Thursday, September 30, 2010

This country was not founded as a Nestorian nation!

I'd like to administer something like this to various religious figures in public life. For entertainment purposes only, of course.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Made of Wien


The Secession Museum in Vienna is, indeed, the best museum.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Realtime Rape Crisis Tweets

Once you've established the fact that a rape has occurred (which getting a tongue bitten off does pretty clearly), how much more context do you need?

The immediacy of tweets really makes the woman's circumstances resonate viscerally. People may not be willing to work for change unless the recognize the seriousness of the problem.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Mail Mad

I currently have two packages in limbo, both USPS. Not sure whether this is sufficient to inspire a new feud with the mailman or not.

Unrelatedly: Bloglines is dying! Google Reader prevails! Is there some kind of widget to replace my "Subscribe with Bloglines" toolbar button to look up RSS feeds for sites and sign me up for them?

Monday, September 20, 2010

Color Lines

Check out this map of DC by race and ethnicity. Red = white, blue = black, orange = Hispanic, green = Asian.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Scent of a Bookworm

Interested in smelling like a bookstore? How about a library?

When I was but a wee Bamber, I always wore Escape, which boys seemed to like. Later I switched to Allure or Light Blue, but the last time I wore any it made me woozy and sneezy. Perhaps I should begin scenting myself again, though, with something more unusual this time.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Where's a 13th Amendment claim when you need it?

To me, the creepiest thing about this indictment is not the conduct alleged (although that is appalling) or the idea that it's somehow inappropriate to conduct a real inquiry into consent for such acts, but rather that the charged counts are as follows:

Conspiracy
Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion
Forced Labor Trafficking
Use of an Interstate Facility for Enticement
Document Servitude
Enticement to Travel for Sexual Activity
Transportation for Sexual Activity

Now obviously this is in federal court (even though all the defendants are residents of Missouri and the vast majority of the conduct allegedly occurred there), but the conspicuous absence of any charge that really cuts to the heart of the crime is almost shocking. If these guys are asked in the future what they were convicted of, will anyone really be able to make an informed decision about whether they deserve to be hired/shivved/given a first date, if these are the answers? Wouldn't some nice state law counts have been better? It's not like they'd get a light sentence if properly charged with those.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Caracality

So am I required to buy this for Halloween, or what?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

It was my favorite part.

If you couldn't get through The Part About the Crimes in 2666, you probably shouldn't read this either.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Contrast and Compare

Today, I stopped at a 7-Eleven for a soda. Previously, I have purchased the 32-oz. Big Gulp. However, I realized that for less than 33% more, I could get 100% more soda by purchasing the Double Big Gulp. This drink is outrageous. It requires a special extra-long straw. A random man who witnessed me sipping it pronounced "That is too big for you." And yet because the marginal cost of the additional 32 ounces was minimal, I bought (and drank) the whole damn thing.

I have also been to Frozen Yo, where they charge by weight for whatever mix of yogurt(s) and topping(s) you desire. The containers are, in fact, large. But because you pay only for what you want, and larger sizes are not artificially cheaper, I was perfectly capable of getting just enough birthday-cake-flavored froyo to satisfy my jones without feeling embittered that I had to shell out some fixed amount for a portion size not based upon my appetite. Anyone disparaging this utterly logical method of dispensing yogurty goodness is 1) un-American and 2) a tool of the Vast Fattening Conspiracy.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Why women like "flamboyant dancers"

Aren't bold dance moves just a proxy for confidence? If some guy is dancing flamboyantly, you can immediately assess the following:

1) Is this guy confident and assertive?(Yes)

2) Is this guy hot?

3) Does this guy know what he's doing or is he some awkward dork thrashing about?

With a guy doing some barely obvious rocking back and forth, you can really only assess #2. He could be a self-effacing milquetoast or a clueless schmuck. Which is a more efficient choice for targeted flirting, him or the Travolta wannabe?

Love Matches Kill Everything

And thus the storied firm of Montague & Montague folded.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Monday, September 06, 2010

Honorific Killing

On being ma'am'ed:
The argument that ma'am is a term of respect, and that women should be proud rather than ashamed of having reached a certain age, also falls flat. It's not that we're self-hating old people. It's that our non-nubility isn't something we feel needs to be acknowledged in a greeting, especially, as Angier points out, when men who are no longer fit 19-year-olds don't get a special term of address. I could think of any number of descriptive terms that would bring up other visible-at-first-glance qualities I'm not ashamed of but don't need announced: 'here, short person with very pale skin and very thick if frizz-prone hair, here's your iced coffee.'

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Recipe: Corn Chowder

A great use for summer corn.

10 ears fresh corn
4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, minced finely
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 red potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
3 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Cut 4 ears of corn in half and then slice straight down to cut off kernels. Put kernels aside. Grate 6 ears of corn on coarse side of a box grater into a bowl. Melt butter in large dutch oven and saute onion in it for ten minutes. Add garlic, saute one minute. Add flour and stir constantly for two minutes. Whisk in broth, then add potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, milk, and grated corn pulp and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are just soft. Then add cream and corn kernels and simmer 5 minutes or until corn kernels are cooked. Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Friday, September 03, 2010

Born on third and think you hit a triple?

The amount of cultural capital East Coast UMC kids have over and above even UMC kids in other parts of the country is really amazing. It's the little things you're unaware of, despite thinking yourself well-informed. Even with two college-educated parents and attending one of the better high schools in the district, I had no idea how National Merit Scholarships worked and took the PSAT as a freshman and the SAT as a sophomore. Because the P stands for practice, right? :-/ (Yes, yes, I took them both again.)

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Whatever I Like

This does nothing for me, but this is deliciously female gaze-y.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

AA XXX

Women with small breasts are buying sexy lingerie and aren't ashamed of their bodies? Trend story!