Kara's Little Corner of the Web

My Summer of Fantasy

2010-05-05T10:45:00.004-04:00

I've always been an avid reader of science fiction but never really got into fantasy. In an attempt to expand my horizons - and after watching the incredibly cheezy but enjoyable (in a Xena kind of way) "Legend of the Seeker" - I recently picked Terry Goodkind's "Wizards' First Rule." I was trying to decided whether I should start the rest of the books after reading some mixed reviews online claiming the series gets pretty unbearable towards the end. (Critics in a nutshell - little character development, bad writing, Objectivist rants.) Anyways, Since I know lots of my facebook friends are super-geeks (like me), I asked their advice. While I'll probably hold off on reading more Goodkind for now, here's the list of recommended books that I compiled from the ensuing discussion.

Piers Anthony - A Spell for Chameleon (Zac)
Robert Aspirin - "Another Fine Myth" (Zac - humor fantasy)
Patricia Briggs - Moon Called (Chris W.)
Terry Brooks - Running with the Demon (Jason)
Terry Brooks - Magic Kingdom For Sale--SOLD (Zac)
Molly Cochran & Warren Murphy - The Forever King (Zac - Arthurian spin on its head)
Rick Cook - Wizards Bane (Zac - a universe where computer programming languages can be used to make magic)
Diane Duane - So You Want To Be a Wizard"(Zac - YA with female lead)
Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen (Kelly)
Barbara Hambley - The Ladies of Mandrigyn (Zac - best female lead written in fantasy)
Robin Hobbs - Assassin trilogy (Dave R.)
Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time series (Jason)
Mercedes Lackey - Winds of Fate (Zac)
Ursala LeGuin - Earthsea series (Mary, Zac)
Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind (Zac)
Maria Doria Russell - The Sparrow, Children of God (Max)
Mary Steward - The Crystal Cave & the rest of her Arthurian series (Zac, my mom)

I'm also looking into feminist-friendly fantasy books currently, and will post a list of what I find. Let's see if there's anything out there that doesn't use the damsel-in-distress and violence-against-women-as-plot-motivaters tropes in excess. (For many examples of the latter in comics, check out the excellent Women in Refrigerators website.)

Looks like my summer reading list is getting full! Thanks to all for the great suggestions!

Pouring money down the drain

2010-04-22T09:18:00.002-04:00

After months ... no, make that years of putting it off, I finally cleaned out my storage unit the other day. I had to dig up the original contract the find my unit number and gate code. It had been that long since I'd been inside.

I only had a vague idea of what was in there, but I assumed it must be important since I took the time to rent the unit and haul a bunch of stuff into it. (I rented it when I moved from a townhouse in upper NW with a basement to an apartment in Dupont with no stoarge space.) So I rolled up my sleeves and started sorting. First, I have never seen so many dead bugs in my life. Gross! Second, 75% of the stuff in it was junk. Absolutely worthless. There were some gems - old debate medals, science fiction paperbacks, letters and cards from college. I'll be sorting through this stuff at home. (And scanning what I can.) But I was able to fit everything I wanted to keep in one medium-sized load in my car. The rest - total crap!

Being the masochist that I am, I wanted to figure out how much money I have wasted on storing my junk. The contract listed that I originally rented the storage unit in April 2003. Damn. I've been paying rent on it for seven years. That's 84 months of making a payment of $100-120. (The rental fee went upgradually over those seven years.) So I figure I have spend $9000-10,000 on this storage unit.

Let me repeat that - NINE TO TEN FRAKKING THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!! To store mostly crap. Think of all the things I could have done with that much money.

I vow to never, ever rent a storage unit again ... Unless, of course, I really need it to house all my valuable future sutff :)

Long time no see ....

2010-04-21T14:28:00.003-04:00

Me: Oh, hello blog. It's been a while.

Blog: No shit! What happened? I thought you fell off the face of the planet!

Me: I've just been so busy that I haven't had time to visit.

Blog: Not even time for a letter? Or a short text?

Me: I know. I'm a bad blogger. I promise it will never happen again.

Blog: Whatevs. I'm already so over it.

(Not so) Awesome 80s

2009-11-15T14:29:00.002-05:00

I just found an old cassette mix that I recorded off the radio in 1985. I was in 5th or 6th grade at the time. It's so awesome in it's badness.

Before I throw it away I must have a record of the track list for posterity:

1) Boys of Summer - Don Henley
2) Material Girl - Madonna
3) Against All Odds - Phil Collins
4) Baby Come to Me - Patti Austin and James Ingram
5) Easy Lover - Philip Bailey and Phil Collins
6) Raspberry Beret - Prince
7) All I Need - Jack Wagner
8) Like a Surgeon - Weird All Yankovic
9) Susssudio - Phil Collins
10) Hot Blooded - Foreigner
11) View to a Kill - Duran Duran
12) Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears
13) The Search is Over - Survivor
14) Heaven - Bryan Adams
15) Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer
16) Mislead - Kool & the Gang

Just one question - why three Phil Collins songs?

Monday Mission

2009-05-11T15:44:00.004-04:00

When the door bell rang this afternoon, I thought maybe the some workers had locked themselves out again. But instead, two nice, clean-cut young men in navy slacks and white, short-sleeved collard shirts with name tags and a book in their hand were at my door. Here's how the exchange went:

Nice Young Man: Hello ma'am. I'm XXX and this is XXX. What a lovely house you have? Have you lived here long? It looks like you're just moving in.

Me: We moved in a couple months ago but we're still finishing some renovations.

NYM: We're new to the area as well.

Me: So you guys are on your mission in DC.

NYM: (Looking a little surprised). Why, yes.

Me: I've had Morman friends before so I know a bit about your faith.

NYM: Well we're out here today to spread the message about Jesus Christ. Do you have a few minutes to talk.

Me: Thanks but I'm actually not religious, so I'm probably going to be a tough sell for you guys. But there are lots of nice people in this neighborhood who you might find to talk to.

NYM: So do you mean that you don't believe in god at all or you just don't belong to a particular church?

Me: I'm an atheist. But I'm glad we live in a county where we both can believe whatever we want and still all get along.

NYM: Well take this card in case you ever have any questions about the meaning and purpose of live.

Me: Thanks. Good luck and have a nice day.

NYM: You too!

It was actually a very pleasant exchange with lots of smiles. Even though I clearly don't agree with their beliefs, I can appreciate that it must be hard for barely adult Mormons to go door to door trying to talk about their religion with strangers. I'm sure they get lots of rude responses and doors slammed in their face (even from other Christians). And regardless one's own views, I think you should always be cordial and polite.

I also hope they walked away with a better opinion about atheists. How ironic if one of the friendliest faces they encountered today was someone who doesn't even believe in god?

Two of my favorite things together!

2009-05-01T16:18:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month, Joss Whedon was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism by the Harvard Humanist Chaplaincy. As most people reading this will know, I am an enormous fan of Joss Whedon and all his work on television and other media, including Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and Dr. Horrible. I actually did not know that he was a secular humanist until I saw this clip. The Harvard Humanist Chaplaincy is a

It's a great clip that touches on, among other things, the importance of free-thinking and education. My favorite, though, is the end, when Joss says:

"The enemy of humanism is not faith. The enemy of humanism is hate, is fear, is ignorance, is the darker part of man that is in every humanist, every person in the world. That is the thing we have to fight. Faith is something we have to embrace. Faith in God is believing, absolutely, in something with no proof whatsoever. Faith in humanity means believing absolutely in something with a huge amount of proof to the contrary. We are the true believers."

Watch the whole thing. It's a great speech that touches on things that many people, both believers and non-believers, will agree with. Go Joss!

Technophobia, evolution, race, and religion: thoughts on the Battlestar Galactica finale

2009-03-23T19:53:00.004-04:00

Me – Anders is the worse hybrid ever. He needs to be saying more cryptic things and helping put out all the fires on the Galactica.

David – He must be a Ford Hybrid.

After four seasons of some of the best television currently on, Battlestar Galactica came to an end last Friday night. I was bracing for an apocalyptic “everybody-dies” kind of ending, so while the finale was certainly not touchy-feely happy-ending-y, it was a lot less dismal than I was expecting. I was thoroughly enjoying it until about 2/3 of the way through, when the writers decided to totally frak everything up, IMHO.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

I cannot emphasize how much I hated the anti-technology ending. This is such a cliché of mainstream scifi. The idea that humans don’t have the moral capacity to deal with the power of modern technological advances, and that the people would be happier in some pastoral utopia is a way overused theme. If the theme was ever delved into or discussed with any great care in the show, maybe it would make sense. But I felt like the “let’s all become noble savages” theme came out of left field. (As symbolized by Baltar, Caprica’s greatest scientists, returning to his agricultural roots.) So we just give up medicine? And what about all the people who had been injured in the battle against the cylon colony? We just leave them to suffer and die from easily treatable infections and conditions?

Okay, granted technological advances allowed humans to create cylons, and cylons are what almost destroyed humanity, but technology is also what allowed the BSG humans to survive. Being able to live in spaceships and wander the galaxy for years, medicine to cure sickness, weapons to shoot at the cylons, and Hera, the supposed key for the survival of both cylons and humans, are all a result of technology. To me, BSG has always been an allegory about racism, prejudice and xenophobia, and not about the dangers of technology.

My understanding is that the reasons the Centurions rebelled is because of humanity’s treatment of them as basically slaves rather than equal sentient being. We also know that the holocaust that occurred on the 13th tribe Earth was caused by the Centurions. Perhaps the original humaniod Cylons didn’t treat the Centurions any better than humans. To me this is a more a metaphor for the dehumanization of groups of people, usually along racial/ethnic, religious, gender, class, etc. lines, in order to subjugate them, that has persisted through our human history. In order to enslave, abuse, rape, kill we often have to see these humans as objects, as less than human, as somehow lesser than “our” kind.

Pegasus’ Lt. Thorne’s use of rape as a method of interrogation of GinaSix and Athena is a good example of this kind of dehumanization. The constant referral to cylons as toasters and machines, as unfeeling and incapable of emotion, and therefore, by implication, not deserving of the same rights and treatment of “real” humans, is another example of how humans justify their attitudes towards (and sometimes torture, abuse, and rape of) cylons. This is even more pronounced in regards to the Centurions, who lack biologically constructed bodies and therefore don’t “look like us”. (And it’s interesting to note that the Centurions seriously desired biological bodies. Perhaps they had internalized some of the messages of their human masters.)

The point here is that it was not technology itself that caused the near annihilation of humanity. It was their lack of ethical development; their inability to recognize intelligent beings who were not human as deserving of the same rights and respect that they gave other humans. This is why the key to both human and cylon survival was cooperation and acceptance of one another as equal beings. This acceptance was critical to stopping the cycle of mutual violence and genocide.

The BSG humans and cylons who settled on our Earth maybe finally accept one another as equal. They also recognized the independence of the Centurions by giving them leave to go off to pursue their own destiny. But clearly getting rid of technology doesn’t solve the problem of dehumanizing the “other.” We only just construct different “others.” We have thousands of years of our human history to say otherwise. If anything, modern technology can help provide empirical support against certain kinds of constructed racial distinctions that have justified centuries of dehumanizing and othering. The fact that all of modern humanity shares a common ancestor of Hera/Eve could only be discerned by modern scientific methods.

Speaking of human origins, the finale made me even more confused about where humans come from in the BSG world. Kobol is origin planet of BSG humans in their mythology. So what are the odds that evolution would happen in exactly the same way on both Kobol and our Earth to produce humans that can interbreed? Basically zero if just natural forces are at work. So maybe the humans on our Earth were descendants of the Kobol humans that somehow lost technology. Of course, let’s not forget that the twelve human colonies from Kobol were named after the 12 signs of the zodiac. On Kobol they discover a replica of the night sky as seen from Earth with the 12 zodiac constellations in the location you would see them from our Earth (i.e. the Earth from the final episode, not the 13th colony post-apocalypse Earth that the final five come from). So what the frak does that mean?

Maybe our Earth was actually the origin planet of humans. They developed into a space-faring civilization, colonized Kobol, forgot about our Earth, and the Earth inhabitants somehow lost their civilization, language capacity, etc. (And then how does the Zodiac enter into our Earth’s history tens of thousands of years later? And what about all the Greek mythological names of BSG characters?!? And the fact that the names of the Lords of Kobol were all gods from Greek mythology? Never explained, but more on that later.)

Of course, the easy answer is what the BSG writers are implying - that evolution on our Earth (and maybe Kobol) was guided by a divine hand. Great. Go intelligent design. Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with the spiritual overtones of the show. I think it made for some interesting plot points and moral discussions, especially the whole Cylon monotheism v. human polytheism. But sweeping away all these unanswered questions about the origins of humanity in the BSG universe with a last minute default to “a higher power did it” seems like a big cop out to me. It’s like the writers didn’t want to wade through the thick history and mythology they created to sort it out. Better to wave the “god did it” wand and make all the questions go away. This also applies to the question of what were HeadSix, Head Baltar, and back-from-dead Kara. Easier to say they were Angels than to actually delve into the metaphysics of their existences. (More on this later.)

One final thing that really struck me was the neo-colonial overtones of the BGS humans’ colonization of our Earth. I know this was probably not intentional, but the image of a bunch of white people (and a few Asians) checking out the “primitive” Africans, and commenting on how they could teach them language and agriculture was a little off putting. So the white people bring the Africans knowledge and technology (well, not too much technology since we swore that off as bad), and their descendants are able to be civilized. That’s not playing on any racists tropes . . .

Of course, maybe that’s exactly what the Lords of Kobol did to humanity that evolved on Kobol. Oh wait! An idea is forming.

Okay, so here’s my theory. The BSG human mythology said that humans evolved on Kobol in harmony with the Lords of Kobol (their gods) for thousands of years until about 2,000 prior to the show. At this point, for some unexplained reason, gods and humans departed (which is why Athena’s mythological namesake committed suicide), and the humans settled into the 12 colonies, with the humanoid cylons going to fake Earth. So who were these Lords of Kobol? As I mentioned before, they have the same names as Greek gods – Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, etc. Maybe they were actually some super-advanced alien civilization that gave humans technology (think Prometheus myth) and maybe even guided human evolution (think Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001 series). Then some cataclysmic event occurred that ruptured this peace. Maybe the humans and humanoid cylons were warring.

In any case, the Kobol lords got the heck out of Dodge and perhaps ascended to some higher plane of being (or maybe they were already there). They basically left humanity alone until they saw the human/cylon warring cycle about to start all over again. So they manifest themselves in the form of HeadBaltar and HeadSix to start setting things right. They also directed humanity and humanoid cylons towards both fakeEarth and, finally, our Earth, in effort to make sure we could just all get along. Resurrected Kara was also part of that plan. While humans and cylons might use the terms “god,” “gods,” “angels,” we’re really just talking about incredibly advanced technology. (As Arthur C. Clarke famously wrote, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. So see! Technology saves the day again. Ha!) And maybe they appear to the Greeks as some point to influence the development of human civilization, which is why Earth Greek mythology and the zodiac are so similar to the Kobol myths of the BSG humans.

But, of course, my theory would actually have made the finale make sense. And we can’t have that, now can we?

Some unanswered questions:

- If BSG humans arrived 150,000 years ago in Africa, then why didn’t Earth humans develop language until and agriculture until much later? Current scholarship places the development of language in humans at around 50,000 years ago and the invention of agriculture at around 10,000 years ago.

- Where do all the Greek mythology references fit into this? It would have made much more sense for the BGS humans to arrive on Earth right before the rise of classical Greek civilization.

- Why do they final five, Starbuck, and Hera hear “All Along the Watchtower”? Does this mean Bob Dylan is a Lord of Kobol?

- Is the dying leader that will lead them to Earth Kara and not Roslin?

- What happened to Michael, the humanoid cylon model 7? Ellen says Cavel kills him out of jealousy, but there were some hints that he was Kara’s father. Was he?

- Can the humanoid cylons die of old age? And if not, barring accidental death or murder, does this mean the Chief, Ellen, Tigh, and all the Twos, Sixes, Eights, could possibly still be living? I have this vision of the Chief being the inspiration for some Celtic god in ancient Scotland.

- Is anyone still reading this post at this point? If so, you’re more of a geek than even I am :)

If I were 16 I'd love this music . . .

2009-03-21T12:19:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite bloggers (and friends), SingleGirl, posts a monthly music mix. Since she's taking a hiatus from blogging, I thought I would post my own for the month of March.

The following are songs that wanna-be hipster 16-year-olds across the country are probably listening to. And you know what? I love all this stuff too. It's like the good part of 80s music mixed with modern sensibilities. Like if The Killers and New Order has a bastard child. Some of this is more than a year old, some of it more recent. But all these songs make me smile.

Here's the track listning:

1)"Dawn of the Dead" by Does It Offend You, Yeah?
2) "Dead Disco" by Metric
3) "Munich" by Editors
4) "Kim & Jesse" by M83
5) "Night on Fire" by VHS or Beta
6) "After Hours" by We Are Scientists
7) "Creeper" by Islands
8) "Goodnight Goodnight" by Hot Hot Heat
9) "Tessellate" By Tokyo Polics Club
10) "Come Saturday" by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
11) "Daylight" by Matt & Kim
12) "Drugs in my Body" by Thieves Like Us
13) "Destroy Everything you Touch" by Ladytron
14) "Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event

So what do you think? And am I too old to be listening to this?

Mocking women-targeted media

2009-03-16T15:08:00.004-04:00

I have a new internet crush. Her name is Sarah Haskins and she does an awesome segment on Current TV called "Target Women." The feminist blogging community caught on to her a while back, so I'm a little late in the game. However, I'd though I'd spread the word to the 5 people who read my blog and might not have heard about her yet. She's a former Second City comedian who offers witty, hilarious, feminist commentary on the way women are targeted by the media and advertisers for a variety of products and such as household cleaners, birth control, vampires, skin care, Disney princesses, and, my personal favorite, products that help you go poo.

Here's the segment that started the internet buzz - yogurt.

Best line? "It's that 'I have a master's but then I got married' look!"

I also love her take on feminism as a female comedian, which she described in an interview with a Chicago comedy blog:

Yes, I’m a feminist. It is an extension of my lifelong war against pantyhose.

To me it means that as women we are individuals before we are gendered people and that we’re not defined by our gender except in the ways we chose to appropriate that definition.

We’re in a weird generation, right? Our Moms were forced to grapple with that definition more immediately, and I think it’s changed as we’ve grown up. The core issue "how do I fight bias against me because of my gender" is still there but has gotten more complicated and wrapped into all kinds of identity issues about how you present yourself as a woman and I pretty much think it's your choice and fuck pantyhose. So, hence my answer above.

Jezebel also did an interview with her where she expressed her love for both Gossip Girl and Joan Didion. *Sigh* Why can't she live in DC and by my friend?

Get this woman on the daily show, stat!

Recognizing White Privilege

2009-03-13T19:03:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me well is aware of the fact I think a lot about issues of race and racism in contemporary American society. Given that I am white, educated, high socio-economic status individual - an incredibly privileged position in our society - I often wonder what I can do to actually make a difference. With all this talk now that we live in a post-racial society with the election of Obama (an idea I find ridiculous; of course race is still important in this country and of course racism still exists!) I think this is especially important for all Americans, especially white Americans, to critically think about racial privilege.

Therefore, from Peggy McIntosh's excellent essay "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack", I give you:

Daily Effects of White Privilege

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.

3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

7. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

8. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

9. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.

10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.

11. I can be casual about whether or not to listen to another person's voice in a group in which s/he is the only member of his/her race.

12. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.

13. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.

14. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.

15. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.

16. I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others' attitudes toward their race.

17. I can talk with my mouth full and not have people put this down to my color.

18. I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty or the illiteracy of my race.

19. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial.

20. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.

21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.

22. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.

23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.

24. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to the "person in charge", I will be facing a person of my race.

25. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.

26. I can easily buy posters, post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children's magazines featuring people of my race.

27. I can go home from most meetings of organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in, rather than isolated, out-of-place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance or feared.

28. I can be pretty sure that an argument with a colleague of another race is more likely to jeopardize her/his chances for advancement than to jeopardize mine.

29. I can be pretty sure that if I argue for the promotion of a person of another race, or a program centering on race, this is not likely to cost me heavily within my present setting, even if my colleagues disagree with me.

30. If I declare there is a racial issue at hand, or there isn't a racial issue at hand, my race will lend me more credibility for either position than a person of color will have.

31. I can choose to ignore developments in minority writing and minority activist programs, or disparage them, or learn from them, but in any case, I can find ways to be more or less protected from negative consequences of any of these choices.

32. My culture gives me little fear about ignoring the perspectives and powers of people of other races.

33. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.

34. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.

35. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having my co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race.

36. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it had racial overtones.

37. I can be pretty sure of finding people who would be willing to talk with me and advise me about my next steps, professionally.

38. I can think over many options, social, political, imaginative or professional, without asking whether a person of my race would be accepted or allowed to do what I want to do.

39. I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.

40. I can choose public accommodation without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen.

41. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.

42. I can arrange my activities so that I will never have to experience feelings of rejection owing to my race.

43. If I have low credibility as a leader I can be sure that my race is not the problem.

44. I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my race.

45. I can expect figurative language and imagery in all of the arts to testify to experiences of my race.

46. I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.

47. I can travel alone or with my spouse without expecting embarrassment or hostility in those who deal with us.

48. I have no difficulty finding neighborhoods where people approve of our household.

49. My children are given texts and classes which implicitly support our kind of family unit and do not turn them against my choice of domestic partnership.

50. I will feel welcomed and "normal" in the usual walks of public life, institutional and social.

"Please save my McMansion US Government!"

2009-02-24T09:10:00.007-05:00

David and I were amused this morning by an article in the Wall Street Journal about people who think it's unfair that their house loans are too big to qualify for government bailout money.

First we get the sad story of Pete, whom the Journal describes as "the kind of affluent customer that banks once coveted." (Read: white, upper middle class, willing to buy more house that he can afford.)

The 35-year-old technology executive -- who says he has a spotless credit record and at least 20% equity in his home -- has come up empty-handed in his search for a jumbo mortgage of more than $1 million for his recently built five-bedroom home in Alamo, Calif., near San Francisco.

Awhhhh! Poor baby. You can't get government money for your million dollar house. I feel so sorry for you . . .

David's comment: "Anyone who identifies themselves as a 'technology executive' is a douche."

We are also introduced to Brandon:

. . . a vice president of marketing for a food-products company, who was approved by his credit union for a $990,000 loan last year to buy a home in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. He had hoped to move his growing family out of the single-family house he has rented for the past four years and into a larger one. Those plans fell through when his credit union told him in December that they were getting out of jumbo lending.

You know what? There's no shame in renting in this economy. It's actually a pretty smart move. But unfortunately Brandon and his wife don't see it that way.

. . . he and his wife have high incomes and a solid credit rating, but that the money he had planned on using to make a larger down payment was lost in the stock market. He says his only option now is to wait for home prices to fall another 20% or to save an additional $100,000.

I love the line "lost in the stock market." Like the these people are in no way culpable for their own investment decisions, but it simply was stolen by no fault of their own. And they certainly can't wait it out a little longer in the single family home they've been in for four year. That would be unthinkable in our culture of immediate gratification and entitlement. (Of course, this couple may not have to wait long for housing prices to fall 20% more!)

But my favorite is the image that accompanies the story.

Is this the whitest guy ever? Khakis, blue shirt, standing in front of a totally generic McMansion on a barren landscape. (This picture also demonstrates one of my pet-peeves about McMansions - Home Depot sized windows on a house way too big for them.) This is Neil, who thinks that the government should subsidize his ability to have a long commute into Boulder, CO because houses are more expensive in his area. I hope that slight smirk on his face means he recognizes the ridiculousness of his claim.

David's remarks are spot on: "Everything about that guy, especially his khakis, I hate. And he's wearing them with black shoes and a black belt. Blech."

Not that you should ever judge people in their clothes.

But seriously, let's think about this article a little more critically. Who is the target audience of the Wall Street Journal? Probably a lot of people who are in the same position as the individuals highlighted in the article. Upper middle class to upper class, white, professionals who are starting to feel the effects of the economic crisis. These are also the people who probably bought McMansions beyond their means in the past 5 years when credit was cheap and their stock market-based investments were giving them high returns. Now their having to scale back their spending, rethink their investments, and cannot afford the houses they should never have bought in the first place. I know the Journal is trying to write this objectively, but to me it seems like an attempt to drum up sympathy and get support for increasing the mortgage loan limit for government bail-out money. Look at your affluent, suburban, white brethren, dear readers. This could be you!

Making me laugh over 15 years after the fact

2009-01-29T15:40:00.004-05:00

So I was packing up my office today and I came across my old high school yearbooks. (As many of you know, my husband and I are moving to our new house in McLean, VA next week.) I've looked through them a number of times over the years. However, it's been a while since I perused them. So I took a little packing break and cracked them open. I wanted to present some of the highlights from my senior year (1993).

A few things to keep in mind. I was heavily involved in debate and other speech activities in high school. I also had a reputation among my friends as being a little absent-minded. Book-smart and a good arguer, but a bit of an airhead. And back then I still was really into politics. Many of you won't get all the comments, but those who remember will hopefully chuckle a little.

Matt W. starts the first page of my yearbook out with a nice one.

"Even if you don't always get what's going on, I sure have enjoyed having you around . . . Don't become too emeshed in politics . . . although you could get really good at making excuses!"

JP W. follows up with equally amusing observations.

"You have been the butt of many jokes . . . However, I don't ever want you to believe that the people of this squad dislike you. You are a pillar of this squad and have been an inspiration to . . . well . . . err . . . somebody.

Another person, Sam M., thinks I'll become a politician.

"I can't wait until you are some corrupt, slimey politician. That will be so cool! Maybe I'll be your bodyguard . . . "

At least my airheadedness made some people, such as Rebecca B., laugh.

"You always made me laugh, whether intentional or not. That counts for something!"

Rebecca I. recognized my foibles but still likes me anyways. Then Corey L. recognizes he's even more guilty of said foibles than I am.

"You really are spacey, but we love you anyway."

"Most people say you're spacey. Even more people say I'm spacey."

A nice sentiment from the Bagel (Jeff S.) after all the playful teasing from others.

"You are a really neat person, even though people don't give you very much credit sometimes"

Shelly refers to something that I can't remember but I hope is a joke (or at least we made some money off of)

"I am so glad we combined creative forces to form the forensics sex line (ext 666)."

Like Suji J., I do look back and think that. And I also remember what fun we had :)

"I can't forget those numerous 90210 parties when we religiously watched it every Thursday last year. I know we'll look back at that and think 'what the hell was wrong with us ?!?'"

Ann M. remembers those 90210 nights fondly as well.

"We'll cruise around town (I'll drive, of course), then go eat pasta at your house and watch 90210. Did you know Brenda has a big butt?

I had a reputation for skipping class (to work on debate, mind you.) Mr. Becker recognizes this with his dry sense of humor.

"You are the best correspondence student I have ever had in class."

This entry from Aaron C. is amusing considering he was the man of honor at my wedding over 10 years after this was written.

"I'm glad we can at least talk to each other without wanting to throttle the other person."

I don't remember Nick W. being at my house, but I guess he was at least in my fridge!

"You wouldn't believe how much beer we stole from your dad!"

It took a few years for Michelle M.'s prediction to come true, but it was worth the wait.

"Someday we'll find men who are mature enough to handle us."

Erin S.'s observation still holds true after all these years.

"Even though it takes you nine hours to get ready if you have to curl your hair . . . it's been a lot of fun."

Heather C.'s prediction eerily came true more than once.

"You'll drive some poor man wild and he'll offer you the world but you'll say 'I'm sorry, I'm just not sexually attracted to you.'"

Missy B. was so wrong . . . oh so wrong . . .

"We have to watch Sgt. Peppers Loney Hearts Club Band because I know what a BIG fan you are!"

The most hysterical is when Laurell mocks me by using her entire entry to repeat dumb stuff I had said.

"Shut up! Are you making fun of me . . . huh? What are you talking about? Stop it, guys! Was it good for you too ?!? Where's that? Isn't it neat how they placed the roads through the rocks? I smile because I don't know what's going on. Am I your slave? You better be nice to me at Nationals Laurell. I feel so used. Do you like her, or do you like her like her? That guy has a bad butt. Is that guy NAKED?!? What? I am sorry I am late guys. I didn't spill it. Scared of Heitz. Airhead? Am I blond or am I blond? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! Trolling, trolling, trolling. And on . . . and on . . . and on . . . Love ya, K. Condensation Baby!"

And the sweetest entry is Jenn S's She was right. The future held as many, if not more, good times for our friendship as well as other high school friendships.

"The past holds a lot of good times for us. Let's hope the future holds just as many."

Ah memories! I'm so glad I'm still in touch with so many of these people. I love you all!

25 random things about me

2009-01-27T12:39:00.004-05:00

This is a meme going around facebook. I was tagged by a few people so here is mine.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged.

25 random things about me:

1. I played the baritone in 5thand 6th grade band. It was almost as big as me. I would get this huge ring around my lips from the mouthpiece that would last for hours. I switched to the saxophone for 7th and 8th grade band.

2. I have a tattoo. It’s the Eye of Horus, an Egyptian symbol for wisdom and protection. It’s located above my left breast. I got it my first semester of college as a sign of rebellion. Wow I was soooo cool. Not! But now I think of it as a permanent reminder of who I was back then.

3. I have a condition called vassal vagal syncope that basically means I pass out when certain things occur with my body. It’s usually when I experience sharp sudden paint, get back stomach cramps, get overheated, have low blood sugar, or some combination of those. I think of it as my body’s reset button

4. I passed out in the White House when I was 12. We were on a tour during the summer. The air conditioning wasn’t on (who decided to keep the air off in the summer in DC?!?), I hadn’t eaten, and I started feeling woozy. We were in the Green Room, and the tour guide moved a divider so I could sit down. I passed on an antique Duncan Fife sofa. A secret service officer then escorted me and my parents outside. I wonder what the tour groups we walked by were thinking I had done!

5. My hair has been various shades of brown, red and blond throughout my life. Dirty blond naturally when I was young, slowly turning brown during my pre-teen years. Then I died it blond before I started high school, but let it go back to brown after my freshman year. In college I kept it various shades of red, including manic panic tangerine, with blonde again right at the end of college. My final foray into blonde with a home highlights kits was a disaster, so I had to dye it dark brown to cover up the mess. That was 1998. I’ve been a brunette ever since then.

6. I had plastic surgery when I was a kid. It’s not as bad as it sounds. I was born with really stick-out ears. Think Will Smith. When I was 10 I had to get my tonsils out and the doctor said he could easily lay my ears back while I was under. My parents said okay so I did it.

7. After said ear laying-back surgery, I developed a condition known as Keloids behind my right ear. Basically a small build-up of scar tissue that was only visible if you were looking directly into the back of my ear. Therefore, I didn’t wear a ponytail in public from the time I was 10 until I got them removed at 20. Now I love wearing ponytails!

8. I buy waaaay to many books. Amazon’s used book buying option has ruined me. I calculated how much I spent on books last year and was shocked. I don’t think I will ever read them all completely.

9. I also buy waaaay to many shoes. I had to count them recently (for the closet built-ins for our new place) and I stopped at 100. David started calling me Imelda.

10. I have dated guys from four countries outside of the US - Ireland, Germany, Belgium, and Sweden.

11. My ears are currently pierced 10 times (7 on the left, 3 on the right), although I only got them pierced for the first time my senior year of high school.

12. I still haven’t found an activity, job, cause, etc. that has inspired me to work my ass off as much as I did in high school debate.

13. Speaking of debate, my senior year of high school I was fifth speaker at the NFL debate national tournament. (No relation to the football league for you non-debate types).

14. When I was growing up, my dad would ask me “how was law school today” when I got home from school. I think this is what caused me to never consider law school after undergrad. Too bad because I think I would have made an excellent lawyer.

15. I am one of the worst procrastinators on the face of the planet.

16. I have always loved science fiction – books, television, movies, you name it. My mom introduced me to the original Star Trek when I was young and I’ve been hooked ever since.

17. I am a whore for anything Joss Whedon has done. Buffy and Angel are my two all-time favorite TV shows. I could watch them over and over and never get tired of them.

18. I would jump at the chance to live forever. Therefore, I will be the first in line to cryogenically freeze my body, upload my consciousness onto the internet, or get bitten by a vampire.

19. I am a skeptic towards all things paranormal, pseudoscientific , religious, and the like. I have never personally seen evidence to convince me any of the above are real. However, I try to keep a cautiously open mind about others’ experiences.

20. Even though I don’t believe in any of the above things, I kind of wish some of them were real. (Hence my interest in science fiction.)

21. My husband is the shortest guy I’ve ever dated. I used to have a thing for tall brunettes. Of course I would marry a 5’7” blonde!

22. When I grow up I want to be a college professor. However, while I love the teaching part, I don’t like the research part as much.

23. Because of the above, it’s taking me way too long to write my dissertation. I need to be finished!

24. If I were to do college and grad school all over again, I would ditch the political science, international relations and economics, and instead focus on philosophy, cultural anthropology, and history. If I could start my Ph.D. over again, I would do it in either Cultural Studies or American Studies.

25. I have explored a number of religions throughout my life. I was raised Catholic, but left that when I was about 14. My freshman year of high school I went to Baptist youth group a few times with a friend. Another acquaintance took me to an evangelical meeting once the same year, but it kind of scared me. During later high school I would have considered myself a liberal Christian (probably would have liked some of the Episcopalians or the Unitarians). By college I had abandoned Christianity and read up on Buddhism and Wiccan. I adopted a kind of vague spiritualism, the whole “no one religion is right; they all have good and bad parts and all have been corrupted by humans” kind of thing. By grad school I was agnostic and a few years ago I embraced my growing skepticism and finally atheism. Philosophically, I now consider myself a secular humanist.

Obama Inauguration Report 2009 - I was there!

2009-01-26T16:19:00.006-05:00

My husband, David, and I had the pleasure of witnessing the inauguration of Barak Obama last week. I can't tell you what an incredible day it was. Just as emotional as the Election but in a completely different way. (You can read my reactions to the election here.) With so many people in the city (1.8 million on the mall on Tuesday is what I heard), it could have been crazy. But every single person I walked by was happy, excited, polite, friendly and gracious. I wish DC could be like that all the time!

I was actually able to score two seats in the yellow ticketed area. (Thanks you KS Republican connections. I knew you would come in handy for something eventually.) We live in Foggy Bottom at about 25th and F. Our security checkpoint was around 1st and Constitution. Because of the security perimeter, we had to walk a little out of our way. I think we ended walking about 3 miles each way. So we got up at 6am and headed out at 7am. Certainly a lot easier of a time getting to the ceremony than anyone who had to metro!

Along the way we met lots of out-of-towners. We tried to give them directions when we could, which basically amounted to "follow the crowd." We heard the mall was already filling up, so many people were heading to get seats to the parade. After about an hour of walking we arrived at our security checkpoint. Of course, I assumed that because we had seats we'd get in quickly. I was definitely wrong! We walked up to the yellow security gate to find a line snaking around blocks and blocks. It seemed to never end. Finally found the back and stood in line for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Again, talked to some great people who had come to DC from all over. The only negative experience I had all day was some people cutting in line at the last minute. It didn't help my judging them that they all had floor length mink coats on and talked in those fakey pseudo-British east coast upper class accents. I guess they figured they didn't need to stand in line as long as the plebes had to. But other than that, I have nothing but positive things to say about how everyone in our line comported themselves.

We finally got to our seats around 10:30am. Having seats was awesome. We were sitting on the lawn of the capitol, and could see the entire stage area where all the action took place. We were far enough away, though, that we really couldn’t distinguish individuals people on the stage. Fortunately, there was a giant jumbotron in front of us. So we could see on the screen who was arriving and then squint at the stage and sort of make them out. I believe there were about 100,000 seats, so it was a big crowd sitting down. We did engage in some celebrity spotting. (They had to walk through our section to get to the famous people seating section.) David and I walked by Beyonce and Jay-Z when we were first coming through security. And later when I was walking around to gain some feeling back in my toes, I passed by Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. w00t!

They started showing important people coming in on the jumbotron around 10:45. Some people in the crowd booed when they showed Lieberman. I guess in the seats we were in the middle big group of democrat party faithful, but I still thought it was tacky. Colin Powell got a big cheer, as did Gore and the Clintons. All the living former Presidents, Veeps and their spouses were there. Boy did Bush I look old, but the Carter's were as spry as ever. What is there secret? I want to drink some of that Kool-Aide! Then Cheney comes out in his wheelchair. He kinds of looks like the other, old Jeff Lebowski in "The Big Lebowski." (Little Cheney's Urban Achievers. Ha!) David's theory is that he didn't really hurt his back moving boxes. It's all a big ruse so he doesn't have to stand up when they say "President Obama."

I have to admit, when W. came out I felt sorry for him. There were clearly audible boo's and some people starting singing "na na na na hey hey hey goodbye." So unclassy guys! I mean, I fundamentally disagree with the guy on almost everything and think he lead our country into a big pile o' shit, but I still am respectful of him. Then I quickly forget about all this as Obama comes out, and the cheer of the crowd is almost deafening.

The ceremony itself was amazing. While just being there is something I will remember forever, there are some moments that stand out. My muscles involuntarily started clenching up when Rick Warren began delivering the invocation. However, my rational brain told my emotional brain to stay calm. This was all part of the new Obama era. Must be nice to everyone, especially ones that a large chunk of the American population revere. And to be honest, he is not as bad as some of the fundies. I think there are whole swaths of policy eras like poverty, global human rights, development assistance, etc. that liberals and Rick Warren-type evangelicals can agree on. And his speech wasn't as bad as I was expected. However, I did think it was a little tacky to say the "Our Father" at the end. First off, you're totally alienating anyone who isn't Christian. And second, different denominations of Christians say the Our Father differently, so you're favoring one version. Oh well. As I said, it could have been much worse.

The anticipation kept building as Aretha sang, Biden took his oath of office, and the quartet of famous musicians played a John Williams song (which we found out a couple days later was pre-recorded. Makes perfect sense given how cold it was.) Finally Obama's oath of office! And then the speech. I have to admit, I had to wipe my eyes on multiple times. Man that guy can give a speech. I wonder if the speechwriter kid who's picture was on facebook right after the election behaving inappropriately with a cardboard cutout of Hillary wrote this one? He gets a free pass for future shenanigans if he did. So many memorable lines. My favorite parts so far are "your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy" and "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." I also wanted to cheer when we talked about restoring science to its rightful place. And, of course, as an secular humanist, skeptic, and atheist, I was pleasantly surprised by his recognition of us with the line "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers." (A far cry from previous presidents'. The best we could do was being ignored. The worst was open hostility (like when Bush Sr. said "I don't know that atheists should be regarded as citizens, nor should they be regarded as patriotic. This is one nation under God." Bigot.)

After the incredible speech, David and I decided to start heading towards the exit. As we were walking out we caught the poem, another prayer, and then the national anthem. I'm sure Elizabeth Alexander is a great poet on paper, but she is definitely not a good reader of her own poems. The woman should have taken a speech class in high school! Since we were on our way out, I didn't pay much attention to Lowery's benediction. However, a did giggle at the end when he said "when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right." For some reason, it sounded like it could be a Paul Simon song to me.

The hour walk back home was cold, but I could barely feel through my elation of witnessing what I just saw. We met up with friends for a late lunch in Foggy Bottom. David's sister, Laura, and our friend Barbara, had stayed with us the night before so they wouldn't have to get into the city from the suburbs. They joined us along with my friend Anna and her husband PT, along with my friend Tom and a couple of his friends visiting for the inauguration. Tom is Irish and his friends British, so it was nice to get a non-American perspective on the day. One of them said "welcome back to the civilized world." How true, I thought. How true.

David and I skipped the balls that night and just hung out with my friends Dawn and Megan. I was way too exhausted to party and didn't think I'd be in the mood to walk an hour in an ball gown. So a quiet end to a spectacular day. One that I will remember forever and can tell my kids and grandkids about. I have always loved this country but Tuesday I felt as proud to be an American as I ever had. But now it's time to stop celebrating and get to work!

The sound of X-Files fangirls squeeing

2008-12-14T17:16:00.004-05:00

Some interesting dailies from the X-Files have recently leaked onto the interwebs. There's a scene in 1998 X-Files movie "Fight the Future" where Mulder and Scully almost kiss. Right as their lips are about to meet, Scully is stung by a bee carrying a designer mutated alien virus (don't ask if you never watched the show) and passes out. Mulder/Scully shippers would have to wait another year and a half for an actually kiss between these two. (It finally happened on New Years' Eve 1999 in the episode "Millennium.")

In any case, it turns out that they shot alternate takes of the almost-kiss scene in the movie where Mulder and Scully do in fact kiss . . . and quite passionately. Putting this in the movie would have changed the entire dynamic of the TV show afterwards. Whether it would have been for better or worse will be the source of much fandom debate. However, I post this "what if" for the viewing pleasures of you X-Philes out there.

Deserted Island Music

2008-12-09T17:07:00.003-05:00

"If you were stranded on a deserted island . . ."

I’m sure that phrase has been the beginning to many an interesting conversation. It is also an incredibly overused cliché that can sometime lead to eye-rolling. I’m hoping this entry will be in the former category.

This past weekend, I was catching up with some episodes of my not-nearly-as-good-as-the-original Dawson’s Creek replacement One Tree Hill. I was super excited to see one my favorite cult TV actors and music genius John Doe on the show as a special guest star (appropriately playing a not-as-well-known-as-he-should be music almost-legend). I’ll save the googling for some of you and say that he was in the (in)famous 80s LA punk band X and was on the TV show Roswell. He and his fictitious maybe/maybe-not daughter, Peyton, – an independent record label owner – were having a conversation that revolved around the question:

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 5 albums would you want with you?

They both had some good choices: Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, U2’s The Joshua Tree, Nirvana’s Nevermind, Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True. Hopefully the episode motivated some teeny-boppers to check out some of these amazing albums.

However, this inspired me to come up with my own deserted island album list. Of course, nowadays we could change the phrase to “If you were stranded in space billions of miles from human civilization . . . or “if you were the lone survivor of the zombie apocalypse . . .” The point is that these are albums you could listen to over and over and continue to enjoy them (or get sick of them more slowly than other albums). Therefore, this list is not necessarily what I currently listen to most frequently, or even what I have listened to the most over my lifetime. Is it the music that would keep my sane and connected to humankind if I isolated and alone.

Unfortunately, I could not just limit it to 5. So in no particular order, here are the 10 albums I would want with me if I were stranded on a deserted island/lost in space/zombie apocalypse survivor:

1) David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
2) Pixies, Doolittle
3) The Beatles, St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
4) The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow
5) The Who, Who’s Next
6) R.E.M., Life’s Rich Pageant
7) Weezer, The Blue Album
8) Ben Folds Five, Underground
9) New Order, Low-life
10) Death Cab for Cutie, Transaltanticism

Honorable mentions (i.e. these could rotate in and out of the list depending on my mood that day):
11) The Clash, London Calling
12) Led Zeppelin, IV
13) Nick Drake, Bryter Layter
14) R.E.M., Murmur
15) R.E.M., Document
16) The Beatles, The White Album
17) The Cure, Boys Don’t Cry
18) Belle and Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress
19) The Lemonheads, It’s a Shame about Ray
20) The Police, Synchronicity

Comments? Questions? Glaring omissions? Rants about my musical taste? I’d love to hear it. And, by the way, what are your top 10 deserted island albums?

Secular Humanism 101

2008-12-07T15:26:00.004-05:00

I just came across this post that Paul Kurtz recently wrote for the Washington Post's On Faith section. Kurtz is the chairperson of the Council for Secular Humanism and an emeritus professor of philosophy. The following is a fantastic and short piece which nicely sums up the views of Secular Humanism, an ethical movement I strongly identify with. For those of you curious about my moral views as an atheist, this is definitely worth a read.

Belief in God Essential for Moral Virtue?

A growing sector of world civilization is secular; that is, it emphasizes worldly rather than religious values. This is especially true of Europe, which is widely considered post-religious and post-Christian (with a small Islamic minority). Secularist winds are also blowing strong in Asia, notably in Japan and China. The United States has been an anomaly in this regard, for it has suffered a long dark night in which evangelical fundamentalism has overshadowed the public square, with its insistence that belief in God is essential for moral virtue. This is now changing and secularism is gaining ground.

The “new atheists” have attempted to balance the scales, for religious dissent until now has been largely muffled. They have appealed to science to criticize the unexamined claims of religion. This has shocked conservative religionists, who respond that atheists are “too negative.” Perhaps, but this overlooks the fact that there are varieties of unbelief and that secular humanists (the bete noire of fundamentalists during the Reagan years) define their outlook affirmatively in the light of positive ethical values, not by what they are against but what they are for.

Secular humanists are generally nonreligious, yet they are also good citizens, loving parents and decent people. They look to science, the secular arts and literature for their inspiration, not religion. They point out that religious belief is no guarantee of moral probity, that horrendous crimes have been committed in the name of God, and that religionists often disagree vehemently about concrete moral judgments (such as euthanasia, the rights of women, abortion, homosexuality, war and peace).

The ethics of secular humanism traces its roots back to the beginnings of Western civilization in Greece and Rome, through the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the scientific and democratic revolutions of the modern world. Secular humanists today affirm that every person should be considered equal in dignity and value and that human freedom is precious. The civic virtues of democracy are essentially humanist, for they emphasize tolerance of the wide diversity of beliefs and lifestyles, and they are committed to defending human rights.

But, “how can you be ethical if you do not believe in God?” protests the believer. Perhaps such a person should enroll in an elementary course in ethics, where there is a rich philosophical literature dealing with this question. The good is usually defined as “happiness” though there are differences between the eudemonistic, emphasizing enriched self-development, and the hedonistic, particularly American, brand of intemperate consumption. Perhaps a harmonious integration of the two theories can be achieved. I would call it rational exuberance. Philosophers have emphasized the importance of self-restraint, temperance, rational prudence, a life in which satisfaction, excellence, and the creative fulfillment of a person’s talents is achieved. It does not mean that “anything goes.” Humanist ethics focuses on the good life here and now.

Secularists recognize the centrality of self-interest. Every individual needs to be concerned with his or her own health, well-being, and career. But self-interest can be enlightened. This involves recognition that we have responsibilities to others. There are principles of right and wrong that we should live by. No doubt there are differences about many moral issues. Often there may be difficulties in achieving a consensus. Negotiation and compromise are essential in a pluralistic society.

However, there is now substantial evidence drawn from evolutionary biology that humans possess a moral sense (see Marc Hauser, Steven Pinker, and David Sloan Wilson). Morality has its roots in group survival; the moral practices that evolved enabled tribes or clans to survive and function. This means that human beings are potentially moral. Whether or not this moral sense develops depends on social and environmental conditions. Some individuals may never fully develop morally–they may be morally handicapped, even sociopaths. That is one reason why society needs to enact laws to protect itself.

There is also of course cultural relativity, but there are, I submit, also a set of common moral decencies that cut across cultures–such as being truthful, honest, keeping promises, being dependable and responsible, avoiding cruelty, etc., and these in time become widely recognized as binding. Herein lie the roots of empathy and caring for other human and sentient beings. Such behavior needs to be nourished in the young by means of moral education. In any case, human beings are capable of both self-interested and altruistic behavior in varying degrees.

Secular humanists wish to test ethical principles in the light of their consequences, and they advise the use of rational inquiry to frame moral judgments. They also appreciate the fact that some principles are so important that they should not be easily sacrificed to achieve one’s ends.

To say that a person is moral only if he or she obeys God’s commandments–out of fear or love or God or a desire for salvation–is hardly adequate. Ethical principles need to be internalized, rooted in reason and compassion. The ethics of secularism is autonomous, in the sense that it need not be derived from theological grounds. Secular humanists are interested in enhancing the good life both for the individual and society.

Today, a new imperative has emerged: an awareness that our ethical concerns should extend to all members of the global community. This points to a new planetary ethics transcending the ancient religious, ethnic, racial, and national enmities of the past. It is an ethic that recognizes our common interests and needs as part of an interdependent world.

For more information about secular humanism, check out the Council for Secular Humanism, the American Humanist Association, or wisdom from the moths of babes in this post from one of my favorite blogs "Parenting Beyond Belief."

My new news crush

2008-11-16T12:21:00.004-05:00

I know I'm pretty late to the game in my new-found devotion to Keith Olbermann. However, I mostly get my news from reading the Washington Post on my iphone in the mornings and checking news online. I just don't watch news on TV anymore . . . until now. Last week I started TiVoing Countdown on MSNBC after seeing the following two videos online. Keith Olbermann, you're my new crush :)

One of the best commentaries on Proposition 8 I've seen. Watch him almost tear up towards the end:

What many of us wanted to say in response to the "pro-American and anti-America" line of Michelle Bachman, Palin's "real Virginia" line, and other similar ignorant comments a few weeks ago:

Now I just want to doodle kArA-N-kEiTh 4EVA on my spiral notebook. New(s) crush!

You may say I'm a dreamer . . .

2008-11-05T08:59:00.007-05:00

I woke up this morning and felt tears coming to my eyes. I cried all last night as I was watching the election returns. I cried during our next president's speech. I was crying tears as I feel asleep. Tears of hope, joy, optimistic, and most of all, pride in my country. As I opened my eyes, I turned my head away from my husband and dried my tears on the pillow. I wouldn't want him to think I was silly and emotional. I just need a minute to collect myself, I thought.

The weather report online said it was raining in DC but I stepped out on my balcony and it was not. A little gray and overcast, but a perfect temperature for a my morning walk with the dog along the Potomac to Starbucks. A good portent for the day ahead. While my route was was the same as always, everything looked a little different. The Kennedy Center, Roosevelt Island, the Georgetown Waterfront, the Key Bridge were all a bit more radiant, even under the cloudy sky. While these DC landmarks reminded me of the importance of where I was living, it was the people along my walk I noticed. The people that kept making tears well up in my eyes again and again.

As a was walking through the hallways of my condo building, I pass by a young El Salvadorian woman who is part of the cleaning crew. I wonder what she is thinking. Can she vote? Does she wish she could have? Does she feel proud to live in America today? What did she endure during the El Salvadorian civil war? What price did she pay to be able to live in this country and clean apartments? Does today make her feel like her sacrifices were worth it? She gives me a gigantic smile and says "hello." I do the same. The tears start to come back.

The Saudia Arabian embassy appears across my field of vision as I step onto the sidewalk. It's quiet and austere as always. I wonder if Muslim and Arab Americans feel a little more welcomed, a little more secure in their own country today? And how do people in the Middle East feel about the fact that the next American president's middle name is Hussein? Will that change anything at all for them?

I round a corner and see three city workers who are African American men in the distance. As they are about the start trimming the grass along Rock Creek Parkway, one of them shouts a big "good morning" to me. I give them a double thumbs up and say "what a GREAT morning!" They all get smiles on their faces, nod their heads, and offer affirmations back at me. I turned my head away and started quietly crying again.

I dry my tears in time to say hello to an elderly white women walking her dog whom I often cross paths with. She was still wearing her "I Voted" sticker from yesterday. She was smiling and happy, as she always is in the morning. I wondered whether she shares in the elation over the Obama win with so many of her fellow DC residents. Was she able to overcome the prejudices of her generation and vote for a man of color? And even if she didn't vote for him, was it purely because of policy differences and not because of the ethnic origin his father? I couldn't answer those questions but I imagined how a day like today would have been unimaginable when she was my age. I think how far we have come as a country and how far we have to go to overcome discrimination and racism. I hope some of the optimism of today affects her no matter what her opinions or prejudices. The tears start coming again as I walk away from her.

As I get close to my destination at the Georgetown Waterfront, I group of people get off a commuter bus. They are mostly young professionals all dressed the same in suits and collared shirts. They are black, white, latino, asian, and many other identities. Since this is DC, I assume many of them are politically active. However, I think of all the young Americans previously ambivalent about politics who voted for the first time ever yesterday. I think of a young generation finally energized to political awareness and action. I hope that momentum continues.

I enter my regular Starbucks and note, like I have many times in the past, that all the employees are African-American. A certain positive spirit affects the mood of the entire store. Patrons seems more awake than usual, chattier, friendlier. The woman whom I place my order with almost every morning forgets to give me enough change. I gently mention this, and add "we're all a little out of it today." She gives me a big smile and I smile back. I leave all my change as tip. Even the older barrista who looks perpetually tired and overworked, like life has worked him too hard is beaming today. Even he smiled at me when I verfied my Americano was decaf. And he never smiles. I wonder if he is now able to tell his children and grandchildren that they too can be president one day. I think of all he has endured and wonder if he ever thought he could honestly say that to his younger generations. I walk out of the coffee shop with the tears starting to return.

I notice all the Latino and African-American workers on the street, heading to their construction jobs in the condo buildings on my block. Do they see this country any differently today? Do they feel a small part of their burden has been lifted?

As I return home, I think of the elderly Indian gentleman with a Ph.D. who sometimes works behind the front desk at my building, who came to the U.S. on a scientific research fellowship decades ago but now hands white people their mail because it pays better. Does he feel like he wasted his education and his intelligent mind for all these years working a menial job? Does today make him feel like it worth it? Does he see an even brighter future for his family in an American that can elect a man of color as president?

As I sit down to sip my coffee and read the news online, I think about the someone close to me who said hurtful and prejudice things about Obama voters on the phone last night. Someone who I normally consider fair and open-minded. I know he, like some Americans today, is disappointed and frustrated over the way the vote turned out. I wonder if these people, too, can feel the optimism and exhilaration in the air today. I hope they can put aside their policy differences and their perceived personal economic self-interest to feel a small bit of what so many Americans feel today. The sense of community and connectedness, the weight of history being lifted, and enormous swelling of pride in our country. I wonder if they could see the faces I saw today and hear their stories if they would still be so hurt.

Today I feel for the first time that we are all truly Americans. A feeling of unity that has been elusive for so long that it is worth almost any price. The tears are coming back. I think they will be flowing for a while.

Running from hell

2008-11-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

As a teenager in Topeka, KS, I personally witnessed the evolution of the Westboro Baptist Church from a loony primitive Baptist congregation to one of the most vicious hate groups in America. One of the Phelps cult escapee children, Nathan, is now living in Canada and recently did this interview with a local paper. It really doesn't tell us anything new about the Fred and his posse. it just verifies that they are a bunch of hate-filled filth-spewers and that Fred Sr. was a severe abuser who should be locked up in jail.

However, Nathan's story of his path away from religion and the torment he still deals with everyday is quite compelling. I hope he is able to find the peace that he so desperately deserves.

2008 - the year of the woman in politics . . . and mediocrity?

2008-10-24T09:56:00.006-04:00

The Washington Post today has an interesting read - "Ideology Aside, This Has Been the Year of the Woman." It's basically about the positive impact that both Hillary and Palin have had on the role and perception of women in American politics. There's a discussion about Palin and feminism, with comments from liberal and conservative women activists as well as "regular" women about what feminism means in 2008. WHile I don't agree with everything it says, it's definitely worth a look.

However, I bring it up because the absolute best part of the article comes in the last paragraph.

. . . some GOP women, along with their Democratic counterparts, have openly questioned Palin's qualifications. [Conservative activist and lawyer Cleta] Mitchell has an answer to that. "Even if Sarah Palin is as 'unqualified' as the left would have us believe," she wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, ". . . then former congresswoman Bella Abzug's lifelong goal has been achieved. She used to say that she was 'working for the day when a mediocre woman could get as far as a mediocre man.' "

Ha! I guess after decades of mediocre male politicians, Sarah Palin demonstrates that women can be just as inexperienced and average as men in politics. Classic. Go equality!

Lost Season 5 promo

2008-10-23T13:12:00.004-04:00

I think I just piddled myself a little when I watched this. I too much of a geek. Now if they'd just explain that damned 4-toed statue!

Political models predicting Obama win and Congressional seat gains for Dems

2008-10-20T14:44:00.004-04:00

This is one of the few times I'm actually going to say something positive about modeling in political science. I've talked in the past here and here about why I intensely dislike the hegemony of mathematical modeling and statistical methods in the discipline. However, I will allow myself to be completely hypocritical when I serves my own personal viewpoint.

The American Political Science Association recently came out with press releases claiming that the majority of Presidential election forecasting models are predicting an Obama win in the popular vote and that Democrats will make seat gains in both the House and Senate. If both these predictions actually come true I will eat my words on modeling in political science . . . well for just a few days :)

Armchair anthropologist - Seveteen Magazine then and now

2008-10-17T13:36:00.006-04:00

I was at my fabulous hairdressers today getting a touch-up on my color (re: gray hairs were starting to poke through again) and I accidentally picked up a Seventeen magazine instead of The Economist. Imagine my shock when instead of the latest news on the global financial meltdown I saw pictures of Zac Ephron and a how-to- feature on French kissing!

Okay, okay, I admit it. I picked up Seventeen on purpose. As I was riffling through the stack of magazines next while waiting for my color to set, I came across Seveteen and was intrigued. I hadn't looked at a copy since . . . well . . . probably since I was 17 if not younger. Call it armchair cultural research. I was like an anthropologist re-entering a community she had lived in 15 years after she had left. And what I found was intriguing.

Many things wer exactly as I remembered them. Celebrity gossip, notes on hot fahsion trends, pictures of cute famous boys (even I can admit Zac Ephron is pretty dreamy), relentless hocking of overpriced beauty products. Even some of the clothes wer similar to what I was wearing (or more likely what I wished I was cool enough to wear) 20 years ago. There were two things I was not expecting, though.

First, was a noticable different in the "romance and dating" sections. Sure there was a section on kissing that could have been ripped from the pages of Seventeen in 1990 or even 1980. However, that was by far the most innocent article on this topic. What I found that would never have been there 15 years ago was a frankness and openness about sex. There was a discussion about the benefits and side-effects of going on the pill, with a heavy slant towards encouraging teenagers to go on it even if they are just thinking about having sex, along with Planned Parenthood's national 1-800 number (as well as a reminder that abstinence was the only 100% effective method). There were frequent references to having sex with boyfriends in the advice and "personal horror stories" sections. A story about getting over a break-up included tips that assumed some couples will have been sexually active. And there was a wonderful feature about a college-aged lesbian couple who had met in high school and recently were able to marry in California. I was quite surprised.

It's not that teenagers are having sex at such as higher rate now than they were when I am in high school. (I am not substantiating this empirically. It's just an educated assertion. Call me out if I'm wrong.) But in 1990 magazines geered towards teenaged girls (that are also read by tweens) were not that explicit in recognizing the sexual activeness of its readers. And you know what? I think this is a wonderful thing. It made me smile the whole time I was reading it. If all teenagers in this country were raised in a culture of openness, education, and self-awareness that I felt Seventeen magazine was promoting, then perhaps we would have lower rates of teen pregnancy and more sexually well-adjusted adults.

The second thing that surprised me was a full-paged ad promoting Seventeen magazine's Body Peace Treaty. A number of teen-world celebrities had signed it (Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Amanda Bynes, Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Underwood) aned the magazine was encouraging all of its readers to sign the plege for themselves. It would have been nice to see some fuller-figured celebrity names on it, but I did notice that a couple of the models in the fashion spreads were larger girls, so at lease they're trying. I looked up the Body Peace Treaty online so I could re-print it here. I think it's something worth mulling over for woman of all ages.

I vow to:

Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
Never blame my body for the bad day I'm having.
Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe...
Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I'd never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
Remember that even the girl who I'd swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
Realize that the mirror can reflect only what's on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
Know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am.

You go Seventeen!

Elitism and American Politics

2008-10-14T10:51:00.004-04:00

In an election where Barak Obama has been charged by many from the right with "elitism" and Sarah Palin proudly flaunts her lack of Washingon experience, I think it's important to ask what is so bad about elitism in politics? Why do so many Americans look down on experience and education in favor of someone who is just your "average Joe" (or Jane is this election)? and In his Newsweek column a couple weeks ago, Sam Harris address this very question.

. . . how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth—in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn't seem too intelligent or well educated.

I think this is kind of attitude that got W. elected and re-elected and is behind much of the popularity of Sarah Palin. Of course, there's also the fact that supposed "elitists" tend to be more of the rationalist persuasion, and therefore don't believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Perhaps "elitism" is just a code word for "educated enough to not believe in irrational nonsense."

The entire article is worth a read for it's engagin criticism of the cringe-inducing mixing of religion and politics we would get with Palin running the country.

V is coming back!

2008-10-10T17:51:00.001-04:00

What Generation X-er doesn't have fond memories of lizards-wearing-human-skin-guinea-pig-eating aliens? For all of us into sci-fi nostalgia TV, Variety is reporting that ABC is developing an updated version of V, the (in)famous 1980s miniseries and TV show. W00t!

If it's half as good as the new version Battlestar Gallactica, I am so there.

A religious movement a can get behind - the Unitarian Jihad

2008-10-08T08:52:00.002-04:00

Found this manifesto of the "Unitarian Jihad" from a freethinking website (don't remember now which one). I guess it circulated around the internet a few years ago, but I missed it then. I did a little research and it actually turns out it was a humor piece Jon Carroll of the SF Chronicle. Enjoy.

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.
Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States! Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought. Too long have fundamentalist yahoos of all religions (except Buddhism -- 14-5 vote, no abstentions, fundamentalism subcommittee) made your head hurt. Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression!
People of the United States, why is everyone yelling at you??? Whatever happened to ... you know, everything? Why is the news dominated by nutballs saying that the Ten Commandments have to be tattooed inside the eyelids of every American, or that Allah has told them to kill Americans in order to rid the world of Satan, or that Yahweh has instructed them to go live wherever they feel like, or that Shiva thinks bombing mosques is a great idea? Sister Immaculate Dagger of Peace notes for the record that we mean no disrespect to Jews, Muslims, Christians or Hindus. Referred back to the committee of the whole for further discussion.
We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes.
Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues.
We are Unitarian Jihad. We will appear in public places and require people to shake hands with each other. (Sister Hand Grenade of Love suggested that we institute a terror regime of mandatory hugging, but her motion was not formally introduced because of lack of a quorum.) We will require all lobbyists, spokesmen and campaign managers to dress like trout in public. Televangelists will be forced to take jobs as Xerox repair specialists. Demagogues of all stripes will be required to read Proust out loud in prisons.
We are Unitarian Jihad, and our motto is: "Sincerity is not enough." We have heard from enough sincere people to last a lifetime already. Just because you believe it's true doesn't make it true. Just because your motives are pure doesn't mean you are not doing harm. Get a dog, or comfort someone in a nursing home, or just feed the birds in the park. Play basketball. Lighten up. The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.
Brother Gatling Gun of Patience notes that he's pretty sure the world is out to get him because everyone laughs when he says he is a Unitarian. There were murmurs of assent around the room, and someone suggested that we buy some Congress members and really stick it to the Baptists. But this was deemed against Revolutionary Principles, and Brother Gatling Gun of Patience was remanded to the Sunday Flowers and Banners committee.
People of the United States! We are Unitarian Jihad! We can strike without warning. Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere! Nice people will run the government again! There will be coffee and cookies in the Gandhi Room after the revolution.

Sign me up! Oh, and according to the Unitarian Jihad Naming Committee, my jihad name is Sister Holy Axe of Compassion. I'm putting that on my business cards (if I ever get any).

Google's Mail Goggles Prevents Drunk Emailing

2008-10-07T18:03:00.001-04:00

This is pretty amusing and it would have helped me save face on more than one occasion. My only comment - wouldn't a spellcheck test have worked just as well? Some people might not be able to solve the math problems sober, but all drunk emails, in my experience, have egregious spelling errors.

Google’s Mail Goggles Prevents Drunk Emailing | Epicenter from Wired.com

Tina Fey is my hero

2008-09-29T10:00:00.002-04:00

I know I've been neglecting this blog for the past couple of weeks. I promise to post something more substantial soon. However, to tide everyone over, I'm posting the most recent installment of the Tina Fey SNL parodies of Sarah Palin. Enjoy.

I also know that most of my posts recently have been political. I'll try to mix it up a bit in the near future.

I used to respect Elizabeth Dole . . . until now

2008-09-12T15:43:00.004-04:00

I have always had a good deal of respect for Elizabeth Dole. Even though we differ substantially on a number of political issues (I'm very socially liberal), I could admire her for her accomplishments, especially as a woman in a era where women were just beginning to hold positions of political power. From cabinet posts under Reagan and Bush I, to president of the Red Cross, to Senator and presidential candidate, I always thought she encapsulated the values of the moderate wing of the Republican party. I always thought she would be above dirty politics and hate-mongering. Until now.

On August 26th, Dole's Sentate re-election campaign came out with a press release which is one of the most official bigoted statements I have recently read by an American politcian in regards to secular and non-religious Americans. In it she vilifies an opponent for daring to meet with the "Godless Americans Political Action Committee" (a euphemism for the Secular Coalition for America), a group whose mission, as stated in the press release, is to protect the civil rights of non-religious Americans. Here's the press release text. I've highlighted the worst parts of it:

"Godless Americans PAC?"

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Hagan Heads to Boston for Fundraiser in the Home of Leading Anti-Religion Activists

On September 15th, Kay Hagan is heading to Boston, Massachusetts to attend a fundraiser for her Senate campaign. What may surprise mainstream North Carolinians is that the fundraiser will be in the home of leading anti religion activists Wendy Kaminer and her lawyer husband Woody Kaplan -- who is an advisor to the "Godless Americans Political Action Committee."

Kaminer is the author of Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, in which one reviewer said Kaminer is ". . . trying to save us from ‘the perils of piety’-the pestilence of organized religion and its encroachment on public life. Should we be surprised that Katha Pollitt, atheist-in-chief at The Nation and author of a book called Reasonable Creatures, has given Kaminer's book a gushing blurb?” (Norah Vincent, Op-Ed, “Unbelievable,” National Review, 11/22/99)."

Kaminer is also an advisory board member (Woody is the chairman) of The Secular Coalition for America which is "the national lobby for atheists, humanists, freethinkers and other nontheistic Americans with the unique mission of protecting their civil rights.” (Secular Coalition For America, Press Release, 1/16/08)

Kaminer's husband, Woody Kaplan, is also an advisor to the Godless Americans Political Action Committee which sees itself as a counter-force to religious groups in public policy debates.

"Kay Hagan is trying to run a campaign in North Carolina that casts her as a moderate but the money that's paying for it is coming from the left-wing fringe of political thought," said Dole Campaign Communications Director Dan McLagan. "You can tell a lot about a person by their friends and these are friends most North Carolinians would not be comfortable having over for dinner."

Hagan's campaign is being largely funded by labor unions intent on ending North Carolina's status as a right to work state, liberal trial lawyers and ultra left wing groups like MoveOn.org which is a deeply anti-military organization. Now Hagan has added anti-religion activists from Boston Massachusetts to the list.

"Kay Hagan does not represent the values of this state; she is a Trojan Horse for a long list of wacky left-wing outside groups bent on policies that would horrify most North Carolinians if they knew about it," McLagan said. "This latest revelation of support from anti-religion activists will not sit well with the 90% of state residents who identify with a specific religious faith."

I don't even know where to begin. I guess somehow seeking equal rights and civil liberties for a minority non-religious group has become "anti-religious." And the way in which the atheists and other non-religious are characterized is a clear scare tactic. By mocking the name of the organization by calling them "Godless Americans PAC" she consciously plays into stereotypes, misconceptions and fear about secularism. As the Atheist Revolution blog points out, this is a classic example of "othering" and intolerance:

What Dole is saying here is that persons seeking representation for nontheistic Americans are merely "anti religion activists." She uses "atheist" as an insult to devalue, distance, and dehumanize. For Dole, atheists are useful only as the vilified other. She projects her hatred of atheists onto North Carolina residents by claiming that the people she represents would not want an atheist over for dinner. She characterizes North Carolina as an intolerant place where her constituency would be "horrified" that anyone would bother to represent the atheists among them.

Even the mere association of someone with an atheist, either through meeting with them to hear their political grievances or even having them over for dinner creates a kind of guilt by association. Doesn't this all seem way too similar to the tactics of racists, sexists and homophobes? Austin Cline makes this argument:

Judging people simply because they don't believe in any gods is on the same moral level as judging people for their skin color or their sexual orientation. This places Elizabeth Dole and her Communications Director Dan McLagan on the same level as racists — and worse, racist politicians who exploit the racism of voters in order to turn them against more liberal politicians who dare to associate with racial minorities and/or those who support equal rights of racial minorities.

So let's rework Dole's press release to target a different group besides atheists, secularists, and the non-religious and see what it would sound like. Let's pretend like Dole's opponent was meeting with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and change just a few words of the press release.

"Terrorist Americans PAC?"

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Hagan Heads to Boston for Fundraiser in the Home of Leading Anti-Christian Activists

On September 15th, Kay Hagan is heading to Boston, Massachusetts to attend a fundraiser for her Senate campaign. What may surprise mainstream North Carolinians is that the fundraiser will be in the home of leading anti Christian activists Wendy Kaminer and her lawyer husband Woody Kaplan -- who is an advisor to the "Terrorist Americans Political Action Committee."

Kaminer is the author of Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials, in which one reviewer said Kaminer is ". . . trying to save us from ‘the perils of piety’-the pestilence of evangelical Christianity and its encroachment on public life. Should we be surprised that Katha Pollitt, terrorist-in-chief at The Nation and author of a book called Reasonable Creatures, has given Kaminer's book a gushing blurb?” (Norah Vincent, Op-Ed, “Unbelievable,” National Review, 11/22/99)."

Kaminer is also an advisory board member (Woody is the chairman) of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee which is "the national lobby for muslim and arab Americans with the unique mission of protecting their civil rights.”

Kaminer's husband, Woody Kaplan, is also an advisor to the Terrorist Americans Political Action Committee which sees itself as a counter-force to Christian groups in public policy debates.

"Kay Hagan is trying to run a campaign in North Carolina that casts her as a moderate but the money that's paying for it is coming from the Islamic fringe of political thought," said Dole Campaign Communications Director Dan McLagan. "You can tell a lot about a person by their friends and these are friends most North Carolinians would not be comfortable having over for dinner."

Hagan's campaign is being largely funded by labor unions intent on ending North Carolina's status as a right to work state, liberal trial lawyers and ultra left wing groups like MoveOn.org which is a deeply anti-military organization. Now Hagan has added anti-Christian activists from Boston Massachusetts to the list.

"Kay Hagan does not represent the values of this state; she is a Trojan Horse for a long list of wacky left-wing outside groups bent on policies that would horrify most North Carolinians if they knew about it," McLagan said. "This latest revelation of support from Arab and Muslim activists will not sit well with the 90% of state residents who identify with a specific Christian faith."

Can you imagine the outcry of bigotry that would occur if Elizabeth Dole's scare tactics were directed at another group besides atheists?

Respecting the wishes of the founding fathers . . . from the 1950s?!?

2008-09-12T11:13:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm on a Sarah Palin roll today - two blog posts in a row.

Just came across this gem from Daily Kos. When asked 2006 whether she was offended by the phrase "under god" in the Pledge of Allegiance, Palin replied: "If it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me."

I guess that means the U.S. was founded in 1954, because as I noted in a recent post, that the year when the phrase "under god" was officially put in the Pledge. (The original version of the pledge itself was written in 1892.) I guess Sarah Palin's founding fathers are Dwight Eisenhower and Joe McCarthy.

Wow. Just wow. This woman's political ignorance astounds me.

The other Palin for VP

2008-09-12T10:23:00.002-04:00

I saw this video posted at one of my favorite blogs, Pharyngula. Absolutely brilliant. Makes me want to go re-watch Monty Python instead of enduring the next two months of U.S. Politics.

Does Congress really apply the Establishment Clause to itself?

2008-08-30T10:45:00.009-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I was recently on a tour of the Congress with a group Europeans and Americans during my LSE class reunion. We had a fun time listening to the House Republicans talk about energy policy, and I'm sure the Europeans enjoyed listening to the complex and well-informed rhetoric coming from the House floor that day. (Yes, I am being sarcastic.) However, the thing that really mystified some of them was the opening prayer.

Sure, what we saw was not an official session of Congress. However, it is true that every regular business day in the Congress is opened with a prayer from the House and Senate chaplains. This has been the case since 1789. After leaving the chambers, my European friends were wondering how a prayer is permissible given that separation of church and state is part of the US Constitution. Doesn't this act violate the first amendment?

The easy answer is that while the US purports to uphold the principle of separation of church and state, our government violates it frequently. Let's not forget that public officials are sworn in on a bible or other type of religious book, our money has "in god we trust" written on it, and the public school children recite the line "one nation under god" during the pledge of allegiance each morning. (Interesting to note - that line was not in the original pledge of allegiance adopted in 1892 but was added by Congress during the Eisenhower administration in 1954. "In god we trust" was also not put on U.S. currency until around the same time). And being a non-theist means 50% of Americans would not even consider voting for you, no matter how qualified you are. So much for the "no religious test" clause of the Constitution.

(Some of my friends claimed that being too openly religious would not get you elected in their home countries. How ironic that while many European countries still have official state religions, they are in practice some of the most secular, non-religious countries in the world?)

After our tour, I did a little research on the topic of the Congressional prayer. In 1983, the Supreme Court took up this question of opening prayers during legislative sessions in March v. Chambers. The Court ruled to permit this practice under the Constitution, However, the majority decision was based mostly on the history and tradition of allowing opening prayers in Congress. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice Burger wrote:

In light of the unambiguous and unbroken history of more then 200 years, there can be no doubt that the practice of opening legislative sessions with prayer has become part of the fabric of our society. To invoke Divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making laws is not, in these circumstances, an "establishment" or a step toward establishment; it is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of this country.

This seems like a pretty weak argument to me, especially considering we're talking about a Constitutional issue and not a question of what is a desirable policy. As Brennen's minority opinion points out, the majority did not apply the commonly used "Lemon test" on issues dealing with religion. (If they did it surely would have failed.) The phrase "tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of this country" smacks of majority rule trumping minority rights, the very thing the Bill of Rights was supposed to ensure against. One could easily argue that many traditional were once a part of the "fabric of our society" and "widely held" beliefs, such as slavery, racial inequality, women not voting, etc. An institution of the federal government officially invoking "divine guidance" every day is state endorsement of religion, IMHO.

So what about the argument that participating in the Congressional opening prayer is voluntary? This was indeed the point that our more conservative tour guide made. No one is forced to participate in the prayer. I personally had my head up and eyes open during the recitation at our tour. I did a little more research and found out that in 2000, the US Supreme Court ruled in Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe that even voluntary prayers led by an elected student chaplain at high school football games were unconstitutional. Justice Stevens made these remarks in his majority opinion for this case:

School sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible because it sends the ancillary message to members of the audience who are nonadherants "that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherants that they are insiders, favored members of the political community."

As an atheist and an American, I fully relate to these words. Take out the word "school" and insert "congressional" and think of the statement in relation to the voluntary prayer lead each session by the Congressional chaplains. (Chaplains who are employed by and paid by the federal government.) To me, interpretation implies that non-religious persons are outsiders, not "real" Americans and not full-fledged members of the American political systems. This is about as clear a case of discrimination and not upholding separation of church and state as I can think of.

Oh, wait. I forgot. Congress sometimes does not apply the very legislation it passes to itself. I guess the same must be true about the Constitution now. Silly me.

A fun time at the House of Representatives

2008-08-26T16:00:00.004-04:00

This last Friday, as part of the organized activities for my LSE class reunion in DC, we had a tour of the U.S. Capitol. One of our DC classmates was able to get a staffer from the Republican House minority leader's office to be our guide. While I'd been in the Capitol a few times for work when I was with UNHCR, I had never visited as a tourist. The tour itself would have been a fun experience in and of itself. However, a couple of other aspects of the tour made it even more interesting.

Little did we know when we arranged the tour, but the House Republican energy bill protest was going on. Basically, a handful of the more conservative Republicans had decided to keep giving speeches about energy policy on the house floor during the August recess. The mikes were off, the C-SPAN cameras were dead, and the Democrats (and most of the other Republicans) were back in the their home districts campainging. But these Republicans wanted to put pressure on the Democrats to consider expanding U.S. off-shore drilling. Regardless of my problems with both the politics and ethics of this move, watching this "shadow session" for a few minutes was entertaining. And because Congress was not in session, all the tourists got to sit on the House floor, in the seats where Representatives usually sit. (Typically tourists must stay in an upper level gallery.)

Our LSE group was a mix of Americans and Europeans. The Europeans were pretty amused with the energy policy arguments, especially one individual who is a policy expert on energy and environmental issues. I would have liked to see him ask the Republicans a few questions. The level of discourse was very dumbed down (they were addressing tourists and not other Representatives) and it was actually a bit embarrassing for the Americans IMHO.

The best part of the energy speeches was Rep. Thelma Drake's (from the Norfolk area) justification for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). She claimed that she always envisioned ANWR as a "pristine" and "beautiful" place. However, after going there and seeing that it wasn't as pristine and beautiful as she imagined, she now thinks it's okay to drill there. So I guess that means our standards of environmental preservation should be based on what we think is "pretty." Who cares about fragile ecosystems, the food web, special preservation, etc.?The only thing that matters is whether people think it would look good on a postcard. I guess that means we should only worry about cute endangered species and not the ugly ones. This woman would have gotten reamed if she would have made this argument to anyone else but tired, sweaty tourists.

One aspect of the Republican speeches we witnessed that really confused the Europeans was the opening prayer. More on that in my next blog entry. I have to do a little more research before discussing that issue.

I love my LSE friends but being around them can sometimes depress me

2008-08-25T10:15:00.005-04:00

Every once in a while you have one of those experiences that causes you to assess your life and re-examine where you've been and where you're going. This past week has been one of those times for me.

We had the 9th reunion here in DC for my Master's program at the London School of Economics. In the fall of 1998, myself and about 60 other people from around the world began a year-long program in Politics of the World Economy. I learned a lot that year, not just about world politics and economics, but about myself personally and what I wanted out of life. I also made a bunch of wonderful lifelong friends. Every year since we graduated in the summer of 1999, we've organized reunions in different cities internationally. I stayed away the first few years for a variety of reasons. This year in DC was only the second reunion I've attended. However, after so many years and so much distance, I still feel like I know these people as well as I did back in London.

However, for as much as everyone is the same in terms of their personalities, professionally everyone has naturally advanced quite far. I'm always so amazed by the accomplishments of my LSE cohort. Our group has some series intellectual capital. At the DC reunion alone, we had successful attorneys (both in government and the private sector), national government diplomats, International Organization bureaucrats and negotiators, policy and think tank experts, private finance big wigs, and business consultants coming from Brussels, London, DC, Rome, Oslo, and Amsterdam. It's not uncommon for people from our class to encouter each other in professional situations.

And then there's me. Still working on my Ph.D. dissertation. A dissertation I should have finished years ago. I think of my "career trajectory" post-LSE. I first moved back to Kansas for a few months while I applied to Ph.D. programs. Then I moved to Ohio to start the Ph.D. program at Ohio State. After two years I left the program and moved to DC. Worked in an entry-level position at a United Nations agency. Then I left the UN to re-start my Ph.D. at George Washington. Five years later I'm struggling to finish the dissertation. If I work hard and am real lucky, I will complete the Ph.D. a few months after I turn 34. If I don't go into academia, then I will be back on the job market, probably working for a think tank, non-profit or the federal government in a position at a level that most of my LSE collegeaues were at a decade ago. I will most likely have superiors 5 years younger than me. If I encouter any of my LSE classmates in professional settings, I might be the person assigned to get them coffee. (Okay, that may be a little extreme, but you get the picture.)

When I started the LSE almost 10 years ago, where did I think I would be a decade later? I can tell you it was no where near the position I am in now. I thought I would be a published university professor, a policy expert at a think tank, or an upward bound State Department official. Certainly not still a grad student sitting in front of her computer day after day trying to overcome a series case of writers block.

I guess the whole "who did you think you were going to be when you grew up" game is a bit unfair to play. Our lives never turn out the way we think they will. And I am very happy personally. But I still can't shake this feeling of professional failure every time I get together with my LSE friends. There's a constant cloud of "if I had only" that hangs over my mind. I think of all the different paths my life could have gone down and wonder if the one I have chosen professionally is really the one that will allow me to live up to my potential.

And then I get even more depressed when I realize we can't drink near as much as we used to back in London without serious hangovers! I really need a couple days of rest just to recover. Maybe then I won't be so melancholy.

Cosmopolitan' Institute Completes Decades-Long Study On How To Please Your Man

2008-08-12T17:11:00.002-04:00

Just frakking awesome.

'Cosmopolitan' Institute Completes Decades-Long Study On How To Please Your Man

The best part is at the end when the male reporter asks "What is next? Maybe the sensual pleasures of women?" and both the female reporter and the female researcher just laugh. Awesome.

What do McMansions say about American culture?

2008-08-12T09:31:00.004-04:00

This article in the Sunday Washington Post caught my eye - "The Dreams that Drive Us." It's a brief yet interesting overview of the interaction of the architecture of the American home and American culture over the past 100+ years. The author is a professor of architecture at Columbia who has a book about the history of American modern architecture.

My favorite part of the article is her comments about McMansions.

A McMansion is rife with contradictions. It's an exhibitionistic house, yet it's set far back from the street, with tall gates and security systems. These Hummer houses appeal to people who want a truly conspicuous display of wealth. They've given freedom of expression a new and rather disturbing meaning: the right to do whatever you want, to be totally self-absorbed. Which is where we are, for the most part, today.

I couldn't have said it better myself. What will people in 40-50 years think when they look at current residential architecture? I think of now how so many people are into mid-century architecture and covet designs from the 50s and 60s. I can't even imagine a similar movement in the future. I doubt there will ever be nostalgia for shoddy construction, garish ornamentation, and tasteless mixing of architectural styles. But who knows? Maybe McMansions will be "retro" gems in the future. Of course, to be nostalgic about McMansions, that would mean that residential architecture in the U.S. would have to come up with something worse than McMansions. I shudder at the thought.

Moonwalker reopens UFO files

2008-08-05T12:06:00.001-04:00

I consider myself an open-minded skeptic when it comes to things like UFOs. I don't believe in them based on the evidence I've seen. However, I'm not completely closed off to the possibility that I will see evidence in the future that will convince me of their existence. That is why this tidbit about the believe in UFOs and alien visitations to earth by a respected Apollo astronaut intrigued me. Or maybe the X-Files marathon David and I are doing this summer has gotten to my head!

Moonwalker reopens UFO files - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com

Buffy Animated Series Pilot

2008-08-04T17:17:00.003-04:00

I remember a couple of years back when Joss & Co. were developing an animated Buffy series. It never really got off the ground unfortunately. However, this short pilot recently surfaced on the internet. Just a tease of what might have been. I still miss Buffy so much!

Why do all the immortal protagonists hate immortality?

2008-07-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

One my husband’s favorite TV shows of all times is The Highlander. As I’m heading to bed, he pulls out the DVDs and watches Duncan McCloud nobly behead other immortals in cheesy, low-production-values fight scenes. There’s one song they play over and over in multiple episodes that often gets stuck in my head - “Who wants to live forever?” by Queen. And it totally encapsulates my pet peeve about the way immortality is often represented in TV and movies.

Duncan McCloud, like many other fictional immortals, is dark and broody about his immortality. Immortality is portrayed as a burden he would gladly get rid of if he could. He has to watch friends and lovers grow old and die while he stays young and handsome until the end of the world (or until he gets be-headed by another immortal). Many episodes are about a moody Duncan reminiscing over friends or girlfriends that are long gone.

Well boo-frakking-hoo. Poor baby. Too bad the fact that YOU GET TO LIVE FOREVER doesn’t make up for it. Oh wait. It does! Sure it sucks to see people die and it’s hard making new friends every few decades, but let me remind you that YOU GET TO LIVE FOREVER!!! Let’s just pretend, Duncan, that you get turned back into a mortal. You settle down, have a few young-uns, work a respectable job, and retire to Florida. As death approaches after a rousing game of bridge, is the last thought on your mind going to be “Gee, I’m sure glad now that I’m staring into the abyss that I gave up that pesky immortality thing”? I think not.

This phenomenon of immortals hating their immortality extends well beyond Duncan McCloud (and his cousin Connor). Other fictional immortal protagonists whining about wanting to become human again are:

Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his eponymous show Angel) – Poor Angel. He can’t have sex with his true love, Buffy, because of his vampire-with-a-soul-curse. Now don’t get me wrong. I love sex with someone you deeply love as much as anyone else, but I would gladly trade it for immortality. (Sorry, David.) He was offered a possibility of a future Shanshu (Buffy-verse speak for mystical reward that will turn Angel human), but thankfully signed it away by the end of the series. So now he’s free to be a vampire detective for another few centuries. Angel’s guilty of muttering the horrible pun “Immortality? I’m dying to get rid of that.”

Nick Knight (Forever Knight) – another vampire detective who desperately wanted to be mortal again. He was all morose about all the bad things he did – blood sucking, pillaging, killings – that he used his well-hones vampire instincts to fight crime in Toronto and atone for his sins. In the end, he gets his vampire mentor to kill him and so that he doesn’t have to turn his dying human girlfriend into a vampire. Wow. He must have really loved her to want them both dead and rotting in the ground.

Mick St. John (Moonlight) – the most recent in a time-honored tradition of vampire dectective heroes wishing they were mortal again. Mick wants to be mortal so badly that he takes a “temporary” cure, and then proceeds to get beat to a pulp by sensible I-like-being-immortal-and powerful vampires.

John Amsterdam (New Amsterdam) – I didn’t watch this “blink and you miss it” show from last season. However, the main plot is that John Amsterdam will become mortal when he finds true love. Isn’t that sweet? Then they can be dead together . . . forever.

Arwen (Lord of the Rings) – The elf who gives up immortality for to be with her human love, Aragorn. While the elves say they viewed the mortality of humans as a gift, how many of them besides Arwen actually stayed behind in Middle Earth instead sailing to Valinor (where they would stay immortal)? I believe the answer is none.

So why do we have these fictional immortals who are so willing to give up their immortality? While short-sightedness is the first thing that comes to mind, there is clearly something deeper going on here. We have to remember that these stories are created for human consumption. As mortal beings who are typically obsessed with death, there is clearly an allure to the idea of immortality. However, a narrative about a happy, go-lucky immortal who loves his/her life and has no problem living forever would not make an exciting story (These kinds of characters are often sidekicks, mentors, roguish friends, etc. – Methos in Highlander, Spike in Buffy/Angel, Josef in Moonlight.) We the viewers need conflict, inner turmoil, something for to propel the narrative forward. And while we can fantasize about being immortal ourselves, we ultimately come to feel good about our own mortality when the protagonist we secretly envy actually envies our mortality and normalness.

Except for me. I totally want to be immortal and think these characters are being silly. That’s why I’m investing in cryogenics. You may think I’m joking . . .

There’s an academic paper in here somewhere.

Liberal guilt and the "n" word

2008-07-17T10:42:00.002-04:00

A recent controversy in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, IL caught my attention. A planned outdoor production of "Ragtime" has been steeped in controversy over the play's use of the infamous "n" word in reference to African-American characters. While it was eventually decided that the play will run (although indoors and for a more limited engagement), some members of the mostly white, middle and upper class community were upset by the public expression of these words in a public forum.

This article quotes Ty Perry, the African-American director of the play, who explains the context of the use of the "n" word in "Ragtime":

"If you don't want people to use the word," he said, "this is the perfect opportunity to show them why they shouldn't." Setting aside euphemism, he quoted examples of its use in the musical. "There is a song in which Coalhouse Walker [the black protagonist] sings the line, 'I'm not their nigger,'" he says. "And at another point when Willie Conklin [the racist villain] demands a toll, Coalhouse asks, 'Since when?' And Conklin says, 'Since some high falutin' nigger and his whore could drive that car of theirs any place they please. That's since when.'"

Mr. Perry then goes on to give what I think is one of the best comments I've recently read about the use of this word in contemporary American culture.

"I understand it makes white people nervous, but to take that word out of 'Ragtime' would be to invalidate my heritage as an African-American man. I was talking to my partner about this and he said, 'I can't understand what you feel when you hear that word.' And I said, 'I can never understand the guilt you feel when you hear that word.' We both have a common bond with that word. So let's deal with that."

I like the idea of a common bond between African-Americans (who have been victims of this label) and whites (who feel guilty over the way whites have used this word to denigrate African-Americans) through the recognition of our lack of being able to completely understand what it's like to be in the other position. Unfortunately, it's rare to hear an idea that actually could help race relations in the U.S. move forward.

"Coded prejudice is cloaked dagger"

2008-07-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

Came across this article from the Trib on coded prejudice. Since openly using racial slurs is no longer cultural acceptable (at least in most places) people use code words to refer to minority groups. Well, duh! How many times have white people talked about going to the "urban" (i.e. black) part of town or about a neighborhood that is "gentrifying" (i.e. kicking out all the poor, black people). What's interesting about the article is the implication for federal discrimination law.
Coded prejudice is cloaked dagger -- chicagotribune.com

Sex & Gender Part II - Sissy boys and Buffy girls

2008-07-12T11:26:00.002-04:00

I am of the opinion that the next big step our culture needs to make towards gender equality is the acceptance of femininity for men. We are now at the point where it's becoming increasingly tolerated for women to exhibit masculine characteristics and behaviors - full-time careers, competitive behavior, engaging in physical violence. In some areas it's even expected. For example, women who choose not to have a career and be "traditional" stay at home moms are looked down on by some. (I admit I've been guilty of this.) Of course we still a long way to go. Women who are assertive in their careers are still often labeled "bitchy" while assertiveness in men is seen as an asset. And let's not forget the myriad of sexist comments made about Hilary (including the infamous "nagging wife" comment) that play on stereotypes about femininity and masculinity.

That being said, it's still a lot easier in our current society for a girl to be a tomboy that a boy to be a sissy. Girls can now play with trucks, excel at sports, read comic books, etc. and not be seen as deviant. But most parents would discourage their boys from having dolls, learning to cook, playing dress up, crying when they get hurt, etc. (Many would think this means their son was gay –oh the horror!). Women can now be Buffy. They can kick ass and look great doing it. In fact, one could argue the butt-kicking, hot woman has become a pretty standard straight male sexual fantasy. So while it's certainly not acceptable for women to exhibit characteristics from the full range of masculine behaviors and attributes, things have certainly come a long was in the past few decades. However, an effeminate man is still a negative stereotype.

There are a few small signs that this is changing, though. First, obviously, are the tremendous strides the gay rights movement has made in recent years, and the increased visibility of individuals who do not conform to gender stereotypes. Also, there is a small but growing number of men in the U.S. who are choosing to be stay-at-home dads. I read an interesting article in the Washington Post a while back that claimed in 2007 there were 159,000 stay-at-home dads, which is around 2.7 percent of the total stay-at-home parents in the U.S. While this sounds low, the article said that number almost tripled in the past 10 years. On the flipside, even though we may see the men in this article as being egalitarian, they all make it clear that they still work at least part-time from home. None of them are true house-husbands. That probably would have been way too feminine to be acceptable.

Finally, there is the phenomenon of men taking their wife's last names when they get married. I couldn't find any statistics on this, but I was able to find quite a few anecdotal journalistic accounts. David actually told me he was willing to do this when we got married. My immediate reaction was to think he was joking, which shows how ingrained some of these traditions are in our society. I thought about the potential reaction to David changing his name, the teasing and ribbing he would get from his friends and colleagues (esp. men) who would make jokes about his masculinity.

Along those lines, this article about a man who took his wife’s name describes the chuckles he got at his wedding and the flak he took from his friends. The same article talks about another man who had people tell him to turn in his “man card” and ask what “sissy juice” he was drinking. Lovely. Compare that to the relatively mundane reaction I got when I didn’t change my name, as well as the total unquestioning acceptance from people if I would have changed my last name to David's.

There are legal aspects to gender discrimination of name changing as well. This article talks about a California man who had to jump through two years of fees, paperwork and bureaucratic red tape to change his surname to his wife’s. He finally took his case to the California ACLU who helped get the law changed in that state. The article goes on to say, however, that in over 40 states there is still no place on marriage license applications for a man to change his last name.

So my question is when do we get the Buffy for men? When will there be a male pop culture icon that can be a stay at home dad, do all the cooking and cleaning, take his wife’s name, but still also watch sports, love cars, be competitive, etc.? When will the stereotype of the “sissy” go away? Only then can we really achieve true gender equality IMHO.

Watch out Spanlish . . . here comes Chinglish

2008-07-07T14:37:00.001-04:00

Interesting article from Wired about the emergence of a particular English dialect among native Chinese speakers. With the globalization of English as the lingua franca, I would be surprised if thus phenomenon isn't already happening in many other places around the world. I'm personally not worried about this, though. I see language as a constantly evolving process, and holding on to some "proper" form of English is a bit archaic and elitist IMHO. Also, I enjoy the idea of being able to travel all over the world and people being able to have some common language to speak to one another with - even if we all have our different dialects.

How English Is Evolving Into a Language We May Not Even Understand

The Google Defense

2008-07-05T12:11:00.002-04:00

Ran across this interesting article in the Post:
The Google Ogle Defense: A Search for America's Psyche - washingtonpost.com

It's about a recent court case in Pensacola, Florida where a man was charged with violating obscenity laws by creating & selling internet porn. His lawyer was planning on using google metrics from the Pensacola area to show that people searched for purportedly obscene topics like "orgy" significantly more than more mundane topics like "apple pie" and "boating." Therefore, the community standard definition of obscene should be a lot narrower than the prosecution was arguing. The case was eventually settled out of court, so the defense was never presented in court. However, I'm sure it's not long before we see the google defense used actively in a similar court case.

Dr. Horrible is my new lover

2008-07-01T15:40:00.003-04:00

I am a whore for all things Joss Whedon. That means I would metaphorically have sex with anything Joss Whedon produces for money. Hell, not even for money. I would copulate with any TV show, movie, comic, book, webisode, email, grocery list, or doodle he produced. So you can imagine how worked up I am over the new trailer for his web musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog".

I'm sure it will be brilliant. (My typical reliance on skepticism and objectivity disappears whenever Mr. Whedon is involved.) And who can't love the pairing of Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillon as arch-nemeses. This will be even better than the Fringe pilot!

Rumors Barack Obama's campaign shouldn't try to correct. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

2008-06-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

Rumors Barack Obama's campaign shouldn't try to correct. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

Sex & Gender Part I - Culture v. Biology

2008-06-27T11:23:00.007-04:00

Many days instead of dissertation writing, I mull over various thoughts I have regarding "liberal" issues like racism, gender socialization, gay rights, attitudes towards evolution, and the like. I always think about how I should write down some of these thoughts (and therefore parlay them into something academically useful instead of just an interesting distraction). Therefore, today I'm going to start a multiple-post arc on issues of culture & biology in sex and gender.

One big question I've struggled with for years is: How much are gender differences biologically versus culturally determined? By gender I mean the traits, characteristics, behaviors, etc. associated with being masculine and feminine. The standard line is that sex is biological (women have boobs, men have gonads) but gender is socially constructed. The controversial question issue is how much is gender connected to sex? How much of femininity is biologically ingrained in women and how much do genes tell men to be masculine? (Interesting aside - Judith Butler argues both sex and gender are socially constructed.)

I've always leaned on the far side of the socialization scale. Girls like frilly dresses, the color pink, playing with dolls, and acting demurely because they are raised that way. And even when parents explicitly try bring their daughter up differently, influences like television, music, toys, movies, friends, family members, school, and practically everything else in our culture teaches them to adhere to a certain gender role. In this way gender is like a role we perform, where our gender identities are constantly reconstructed and reinforced through the repetition of everyday gendered acts, behaviors, words, etc. (See more about the performative theory of gender here.) Certainly things have changed a lot in contemporary U.S. culture over the past few decades, but it's still quite shockingly prevalent. (Think of gender stereotypes constantly used by the media, especially during Hillary Clinton's recent presidential campaign.)

Of course, many would point out (including my mother) that I am completely ignoring the large stack of research that demonstrates biological differences between the sexes. I'm not denying it completely. However, I would make three points. First, sex and gender are different concepts. Just because there are biological differences does not mean that they automatically lead to a behavioral gender attribute. So if the area of the brain that controls language tends to be larger in women, does this automatically mean women are inherently gossipy (as the gender stereotype says they are)? Absolutely not. I concept like "gossip" is a cultural construct. Maybe biology would say women tend to be better at remember the large amounts of information and social relationships that are part of "gossip" but the tendency for women to engage in this very specific kind of language activity (and the negative social connotations associated with gossip) are socialized IMHO.

Second, we can probably never truly test nature v. nurture arguments such as these. Short of finding a bunch of kids raised by wolves, there is no way to remove individuals completely from culture (and then we'd just be seeing the effects of socialization into wolf culture). In scientific experimental terms, we can never successfully apply the "treatment" of biology alone/no culture. Confounding cultural variables will always get in the way.

Third, biology and gender research can lead us down a dangerous ethical path. Here is one of my biggest pet peeves in the whole biology v. cultures debates. Why does a biological basis for any human behavior, attribute, belief, etc. differences make it somehow more justified? Why is “because it’s natural” a good justification for ethics and ideas about how society should be constructed?

For example, take the supposition that XYY men biologically tend to be more violent. (While the most recent research demonstrates XYY men are not more aggressive, just assume it for the sake of this point.) Can you imagine a judge who gave an XYY male a lighter sentence on an assult or rape charge because "he's biologically predisposed" to be more violent and therefore his behavior was "natural"? Of course not. That would be ridiculous. As a society we have an ethical standard against violence in most cases (with certain exceptions, of course), and we purport to apply this equally to all individuals, regardless of the amount of testosterone in the bodies.

Along those same lines, why should we tolerate arguments about women's role in the military, political leadership positions, math and science abilities, etc. that rely on supposedly biological differences between men and women. Just because it’s natural and there’s a biological explanation doesn’t mean it’s ethically correct. We construct our own ethical view of how the world should be independent of biology and use culture to shape biological, not vice versa. So, therefore, the biology v. culture in gender and sex differences debate should not be as meaningful as many think it is.

Part II and III to come later. I'm sure you can't wait!

Something decent to watch this summer

2008-06-18T09:45:00.002-04:00

Just found this on The Underwire blog on Wired.com: Fringe Pilot Leaks Online Three Months Before Premiere

I'm already downloading the Torrent. This will be a nice compliment to the X-Files summer marathon David and I are having. It will be interesting to compare the two. I wonder if conspiracy-minded FBI agents on TV are more or less paranoid about the government in the 21st century than in the 1990s? How will Fringe contribute to our long history of conspiracy culture in the US? (I must stop thinking about this or I will get even more distracted from dissertation writing!)

UPDATE: I watched the Fringe pilot on a train ride to NYC last week and it was awesome! 1 hour and 20 minutes of scifi/conspiracy/pop culture bliss. I hope the rest of the series is as good as the pilot. If anyone wants a copy just let me know.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

2008-06-13T17:59:00.000-04:00

Just found this fascinating article from The Atlantic - Is Google Making Us Stupid? Basically it's about how the information revolution and the internet are fundamentally altering the way humans process information and think, and even how our brains are structured. The end also has a nice twist with an overview of how these kinds of doomsday predictions were always made with the advent of new communication technologies (such as the printing press).

By hook or by crook . . .

2008-06-13T17:23:00.003-04:00

I just found out that plans on underway for a remake of the 1960s spy/sci-fi cult TV show The Prisoner. I'm intrigued by the idea and my mom will be even more excited than I am. (She introduced me to the show many years ago.) The Prisoner was one of the first television shows to use to medium to explore heady philosophical issues such as individualism v. society, personal identity v. socialization, political authority v. personal conviction, and even the very nature of reality itself. It's one of the few shows that runs counter to the claim that popular culture has gotten more complex and smarter over the past 40 years.

This is one remake that I can't wait for!

This one goes out to the one I love

2008-06-12T11:56:00.005-04:00

I had the most incredible night last night. SingleGirl and I went to see R.E.M. at Merriweather Post Pavillion. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to in my life. These guys still know how to rock, which is especially amazing given they're all around 50. The placed was packed, the audience was screaming, jumping and dancing, and Michael, Mike, and Peter were on fire. This is the fifth time I've seen R.E.M. live (two nights of the Green tour in Kansas City the summer of 1996, the Werchter Music Festival in Belgium summer 1999, and Constitution Hall in DC in 2004) All were great performances, but right now I think this was the best. My ears are still ringing from the show and I might need a double knee replacement from jumping around so much!

Being the 21st century-relevant band that they are, R.E.M. has set up a cool multimedia site for fan generated content. People can post pictures, videos, blog entries, and twitters from each show. He's the DC show page.

For those of you interested, here's the set list. They played a good mix of old and new stuff. The songs from their new album Accelerate sound closer the late 80s/early 90s R.E.M. of Life's Rich Pageant, Document and Green than any of their albums of the past 15 years. So the newer stuff fit in perfectly with classic songs like These Days, Finest Worksong, and Pop Song 89 (Everyone should check out the new album. It's been getting great reviews.)

As some of my reader my know, I have was an insane R.E.M. fan for years. I saw "was" because before the new album, I really haven't enjoyed a lot of their stuff since Monster. However, R.E.M. played a significant role in my high school and college days. They still rank in my top 5 favorite bands of all times. It all started in 1989 when my cool older friend Tricia loaned my her cassette tape of Green. I admit at first I listed to it just because she liked it. But the more I listened the more I couldn't stop. Soon after I bought Eponymous, their first greatest hits collection (which, by the way, was the first CD I ever purchased). It was True Love from then on. I bought the entire back catalog my freshman year of high school and every new album since. I have memories of sitting in my room crying over something that seemed monumentally important at the time (unrequited crush, being grounded, unsightly acne), and being able to get through it by listening to R.E.M. They were also the first band that made me really listen to the lyrics and understand them as poetry in their own right.

So back to the show. One of the most awesome moments was during the encore. Michael told the audience to welcome Johnny Marr onto the stage as the opening chords of Fall On Me began. I turned to SingleGirl and screamed "Johnny FUCKING Marr!?! I don't believe it!!!" Johnny Marr, as many of you may know, was the lead guitarist and co-songwriter (with Morrissey) for The Smiths. This was like a Generation X music porn fantasy. Members of the two most influential 80s alternative bands on stage together. I'm sure many in the audience were fondly remembering all the teenaged angst-fests fuel by R.E.M. and The Smiths lyrics.

So why was Johnny Marr even there, I wondered. Does he live in the DC area? (And, if so, can I stalk him?) Like a good thirtysomething gadget geek, I googled on my iPhone on the way out. It turns out that Johnny Marr has been the guitarist for Modest Mouse (the opening band) since 2006. WTF?!? How did I not know this? And how did that happen? Imagine being the members of Modest Mouse and getting a phone call from Johnny Marr. "Hey mates. Can I be in your band?" And the rest of the has to tell the guitarist "Sorry dude but Johnny Marr wants to be in our band. You have to play rhythm guitar now." I'm sure he was like "fair enough" because it's Johnny FUCKING Marr! But I digress . . .

I didn't get home until almost 2am last night so I am a little sleep deprived today. However, it was totally worth it. Now I secretly want to buy tickets to a couple nights on their European tour latter this summer and make a vacation of out it. Anyone want to join me?

Those young whippersnappers today!

2008-06-12T11:51:00.005-04:00

Came across this great essay in the NY Times about the current younger generations' views on hooking-up, dating and love from the perspective of a college-aged male. It's part of the Times' Modern Love series. I think SingleGirl especially should read this.

Bottoms up!

2008-06-04T23:46:00.001-04:00

New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging - NYTimes.com

When machines become smarter than humans

2008-06-03T16:18:00.001-04:00

I just ran across this special report from IEEE Spectrum on "The Singularity." The singularity is essentially the moment in the development of technology when artificial intelligence becomes smarter than humans. Some fascinating stuff about the future of science, technology, and the human race. Check it out.

This gives me hope that my dream of uploading my consciousness onto the internet or into a clone will be someday achievable. (Kind of like the plotline of the Battlestar Gallactica prequal "Caprica.") But that's a blog post for another time.

What I've been doing on my summer vacation

2008-06-02T22:05:00.004-04:00

I just realized it’s been 1 ½ weeks since my last blog post. You’d think I’d have all the time in the world since I’m visiting my family in Topeka, Kansas right now. I’m one of those people, though, who gets the most done when I am really busy. If I have long blocks of unscheduled time then I get absolutely nothing done. Well . . . nothing productive that is. I’ve been engaging in plenty of reading for “personal enrichment”

I finished Karen Joy Fowler’s new book Wit’s End. She’s best known for writing The Jane Austen Book Club, but prior to that she was known in the scifi/fantasy community as writing fantastic historical fiction with a fantastical edge. Check out Sarah Canary and the PEN/Faulkner finalist Sister Noon. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Wit’s End. She’s definitely seemed to abandon the fantasy realm and is directly placed herself in the genre of “intellectual chic lit.” It was a fun, quick read but not the heady stuff of her earlier work. Perfect for reading while lying next to my parents’ pool, though :)

I also bought the Anita Blake series graphic novel that is the prequel to the book series. (I guess every is jumping on the graphic novel bandwagon now.) Laurell K. Hamilton’s books have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Part vampire fantasy, part romance, part action. Kind of like if a Joss Whedon script was tweaked by a Harlequin Romance writer. Fun stuff.

Right now I’m half way through Steven Johnson’s Everyting Bad is Good For You, a great non-fiction book about how pop culture is actually making us smarter. I love it when someone tells me all my TiVo-ing of Lost, 24, and Battlestar is helping to increasing my cognitive functions. Along the same line, I came across this interesting story that current pop culture demonstrates Americans are becoming more tolerant of gays and lesbians. While pop culture certainly can influence social attitudes, it also reflects general trends in society. This is especially apparent when we consider that the main goal of TV is commercial – it needs to sell itself to the audience and not offend too much.

I’ve also been following the possible upcoming end of the world through the advancement of science, how the media has portrayed race and gender in the current presidential primaries, how more authoritarian parental styles can cause kids to later be “bystanders to genocide,” good 'ole misogyny in the guise of promoting faith & abstinence, evidence that if you reply the history of life multiple times you'll get vastly different outcomes, and mulling over possible theories for the events of the crazy yet awesome season 4 Lost finale.

So basically the same dissertation avoidance techniques I use all the time!

You know you're back in Kansas when . . .

2008-05-23T17:17:00.003-04:00

I just spent the past couple of days roadtripping from DC to Topeka, Kansas. David flew into Kansas today as we have his cousin's wedding this weekend. (He's only staying through the weekend but I drove because I'm going to stay a couple of weeks.) As we were driving around Topeka, we chuckled at a few sights that you could only see in this part of the country.

The first was a guy wearing a wife beater and driving a beat up Jeep down Wanamaker with the following sticker in his window:

Yes it's Calvin peeing on gun control. The best part? The car very clearly had an enormous crack caused by a gun shot on the front windshield.

The second is a little bit in a meaner spirit. Forgive me ahead of time! Outside of the Walgreens in Fleming Place there was a woman with the biggest droopy waist boobs I've ever seen. They were what David described as "knee-knockers." And the punch line? She had a t-shirt on that said "I need a hug."

I love Kansas sometimes.

My Dream Academic Conference

2008-05-20T10:24:00.001-04:00

Instead of going to boring political science conferences, I wish I was going to this one instead:
SC3: Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses

Clearly I am in the wrong field.

Confirmation that people actually read this blog

2008-05-19T13:11:00.005-04:00

I put a counter on the bottom of my page soon after I started blogging. Today that counter clicked past 1000 visits. I can't believe people are actually reading this. It makes me feel happy yet also a little exposed. I've posted 50 entries since I started in January, so that's an average of 20 views per entry. Wow!

Okay, granted half of those are probably me, but that's still 10 that aren't. I didn't even know I even had 10 friends that cared. I feel so loved.

I want to know who you all are reading my blog. So please add something in the comments section and let me know who you are. For those of you unfamiliar with posting comments on blogs, just click the word "comments" at the bottom of this post. Can't wait to hear from you all!

P.S. I just increased my count even more after edited this post twice and viewing it after each edit. W00t!

New Dollhouse trailer

2008-05-18T09:19:00.002-04:00

This is just a quick post since I'm still in NYC. I'll post later about our adventures at the ICFF. I just wanted to post a link to the first (as far as I know) trailer for the new Joss Whedon show Dollhouse. As many of you know, I am an insane Joss Whedon fan. Now the man behind Buffy, Angel, and Firefly has a new show this upcoming season that has gotten all us Whedonites super-excited. Here's a summary of the show and here's where you can watch the trailer.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-05-15T14:37:00.004-04:00

This is a totally gratuitous and meaningless post, but I just wanted to point out that today is my fifth 29th birthday - or in "regular" counting that's 33. I really don't feel that old. Ten years ago I would have thought I'd have a couple of kids and be a real college professor by now. Instead, I'm still working on my dissertation . . . but I do have a dog and just bought a house in the suburbs, so I'm getting there. In any case, here's to life leading you to places you didn't expect you'd go.

Anyone in the DC area can come out to Mate tonight from 6:30-10pm to help me celebrate. And buy me drinks, of course :)

David and I are heading to NYC this weekend. For my birthday I wanted to go to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Maybe I'll take some cool pictures of the cutting edge design we see there and post them on my blog on Monday.

Why I Hate Political Science, part deux

2008-05-13T10:22:00.005-04:00

One of my first posts when I starting blogging in January was about why I hate political science, the discipline I'm currently getting a Ph.D. in. My hatred goes beyond the typical graduate student phase where you dislike your dissertation for about a 6 month period before learning to love it again. (I'm told almost all grad students go through this.) My negative feelings for political science run strong and deep. As I've discussed previously, I am seriously thinking a disciplinary or even career change after my dissertation is done.

As proof for to you non-political science types, here's a link to an article from the most recent issue of the leading journal in my discipline, the American Political Science Review. Check out pages 9-10 in particular (Interesting side note - I worked as an editorial assistant at the APSR a couple years ago.) One needs an undergraduate degree in math to read this stuff, let alone produce an article like this.

I guess I should expect no less from a discipline that has to tack "science" on the end of its name in order to feel legitimate. It's like the penis envy of academia. Of course, I personally subscribe to broader definitions of science as "systematic knowledge" and "structured enquiry." But what do I know? I'm just a disgruntled graduate student.

Okay, Rant over for today.

The Lost Weekend

2008-05-12T14:40:00.005-04:00

Okay, maybe the title of this post is a bit of an exaggeration - my drinking this weekend was no where near the level of the alcoholism portrayed in the famous Billy Wilder movie. However, I drank more on Saturday than I have drank in a long time and am still feeling the effects two days later. By one estimate I drank almost 3 bottles of wine by myself. I think it's going to be a full week until I can even look at a drink again.

Of course, it was entirely worth it. I spent all day and night Saturday with a group of amazing women, including my two sisters-in-law, Katie and Laura, and two of Katie's close friends. It was supposed to be a kind of reunion for the group that went to Katie's bachelorette weekend in New Orleans last fall. So we headed out to my in-laws' place in the the mountains and toured wineries in the area. That might sound calm and sedate, but when wine tasting is involved lots can happen. Check this blog entry from one of the women on the trip for more details. I warn you now - things got pretty silly.

Scooby Doo, teacher of skepticism

2008-05-07T16:20:00.004-04:00

Like many Gen X kids, I absolutely loved Scooby Doo when I was growing up. There were a few years in grade school that I couldn't wait for class to be over because a local Topeka channel showed two back to back episodes every weekday from 4-5pm. I even had Scooby Doo underoos. So needless to say I was shocked when I made some reference to the typical Scooby Doo plotline, and my husband stared at me blankly. Sure, he's seen it a couple of times, but he never really was a serious watcher of Scooby Doo. Instead, he preferred the Smurfs. "HOW COULD I HAVE MARRIED THIS MAN?!?" I screamed at myself. He must have totally been faking it when he laughed at Veronica Mars saying "ruh-roh."

In order to remedy the situation and preserve my marriage, I decided to TiVo original episodes of "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" After watching a few of them together (and surprisingly remembering most of the plotlines over 20 years later), David began to get a feel for the Scooby formula. The Mystery Machine breaks down near a spooky location or one of the Scooby Gang's family members/friends asks them to come and visit. Local talk about some recent haunting or otherworldly activity. Freddie and Thelma get excited and agree to investigate, with Scooby and Shaggy wanting to get out of town immediately. The gang splits up in search of clues. Scoobers and Shaggy always go together, as do Fred and Daphne, with Thelma floating between the two depending on the episode. Scooby and Shaggy inevitably find some food or make food (typically a dagwood sandwich), and run into the ghost/monster/zombie/werewolf/whatever. They try to hide by dressing up as someone else or integrating themselves into the background scenery. The gang hatches a plan to catch the spook, usually with Scooby and Shaggy as bait. There's a montage of the bad guy chases Scooby and Shaggy again with a groovy 60s music score. The trap backfires (usually catching Shaggy & Scooby instead) but then the gang catches the ghoul anyways.

And then, of course, is the big reveal. The mask is pulled off and otherworldly spook is revealed to be just a regular human being, muttering the famous line "and I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you darned kids." And then it hit me after watching a few iterations of the Scooby Doo formula as an adult . . .

Scooby Doo teaches kids to be skeptics; to use critical thinking and problem solving skills to reason out a logical solution. Sure the clues are obvious and the motivations at times hokey, but instead of accepting supernatural explanations on face value, Scooby Doo tells us there's always a naturalistic explanation for purportedly unexplained phenomena. After arriving at this conclusion, I realized I'm not the only one who has. Other skeptics have also recognized the value of Scooby Doo in teaching kids to think skeptically. Too bad the newer Scooby Doo cartoons and live-action movies have jettisoned the human explanations in favor of showing the supernatural as unquestionably "real."

So my kids will definitely be watching old skool Scooby Doo. And I'll enjoy it along with them. Now if I can just get David to watch them all . . .

What will be the unacceptable "-ism" in the future?

2008-05-05T11:24:00.002-04:00

I've been reading Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" this week. It's one of the big scifi classics I've never read and I decided to finally take it down from my bookshelf and crack it open. I'm not going to post a critique here (that's better saved for my GoodReads account). As with any book written in a different cultural era, I can't help but notice the few sexist, racist, and heteronormative statements sprinkled throughout the book. This doesn't bother me tremendously, as I recognize it's just a reflection of the social attitudes of the time. And in many ways Stranger in a Strange Land was ahead of it's time in terms of questioning social mores and conventions about sex and sexuality. What this did get me thinking about, though, was a projection of our current cultural mores into the future.

When people 50-100 years in the future read books written in the present day, which of our cultural conventions and mores will seem antiquated and even repugnant to them? What will be the sexism or racism of the future?

I think the most obvious initial answer is issues of sexual orientation. While we've certainly made tremendous strides in this area even in the past 10 years, we still have a very long way to go. My guess is that the idea of gay marriage being controversial will seem as ridiculous as the notion of inter-racial marriage being controversial is to us. (Of course, there still exists a tremendous amount of racism in the present day. While it's not socially acceptable to display racist attitudes publicly in most circles, many people still hold these views privately.) So perhaps readers of the future will pick up a Pulitzer Prize winning book from the first decade of the 21st Century, and while reading it will note the lack of gay characters, especially ones who are married and/or have children.

Another possibility I've been mulling over lately is attitudes towards genetics and biology. Will our current distaste for cloning, eugenics, and extreme body modification seem outdated and antiquated to the readers at the turn of the 22nd century? That is, if anyone is still reading books . . .

Any other ideas my fair readers? What current social and cultural attitudes will be the racism and sexism of the next century?

Possible ebay humor or proof my mind is in the gutter

2008-05-01T16:44:00.003-04:00

I just needed to share this unintentionally funny ebay listing. It's for a pair of "Vintage Retro Plastic Salt & Pepper Shakers." Or at least that's what the person listing them says they are. Take a look at the picture and judge for yourself:

The listing describes them as

Old pair of salt & pepper shakers that are shaped somewhat like bullets or rockets, maybe?; not sure what they are supposed to be.

Uh-huh. Sure. You, dear lister, have no idea what they are supposed to be. Riiiiiiight . . .

The listing goes on to make such obvious innuendos as "There are holes on the top of each for dispensing" and "The shakers still screw off and on 'tight.'" Either this person is attempting to make a bad joke or they are completely and utterly clueless. Of course, the third possibility is that I'm reading way to much into this listing. (For a possible explanation as to why, see the previous entry on married sex life.)

Married sex life

2008-05-01T14:52:00.003-04:00

So how many of you read the title and thought I was going to talk about my own sex life? Sorry to disappoint you but not today. Besides, my Mom reads this blog. (Hi Mom!)

I just wanted to share with you one of the most hysterical parody songs I've heard in a while. I know that's actually not saying much. There's not a lot of competition out there in the genre of parody song. In any case, I've heard this one a few times on the XM station The Verge. It's called "Business Time" by Flight of the Conchords. I've sure many of you have seen Flight of the Conchords' TV show on HBO , about the adventures of "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" after they move to New York City. Funny stuff. This particular song perfectly captures the reality of married/long-term relationship sex, IMHO. So enjoy the clip. You partnered folks will especially appreciate it

Here are the lyrics for your reading pleasure:

Aww yeah

That`s right baby.
Girl, tonight we`re gonna make love. You know how I know, baby? `Cause it`s Wednesday. And Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Tuesday night`s the night that we go and visit your mother, but Wednesday night is the night that we make love. `Cause everything is just right conditions are perfect. There`s nothing good on TV. Conditions are perfect. You lean in close and say something sexy like, "I might go to bed I`ve got work in the morning." I know what you`re trying to say baby. You`re trying to say, "Oh, yeah. It`s business time. It`s business time."

It`s business.
It`s business time.
That`s what you`re trying to say you`re trying to say let`s get down to business it`s business time.

It`s business.
It`s business time.
Next thing you know we`re in the bathroom brushing our teeth. That`s all part of it, that`s foreplay. Then you go sort out the recycling. That`s not part of it but it`s still very important. Then we`re in the bedroom. You`re wearing that ugly old baggy t-shirt from that team building exercise you did for your old work. And it`s never looked better on you.

Oh, team building exercise `99.

Oh, you don`t know what you`re doing to me.
I remove my jeans but trip over them `cause I still got my shoes on. But I turn it into a sexy dance. Next thing you know I`m down to just my socks and you know when I`m down to just my socks what time it is? It`s time for business. It`s business time.

It`s business.
It`s business time.
You know when I`m down to just my socks it`s time for business that`s why they call it business socks.

It`s business.
It`s business time.
Oh.
Ooh, makin` love.
Makin` love for two.
Makin` love for two minutes.
When it`s with me you only need two minutes, `cause I`m so intense. Two minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven. You say something like, "Is that it?" I know what you`re trying to say. You`re trying to say, "Aww yeah, that`s it." Then you tell me you want some more. Well I`m not surprised. But I`m quite sleepy.

It`s business.
It`s business time.
Business hours are over. Right, right.

It`s business.
It`s business time.

The blogging generation gap

2008-04-22T10:33:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, my Mom and I had a conversation about my blog. She had finally started reading my posts, and found it interesting yet a bit too revealing. The idea of divulging personal details about one's life to be potentially read by anyone with an internet connection made her somewhat uncomfortable. There is something almost confessional about blogging - like you're writing in your diary that no one else will read. It makes you write things you normally wouldn't say to others face to face. I know someone who has a very personal blog but keeps her identity anonymous. However, her friends still know it's her. I wonder if she would say in person the things she writes (on her fascinating blog that you should read). SingleGirl, if you're reading this, any comments?

My mom’s concern of revealing too much personal information online could be labeled a blogging generation gap. This interesting NY Magazine article makes this very argument. It claims that kids today have a very different sense of privacy than older generations. There's also the cult of "regular" celebrities spawned by reality shows and internet 15-minutes-of-famers that makes younger generations feel like everyone can have an audience. The article also argues they're less sensitive to criticism and don't get personally crushed when someone makes a nasty comment about a photo they posted online. As someone who falls between this new generation and their parents, I wonder where generation Xers fit into this. Many of us are technologically sophisticated and work new media related fields. Are we some interim category, more willing to put information online but still secretly cringing at it on the inside?

So are my Mom's concerns valid? So what if friends, acquaintances, and strangers know I'm going through a career crisis, that I barely averted colon cancer in 5 years, or that I'm an atheist?

Ironically, there is much more information about both my Mom and Dad online than there is about me. Googling my family (with full names in quotation marks) elicits the following results:

Me: 172 hits

My dad: 589 hits

My mom (using her pen name): 1230 hits

So what's more revealing? The things I say about myself on my blog, or the dossier you can put together on both of my parents using a simple google search, including the political campaigns they've donated to, job changes in the local news, address histories, real estate sales, publications, etc.?

Finally some downtime with my husband

2008-04-21T18:15:00.003-04:00

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day in DC. It was clear, sunny, and the high was in the lower 80s. And it was an even better since David took the day off work. Actually, it was the first day David has taken completely off work (as well as school work) in months. Ever since he bought out his business partner, he's been going into the office seven days a week. I can't even imagine how he does it. I would go completely crazy if I had to work that much.

In any case, when I asked him what he wanted to do, his response was "absolutely nothing." I knew I loved this guy for a reason! We went out to our new house to check out the wood floors they just installed. Then David decided that since he now owns a driveway, he can wash his car. So we got out the hose and sponges and washed away. Then we walked down to the community lake a couple of block from the new place. We chatted with a few of our new neighbors around the lake, while Jenny (our yellow lab) romped with a Golden Doodle named Sandy along the shoreline. I think may be able to enjoy the 'burb life.

We then came back into the city, walked to pick up Thai food, and spent the rest of the evening watching the new episode of Battlestar Gallactica and an episode of the X-Files on DVD. (We're trying to re-watch the whole series before the new movie this summer). A perfect ending to a perfect day.

I know this may sound like a pretty mundane day, but I see David so little lately that just having a day to do nothing was precious. Sometimes the small things are all you need.

Blogging for Fair Pay

2008-04-18T12:52:00.005-04:00

Thanks to my friend Missy for blogging about this and bringing it to my attention.

Today the Fair Pay Campaign is encouraging everyone to blog about their cause in order to raise awareness about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Did you know women in the U.S. still only make 0.77 for every $1 earned by men? I used to know these statistics in high school and college, but I guess I assumed things had gotten better. So spread the word and write your member of Congress to support this positive legislative change.

On a side note, this post has really gotten me thinking about feminism and how I've been a complacent member of the feminist movement lately. In high school, myself and a bunch of my female debater friends got these fantastic feminism t-shirts. Here's what the back of the shirt looked like:

What have I done in my life recently to help the cause of women's lib? Is feminism simply a label or something I actively try to aspire to every day? I need to do more thinking on this. I feel like I've dropped the ball lately.

I have a shortage of cute David pictures

2008-04-17T14:38:00.016-04:00

I've been organizing my pictures using Picasa today (dissertation writing procrastination trick #47) and I just realized that I have hardly any cute pictures of David, especially cute pictures of David and I together. I have lots of pictures where I look normal and he's making a silly face or dumb expression. However, I can only find a handful where he's looking somewhat respectable.

Part of the problem is that David often strikes a silly pose on purpose when getting his picture taken. The classic "David" look for a photo is a tip of his head to the side and up, with his eyes looking upward. Here's a good example (with our friend Iki):

Everyone who has photos of David probably has a number of shots of this pose. Here are some variations on it:

(With his best friend Duncan and our brother-in-law Jeff)

(In Havana)

(This was when he decided to grow sideburns reminiscent of a Civil War re-enacter.)

Here's some other good ones:

(Okay, I look pretty dumb here as well)

And there's also the "thumbs-up" sign theme:

What is up with him?!? Does he just not like his picture taken? I did find, however, a few good ones. So just so everyone doesn't get the impression that David is a complete picture dork, here are a couple of good ones:

So does anyone else have some cute pictures of my husband?

My New Girl Crush

2008-04-16T16:47:00.004-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. It's been a crazy hectic last two weeks. With the ongoing renovations on the new place and our current condo, as well we getting my wisdom teeth removed (ouch!), my plate has been full. I promise to try to update my blog more often. I have lots of interesting ideas for posts.

So last night I went to go see The New Pornographers show with my friend Ann. I posted a couple weeks ago about how excited I was to see this show, partly in a desperate bit to reclaim some of my indie street cred after my realization that I'm becoming a suburban housewife. (Okay, I am being somewhat sarcastic here, but I am embarrassed to admit there is a grain of truth in it.) Of course, the main reason I wanted to see the show is because I love The New Pornographers and I had never seen them live. I also love the solo material of Neko Case, one of the many members of The New Pornographers. Sometimes she tours with them and sometimes she doesn't. Fortunately, Neko was there last night at the 9:30 Club. She was so amazing! And so little! How does such a little person have such a powerful voice?!? And she was decked out in jeans, a hoodie, and (from what I could tell) minimal makeup. And, of course, she looked fabulous.

A now totally have a girl crush on Neko Case.

While The New Pornographers have a classic indie power-pop sound, Neko's solo
stuff is very alt-country. Take that back. More like classic twangy old school country mixed by a modern indie rock producer. And her voice sounds like if Steve Nicks and Loretta Lynn had a bastard child. If David Lynch made a Western and needed atmospheric music playing in the background, Neko Case would be his woman. (Neko would be to a country setting what Julie Cruise was to a retro Pacific Northwest setting.)

Here's the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Neko called "Outro with Bees" from the album "Blacklisted":

HOW'S HOPE FEELING TODAY?
TIRED AND SICK OF THIS PLACE
RED WINE IS FAST
AT THE LIP OF YOUR GLASS
SAYING I'M GONNA RUIN EVERYTHING
EVERYTHING
SO IT'S BETTER MY SWEET
THAT WE HOVER LIKE BEES
'CAUSE THERE'S NO SURE FOOTING
NO LOVE I BELIEVE

As a small aside, the album was purportedly called Blacklisted after the Rumor that she is banned for life from the Grand 'Ole Opry after removing her shirt onstage. I love her even more after hearing that!

For my next post, I promise to post the long-awaited "Top Fictional Characters I lust after." Singlegirl totally called me out about this on her blog. I've been talking about this post forever, and she beat me to it. I may have to expand the list past 5, though. The universe of TV, movies and books just offers too many possibilities.

Our condo was on TV! (Plus some Watergate history and georgraphy)

2008-03-30T10:32:00.008-04:00

So as most people who are reading this know, David and I live in the Watergate. What many people don't know is that the Watergate is an enormous complex comprised of three apartment buildings, two office buildings, a hotel, and an outside shopping center. Almost everyone in DC gets them confused at some point. We have food delivery people who call us from the wrong Watergate apartment complex asking why we aren't answering our front door. I've had taxis cab drivers try to drop me off at the wrong building. And tourists looking for the site of the break-in often wander around the complex trying to figure out which is the right building.

So last night, David and I saw our Watergate apartment building on TV. As I mentioned before, we're trying to watch the complete X-Files series on DVD before the movie comes out this summer. We had just started Season 2 with the Episode "Little Green Men." Mulder and Scully have to meet covertly and they choose the parking garage of the Watergate Hotel. They flash a stock picture on the screen labeled "Watergate Hotel," but it's actually a photo of the Watergate South aparment building where we live. David and I immediately call it out, press rewind, and watch it over again. So our condo was on TV, but inappropriately labeled. Here's a close approximation of what the picture looked like:

The left side of the C-shape is our apartment building, and the right side is an office building.

Adding even more confusion is the fact that the X-Files writers probably chose the Watergate Hotel parking garage as a nod to Mulder's government informant from Season 1 who was humorously called Deep Throat. However, the Watergate break-in occurred at one of the office buildings in the complex. So why not the parking garage at the office building for their clandestine meeting? Either the writers' figured the hotel parking garage would be more easily accessible for our heroes, or I'm analyzing this waaaayyyy to much and it was just a gaff.

For those of you confused by Watergate complex geography, here's a cheat sheet:

Building A is the same as the building in the first photo I posted. It's half our apartment building (Watergate South) and half an office building. Building B is the Watergate Hotel. Building C is the office building that was the site of the infamous break-in. The building to the right of C is the Watergate West apartment building, and to the left of C is the Watergate East apartment building. For you Watergate scandal junkies out there, the building across the street from C used to be a Howard Johnson's. In room 723, Watergate conspirators monitored the phones they had bugged at the DNC, and acted as look-outs for the burglars who were captured on June 17th, 1972. It's now a graduate dorm for George Washington University. I snuck inside with some friends one night last year to take a look at the room. There is, in fact, a plaque in front of a room on the 7th floor, with some vague message about something important that took place in the room. (I'll get a photo of it one day and post it).

So the geek in me is happy now in two ways. First, I got to see my apartment building on one of my favorite shows. Second, the geeky nit-picker in me feels satisfied after writing this blog post. And the X-files Watergate gaff was no where near as frustration as other DC misrepresentations in film and TV. Remember the West Wing episode with the Georgetown metro stop?

My worst nightmare . . . Look what I've become!

2008-03-25T14:09:00.005-04:00

The first step was last August when I traded in my cute little hatchback for an SUV. The next was buying a house in the suburbs. Then I started "doing the books" for my husband's small business. I had a feeling something was wrong but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then my own mother pointed it out - I am becoming the stereotype of the American suburban housewife.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

So what's next? Knitting club? (Sorry Rooney and Ann!) Gardening? Pilates class? Junior League?!?

Now granted our house in the 'burbs is actually a super cool ultra modernist house that I plan on throwing lots of parties at. (Okay, so they will mostly be dinner parties, which is pretty suburban housewifey, but I will not be cooking the food myself, and we will be sitting on Panton chairs.) And the "doing the books" thing is only one day a week. My SUV . . well . . . it's to haul around our yellow lab and our soon-to-get second dog. (Okay that's digging my hole deeper. At least Jenny's not a labradoodle, then I would be in serious trouble.) And my book club is reading my feminist sci-fi recommendation this month.

I really need to put on an obscure indie rock bank t-shirt and some funky sneakers, head over to Tryst in Adams Morgan, sip an espresso drink contemplatively while I engage a stranger in a discussion of Judith Butler. And then I'll come home, walk the dog, watch something on the TiVO with my husband, and go to bed by 10pm.

Shit! Not only am I turning into a suburban housewife, I'm also getting old and boring!

I'm glad my friend Ann is taking me to the New Pornographers' show in a few weeks. I can reclaim some street cred then. All I have to do now is figure out how I'm going to stay awake that late the night of the show.

Shun the non-believer

2008-03-22T09:18:00.003-04:00

I know this video has been around for a while. Over 20 million people have already watched it on YouTube. However, I just saw it for the first time last week and I can't get the damn thing out of my head. It's either the dumbest viral video ever or pure filmmaking genius . . . or perhaps a bit of both.

So without further adieu, here's Charlie the Unicorn:

P.S. If you really want to show you're Charlie love, buy some of the official merchandise.

I'm like a cat chasing a laser pointer

2008-03-15T09:18:00.003-04:00

The Wall Street Journal had a really interesting article giving a possible evolutionary biological explanation for web addiction.

The article discusses a series experiments with the researcher, Dr. Biederman, concluding that:

". . . coming across . . . new and richly interpretable information triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good, which in turn causes us to seek out even more of it. The reverse is true as well: We want to avoid not getting those hits because, for one, we are so averse to boredom."

Why is this information unique to the web generation, because:

"For most of human history, there was little chance of overdosing on information, because any one day in the Olduvai Gorge was a lot like any other. Today, though, we can find in the course of a few hours online more information than our ancient ancestors could in their whole lives."

So there's actually a scientific explanation for why I have to read the new blog entries in my Google reader every morning. I feel much better now since there's an evolutionary reason behind it. Now if I can only get someone to pay me money to spend hours reading interesting stuff online . . .

My career/life crisis - HELP!

2008-03-14T17:16:00.007-04:00

As many of you know, I'm currently writing my dissertation for a Ph.D. program in political science at George Washington University. Or at least that's supposed to be what I'm doing. I should have been finished with the dissertation by now. I've been my program for five years and finished my comprehensive exams over two years ago. (I keep making myself feel better with the statistic that the average Ph.D. in the U.S. takes 6 years. However, I came in with a Masters' degree from the LSE plus a year in the Ph.D. program at Ohio State. In other words, I have no excuse for not being done.) I've gone through multiple dissertation topics. Currently, I am writing on my fourth. I haven't actually held a position at the University over a year (in the past I've been a teaching assistant, research assistant, and worked for a journal). So I have had nothing to do for the past year but write. However, I just can't seem to do it. I just can't write a dissertation and I don't know why.

First problem - I do admit that I am a giant procrastinator. I was the person in undergrad who wrote papers the night before. Since I'm a very good researcher and paper writer (I don't think it's too egotistical to admit that), I could get away with it and get good grades. I also did very well in graduate courses, even with putting off the reading until the day before. That's because I'm also quite good at explaining the main ideas in readings and being able to criticize them (an important skill for graduate students). But now I have no deadlines, no professors looking over my shoulder, no final grade to be made. All I have is the vague notion that I need to write what is equivalent to a book within the span of a few years. That is the death-knell for a mega-procrastinator like myself.

Second problem - I hate political science. I've been slowly realizing this over the past few years. When I left the Ph.D. program at Ohio State, I seriously considered applying to Ph.D. programs in cultural anthropology. Instead, I came to DC and worked at the UN. While that made me realized I needed to be in academia, for some reason I decided to return to political science. I guess I figured I already knew political science and had invested time into it already, so I could finish my Ph.D. quicker. Boy was I wrong! I also overestimated my ability to tolerate being at the margins of the discipline. Sure, I've met a great community of folks who share my "alternative" perspective on the discipline, but I am sick of having to justify my approach and interests all the time. And if I got an academic job in political science, most of my teaching would have to conform to mainstream of the discipline, which don't agree with.

Third problem - I hate politics. Even if I could suck it up and accept my status as "outside the mainstream," I am just not that interested in the subject matter of politics any more. I think I jut burned out. I was so intensely into politics and international relations through high school and undergrad, that I think I used up all my interest in those areas. So even if I found a great teaching position with a department sympathetic to my perspective on the discipline, I would still have to teach about substantive topics related to politics.

Fourth problem - I really don't have to work. I don't to talk about this publicly, but I will mention it now. (Why do blogs make you feel like you can write things you normally wouldn't say?) I have family money. I will not starve or be living on the streets. I have lived comfortably for the past 15 years since I left home on inheritance. I have been seriously thinking about this of late. If I was broke like (almost) every other graduate student, would I be done by now? And if I had to have made all my own money, would I have chosen academia as my career? I'm not criticizing my family for the financial choices they made. I have gotten to have some amazing experiences because of the flexibility of my financial position. But I can't help thinking "what if?" especially in this time of crisis.

The bottom line - I'm almost 33 years old and I feel like I've never really had a career or done anything meaningful in my life that was work-related.

So what are my options?

Academically, my sympathies lie more in cultural studies. So I could start a new Ph.D program in something like American Studies. I am fascinated by the academic study of popular culture, and I personally consume quite a lot of it (a.k.a. I watch too much TV). Right now, my political science dissertation is on the influence of the globalization of American culture on international politics. I also have an interest in the cultural aspects of interior design and modernism. (Interesting research question - what does the way someone decorated their house say about their identity? What image are they trying to project and how does this interact with broader cultural movements?) I could study both of these in an American Studies program. Also, my Mom has done academic work in American Studies and writes about folklore and legends. I could collaborate with her if I switched to this field. George Washington and Maryland have well-regarded American Studies departments, and George Mason has an intriguing-looking program in Cultural Studies. I could adjunct in political science while I was working on the new Ph.D. for some extra moo-lah. The big question is whether I could get a handle on my procrastination if I was researching something I truly found interesting?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a secret desire to be an archaeologist. I could start a new graduate degree in that field. Maryland and UVA have anthropology programs where one can emphasize on archeology. Of course, this could just be a silly childhood fantasy. But if the academic side didn't work out, I could always do cultural resource management or work at a museum.

Also mentioned in a past blog entry is my secret desire to have a career in modernist interior design - not as an academic but as an actual designer or buyer. I certainly don't have the background to enter most graduate programs in the area. However, the Corcoran College of Art + Design has a certificate in interior design. I get that and try to get a job at a design firm or furniture store.

I've always thought I would be very, very good at being a lawyer. I'm very logical, methodical and good at arguing and critical thought. The main reason I never considered law school is because when I was in grade school, every day when my dad got home he asked me "how was law school today?" (Did no one ever explain to him the concept of reverse psychology?!?) It's not like he ever seriously pressured me to go to law school, but he's a lawyer and he probably recognized I would make a good one too. (We have always argued like cats and dogs!) So I could do to one of the many law schools in the area and get a job as an attorney. The upside is I could actually make decent money on my own, which would be quite psychologically rewarding given my dilemma regarding the family money situation. There's also a lot of areas of the law that interest me - immigration, civil rights, reproductive rights, gender/sexuality equality, etc. I could even teach law school. But what happens if I hate it? How can I be sure I won't?

Finally, I could get the kind of "real" job people with graduate degrees in political science and international relations get. Think tanks, policy research groups, hell . . . even an analyst position at the CIA. Part of me just wants to give in and do this. But would I be happy in the "real world"?

So, friends, please weight in. What in the frak should I do with my life??? Should I finish the Ph.D in political science and then move on or just chuck it all now? And what should I do next if I ditch political science? And am I a total crazy, whiny, looser for not getting off my ass and being a lazy grad student for all these years?

If Saul Bass did the Star Wars opening credits

2008-03-14T16:36:00.005-04:00

Sorry my postings have been less frequent lately. I have a conference coming up where I'm presenting a paper, so I've been forced to spend my days actually doing work. Ugh!

I came across this video last week and have been meaning to post it. It's a super-coolio video project by a film school student. He/she did the Star Wars opening credits in the style of Saul Bass. Saul Bass was a filmmaker and graphic designer who is know for this paper-cut out style. He did the opening sequence for films such as Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, Anatomy of a Murder, and It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.

This has already made the rounds online, so sorry if some of you may have already seen it.

THS debate biatches weekend

2008-03-07T18:16:00.007-05:00

This weekend I will be hanging out with five women that I have know since high school. We all met through debate. Yes, we were complete debate geeks or MASTERdeBATORS as was the joke. The "sport" was dominated by men for decades, and when we were in high school in the early 90s, gender equality in debate was almost, but not quite, there. So an entire debate squad dominated by kick-ass women was still unusual. And we were oh so completely kick-ass. Debaters from other school trembled in fear when they heard they were hitting some of the Topeka High School biatches. We also weren't afraid to look good as well.

We all went on to do interesting things with our lives. Ann worked at the Washington Post for years before switching careers to become an urban planner. She's in a Master's program right now. Erin 1 (we actually call her by her last name but I don't want to post that online) is a chemical engineer who received her MBA a few years ago. Erin 2 (we also call her by her last name) worked for various think tanks and policy research groups around DC as a web designer and communications person until leaving that life to get her Master's in education so she could teach high school English - and be the debate coach (oh, irony!). She recently made another career switch to home/life organization guru (with a website and blog in a major magazine) while completing a graphic novel on the side. Jenn did her BA & MD in 6 years and is now a doctor with a hospitalist specialization. Laurell is our resident hippie do-gooder, working for an urban gardening project with inner city kids. She's also the mother of a wonderful 8-year old. And I am an overeducated graduate student, as you all know.

Since we were all debaters, needless to say we are all strong, intelligent, opinionated and argumentative women. It can be a bit intimidating when we're all in a room together. Certainly with our personalities we all don't agree with each other all the time, and can have our rows. However, I know all six of us will be there for one another for the rest of our lives. If something tragic happens (god forbid), these are the people I call first (after my husband and parents, of course). They will not stop caring about me even if I do something incredibly stupid. They may give me their opinions, advice, tell me I'm being stupid, etc., but in the end they will always love me no matter what. It's rare to find a friend like this and I've found five. We are all so lucky.

So this weekend we're all meeting up in DC (which is convenient since three of us live here), getting a hotel room downtown, and partying all weekend. Even though we're all serious women in our 30s with careers, families, etc., we can still let lose and go crazy every once and a while. So if you see a group of intelligent, beautiful, 30-something women out this weekend acting totally inappropriately and drunk off their asses, you know you're come across the THS debate biatches!

So wrong . . . but so funny!

2008-02-29T14:18:00.005-05:00

I just came across this recently and it has to be one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. It's the top 25 men who look like old lesbians.

As a monthly contributor to the Human Rights Campaign and a big supporter of GLBT and gender identity issues, I feel a little bad posting this link . . . but not bad enough to make me stop laughing.

On a "making Kara feel better" note, maybe recognizing and laughing at our stereotypes is one step in confronting them?

The Truth Is Out There . . . Again

2008-02-25T17:13:00.005-05:00

I'm marking my calendar for July 25th, 2008. That's the day the new X-Files movie comes out. Double w00t!

I got the complete X-Files series box set from my parents for Christmas. So I'm going to try to make David watch all the episodes with me before the new movie comes out. (Well, maybe in seasons 8-9 only the episodes with David Duchovny.)

The X-Files was the first show in which I really become a member of a "fandom." I remember watching the first episode in the fall of 1993 in the lounge of my college dorm room my freshman year. Everyone was immediately mesmerized. We'd never seen anything like it on TV. It may seem odd now in the era of geeks ruling the world (including pop culture), but there really hadn't been any television show for us Generation X-ers. It combined our distrust of the government and love for sci-fi in one package. It also was the first show whose fans made significant use the internet. Discussion boards, usenet groups, fan fiction archives, mailing lists, etc. sprang up all over the place for every aspect of X-Files fandom. The now widely-used term "shipper" also originated in X-Files fandom. "Shippers" were the fans who supported Mulder and Scully as a romantic couple. (Now the term is used generically for support of any couple in any fandom. For example, I'm a Buffy/Angel shipper or a Veronica/Logan shipper.) There were monumental flame wars between the shipper and anti-shipper contingencies in X-Files fandom. The academic study of television also got a boost with books such as this one and this one being written about the show from a Cultural Studies perspective. Searching for "X-Files" in Google Scholar elicits 5930 hits with new papers being written all the time. (Once I ditch political science and do something cool like popular culture studies, maybe I'll even write a paper about the X-Files.)

Needless to say, I am incredibly excited about the new movie. The las time we saw Mulder, Scully and Co. on any screen was May 19th, 2002. A new reincarnation is long overdue.

Here's a really shaky copy of the X-Files movie preview. It was taken WonderCon in San Francisco this past weekend on a panel about the new movie. Unfortunately, the preview hasn't been released yet so this it for now. Enjoy.

Oscar Malaise

2008-02-25T13:08:00.002-05:00

Am I the only person who thought the Oscars last night . . . well . . . to put it gently . . . sucked big monkey balls?!? We had some people over to watch the show. The company was enjoyable, but the show was horrible. Jon Steward was annoying, the jokes were mostly terrible (I thought the writers' strike was over), the montages were boring, and there was no one with some outrageous outfit on the red carpet. Where was this years' version of Jack Palance's one-armed push-up, the streaker behind David Niven, Roberto Benigni leaping over chairs to the stage, or even the kitschy/creepy dance number with Rob Lowe & Snow White . I mean, this was the 80th Academy Awards people! Do something different!

Supposedly, if the writers' strike would have continued, the Academy was going to go to it's "Plan B," which would have focused on historic clips from the past 80 years of film. That sounds so much better than the crap that actually aired! As my Mom pointed out today during our morning dissection of the Oscars, you have all these amazing actors in the audience. Show a clip of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and get Redford and Newman up there. Or Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty with a clip from Bonnie and Clyde. I'd much rather see that than dull production numbers of three songs from Enchanted.

Also, I thought each Best Picture nominee got their own mini-montage? Well this year they packed all five nominees into one lame segment. Remember host Billy Crystal's opening sequence where he superimposed himself into clips from all the Best Picture nominees? Funny, classic stuff. I remember watching the Oscars with my Mom when I was younger and always enjoying it. Sure their were cheezy musical numbers and long-winded acceptance speeches. But there was also hollywood glamor, award upsets, and poignant moments. Bring back those Oscars. please!

Embarrassing music on my iPod?

2008-02-18T14:35:00.001-05:00

Do you have music on your iPod (or other mp3 player) that you would be embarrassed for your friends to find out about? This seems to be a common topic of geek culture blogs and forums. For example, here, here, here, and here. Since I'm a blogosphere newbie, I thought I'd get into the spirit and peruse my iPod for potentially embarrassing content. Oddly enough, there isn't that much that I would call "embarrassing." Some of it is a little silly once I explain why I downloaded it, though. Here's what I came up with:

- A 70s singer-songerwriter mix that includes a few songs that could be on a TV ad for soft rock classics, such as Gordon Lightfoot (If You Could Read My Mind), Jackson Browne (Running On Empty), Dan Fogelberg (Longer), and Michael Murphy (Wildfire). However, said mix regains some street cred for also including Harry Nilsson, Joan Baez, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

- Styx "Babe" - I guess this is the only song that would fall under the label of "embarrassing." I don't know why but I love this song, and I also kind of like other Styx songs as well but I haven't had the nerve to download them . . . yet.

- Minnie Driver "King Without A Queen" - Actually a decent song but a little embarrassing since it's an actress.

- King Missle "Detachable Penis" - A silly song that was popular while I was in college.

- A few random songs I only downloaded because they appeared in an episode of Buffy or Angel (Has anyone ever even heard of the groups Epperley, Lolly, Vast, Psychic Rain, Collapsis, Louis Says, Darling Violetta, Lumrovia. My Vitriol, and 12 Volt Sex? I guess being in a TV show didn't make them famous.)

- The soundtrack to the Buffy musical episode "Once More With Feeling" (which I can totally sing along to)

- A couple of sound clips from actual episodes of Buffy. (My personal favorite is the Buffy/Angel talk at the end of "Amends.")

- Songs from John Doe's solo albums - I have these not because he was in X, one of the best early 80s rock bands, but because he played Liz's dad on Roswell

- Blind Melon - A remnant of the 90s grunge phenomenon that I can't bring myself to delete

- A hypnosis recoding for my fear of flying

- Christmas in the Stars - The Star Wars holiday album including one of my favorite songs when I was a kid "What do you get a wookie for Christmas when he already owns a comb?" (Okay, this isn't really embarrassing; it's actually kind of geek kitschy cool.)

- Kara's Flowers - I only bought it because the band had my name in it

- Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet - I loved this album so much in jr. high. Doesn't everyone secretly have a copy?

And that's it. Nothing too bad, right? Maybe the most embarrassing thing of all is all the indie rock that I download to make myself feel hip. Of course, I'm writing this while hearing in the background my husband listening to a really bad techno remix of J.Lo's "Waiting for Tonight." Maybe I should nick his iPod (actually, it's a Zune) and see what musically embarrassments await me!

So what embarrassing music do you, my fair readers, have?

It should be an urban legend, but . . .

2008-02-17T16:33:00.001-05:00

One of my all-time favorite lines from a movie is when the Heather Chandler character in the movie Heathers utters "Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?" I was reading the Wikipedia entry on Heathers when I came across this weird pop culture factoid today. Apparently, the actress who played Heather Chandler, Kim Walker, actually died of a brain tumor.

When I first read it, I thought for sure it was a Hollywood urban legend along the lines of Paul from the Wonder Years being Marilyn Manson or Zack from Saved by the Bell being killed in a motorcycle accident. But I did a little googling, and it turns out it's true. Kim Walker really did die of a brain tumor in March of 2001. Can someone say irony?!? (And I mean the real kind of irony, not Alanis's fake kind of irony. Does that song drive anyone else crazy with it's misuse of the word irony?)

Who doesn't like making fun of white people?

2008-02-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

I have a new favorite blog. It's called Stuff White People Like and it's frakking hilarious! Like much quality humor, it's partly tongue-in-check and partly true, while also making us a little uncomfortable by dealing with a topic like race. My favorite entries so far are: #47 Arts degrees, #44 Public radio, #62 Knowing what's best for poor people, #18 Awareness, #14 Having black friends, #25 David Sedaris, #49 Vintage, and #67 Standing still at concerts.

While this blog is definitely more along the lines of pop culture, there's an entire academic community devoted to the study of "Whiteness." It's all about the social construction of race, the apparent invisibility of ethnicity with white people, white privilege, etc. Pretty interesting stuff. Here is one of my favorite academic sites on the topic. While the Stuff White People Like blog is not explicitly connected to the Whiteness Studies movement, I see them both as part of the same larger agenda. Explicitly pointing out the things white people see as a regular part of their everyday lives helps us to understand how whiteness and white culture are equated with the "normal," average," "American." And starting a conversation on race in America with humor makes white people less defensive.

Or maybe the audience of the blog is just a bunch of white people who want to pat themselves on the back for how enlightened and "not like other white people" they are since they understand their white privilege. But no matter what, the blog is still damn funny!

Who are your friendly neighborhood felons

2008-02-15T16:47:00.001-05:00

Here's an interesting website that came to my attention through Lifehacker. It's called FelonSpy and it purportedly shows you the name and location of convicted felons who life in your neighborhood. It's basically a mash-up of a variety of criminal databases, telephone directories, and google maps. Unfortunately, DC is not listed in the "state" drop-down box so I couldn't check up on felons in my neighborhood. However, I checked our new address in McLean, and it turns out we have an assulter, a couple child molesters, and a handful of stalkers in our neighborhood. Lovely.

I said "puportedly" before because lifehacker thinks it may be bogus. To add to that theory, I sent a message to the admin email address given on the "contact" page. (In the message I asked them if DC will be added anytime soon.) My message immediately bounced back as undeliverable. Very suspicious. Until it is proven bogus, though, Felonspy is an interesting 1-minute online diversion.

My other secret career aspiration

2008-02-15T10:29:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I blogged about my secret dream career as a jet-set buyer of modern furniture. Most people who know me probably didn't find that surprising given my well-known love for modern furniture and design as well as travel. However, what many of my friends don't know is that I have a secret desire to be an archaeologist. I've subscribed to Archeology magazine for years. Everywhere I travel I make sure to check out all the sites of archaeological interest. I even have a tattoo of the Egyptian symbol the Eye of Horus. (I'm chalking that up to my love of archeology and not to being an silly, slightly inebriated 18 year old trying to be "alternative".)

I know this is a common dream career. What kid hasn't daydreamed about being Indian Jones and discovering lost temples in the jungle that harbor mystical secrets? What most people don't realize is what the day to day work of archeology is really like. It's not anywhere near as glamorous as movies and TV make it seem. It's basically a few months in the summer digging slowly and methodically in the dirt, while spending the rest of the year teaching and writing up your research. No facny Indiana Jones whips and running from boulder booby-traps. I know this because I spend a couple of weeks one summer volunteering on a dig in New Mexico through the Earthwatch Institute. Even with all my previous notions wiped away of what archeology entailed, I still absolutely loved it. After I left the Ph.D. program in political science at Ohio State (a topic of a future blog post), I even seriously considered applying to anthropology Ph.D. programs. Of course, I ended returning to political science at George Washington, but there's always that small voice in the back of my head that wonders if I made the right decision.

In any case, I still read a number of archeology websites and blogs. With the wonders of the internet you can now follow digs in real time. Some of my favorite online interactive digs include the Field Museum's Valley of Oaxaca project, Johns Hopkins University's work in Egypt, Jamestown, and a Late Bronze Age shipwreck in the Mediterranean. Archeology magazine also has a great listing of interactive digs online.

So what does everyone think? Should I ditch the political science Ph.D., get a graduate degree in archeology online, and start digging? Perhaps during breaks between digs I can peruse the local modern design and architecture.

Why I'm not celebrating Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T18:29:00.001-05:00

The first reason I don't like Valentine's Day stems from bad childhood memories. When I was in elementary school in the early 1980s, kids didn't have to bring Valentine's Day cards for everyone in the class. None of those inclusionary, don't-hurt-anyone's-feelings ideas had become popular in schools yet. (Or maybe the just hadn't reached Catholic schools in Topeka, KS yet. We were always the last to get anything new.) Kids were allowed to bring Valentine's cards for only the people they liked. So basically Valentine's Day became yet another popularity ritual. The cool kids had a bag stuffed with cards and candy hearts. The uncool kids had a handful of cards from their handful of friends. I was always in the a latter category and it was no fun.

A small aside - the only way the popular kids could have gotten so many cards is if BOTH the cool and uncool kids were giving the cool kids cards. Why on earth did we do this?!? Did we think they would be are friends, like us more, or maybe even just smile at us in class if we handed them a cheap piece of paper that said "Be Mine" with a stale candy heart scotch taped to the back? And why did we always pander to these kids? The grade school social hierarchy takes all the kids to sustain it - the popular kids to be cool and the unpopular kids to keep supporting the idea that there are cool and uncool kids. And Valentine's Day was another piece that upheld this social construction.

So back on to the topic at hand. Even past grade school, I've never been into the whole Valentine's Day thing. In high school and college I was doing the whole anti-establishment, alternative thing, so getting into holidays "created by greeting card companies" didn't really fit with that image. As an adult, I went years never actually having a boyfriend on Valentine's Day. (I would, completely coincidentally, always break up with someone right beforehand or meet someone right afterwards.) The couple of times I was with someone, it was a long-distance relationship. It really wasn't until the first year I was with David (my now husband) that I thought about having a real Valentine's Day celebration.

Ultimately, though, I have continued to not celebrate Valentine's Day. David is not really a holiday, gift-exchanging, card-giving kind of person. (Ask anyone in his family - until I came along, they were lucky to get Christmas or birthday presents from him.) So couple that with my lingering bad memories of Valentine's Day, and you have the explanation for my non-celebration of Valentine's Day.

However, I did go to Whole Foods and buy some yummy food and desserts from their pre-made food counter. I also will open a bottle of wine. But it's certainly not because it's Valentine's Day. David and I are simply celebrating . . . the new episode of Lost tonight . . . or . . . ummm . . . how about the end of the writers strike . . . or the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Yeah, that's it. That Capone was a real cool guy.

Wearing the big scarlet "A" on my chest (and I don't mean the Hawthorne kind)

2008-02-13T14:13:00.001-05:00

Okay, first off, let's get this out of the way. I'm an atheist. I don't believe in any kind of god or supernatural force at work in the universe. I put my trust in science, reason, and the philosophy of secular humanism. I totally respect everyone's right to believe whatever they want to, as long as they don't force their views on me. I guess this is my blogosphere version of "coming out."

Given that, on Sunday I attended an excellent talk at the D.C. branch of the Center for Inquiry on parenting for people who are not religious. (I would have said "atheists" instead of "not religious" but I'm discovering a lot of people prefer other labels, such as freethinkers, skeptics, secularists, etc. Also, a lot of agnostics may not completely reject the notion of a supernatural power but have many similar concerns as atheists. ) The talk featured Dale McGowan, a interesting and articulate guy in person and editor of a book called "Parenting Beyond Belief: Raising Caring, Ethical Kids Without Religion," as well as Nica Lalli. I learned a lot, took notes, and can't wait to read the book. Why did I go to such an event? There are a couple of reasons.

The first reason is the obvious one. David and I are starting to think about having kids in the next year or two. Since we're both non-believers (I don't mind the term "atheist" but David typically will say "agnostic" just so he doesn't have to get into arguments with people about his beliefs . . . or lack thereof), I've been thinking about the obstacles and special problems we'll face as parents in the U.S. not raising their kids with religion. How do you answer questions about death and mortality? How do you educate your children about religion and acquire a necessary "cultural literacy" in religion without indoctrinating them? How do you raise your kids to think for themselves and ultimately choose their own religious beliefs? And how do you explain to your children the hostility and discrimination they will sometimes face from others since their parents are atheists? These are all big questions that no one book can answer. However, it's nice to now know there's a community of people who have gone through these experiences themselves, and who I can learn from.

Second, I've been thinking a lot lately about finding an atheistic community in the DC area. Non-believers are a varied and individualistic bunch. We usually don't organize the way religious folks do. But since the publication of books by Sam Harris, Richard Dawson, and Christopher Hitchens, non-believers have started becoming more vocal and organized. I guess you could say many people are "coming out" as atheists. So I found a few local groups that I'm starting to check out. I'm going to try to attend meeting of the Secular Humanist Group of the Unitarian Univeralist congregation of Arlington. There's also a branch of the American Ethical Union in Northern Virginia that looks interesting. However, I really think the Center for Inquiry's local DC events seem the best match for me. An affiliated group of the Center for Inquiry, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, publishes one of my favorite magazines, the Skeptical Inquirer. It's focus is more on science and human reason than ethical issues.

I'll blog more about any future events of any of these groups that I go to. A gathering of self-proclaimed skeptics, freethinkers, and atheists is turn up some characters and interesting interactions.

A sobering encounter with my own mortality

2008-02-09T15:16:00.001-05:00

I just had a scary, but ultimately beneficial experience yesterday. As many of your know (and by you I mean the few friends and family members who actually read this blog), I've been dealing with digestive system issues for a while now. Not to go into too many details, but I was tentatively diagnosed with IBS a couple of years ago. My doctor had mentioned about 6 months ago that I might want to consider getting a colonoscopy just to rule out some other stuff a lot worse than IBS (any of which was very, very unlikely). I finally got around to doing it a couple of weeks ago. I am so glad that I did it. If I wouldn't have had the procedure, I would have most likely developed colon cancer by the time I was 40.

See, when they did the colonoscopy, they found a polyp in my intestines. Having polyps before the age of 50 is very, very rare, so my doctor was surprised to say the least. However, right after the procedure he said he was almost certain it was the benign kind since I had no risk factors. (I'm basically the opposite of all the risk factors for colon polyps. Risk factors include: being older in age, male, African-American, smoking, eating a high-fat diet, and getting no exercise.) It was like a 1% chance it would be a problematic polyp. When I saw him for the results of the biopsy yesterday, though, he had some unexpected news - the polyp was pre-cancerous! In technical terms it is called an adenomatous polyp. It's pre-cancerous because these kind take 5-10 years for it to develop into cancer. Given I'm 32 now and it had been there for a couple of years, I probably would have developed colon cancer in my late 30s. As long as I get colonoscopies every 3 years for the rest of my life, though, I should be fine, as they remove the polyps during this procedure.

Since there is no reason why a reasonably healthy person in their 30s with no risk factors would ever get a colonoscopy, I actually have to thank all my stomach problems. If I wouldn't have had IBS then I never would have had this procedure and found this potentially life-threatening (and totally unrelated) condition.

So in honor of my not getting cancer in a few years, last night I consumed my three favorite things that trigger an IBS attack - alcohol, cheese, and chocolate. Yeah for IBS!

The giganitc bathtub is gone from our living room!

2008-02-07T14:59:00.001-05:00

For over 6 months, we've had Kohler Sok tub sitting in the living room. No, it wasn't there so that we could fill it up with ice and put beer in it (a suggestion more than one person has made). We had originally bought it for our master bath renovations at our apartment. However, the back and forth with our co-op management over the renovation plans dragged on for almost a year, so the tub sat for months in the only room it could fit - the living room.

For the first week it was kind of amusing. David would lay in the bathtub and hide, call the dog's name, and then laugh when she got all confused and started barking. That's was only funny for a few days, though. After a short period of time it's become the constant thorn in my side. Every time I walked into our living room I would wince. And if we wanted to invite people over, I had to make sure I knew them really, really well. So the bathtub has seriously cut into our entertaining and, hence, seriously limited my social life (especially since I'm old and crotchety now and don't want to go out. You have to come to me.)

Since we bought the new house in December, the master bathroom plans at the apartment have been severely revised. Basically the plan now is do what's quickest, simplest, and at a reasonable cost. That doesn't include tearing down walls and expanding the bathroom to fit the gigantic Sok tub. Can I just mention what a cool tub is it? It has an inner layer that overflows into an outer shell, so you can fulfill your childhood fantasy of letting the bath water run over the sides of the tub. (Am I the only one who always wanted to do that?) And it's a spa tub, which means it's like a jacuzzi but with little air bubbles. As the Kohler website says: " Adding a playful element to this placid escape, unique portals release millions of effervescent bubbles. The captivating, champagne-like bubbles cling to the body and caress the skin."

Unfortunately, the tub won't fit in our new house either. So I listed the thing on Craigslist for about 80& of what we paid for it and waited. After a couple weeks I finally got a bite. It took four guys and two dollies to get it out of here, but finally it's gone. It was a bittersweet moment. No playful, effervescent champagne-like bubbles will be caressing my skin anytime soon. But at least I don't have a FREAKING BATHTUB IN MY LIVING ROOM anymore.

Anyone want to come over now?

If you were Carrie Fischer would you rather have an action figure modeled on your face be compared to a hot young actor or a chimp?

2008-02-06T15:56:00.001-05:00

The 10 Star Wars Toys that Unintentionally Look Like Other Celebrities

This makes me hungry for some pancakes . . .

2008-02-06T15:23:00.001-05:00

Here's my 2 minute time waster for the day. The best part is towards the end when Pancake Man's friend comes in, so keep watching until the end.

Do know what made me feel better after I realized I lost 5 minutes of my life to this clip (2 minutes to watch it plus 3 minutes to blog about it)? The guy who made it spent a hell of a lot more time making it. I hope it helps get him into film school.

Speaking of being a nerd . . .

2008-02-05T15:43:00.001-05:00

If I any the free time and money this spring, the first thing I would do is go to LA in March. That way I could attend Paleyfest - 25th anniversary celebration of the Paley Center for Media. The Paley Center (formally the Museum of Television and Radio) regularly hosts panels and seminars on various TV shows, personalities and topics, both past and present. For the 25th anniversary celebration, one of the panels is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion, with Joss Whedon and currently eight of the former cast members in attendance. I think I would officially go from being "nerd" to "super-nerd" if I actually went.

So does anyone want to go to LA with me on March 20th. Seriously. I'm not kidding. All I need is the smallest push and I am so there.

Just to make the offer appeal to a broader audience, there will also be panels on Mad Men, Chuck, Gossip Girl, Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, Friday Night Lights, Damages, Dancing with the Stars, Judd Apatow, Tracy Ulman, and (I kid you not) the 1968 Elvis comeback special.

Is the pop culture "nerd" the modern "cool" kid?

2008-02-05T15:11:00.001-05:00

I loved this article from the AV Club on contemporary pop culture obsessions that make you a big, fat nerd. While in the past outcasts recognized one another by quoting lines from Monty Python, modern geeks have a variety of options to choose from. Along with the classics like role playing games, Renaissance fairs and Star Trek, the 21st century nerd can also pledge their allegiance to MMORPG's like World of Warcraft, online social networking (facebook, myspace), fantasy sports leagues, and re-vamped versions of classic scifi TV shows a la Battlestar Gallactica and Dr. Who.

My own personal nerdiness pops up at #8 on the list. For anyone that doesn't know, I am a total devotee of all things Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Angel and Firefly for those of you who've lived under a rock for the past few years). I've been guilty of reading a lot of fanfic, watching episodes of his shows over and over, and dressing up as Buffy for Halloween. I'm currently reading the Buffy season 8 and Angel season 6 comic books. Within the world of fandom these are all pretty tame activities. One I make it to a convention dressed up in character I will have crossed over to the dark side.

One thing not discussed in the AV Club article, is how being a pop culture geek is now actually seen as "cool." The mere fact that a website like AV Club exists and runs articles about all these fandoms, I think, demonstrates how mainstream being into with some "geekish" pop culture topic has become. In some circles you're almost not considered cool if you don't obsess over every detail on a show like Lost or Heroes, or if you don't remember collecting all the variations of Luke Skywalker action figures that Mattel put out. (I personally was very proud of the three Boba Fett figures I had, since you could only get a Boba Fett by sending in three proofs of purchase from other Star Wars action figures.)

So when did being a nerd become cool? Did the nerds revolt and take over or have all the frat boys and cheerleaders just become us?

It's log, it's log, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood

2008-01-31T12:13:00.001-05:00

I love Ren & Stimpy. Now if I can only get David to like it. Can you believe I married someone who doesn't think Ren and Stimpy is funny?!?

NKOTB 4EVA!

2008-01-29T14:19:00.001-05:00

In the late 1980s I was completely obsessed with the New Kids on the Block. My entire room was plastered, wall-to-wall, with NKOTB posters. I had a life-sized cardboard cut-out of the group in the middle of my room, as well as a room divider covered with pictures and articles cut out of teeny bopper magazines. I even had posters on my ceiling so that the last thing I saw before I went to sleep was John, Jordan, Donnie, Danny, and Joey looking down on me. I finally removed all the New Kids paraphernalia in 1990 when my friend Erin and I were having two cute boys over to study for Geometry. Soon there after, the New Kids faded away into pop culture history.

So imagine my surprise when I hear that the New Kids might be reuniting. I guess with the recent "success" of the Spice Girls' tour, the fab five are thinking about jumping on the reunion bandwagon. While my musical taste have certainly progressed way beyond late 80s bubble-gum pop (even in 1989, I bought R.E.M.'s Green and The Cure's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me along side the New Kids), I would be tempted to go see them again. Would it make me completely lame to go see the same show I was screaming and crying at 20 years ago?

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I was a Donnie fan. He was the "bad boy" of the group.

My Fantasy Modernist Life

2008-01-28T16:21:00.001-05:00

Everyone has a secret fantasy career that they daydream about while sitting in their cubicle pretending to do their real job. (Or in my case sitting at home in front of my computer pretending to write their dissertation.) In Kara-fantasy-world, I travel the globe discovering and buying hip modern furniture and design products for an upscale modernist design store and wealthy clients. And on the side I also write freelance travel articles about all the "so cool it won't be cool by the time you read this" places I go to on said travels, since up-and-coming designers only hang out in the coolest local cafes, bars, and restaurants. Basically I want a *Wallpaper magazine life. (I don't think anyone actually lives this kind of jetsetter, uber-hipster, design-junkie life. The magazine just creates the image of this lifestyle and sells issues based on the idea that you can feel like you live a small part of it just by consuming their product. Brilliant.)

So with that in mind, I've been drooling over pictures from the annual Cologne International Furnishings Show posted on Mocoloco (one of my favorite modern design blogs). The most unique so far is the Bratespiel, a pop-style small appliance that can roast marshmallows (as well as sausages since. Come on, this is Germany). I would have absolutely no use for this, but it looks so cool (thus defeating the tenant of much modern design of form AND function).

In my fantasy work life, right now I'd be in the middle of a couple weeks of down-time in DC before jetting off to Palm Springs for their annual Modernism Show and Modernism Week. Now if I can only find someone to hire me . . .

Fred Phelps is now protesting Heath Ledger

2008-01-24T10:28:00.001-05:00

You just got to love Topeka-based anti-gay hate group Fred Phelps and his cult. Now he's promised to protest memorials for Heath Ledger in the U.S. I guess travel to Australia is not in god's plan. Maybe Fred could pull an Oral Roberts and claim god will kill him unless he raises travel money to protest the funeral of a "fornicator." How did I grow up in the same town with this man?!? (Thanks to my brother-in-law for passing this article on to me.)

Why I Hate Political Science

2008-01-24T10:06:00.001-05:00

This link is for those of your non-academics who wonder why I hate a discipline that I've been attached to since I started undergrad. In a nutshell, it's because of the hegemony of mathematical and formal research methods in political science and the associated emphasis of universal theories of politics, devoid of reference to specific context, history or culture. Now this is a vast over-generalization and simplification, but you get the basic idea. Fortunately, there has been a backlash movement for over 5 years called Perestroika. You can read about Perestroika here, here, and here. Even with the pendulum swinging away from the stuff I hate about political science, though, I still don't know if I can stomach teaching and researching in this discipline. I'll make that final decision, though, when my dissertation is done!