consistently and I'll have to improve on that by several hours. She offered to call the shrink and see if more meds might help. Who knows. If I seem discombobulated and out of character in this post, it's because I am. The Aussie's friends are in DC for the day and he asked me to drop by. And Long Branch and Manhattan and the Bronx. George on Seinfeld - his parents lived in Queens. And I'm flying. You don't believe me. In an airplane, I meant. Very soon. To another country. I've been up all night. Am I not making sense? Ever heard of Jonah? Someone just told me they don't believe the Jonah story because whales have filters in their throats that would not admit a human being. I figure there could be a whale with a holy filter. Anyway there is also a cult for Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality. Some people might take offense at the cult labeling and perhaps rightfully so. These people sound sincere and there is truth and encouragement in a lot of what they have to say. But there is that feeling, you know?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Public Bathrooms
So I'm in this restroom at this store with mirrored floors, and I notice that you can look at the guy in the stall next door in the mirrored floor. Weird.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Everybody Likes a Festschrift
Writing from the Apple store in Manhattan 5th Ave and 59th St. Great place. Free inernet. Exciting atmosphere.
Feel free to check out the looks I put together at Shopstyle.com (http://www.shopstyle.com/page/BrowseStylebooks?searchString=teddydouglas). Cool site.
Congratulations to all the recent and upcoming graduates!
Feel free to check out the looks I put together at Shopstyle.com (http://www.shopstyle.com/page/BrowseStylebooks?searchString=teddydouglas). Cool site.
Congratulations to all the recent and upcoming graduates!
Monday, May 21, 2007
NY Driving Tips
Most of us are familiar with the traffic light. The color of the light signals when we may drive (green light, go) and when we must stop (red light, stop). But what many tourists quickly learn is that in New York, the traffic light is an audio-visual experience. Relative quiet together with a red light means stop, and noisy honking signals an upcoming green and warns you to prepare to hit the gas.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Where Are All the People?
We did another experiment in lab. It was awful. You stare at the screen and watch little dots appear and disappear. And the monitors have low refresh rates. Not everyone is affected by this, but anything under 75 hz or so bothers me; it looks like the whole screen is flickering.
It's finals season. Classes are winding down it is time to severely hit the books. Incidentally, the weather has been gorgeous and I'd rather be outdoors. I bought a necklace at Guess in the mall, then looked up the piece online when I got home and found it was missing one of the charms. I ordered a new one from Amazon and plan to go back and return the broken one. When I paid in the store, they were training a new rep so it took her forever to ring up the sale. Then she tried to wrap it up and just ended up with a ball of wrapping paper. The saleswoman asked if it was a gift and I almost felt guilty saying no.
Spoke to my mother about my plans for next year. I still don't have any. Work or learn or both, I don't know and it scares me to think about it. One thing I probably will be doing is applying to schools. Actually, just applying. In general. If anyone asks what I am doing next year, I'm applying.
"Applying to what?"
"Doesn't matter; I'm applying."
Either for jobs or for schools or simply applying myself to whatever I'm doing. Like now, I'm applying myself to blabbering.
I finally finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha. Good book; made me think a little. I love Amazon.com. I preordered Harry Potter 7. Don't know if I plan to read it, but I'm sure someone in my family will want to. The book is already a bestseller and it won't be out for over 2 months.
I read a curious little article in the New York Times recently from a book reviewer about the pleasures of reading bad books, so I thought I'd give it a try reading books even if they haven't withstood the test of time and emerged as classics. Makes sense: how will you learn to evaluate books if you only read a certain kind? You won't be able to make the necessary contrasts if you don't have what to contrast with. I haven't yet chosen my first bad book to read. Suggestions welcome. Bad books that are worth it, anyone?
It's finals season. Classes are winding down it is time to severely hit the books. Incidentally, the weather has been gorgeous and I'd rather be outdoors. I bought a necklace at Guess in the mall, then looked up the piece online when I got home and found it was missing one of the charms. I ordered a new one from Amazon and plan to go back and return the broken one. When I paid in the store, they were training a new rep so it took her forever to ring up the sale. Then she tried to wrap it up and just ended up with a ball of wrapping paper. The saleswoman asked if it was a gift and I almost felt guilty saying no.
Spoke to my mother about my plans for next year. I still don't have any. Work or learn or both, I don't know and it scares me to think about it. One thing I probably will be doing is applying to schools. Actually, just applying. In general. If anyone asks what I am doing next year, I'm applying.
"Applying to what?"
"Doesn't matter; I'm applying."
Either for jobs or for schools or simply applying myself to whatever I'm doing. Like now, I'm applying myself to blabbering.
I finally finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha. Good book; made me think a little. I love Amazon.com. I preordered Harry Potter 7. Don't know if I plan to read it, but I'm sure someone in my family will want to. The book is already a bestseller and it won't be out for over 2 months.
I read a curious little article in the New York Times recently from a book reviewer about the pleasures of reading bad books, so I thought I'd give it a try reading books even if they haven't withstood the test of time and emerged as classics. Makes sense: how will you learn to evaluate books if you only read a certain kind? You won't be able to make the necessary contrasts if you don't have what to contrast with. I haven't yet chosen my first bad book to read. Suggestions welcome. Bad books that are worth it, anyone?
Friday, May 11, 2007
Uncomfortable to Talk About It
I had a lot of fun with the go-go boys at a club in the city the other night. I was so shy, it's funny. Some guy who was talking to me handed me a dollar bill and said to go stick it in the boy's underwear. It was so awkward at first, but fun. You get to feel up the boys and watch them dance on the bar in front of your face. Several people offered to take me home but I declined. I didn't kiss anyone or have sex or anything. Just dancing and touching, so I think that's safe. I don't feel good about it, but then, I don't feel good about much in general so I don't know.
I was very shy, just like standing around, walking around, and people came over to me and said I looked cute and stuff, but I wasn't really interested in most of them. And when I saw someone who was hot, my heart stopped and all I could do was stare and I didn't have the courage to go flirt with him. So I was left in a pretty messed up situation.
I was very shy, just like standing around, walking around, and people came over to me and said I looked cute and stuff, but I wasn't really interested in most of them. And when I saw someone who was hot, my heart stopped and all I could do was stare and I didn't have the courage to go flirt with him. So I was left in a pretty messed up situation.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Computers are the Enemy
I couldn't comment directly because of the spam robot test letters which I couldn't see, so I'll put it in a trackback:
Wow, there really is a place where all the boys look like abercrombie models? Aw well, you'll have fun in Brooklyn. It is too bad he'll be Kenny not Cody or Bryce.
pic from Eyecatcher
Wow, there really is a place where all the boys look like abercrombie models? Aw well, you'll have fun in Brooklyn. It is too bad he'll be Kenny not Cody or Bryce.
pic from Eyecatcher
A Response to Drazen
Has the Court Been Practicing Medicine?
In a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Drazen chastises the Supreme Court for meddling in affairs which he believes should be discussed and decided by "informed and knowledgeable people who are acting in the best interests of a specific patient" and not by blanket rules created by government and regulated by the courts.
Dr. Drazen points out the "disastrous consequences of congressional interference in the case of Terry Schiavo" (namely, that Schiavo's death may have been delayed) and bemoans the Supreme Court's decision in Gonzalez v. Carhart as an unfortunate foray by the courts into the realm of medical practice.
A careful examination of the Court's decision, however, reveals that it did take into account the physician's discretion and the best interests of the individual patient. The Court merely upheld a congressional ruling that once the head or at least half the body of a baby has been delivered, it too is a patient whose best interests the physician must also have in mind. The Court is not telling doctors how to practice medicine; it is performing its duty as set forth in the Constitution, to interpret the law and promote the general welfare.
While it would be unfortunate if this decision became a precedent for more intrusive invasions of government into medical practice, this decision seems confined to a very specific interest in preserving the life of our country's newest citizens. Doctors' practice of medicine remains, as of this ruling, outside the scope of judicial interference.
In a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Drazen chastises the Supreme Court for meddling in affairs which he believes should be discussed and decided by "informed and knowledgeable people who are acting in the best interests of a specific patient" and not by blanket rules created by government and regulated by the courts.
Dr. Drazen points out the "disastrous consequences of congressional interference in the case of Terry Schiavo" (namely, that Schiavo's death may have been delayed) and bemoans the Supreme Court's decision in Gonzalez v. Carhart as an unfortunate foray by the courts into the realm of medical practice.
A careful examination of the Court's decision, however, reveals that it did take into account the physician's discretion and the best interests of the individual patient. The Court merely upheld a congressional ruling that once the head or at least half the body of a baby has been delivered, it too is a patient whose best interests the physician must also have in mind. The Court is not telling doctors how to practice medicine; it is performing its duty as set forth in the Constitution, to interpret the law and promote the general welfare.
While it would be unfortunate if this decision became a precedent for more intrusive invasions of government into medical practice, this decision seems confined to a very specific interest in preserving the life of our country's newest citizens. Doctors' practice of medicine remains, as of this ruling, outside the scope of judicial interference.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Dangers of Alcohol
Alcohol Warning Video
Today I woke up late as usual. No I wasn't drinking, it would interact with the antidepressants. Just stayed up late reading. Yesterday, when I went to the gym there was a swim meet at the pool which ended just as I finished my workout so the locker room was filled with boys in speedos and less. Hot.
I confronted my professor about an ethics violation in one of his experiments. He shrugged it off. I'm thinking of reporting it, but don't want trouble.
Today I woke up late as usual. No I wasn't drinking, it would interact with the antidepressants. Just stayed up late reading. Yesterday, when I went to the gym there was a swim meet at the pool which ended just as I finished my workout so the locker room was filled with boys in speedos and less. Hot.
I confronted my professor about an ethics violation in one of his experiments. He shrugged it off. I'm thinking of reporting it, but don't want trouble.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Pink
Oh yeah, and pink is in. I've been getting this feeling more and more the past few days as I walked the streets of Manhattan. Everybody's doing it. A guy used to have to "pull off" pink. Now, it isn't even fashion, it has almost become the norm. You almost have to have a reason not to wear it. Today, the NYT wrote about it.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
I Missed Charlie Bartlett at Tribeca
So I went to a lag ba'omer bonfire last night, but I quickly forgot about the fire as I became deeply engrossed in conversation with a really cute guy I met there. I am usually too shy to go over and introduce myself to someone I am interested in, so it was a real Rashbi miracle that he came over to me. I was in heaven.
After they put out the fire, the little kids, full of energy at half past midnight, began playing with the charred wood and lighter fluid. They had a blast lighting little fires and beating each other with brooms. Does Fisher-Price know how much fun kids can have with this stuff?
Today, I made up a menu for the week's dinners. My little bro complained about some of the more exotic dishes, but tonight went over pretty well.
After they put out the fire, the little kids, full of energy at half past midnight, began playing with the charred wood and lighter fluid. They had a blast lighting little fires and beating each other with brooms. Does Fisher-Price know how much fun kids can have with this stuff?
Today, I made up a menu for the week's dinners. My little bro complained about some of the more exotic dishes, but tonight went over pretty well.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Lag Ba'omer Sameach
It is Shabbat Across America weekend, beginning tonight. Contact your local synagogue (call before sundown or just walk in) to find out how you can participate. Saturday night is Lag Ba'omer, traditionally celebrated by songs, bonfires, bow and arrow competitions, visits to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's grave site in Meron, and young boys' first haircut.
Speaking of haircuts, I just got mine at Laicale. It came out pretty good, but I still have to see what it'll look like after a shower. The music there was odd, but the service was pleasant.
Speaking of haircuts, I just got mine at Laicale. It came out pretty good, but I still have to see what it'll look like after a shower. The music there was odd, but the service was pleasant.
Do I Worry Too Much? Or Not Enough?
Am I too paranoid? Do I need recognition from others to bolster my lacking self-esteem?
Areas to increase my proficiency for my Resume:
Get more specialized computer education.
Research experience in basic sciences. (Check: upcoming summer job.)
Publish. (Ideas: letter to editor, submit articles to mags, small newspapers, etc.)Trouble is, we don't have local newspapers of value in New York; all people read are the giants New York Times, etc.
Study for GRE, LSAT
Research experience in basic sciences. (Check: upcoming summer job.)
Publish. (Ideas: letter to editor, submit articles to mags, small newspapers, etc.)Trouble is, we don't have local newspapers of value in New York; all people read are the giants New York Times, etc.
Study for GRE, LSAT
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Diagnosing Yourself and Others
So now, I got a new diagnosis. I am so excited by all these wonderful disorders I have! It's cool. If you haven't tried it yet, you should try to have a disorder sometime. Personality disorders are pretty easy, so I recommend you try one of those if you are just starting out.
Car Accidents as a Way of Life
I was just leaving my psychologist's office. I started pulling out of a parking space, when a large white van bumped into my car. The other driver and I got out and surveyed the damage, which b"h wasn't too great. He immediately claimed my blinkers were off, so he didn't know I was pulling out. I said they were on, and anyway, he should have been watching the road. My car isn't so small that he wouldn't have seen it without blinkers. And, anyway, I am pretty sure my blinkers were on.
So he hit me. I should have seen him coming, but someone must have tilted my mirror while I was out so I didn't realize but I was partly blinded so I didn't see him coming.
And so, there are two sides to every story. But moreover, there are two sides because it is a story. What really happened? Who is at fault? Do we need fault and blame?
It is funny. As soon as he began saying to witnesses that my blinkers were off, I knew it almost didn't pay to argue. He had implanted the memory within their minds because they didn't notice blinkers one way or the other, they were busy minding their own business. Whatever. Doesn't matter. The damage was minimal. But this happens every day on a larger scale with more at stake and it kills people and destroys the world that tragedy and fighting always continue on and on.
It would make a great story because you could say I am on antidepressants and feeling reckless and suicidal and was in a heightened emotional state and am disturbed because I was at the shrink. Be great reality TV. Or one of those "high profile" cases. "Gay Icon Teddy Douglas Blindsided by Unidentified Motorist"
So he hit me. I should have seen him coming, but someone must have tilted my mirror while I was out so I didn't realize but I was partly blinded so I didn't see him coming.
And so, there are two sides to every story. But moreover, there are two sides because it is a story. What really happened? Who is at fault? Do we need fault and blame?
It is funny. As soon as he began saying to witnesses that my blinkers were off, I knew it almost didn't pay to argue. He had implanted the memory within their minds because they didn't notice blinkers one way or the other, they were busy minding their own business. Whatever. Doesn't matter. The damage was minimal. But this happens every day on a larger scale with more at stake and it kills people and destroys the world that tragedy and fighting always continue on and on.
It would make a great story because you could say I am on antidepressants and feeling reckless and suicidal and was in a heightened emotional state and am disturbed because I was at the shrink. Be great reality TV. Or one of those "high profile" cases. "Gay Icon Teddy Douglas Blindsided by Unidentified Motorist"
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Trouble in Paradise
Tensions are rising in the Israeli suburban town of Ramat Beit Shemesh between English-speaking immigrants and haredi Israelis.
"A group of teenagers were on their way home from an Independence Day celebration last week in the largely Anglo enclave of Ramat Beit Shemesh when they were pelted with eggs and tomatoes." (cross-currents, haaretz)
Very distressing to hear. Very painful.
"A group of teenagers were on their way home from an Independence Day celebration last week in the largely Anglo enclave of Ramat Beit Shemesh when they were pelted with eggs and tomatoes." (cross-currents, haaretz)
Very distressing to hear. Very painful.
What if Israel Relaxed the Draft?
I have to agree with a fabulous point the Real Adiel made about the secular Israeli government's approach to Haredim. Israel has a draft. Every 18 year old male citizen must serve in the army. However, the ultra-religious refuse to serve because of religious concerns and use "dchuyot" and "peturim" (deferment and exemptions) lehitchamek (to escape) their service. This is a sore point among secular Israelis who accuse the religious of disloyalty.
The Real Adiel points out that if the government would stop insisting on drafting the religious, they could integrate them in other ways to become a healthy constructive part of society. The current situation hurts everyone. The religious won't serve in the army anyway, but the current means of escaping army service often preclude their ability to get an education and a job. If the government would allow for unpunished conscientious objection, the country would benefit from the talents of the religious, albeit not in the military.
Would Israel really suffer if it relaxed the draft? Most Israelis I've spoken to made their own decision about army service. They all got drafted. Some chose to serve, while others used various means to dodge the call. Many feel it is a duty, honor, and privilege to serve and protect their country. Others feel that joining the IDF threatens their religious identity and morals. Conscription is not such a great factor. It may be time for Israel to experiment with relaxing the draft. This can also have a huge positive impact on immigration, because many are afraid to make aliyah knowing they will have to send their kids to the army.
The Real Adiel points out that if the government would stop insisting on drafting the religious, they could integrate them in other ways to become a healthy constructive part of society. The current situation hurts everyone. The religious won't serve in the army anyway, but the current means of escaping army service often preclude their ability to get an education and a job. If the government would allow for unpunished conscientious objection, the country would benefit from the talents of the religious, albeit not in the military.
Would Israel really suffer if it relaxed the draft? Most Israelis I've spoken to made their own decision about army service. They all got drafted. Some chose to serve, while others used various means to dodge the call. Many feel it is a duty, honor, and privilege to serve and protect their country. Others feel that joining the IDF threatens their religious identity and morals. Conscription is not such a great factor. It may be time for Israel to experiment with relaxing the draft. This can also have a huge positive impact on immigration, because many are afraid to make aliyah knowing they will have to send their kids to the army.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Applause for Governor Spitzer
A response to Spitzer Pushes For Shameful Bill.
Since when was a doctrine of tolerance "shameful" to Jews? Have we forgotten the centuries of oppression we suffered because others could not accept our religious way of life? Should we now be in the business of depriving others of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness just because the winds of power have shifted?
If, as religious Jews, we are not permitted to engage in an act or way of life, that doesn't mean we ought to impose our values on our neighbors. As Jews, we must continue to champion the ideals of freedom if we hope for our religious rights and freedoms to endure. Let us stop judging others and dictating the "right" way to live, lest power shift again and leave us the ultimate losers.
Since when was a doctrine of tolerance "shameful" to Jews? Have we forgotten the centuries of oppression we suffered because others could not accept our religious way of life? Should we now be in the business of depriving others of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness just because the winds of power have shifted?
If, as religious Jews, we are not permitted to engage in an act or way of life, that doesn't mean we ought to impose our values on our neighbors. As Jews, we must continue to champion the ideals of freedom if we hope for our religious rights and freedoms to endure. Let us stop judging others and dictating the "right" way to live, lest power shift again and leave us the ultimate losers.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Blog Whore
Your blog is your personal space, where you can write what you want. You can set up the page how you want it to look, you are free. You decide.
But then you want to generate traffic. Or, more specifically, you want people to read what you have to say. You want to receive feedback and share ideas. You want to connect with people.
So you begin to add elements to your page that are designed to attract a wider audience. These may not be what you want on your page, but you need them in order to draw a crowd.
Suddenly, your blog is not your own space. You share it with so many others. You have lost control. Yet you have a readership. You are getting hits. You made a trade off: less control for more attention.
But then you want to generate traffic. Or, more specifically, you want people to read what you have to say. You want to receive feedback and share ideas. You want to connect with people.
So you begin to add elements to your page that are designed to attract a wider audience. These may not be what you want on your page, but you need them in order to draw a crowd.
Suddenly, your blog is not your own space. You share it with so many others. You have lost control. Yet you have a readership. You are getting hits. You made a trade off: less control for more attention.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Hidden Costs of DVD
Remember the good old days when you popped a VHS into your TV and fast-forwarded to the beginning of the movie? Now you have to wait for the DVD to go at its own leisurely pace until you get to watch your movie which you paid $15.00 for.
It was supposed to be that TV was ad supported and free, but movies you pay for the privilege of watching ad-free. Now we pay and get bombarded with ads. The movie companies don't like us, do they?
I started watching Memoirs of a Geisha after I read the book, and it was so bad I had to stop. It is so melodramatic and unrealistic. The book was very touching and real. It was about a young girl and her life. It was about beauty and oppression and strength. The movie just rips all of that away and leaves you with random camera angles, poor lighting, and bad directing. (Disclaimer: I didn't see the whole thing. It was so bad, I couldn't watch it. There is that odd chance it gets better later.)
Disturbia was decent. Not worth all the hype its got, but ok. The first scene had me saying, "No, no, bad idea. I was thinking scary but not sad and sick." But it turned out ok.
There is a tendency in some movies to take a good looking actor and mangle his face in the first scene (think Lucky Number Sleven), but they let Shia LeBeouf keep his cute looks after the crash, so it was alright. There was one scene, when he looks into the car at his father, where he looks just like a young George Bush. Anyone notice that?
It was supposed to be that TV was ad supported and free, but movies you pay for the privilege of watching ad-free. Now we pay and get bombarded with ads. The movie companies don't like us, do they?
I started watching Memoirs of a Geisha after I read the book, and it was so bad I had to stop. It is so melodramatic and unrealistic. The book was very touching and real. It was about a young girl and her life. It was about beauty and oppression and strength. The movie just rips all of that away and leaves you with random camera angles, poor lighting, and bad directing. (Disclaimer: I didn't see the whole thing. It was so bad, I couldn't watch it. There is that odd chance it gets better later.)
Disturbia was decent. Not worth all the hype its got, but ok. The first scene had me saying, "No, no, bad idea. I was thinking scary but not sad and sick." But it turned out ok.
There is a tendency in some movies to take a good looking actor and mangle his face in the first scene (think Lucky Number Sleven), but they let Shia LeBeouf keep his cute looks after the crash, so it was alright. There was one scene, when he looks into the car at his father, where he looks just like a young George Bush. Anyone notice that?
Monday, April 23, 2007
Emmanuel Fires Teacher for No Good Reason
Unacceptable behavior by Emmanuel College as teacher Mr. Winset is fired for discussing Va. Tech shootings with his class (story). This extremist behavior is to the detriment of us all. Like the little kid who covers his eyes and thinks you don't exist. If we ignore him, maybe he'll just go away. My own school said it is reviewing its security policy in light of the shootings. I felt a depth of loss that they would respond so unthinkingly with knee-jerk platitudes and a lack of real open intellectual debate. My school often embarrasses me that way. America needs to face the real issues. It's not campus security. It's not limiting people's rights because they write dark stories (more about that later). Agav, Joyce, Marquez, Poe, and Hitchcock would all have been to the slammer. We would be an empty, Fascist regime.
First, the incidence of such violence is low. This was the biggest mass killing in America since 9/11. By comparison, Iraq saw 3 mass killings bigger in the last three weeks alone. Second, there are some freaks in every society. As long as we take social steps to discourage a mindset where this behavior seems appropriate, we are ok. We do not need to lock people up. Just need to build a peaceful society. As for the freaks who will always want to kill, we need to make sure they don't have access to the weapons.
First, the incidence of such violence is low. This was the biggest mass killing in America since 9/11. By comparison, Iraq saw 3 mass killings bigger in the last three weeks alone. Second, there are some freaks in every society. As long as we take social steps to discourage a mindset where this behavior seems appropriate, we are ok. We do not need to lock people up. Just need to build a peaceful society. As for the freaks who will always want to kill, we need to make sure they don't have access to the weapons.
Give Him a Call
Got something on your mind? Got nothing on your mind? Call Ryan.
I'd love to do this myself, but I just can't right now. If I got a second cell phone for these calls, I would. Keep up the good work! (I hope it is good work. You can never *really* know, but it seems like good work.)
I'd love to do this myself, but I just can't right now. If I got a second cell phone for these calls, I would. Keep up the good work! (I hope it is good work. You can never *really* know, but it seems like good work.)
Abortion Ban Upheld by Court
Disclaimer: Abortion is a necessary and proper tool in many cases, and there are a variety of procedures used to accomplish one. The following deals with a specific class of procedure called D&E that is often used in second trimester abortions. Please don't let the details of this procedure bias you against all abortion in general.
The Unites States Supreme Court delivered a decision last week in Gonzalez v. Carhart upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Clinton had vetoed similar bills twice during his presidency, and Bush finally signed it into law on November 5, 2003 (you can just imagine his silly proud smile as he signed the thing).
If I sound like I'm anti-abortion, describing the details of the procedure and all, I'm not. I'm just pro-life. Just kidding. I'm pro-abortion. No, wait, then I'd have to say I'm pro-choice, right? Talk about abortion and you suddenly get all these stupid euphemisms. Know what the pro-abortion organization that brought one of the suits in the Supreme Court was called? Planned Parenthood Federation of America. How is anyone supposed to know what they stand for? You might get a fund raising letter from them and donate thinking, "Yah, I'm on the pill and my bf uses rubbers, so yah, I support planned parenthood," and then they'll go and rip apart a little newborn baby. Planned Parenthood, indeed.
For the record, I don't have a strong opinion yet on the issue. I just find it fascinating the way different people approach the topic, with cool intellect or with all their raging emotions flying off the handle when it doesn't even concern them. If the issue comes before me for a psak, I'll render one.
Interestingly, when I first read the description of the half-born fetus flailing its little arms and the doctor sticking his scissors into its skull and spreading them and then sucking the baby's brains out with a suction tube, I thought it seemed wrong. How can we end that precious little life (my personal hesitations on the value of life aside)? But then I remembered that a life isn't just a cute little baby. That baby will grow up. An unwanted child. Cared for by a mother who doesn't believe herself capable of raising the child. Often, the unaborted fetus will grow into a criminal, making life more difficult for not only its mother and father, but also other innocent victims. The innocent baby is liable to become a monster. Does that make it right? I don't know. It's just a thought.
The Unites States Supreme Court delivered a decision last week in Gonzalez v. Carhart upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Clinton had vetoed similar bills twice during his presidency, and Bush finally signed it into law on November 5, 2003 (you can just imagine his silly proud smile as he signed the thing).
The doctor, often guided by ultrasound, inserts grasping forceps through the woman’s cervix and into the uterus to grab the fetus. The doctor grips a fetal part with the forceps and pulls it back through the cervix and vagina, continuing to pull even after meeting resistance from the cervix. The friction causes the fetus to tear apart. For example, a leg might be ripped off the fetus as it is pulled through the cervix and out of the woman. The process of evacuating the fetus piece by piece continues until it has been completely removed. A doctor may make 10 to 15 passes with the forceps to evacuate the fetus in its entirety, though sometimes removal is completed with fewer passes. Once the fetus has been evacuated, the placenta and any remaining fetal material are suctioned or scraped out of the uterus. The doctor examines the different parts to ensure the entire fetal body has been removed.Surprise! This procedure is not the one on which the Court allowed a ban. No, this is okay. The banned procedure is similar, except instead of ripping the baby apart as they take it out, they coax it out gently and then crush the skull. This is illegal if the baby is first partially delivered until "in the case of a head-first presentation, the entire fetal head is outside the body of the mother, or, in the case of breech presentation, any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother".
If I sound like I'm anti-abortion, describing the details of the procedure and all, I'm not. I'm just pro-life. Just kidding. I'm pro-abortion. No, wait, then I'd have to say I'm pro-choice, right? Talk about abortion and you suddenly get all these stupid euphemisms. Know what the pro-abortion organization that brought one of the suits in the Supreme Court was called? Planned Parenthood Federation of America. How is anyone supposed to know what they stand for? You might get a fund raising letter from them and donate thinking, "Yah, I'm on the pill and my bf uses rubbers, so yah, I support planned parenthood," and then they'll go and rip apart a little newborn baby. Planned Parenthood, indeed.
For the record, I don't have a strong opinion yet on the issue. I just find it fascinating the way different people approach the topic, with cool intellect or with all their raging emotions flying off the handle when it doesn't even concern them. If the issue comes before me for a psak, I'll render one.
Interestingly, when I first read the description of the half-born fetus flailing its little arms and the doctor sticking his scissors into its skull and spreading them and then sucking the baby's brains out with a suction tube, I thought it seemed wrong. How can we end that precious little life (my personal hesitations on the value of life aside)? But then I remembered that a life isn't just a cute little baby. That baby will grow up. An unwanted child. Cared for by a mother who doesn't believe herself capable of raising the child. Often, the unaborted fetus will grow into a criminal, making life more difficult for not only its mother and father, but also other innocent victims. The innocent baby is liable to become a monster. Does that make it right? I don't know. It's just a thought.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Therapy Mashup
What you do isn't who you are.
Then what are you?
If you can't derive happiness from your job, that doesn't mean you can't be happy.
Depression stems from loss. Loss can be loss of something you had, such as a loved one. It can also be something you never had, but feel incomplete without. That is also loss.
What is the earliest memory you have?
I remember being in kindergarten. Not a specific event, but the scene. An idea of what the room looked like, the teacher talking, something happening like kids playing with blocks or whatever.
What diagnosis would you give yourself? How would you treat yourself if you were the shrink? Can it be that when you say you feel selfish and don't put yourself out to help others, that is merely a manifestation of insecurity?
Well, great going, Chuck.
Then what are you?
If you can't derive happiness from your job, that doesn't mean you can't be happy.
Depression stems from loss. Loss can be loss of something you had, such as a loved one. It can also be something you never had, but feel incomplete without. That is also loss.
What is the earliest memory you have?
I remember being in kindergarten. Not a specific event, but the scene. An idea of what the room looked like, the teacher talking, something happening like kids playing with blocks or whatever.
What diagnosis would you give yourself? How would you treat yourself if you were the shrink? Can it be that when you say you feel selfish and don't put yourself out to help others, that is merely a manifestation of insecurity?
Well, great going, Chuck.
Inconsistency in American "Establishment"
Why is the phrase "In God We Trust" a fixture in the Courts but illegal in the schools?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Link Bombs
I know this is old news, but I just tried it myself and it is pretty cool. If you search for "miserable failure" on Yahoo and many other search engines (not Google anymore, they changed it), President George Bush's official page at the White House will pop up as the number one result. There are other link bombs, too. How it works: Search engines use links to sites as one of the ways they determine a site's content. If lots of people call their link to Bush "miserable failure" search engines think that the Bush site talks about "miserable failure" (which, in the opinions of many, it does).
Random Stuff that Caught my Attention
Andrew Christian has an interesting line of underwear and swimwear. It is like the gayest company around. Check out Kyal Marsh, star of TV show Neighbors. I feel so sick right now. Maybe kissing people with colds isn't such a good idea. Started rereading 1984. Every so often, I'll go and pull out one of my old books, you know, make sure it still says what I remember it as saying. Anyway, it's a great read, and more relevant than ever.
Whoops, that's Neighbours with a u. It's not an American show.
UPDATE: Here is the link everyone's looking for; it is surprisingly simple kyalmarsh.com (pics, vids, whateva)
Whoops, that's Neighbours with a u. It's not an American show.
UPDATE: Here is the link everyone's looking for; it is surprisingly simple kyalmarsh.com (pics, vids, whateva)
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Should You Start a Business?
Here's another personality quiz thing. This one from WSJ, who I thought would have more self respect. Here's how I did.
Achievement: 66
Affiliation: 49
Power: 42
Your score: You're motivated primarily by achievement. Most entrepreneurial people are driven by the need to achieve.
From StartupJournal, a service of The Wall Street Journal.
Achievement: 66
Affiliation: 49
Power: 42
Your score: You're motivated primarily by achievement. Most entrepreneurial people are driven by the need to achieve.
From StartupJournal, a service of The Wall Street Journal.
Whatever
Wayne Hodgins, interesting
New choices in search Grokker, KartOO
Think I'm not patriotic? I have my ringer set to the Star Spangled Banner. I hear the anthem more than you do.
New choices in search Grokker, KartOO
Think I'm not patriotic? I have my ringer set to the Star Spangled Banner. I hear the anthem more than you do.
Ever sat and watched the rain?
Ever sat and watched the rain?
These days, who watches anything that doesn't have a fast forward button?
I figure I'll get the Joost thing out of the way once we are on the topic. They bring TV to your PC. Great, isn't it? Yah, if they did it 10 years ago. Thing is, today we already have something much better than TV. TV subjected you, me, the viewer, to the whims of some dude in Hollywood. We would have to sit idly and watch whatever they stick in front of us. Now, we have TiVo. We have YouTube. We don't have to put up with your content and your schedules. We are free!
Media executives are worried they are losing market share to websites like YouTube and Google Video, so they plan to offer us the encrypted and pirate-proof fully-censored and ad-supported service, Joost (from the makers of Kazaa and Skype, if you're wondering about the name). It works like TV; just plug it in and turn it on. Old-fashioned simplicity in an increasingly complex world. I'll reserve judgment. The test of any 21st venture must be: are they trying to provide a service or a hindrance?
P.S. Brothers can be extremely annoying.
These days, who watches anything that doesn't have a fast forward button?
I figure I'll get the Joost thing out of the way once we are on the topic. They bring TV to your PC. Great, isn't it? Yah, if they did it 10 years ago. Thing is, today we already have something much better than TV. TV subjected you, me, the viewer, to the whims of some dude in Hollywood. We would have to sit idly and watch whatever they stick in front of us. Now, we have TiVo. We have YouTube. We don't have to put up with your content and your schedules. We are free!
Media executives are worried they are losing market share to websites like YouTube and Google Video, so they plan to offer us the encrypted and pirate-proof fully-censored and ad-supported service, Joost (from the makers of Kazaa and Skype, if you're wondering about the name). It works like TV; just plug it in and turn it on. Old-fashioned simplicity in an increasingly complex world. I'll reserve judgment. The test of any 21st venture must be: are they trying to provide a service or a hindrance?
P.S. Brothers can be extremely annoying.
Friday, April 06, 2007
The Legal Limits of Looking
The Kuna High School girls basketball team is in town for a game at Bishop, and the Bishop Kelly High School boys are ready. A group of teenage boys excitedly cluster around an office window with a propitiously discrete view of the girls locker room. Or so they thought. Shortly after the girls begin changing into their uniforms, some of them notice the blinds on the window glancing open. They quickly dress and call their coach. Parents of the girls immediately call the police, who promptly arrest the boys, confiscate and search 13 cell phones, and begin a detailed investigation. The boys face up to five years on misdemeanor or felony charges of Voyeurism.
Voyeurism is a relatively recent addition to the growing list of "Don'ts" here in America. Criminal voyeurism includes any "use of mechanical or digital equipment to watch or record people in any place where they can reasonably expect privacy, which includes any place in which they are expected to be in a state of nudity." Many States have added new voyeurism laws in recent years, and the Sexual Offences Act 2003 imposes Federal sanctions.
What began as a simple harmless act that most of our parents engaged in as teenagers almost landed the BK boys in jail. Luckily, no incriminating pictures were found on any of their cell phones and police had to let them go. The school is still considering whether punitive measures are in order, but the larger issue is whether society really needs to be so highly regulated.
Most Americans buy into the myth of Law and Order because we have been spoon-fed this line since childhood. However, as John Hasnas points out in, "The Myth of the Rule of Law," Order doesn't necessarily equate with Law. There can be Law without Order and Order without Law.
But at a more elementary level, what harm has really been done here? If the boys went and raped the girls there would be a serious problem. But all they did was look. According to Boise Police, the girls were not naked at the time of the incident. Is this a free country? Come on, boys will be boys. And besides, it doesn't hurt to be looked at. Where is the harm? Stop being such a baby. If I was a 14-year-old basketball player and my mother called the police on the kids from the school I was playing against because they looked at me in the locker room, I'd die of embarrassment!
A side point - there were a group of girls dressing together in the locker room. They complain that boys peeked in , yet they all were free to look at each other. Why is this not sex-based discrimination?
with information from
Patrick Orr, The Idaho Statesman, Boise
A 19 year old lifeguard was also charged with photographing a woman at the swimming pool where he worked.
Voyeurism is a relatively recent addition to the growing list of "Don'ts" here in America. Criminal voyeurism includes any "use of mechanical or digital equipment to watch or record people in any place where they can reasonably expect privacy, which includes any place in which they are expected to be in a state of nudity." Many States have added new voyeurism laws in recent years, and the Sexual Offences Act 2003 imposes Federal sanctions.
What began as a simple harmless act that most of our parents engaged in as teenagers almost landed the BK boys in jail. Luckily, no incriminating pictures were found on any of their cell phones and police had to let them go. The school is still considering whether punitive measures are in order, but the larger issue is whether society really needs to be so highly regulated.
Most Americans buy into the myth of Law and Order because we have been spoon-fed this line since childhood. However, as John Hasnas points out in, "The Myth of the Rule of Law," Order doesn't necessarily equate with Law. There can be Law without Order and Order without Law.
But at a more elementary level, what harm has really been done here? If the boys went and raped the girls there would be a serious problem. But all they did was look. According to Boise Police, the girls were not naked at the time of the incident. Is this a free country? Come on, boys will be boys. And besides, it doesn't hurt to be looked at. Where is the harm? Stop being such a baby. If I was a 14-year-old basketball player and my mother called the police on the kids from the school I was playing against because they looked at me in the locker room, I'd die of embarrassment!
A side point - there were a group of girls dressing together in the locker room. They complain that boys peeked in , yet they all were free to look at each other. Why is this not sex-based discrimination?
with information from
Patrick Orr, The Idaho Statesman, Boise
A 19 year old lifeguard was also charged with photographing a woman at the swimming pool where he worked.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Short on Time, Quick Update
Happy Passover! It's been a real challenge spending the past few days at home with my whole family, but rewarding as well. Family is one of those things that are worth putting up with.
Loads of wine and matzah were consumed by all.
Now I need a research topic relating to trial consultancy. I'm thinking of comparing rulings in elected-judge jurisdictions with those in appointed-judge jurisdictions against public opinion in the district. Are judges affected by politics?
Loads of wine and matzah were consumed by all.
Now I need a research topic relating to trial consultancy. I'm thinking of comparing rulings in elected-judge jurisdictions with those in appointed-judge jurisdictions against public opinion in the district. Are judges affected by politics?
Thursday, March 29, 2007
New Links and Tips
Other hot sites. Loved this pic from Daily Young Guys. Everybody's naked in 5 Minutes.
We interrupt this message to bring you late-breaking news of alcohol free vacations. I wish I could enjoy myself more sober, but I dance better drunk. Really do. Not totally shiker, but a few beers to loosen up. However, there are many fu things you can do without drinking. Check out Straight Edge, a growing group of dry hipsters. Also, I love visiting museums and stuff which don't require intoxication (in truth, they actively discourage it). If you do hit the clubs, find one with an "anyone can enter, 21 to drink" policy and leave your ID at home. Okay, maybe not such a good idea.
Random site: Shoutwire
We interrupt this message to bring you late-breaking news of alcohol free vacations. I wish I could enjoy myself more sober, but I dance better drunk. Really do. Not totally shiker, but a few beers to loosen up. However, there are many fu things you can do without drinking. Check out Straight Edge, a growing group of dry hipsters. Also, I love visiting museums and stuff which don't require intoxication (in truth, they actively discourage it). If you do hit the clubs, find one with an "anyone can enter, 21 to drink" policy and leave your ID at home. Okay, maybe not such a good idea.
Random site: Shoutwire
Up and Running
Perseverance pays off. See, we got that dropdown menu up and running after all. Please check out our partners in the menu to your right (right under the links column on the sidebar). Many thanks to a magnificent help site, DevelopingWebs.net for making this a possibility. Their site may not look so pretty, but it's a powerhouse of helpful information.
Another interesting idea about what to blog about I found here. And Wyndham surely knows what to blog about at Mad About the Boy! Check out some great examples here and here.
While we're on the subject (what subject was that? You're confusing me.) I want to thank KC for maintaining a great site Closet Conundrums that unfortunately, I can't view too often because of anti-freedom software that is becoming increasingly popular and parading around under names like "SafeKids", "Safe Eyes", or "CyberPatrol", like they are doing a good thing. Filtering tools I believe they call it.
Anyway, check out our partners. L8terz.
Another interesting idea about what to blog about I found here. And Wyndham surely knows what to blog about at Mad About the Boy! Check out some great examples here and here.
While we're on the subject (what subject was that? You're confusing me.) I want to thank KC for maintaining a great site Closet Conundrums that unfortunately, I can't view too often because of anti-freedom software that is becoming increasingly popular and parading around under names like "SafeKids", "Safe Eyes", or "CyberPatrol", like they are doing a good thing. Filtering tools I believe they call it.
Anyway, check out our partners. L8terz.
Web Site Optimization
I totally lost what I had written here. It was probably a cool blog entry, but I hit the back button by accident and it was gone. Something about oh, it's no use...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Up Next: Passover
A dvar torah?! From this sewer mouth? Any Jewish readers that I haven't managed to isolate yet? I learn in yeshiva, spend Shabbos in yeshiva, clean for Pesach, wear tefillin (though I do unfortunately miss when I get very busy or am running late in the morning), daven, sometimes with minyan. You're laughing. My point is, when you ask, "Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?" You never know who might stand up - every single person is a Slim Shady lurkin, haha, Guess there's a Slim Shady in all of us. Fvck it, let's all stand up. (Em)
But no, you say. My [son, daughter, sister, brother, father, mother, friend] isn't like that. By us frum yidden everyone is an angel. Things are different in our community (how do you draw that emoticon for :snort: ?). We aren't like those filthy goyim. Please! Can't we treat all people like people?
The Haggada has a hava amina, yachol meirosh chodesh. Why? We ask the 4 questions about food. Why? We blunt the teeth of the wicked son. Why? We tell the wise son about the law of not eating after the afikoman. Why?
Why did the five scholars remain up until their disciples reminded them to pray the morning shema? Did the disciples not want to remain awake discussing the tales of the Exodus with their masters? What is the meaning of kol hamarbeh lesaper sipur yetzias mitzrayim harey zeh meshubach?
Rosh Chodesh is proclaimed by the av beit hadin (or av beis din, just practicing my accents) and then everyone answers after him mekudash mekudash. Why?
All answer after him because rosh chodesh isn't something that is declared in heaven (shomayim). It is decreed by people, and each person must decree it for himself. Yachol meirosh chodesh, from the time of personal control over time, that we begin to feel the freedom of individual control and redemption from slavery.
The four questions pertain to what and how we eat on seder night because food gives each person a unique enjoyment. Al taam varei'ach ain lehitvakei'ach (lehisss'vakei'ach for the snakes and yeshivish people. Ow sorry that was wrong. I really like you, just like the 't' sound better in this phrase). This uniqueness in our sense of freedom is paramount to the night's special quality.
It doesn't say the action of marbeh lesaper is meshubach, but hamarbeh lesaper is himself a meshubach. The scholars' disciples would have loved to spend the night with their masters, but they didn't feel it. Only one who is on an exalted plane will be able to feel his personal yetzias mitzrayim.
The wicked son who generalizes all the stuff you do doesn't understand the significance of an individualized sense of freedom that each person can experience his way. So we blunt his teeth, the key to enjoyment of food. Anyone can get generic nutrition from a liquid diet, but the flavors and textures of food are released by the teeth. This quality the wicked son lacks.
The wise son, who appreciates the distinction between eidot, chukim, and mishpatim is reminded to savor the unique flavor of the afikoman and enjoy his personal sense of freedom from Egyptian bondage.
The message of seder night, isarusa dele'eyla, is without overly corrupting the Rabbi's message, that we should enjoy the special gifts Hashem has given to each of us and not look with envy at what our neighbor has. Appreciate that God took each and every one of us out of slavery in Egypt. It isn't just a yetzias mitzrayim for the klal, but a yetzias mitzrayim for the prat, for the yachid. I was a slave. He led me to freedom. He didn't just sign the Emancipation Proclamation, he signed my get shichrur. Nobody else can appreciate what I went through in captivity, so no one can truly share in my bliss upon release. But I thank you, God.
But no, you say. My [son, daughter, sister, brother, father, mother, friend] isn't like that. By us frum yidden everyone is an angel. Things are different in our community (how do you draw that emoticon for :snort: ?). We aren't like those filthy goyim. Please! Can't we treat all people like people?
The Haggada has a hava amina, yachol meirosh chodesh. Why? We ask the 4 questions about food. Why? We blunt the teeth of the wicked son. Why? We tell the wise son about the law of not eating after the afikoman. Why?
Why did the five scholars remain up until their disciples reminded them to pray the morning shema? Did the disciples not want to remain awake discussing the tales of the Exodus with their masters? What is the meaning of kol hamarbeh lesaper sipur yetzias mitzrayim harey zeh meshubach?
Rosh Chodesh is proclaimed by the av beit hadin (or av beis din, just practicing my accents) and then everyone answers after him mekudash mekudash. Why?
All answer after him because rosh chodesh isn't something that is declared in heaven (shomayim). It is decreed by people, and each person must decree it for himself. Yachol meirosh chodesh, from the time of personal control over time, that we begin to feel the freedom of individual control and redemption from slavery.
The four questions pertain to what and how we eat on seder night because food gives each person a unique enjoyment. Al taam varei'ach ain lehitvakei'ach (lehisss'vakei'ach for the snakes and yeshivish people. Ow sorry that was wrong. I really like you, just like the 't' sound better in this phrase). This uniqueness in our sense of freedom is paramount to the night's special quality.
It doesn't say the action of marbeh lesaper is meshubach, but hamarbeh lesaper is himself a meshubach. The scholars' disciples would have loved to spend the night with their masters, but they didn't feel it. Only one who is on an exalted plane will be able to feel his personal yetzias mitzrayim.
The wicked son who generalizes all the stuff you do doesn't understand the significance of an individualized sense of freedom that each person can experience his way. So we blunt his teeth, the key to enjoyment of food. Anyone can get generic nutrition from a liquid diet, but the flavors and textures of food are released by the teeth. This quality the wicked son lacks.
The wise son, who appreciates the distinction between eidot, chukim, and mishpatim is reminded to savor the unique flavor of the afikoman and enjoy his personal sense of freedom from Egyptian bondage.
The message of seder night, isarusa dele'eyla, is without overly corrupting the Rabbi's message, that we should enjoy the special gifts Hashem has given to each of us and not look with envy at what our neighbor has. Appreciate that God took each and every one of us out of slavery in Egypt. It isn't just a yetzias mitzrayim for the klal, but a yetzias mitzrayim for the prat, for the yachid. I was a slave. He led me to freedom. He didn't just sign the Emancipation Proclamation, he signed my get shichrur. Nobody else can appreciate what I went through in captivity, so no one can truly share in my bliss upon release. But I thank you, God.
Spring Break is in the Air
With midterms behind us and warm weather back at last, a sense of revitalization sweeps the nation. Sun is shining, people are smiling, that spring scent in the air. Flowers popping up from the ground, not quite worth winter to experience its end, but magnificent nonetheless.
If a not-so-impressive 30-ish guy offers to buy you a drink and you have no intention of anything with him, is it taking advantage to accept the drink? I said no thanks, but he ordered anyway, so I drank. We talked for a while, and then he was ready to leave and I wasn't coming with him. He asked for a kiss goodnight, and I gave him a light peck because I saw he really wanted it and it didn't cost me anything. Then he said, sounding hurt, "If someone asks for a kiss a little tongue would be nice." I didn't want to laugh in his face, and I'm not known for controlling my laughter, but I held it in and kinda mumbled some sort of apology. I'm a nice guy.
Then went upstairs to the dance floor and found an interesting pair. One of them was really cute, so I went over and asked for a dance. The other one responded, but it was just as well. The cute one said he wasn't quite gay, but then he took off his clothes and got in bed and it didn't matter. I can't believe I didn't read his last name when he showed me his GI ID.
My mind has taken to pairing songs with guys. So one is from Greenday, "My fingertips have memories, I can't forget the curves of your body, so when I feel a bit naughty..." Another will be, "There's something 'bout your body. Something 'bout your body, baby..."
If a not-so-impressive 30-ish guy offers to buy you a drink and you have no intention of anything with him, is it taking advantage to accept the drink? I said no thanks, but he ordered anyway, so I drank. We talked for a while, and then he was ready to leave and I wasn't coming with him. He asked for a kiss goodnight, and I gave him a light peck because I saw he really wanted it and it didn't cost me anything. Then he said, sounding hurt, "If someone asks for a kiss a little tongue would be nice." I didn't want to laugh in his face, and I'm not known for controlling my laughter, but I held it in and kinda mumbled some sort of apology. I'm a nice guy.
Then went upstairs to the dance floor and found an interesting pair. One of them was really cute, so I went over and asked for a dance. The other one responded, but it was just as well. The cute one said he wasn't quite gay, but then he took off his clothes and got in bed and it didn't matter. I can't believe I didn't read his last name when he showed me his GI ID.
My mind has taken to pairing songs with guys. So one is from Greenday, "My fingertips have memories, I can't forget the curves of your body, so when I feel a bit naughty..." Another will be, "There's something 'bout your body. Something 'bout your body, baby..."
Eadem Mutato Resurgo
Service Our Servicemen
Suck a Soldier, Support the Troops
Try it, you'll like it. Many of our boys are quite fit. And so tasty, too!
Suck a Soldier, Support the Troops
Try it, you'll like it. Many of our boys are quite fit. And so tasty, too!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
What Is Your Political Iama?
You know what's funny? It's all the same people who want to end the war in Iraq and save the residents of Darfur. These people claim to be humanitarian and peace-loving, but leaving the huge mess we made in Iraq may permit as much bloodshed there as we've seen in Sudan.
Then again, maybe the civil war in Iraq has to happen, and will happen regardless of any intervention, before the new republic matures. I prefer to believe there are other ways.
There is a zeitgeist that sweeps people up and directs them as to what to believe. Why is politics divided in to Left and Right? There are more than two dimensions. Nobody talks about the political Up or Down. I guess those terms, like Forward and Backward have too much baggage. So come up with new ones. Point is, there should be more than 2 if it were about the issues. I's not. It's about the group. I am a - this. And I am a - that. You identify with your iama, and choose your positions to match.
Then again, maybe the civil war in Iraq has to happen, and will happen regardless of any intervention, before the new republic matures. I prefer to believe there are other ways.
There is a zeitgeist that sweeps people up and directs them as to what to believe. Why is politics divided in to Left and Right? There are more than two dimensions. Nobody talks about the political Up or Down. I guess those terms, like Forward and Backward have too much baggage. So come up with new ones. Point is, there should be more than 2 if it were about the issues. I's not. It's about the group. I am a - this. And I am a - that. You identify with your iama, and choose your positions to match.
Obscure Literary References (Don't Look)
Got my penis stuck in the vacuum cleaner the other day. I think it's like a rite of passage or something. I was vacuuming cobwebs around the dryer and all I had on was a robe, and it just seemed an interesting thing to try. It sucked me harder than anyone I've known, but not better - it's missing the tongue, the lips. I pissed into the thing to lube it up, and it slid right out. I hope I'm not being too graphic.
"In the case of a praying mantis, necrophilia may also take place as a form of reproduction. The larger female will often decapitate or otherwise kill her mate during copulation." ~Wikipedia
Anyone up for Snow Patrol at the Garden?
"In the case of a praying mantis, necrophilia may also take place as a form of reproduction. The larger female will often decapitate or otherwise kill her mate during copulation." ~Wikipedia
Anyone up for Snow Patrol at the Garden?
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Not Much Going On
I've been so frustrated about not being able to watch Skins. First they took it off VEOH, then they took it off YouTube. And I can't get into P2P or DailyMotion because of restrictions on my computers.
Google's speedy growth has finally caught up with them. They don't have the bandwidth to serve all their customers (read: everyone in the world), and as a result many of their services have begun to run more slowly. I've experienced serious slowdowns in gmail and google video. And I'm beginning to expect more than we're getting from the search engine as well. Google is just no fun anymore.
Google's speedy growth has finally caught up with them. They don't have the bandwidth to serve all their customers (read: everyone in the world), and as a result many of their services have begun to run more slowly. I've experienced serious slowdowns in gmail and google video. And I'm beginning to expect more than we're getting from the search engine as well. Google is just no fun anymore.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
PDAs and other Ambiguous Abbrvs
Personal Digital Assistant?
Public Display of Affection?
How about APA:
American Psychological Association or
American Psychiatric Association
Or EPA:
Environmental Protection Agency or
Eastern Psychological Association
Public Display of Affection?
How about APA:
American Psychological Association or
American Psychiatric Association
Or EPA:
Environmental Protection Agency or
Eastern Psychological Association
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Quotes on Innocence
Your verdict will be “Guilty” or “Not Guilty.” Your job is not to find innocence.
~Russell R Leggett
The innocent and the beautiful
Have no enemy but time;
~William Butler Yeats
Yes, Lord, you are innocence itself: how could you conceive of Nothingness, you who are plenitude? Your gaze is light and transforms all into light: how could you know the half-light in my heart?
~Jean-Paul Sartre
You may have known your neighbor yesterday for a thief, a drunkard, or a sensualist, and merely pitied or despised him, and despaired of the world; but the sun shines bright and warm this first spring morning, re-creating the world, and you ... feel the spring influence with the innocence of infancy, and all his faults are forgotten.
~Henry David Thoreau
~Russell R Leggett
The innocent and the beautiful
Have no enemy but time;
~William Butler Yeats
Yes, Lord, you are innocence itself: how could you conceive of Nothingness, you who are plenitude? Your gaze is light and transforms all into light: how could you know the half-light in my heart?
~Jean-Paul Sartre
You may have known your neighbor yesterday for a thief, a drunkard, or a sensualist, and merely pitied or despised him, and despaired of the world; but the sun shines bright and warm this first spring morning, re-creating the world, and you ... feel the spring influence with the innocence of infancy, and all his faults are forgotten.
~Henry David Thoreau
Old Laws Die Hard
§ 18.2-361. Crimes against nature; penalty.
A. If any person carnally knows in any manner any brute animal, or carnally knows any male or female person by the anus or by or with the mouth, or voluntarily submits to such carnal knowledge, he or she shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony, except as provided in subsection B.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Please Apply Six Months In Advance
Been looking for some summer work, finding it hard to break into the job market. Great school credentials, but little in the way of practical skills: Quark, Excel, SAS, Molecular Biology, etc. Got back my LSAT score. A bit disappointing, but maybe good enough for some of the schools on my list. Might have to take it again.
On a brighter note, I got accepted to a top science internship in a Molecular Genetics lab. They sent me a form-letter acceptance letter where they fill in the blanks: I am pleased to inform you that. . . Your host will be Professor so-and-so. . . You will receive a monthly subsistence allowance of ~ $US0 per month. . .
So I'll be raking in the dough if I take this offer. But it's a great opportunity to do some exciting work and pick up valuable experience.
So it's like Law, Journalism, Natural Science, or Social Science. Or something else. Do I seem confused? This is the short list.
Thats the update.
Thanks to Mad About The Boy for maintaining a wonderful blog and referencing mine here.
On a brighter note, I got accepted to a top science internship in a Molecular Genetics lab. They sent me a form-letter acceptance letter where they fill in the blanks: I am pleased to inform you that. . . Your host will be Professor so-and-so. . . You will receive a monthly subsistence allowance of ~ $US0 per month. . .
So I'll be raking in the dough if I take this offer. But it's a great opportunity to do some exciting work and pick up valuable experience.
So it's like Law, Journalism, Natural Science, or Social Science. Or something else. Do I seem confused? This is the short list.
Thats the update.
Thanks to Mad About The Boy for maintaining a wonderful blog and referencing mine here.
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