Hope

Is this a dig aimed at Obama?

Potter a Wiggin Clone?

Reading Ender's Game for the first time I couldn't help noticing the striking similarities between Card's science fiction creation and the Harry Potter series.

Both feature a mostly normal kid who is "special" from birth and was tormented in childhood. The two boys had difficult relationships with their parents or guardians as well as a very bad relationship with an older brother. Luckily, both Harry Potter and Ender Wiggin are offered spots in special boarding schools where they can develop their unique talents. They excel in the special schools and join a special society outside of the one in which they grew up. Both Harry and Ender have a special purpose; something vaguely to do with saving the world.

In school, Ender and Harry must deal with teachers who seem at times sinister, at times helpful. Both boys do well, successfully navigate the waters of various types of peer relationships, and face a school bully. In each book we are introduced to such common elements as the mail system, the school calendar, etc

Sigh

Gay Marriage Begins in Connecticut as it Ends in California

In the City Clerk's office, Barbara and Robin Levine-Ritterman became the first of the plaintiff couples to get their marriage license. The couple's civil union "just did not compute" for their twin 11-year-old sons, Carlos and Fernando, said Barbara Levine-Ritterman. "Now they can say our moms are married," she said.

Jeffrey Busch and Stephen Davis, another of the plaintiff couples, wore pink "I do" buttons on their lapels as they emerged from city offices with their new marriage license.

"This feels like the beginning of a long married life together," said Busch with a wide grin as he stood with his partner of more than 16 years.

The recent vote in California to ban same-sex marriage with an amendment to that state's constitution dulled the glow of today's victory. "It's very sad," Davis said. "It does somewhat diminish our joy."

But Davis said he and his fiancée aren't worried about a similar ban ever taking affect in Connecticut because, "it is the safest place in the country for gays and lesbians." (Boston Globe)

Obama Gets Prop 8 Passed

Okay, lets talk about some of the statistics in this election that nobody wants to talk about. The numbers reveal deep divides in this country. Obama took 95% of the Black vote. He lost the White vote by a slim margin.

A perhaps unintended consequence of Obama's wildly successful get-out-the-black-vote effort meant that there were enough black voters, who overwhelmingly supported the marriage ban, to push the ban through 52% to 48% in California. Obama win means gay rights lost

This is a country in serious trouble, because there is an elephant in the room, and nobody will admit it.

blacks back ban
Obama lost the White vote in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia

The US media were afraid to talk about this story, but police felt the need to prepare for race riots in the event of an Obama election loss. Jong threatened blood in the streets.

Justice Roberts Thinks Sex is Shocking

While the nation votes for its next president, the Supreme Court today is hearing the FCCs case against broadcasters who air foul language.

"Why does the F-word have shock value? Because it's associated with sexual activity. That's what gives it its force," Roberts said, defending the FCC's policy as reasonable and not arbitrary. LA Times

Keep in Touch, Randomly

I know I haven't blogged much lately, but I'm still around so if you've been following this blog and want to know what you've been missing, speak up...

Anyway, things have been good. And like Brianna said, "The happier you are, the harder it is to blog." I've been living and working in New Jersey, playing and relaxing in New York. I've met lots of interesting and wonderful people, gotten angry at politicians for foolish things they say and do, lost little things like ipods and wallets, found some of them where I left them...

I still try to keep abreast of the news, though its so hard to trust... especially when it comes to the election campaign.

I still think cute boys are one of the most compelling reasons to live.

Ehud Olmert is still the PM of Israel. Ha, some things never change.

Oh the Poignancy: Selichot begins... but not everybody's listening

The scene: A gay club in the city, late at night, the music is pumping, lights flashing - dark, sleazy, the air dense with the mingled scents of booze and body, lots of young flesh pulsating to the beat, strobes and lasers, dancers, sex...

Cut to scene: A synagogue, late the same night, a group of Jews gathered for the Selichot (Repentance) prayers. The atmosphere is serious, the cantor's voice melodic, slow, steady, powerful, beautiful, intones the Hebrew words, "At the close of the Sabbath, as we stand here trembling, turn Your ear from the heavens, You who are eternally exalted, to listen to our song and to our prayers." The congregation, still wearing their Sabbath clothes, suits, hats, begins to murmur the words of the prayer, soulfully introspective...

Cut to scene: On the street, outside a college dorm in the city. A group of teens and twenty-somethings hanging out, some making out, some smoking, some just spacing, a boy emerges inebriated from the 24 hour food mart and complains to his friends that they wouldn't sell him any beer. Some rule about not selling booze after 3:00AM? They agree to go find some in the dorm...

Cut to scene: Back at the synagogue, the prayers continue, "Listen to our voices, Adonai, our God, spare us and have mercy upon us, and accept our prayers." The congregation shouts out the words, repeating after him, and then the cantor continues, "Return us to Your service, for we want to return. Renew the days of old." The people repeat after him, each verse. And he continues, standing and swaying before the people, and they respond in turn, "Be attentive to our speech, do not cast us out from before You, and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from within us."

Meanwhile: Someone has turned the music on in the dorm room, blasting Katy Perry, "Cuz your HOT and you're COLD, you're YES and you're NO, you're IN and you're OUT, you're UP and you're DOWN." Three guys are in the dorm room. Two are naked. One has shoved his dick in another's mouth, the third, his lips on the dick of the one being mouth-fucked. Everyone's moving, reaching, trying to get more of the other, feel him more, kiss him more  touch him there...

By this time: The prayers have concluded, the congregants are in their homes, most are probably asleep...

Cut to: A subway train, handful of late night travelers, one guy sprawled out across three seats, fast asleep.


P.S. if you want to hear this prayer, you can find a recording on the virtualcantor site (its called b'motzaei m'nucha). I'd include a link, except that the recording there doesn't at all do justice to the beauty of the way I've heard it sung - so to include the link would just distort your perception of the whole thing.

The Latest

Wow what a weekend! Thursday night I... went to sleep on time! Exciting, no? Then Friday I... went to work... haha but wait, it gets better. Saturday night I partied in Chelsea till like 4:30 AM, at the end it was just me and a bunch of go go boys left in the club. I think it was open late just for them, I dunno why they even let me stay. Maybe one of the gogos had his eyes on me? Or am I dreaming...

Sunday I went to a comedy show, then started walking over to Hells Kitchen and this really hot but seemingly straight guy offered to buy me a drink. And then he took off his shirt and started doing chin ups on the scaffolding for me... I don't get it, but I'll take it... Then I met another cute guy (this one was gay, I'm sure of it...) in a club there and we were up pretty late. And now back at work... Unreal.

Race in Sports and Politics. A Homograph

I ran the NIKE+ Human Race 10K New York in under 57 minutes! Then at the All-American Rejects concert, I somehow ended up right next to this really cute guy and he seemed interested in me. Was I imagining things? He was really nice; I dropped something and it was dark, he bent with his cell phone light to help me look for it. We spoke a little, but it was loud and not suited for conversation there. I had hoped to ask him to join me for a drink or something after the show (if my courage would allow such a thing) but he left before the end and I didn't see him after that. Maybe I'll try missed connections lol. I didn't want to tell him I think he's cute or make any gay references during the show because if I was wrong that would make standing there the whole rest of the concert too awkward...

Afterward, I wandered through the city making stops at several bars and clubs, met some new people, some old people (as in people I knew - I actually didn't met any old people, unless you count the tourist family whose dad asked me about my t-shirt). And when I thought the night was over (and the doorman of the club did insist it was over) I met this great guy going into the subway. We shared a train ride and a moment and our numbers...

Now the weather's been awesome, and it's officially September, and everybody's saying "Back-to-School" and "Hannah Montana" and "Gossip Girl" and it all means nothing to me... it's just work as usual... which is good and bad...

My gym is closing. I don't know what I'll do. I can't live without it. I may have to buy a car just so I can drive to a farther gym...

I'm trying to invest some money. I've thought about stocks, funds, securtized debt... haha the whole world is crying about the collapse of the debt markets and the credit crunch and I want to open a bank. But ya know what? Banks make money. So there. Oh, who knows? All I know is that with significant inflation, I need to do something so my buying power doesn't erode in a savings account.

SEX-wanted ads in Denver spike with DNC

Yeah, except I think you mean that correlation does not imply causation. Correlation certainly does imply correlation!

btw, what do you think is a good gift to give along with Shakespeare's Sonnet 29?

Balancing Cardio and Resistance Training

Yeah, well the new job is in Jersey, so there is the commute issue. But I got a place to stay just minutes from the office and I've been going home just for the weekends. It's only for the summer for now, but anything can happen. I signed up at the local gym. I like the idea of stopping off in the city to go clubbing during my weekly commute. If I'm not sounding coherent, well these 12 hour workdays and late night workouts are not giving me much chance to sleep and I'm trying to get an update posted and get back to work quickly. Ahhh.

Anyway, my phone cracked last week. Thank god for Facebook, I could at least let my friends know why I'm not answering their calls.

My birthday's coming up. Tomorrow, actually. I'm gonna postpone it a few weeks. I really only meant to push it off a few days to a week like usual, but the scheduling has become complicated with a full time job.

Not familiar with the system of flexible birthdays? In the Jewish calendar, the 9th day of the month of Av, on which I was born, is a day of national mourning. So its never been a day for celebrating birthdays. And if I'm gonna change the date anyway, why not stay young a little longer. lol
. . .

I just finished listening to my boss reminisce about the days he worked till 3:00AM. He once billed a client for 24 hours in one day. Yikes! Btw, if you use the ellipse feature in your word processor, make sure people know if you want spaces between the dots. Or don't. Up to you.

Oh yeah, the title. You know me, the titles don't always quite fit. But for the sticklers, make sure you know your primary goals. Make sure you get the right nutrition. There's differences of opinion, but in general you should have sufficient carbs to fuel you cardio and sufficient protein to recover from weight sessions and the key word is balance and don't overdo it.

P.S. Disregard the last thing about the relevance to the title. That advice is silly, get some real advice elsewhere. But if you want to sign up for personal training, let me know. haha

More Later

Haven't updated in awhile. Partly because I didn't have email access when the internet filtering software staged a ferocious coup on my system. My father has graciously tamed that savage beast and made email safe again. Nothing much has happened and yet so much has happened. If you've been reading my blog you may understand. I think I got a better understanding in therapy. I realized that I thought nothing happened if nothing sensational and objectively interesting happened. But I'm trying to see my inner life and thoughts as having some importance of their own, if only because they are important to me. It's hard to believe it because I think this stuff would be boring. Someone else's sh1t would be boring to me. Unless they were important to me (read: cute). But that made me realize that if you like someone their nonsense becomes genuinely important. So I have to think about this. btw, if anyone reading this does appreciate hearing what I have to say, it would help if you told me. More later.

Stonewall 2 on Pride Weekend

The NYPD rolled up in force to club Splash last night in New York City in response to a violent incident involving several of the club's bouncers. At least 6 police vehicles converged on W. 17th St. in Manhattan at 2:44am this morning, some of them remaining on the scene for much of the remainder of the night. Partygoers report that they were largely unaffected by the police presence and praised the better handling of the situation than the debacle of Stonewall 40 years ago.

I Have an Inversion to Life (sic)

So I'm running the 5 Mile tomorrow in Central Park. I went to pick up my number today. The Road Runner's office is right by Museum Mile, which had the street festival today, so I got to go check out a bunch of museums for free. Went to the National Design Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt, the Jewish Museum, and the Met. The line was too long for the Guggenheim, so I had to pass. Then I walked/jogged/ran 80 blocks downtown to meet someone for dinner. I enjoyed it; hope he did too. Then I went to a bar, alone, feeling kinda down. I just needed the restroom, but then I stayed a little for the entertainment - it was karaoke night. I didn't drink anything. Then left, took the subway home.

Walked again from the subway station home. Thinking about how I did so much for so little money but what did I have from it? What was it worth? And even considering how much I was able to do free or very low-cost, I still ended up spending about $35. So this money has to come from somewhere and I need a job. And how much life sucks. And how I thought my life could be different; hoped I could somehow rise above the suckiness, the drama, the pettiness, the roller-coasters. But no, I guess I can't. And it was foolish to think I can.

And I'd better get some sleep if I intend to run tomorrow.

Pretty boy endorses Obama

Pretty boy Senator and former Presidential candidate John Edwards has given his endorsement to Barack Obama. Not the John Edwards gay lover of Francis Bacon, artist, whose painting recently set a record at Sotheby's by selling for over $86 million. That was a different John Edwards. And incidentally, that Francis Bacon wasn't the same as 17th Century philosopher Sir Francis Bacon. Though it seems he was gay too.

Oh, and when a rocket landed a few miles from President George Bush during his visit to Israel and injured 14 people, and Bush criticized Iran, Obama attacked Bush for speaking out against his willingness to negotiate with terrorists. It's all too much.

If You Want to Tell a Story, Tell the Whole Thing. Honestly.

You are going to look like such an ass when (if) this story comes out. The full story, minus your pro-Jewish-mafia redactions.

"At approximately 3:00PM, an NYPD Traffic Agent was writing tickets on 13th Avenue near 53rd Street, and people felt that certain summonses were unjustified. A crowd gathered around the agent, and unfortunately, a Boro Park Shomrim unit was detained by the police. He was taken by a patrol car to the 66th PCT, where various Askonim arrived to offer their assistance."

People felt the summonses were unjustified, a crowd gathered, and "unfortunately" the Shomrim thug just happened to be escorted to the station, huh? Maybe because he attacked a police officer or was found to be obstructing justice? Whatever the case, I doubt the detention was "accidental". Usually these thing happen because you are misbehaving. Own up and obey the law. Shomrim.

Really, this sounds exactly like when I used to fight with my little brother.

Brother: (crying)
Mother: Teddy, what happened here?
Me: Well, he was teasing me and I told him to stop and then he kept doing it and now he started crying.
Mother: What did you do after you told him to stop that made him start crying?

Mr. Shomrim guy, what did you do that made the cops arrest you?

Have We Delivered Up the Youth on the Altar of Education?

I wasn't going to write this article, nor do I necessarily believe that the answer is Yes, or even that this is a sacrifice we should not indeed be making. However, when I searched for the term on Google I found that the terminology of "sacrifice" on the "altar of education" was not even in the vernacular of debate. I thought it was language worth reviewing.

Many young people currently facing the end of Spring Break see their lives as coming to an effective halt, as if someone pressed the Pause button on their existence and sent their "true" selves into another long hibernation until summer. I am the first to recognize the value of education, but I can't help but wonder if there isn't some way to alleviate the real burden these children face. Can the experience be improved? Is accepting the necessity of schooling equal to accepting the necessity of a sacrifice of the value of freedom?

The Biofuels Debacle

"In order for you to put biofuel in your Prius and feel good about yourself for no reason, real actual people in faraway places have to starve to death." ~Mark Steyn on worldwide food shortages in The New York Sun, April 28, 2008.

Side by Side, Issue 3

"I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
~Rand, A. (1957). Atlas Shrugged.

"Naked to the waist, his body a little green, like that of a dead man, the bachelor was lying on an unmade bed. The disorder of sheets and blankets attested to a long death agony. I smiled, thinking about M. Fasquelle. But he wasn't alone; his daughter was taking care of him. On the canvas, the maid, his mistress, her features marked by vice, had already opened a bureau drawer and was counting the money. An open door disclosed a man in a cap, a cigarette stuck to his lower lip, waiting in the shadows. Near the wall a cat lapped milk indifferently. This man had lived only for himself. By a harsh and well-deserved punishment, no one had come to his bedside to close his eyes."
~Sartre, J. (1938; 1st published in U.S., 1959). Nausea.

Out of Context, Issue 8

And it was true, I had always realized it; I hadn't the right to exist. I had appeared by chance, I existed like a stone, a plant or a microbe. My life put out feelers toward small pleasures in every direction. Sometimes it sent out vague signals, at other times I felt nothing more than a harmless buzzing.

Nausea. Sartre, Jean-Paul. New Directions Publishing.

NRA's Newest Recruit

I've never had much interest in guns. Kinda supported gun control. Though I'm distrustful of Big Government controls on personal freedom, I do approve of some measure of restriction in the interest of safety. When Barack Obama said the bitter poor cling to God and guns, I didn't see myself as being within his line of criticism.

Then I held a gun in my hands. Felt the weight of the cold metal, the power. Aimed and fired, heard the pop, felt the recoil and the pure speed of the bullet, watched the shot hit the target, and was changed forever. Guns and knives are beautiful. I tried the rifles and handguns, admired the AK-47 and the M-16, the Barrettas and the Smith & Wessons and Uzis and Glocks. Took note of the differences in aiming and kickback, thought about which would serve best on the battlefield or on the street. I can't really condone illegalizing this form of innocent pleasure. We have to get out of the mindset of, "I don't like it so you can't either."

My freckles are coming out. Not that that's a bad thing. It's cute. But my face just looks dirty from all the hair from not shaving during sefira. And my instructor at the firing range, this Marine, was a major cutie. Maybe that even had something to do with this change of opinion on the gun issue. Yup, just like how my bf convinced me that we have a moral responsibility to go green. Lol. My so-called beliefs are so wishy-washy. Show me a sexy guy and I'm putty. Should I be ashamed of that? I could say I'm just being open-minded and willing to hear new evidence. I'll think about this and get back to you.

Mandala

What can I say? It is insignificant in the great scope of the cosmos, yet there is nothing sublime as the creative act. Fashioning for a thought, a moment, sustainable form, the artist grants permanence to the tenuous, endurance to the ethereal state of the smallest mind.

Is the poet's purpose to entertain? To provoke? To honor? To learn? To preserve?

What if art, too, where unattainable as reality? A creation, that yields no created. A work that, should one attempt to digest it, simply ceases to be. The food of the starving. The food of the sated. The ultimate rendering of that which cannot be rendered, lest it be rendered a rendition.

In other words, art conveys a message of some sort, the conception of which took place in this world of corporeal reality. However, by giving the message form in some artistic medium the artist necessarily dilutes the message by confusing it with its vessel. To truly represent the idea, you would have to reduce it to what it was before it was represented. Whatever that is.

Of course, this very difficulty suggests the richness of art and its power. Accuracy of depiction falls thoroughly silent beside preservation and dissemination of the very soul of Man.

I don't think I was the first one to discuss these ideas. Please tell me if you know who said it.

A word about this post. I've been almost silent lately. My soul has been dormant. Life has been beautiful. Light workload, hot boyfriend, lots of fun and enjoyment. We've even had a spate of gorgeous weather. Living it up, travel, leisure. There is no push to produce; passionate creativity is born of adversity.

My shrink has 45 minute sessions. I asked why he chose that length and if he ever considered the differential effectiveness of alternative session lengths. He said he hadn't, but we could discuss it during our regular therapy session - on the clock. Does this seem right? It seemed funny to me that to address a question of best practices, a question of whether provision of services is being geared toward maximum effectiveness should be billed as therapy. What do you think, maybe I'm wrong.

Why are my sentences so full of ridiculously big words? Why is my writing so cluttered? Talk to me...

Happy Passover

Come November, it looks like I may find myself voting write-in. I've just lost faith in all of the candidates. Here's the latest blow: these guys are debating who's the biggest loser and who's more bitter instead of talking about the issues.

Passover? Fattening as usual. Back to the gym tomorrow. La Fille was pretty good. Natalie Dessay was spectacular as usual. The "humor" was for the most part not funny and just served to incite the people behind me to laugh too loudly. Juan Diego Florez was delicious, though his voice seemed a bit underpowered for the huge Met stage. The round guy playing Sulpice was annoying, but I guess there are those who would find his character humorous and affecting. The production was grand and the story moved quickly to its joyous Salut a la France. And the Duke of Krakenthorp is an Olympic Bobsledder. Get it? HAhaha. That was supposed to be funny. Why aren't you laughing? Bobsledder, get it? Well, neither do I. But I love you anyway.

JK Rowling is an ass to her fans

JK sues her biggest fan for loving her books, vows to waste her time screwing up a good series.

Overheard in New York

Girl 1, on bus: Someone bought dishwashing soap for the apartment. It made me so happy, we had been using hand soap on the dishes.
Girl 2: Ewww gross.
Girl 1: Oh, the hand soap wasn't a problem, it just doesn't cut grease as well as dish soap...

Bush Makes 'Free Trade' National Security Issue, Clinton Lays off Another

I'm becoming uncomfortable with Hillary Clinton. Her reaction (she essentially fired him) to former strategist Mark Penn's meetings with Colombian government officials was unfortunate. In fact, her reaction to any controversial move by any of her staff seems to lead to a high profile firing (i.e. Geraldine Ferraro). Such an attitude fosters a group-think environment which is a proven recipe for poor decision-making (a la the Bay of Pigs invasion).

This is all besides the fact that Mrs. Clinton's stand on the issue at stake in the Penn debacle is incorrect. No, free trade is not a matter of opinion. To oppose free trade is to oppose progress and a dynamic economy. For once, Bush is right. Bush is funny, though. Describing the plan, he said, "While we will continue to work closely with Congress, the need for this agreement is too urgent, the stakes for our national security are too high, to allow this year to end without a vote (Reuters)." Since when did free trade become a national security issue? (Bush Makes 'Free Trade' National Security Issue)

And congestion pricing fails. Go, go, go, go Silver. Why is the usually cool and composed Mayor Bloomberg throwing such a hissy fit over this thing, anyway?

Yeah, more of the same

Why oh why was I condemned to this? So stupid. I didn't go out last night because I thought I could get some sleep after a little while on the internet, but no. No privacy for a minute ALL NIGHT. And no sleep. Should've just gone out. I give up on this stupid house. People coming and going constantly.

Continued

I think I'm having a heart attack. Well, good. I didn't need this fuck-up of a life anyway. Was my dad just waiting for my bros to come back before he leaves?! Why can't they all just get the hell away! I know I sound silly ranting like this.What can I do?

I'm Going to Bore You

Somebody commiserate with me. My life is being destroyed in real time. All I want is a few hours to myself and all I get is backache from sitting and waiting while people keep walking around like this is a train station.

More of My Rant

Oh when will I fucking just give up! I keep getting moments when they'll leave me alone and then someone comes back around and I just have enough time to pull my pants up - or not. It makes my blood pressure go up so high, I'm really in danger.

Idiot Me

DAMN I'm fucking jumping out of my skin!! At 6:00, my brothers finalllly left the house and just five minutes later, my dad comes downstairs again! Not a bleeeping moment of privacy! And I gave up a whole night of sleep for it, too. I give my days to all you people. Keep the days, but at least gie me the nights. Aww, he's so sweet, to. I can't stay mad at my dad. He's going to the bagel store, he just offered to pick me up what I want. He doesn't mean any harm. Brrr.

The City that Never Sleeps? You bet!

It's 1:15am when my dad begins to think about going to bed, but two bros have about another hour of energy left. Then things quiet down about 2:30, but another bro walks in just after 4:00am with five friends in no way ready to sleep. My mom usually wakes up at 5:00, so it's kinda happening non-stop round the clock. Although it's pretty cool sometimes, it often pains me - not because I'm kept up - but because I like the quiet times when I can be alone. God, I can't believe what's going on now. 6 spring breakers stumble in for a pit stop on their way to the the airport for their flight to LA.

P.S. I enjoyed hulu for a couple of days before the evil internet filter began to block it. As it was with Joost before it.

Jetlag

Got back from my West Coast trip. For the details about what I've been up to, check out some of my reviews at Yelp. I walked, bussed, street-car-ed, cable car-ed, trained, subway-ed, swam, danced, and cabbed my way about the bay area. Took in the sights and sounds and smells and semen of the city by the bay. Well, except the part about the semen. My boy's here in New York. P.S. If any of the above seems inappropriate or something, realize I'm running on very little sleep and overlook it, ok? And now for a list of names. In no particular order and of no particular meaning. Alex, Tabby, Nick, Kyle, David, Ammen, John, Andy, Jonathan, Eric, Eva, Yoni

Jewish Life in the Gay Area, err, Bay Area

Shul Announcer: Chabad will be holding a hachnosas sefer torah on Sunday, they usually have fire at these things. . .

Congregant: Will there be sword swallowers?

SA: If you're into that sort of thing. . .

The community is great. Very warm, accepting, open to respecting different ways of living and not insistent on putting everyone into little boxes. . .

Dancing With the Stars

The dancing is kind of cool, but the show is way way overproduced. I mean, six 30 second dance clips do not justify the 2 hour special that was playing throughout my workout this evening.

Hillary Clinton "misspoke" when she implied having landed in Bosnia under fire. Grrr. Stop drudging up the past. I don't care where Hillary was in 1996 as much as I care about where she will be in 2009 and what her plans are for this country. Let's focus the campaign on the issues, please. Ok?

Too Much Privacy for Public Officials?

Senator Obama is "deeply disturbed" that a junior State Department official looked at his travel records. McCain was also upset, calling for "corrective action". Two employees were fired over the breach. Senator Clinton'sWhite House records were finally released, sort of. They contained thousands of redactions that left out more information than they revealed.

What are the candidates for our nation's highest office being so damned secretive about?! Can't take the heat, then get out of the kitchen. You want to be President, well, we want to know what the President is up to! The public has a right to know. You are a public official, hired by the People to do a full time job for us. We are your Board of Directors, you our CEO.

It is also frustrating to hear that the candidates, all current-term Senators, have been missing Senate votes left and right because they are TOO BUSY CAMPAIGNING TO DO THEIR JOB. Why should we trust these people? It makes me sick.

Out of Context: Issue 6

"My candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action." - Barack Obama, A More Perfect Union speech, 18/3/08

Obama describes his church:

"Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter
and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America." Ibid.

Obama not stirring up the race card:

"Race is an issue. . . so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow."

Obama not reciting the history of racial injustice:

"We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. . . Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them. . . inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

"Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

"A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us."

To be fair, of course, you have to read the whole speech in-context. But when you do, don't ignore the words. A speech is made out of words. They have meaning. They were put there for a reason. What is it?

Mindf*@%

It gets better. Peter frees a cow from a slaughterhouse, the cow goes public denouncing meat-eaters, and then again the Burger King ad. They must love the irony. But what does it say when a show's message seemingly says one thing and its commercials send the diametric opposite? I guess it says that the show's true message is not what it seems. The true point of the episode, which I now humbly admit must have been immediately obvious to everyone else but which I cleverly deduced after 20 minutes of TV watching detective work, must have been to poke fun at animal rights campaigns, poke fun at stroke victims, and reinforce the status quo.

Haha, Or On the Nature of the State of Advertising

One cool thing about watching TV on the internet is being able to blog about it in real time. The same commercial just played again at the next break. Peter decides to sue the fast food joint for causing his stroke - and they advertise fast food. But what I noticed this time is that it didn't mention Wendy's at all. It was for Subway or Burger King.

Ad Placement Bloopers

On Family Guy, Peter has a stroke after eating too many free McBurgertown burgers. Then a commercial comes on for Wendy's burgers!

Got any more?

P.S. Enjoyed the party. Hot crowd. Good vibe - relaxed, fun, energized and sexy. Question: What if you want to just dance with someone, but don't want it to be taken as a sign you want to, say, sleep with them. Is there a way to do this properly? Without sending the wrong messages or insulting people?

Picks of the Week

Go to Hulu.com. Now.

Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Give up iTunes TV downloads (except that they do get LOST before anyone else does), Joost is for losers (ok, they do have some old-school stuff and freaky cable picks you won't find elsewhere). Hulu finally got it right. The best of the old TV marries the best of the internet, and you get free ad-supported content with bonuses like fast-forward, rewind, download to your library, etc. You don't need to download crappy software, you don't need to register and sign up. You don't need to pay for content. Just turn it on and watch. On demand. 30 Rock, The Simpsons, House, Heroes, that creepy show that's like the Simpsons but more crude - you know what I mean, I don't need to name that filth - it's got a guy Peter in it?, New Amsterdam, The Office, SNL, and a whole lot more.

JuicyCampus is also worth a look, but only a cursory one. Promising, but ultimately unsuccessful.

Live in New York? Want to see the city outside the walls of your home? You need TONY. Ah, there may be others (nymag.com) but this was good today. What have you done for me lately?

Tripadvisor.com was kinda helpful too. The coolest feature is the option to simultaneously get automatic rate quotes from expedia, priceline, orbitz and a bunch of other sites for the hotel dates you want.

P.S. If you are wondering why this post says it was written at 6:30 AM, that is because it was. If you think it odd that I would wake up this early on a Sunday morning, you are right. I didn't wake up. That would be odd indeed. I haven't gone to sleep. Last night I couldn't sleep, then I finally fell asleep and overslept. Then I woke up, went out, met some friends, had a few drinks, ate a brunch and went back to sleep. Then I woke up, did some reading, ate some more, showered, and proceeded to waste the rest of the night consuming audio-visual entertainment media with a brief break to explain to my boyfriend* why he wouldn't be seeing me tonight (and a bit of what could have been phone-text-sex if we'd kept it up a bit longer).

Could've Just Said It

Yeshiva World News reports "Governor Eliot Spitzer has just informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in an 'immoral, indecent business-ring'". Gee, I wonder if that has something to do with the prostitution charge reported by the rest of the media. Yah, immoral, indecent business-ring must be like jew-slang for prostitution ring.

Lipa Caves

Former Beatles star to back Lipa's Big Event? As Jewish religious leaders geared up last week to snuff a planned concert by one of the most popular figures in the world of hasidic music, Lipa Schmetzer, this headline ran in UK newspaper The Liverpool Echo: Sir Paul McCartney to Play for Lipa!

Imagine the world's most popular singer in history signing on to Lipa's event! Alas, they didn't mean our Lipa, and the Hasidic singing star scrapped his Madison Square Garden concert plans in response to pressure by leading Rabbis and published advertisements in leading Jewish newspapers banning attendance at the event.

Alalalalalum, or Becoming Who We Are

Been away from blogging for a while. Here's what's up. I took a semester off from school, started a new workout program, am participating in two internships (one in genetics research, one in the legal field), met a wonderful guy, attended at least 6 friends' weddings in the last 4 weeks (I'm losing track, but it seems just about everyone's getting hitched), drank some coffee, got some responses from grad schools (3 interview offers, 3 rejections, and 4 still up in the air), watched TV (Babylon 5, Weeds, Lost, Gossip Girl, The Rookies, etc.) mostly on Joost but then on iTunes when the net filter began blocking Joost (more expensive, but better choice of shows), waited for free tickets in the rain (watched them run out before my turn but had fun anyway), did I mention I'm still/again doing that therapy thing? Mostly it seems a silly waste of time, but I'm still hopeful there will come from it some good. There will come from it some good? Total Yiddishism. Isn't English wonderful how you can play around with the order of words and form sentence structures that will make hair turn green? Never mind.

Being neither student nor full-time job holder, my health insurance costs are astronomical - over $500 a month! WTH?! While we're on the topic, just imagine HillaryCare or ObamaHealth forced everyone to buy health insurance. The self-employed guy struggling to get a business off the ground, the waitress surviving on tips at the local food joint, and the other millions not covered by a company policy - where will the extra $6000 a year come from? From food money? Or will they have to live on the streets because they now cannot afford decent housing? The answer from campaign headquarters: At least they will have health care, eh? Now stop bashing my plan, like you have a better idea?

It snowed about 7 inches today. It smelled like a snow day when I walked outside this morning. You know that - maybe not a smell per se, but a feeling most similar - snowness.

Books I just can't seem to finish: Captains Courageous (Kipling (what if his name were Kilping the way I first accidentally typed it?) maybe all that sailor's dialect slows it down; Robinson Crusoe (Defoe) slow pace and funky stylized way of moving from narration to diary to tell the story from what theoretically are supposed to be different angles I guess, but seem actually to be the same repeated - maybe that is the point - the lonely stranded man must live inside his own head and create from his experience cognitive stimulation; Atlas Shrugged (Rand) an amazing book but very, very long; The Trial (Kafka) is a poignant and incisive look at the essence of what it is to be a man in civilization (are you sure about that, TD?) - I can't seem to finish it because I lost the book.

Books I'm eating up: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Smith), Nausea (Sartre), Rashomon (Akutagawa).

Miuccia's Men in Milan

To Bryanboy: Hey, you know I still can't comment on your site because for some reason the bot-blocker letters don't show up on my screen ( Trackback).

What a sending-off party Miuccia threw for her men's line with the winter show in Milan! The worst-reviewed showing by a major fashion house in recent memory, the whole thing seemed like a bad joke. "Ms. Prada has some complex sexual issues to work through," said the New York Times. FWD's Chic Report disparagingly called the show "medieval night at the disco". Backwards shirts and ruffled skirts, skintight nude-beige sweaters on skeletal models, and cardigans tucked into slacks? Hello.

I did like that Matt Damon look-alike in the b/w striped shirt and sunglasses (though whoever did his hair needs his head examined). He was the only model that looked alive, not that the extra collar strangling his neck did anything to promote that. One thing everyone is complaining about - the no fly pants - I think was a nice thing to show because it makes people question, makes you stop and think. Which is part of what these shows try to do. Of course, I would never wear it and would picket if it caught on, but the idea is there that it shows you why the fly is there in the first place (in case ya didn't know). Same goes for that purple metallic-looking thing. It's awful, but it accentuates form in an interesting way.

The whole cummerbund thing, that general theme of splitting off the upper body from the lower body and using that "space" in the middle for a whole new element, is nothing more than a nuisance. It wasn't particularly attractive on the runway models, but it will be hideous on the average Joe. I've said it, and I'll say it again. Men's clothing comes in three basic parts: top, bottom, footwear (the rest is accessories). There is no top, middle, bottom, footwear. That middle part is just part of the top or bottom. It does not separate and become its own entity. Clothing at some level should be anatomically justified.

ps victoria beckham in that marc jacobs ad looks like an accident at the tanning salon, but at least she's proud of hubby's big dick

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Out of Context Issue 5, Romney on Gay Marriage

From day one, I've opposed the move for same-sex marriage and
its equivalent, civil unions . . . . If the question is: Do you support
gay marriage or civil unions? I'd say neither. If they say
you have to have one or the other . . . then I'd rather have civil
unions than gay marriage. But I'd rather have neither.

from Steve LeBlanc, Romney Says He's Always Been Opposed to Gay Marriage and Civil Unions, Boston Globe, Feb. 23, 2005, as cited by Goutam U. Jois, Marital Status as Property: Toward a New Jurisprudence for Gay Rights, Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Review

Out of Context, Issue 4

I made my song a coat
Covered with embroideries
Out of old mythologies
From heel to throat;
But the fools caught it,
Wore it in the world's eye
As though they'd wrought it.
Song, let them take it
For there's more enterprise
In walking naked.

A Coat, William Butler Yeats, 1914

Doodle to Bush: Chill With Us

Dear Mr. Bush,

I have never met doodlehead, but have cyberknown him for some time and I think you'd enjoy staying with him. Won't you please honor his gracious invitation.

Respectfully yours,

TD

Old news been sitting in drafts

Surgeon takes photo of tatooed penis (story). Cop takes photo of dead 14 year old ( story).

Cell phones promote freer access to information. There are forces that want to limit this. Take a cell phone pic of something sensitive today. Do something for freedom today.

P.S. My internet filter makes me want to kill myself. Maybe I just should. I'd be a martyr in the name of freedom!

P.P.S. I have obtained the Asa Coon photo, in case the powers that be decide to cleanse it from the internet.

Privacy? What privacy?! You want an education or not?

I authorize all persons or entities to provide any relevant information in their possession to the University of Pennsylvania or its agent for use in considering me for admission and matriculation. I expressly waive any required notice to me.

My Name Isn't Humbert

If someone mentioned that in the past he had invited a gay guy for shabbos but made sure the guy came a week when there were no high school boys over so there "shouldn't be any problems", would that not be insulting? If such a one invited me, would you think it crazy if I felt too offended by said "precautions" to take him up on his offer? Haha, even as we were speaking a beautiful high school boy was breaking my heart with his smile scarcely 3 meters away. But so what? I would never hurt a kid or involve them in anything inappropriate or break the law and certainly wouldn't do anything with anyone who is unwilling. And I have found plenty of quite attractive people who are of age, thank you. Just because someone is gay, you think they're Mr. Humbert Humbert? Offensive as hell.

Why do they bother calling it news?

OK. So one final down, one to go. Still haven't decided if and what classes I'll be taking next semester. You think maybe it's time the school published its class schedules? Other places the sections are already closed and here they can't tell you yet what they are offering! Anyway, a professor offered to get me an internship - in law. I'm in the middle of one in medicine. I've completed one in science. I'm waiting to hear if I'll be a psychologist. I still don't know what to do. Confused enough for you? Well, whoever is lucky enough to get me will be the best off for it. The question is only where I'll be happy.

Drosselmeyer's Maker

So what do Paris¹, Berlin ² , Winnipeg ³, Providence Rhode Island⁴, Casper Wyoming ⁵ , Palm Springs, West Sacramento, and Chula Vista California ⁴ have in common? Gay mayors!

And in the spirit of the holidays, The Nutcracker composer Tchaikovsky was gay, too.

Should Rabbis and Yeshiva Students be Encouraged to take Modafinil?

College professors are using it to help them think better. Can it help you pull a more effective leil shishi (all-nighter)? While foolish American sports buffs are led by the media on an anti-ballplayers-using-steroids trip, Cambridge scientists over in the UK are opening a discussion about spreading the use of a different kind of performance-enhancing drugs. One of the world's most respected science weeklies, Nature, published an article along with an online discussion board on cognitive-enhancing drugs. Americans don't analyze issues. They just do what they are told. Testosterone is bad. Testosterone is bad. Repeat after me. Human growth hormone bad. Human growth hormone bad. Ballplayers should not use. Should not use.

I was so annoyed to see even the Players Association jump on the critics bandwagon. Aren't they supposed to stick up for the players? Malcolm Gladwell had the right idea. Why is the US media so dead set against use of drugs? They are an important part of the new SuperSociety© wave of the future! Eat soma baybay!

P.S. Don't be shy. Agree? Tell me. Don't like what I say? Speak up (otherwise, I'll think my word is Law and you all agree with everything I say). Love you! Happy Holidays ! Wish me a happy holiday. I'd be sooo appreciative.


do yeshiva bochurim get hooked on drugs in israel, are college students more likely to take drugs before tests, are college boys more likely to wear hot abercrombie clothes, is this list a little absurd, would you buy a best of the tbw, more on that last later, i've been feeling very tired lately, could it be because i skip nights' sleep, i thought i made up for that with 20 hour sleepathons though, finals were rough - but fun, don't ask, the studying never ends, abercrombie studs make it easier, but they are not really my type you know, too rugged and less on the cute, i don't like how cold it has become, these thoughts are unfinished, my thinking is muddled, maybe i need some modafinil, pardon moi

Is a 1.5L/m Liver Worth More (to its owner)?

Um, why is the proposal to offer medical coverage to organ donors laughable? Can you please elaborate. I don't think it is a good idea either for the same reason that cash payment is not a good idea: Since an organ's value to its owner cannot be estimated with any degree of accuracy, it is unethical to artificially increase the likelihood that a person will donate. You may be cheating them. Thus, the decision to donate can only come from within. Then again, offering free medical coverage may be less incentive and more insurance against problems arising from the procedure.

Princeton Anti-Gay Riots Just One Boy's Imagination or What Does Anscombe Mean?

That was interesting last week, the whole Francisco Nava story. One
morning I read the newspaper headline saying a Princeton student who
is active in a conservative anti-gay campus group was beat up by two
thugs about 2 miles from campus. University officials are quoted as
saying pretty much, "This happened off-campus, so we aren't going near
it. Not our responsibility. Talk to the city police."

Conservative groups were (rightly) irked by the university's stance
and blamed it on a pro-liberal bias. The student body watched in
silence with an attitude of, "He deserved it. I would never condone
violence, of course, but these things happen. He was asking for it."

The next day, the papers reported Nava's admission that he had staged
the event. He hadn't been beaten; he had beaten himself. Oh, so you
mean there aren't actually vicious anti-conservative mobs surging
about Princeton township? What a relief. The University's response?
"We are looking into disciplinary action against Mr. Nava." You are?!
His putative attackers would have been off the hook with you because
the event happened off campus, but for a conservative there are
special rules, eh.

Don't get me wrong. I think Nava's behavior has been ridiculous and I
certainly do not sympathize with his agenda, but the extreme double
standard is making us look bad.

She's Having the Baby

Why is everyone hatin on Jamie Lynn Spears for becoming preggers? She has every right to bring a new life into this world if that is what she wants. Is it because her last name is Spears so people think it is a crime against humanity to propagate her genes? Do these people believe in eugenics?

Teenage pregnancy is often a problem because kids are not prepared for the responsibility either emotionally or financially to care for the child. Jamie Lynn is earning more than most people twice her age, thank you very much. She can afford to care quite well for her baby. If she made a decision to get pregnant, that does not make it time to open a national debate on when to teach kids about contraceptives. That is the wrong message to take from this.

Let's Have Them Debate Science Before They End It

J'approve

How I found it

Well, Go On...

The Department is committed to seeking qualified students from backgrounds, groups or classes which have been underrepresented in the profession. Often such applications require special interpretation. If you have such a background, or are a member of such a group or class, or if there are special individual conditions or circumstances which should be considered in evaluating your application, please describe:

Can You Figure It Out?

New York University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution and considers all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital or parental status, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, veteran or military status, age, disability, and any other legally protected basis.

The New Zealand All Blacks (Unrated Cut)

The New Zealand All Blacks coach?! What da hell iddat? Ain't nobody have no fucking All White's team. Whadda devil they be having eny All Black's team for? That's a real load of racist bullshit, motherfucker, ya know what I mean? Ih people would go around having fucking All White's team dat be racist, riots in the fucking streets yo, budey go 'round having All Blacks teams nobody say jack shit. An ya know what else? They be having a white coach. Motherfuckers.

See, this is why nobody writes dialog the way people speak dialog. It is wrong. It doesn't sound more realistic. Even though it is. It just sounds uncouth. And it makes an irritating read. But sometimes y'all need that.

There was this one time (at band camp) when a guy said about a Midwestern kid who was visiting, "And he even says y'all". And he did. And it was hot. Not because saying y'all is hot, though. It was just the way he pulled it off. Didn't hurt that he had a great bod, either.

If I'm a good boy, I won't blog much in the next few weeks. It's finals season again. If you hear from me, I guess I'm being a bad boy: don't let me get away with it!

Best Commute Story Contest

Tell us the story of your daily commute. From "I walk to the 6 and take it downtown" to "I drive to JFK, board London-bound flight 007, get off at Heathrow where my valet is waiting to drive me to drive me to the Tube." How goes your daily commute?

I'll start: I get on the F, grab the pole in the middle of the subway car and start pole dancing until I wake up and realize I've fallen asleep sprawled on the floor and been dreaming about reading the papers I had brought because I need to review them by tomorrow.

Granted commutes aren't always that interesting. But I want to hear it anyway.

P. S. Why does my country's government think it has worldwide jurisdiction? ( illegal extradition ok'd by USA)

Thoughts?

Funny how certain pictures can pop up somewhere and suddenly you feel different. You feel naked. Exposed. Debased. I think it is an experience everyone should have. Write in.

P.S. Why does the porn filter at school think this blog is about teen sex? I haven't had teen sex in what - 5 months? Oh right, that link. That shouldn't count. Whatevs. Love.

Advice for the super well-endowed

Do black porn star have bigger holes? According to research reported on NewScientist, "The biggest black holes in the universe might have grown within the bellies of giant stars." Is this headline racist: Biggest black holes may grow inside 'quasistars'?

Meet planet Earth's favorite third world fag, Bryan Boy.

P.S. Taylor Swift looks like Barbie. And don't forget to check out the midwest teen sex show. How random was that?

It is well known that Facebook collects, sells, and mines personal data of its users, including but not limited to members' social circles, media preferences, job and leisure activities, photographs, relationships, and any intellectual property ( i.e. poems, stories, voice or music recordings, works of art) placed on its site. What do you think about having your data sent to this site? Enter some names, it's a total hoot!

Can you find anyone you know?

Okay, so the World Sex Relationship Database still needs some work. It thinks Oprah has had more sex partners than Paris Hilton. And it reports this conjecture as "scientific data".

IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

teddy touglas has uncovered this sociological data you might find interesting.

Although it is solely comprised of textual information gathered from a variety of independent sources, due to philosophical or religious concerns we must insist that only those who are 18 years or older view this information: Paris's partners, Oprah's Partners

Poop on His Suit?

According to Ronnie Lowenstein of the Independent Budget Office the dollar amount of a fine does not reflect the social harm inflicted by the fined violation. For example, the same $25 fine applies to sidewalk vendors who refuse to allow inspectors to ensure food is being handled safely and to taxi drivers who wear cut-off shorts.

Another salient observation he presents: In 2002, the city spent $0.22 for every $1 in parking fine revenue collected. For all other fine revenue, the city spent $2.09 for each $1 collected.

False certification of correction of Housing Maintenance Code violations (administered by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development) are subject to fines of $50 to $250.

Parking violation fines range from $25 to $180.

The fine for performing plumbing work without a permit is $250 for the first violation.

In general, the penalty for a non-hazardous Housing Maintenance Code violation is a flat fine of $10-$50. For a hazardous violation the penalty is $25-$110 per day.

Fines for critical violations by licensed food establishments doubled from $100 to $200 per violation.

The Environmental Control Board handles fines for street cleanliness, waste disposal, the cleanliness of the city's water supply; air, water and noise pollution; street peddling; fire prevention and building safety; and the misuse of city parks. These include not following recycling regulations and improper disposal of canine waste. Violations are divided into types A (no action required) and B (corrective action required). The average payment is considerably higher for B violations—$394, five times the average A violation fine of $81. For some correctable violations of the Building Code and the Fire Code, the respondent has the opportunity to cure the violation within 35 days from the date of the Notice of Violation. If the violation is cured, no payment of the imposed fine is required.

Railroad trespass carries a $10 fine in New York, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The maximum fine for Driving While Alcohol Impaired is $300 to $500/$500 to $750, according to law firm Grunwald & Seman.

So what is going through city councilman Simcha Felder's mind when he proposed $1000 fines for feeding pigeons? This is beyond excessive. Even if you agree with the ban, the amount of the fine gives pigeon-feeding parity with much more serious crimes such as breaking-and-entering or driving while intoxicated.

While we are on the topic of inconsistency in US penal codes, here are some examples that blew my mind. (From 1910, a lot must have changed since but there is still a great deal of inconsistency.) Or look at this from People for a Fascist America .

I Was Loitering and I Didn't Even Know It. Courts: Err, That's Not Okay

Stonewall , by David Carter (2005). Shocking. So is NY Law. Did you know you are not allowed to be [sic] according to the law? Don't worry, that part of the code was struck down by a 4 to 3 margin of the Court of Appeals of New York in 1973. Yah, 3 judges dissented. Thought making it illegal to just be was okay. You actually have to explain to the police officer why you are in order for it not to be a crime. They call this crime loitering.

That part they got in '73 was NY Penal Code § 240.35 (6). Section 240.35 (2) lasted another decade. That was the part about "loitering for the purpose of engaging in deviate sex". Once the consensual sodomy laws went bye bye in People v. Onofre, "loitering for the purpose" couldn't be that bad, right? So the Court of Appeals struck it down in People v. Uplinger (1983). Ha. I just found that it went to the Supreme Court (New York v. Uplinger, 1984). They held that the writ of certiorari is dismissed as improvidently granted . So the statute remains down.

Next, § 240.35(7), "loiters or remains in any transportation facility, or is found sleeping therein, and is unable to give a satisfactory explanation of his presence," came under fire in People v. Clark (1987). The New York Supreme Court struck down the statute on 14th Amendment (due process) grounds.

see also Chicago v. Morales, in which the US Supreme Court struck down another loitering law in 1999.

Loiter: to remain in an area for no obvious reason, Merriam Webster.

me: yesterday, i sat down in a bar and there was this guy sitting across the room from me and he's making eyes at me and i was thinking like alright, why don't you just come over if you want to talk

1:48 AM and then the bartender comes over and says the guy in the striped shirt across from you wants to buy you a drink

i said ok, and he brought me the drink

the guy still doesn't come over

bryanboy.com: well, maybe he's shy

and he was just waiting for you to come up to him

he already made a sign that he's interested

the eyes... and the drink

me: just wait. and then finally, the bartender hands me this note from the guy that he's deaf

1:49 AM bryanboy.com: OH

and he's at the bar?

LOL

1:50 AM me: yah, so i thought i'd scan his note. it was kind of nice. poor guy

bryanboy.com: OMG I WANNA SEE

Give Your Boyfriend 'Lust', at Etymonline

Casual:

free-and-easy: natural and unstudied; "using their Christian names in a casual way"; "lectured in a free-and-easy style"

Casualty:

fatal accident: an accident that causes someone to die

How'd we get from free-and easy to fatal accident!? Sure, I know, you can explain it. But isn't it more fun not to?

Casual and casualty are derived from the Latin casualis, "by chance". So people who act casually may do things unpremeditatively and casualties died by chance. So it makes sense. At least it makes some sense that the root took on wildly dissimilar denotations. What still doesn't fit is how "ty" changed everything. Take the next example:

Sanguine: confidently optimistic and cheerful
Sanguinary: gory: accompanied by bloodshed; "this bitter and sanguinary war"

Whoa, that turned sour fast! What message are we sending here? It's a short trip from confident, blithe, and easy-go-lucky to a gory end? Both words come from the latin root sanguineus, "of blood," so sanguinary is self-explanatory. Sanguine comes from a theory in medieval physiology that believed in four "humors", black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. It was thought that an excess of blood contributed to a hopeful and confident, or sanguine, personality. My question is who decided that "ne" is the good one and "nary" is the bad one?

Well, nary does mean "not a" as in "nary a whisper was heard" and according to the Australian government's Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus) Recovery Plan, Ne stands for "effective population size; the reproductively-active part of a population," so there's something.

I ought to be more controversial.
definitions from WordNet®
etymology from Online Etymology Dictionary

Holiday Depression

Should I write it? Ok, I'll write it. An article fit for the Mishpacha, by Teddy Douglas, RLCGWTHKE (registered licensed clinical guy who thinks he knows everything).

As the holiday season approaches, a sense of mirth and gladness begins to pervade the very air we breathe. The weather turns colder, the nights come on earlier, and spots of light become a striking feature of the streetscape. The media report on civic holiday preparations and the various hangups that these public works entail, the fliers and circulars begin rolling in advertising holiday sales and savings. Everybody seems to be having a good time. You get a few days off from work or school. You plan to spend some time with the family, maybe you go shopping for some Hanukkah gifts. But for many people, mistletoe and menorahs trigger feelings of emptiness and even depression. Though this can often seem inexplicable, the holiday blues are an increasingly common phenomenon.

Rivkah H.*, a 29 year old mother of three, came into my office complaining of a feeling of dread and sadness that would start around Thanksgiving and wouldn't go away until spring. She had gained some weight and reported feeling tired. While these complaints may simply be the result of dealing with a tighter schedule and inclement weather, often this pattern of symptoms is sufficiently severe to be consistent with a diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

We don't know precisely what causes SAD, but several seasonal factors are hypothesized to play a role. Longer nights increase your body's production of melatonin, while getting less sunlight may lead to a drop in serotonin. Earlier nightfall may alter the body's circadian rhythms and disrupt your normal sleep-wake cycles, which can have a negative impact on mood. Any combination of these factors may be responsible for the seasonal depression know as SAD, which affects about 4% to 15% of the population every year.

Another client, Jacob M.*, 21, reported feeling emptiness, hopelessness, and detachment that would come and go in brief spurts. Episodes would often last from a day or two to a week and then gradually recede until he would get back to feeling normal. During these episodes, Jacob would sleep longer than usual and become less interested in social interaction. If these symptoms caused "clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning", Jacob could be going through what psychiatrists call a Major Depressive Episode, the primary feature of Major Depressive Disorder.

(It is important to point out here that the methodology of the standard diagnostic manual used by the mental health profession today (DSM-IV) is based on symptomatology, not etiology. That is to say, disorders are differentiated primarily by their universe of symptoms, not by their cause. This means that even though Jacob's diagnosis is simply depression (or even depression, recurrent, with seasonal pattern) it is useful to go beyond this to try to understand his condition.)

During the clinical interview, it came to light that Jacob's depressive episodes would often coincide with the winter holidays. Although timing of onset and the similarity of symptoms make it easy to confuse holiday depression with SAD, there are a number of important differences. Holiday depression is often characterized by a more rapid onset and briefer duration; it is a more acute condition, while SAD is more chronic. Jacob's condition may have more to do with psychosocial triggers than seasonal ones.

The causes of holiday depression are manifold. First, the holiday season involves a breakup from the ordinary schedule for most people. Normal, comforting routines of work or school are interrupted. People are likely to travel or receive guests. Any disruption of the norm can trigger stress and anxiety and lead to feelings of unhappiness. Time off from our usual busy schedules can provide a chance for introspection and reevaluation. If we find we are not happy with where our lives are taking us, we may feel desolate and hopeless.

In addition, the holidays offer great expectations of familial warmth and religious meaning. For many, these high expectations may simply not materialize, leading to feelings of intense loneliness and abandonment. Conversations with friends and coworkers, together with media portrayals of "everyone else" enjoying vacations and family time can exacerbate feelings of loneliness for people who do not or cannot enjoy the holiday togetherness. For those who do not identify with the religious implications of the holidays, this season can stir up feelings of being different and aloof from society as a whole.

The fact is, most people do not have the Brady Bunch holiday Coca-Cola would like you to imagine (so that you buy lots of Coke to serve your many guests). Psychologists call this concept pluralistic ignorance. Everybody tries to conform to what they perceive is the group norm (in this case to put on a happy face and celebrate the holidays) even though each person privately disagrees with that perceived norm (people may not think of the standard holiday celebrations as their idea of a good time). Through better communication, it would have been apparent that the perceived group norm was actually incorrect: the others all agreed with the individual's assessment but they kept silent and also conformed to the perceived (nonexistent) norm.

Another factor has to do with the sense of self becoming threatened by holiday social situations. People tend to develop distinct social persona, or masks, that characterize them in each social situation. These distinct persona, rather than any underlying sense of true self, are powerful driving forces of personal behavior. When holiday season arrives and people are pressed into unusual social situations, they find that their familiar social persona is exchanged for a new one until they almost do not even recognize themselves. They may begin to act in different ways than usual or become confused and uncertain about how they should act.

Together, seasonal changes, disruption of routine, challenging social situations, pluralistic ignorance that causes us to think we are the only one "missing out", and crises of identity and meaning can lead to sadness, loneliness, and that horrible feeling in the pit of the stomach that we identify as holiday depression.

Holiday depression can often be treated successfully pharmacologically with anti-depressive agents or with psychotherapy, however the short duration of individual episodes means that symptoms will usually subside on their own before drugs or therapy take effect. If there is a SAD component, light therapy may be effective in alleviating some cases of holiday depression. It is crucial for family and caregivers to be aware that the brief duration of holiday depression episodes should not lead them to discount the painful, and for some, crippling, nature of this syndrome. Because it strikes at a time when people expect to be happy, it can be a devastating blow. By essentially "removing all the good parts" from life, holiday depression can make things look very bleak indeed.

Feedback appreciated. Pretty please, comment, revise, add, edit, argue, whatever.

Life is Like a Party That Sucks: You Want to Leave, But You Know That Will Only Make Things Worse

My parents wonder why I stay out all night partying and sleep all day. Isn't it obvious? I prefer to spend my waking hours relieved of their presence. I like spending time with them, but only during predetermined "visiting hours". Having them around at other times becomes a burden.

I went out with some friends last night. Met some new people. Started dancing with 1 guy, then another, didn't hook up. The 1st lived pretty far out and I wasn't interested in doing the bathroom thing; the second had an awesome body, rock hard abs, but the face I wasn't crazy about. Genre calls this a lobster because (though I don't have personal experience in this department, apparently) with lobsters you throw away the head and just eat the rest. But I find the analogy rather annoying and certainly inappropriate - like most things in that magazine, especially their criminally abominable fashion sense. Funny thing is that even though I knew at the beginning that I wasn't looking for sex this time and just wanted to dance and hang out with my friends, it still felt awkward going home alone at the end of the night.

Quote: When are strippers not annoying? I mean, we've got people to fuck, we've got porn, what do we need strippers for?

P.S. Uh oh, this post is now rated R.

Futility of Life

What good is it if you can't share it? And then, of course, by extension, what good is it even if you can?

Don't Get The Wrong Impression

The amount of fMRI research being abused to show "the neurocognitive differences between supporters of Hillary and Romney" is getting a bit ridiculous. The shopping bag law is a shameless assault on freedom. The 408 foot spire and antenna planned for the top of the so-called Freedom tower is threatened to be made obsolete by newer antennae used for digital broadcasting, which is being mandated by the FCC - a further attack on free enterprise. Is is sexist of the media to refer to Hillary Clinton by her first name and all the male candidates by their last? She's supposedly a good lawyer, so watch for a lawsuit if she loses the race.

We already know that Santa's "Ho, Ho, Ho" is insulting to women (huh?) but did you know that he's also setting a bad example for obese children?

At Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, they even put Mr. F*ing Potato Head on a diet. Mr. Potato Head! Called him Healthy Mr. Potato Head as if this could somehow disguise the fact that potato chips and fries still won't be healthy, no matter how many sit-ups their Head does. But don't people realize that he's just a toy? So you can't win. The models are too skinny, the toys are too fat. Our kids are screwed. Big-boned Barbie

I start to watch a movie on my computer and keep getting distracted by the infonet.

Recently, I had a crazy cool experience which I can't disclose because of confidentiality, but let's say it had something to do with blood and a doctor, and it stirred up a lot of emotions, made me feel faint and woozy, and made me reconsider whether I want to go into medicine. Incidentally, it also reminded me how hard it is to be a parent and encouraged my interest in health sciences.

The New NY Times

Uh, they have names

How much would you charge for your right to vote?

Get hooked on Overheard New York

When I have some time

Lightweights Eating Out

Saw an ad for:

New Deluxe

An us Third Pounder

at McDonalds

Not That Simple

Appetite suppressant?

From the Debate on Race

scarypics

Out of Context, Issue 4

"The son unborn mars beauty: born, he brings his own pain, divides affection, increases care. He is a male: his growth is his father's decline, his youth his father's envy, his friend his father's enemy."

Joyce, James. Scylla and Charybdis, Ulysses.

Tread Softly For You Tread On My Dreams

A funny thing happened to me the other day. I don't think this has happened really in a number of years, but I got turned on by a girl. Made me more confused than being attracted to boys. Truth is, I always said I was more bi than fully gay, but it was still a bit confusing. I'm over it.

Anyway, I discovered a whole new local social scene, really an entire subculture that somehow flew below the radar--like--forever. It was pretty cool. And I'm set to start my new job this week, finally. Nervous? You bet! Not just nervous, that's not quite the word. More like horrified. But it'll be cool. And then there's the applications. They take so long! And the process has had me doing a lot of thinking. About myself, what I want to do, where I see myself in five years? Ten? Cliched, I know. But it's still real.

And then there was this guy, well actually lets go in order. There was this guy who was cute, with the trim three-day beard, light shortish hair, looks great in a suit. Two button suit with the top shirt button open and white shirt-tails hanging out beneath the jacket. Then there was this really cute guy I just wanted to hold and kiss and cuddle. Smart, a little computer-geeky, but in a good way. Great smile. I'm not good at these descriptions. Then there was this really amazing brilliant gorgeous law student whose outfit and hair were so cute, and his cheeks rosy from alcohol, even his voice was sexy. And then he was having intense conversations about God and morality and prime time television, wow! Dreamy. Marriage material.

Sorry about the daydreams. Back to what I was saying, that I'm applying to do a doctorate just for the hell of it, though I'm not sure I like the field, or that having this degree will actually qualify me to work in the field. But this is the area I've studied, so in this area I'm prepared to pursue graduate study, perhaps even in the Ivy League. Which is an exciting proposition to me for some unidentified reason (probably having a lot to do with vanity).

Remind me to look up network theory. Someone mentioned it in casual conversation (as in, "network theory helped me solve LSAT logic games easily) along with a host of esoteric math concepts (integrals, partial differentials, you know the drill) which made me realize just how much I have to learn. Oh, and about love. So there was this great young couple. Actually the first time I saw a young married couple behaving normally. Like normal people. Not like those famous Maalot Dafna couples. Not like the Ramat Eshkol couples. Not like the Machal couples. They were regular people, though they played Shabbos hosts, it wasn't a stuffy make-believe matziv like the way those newlyweds play house according to all the rules they think they are supposed to follow. It was just friends getting together and chilling. And it was really beautiful. Anyway not to sound to mushy but I'm pretty open about blabbering my feelings here.

So the husband says about his wife that he is so obsessed with her that if she ever cheated with another guy he'd feel like his life was forfeit, like killing himself. Hearing him describe his feelings like that made me think. To me, I subscribe overly much to the sex is just sex theory and emotional attachments are rare. Perhaps because I haven't met the right person yet, but perhaps also because I have a totally skewed sense of relationships to begin with. I admired his sentiments but couldn't relate. I don't remember feeling that way about anybody. If I was with a guy and he cheated, well, it was to be expected. How could I expect him to pass up an opportunity, and as long as he's there for me when I need him, so what if he played with someone else. No, I'm not comfortable with this. This way of thinking. I don't know, it sounds like a great theory, but it doesn't connect with most people. Here's where I stop making sense.

Not that I can't be monogamous. Actually, that is the most natural state for me when I'm with a guy I really like. If things are going well with one person, I totally don't need anyone else. Not interested. It's when I'm with someone who is not an optimal fit that I'm still in the game, seeking better. Ok, I wrote too much. My heart is on the table. Cut it up if you will.

And another thing. I apparently have this total mental block about calling home when I'm going to be late. So every time I go out, I come back to a litany of, "We were so worried about you. How come you didn't call? I guess you don't care how we feel." So I get the feeling, right or wrong, that they don't approve of my going out, don't approve of having friends. So I alternate staying home and being a loner with going out and slipping out without telling my parents. Then if it's getting late, I think, "I'm still having a good time and not ready to leave," and the idea of just calling to say I'll be in late somehow does not occur to me at all, even though I had resolved the last time to do just that. So the cycle repeats. But the funny thing is, I do not have a bad memory, so I think it is some psychological block on calling home. Like I block out the idea subconsciously because I get these vibes of disapproval from them that I'm not interested in even though practically I know the right thing is to call. And I'm self-centered. And hey, while I'm at it, sex-obsessed. Though not as much as I used to be. Okay, as much.