August 2009
5 posts
“Whole Foods appears to be such a reasonable, benign organization. But I can’t...”
– Newton, MA woman regarding Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s recent WSJ op-ed opposing government-run health care.
I feel exactly the same way. This has truly cast doubts for me over whether any of the spinach pastas at Whole Foods really contain any spinach at all. Life can be so cruel.
"Massachusetts judges take a run at social mores." →
Judges are not “activist” just because their constitutional decisions do not align with your personal views. Try telling an interracial couple that Loving v. Virginia (1969) should be overruled because it changed social mores. Or tell a black child in a wealthy primarily-white school that Brown v. Board (1954) was just too radical and flimsy to stand.
What Happens When You Shower In Germany Without...
I don’t have any story quite as funny as this from my travels. But this brings back to my memory the time I was standing in a German grocery store trying to decide between two bars of Milka chocolate. The first one was “haselnuss” and the second was “trauben-nuss.” Both had a picture of a hazelnut on them, so I was clearly perplexed as to what the difference was (it...
Absolutely Disgusting. →
When older people ask “what has society come to?,” I often shrug it off. But this article has me asking the same question. An upstanding man who worked hard to put his children through college was killed in a Massachusetts city for a few dollars worth of Chinese food. Somebody (or some group of people) placed a bogus food order from an untraceable number and then attacked him when he...
Outrageous Bumper Sticker.
Tonight, while I was driving, I saw a bumper sticker that absolutely infuriated me. It read:
“RESIST! Obama is not MY president.”
Okay, I don’t even know where to begin with this. Clearly the person is really conservative and is not really happy with the outcome of the November 2008 election. I get that. My empathy is driven by having felt very similarly when President Bush was...
July 2009
13 posts
Incredible. →
While it is really sad that people are being forced to live in tent cities, I find it absolutely fascinating that these people created a direct democracy in the midst of deplorable conditions. This truly trumps so many stereotypes of the homeless as being dangerous, disorderly, etc.
“No matter how politically charged the discussions about marriage equality may...”
– Meghan McCain, in an open letter to Republican New York State Senators on the gay marriage bill. BRAVO!
Offensive Facebook Bullshit of the Day
aurorachronicles:
The Facebook group: THE SHIT WOMEN DO THAT TURN YOU OFF..(WOMEN READ AND LEARN)
This facebook group is a list of things women shouldn’t do, according to… well, it’s not entirely clear, but I think “society” may be one of the culprits, and judging from the members in the group, it sounds like shitty New York Guido society.
I’m not going to list every thing women should not do...
77 Degrees and Counting...
It’s going to get up to 90 degrees today—the first real day of the summer—and I am stuck in my basement office with no windows in the general vicinity. Seriously?
EU Expansion →
Apparently, after years of resisting the long arm of the EU, Iceland is ready to jump on board. This is unsurprising after the small island nation nearly went the way of Lehman Bros. just a few months ago, but something else in the article really stood out to me. The Times writer points out that the fast-track treatment that Iceland has received—all while Turkey and Croatia (among others)...
Religion a la carte? →
Apparently the best thing to do when the wealthiest province of your large religious body is “roguely” granting rights to gays and lesbians is to dilute your theology and allow each province to do what it wants. I guess this just seems disingenuous to me. I may not like where the Catholic Church stands on gay rights but at least I know firmly where it stands.
“We desire that your dream come in your mouth”
– From the wall of a restaurant in Korea, via Tiff who is currently teaching in Seoul.
“Your Cost of Attendance is $58,546 for this academic period. Your total...”
– Don’t worry, BC Law, it doesn’t even come close.
Disappointed, Not Surprised.
In Maine, the legislature voted to legalize gay marriage and the governor signed that bill into law early in May of 2009. Maine, unlike states like Vermont and Connecticut, has the “citizen’s veto” where if opponents of a law can gather enough signatures, it goes on the ballot to be decided by the people. That is what is happening with this gay marriage bill.
Unfortunately, the...
Fresh salad, yum. →
With summer in full swing (supposedly, from what I hear it’s been cold and rainy for most of the summer in the Northeast), it’s the perfect time of the season for salads. While reading that half of Hudson Co., NJ and Brooklyn, NY are in jail, I came across this great article with 101 interesting salad recipes. 96 of them seem to be only things you could make if you are in a large city...
I'm Back!
After my month-long absence from America and from tumblr, I am finally back home!
June 2009
12 posts
Crime is Rampant in Suburban Boston.
When I am bored, I always love reading the police logs from wealthy suburban towns around Boston. 90 percent of the time the report is of something uninteresting like a car accident or items stolen from a car that people were naive enough to leave unlocked. Every now and then, though, an entry sticks out as just utterly ridiculous. Here are some of my favorites from local towns over recent weeks.
...
Harvard's Chainsaw →
So glad I got out before Harvard drops like a rock.
From San Diego. →
It is opinions like those expressed in this article that make my blood boil. Herein, a small-time writer from SoCal says that he has apparently reached “a point of annoyance” with the gay rights movement’s assertion that equal marriage is a civil rights issue. He suggests that the movement switch to a different argument to try to win hearts and minds—but then makes no...
Deliciously Corrupt.
The governing coalition in New York collapsed. Really now? This makes Italian politics look stable and the fall of Romano Prodi from power look normal. Only in New York would two Democrats who seem to be peeved about not getting enough money for their pet projects lead liberal Democrats to break their alliance with the Democratic Party leadership in favor of voting for a conservative, Long Island...
Marriage Equality in 2003. →
Looking through past articles in the Boston Globe, I found this one from November of 2003, written the day after the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriages in the Commonwealth. Reading through this is so strange. The unexpectedness of such a decision is clear and the fear of a constitututional amendment to ban the practice is palpable in the words. Five years later,...
Civil Rights: 6, National Organization for... →
“We offer the gratuitous possibility of using with Internet additionally.”
– From the website of a Polish hostel that I will not be staying in.
In Which Lena Contracts The Plague
lenachen:
This is a liveblog.
Tuesday, June 2nd
10:30am- Oral temperature: 100.3. After a delusional evening of moaning in my sleep, I wake up sweaty, weak, and alone in bed. Apparently, the German lover has flown the coop.
10:32am- Actually, German lover’s Russian friend (our houseguest for the week) informs me that he has not abandoned me. He is just in the shower. Likely washing off my...
Romney criticizes President Obama →
Americans were called unpatriotic over the course of 8 years for criticizing W’s failed policies but suddenly it’s the Republicans who are wearing the “Dissent is Patriotic” pins.
"Partial Birth Abortion" Article. →
This article, written in the wake of President Bush’s 2003 effort to ban “partial birth abortion” (a non-existent procedure), is incredibly moving and particularly relevant in the wake of the shooting death of Dr. George R. Tiller, a man who performed late-term abortions. Dr. Tiller was shot by a pro-lifer inside of a church because clearly there is nothing more Christian and...
May 2009
15 posts
Just the Beginning. →
So, the California Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 8 today, saying that taking away the right to marry, which the same court ruled was a fundamental right last year, is not actually fundamentally altering the state constitution and thus necessitating an amendment process as opposed to a simple referendum. The chief justice of the court, who wrote the opinion, said that...
Back in the 02138
themadnessofwaiting:
A fresh breath of incredible friends, intellectualism, and culinary options beyond fast food. Even though it took me a truck, a train, a metro, and a plane to get here, it’s more than worth it.
So glad she’s back!
“Be seated.”
– Shuttle van driver to me before he proceeded to accelerate to unfathomable speeds down the Quad driveway. The rest of the ride was no better. And Harvard tells me to use Harvard Shuttle Services to avoid getting killed walking back from the Quad at night. Perhaps the shuttle is not a quantifiably...
"Decision Day" next Tuesday. →
The California Supreme Court will probably uphold Prop. 8, but it doesn’t hurt to hope.
Dollar continues to slide. →
And my European summer continues to climb in price. Awesome.
A Full Circle? Hardly.
As I sat in Science Center C to take my final Harvard exam, I couldn’t help but notice the irony. It was in this room in the fall of 2005 that I was taking Life Sciences 1a and beginning my Harvard career. Now, four years later, I was taking the final for a class that was far less legitimate and in no way related to science. Sitting there, I couldn’t help but think of who I was then...
WTF.
My last question on my last exam ever at Harvard may require me to compare Martian, Tengwar, and the “Dancing Men” script. Fail.
'09 Social Skillz
Me:
Mel: but like seriously, quit with the "raging" thing. it's in like EVERY email. just say let's get drunk, hope that that compensates for our poor social skills, and make some bad decisions
“She’d track me down and whip me with her khipu”
– CMO, about her TF’s reaction to writing a funny answer on the Glyphs exam. Clearly the studying is not going well.
Harvard = Nuevo Laredo →
“Lithuania is like New Hampshire … cooool!”
– CMO
Education Fail.
Me: I can't believe my last final at Harvard is about Martian.
Kav: I know ... $160,000 education fail.
“Just break the bottle. Nothing gets between a European and his wine.”
– Mel, making fun of me after I told her I didn’t have a corkscrew
The Decision.
So, I finally caved. Recently, various friends have been telling me to start blogging. Actually, Lena has been telling me to go for it since freshman year and for a while, she actually succeeded and I started a LiveJournal. I think I managed to write a total of a dozen posts—possibly fewer—before stopping. Anyway, I’m joining a growing group of friends to try it out again.