Lauren forwarded me this essay: “Talking to a woman” – a letter to a Liberal Man. I’ve done all of these things, and will surely do them all again. All men need to be meditating on these points every day to lessen their occurance.
Monthly Archive for July, 2008
I just got off the phone with my mother, and one of the things we talked about were the different “standard flavor profiles” we know about… basic seasonings that you can add to any of a number of different dishes to give them a certain taste.
Although I’ve labeled these things by their region of origin, obviously each of these places has a rich and varied cuisine. It’s just that these are the spices I associate with recipes we’ve made from these regions.
Here’s what we came up with… does anyone know any others?
Mexican
– cumin, oregano, cilantro, lime
Indian
– cumin, coriander, turmeric
Thai
– red chili, peanut, cilantro
American Savory
– garlic, onion, black pepper
American Herb
– rosemary, thyme, celery
Cajun
– celery, onions, peppers, cayenne, thyme, garlic, black pepper
Italian
– basil, garlic, oregano
Provence
– garlic, thyme, basil
Greek
– oregano and mint; or dill; or cinnamon
Chinese
– soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar
I just did a little housecleaning on Planet Informatics, the aggregator for all the great blogging coming out of my alma mater. In addition to adding Jenny and Travis, I upgraded to the newest version of Planet Planet, and guess what? We can finally embed YouTube videos:
Yay!
Cold sores, mold spores, and apple cores: How to be a dirty person without endangering your health
No sex in the kitchen: 1001 rules couples have tried to keep their open relationships working
Copyright (C) 2008 Erik Pukinskis
Here’s a great video that explains quantum physics in way that everyone can understand, and I think everyone will enjoy:
I want to be mad at George Bush. Between starting a preemtive war, fighting to discriminate against same-sex couples, running up a huge deficit, weakening environmental enforcement, politically cleansing the justice department, torturing prisoners, illegally detaining prisoners, endangering children by promoting bad sex education, pushing for abortion legislation that would only hurt the poor and the abused, and spying on us, I have a lot to be angry at him for.
But every now and then he says something that makes my heart melt. When Tony Snow, his former press secretary, quit some months ago, Bush said:
“I love you and wish you all the best” (ABC News)
I just like that he told an employee on his way out that he loved him.
Fellow nerds, this is the best thing I have ever seen.
1, 2, 3, kick it.
For those of you who call me sometimes, you will be pleased to know that my voice mailbox is now cleaned out! I recorded the messages I was saving using Odeo Studio, which is a great web site that lets you record and archive audio on the internet, so that it is saved for posterity. I was thinking about posting the messages I saved here for everyone to listen to because they are pretty precious, but I have no way to know if the people who left them (Tracy, Emily, Lauren, Camille, Grant, and my mom) would want me to do that. Oh well.
Warning: this post deals with sexual assault.
I saw this over on Women’s Space/The Margins:
According to the video, in the US the average age of entry into prostitution is 13. Average means that half of prostitutes start at this age or younger*. If that’s not horrifying enough, try this on for size:
These girls are being charged as criminals for prostitution.
Earth to the government: these girls are too young to consent to “prostitution”. If you are 13, and your pimp and your johns are 30, it’s not sex, it’s rape. If you are worried that you are going to be beaten or killed if you don’t have sex with your client, it’s not sex, it’s rape. If your pimp got you hooked on drugs as a child and he is forcing you to have sex for drugs, it’s not sex, it’s rape.
It’s wrong for men to have sex with prostitutes because of the likelihood the prostitute is in one of these scenarios. It’s wrong for men to sell these women’s bodies. It’s wrong for the (mostly male) police to arrest these women, it’s wrong for (mostly male) attorneys to prosecute them, it’s wrong for (mostly male) judges to allow the cases in their courts, and it’s wrong for juries to convict them.
It is right to grant them immunity. It is right to give them access to sexual abuse shelters. It is right to give them access to medical care and counseling services. It is right to help them clear their records and get back into school or jobs.
And honestly, I think it’s wrong for men to go to strip clubs and watch porn for the same reasons. To this day, I’m guilty of watching porn, but I think I should stop. As a group, we men need all the help we can get, and this film looks like good help.
And if you try to tell me about this prostitute or that porn actress who is “choosing” that career, I will remind you that 90% of young women involved in prostitution were sexually abused as children. Estimates for porn actresses are similar. These women don’t need us to support their pimps and producers, they need therapy. They need a way out.
Prostitutes are not the problem, and it’s not women’s responsibility to fix this. It’s ours. Men need to leave prostitutes, strippers, and porn actresses alone.
* assuming a normal distribution
Joe Nocera at the New York Times reports that Google has chosen to upgrade their day care such that “only its wealthiest employees can afford to use it.” Joe concludes the story saying:
“If Google had really wanted to do something path-breaking about its day care crisis, it would have spent less time creating elitist day care centers and more time figuring out how to “scale” day care for everybody no matter what their salaries.”
I agree. Although I wish Joe would’ve said just a little about gender here. Because I’m wondering… which employees are going to be forced to leave Google because of this? Which employees are going to be forced to stay home instead of being able to work because they no longer have good subsidized child care?
Is it going to be a bunch of men?