"On doit des égards aux vivants; on ne doit aux morts que la verité." (To the living we owe civility; truth is all that we owe to the dead.) - Voltaire
***
Me: there're plenty of people who abhor socialism
but who are against organ trading
MFTTW: i know i know, we're a rare breed :D
the rational females... a rare breed indeed.
HWMNBN: although recently i've realised ngo work actually pays quite well
(not just durai)
ngo/charity/non-profit work
as my colleague scathingly puts it: *no accountability but salaries comparable to that of the private sector*
it's not entirely true that mammon is the only path to prosperity
but the hypocrisy offends me
at least working for mammon, i know where i stand, and everyone knows it
ie. that i work for EVIL
it's also partly why i never donate to charities
i'd rather directly do community service or give money to beggars
(although the latter is more out of superstitious fear and karma than genuine charity)
Me: you would rather be the evil tyrant who kills 100,000 people
than the benevolent overlord who governs well but seizes a subject to rapeo ne day
actually no
wrong analogy
HWMNBN: i would rather be lee kuan yew than mahathir
if you want to put it that way
Me: you would rather be totally evil
than generally good with some human flaws
HWMNBN: i would rather be honest with myself
than lie
is that so hard for you to understand?
Me: they're not lying
HWMNBN: medicines sans frontieres pays out only 10-15% of what it gets to the actual charity
the rest of it goes to admin and etc
while i acknowledge up to a point there are expenses and costs
this is beyond the pale lor
it's a hopelessly corrupt system
as corrupt as the one i occupy
at least in mine though, we give the world fair warning
WE ARE OUT TO RAPE AND KILL YOU
versus
patting them on the head and giving them sweets before firing them in the head from behind
Me: I didn't know it was that low
but how does medicines sans frontieres fire them in the head from behind
don't be stupid
HWMNBN: a system of "charity" which benefits its administrators and aid workers
more than its recipients
is no charity
i acknowledge the "better than zero" argument
but that doesn't mean i can't feel disgusted
Me: it is less disgusting than outright evil
HWMNBN: *shrugs and smiles* that's subjective
to me it isn't
truth before happiness
anyway, it's not like mammon doesn't spin it's own lies
about disintermediation and trickle-down
and liberalisation of capital markets and deregulation benefiting the common man
although i'd say we're fooling less people:)
but the irony is, i think the outright evil of mammon actually serves the world better
Me: when I'm free I'll dig up stuff about financial liberalisation
anyway if you were a serial killer you'd rather shoot a kid together with his parents
than let the kid go
and not just because you don't want batman to come after you in 10 years
HWMNBN: between absolute evil and hypocrisy
i choose evil
"i'm only as good as the world allows me to be."
Me: yeah
the damn feds made Kaczynski blow up the oklahoma city building
Me: you think the world exists to serve you ah
HWMNBN: *grins* no, but it would a better world if it did
i would rule with a just hand, afirm hand
and bring plenty and prosperity to all
children would dance in the streets
Me: yah yah
just dont use such a firm hand when you wank
Someone: i was telling *** on *** that i'm quite sure that we will allow organ sales very soon
simply by reading papers
the usual MO of the govt starting
MPs ask qns..
ST reports n analyses abit
big shot minister say something
ST today featured the sellers in indonesia..how they become damn rich
i'm sure next 2 wks, pm lee will say something
then become like casino, must find another name for organ sales
Me: there will be a "consultation panel"
and then the result we all knew would happen will happen
Someone: i though of a name liaoz
HORE
Human Organ Reallocation Exercise
Someone else: i went to RI twice
to do tours for the kids
the boys there v shy
normal boys frm other schs will try to hit on me
Me: wah lao
they're so despo ah
HAHA
Someone else: haha
i think if i went girls sch ill be damn despo also loh
Someone: I used to like school but after coming to singapore, I don't like it so much anymore
Someone else: this blogthing quiz. it's for girls is it
so many quizzes are for girls
Me: yeah
we're oppressed
Someone else: yeah i want to find quizzes for guys also cannot
i feel so discriminated against
they also let only women view the semi-nude body scanners at the airport
Me: hah
what abt lesbians and nymphos
well women can clean male toilets
but not vice in spore
Someone: i wonder if my students would freak out to know i keep tabs on several of their blogs
hahaha
Me: haha you googled them ah
apparently many young teachers do that
hee hee
Someone: freaking easy lah
esp since so many kids nowadays have unique names
easy to find them
and they LINK ALL THEIR FRIENDS
one link to find them all
Me: hahahahaha
these kids dont know anything
Someone: and they blog my name outright
MISS ***
how not to find
hahahha
i don't even need to google them
i google myself.
:/
L'origine de Bert
Thursday, July 31, 2008
"To be great is to be misunderstood." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, An Essay on Self-Reliance
***
I was listening to the Solo travel as a woman episode of the Amateur Traveler podcast. Basically this girl had ditched her job in the corporate world and been traveling around the world (mostly in the developing world, and solo a third of the time) for just over a year (at that point) and she was sharing her experiences.
One thing that really pisses me off about Singapore girls is that when they express envy at my travels and I tell them to go off backpacking too, they usually give me the chestnut of "oh, but I'm a girl".
Yet, while listening to accounts of eating the local delicacy (rat) among the hill tribes of Northern Thailand and tree-climbing goats in Morocco, what struck me by its scarcity was talk about the difficulties and challenges faced by women traveling alone. She didn't recommend any place for solo women NOT to go, and basically said you must be smart. For example, in Morocco and Egypt don't walk alone at night (even as a guy I probably wouldn't do that idea), and if men follow you you must be aggressive and forceful. She said you don't see women walking around in those countries - you can spend an entire day at a lovely cafe and see only men (though strangely enough she didn't complain that she felt "oppressed" by the lack of women).
Her advice was to work through your fears, but everything works out in the end and it's worth it, yet it was quite clear that this referred not just (or even particularly) to women traveling alone, but rather to going on the road for extended periods of time (and leaving your job behind etc).
Other things she talked about during the interview were how you meet more people when alone and how she prefers developing countries - the more difficult the better, since you get a new perspective on the world.
(The interviewee also has a blog at http://ottsworld.com/ - you will notice that only two posts are tagged solo female travel - and neither actually talks about it!)
***
I was listening to the Solo travel as a woman episode of the Amateur Traveler podcast. Basically this girl had ditched her job in the corporate world and been traveling around the world (mostly in the developing world, and solo a third of the time) for just over a year (at that point) and she was sharing her experiences.
One thing that really pisses me off about Singapore girls is that when they express envy at my travels and I tell them to go off backpacking too, they usually give me the chestnut of "oh, but I'm a girl".
Yet, while listening to accounts of eating the local delicacy (rat) among the hill tribes of Northern Thailand and tree-climbing goats in Morocco, what struck me by its scarcity was talk about the difficulties and challenges faced by women traveling alone. She didn't recommend any place for solo women NOT to go, and basically said you must be smart. For example, in Morocco and Egypt don't walk alone at night (even as a guy I probably wouldn't do that idea), and if men follow you you must be aggressive and forceful. She said you don't see women walking around in those countries - you can spend an entire day at a lovely cafe and see only men (though strangely enough she didn't complain that she felt "oppressed" by the lack of women).
Her advice was to work through your fears, but everything works out in the end and it's worth it, yet it was quite clear that this referred not just (or even particularly) to women traveling alone, but rather to going on the road for extended periods of time (and leaving your job behind etc).
Other things she talked about during the interview were how you meet more people when alone and how she prefers developing countries - the more difficult the better, since you get a new perspective on the world.
(The interviewee also has a blog at http://ottsworld.com/ - you will notice that only two posts are tagged solo female travel - and neither actually talks about it!)
Post ID: 9013603217805369834
"People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news." - A. J. Liebling
***
YouTube - Guiness Good Times - "Another way to enjoy a good beverage"
Diet 'can flavour mother's milk' - "New Scientist magazine reported that banana could be detected for an hour after consumption, while menthol lasted for eight hours."
Vatican blesses Mary the musical - "The music has been penned by Stelvio Cipriani, a 70-year-old composer who has written the scores for movies including Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, Black Orgasm and Sex of the Devil... "Mary is truly the biggest female celebrity in history and a point of contact between all religions.""
All religions?!
I hate feminism. - "Really. You can't do anything right by them. You put a strong woman in a movie; they'll bitch at you for showing that she has a human side when she cries or is shown as being weak in any way at all. Put a strong woman in a movie, and give her no flaws at all; they'll bitch at you for creating an image of women which is impossible for real women to match. So what are you supposed to do? Sheesh!"
Egalitarian Epistemology - "Several PoMo figures, among them Andrew Ross and Sandra Harding, have argued that rationality, coherence and standards of evidence are merely social artefacts coloured by white male patriarchy and other Western vices. Thus, it is argued, one cannot assert the primacy of the scientific method over, say, a belief in voodoo or Scientology. Defined in this way, epistemology becomes a matter of lifestyle choice or political preference. Hence Harding’s unveiling of “feminist empiricism”, a quasi-Marxist alternative to the kind that actually works... This levelling of all knowledge claims is also of enormous benefit to Ross and Harding personally, both of whom make grandiose claims based on precious little evidence"
I like Sandra Harding's description of Newton’s Principia as a 'rape manual' and her claim that 'science is a male rape of female nature'.
Olympic cleanup puts some Beijing residents behind walls - "A veil of green plastic netting has covered Sun's restaurant for months. Song's house and several shops that he rents to migrant workers were surrounded by a brick wall three meters, or 10 feet, high last week, as part of last-minute efforts to beautify the city for the Olympics. The authorities deemed his little block of commerce not beautiful... She believed officials and developers were using Olympic beautification as a pretense to strangle their business and exert pressure to make them leave... The city has bullied her to leave. One night last year a bulldozer slammed into the building. Neighbors are paid to keep watch over her, and notify the police when she has guests. Sun said officials had pressed her doctor into refusing to give her care."
One World One Dream
Mr T Snickers ad pulled for being offensive to gay people - "Mars has pulled a UK TV ad for Snickers featuring Mr T harassing a speed walker for being a "disgrace to the man race" after US complaints that it was offensive to gay people... The Human Rights Campaign criticised Mars for perpetuating "the notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a group of second class citizens and that violence against GLBT people is not only acceptable, but humorous"."
Say no to homophobia today! Next up, the colour purple is banned except when used by GLBT groups.
Monday manifesto: is Singapore the canary in the mine? - "There is little doubt that Singapore's business model is under threat... Now it has a number of hungry, growing cities in India and China breathing down its neck as viable financial hubs. Because of Singapore's minuscule size, the openness of its markets and its dependence on exports and the financial services industry to drive growth, a country that appears to have prospered through doctrinaire social manipulation is, in reality, disproportionately at the mercy of monetary and fiscal policy. "I would say that starting from the premise that we are vulnerable is not a bad thing in a whole sphere of policies," Mr Tharman said. "The fact is that we are vulnerable ... psychologically, it is both a liability and an asset.""
Duh, you might as well say the same about starting from the premise that we are invulnerable.
Myth Busted: Girls as Competitive as Boys - "Girls are no less competitive than boys, they simply employ more subtle tactics, a study of pre-schoolers suggests. While boys use head-on aggression to get what they want, girls rely on the pain of social exclusion... Boys tended to ask for the puppet, grab at it, or even chase the child who had it. In contrast, girls punished the puppet-holder by excluding her from their clique, whispering behind her back or even hiding from her. Benenson says that these socially aggressive tactics may explain why girls exhibit greater jealousy over same-sex friendships than boys... Emery Thompson says that these differences also explain why human males tend to cooperate more effectively in groups while many females "work well in pairs and tend to maintain only a few close relationships.""
I'm sure someone will blame this on socialization through TV.
Comments: "Interesting to see "onefreaknword" complaining about sexism when an article says men and women use different methods to get their way. Wonder how many complaints about sexism there were when the model was "nasty competitive boys" vs "nice co-operative girls"?"
"Women are driven to emotionally punish those with whom they do not cooperate. And men are up-front, without subversive agenda. To me, this shows a lack of effective problem-solving ability in women. No, it's not just "different" - it is mean spirited, shrewish, and manipulative."
"In my office, my boss and I are the only men. In working around women, I found that gossip rules. People's reputations are shaped by stories that are told about them behind their back, and gossip and competitiveness -- co-workers trying to outdo each other -- go hand in hand"
"That is why I have more guy friends than girl friends. Much easier to deal with. Women (that I have dealt with) are meaner and sneaky. Guys generally don't put that much effort into it. Either you are friends or you aren't."
"Hello! Any female over the age of ten could have told you that!!!!"
The Leadership survey on Pastors and Internet Pornography - "Four in ten pastors online have visited a pornographic Web site. And more than one-third have done so in the past year. Those statistics from our Leadership survey have drawn startled response. From non-pastors: "So many!" From pastors: "Is that all?""
'Do as I say, not as I do'
Study Reveals Gamer Age, Gender Surprises - "A recent list of facts published by the Entertainment Software Association reveals that 38 percent of gamers are women, despite common stereotypes that say otherwise. Their numbers also point out that female gamers over the age of 18 make up 31 percent of all gamers, a larger percentage than that of male gamers under the age of 17 (20 percent), a group traditionally seen as the majority. Also of note is the fact that the average age of the typical gamer is 33."
***
YouTube - Guiness Good Times - "Another way to enjoy a good beverage"
Diet 'can flavour mother's milk' - "New Scientist magazine reported that banana could be detected for an hour after consumption, while menthol lasted for eight hours."
Vatican blesses Mary the musical - "The music has been penned by Stelvio Cipriani, a 70-year-old composer who has written the scores for movies including Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, Black Orgasm and Sex of the Devil... "Mary is truly the biggest female celebrity in history and a point of contact between all religions.""
All religions?!
I hate feminism. - "Really. You can't do anything right by them. You put a strong woman in a movie; they'll bitch at you for showing that she has a human side when she cries or is shown as being weak in any way at all. Put a strong woman in a movie, and give her no flaws at all; they'll bitch at you for creating an image of women which is impossible for real women to match. So what are you supposed to do? Sheesh!"
Egalitarian Epistemology - "Several PoMo figures, among them Andrew Ross and Sandra Harding, have argued that rationality, coherence and standards of evidence are merely social artefacts coloured by white male patriarchy and other Western vices. Thus, it is argued, one cannot assert the primacy of the scientific method over, say, a belief in voodoo or Scientology. Defined in this way, epistemology becomes a matter of lifestyle choice or political preference. Hence Harding’s unveiling of “feminist empiricism”, a quasi-Marxist alternative to the kind that actually works... This levelling of all knowledge claims is also of enormous benefit to Ross and Harding personally, both of whom make grandiose claims based on precious little evidence"
I like Sandra Harding's description of Newton’s Principia as a 'rape manual' and her claim that 'science is a male rape of female nature'.
Olympic cleanup puts some Beijing residents behind walls - "A veil of green plastic netting has covered Sun's restaurant for months. Song's house and several shops that he rents to migrant workers were surrounded by a brick wall three meters, or 10 feet, high last week, as part of last-minute efforts to beautify the city for the Olympics. The authorities deemed his little block of commerce not beautiful... She believed officials and developers were using Olympic beautification as a pretense to strangle their business and exert pressure to make them leave... The city has bullied her to leave. One night last year a bulldozer slammed into the building. Neighbors are paid to keep watch over her, and notify the police when she has guests. Sun said officials had pressed her doctor into refusing to give her care."
One World One Dream
Mr T Snickers ad pulled for being offensive to gay people - "Mars has pulled a UK TV ad for Snickers featuring Mr T harassing a speed walker for being a "disgrace to the man race" after US complaints that it was offensive to gay people... The Human Rights Campaign criticised Mars for perpetuating "the notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a group of second class citizens and that violence against GLBT people is not only acceptable, but humorous"."
Say no to homophobia today! Next up, the colour purple is banned except when used by GLBT groups.
Monday manifesto: is Singapore the canary in the mine? - "There is little doubt that Singapore's business model is under threat... Now it has a number of hungry, growing cities in India and China breathing down its neck as viable financial hubs. Because of Singapore's minuscule size, the openness of its markets and its dependence on exports and the financial services industry to drive growth, a country that appears to have prospered through doctrinaire social manipulation is, in reality, disproportionately at the mercy of monetary and fiscal policy. "I would say that starting from the premise that we are vulnerable is not a bad thing in a whole sphere of policies," Mr Tharman said. "The fact is that we are vulnerable ... psychologically, it is both a liability and an asset.""
Duh, you might as well say the same about starting from the premise that we are invulnerable.
Myth Busted: Girls as Competitive as Boys - "Girls are no less competitive than boys, they simply employ more subtle tactics, a study of pre-schoolers suggests. While boys use head-on aggression to get what they want, girls rely on the pain of social exclusion... Boys tended to ask for the puppet, grab at it, or even chase the child who had it. In contrast, girls punished the puppet-holder by excluding her from their clique, whispering behind her back or even hiding from her. Benenson says that these socially aggressive tactics may explain why girls exhibit greater jealousy over same-sex friendships than boys... Emery Thompson says that these differences also explain why human males tend to cooperate more effectively in groups while many females "work well in pairs and tend to maintain only a few close relationships.""
I'm sure someone will blame this on socialization through TV.
Comments: "Interesting to see "onefreaknword" complaining about sexism when an article says men and women use different methods to get their way. Wonder how many complaints about sexism there were when the model was "nasty competitive boys" vs "nice co-operative girls"?"
"Women are driven to emotionally punish those with whom they do not cooperate. And men are up-front, without subversive agenda. To me, this shows a lack of effective problem-solving ability in women. No, it's not just "different" - it is mean spirited, shrewish, and manipulative."
"In my office, my boss and I are the only men. In working around women, I found that gossip rules. People's reputations are shaped by stories that are told about them behind their back, and gossip and competitiveness -- co-workers trying to outdo each other -- go hand in hand"
"That is why I have more guy friends than girl friends. Much easier to deal with. Women (that I have dealt with) are meaner and sneaky. Guys generally don't put that much effort into it. Either you are friends or you aren't."
"Hello! Any female over the age of ten could have told you that!!!!"
The Leadership survey on Pastors and Internet Pornography - "Four in ten pastors online have visited a pornographic Web site. And more than one-third have done so in the past year. Those statistics from our Leadership survey have drawn startled response. From non-pastors: "So many!" From pastors: "Is that all?""
'Do as I say, not as I do'
Study Reveals Gamer Age, Gender Surprises - "A recent list of facts published by the Entertainment Software Association reveals that 38 percent of gamers are women, despite common stereotypes that say otherwise. Their numbers also point out that female gamers over the age of 18 make up 31 percent of all gamers, a larger percentage than that of male gamers under the age of 17 (20 percent), a group traditionally seen as the majority. Also of note is the fact that the average age of the typical gamer is 33."
Post ID: 7838118508971665048
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Baltics trip
Day 5 - 20th May - Klaipeda, Lithuania (Part 1)
We went back to the Curonian Spit for the morning, and in the late afternoon we had an interesting trip planned.
"Hellmobil"
Significant-looking freestanding masonry
[Addendum: According to Wikipedia:
"Monument of United Lithuania (Lithuania Minor and Lithuania Major), Klaipėda Lithuania. The inscription in Lithuanian: "We are one nation, one land, one Lithuania" (Ieva Simonaitytė)."
Also:
"A granite column stands for the cultural heritage of Lithuania Minor and the broken right side symbolizes former Lithuanian lands in the Kaliningrad Oblast as being outside the main body"]
We went to the town of Juodkrante this time.
Reeds
Man-shaped hole in rock I was forced into
Swans through reeds
House straight out of Scooby Doo
Car that'd been parked so long it had cobwebs
The first stop was the Witches' Hill, with many sculptures of folk demons and the like dating from the last quarter of the 20th century on.
Kids who were there too
Carved pillars
Castle
Bench
Lithuanian kids taking silly shot
More kids
We then went to explore some beaches.
"Family beach, Male beach, Female beach, Nude beach, Sea"
2 chinup bars in the forest
Then we hit the beach.
Anticipating a scene like in Eurotrip, nw.t and I ran to the top of this mound, only to see:
An empty beach
Tourist horde in the background
Empty on the other side
Horde
Tourist hordes
We did see one couple sunbathing nude, albeit in a depression in a sand mound and so sheltered from the wind.
Me
At one point we got lost, but luckily we made it out in time for our trip later that day
[HWMNBN: officer [YC] tried to lead us out
and [I had] fears we'd end up as blair witch 3 - Stupid Tourists In The Spit]
On the ferry back, we had the privilege of watching Spongebob Squarepants - in Lithuanian. Dubbed in monotone. Over the original soundtrack's (which at least was turned down so it wasn't very audible)
"Folk Pagan Black Metal Festivals: Ancient Rites"
Gira... inside a locked fridge at a kiosk (the woman at the stand had to press a button to unlock the fridge door). Notice the large crack which probably came about when someone tried to get at the drinks inside. This is also why the alcoholic drinks were in a separate fridge inside the kiosk
The 2 things we had at the kiosk. We have no idea what they were.
We went back to the hostel to await our transport, and discovered:
"GHJ PRIVATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The management's private alcohol stash under the sink, despite house rules about no alcohol being allowed inside. "Do as we say, not as we do"
[HWMNBN: btw.. yo do know that "private alcohol stash" is all empty bottles right?
"neve leave money on the table"]
The well-maintained kettle we'd been using to boil water in. I cleaned it as best I could after taking this shot.
Day 5 - 20th May - Klaipeda, Lithuania (Part 1)
We went back to the Curonian Spit for the morning, and in the late afternoon we had an interesting trip planned.
"Hellmobil"
Significant-looking freestanding masonry
[Addendum: According to Wikipedia:
"Monument of United Lithuania (Lithuania Minor and Lithuania Major), Klaipėda Lithuania. The inscription in Lithuanian: "We are one nation, one land, one Lithuania" (Ieva Simonaitytė)."
Also:
"A granite column stands for the cultural heritage of Lithuania Minor and the broken right side symbolizes former Lithuanian lands in the Kaliningrad Oblast as being outside the main body"]
We went to the town of Juodkrante this time.
Reeds
Man-shaped hole in rock I was forced into
Swans through reeds
House straight out of Scooby Doo
Car that'd been parked so long it had cobwebs
The first stop was the Witches' Hill, with many sculptures of folk demons and the like dating from the last quarter of the 20th century on.
Kids who were there too
Carved pillars
Castle
Bench
Lithuanian kids taking silly shot
More kids
We then went to explore some beaches.
"Family beach, Male beach, Female beach, Nude beach, Sea"
2 chinup bars in the forest
Then we hit the beach.
Anticipating a scene like in Eurotrip, nw.t and I ran to the top of this mound, only to see:
An empty beach
Tourist horde in the background
Empty on the other side
Horde
Tourist hordes
We did see one couple sunbathing nude, albeit in a depression in a sand mound and so sheltered from the wind.
Me
At one point we got lost, but luckily we made it out in time for our trip later that day
[HWMNBN: officer [YC] tried to lead us out
and [I had] fears we'd end up as blair witch 3 - Stupid Tourists In The Spit]
On the ferry back, we had the privilege of watching Spongebob Squarepants - in Lithuanian. Dubbed in monotone. Over the original soundtrack's (which at least was turned down so it wasn't very audible)
"Folk Pagan Black Metal Festivals: Ancient Rites"
Gira... inside a locked fridge at a kiosk (the woman at the stand had to press a button to unlock the fridge door). Notice the large crack which probably came about when someone tried to get at the drinks inside. This is also why the alcoholic drinks were in a separate fridge inside the kiosk
The 2 things we had at the kiosk. We have no idea what they were.
We went back to the hostel to await our transport, and discovered:
"GHJ PRIVATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The management's private alcohol stash under the sink, despite house rules about no alcohol being allowed inside. "Do as we say, not as we do"
[HWMNBN: btw.. yo do know that "private alcohol stash" is all empty bottles right?
"neve leave money on the table"]
The well-maintained kettle we'd been using to boil water in. I cleaned it as best I could after taking this shot.
Post ID: 2523569811362937974
Monday, July 28, 2008
"Americans detest all lies except lies spoken in public or printed lies." - Edgar Watson Howe
***
"To Butter a bagel
You need to finagle
Just to inveigle
The slithering spread
To the edge of the bread,
Avoid the hole
Of this crisp Jewish roll
Lest globs of goo land
In the palm of your hand.
If you want to add extras
You'd better be dexterous
And nab the stray blocks
Of cream cheese and lox
That fall through the middle
Of this no-middle vittle."
--- It Bagels the Mind, Alma Denny
***
"To Butter a bagel
You need to finagle
Just to inveigle
The slithering spread
To the edge of the bread,
Avoid the hole
Of this crisp Jewish roll
Lest globs of goo land
In the palm of your hand.
If you want to add extras
You'd better be dexterous
And nab the stray blocks
Of cream cheese and lox
That fall through the middle
Of this no-middle vittle."
--- It Bagels the Mind, Alma Denny
Post ID: 6073132168171543443
Links - 28th July 2008
"Nothing is said that has not been said before." - Terence
***
The hi-tech machine that reveals nine out of ten women could be damaging their breasts by wearing the wrong bra - "Millions of women are damaging their breasts by wearing ill-fitting bras, according to a new study. Scientists say most bras do not give enough support to prevent irreparable and painful stretching of ligaments during exercise. Up to 95 per cent of women are thought to be at risk - mostly because they are ignorant or embarrassed about their true bra size, researchers say. The findings come from treadmill tests carried out on 100 women by Portsmouth University sports scientist Dr Joanna Scurr. She found that breasts typically move up to 21 cm - or eight inches - and jiggle around in every direction while a women is running. However, most bras are designed to limit just vertical movement."
This must be because bra designers are men who are determined to keep women at home.
Hauled to court on race charge, ex-WPC who told rowdy youths: 'Go back where you come from' - "The former policewoman got dressed, went outside and shouted at them: 'Why can't you go back to where you come from and make some noise there? I bet your families and neighbours wouldn't put up with it... She also reported the incident to police, who came and dispersed the eight students. The 51-year-old grandmother was astonished when four months later she was arrested and accused of being a racist. It turned out that two Asians in the group had complained to the police. In April, Miss Calvert-Mindell, who has never been in trouble with the police before, was charged with using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour under section 5 of the Public Order Act... 'The authorities today are so sensitive to being criticised for being racist that any claims of racism just raises their antennae, instead of using common sense.'"
Racism deserves Zero Tolerance
Boys' school cafe offers geek girls tea and fantasy - "Whereas maid cafes, managed by young women in cartoon-like frilly outfits, have indulged the stunted sexual fantasies of male otaku for a decade, businesses are only now considering the commercial potential of the female market. Edelstein's manager, 27-year-old Emiko Sakamaki, explains that "my concept was to hire young men who could play the part of beautiful boys that privileged families would send to a good boarding school" — a fetish of female otaku, many of whom grow up on "boy's love" comics full of homosexual relationships... Last year one of Japan's woman manga artists, Mimei Sakamoto, savaged the predilection shown by some otaku for prepubescent erotica in the Shukan Bunshun magazine: "In other countries, they'd call what you're fantasising over 'child pornography' and you'd all be arrested.""
Damn Japs.
Delicious Vinyl: Japan's Plastic Food Replicas - "Takizo Iwasaki is credited with creating the first food sample early last century. Initially inspired by the shapes formed by candle wax dripping on a tatami mat, he subsequently molded a wax rice omelet in Gifu Prefecture in 1917. In 1932, he founded the company today known as Iwasaki Co. - the present phony food Godzilla, commanding over fifty percent of the market... Perhaps his most interesting charge was a department store that requested he create synthetic worms for a before-and-after display exhibiting the effectiveness of an insecticide. Tourists can find his miniature pudding bowls and slices of pizza dangling from the end of mobile phone straps (for 800 yen) when visiting souvenir shops at Narita Airport."
Breast Injuries in Female Athletes - "Coopers Ligaments help hold the breasts up. They are thin bands interwoven into the breast and are not very strong. If the breasts are not supported properly with a good sports bra then repetitive bouncing from running can stretch the Coopers ligaments permanently. The main injuries affecting breasts are nipple problems (joggers nipple or friction injury), a direct blow to the breast causing a contusion and repetitive trauma caused by constant movement and bouncing whilst running."
Interestingly enough joggers nipple is more common in men than women. They should wear nipple tape.
YouTube - Uchida conducts Mozart's Piano Concerto #20 - Rondo III - Someone: "i wonder if the orchestra members are trying not to laugh
they look like they're trying not to laugh"
Guards Go Stiff at Local Army Base - "Locals in TaoYuan Province, Taiwan, noticed that the guards around a local Army base always seemed to stand in the same position without moving... The soldiers were actually dummies dressed up as soldiers and armed with fake rifles."
Security breach!
There's No Such Thing as a "Bad Feminist" - "What bothers the fuck out of me, though, is when women accuse other women of being bad feminists. That simply does not exist. Because it doesn't matter what you think about women's issues, just as long as you're thinking about them... The women that I think are some of the smartest, most progressive feminists of our time—Christina Hoff Sommers, Debbie Stoller, Daphne Patai, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Susie Bright, Camille Paglia—are also the women who have been reviled by other feminists as being "anti-feminist," simply for thinking outside the box, simply for questioning established feminist theories... We can't live our lives constantly in fear, because constantly being afraid makes us cowards, weaker, lesser. Instead, we should all be accountable for our own actions, strive for autonomy, and if we are truly to be independent creatures, we need to learn how to deal with our socio-sexual interactions with men, without having to go running to a third party all the time to handle shit for us... Like Hoff Sommers says, "The truth is no enemy to compassion." Just because I believe that there are preventative measures that can be taken to avoid date rape, doesn't mean that I think that women who were date raped "deserved it" or "asked for it." It does not mean that I hate women, and it does not mean that I think that women who are raped are stupid. On the contrary, I like to believe that women are too smart to be undermined in such a way to assume that they can't be in control of their own bodies and own choices."
Denis Dutton on Bad Writing - "While everyone moans (rightly) about the decline in student literacy, not enough attention has been given to deplorable writing among the professoriate... No one denies the need for a specialized vocabulary in biochemistry or physics or in technical areas of the humanities like linguistics. But among literature professors who do what they now call “theory” — mostly inept philosophy applied to literature and culture — jargon has become the emperor’s clothing of choice... The vatic tone and phony technicality can also serve to elevate a trivial subject. Many English departments these days find it hard to fill classes where students are assigned Milton or Melville, and they are transforming themselves into departments of so-called cultural studies... The pretentiousness of the worst academic writing betrays it as a kind of intellectual kitsch, analogous to bad art that declares itself “profound” or “moving” not by displaying its own intrinsic value but by borrowing these values from elsewhere... To ask what this [sentence] means is to miss the point. This sentence beats readers into submission and instructs them that they are in the presence of a great and deep mind. Actual communication has nothing to do with it. "
Dad must pay for other guy's kids - "A MAN who sued his former wife after paying child support for two children fathered by his wife's lover today lost his appeal to the High Court... Three judges held that no action for deceit could lie in representations about paternity made between spouses."
Sahadi: 39 jobs where women earn more than men - "Hours alone don't fully account for the gap in women's and men's earnings. Farrell identifies 25 work-life decisions that men and women make in the course of their careers that have a direct bearing on their earning potential. Farrell found, for instance, that men are more likely to opt for doing that which can lead to a higher paycheck... Women, by contrast, are more likely to seek "careers that are more fulfilling, flexible and safe"... In 39 of the occupations Farrell found, women's median earnings exceeded men's earnings by at least 5 percent and in some cases by as much as 43 percent... There's plenty of [pay discrimination] against men, too. He points to careers that have limited opportunities for men – e.g., dental hygienist or elementary school teacher because people prefer a woman in those roles. That's not that much different from law firm clients who years ago may have preferred to deal with a male lawyer, he notes."
***
The hi-tech machine that reveals nine out of ten women could be damaging their breasts by wearing the wrong bra - "Millions of women are damaging their breasts by wearing ill-fitting bras, according to a new study. Scientists say most bras do not give enough support to prevent irreparable and painful stretching of ligaments during exercise. Up to 95 per cent of women are thought to be at risk - mostly because they are ignorant or embarrassed about their true bra size, researchers say. The findings come from treadmill tests carried out on 100 women by Portsmouth University sports scientist Dr Joanna Scurr. She found that breasts typically move up to 21 cm - or eight inches - and jiggle around in every direction while a women is running. However, most bras are designed to limit just vertical movement."
This must be because bra designers are men who are determined to keep women at home.
Hauled to court on race charge, ex-WPC who told rowdy youths: 'Go back where you come from' - "The former policewoman got dressed, went outside and shouted at them: 'Why can't you go back to where you come from and make some noise there? I bet your families and neighbours wouldn't put up with it... She also reported the incident to police, who came and dispersed the eight students. The 51-year-old grandmother was astonished when four months later she was arrested and accused of being a racist. It turned out that two Asians in the group had complained to the police. In April, Miss Calvert-Mindell, who has never been in trouble with the police before, was charged with using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour under section 5 of the Public Order Act... 'The authorities today are so sensitive to being criticised for being racist that any claims of racism just raises their antennae, instead of using common sense.'"
Racism deserves Zero Tolerance
Boys' school cafe offers geek girls tea and fantasy - "Whereas maid cafes, managed by young women in cartoon-like frilly outfits, have indulged the stunted sexual fantasies of male otaku for a decade, businesses are only now considering the commercial potential of the female market. Edelstein's manager, 27-year-old Emiko Sakamaki, explains that "my concept was to hire young men who could play the part of beautiful boys that privileged families would send to a good boarding school" — a fetish of female otaku, many of whom grow up on "boy's love" comics full of homosexual relationships... Last year one of Japan's woman manga artists, Mimei Sakamoto, savaged the predilection shown by some otaku for prepubescent erotica in the Shukan Bunshun magazine: "In other countries, they'd call what you're fantasising over 'child pornography' and you'd all be arrested.""
Damn Japs.
Delicious Vinyl: Japan's Plastic Food Replicas - "Takizo Iwasaki is credited with creating the first food sample early last century. Initially inspired by the shapes formed by candle wax dripping on a tatami mat, he subsequently molded a wax rice omelet in Gifu Prefecture in 1917. In 1932, he founded the company today known as Iwasaki Co. - the present phony food Godzilla, commanding over fifty percent of the market... Perhaps his most interesting charge was a department store that requested he create synthetic worms for a before-and-after display exhibiting the effectiveness of an insecticide. Tourists can find his miniature pudding bowls and slices of pizza dangling from the end of mobile phone straps (for 800 yen) when visiting souvenir shops at Narita Airport."
Breast Injuries in Female Athletes - "Coopers Ligaments help hold the breasts up. They are thin bands interwoven into the breast and are not very strong. If the breasts are not supported properly with a good sports bra then repetitive bouncing from running can stretch the Coopers ligaments permanently. The main injuries affecting breasts are nipple problems (joggers nipple or friction injury), a direct blow to the breast causing a contusion and repetitive trauma caused by constant movement and bouncing whilst running."
Interestingly enough joggers nipple is more common in men than women. They should wear nipple tape.
YouTube - Uchida conducts Mozart's Piano Concerto #20 - Rondo III - Someone: "i wonder if the orchestra members are trying not to laugh
they look like they're trying not to laugh"
Guards Go Stiff at Local Army Base - "Locals in TaoYuan Province, Taiwan, noticed that the guards around a local Army base always seemed to stand in the same position without moving... The soldiers were actually dummies dressed up as soldiers and armed with fake rifles."
Security breach!
There's No Such Thing as a "Bad Feminist" - "What bothers the fuck out of me, though, is when women accuse other women of being bad feminists. That simply does not exist. Because it doesn't matter what you think about women's issues, just as long as you're thinking about them... The women that I think are some of the smartest, most progressive feminists of our time—Christina Hoff Sommers, Debbie Stoller, Daphne Patai, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Susie Bright, Camille Paglia—are also the women who have been reviled by other feminists as being "anti-feminist," simply for thinking outside the box, simply for questioning established feminist theories... We can't live our lives constantly in fear, because constantly being afraid makes us cowards, weaker, lesser. Instead, we should all be accountable for our own actions, strive for autonomy, and if we are truly to be independent creatures, we need to learn how to deal with our socio-sexual interactions with men, without having to go running to a third party all the time to handle shit for us... Like Hoff Sommers says, "The truth is no enemy to compassion." Just because I believe that there are preventative measures that can be taken to avoid date rape, doesn't mean that I think that women who were date raped "deserved it" or "asked for it." It does not mean that I hate women, and it does not mean that I think that women who are raped are stupid. On the contrary, I like to believe that women are too smart to be undermined in such a way to assume that they can't be in control of their own bodies and own choices."
Denis Dutton on Bad Writing - "While everyone moans (rightly) about the decline in student literacy, not enough attention has been given to deplorable writing among the professoriate... No one denies the need for a specialized vocabulary in biochemistry or physics or in technical areas of the humanities like linguistics. But among literature professors who do what they now call “theory” — mostly inept philosophy applied to literature and culture — jargon has become the emperor’s clothing of choice... The vatic tone and phony technicality can also serve to elevate a trivial subject. Many English departments these days find it hard to fill classes where students are assigned Milton or Melville, and they are transforming themselves into departments of so-called cultural studies... The pretentiousness of the worst academic writing betrays it as a kind of intellectual kitsch, analogous to bad art that declares itself “profound” or “moving” not by displaying its own intrinsic value but by borrowing these values from elsewhere... To ask what this [sentence] means is to miss the point. This sentence beats readers into submission and instructs them that they are in the presence of a great and deep mind. Actual communication has nothing to do with it. "
Dad must pay for other guy's kids - "A MAN who sued his former wife after paying child support for two children fathered by his wife's lover today lost his appeal to the High Court... Three judges held that no action for deceit could lie in representations about paternity made between spouses."
Sahadi: 39 jobs where women earn more than men - "Hours alone don't fully account for the gap in women's and men's earnings. Farrell identifies 25 work-life decisions that men and women make in the course of their careers that have a direct bearing on their earning potential. Farrell found, for instance, that men are more likely to opt for doing that which can lead to a higher paycheck... Women, by contrast, are more likely to seek "careers that are more fulfilling, flexible and safe"... In 39 of the occupations Farrell found, women's median earnings exceeded men's earnings by at least 5 percent and in some cases by as much as 43 percent... There's plenty of [pay discrimination] against men, too. He points to careers that have limited opportunities for men – e.g., dental hygienist or elementary school teacher because people prefer a woman in those roles. That's not that much different from law firm clients who years ago may have preferred to deal with a male lawyer, he notes."
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