ladies and gentlemen, we're having problems.
on consideration, i'm not entirely sure i agree with the researchers' conclusions, though. i tend to think it's less a matter of not being given any outlet, and more the fact that no one is teaching them what happens when censorship does happen. to say nothing of the fact that most high school media is censored anyway.
the cancellation of high school newspapers is important, certainly, but i don't think it's worth the hand-wringing because it's simply not relevant to this situation. what is relevant is to teach students what happens when the minority is silenced, and the government is allowed to be unassailable. teach precisely why the "founding fathers" considered it so important to guarantee the freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, and of the right to gather in our most basic document of government.
they don't break it down by race, but i'd be curious to see how many non-white kids were involved in this study. or even white kids. show the black kids, the irish kids, the italian kids how things would have been different had the first ammendment never been written, or had been watered down. hell, even the poor kids. anyone remember when owning land was a prerequisite to voting priveldges? to say nothing of "free, white, and 21."
eh, on the other hand, maybe the next generation will be so apathetic that it will only be the people who actually believe in the democratic process who vote anymore. does anyone believe in the democratic process anymore?
oh hey. hello, iraq. welcome to the club. now there's a country who knows what happens when you have a forcibly silenced minority and an unassailable government. maybe we just need to ship our high school kids over for some interviews with the kurds.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
racial memory.
today is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the auschwitz-birkenau concentration camps. it's an odd day to be jewish, for me. it's really amazing to me how the holocaust has become so fundamental to the jewish identity in the last 60 years, and yet at the same time, we recognize it was just another in the long history of persecution.
when i was probably too young for it, my mother showed me pictures of the camps, and of the people in the camps. if you've never seen them...i don't know if i can describe how it feels (especially when you're about 8 years old) to be looking at what is basically a skeleton with skin on it and be told, "that could have been you." or rather, "this was done to them because they were just like you." i can't remember anymore if the national holocaust museum in washington dc has pictures like that. if they do, i'm sure they're in one of those displays behind ~4 foot high walls so little kids can't get traumatized.
what's really strange is that i've never heard that any of my family died in the camps, although i'm pretty sure they probably did. by about 1920, all of my immediate family (which is to say, my great-grandparents) was in the states, so if we had relatives who were taken by the nazis, they would have been more distant. and i've been lucky enough to never personally have been on the receiving end of anti-semitism. and yet, the apprehension of hatred or persecution is still built in. so you have this collective memory built up behind you that makes you get nervous when you put the hannukah candles on the kitchen table in front of a window. or something as simple as doing your grocery shopping becomes an act of defiance because you walk up to the supermarket counter with a cart full of boxes and cannisters stamped "kosher for passover." and then you kick yourself for being ridiculous and you insist that nobody is going to notice, nobody is going to care, we're in the u.s. of freaking a. in the 21st century, dammit. stop tearing your clothes.
and then you see the pictures, and you remember your mother's sister sold her house because of an anti-semetic neighbour. and maybe the jumpiness is justified.
when i was probably too young for it, my mother showed me pictures of the camps, and of the people in the camps. if you've never seen them...i don't know if i can describe how it feels (especially when you're about 8 years old) to be looking at what is basically a skeleton with skin on it and be told, "that could have been you." or rather, "this was done to them because they were just like you." i can't remember anymore if the national holocaust museum in washington dc has pictures like that. if they do, i'm sure they're in one of those displays behind ~4 foot high walls so little kids can't get traumatized.
what's really strange is that i've never heard that any of my family died in the camps, although i'm pretty sure they probably did. by about 1920, all of my immediate family (which is to say, my great-grandparents) was in the states, so if we had relatives who were taken by the nazis, they would have been more distant. and i've been lucky enough to never personally have been on the receiving end of anti-semitism. and yet, the apprehension of hatred or persecution is still built in. so you have this collective memory built up behind you that makes you get nervous when you put the hannukah candles on the kitchen table in front of a window. or something as simple as doing your grocery shopping becomes an act of defiance because you walk up to the supermarket counter with a cart full of boxes and cannisters stamped "kosher for passover." and then you kick yourself for being ridiculous and you insist that nobody is going to notice, nobody is going to care, we're in the u.s. of freaking a. in the 21st century, dammit. stop tearing your clothes.
and then you see the pictures, and you remember your mother's sister sold her house because of an anti-semetic neighbour. and maybe the jumpiness is justified.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
more snow. and then some.
so, apparently, i posted too soon. for about 24 hours, from late saturday morning to late sunday morning, we acquired another 12 inches of snow. and then yesterday, "40% chance of flurries in the afternoon" turned into yet another inch of snow in an hour and a half. and then flurries, yes. for another few hours.
this almost caused my friend's plane from heathrow to be re-routed to newark at the last minute. it is an absolutely amazing feeling to be crawling down towards the airport at 35 miles per hour or so on a 6-lane expressway and have the phone system at the airport tell you that instead of 7:14pm, it will now be coming in at 9pm. and then, 20 minutes later, to be telling you 7:55pm.
but it all came out in the end. and we have a lovely snowscape to greet him with. as well as horrendous driving conditions. more snow tonight. remind me not to grumble about winter again. yeesh.
this almost caused my friend's plane from heathrow to be re-routed to newark at the last minute. it is an absolutely amazing feeling to be crawling down towards the airport at 35 miles per hour or so on a 6-lane expressway and have the phone system at the airport tell you that instead of 7:14pm, it will now be coming in at 9pm. and then, 20 minutes later, to be telling you 7:55pm.
but it all came out in the end. and we have a lovely snowscape to greet him with. as well as horrendous driving conditions. more snow tonight. remind me not to grumble about winter again. yeesh.
Monday, January 24, 2005
unfortunate headline of the day.
Prostate Cancer Study Links Detection in Men to Their Size
they mean the man's body weight. someone needs an editor, i think.
they mean the man's body weight. someone needs an editor, i think.
Friday, January 21, 2005
habemus boots.
yay! boots! lightweight (for boots), flexible sole, leather, and warm. what an amazing thing. apparently timberland still makes practical shoes; they just refuse to advertise the fact on their website.
i'm debating attempting to waterproof the leather. it doesn't say it's waterproof, unlike the runners-up last night (lightweight, flexibility, and arch support won out over waterproof, more ankle protection, and bouncy). also, the leather is, um, napped, i guess. not suede, but still...fuzzy. they say they're "abrasion-resistant," and the metal lacing things are advertised as "rustproof," so i assume the boots are meant to get wet. and, you know, they're leather. leather is pretty waterproof on its own, isn't it?
anyone know anything about the intrinsic waterproofing capabilities of nubuck? dictionary.com is no help.
i'm debating attempting to waterproof the leather. it doesn't say it's waterproof, unlike the runners-up last night (lightweight, flexibility, and arch support won out over waterproof, more ankle protection, and bouncy). also, the leather is, um, napped, i guess. not suede, but still...fuzzy. they say they're "abrasion-resistant," and the metal lacing things are advertised as "rustproof," so i assume the boots are meant to get wet. and, you know, they're leather. leather is pretty waterproof on its own, isn't it?
anyone know anything about the intrinsic waterproofing capabilities of nubuck? dictionary.com is no help.
Main Entry: nubuck
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: an aniline-dyed leather with its finished surface buffed to a slight nap or suede-like appearance
Thursday, January 20, 2005
snow.
it snowed yesterday. finally. a real snow. i don't really mind winter, even the dark and the cold and all that, but if it doesn't snow, i just get irritated. there's only so much dead greyness you can take before you cry out for a good, fluffy snowfall.
some people don't like snow because it gets in the way. while i admit that's not my favourite part of it, and it's cold and wet and can make you abso-fucking-lutely miserable if you get caught in enough of it as it freezes in your hair and melts in your eyes and nose and ears, it's still pretty. and it's like, "ah, winter is finally here." snow is insidious that way. you can justify bundling up and scaring the suburbanites, which somehow just doesn't work as well when it's 8F (-13C, windchill of -1F/-18C) outside, but there's no snow on the ground.
i need boots, though. luckily a friend found me walking home last night and gave me a ride most of the way, but my feet were still cold and my jeans were damp by the time i got home. i had to throw out my boots because after only 2 winters in the frozen north, the sole started peeling away from the leather and they were leaking in the toes. however, light mesh walking sneakers don't do anything in the way of wind protection, and they don't protect your ankles from damp, snow-impregnated jeans. also the manufacturer of my previous pair of boots has stopped making practical boots and now makes ghetto fashion boots. sigh. must find a pair of boots!
some people don't like snow because it gets in the way. while i admit that's not my favourite part of it, and it's cold and wet and can make you abso-fucking-lutely miserable if you get caught in enough of it as it freezes in your hair and melts in your eyes and nose and ears, it's still pretty. and it's like, "ah, winter is finally here." snow is insidious that way. you can justify bundling up and scaring the suburbanites, which somehow just doesn't work as well when it's 8F (-13C, windchill of -1F/-18C) outside, but there's no snow on the ground.
i need boots, though. luckily a friend found me walking home last night and gave me a ride most of the way, but my feet were still cold and my jeans were damp by the time i got home. i had to throw out my boots because after only 2 winters in the frozen north, the sole started peeling away from the leather and they were leaking in the toes. however, light mesh walking sneakers don't do anything in the way of wind protection, and they don't protect your ankles from damp, snow-impregnated jeans. also the manufacturer of my previous pair of boots has stopped making practical boots and now makes ghetto fashion boots. sigh. must find a pair of boots!
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
i'm just good that way.
i was having a conversation with a friend the other day about the golden globes. apparently natalie portman exuded "squickiness" when she accepted the award for her role in "Closer." i commented that i had seen neither the movie nor the award show. i spent sunday evening in a tub with some hot water, a book, and a glass of wine.
the general consensus was that that was a better idea ;)
the general consensus was that that was a better idea ;)
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Monday, January 17, 2005
math 101
mr. president, members of the global media, welcome to math 101.
now, let us explain something. when you only win 51% of the vote, that is to begin with hardly what one would call a ringing endorsement of your policies. and if you continue looking at the exit polls, how could mister compassionate conservatism himself forget that now-very-famous 21% of the people who voted said that moral values were most important to them? that combines to be at least 72% of the population who either disagreed with the policies on iraq, or who just didn't care.
really, i just wish the stupid reporter or interviewer or whoever had pointed that out. i mean, seriously, how hard is to it just say, "you know, 49% of the population didn't vote for you. that doesn't give you much margin for accountability there."? bah. someone needs to hire me, obviously ;)
President George W Bush has said his re-election has vindicated his administration's policy on Iraq.
Mr Bush said there was no need to hold any of his officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgements in pre-war planning or managing the aftermath.
"And the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and they chose me, for which I'm grateful."
now, let us explain something. when you only win 51% of the vote, that is to begin with hardly what one would call a ringing endorsement of your policies. and if you continue looking at the exit polls, how could mister compassionate conservatism himself forget that now-very-famous 21% of the people who voted said that moral values were most important to them? that combines to be at least 72% of the population who either disagreed with the policies on iraq, or who just didn't care.
really, i just wish the stupid reporter or interviewer or whoever had pointed that out. i mean, seriously, how hard is to it just say, "you know, 49% of the population didn't vote for you. that doesn't give you much margin for accountability there."? bah. someone needs to hire me, obviously ;)
Friday, January 14, 2005
finally.
we get the car back this afternoon. the accident was almost a month ago. shit. i mean, they do good work, but i'm not sure it could be any slower.
amusingly, the dealership somehow talked the insurance adjustor to also cover the scratches on the roof that were there before, and the dent in the rear door. since the accident was on the passenger side, they were "consistent with the other damage." heh. oh well, at least the insurance is covering it. we got the second cheque last night, just in time to get the car today. whee!
amusingly, the dealership somehow talked the insurance adjustor to also cover the scratches on the roof that were there before, and the dent in the rear door. since the accident was on the passenger side, they were "consistent with the other damage." heh. oh well, at least the insurance is covering it. we got the second cheque last night, just in time to get the car today. whee!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
thank god for skeptics.
someone put up one of those flimsy markerboards you get for free as promotions for whatever (in the dorm, they were for beer. this one happens to be for a credit union).
anyway, various people have been writing things on it for a while. at one point, it was the subject of a slightly humiliating grammar lesson. however currently, it says:
(or it would if whoever wrote it knew how to use semi-colons. anyway)
below it, in different handwriting, it says:
mmm. deflating pompous cliches since ~300BC.
anyway, various people have been writing things on it for a while. at one point, it was the subject of a slightly humiliating grammar lesson. however currently, it says:
Don't be afraid to try new things. Amateurs built the ark; professionals built the titanic
(or it would if whoever wrote it knew how to use semi-colons. anyway)
below it, in different handwriting, it says:
In each case, it was not the builders who governed the fate of the ship, but the person at the helm.
mmm. deflating pompous cliches since ~300BC.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
food attitudes.
i've recently been hearing about this book and, you know, it's really making me wonder. how do most people eat?
i mean, really. what is this?
if you don't cook your own meals, what do you eat? tv dinners? not only do i go food shopping every week, i used to work in a grocery store. i've never seen a single cart piled high with tv dinners. sure, a few here, a few there, but no one throws 15 dinners in their cart. and don't ask me to believe everyone eats mcdonalds every night either; a lot of people just can't afford that.
one thing she's right about, though, is that people here don't eat for pleasure. being fat is the new moral yardstick. it used to be if you were poor, you had done something wrong morally. increasingly, it's fat. being fat means there's something else wrong with you. implicit in that is a demonizing of food, and especially enjoying food. when you get down to it, a lot of this country has absorbed the most dangerous of the old puritan values: that physical pleasure is somehow in and of itself evil. just look at how we handle (or completely fail to handle) sex. the same thing goes for food. to be someone who lives to eat rather than who merely eats to live is an invitation for contempt. if you enjoy food, you'll get fat. if you're fat, you're morally corrupt. and don't even get me started on how we treat alcohol. that's a subject for another post entirely.
yes, i'm on a diet now, but that's because i stopped moving. for years, i walked a couple miles a day. then i graduated, got a job and a car and started packing on the pounds. but i haven't changed how i eat. i'm not eating slimfast or weight watchers, i'm eating what i always made for myself: stir fry, homemade soups, fried chicken. ooo. i think we'll have tacos for dinner tonight.
i dunno. i cook dinner every night. i didn't think that was so weird. and who doesn't cook with herbs? under the most refined tortures (or on a public forum seemingly designed for the grossest of personal confessions) i will certainly admit to using broth from a can and tomato sauce from a jar. but i still dump herbs in there. we had lasagne for dinner last night. sauce out of a jar, cheese out of tubs. but good-quality sauce and cheese and noodles. and i played with the recipe and added in some herbs and spices. am i really so different? i know my in-laws go to costco and buy frozen lasagne with orange sauce. is that what most people eat? they think i'm funny because i'll spend the extra money to buy low-fat meats, good cheeses, olive oil, and grow my own herbs. why would i take the time to make my own hamburgers when i could buy them for $1.99/lb at costco? i guess because i know the difference between 20%fat 1/3lb unseasoned slabs from costco and the ones i make myself.
for one, mine are healthier.
i guess maybe that answers my question. not tv dinners, but frozen hamburgers and pre-seasoned turkey roasts from costco and sam's club are what people eat instead of cooking for themselves. i have to say, i feel sorry for them. to not know what good food is, and to not allow themselves to enjoy it. i guess i'm just morally corrupt that way.
i mean, really. what is this?
The French way of life requires shopping several times a week at small markets or well-stocked supermarkets that carry quality produce. It involves cooking with herbs and fresh foods, not processed ones, something many American women say they do not have the time or talent to do.
if you don't cook your own meals, what do you eat? tv dinners? not only do i go food shopping every week, i used to work in a grocery store. i've never seen a single cart piled high with tv dinners. sure, a few here, a few there, but no one throws 15 dinners in their cart. and don't ask me to believe everyone eats mcdonalds every night either; a lot of people just can't afford that.
one thing she's right about, though, is that people here don't eat for pleasure. being fat is the new moral yardstick. it used to be if you were poor, you had done something wrong morally. increasingly, it's fat. being fat means there's something else wrong with you. implicit in that is a demonizing of food, and especially enjoying food. when you get down to it, a lot of this country has absorbed the most dangerous of the old puritan values: that physical pleasure is somehow in and of itself evil. just look at how we handle (or completely fail to handle) sex. the same thing goes for food. to be someone who lives to eat rather than who merely eats to live is an invitation for contempt. if you enjoy food, you'll get fat. if you're fat, you're morally corrupt. and don't even get me started on how we treat alcohol. that's a subject for another post entirely.
yes, i'm on a diet now, but that's because i stopped moving. for years, i walked a couple miles a day. then i graduated, got a job and a car and started packing on the pounds. but i haven't changed how i eat. i'm not eating slimfast or weight watchers, i'm eating what i always made for myself: stir fry, homemade soups, fried chicken. ooo. i think we'll have tacos for dinner tonight.
i dunno. i cook dinner every night. i didn't think that was so weird. and who doesn't cook with herbs? under the most refined tortures (or on a public forum seemingly designed for the grossest of personal confessions) i will certainly admit to using broth from a can and tomato sauce from a jar. but i still dump herbs in there. we had lasagne for dinner last night. sauce out of a jar, cheese out of tubs. but good-quality sauce and cheese and noodles. and i played with the recipe and added in some herbs and spices. am i really so different? i know my in-laws go to costco and buy frozen lasagne with orange sauce. is that what most people eat? they think i'm funny because i'll spend the extra money to buy low-fat meats, good cheeses, olive oil, and grow my own herbs. why would i take the time to make my own hamburgers when i could buy them for $1.99/lb at costco? i guess because i know the difference between 20%fat 1/3lb unseasoned slabs from costco and the ones i make myself.
for one, mine are healthier.
i guess maybe that answers my question. not tv dinners, but frozen hamburgers and pre-seasoned turkey roasts from costco and sam's club are what people eat instead of cooking for themselves. i have to say, i feel sorry for them. to not know what good food is, and to not allow themselves to enjoy it. i guess i'm just morally corrupt that way.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
has anybody seen my brain today?
(apologies to green velvet).
zzz. zzz.
as a quick word of explanation, i'm on a diet and have started going to a gym because since i graduated from university, i've gained 10~15lbs. while i'm technically still in the "healthy" range for BMI and body-fat percentage, i'm only just barely there. i'm feeling fat and squishy. i'd say the squishyness is more bothersome than the fatness, but they kind of go hand in hand. also, i've had to buy all new jeans.
it's kind of funny. when i was in school, every time i came home for vacation or went back after a break, practically everyone would ask me if i lost weight. it was like i ballooned up in people's memories when i wasn't around. it was mildly disturbing, actually. now, of course, i have gained weight. we'll just have to see what happens when i do in fact lose it.
zzz. zzz.
as a quick word of explanation, i'm on a diet and have started going to a gym because since i graduated from university, i've gained 10~15lbs. while i'm technically still in the "healthy" range for BMI and body-fat percentage, i'm only just barely there. i'm feeling fat and squishy. i'd say the squishyness is more bothersome than the fatness, but they kind of go hand in hand. also, i've had to buy all new jeans.
it's kind of funny. when i was in school, every time i came home for vacation or went back after a break, practically everyone would ask me if i lost weight. it was like i ballooned up in people's memories when i wasn't around. it was mildly disturbing, actually. now, of course, i have gained weight. we'll just have to see what happens when i do in fact lose it.
Saturday, January 8, 2005
Friday, January 7, 2005
oh my.
somehow, this does not fill me with confidence. especially that last comment o.O
looks like we're in for another great weekend.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED HEADER
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
1040 AM EST FRI JAN 7 2005
ANOTHER TRICKY WX SITUATION ON THE WAY. CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME POTENTIAL FOR 2ND ICE EVENT SAME AREA IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS. COUPLE OF OUR ANEMOMETERS FROZEN SO DON'T BE FOOLED BY CALM WINDS NRN ZONES.
looks like we're in for another great weekend.
Thursday, January 6, 2005
they promise not to do that.
i got put on this project. i am in a dilbert cartoon.
i love working with our hong kong office. the spec has been re-issued 3 times, but they never changed the revision number because that involves too much paperwork
not only that, but one of the revisions involved this little gem:
you have a block of data which is made up of smaller blocks of data. you add a new 8 byte block. you don't change any of the other lengths.
16 + 8 no longer equals 16 anymore.
they promise not to use that option.
i love my job *cough*
i love working with our hong kong office. the spec has been re-issued 3 times, but they never changed the revision number because that involves too much paperwork
not only that, but one of the revisions involved this little gem:
you have a block of data which is made up of smaller blocks of data. you add a new 8 byte block. you don't change any of the other lengths.
16 + 8 no longer equals 16 anymore.
they promise not to use that option.
i love my job *cough*
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
i think i need a new job.
it's really amazing what opportunities are out there today. to say nothing of what our tax dollars are spent on.
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
beginning of the year redux.
why now? because there's so little to redux ;)
still. ugh. back to the daily grind.
on the other hand, you'd be amazed what getting 10-12 hours of sleep a night will do for your immune system. i think i'm finally over those damn viruses.
tomorrow's looking exciting, however.
also, could someone convince me to stop reading about asperger's syndrome? at this rate, i'm about to self-diagnose :P
still. ugh. back to the daily grind.
on the other hand, you'd be amazed what getting 10-12 hours of sleep a night will do for your immune system. i think i'm finally over those damn viruses.
tomorrow's looking exciting, however.
Wednesday. Rain in the morning. Then snow. Sleet and rain in the afternoon. Snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Temperatures in the lower to mid 30s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday night. Snow and sleet in the evening. Then freezing rain after midnight. Light snow accumulations possible. Lows around 30. East winds 5 to 10 mph.
also, could someone convince me to stop reading about asperger's syndrome? at this rate, i'm about to self-diagnose :P
Sunday, January 2, 2005
so that's why i can't lose weight.
some people use eating as a psychological crutch. when they get upset, stressed out, bored, depressed, panicky, etc, they eat. there are support groups for people who have undergone bariatric surgery because removing the physical capacity to consume food does absolutely nothing for the emotional dependence on it (no, i'm not pulling that out of my ass, but the philadelphia inquirer keeps losing my password so i can't link to their article on it).
the thing is, that's not really my problem. when i get upset, bored, depressed, i use cooking as a therapy. so i end up eating.
anyone want some yoghurt-cheddar biscuit-things?
the thing is, that's not really my problem. when i get upset, bored, depressed, i use cooking as a therapy. so i end up eating.
anyone want some yoghurt-cheddar biscuit-things?
Saturday, January 1, 2005
happy new year.
and again: happy new year!
we slept until 1pm and then got up and made bacon and eggs and home fries and toast and too much strong coffee. and orange juice, but we didn't make that. it came out of a carton.
we slept until 1pm and then got up and made bacon and eggs and home fries and toast and too much strong coffee. and orange juice, but we didn't make that. it came out of a carton.
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