this ain't livin'

Wriggling Blueprints | 26Apr07

Recycling rejected poetry might be more fraught with peril than you think. This Middle Eastern professor had the cops called on him because someone thought he was planting a bomb.

Oakland follows suit with the city of refuge idea.

The House has spoken: it wants a troop pullout.

Food marketing? Flavor companies? Oh, yeah.

What happens to your body after you die can have an environmental impact.

Should science writing be censored for fear of bioterror? I say no, others, including leading bioethicists, say yes.

Setting it Straight | 25Apr07

I was reading an article in the New York Times today about the recent (and long overdue) decision by the military to allow the Wiccan pentagram on headstones, when I noticed this: “Wicca is a type of pre-Christian belief.” I literally stopped short in the article when I saw that, and had to go take a time out.

Newsflash, kids: Wicca is not pre-Christian. The way this statement is worded, someone who understood the history of Wicca would understand that it is a type of Paganism, a pre-Christian form of worship, in the sense that Baptists are a type of Christian. Someone who doesn’t understand that might be forgiven for thinking that Wicca itself is pre-Christian, and this is simply not true. I’m sure that someone else has already written the Times about this, so I probably shouldn’t bother, but this still bugs me. A pretty basic inaccuracy in a major news paper, a sin of tricky wording. No wonder Regret the Error has so much new content every day.

Hey man, I know it’s hard to get the facts straight. That’s why I always appreciate corrections when I haven’t researched something thoroughly enough and I’m talking out my ass. But I like to think that if I had a panel of editors, basic inaccuracies like this would not slip through. Someone on the staff of the Times could have read numerous articles on Wicca which clearly stated that it was a relatively recently developed religion.

It’s a religious practice that was popularized in Britain in the 1950s, but most of the ideas and practices were probably collated in the teens and twenties. Wicca is an offshoot of Paganism, which most certainly is a pre-Christian religion, but Wicca is not necessarily a “type of pre-Christian religion.” Indeed, dispute over the founding of Wicca suggests that it might not even properly be related to Paganism, because it appears to have sprung whole from the mind of Gerald Gardner. Wicca, in fact, is a modern religion which celebrates the cycles and rhythms of nature. Not that there’s anything wrong with this, I just want to point out that Wicca has not been around longer than bishops in funny hats and tortured skinny dudes on crosses, although the religion which may be the precursor to Wicca was around long before Christ was born.

The Times is correct in stating that there are a number of branches of Wicca, and that everyone practices in a way which works for them. It was unfortunate that the Times didn’t see fit to point out that the major governing doctrine of Wicca is the idea that people should not harm each other, but maybe that seems out of place in an article about Wiccan soldiers. Which reminds me…if the major precept of your religion is that you should not harm others, how do you reconcile going to war? I’m not trying to be a smartass, I am genuinely curious.

Also, if you, like me, were wondering about emblems approved for use on gravestones in military cemeteries, here they are, courtesy of BoingBoing.

Words are slippery little devils, I tell you what.

[Wicca]

Vivacious Rhubarb | 25Apr07

SFist has a neat video up, a vintage newsreel documenting the opening of the Bay Bridge.

The State is now telling us what kind of lightbulbs we can buy.

Where have all the bees gone, and why it’s important.

Jessica Lynch tells it like it is.

An interesting piece in the American Journal of Bioethics about Bodyworlds, the sometimes controversial exhibit which uses plasticized human cadavers.

MUNIcapades | 24Apr07

So I went to the library again yesterday. For those of you who have not caught this, I read a lot. I am, however, limited by my physical ability to carry books on MUNI, so I go to the library about twice a week to drop off one batch and pick up a new one. As a side note, I really wish people would not read library books while smoking, applying cologne, eating stinky food, examining dead bodies, vomiting, urinating, or bleeding, because I can smell/see many substances related to these activities on an alarming number of library books. I have, however, learned caution…which is why if you happened to be in the San Francisco Public Library and you noticed some crazy woman sniffing books…well, that was me, sniffing books. Because the last batch I got contained one that smelled so bad that I couldn’t even read it. And yes, I did complain to the librarian when I returned it, and she sympathized, because it smelled awful.

So anyway, on the way back, I decided to be charitable and give the Metro a shot. I usually take BART, because it’s faster, cleaner, and less, well, stinky, but I thought, what the heck, ought to have the Metro organized by now, right? Also, the goddamn BART machines shock me every time I go out, and it’s starting to piss me off.

Can someone please explain why BART turnstiles shock me? Thank you.

So I went down to the Metro, which informed me that there was an Inbound T in three minutes, an N in four, an N in seven, a J in 10…etc. To my surprised, right as I came down the stairs, a one car T was pulling in, while the sign still said that there was an incoming T in 3 minutes. Despite being somewhat confused, because of the whole lack of information on the overhead boards about it, I hopped on…to the ghost train!

We duly stopped at Powell to disgorge some passengers and pick up a few mall rats, and then we trundled down the tunnel to stop at Montgomery, where a businessman who felt obliged to spread his crotch in my face got on. And groaned. Did I mention the groaning? Because I was nose deep in Over There and then I saw this looming crotch, and groaning.

Then, we set off for Embarcadero.

“Next stop, Embarcadro,” the overhead speaker said. The businessman grunted, and I checked my phone. 4:07. Sweet, I thought if I hoof it when we get to Embarcadero, I can catch the 4:15 108.

Suddenly, the train lurched to a stop. I didn’t think we were there already, but I peered out the window just in case, heart brimming with hope and then a sudden icy cold fear. Nope, seeing tunnel. I went back to reading when the train lurched forward again, and then stopped. We sat there for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only about 10 minutes. I know because I checked my phone and muttered “damnit.”

We continued with this delicate waltz for another 10 minutes, inching forward, stopping, inching forward, until suddenly I could see the platform, the edge of it, and I thought that maybe if the train would just get a few feet further down I could run and grab the 4:30 bus, when the train stopped again, and sat there. And sat there. And sat there. We turned and peered restlessly to no avail. I expectantly bookmarked my book, nothing doing.

Finally, the train crept along the platform to let us out, and I raced up the stairs to Fremont Street. On the way, I was flyered, despite my best efforts, and I shoved the flyer into my bag to look at later. Peering down Market, I saw that it was now 4:35, I had missed two 108s while sitting in the tunnel, and I had a leisurely 10 minutes to make my way to the Transbay.

10 minutes later, sitting on an on-time 108, which is more rare than a unicorn, I pulled the crumpled flyer out of my bag.

“Honor Our Contract: Is that too much to ask?”

Indeed, I think it is. While I understand that the shitty operations of MUNI are not the fault of the employees on the ground…when you’ve just spent close to thirty minutes trapped underground within feet of a station, you do not take amenably to flyering. Also, the flyer had no website or further information about the terms of said contract, and it also didn’t tell me what I should do if I thought that a contract needed to be honored. Some sleuthing turned up a website for Transport Workers Union Local 200, but it didn’t have much information either.

Two tops for the MUNI flyer people:

1. Do not flyer during rush hour. You seem pathologically incapable of running an on time train system between about three and seven, and infuriated commuters are going to start shoving your flyers in unsavory places.

2. More information, people! This is the digital age, perhaps you’ve heard of it. Set up a damn website.

As for me, I am staying far, far away from the Metro at all costs until they get their shit together. The surface buses are decent, and for everything else, there’s BART. I can see why MUNI is getting a failing grade, because I’d rather chew dessicated durians than take the Metro every day.

[MUNI]

Woeful Nectarine | 24Apr07

Heh, heh. Apple finally lands in the crosshairs of the SEC. Who’s making the switch now, bitch?!

Christian Williams made an absolutely brilliant video for the Digg one million user celebration. It’s brief, and it’s hilarious for anyone who uses Digg, and would therefore get the central joke.

“The Choking Game” filters back into the news again, because obviously a few idiotic children are worth far more press time than thousands of people dying in Iraq.

Well, the President says that he has more confidence in Mr. Gonzales, so I guess I have to agree. Wait, no I don’t.

“Many” are dead in the most recent round of attacks in Iraq.

In Zimbabwe, the practice of confiscating white owned farms continues. I checked out an interesting book on this issue from the library, I expect that I will have more to add on this topic soon.

Wiccan soldiers are now permitted to have pentacles on their grave stones. Hopefully His Noodly Appendage is soon to follow.

Fred Phelps can really just die, and the world would be a better place. I really don’t say that about too many people, but that man…is as Christian as a baby killing satanic cult on 13 Friday. And Mike Gallagher is a hero, even if he is a right wing nutjob.

The Source | 23Apr07

The Food Whore posed a question on her site today, asking readers about the source of their recipes. Family? Cookbooks? Friends? The Internet? Restaurants? Your own mind?

I thought it was kind of an intriguing question, as are some of the responses. She asked readers to break them down by percentages, as part of an ongoing research project, so I will freely admit that my food is about 40% my mind, 30% father, 20% cookbooks, and 10% the Internet.

My father had a strong formative influence on what I cook, not only because of recipes that I learned from him, but because of cooking techniques he taught me. A lot of the foods I cook like hummus, roast chicken, and pasta sauce come straight from the mind of my father, but my kitchen organization is also his, as is my ability to throw together an awesome meal from disparate ingredients. This contributes to the second category, my mind. Both my father and I have the ability to call up recipes as though out of nowhere, on the basis of our knowledge of cuisine across multiple continents and budgets.

My father taught me to fearlessly concoct foods from whatever I could find, showing me which flavors went well together and how to cook cheaply and well. When I shop, I look at what looks good and what’s on sale, and I use my mental index to figure out how to cook it. For example, the fishmonger recently told me that the haddock was good. I thought about ways to prepare fish, and settled on broiling it with lemon and dill, and a light sprinkling of asiago. I did not need to look up a recipe or consult someone, because I have a sort of inner directory of how to cook various foods, including what worked and what didn’t. My father also taught me to value fresh, simple food, which contributes to my overall food philosophy.

Sometimes, I’m stumped and looking for inspiration, so I hit a cookbook, usually The Joy of Cooking. The Joy educates me while it provides me with recipes, which I appreciate. I understand the mechanics of how a recipe works and think about flavor dynamics while I leaf through it, asking myself what I am going to eat. I also tweak the recipes in the Joy, or use them as starting points for my own recipe development. I also like to look at dessert cookbooks and think about all the things that could be.

And, every now and then, I stumble across a recipe on the Internet which I just have to try. Recent cases in point are the seared rare albacore I made with Peaches last month, and the chocolate torte I first made for Baxt last summer. Usually, the recipes are accompanied with photographs which border on the pornographic, and I know, just know, that I have to make them as soon as I can get my stumpy legs to the grocery store.

Of course, now that I have revealed my sources, I’ll have to kill you. But it’s ok, I’m visualizing a honey glaze and some root vegetables, maybe roasted with maple syrup for a hint of the exotic. And sage. Yes.

[cooking]
[recipes]

Flighty Cumin | 23Apr07

Poop! Scottish Water says they’re sorry for the sewage spill in the Firth of Forth. I just wanted to include the Firth of Forth in my sites of interest roundup for the day, actually. Firth of Forth!

Sometimes, leaving home is the only way to care for your family.

A possibility of no Blue Angels for Fleet Week? Be still my beating heart!

Equine massage is tough work, but rewarding, and high paying to boot.

The truth about fake news might startle you.

Five to Four | 22Apr07

Today’s decision is alarming. It refuses to take Casey and Stenberg seriously. It tolerates, indeed applauds, federal intervention to ban nationwide a procedure found necessary and proper in certain cases by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). It blurs the line, firmly drawn in Casey, between previability and postviability abortions. And, for the first time since Roe, the Court blesses a prohibition with no exception safeguarding a woman’s health.

This statement comes from a dissenting opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It’s actually well worth reading in entirety, because she essentially shredded the majority opinion on Gonzales vs Carhart, the controversial Supreme Court decision regarding “partial birth abortion” made last week.

I took issue with the decision on a number of levels.

The first has to do with the purpose of the Supreme Court. The Court is supposed to interpret and defend the Constitution. This usually involves interpreting laws in the context of the Constitution, to determine whether or not they are truly legal. The Supreme Court is not in place to dictate the practice of medicine. The law banning partial birth abortion should have been struck down because it was unsound and illegal, and I am very disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the law, even after it had been deemed unconstitutional by numerous lower courts. I am also surprised that the majority justices felt comfortable in telling doctors what to do.

It takes a long time to become a Supreme Court justice. Years of law school and clerkships must be undergone before a justice can be appointed. Doctors, as a general rule, do not tell the Supreme Court what to do, although they may testify in favor of or against various issues in the Court. Likewise, the Supreme Court should not be giving orders to the medical establishment. Measures to protect patients, such a establishing the FDA to evaluate drugs, or setting standards of certification for doctors, are reasonable. Laws outlawing aspects of medical practice which are generally supported by the medical community are not.

There are numerous laws in place to protect patients from unsafe and dangerous procedures, in addition to a standard of practice which is widely accepted throughout the medical community. This is not unreasonable, and is, in fact, something which I support. The practice of medicine should be subject to general regulation which is designed to promote a high standard of care for patients. But to ban a specific procedure…this is a little bit more complex, especially since the procedure surrounds an emotionally charged issue.

What is being banned, exactly, anyway?

This is a topic of some discussion in the medical community, because many doctors are not sure, exactly, what a “partial birth abortion” is. This is because the term is political, not medical. It is assumed that the ban refers to a technique known as intact dilation and extraction, but the language of the law is unclear. This puts doctors at risk, because they could potentially be prosecuted for a number of women’s health procedures, since the term “partial birth abortion” is so nebulous. I’m sure that this is a deliberate choice.

In a letter to the New York Times, Dr. Deborah Oyer wrote:

Here’s what Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision means to me and my patients:

Now, when I want to act in my patient’s best interest, I must stop and call a lawyer to find out what I’m permitted to do under the law or face federal prosecution.

Now, when my patient trusts me to do what’s best and safest for her health, I must tell her that my hands are tied by justices who have put ideology above scientific evidence.

Now, when I sit talking to my patient, a little voice at my ear will tell me that politicians know best.

Now, when I work in my office and my operating room, I will wonder who’s a potential informant.

This ruling insidiously injects government into the personal decisions a woman makes with her physician. It is an insult to a woman’s right to protect her own health and to a physician’s ability to advise her.

I am troubled by the abridgment of my right to choose represented by this Supreme Court decision. But I am more concerned, in a way, about the legal precedent that this sets for the medical community. When I meet with a doctor to discuss my health and options, I expect him or her to provide me with an honest, useful opinion informed by years of medical school and professional practice. I do not like the idea of someone else looking over my doctor’s shoulder, dictating what I can and cannot be told, or which procedures can be performed in the event of medical need.

What happens when the political establishment decides that appendectomies are amoral? Or that pulling rotten teeth goes against their religion? Or, for those of my readers (hopefully mercifully few) who continue to think that women undertake abortion as a cosmetic procedure, or just for kicks, what happens when breast implants are outlawed? Liposuction? Tummy tucks?

Abortion is a very sad and difficult thing. In a medical emergency which requires a highly invasive and traumatizing procedure like intact dilation and extraction, the decision to abort is not taken lightly. Most women who abort at that stage do so because of a truly pressing emergency which threatens their lives. In other cases, the fetus may be in severe distress, or already dead. It is a tragedy to have to perform this procedure…and most doctors do not perform it. Indeed, many doctors never have, and don’t know anyone who has, although medical schools do offer training in it.

If you believe that abortion is wrong, don’t get one. If you happen to be a doctor, don’t perform one. This is an issue of choice on all sides: I would never force a women to get an abortion, or even tell someone that she should get one. Likewise, I would appreciate the freedom to get an abortion if I ever need one, and the freedom to save my life if I am threatened by a fetus. It’s simple self defense, and as far as I know, self defense is legal.

I know that I’m known for not being a big baby fan, but I am also not a baby killer. Terminating a pregnancy is a difficult choice, and I support women who feel like it is the best choice. Carrying on with a pregnancy can be equally difficult for many women, especially in a society which provides limited social services to parents and children. I respect and support women who choose to bear their young to term, even if they later give them up for adoption because they cannot care for them.

I remember when I was very young, my father took me to a commitment ceremony between two of our friends. After the ceremony, I remember walking up to them and saying something along the lines of:

“Congratulations on your marriage! I’m sure that you two will live many happy years together, because you obviously really like each other.”

They smiled and thanked me, but a sort of sadness seemed to linger in their eyes.

Later, driving home, my father said:

“It was very nice of you to congratulate them, but you know, they didn’t actually get married.”

“Oh,” I said. “Why not?”

“Well, because they cannot get married, legally.”

“But why not? They love each other, right?”

“Well, some people believe that two men should not marry each other.”

“Right, but, I mean, that doesn’t mean that it should be illegal. I mean, I don’t think that people should eat meat*, but that’s not illegal!”

“Well, in this country,” he said, “a lot of decisions seem to be based on moral feeling, rather than rationality.”

“Well,” I said, “that’s dumb.”

I’ll stick by that, even today. It’s dumb that other people get to force their moral codes on me. And it’s really dumb, and dangerous, that the Supreme Court allows them to do that, especially since I rely on the Supreme Court to protect me, as a citizen of the United States. I just sent a big chunk of money to the Federal Government, and I’ll bet some of that went to pay those justices for their work.

In a way, although I am much older than I was when that conversation occurred, I still don’t really understand why people’s feelings dictate the letter of the law, and why people care so much about what other people do. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine got pregnant, and because she was a devout Christian, she felt that her only choice was to have the baby. I didn’t criticize her for that choice, tell her she was a bad person, question her morals, and picket her house. Yet, had the situation been reversed, and had I chosen to get an abortion…she probably would have come down hard on me, because she would have felt that she was in the right.

I guess I’m just not as confident as some people are about what is right and wrong. I can only choose for myself, and let others do the same.

Today, “partial birth” abortion. Tomorrow…who knows?

*This was back in my vegetarian days.

[abortion]
[Supreme Court]

Cantankerous Gooseberry | 22Apr07

Heather Fong will not assist the INS in their persecution of immigrants. Go Heather!

An in depth article about immigration reform, and whether or not it will succeed.

Googling yourself can have surprising results sometimes.

Yosemite is starting to sound like a pretty dangerous place, man.

The University of Maine has declined to provide the RIAA with names of downloading students. I am so very proud.

Barren | 21Apr07

I went by Cody’s yesterday, because I was early to meet Puff in San Francisco, and I thought my friend might be working. I also wanted to pop in and pay my respects, so to speak, because yesterday was the San Francisco store’s last day. Cody’s had three locations not that long ago; now they only have one, on Fourth Street in Berkeley.

While the San Francisco store was relatively new, it was still sad to see it go. Cody’s used to be a bastion of the Bay Area independent bookselling community. I remember going into the one in Berkeley as a wee lass, when my father and I weren’t going to Green Apple on Clement Street. I’m worried about the survival prospects for Cody’s…store closures, one by one, seem like a bad sign.

Independent bookstores in general seem to be suffering, despite efforts within their communities to save them.

Personally, I like going into a physical bookstore and looking at books, talking to knowledgeable staff, and ordering books that I want to read. Heck, if I’m feeling lazy, I can still order books to be delivered through a real bookstore. It’s funny, because I don’t like people, and I don’t like going out, but I really do like going into a physical store. And I don’t like going to chains, because the staff seem like depressed automatons, going through the rote of a series of prescribed motions. I like going to independents because the staff is passionate and into it. I feel more of a connection, and like people are genuinely interested. I also just love wandering the stacks, seeing so much possibility.

I’m also willing to pay more for this, and some people…are not. I can certainly understand that…books are expensive. I choose not to buy organic because I cannot afford it, and people do not shop at independent bookstores because they feel like they cannot afford it. The stores cannot get the big discounts that big chains do when they order, so they cannot pass the savings on to consumers. Which is a pity. Maybe I don’t have my priorities straight…after all, my choice of bookstores probably does not heavily impact the environment. Or does it? It seems like locally owned bookstores might have a more passionate commitment to community and conservation. They also keep money within the community, which may indirectly support the environment through creating a robust local economy. Or maybe I’m full of it.

It certainly does impact wages for booksellers, working conditions, and the level of pleasure that someone takes in their job. It also impacts communities, and the sense of community felt by the people who live within a small town or neighborhood. My favourite job, ever, was working for a bookstore. I loved it. I loved getting the new books, talking about books, getting customers into new authors, being surrounded by literature. I lived for it. The store I worked for was independent, they took decent care of their employees, and it was a pretty great place to be, all round. I cared about our customers, and they cared about me. I don’t think that I would have felt the same way about working in a chain bookstore, though.

I don’t know.

I felt sort of sad, wandering around Cody’s today, looking at the stripped and barren shelves and the sad looking employees. I’m not sure I like this world that I live in, of chains and bitterness. I noted that the Barnes and Noble across the street in the Westfield Centre was doing just fine.

Although it was sort of a futile gesture, I bought a book, Geisha, A Life, by Mineko Iwasaki. I’m liking it a lot, so far.

[independent bookstores]