Month: June 2008

I love nasty nasty house music

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In fact, I don’t.

Katy and I went to the gym on sunday to try and get back into the exercise groove. The grunter was there when we arrived. There are several stereotypical gym members: the poser, the socialite, the fitness nut. We had to endure the grunter this weekend. You know the type: every move that is made by the grunter seems to require tremendous force and the only way to get it done is to make an obscene amount of noise, as though extracting strength from the air itself. Decidedly unpleasant. The atmosphere in the gym really wasn’t helped by the grunter’s choice in music. The post title was the only lyric in a song that lasted well over 10 minutes. At least he left shortly after we arrived, so we managed to get a decent workout with decent music.

We had a nice weekend, generally. I mowed the grass (while it was still less than a foot high – unheard of!) and Katy met the midwife assigned to her for the first time on saturday (about 6 weeks later than she should have, but no harm done) and we went into town on sunday to do a bit of shopping (I bought new frying pans, yaaaaaaaaay!) and to catch a movie. We watched Wanted. Some people don’t like it but I found that, even though it’s a no-brainer and that bits of it are far-fetched and/or predictable, I was thoroughly entertained for 2 hours so it’s all good in my books.

I made coq au vin for dinner and prepared some prepared some tandoori chicken, which was left marinading overnight for tonight’s dinner. Besides that, not a whole lot happened. The cats got fuss, the fish still need cleaning out and all is generally well in the world.

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How to give the perfect man-hug

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Maybe you’ve never noticed, given that feminists are always talking about the ladies, that there are lots and lots and lots of things that (real) men are not supposed to do. For instance: drink fruity drinks, wear pink shoes, look at their fingernails the wrong way, enjoy a “chick flick,” like a girl, like cats, prefer not to fight, care about grades, eat salad… should I go on? You get the gist.

Comparably, women have got it good. We’re allowed to knit and play soccer, be a mom and be a lawyer, take dance and karate, wear skirts and pants!

How do we make sense of this? Crash course: Femininity is just for chicks. When men do feminine things, they are debasing themselves. Masculinity is awesome and for everyone. When women do masculine things, they’re awesome. This is sexism: Masculinity rules, femininity drools. Men are encouraged to stay away from femininity, so their individual choices are constrained, but they also are staying away from something debasing. In contrast, women are required to do a least some femininity, so women are required to debase themselves, at least a little bit, even as they are given more options.

I say this all to introduce this hilarious example of men and how they have to worry about doing masculinity

How To Give The Perfect Man Hug

From: http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/06/26/how-to-do-masculinity/

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Yet another reason why I will not travel to the US anymore

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Seizing Laptops and Cameras Without Cause

Returning from a brief vacation to Germany in February, Bill Hogan was selected for additional screening by customs officials at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. Agents searched Hogan’s luggage and then popped an unexpected question: Was he carrying any digital media cards or drives in his pockets? “Then they told me that they were impounding my laptop,” says Hogan, a freelance investigative reporter whose recent stories have ranged from the origins of the Iraq war to the impact of money in presidential politics.

Shaken by the encounter, Hogan says he left the airport and examined his bags, finding that the agents had also removed and inspected the memory card from his digital camera. “It was fortunate that I didn’t use that machine for work or I would have had to call up all my sources and tell them that the government had just seized their information,” he said. When customs offered to return the machine nearly two weeks later, Hogan told them to ship it to his lawyer.

The extent of the program to confiscate electronics at customs points is unclear. A hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution hopes to learn more about the extent of the program and safeguards to traveler’s privacy. Lawsuits have also been filed, challenging how the program selects travelers for inspection. Citing those lawsuits, Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, refuses to say exactly how common the practice is, how many computers, portable storage drives, and BlackBerries have been inspected and confiscated, or what happens to the devices once they are seized. Congressional investigators and plaintiffs involved in lawsuits believe that digital copies – so-called “mirror images” of drives – are sometimes made of materials after they are seized by customs.

A ruling this year by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that DHS does indeed have the authority to search electronic devices without suspicion in the same way that it would inspect a briefcase. The lawsuit that prompted the ruling was the result of more than 20 cases, most of which involved laptops, cellphones, or other electronics seized at airports. In those cases, nearly all of the individuals were of Muslim, Middle Eastern, or South Asian background.

Travelers who have their computers seized face real headaches. “In a February survey of its membership, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives found that 7 percent said they’ve had electronic devices seized at the U.S. border. It immediately deprives an executive or company of the very data – and revenue – a business trip was intended to create,” says Susan Gurley, head of the ACTE, which is asking DHS for greater transparency and oversight to protect copied data. “As a businessperson returning to the U.S., you may find yourself effectively locked out of your electronic office indefinitely.” While Hogan had his computer returned after only a few days, others say they have had theirs held for months at a time. As a result, some companies have instituted policies that require employees to travel with clean machines: free of corporate data.

The security value of the program is unclear, critics say, while the threats to business and privacy are substantial. If drives are being copied, customs officials are potentially duplicating corporate secrets, legal records, financial data, medical files, and personal E-mails and photographs as well as stored passwords for accounts from Netflix to Bank of America. DHS contends that travelers’ computers can also contain child pornography, intellectual property offenses, or terrorist secrets.

It makes practical sense to X-ray the contents of checked and carry-on luggage, which could pose an immediate danger to airplanes and their passengers. “Generally speaking, customs officials do not go through briefcases to review and copy paper business records or personal diaries, which is apparently what they are now doing now in digital form – these PDAs don’t have bombs in them,” says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. More troubling is what could happen if other countries follow the lead of the United States. Imagine, for instance, if China or Russia began a program to seize and duplicate the contents of traveler’s laptops. “We wouldn’t be in a position to strongly object to that type of behavior,” Rotenberg says. Indeed, visitors to the Beijing Olympic Games have been officially advised by U.S. officials that their laptops may be targeted for duplication or bugging by Chinese government spies hoping to steal business and trade secrets.

Senator Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, agreed that CBP needs more authority to conduct searches at the border than other law enforcement officials have inside the U.S. Only in a few cases, such as strip searches, are CBP officials required to have suspicions of illegal activity, he noted. “I hope we can go through this on the basis of protecting an individual’s rights, but also looking at trying to protect the country,” Brownback said. However, Brownback said he would not want his BlackBerry searched by border agents.

Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), acknowledged that border agents have more power to conduct searches than internal U.S. police. But searching and seizing laptops, which often contain an “autobiography” of their owners, should be considered unreasonable and invasive under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment banning such searches, he said.

“EFF does not dispute that the Fourth Amendment works differently at the border,” Tien said. “But ‘differently’ does not mean ‘not at all.'”

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The world is going to hell, and the US is leading the charge…

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Senate seen approving housing rescue bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate was expected to approve as soon as Wednesday the biggest government program yet to tackle a deep housing market slump feared to be dragging the economy into recession.

The legislation would create a $300 billion fund to help up to 400,000 troubled homeowners refinance costly, exotic mortgages into more affordable, government-backed loans. It easily cleared a Senate test vote by an 83-9 vote on Tuesday.

Israel Prodding U.S. To Attack Iran
Bush Administration Weighs Striking Iran’s Nuclear Complex, Which Could Trigger 3rd War In Region

Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen leaves Tuesday night on an overseas trip that will take him to Israel. The trip has been scheduled for some time but U.S. officials say it comes just as the Israelis are mounting a full court press to get the Bush administration to strike Iran’s nuclear complex.

CBS consultant Michael Oren says Israel doesn’t want to wait for a new administration. “The Israelis have been assured by the Bush administration that the Bush administration will not allow Iran to nuclearize,” Oren said. “Israelis are uncertain about what would be the policies of the next administration vis-à-vis Iran.”

Israel’s message is simple: If you don’t, we will. Israel held a dress rehearsal for a strike earlier this month, but military analysts say Israel can not do it alone. “Keep in mind that Israel does not have strategic bombers,” Oren said. “The Israeli Air Force is not the American Air Force. Israel can not eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.”

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Silver Cross and Bad Wolf

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We’re in Leicester this weekend to celebrate Katy’s un-birthday. We went ’round to meet up with Pam and Justin, two of Katy’s friends from way back who have recently had a little boy (he made page 3 of the Leics Mercury for being the 1st baby born in the hospital at the beginning of this year). We had a nice 5-hour chat about baby stuff, religion, politics and why shopping has replaced organized religion in Britain. It was a really relaxed afternoon and I really enjoyed myself. Ethan is a cutie. As it turns out, I’d correctly remembered that Pam had the same sort of pram/pushchair that we’re considering getting and we got some really good first-hand feedback. We had a test drive of the pram and found out that it will fit nicely in our car boot. That’s made up our mind and we’re going to be ordering it off tinternet soon.

It was really weird, and I can’t explain it very well, but I had the strongest case of deja-vu that I’ve had in a very long time while we were chatting in their sitting room; as well as the weirdest feeling that everything would be all right. Completely mental, I know, but there you go.

We stopped at Kubek on the way back to Katy’s parents’ house. They had a sale going on, though sadly the 4-poster bed we’ve been lusting after for the past 2 years wasn’t reduced and is still £1000 and therefore completely out of budget. One day… one day… it will be ours.

In completely unrelated news, tonight’s episode of Dr. Who has me positively giddy with anticipation for next week’s season finale. It promises to be most impressive, nail-biting, awe-inspiring grandiose explosion of goodness. I can’t wait.

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Political correctness gone way the hell too far.

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A borough council has banned the term “brainstorming” – and replaced it with “THOUGHT SHOWERS”.

Bosses fear the phrase to describe idea sessions may offend epileptics or the mentally ill. Staff have been sent memos about the change – and even sent on training courses. But charities representing epileptics have branded the move political correctness gone mad.

Margaret Thomas, of the National Society for Epilepsy, said: “Brainstorming is a clear and descriptive phrase. “Alternatives such as ‘thought shower’ or ‘blue-sky thinking’ are ambiguous to say the least.

“Any implication that the word ‘brainstorming’ is offensive to epileptics takes political correctness too far.”

Epilepsy causes seizures, like a “storm” of activity in the brain.

Richard Colwill, of mental health charity SANE, said: “This ban goes too far. Few would be genuinely offended by the word ‘brainstorming’ in the context of council meetings.”

An insider at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent said: “No one took it seriously at first, but they’re certainly keen to wipe out the word once and for all.” A spokesman said: “We take diversity awareness very seriously. The majority of staff have taken part in training and been asked to use the term ‘thought showers’.”

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I can stop any time I want, I just don’t want to.

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Internet addiction is a ‘clinical disorder’

Obsessive internet use is a public health problem which is so serious it should be officially recognised as a clinical disorder, according to a leading psychiatrist. Sufferers spend unhealthy amounts of time playing online games, viewing pornography or emailing.

They suffer four symptoms: They forget to eat and sleep; they need more advanced technology or more hours online as they develop ‘resistance’ to the pleasure given by their current system; if they are deprived of their computer, they experience genuine withdrawal symptoms; And in common with other addictions, the victims also begin to have more arguments, to suffer fatigue, to get lower marks in tests and to feel isolated from society.

Early research into the subject found highly educated, socially awkward men were the most likely sufferers but more recent work suggests it is now more of a problem for middle-aged women who are spending hours at home on their computers. Psychiatrist Dr Jerald Block said some sufferers were so addicted to the internet that they required medication or even hospital treatment to curb the time they spent on the web.

He said: “The relationship is with the computer. It becomes a significant other to them. They exhaust emotions that they could experience in the real world on the computer through any number of mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn.”

He added: “It’s much more acceptable for kids to talk about game use, whereas adults keep it a secret. Rather than having sex, or arguing with their wife or husband, or feeding their children, these adults are playing games.”

Dr Block, of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, in the USA, first made the claims in an editorial for the American Journal of Psychiatry. British psychiatrists have previously reported that between five and 10 per cent of online users are internet addicts.

Source: The Telegraph

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She did what? And they did what??

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Court overturns father’s grounding of 12-year-old

A Canadian court has lifted a 12-year-old girl’s grounding, overturning her father’s punishment for disobeying his orders to stay off the internet, his lawyer said. The girl had taken her father to Quebec Superior Court after he refused to allow her to go on a school trip for chatting on websites he tried to block, and then posting “inappropriate” pictures of herself online using a friend’s computer.

The father’s lawyer Kim Beaudoin said the disciplinary measures were for the girl’s “own protection” and is appealing the ruling.

“She’s a child,” Beaudoin said. “At her age, children test their limits and it’s up to their parents to set boundaries. I started an appeal of the decision today to reestablish parental authority, and to ensure that this case doesn’t set a precedent,” she said. Otherwise, said Beaudoin, “parents are going to be walking on egg shells from now on”.

“I think most children respect their parents and would never go so far as to take them to court, but it’s clear that some would and we have to ask ourselves how far this will go.”

According to court documents, the girl’s internet transgression was just the latest in a string of broken house rules. Even so, Justice Suzanne Tessier found her punishment too severe.

Beaudoin noted the girl used a court-appointed lawyer in her parents’ 10-year custody dispute to launch her landmark case against her dad.

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No churches for you!

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Vatican bans Dan Brown film Angels & Demons from Rome churches

The Vatican has banned the makers of Angels & Demons, the latest Dan Brown thriller to be filmed, from shooting scenes not only in the Vatican but in any church in Rome on the ground that it is “an offence against God” and “wounds common religious feelings”.

Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, head of the Vatican’s Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that the author had “turned the Gospels upside down to poison the faith. It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into mendacious films in the name of business.”

Father Marco Fibbi, spokesman for the diocese of Rome, said: “Normally we read the script, but this time it was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough.” The Vatican fiercely condemned both the novel The Da Vinci Code and its film version, which starred Tom Hanks as the Harvard professor Robert Langdon.

Key scenes are set in the Vatican and two Rome churches, Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria. In both churches cardinals are murdered and mutilated with mysterious marks and symbols. Father Antonio Truda, parish priest at Santa Maria del Popolo, said that there was “no question” of allowing scenes to be shot there. “It’s bad enough having to put up with tour guides explaining the scene to tourists,” he said.

The Vatican asked the faithful to boycott the film of The Da Vinci Code, which Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, then Archbishop of Genoa and now, as Secretary of State, the right-hand man of Pope Benedict XVI, described as a “phantasmagorical cocktail of inventions” and “a pot-pourri of lies”. The film was also contested bitterly by the arch-conservative Roman Catholic organisation Opus Dei, represented in the film by a ruthless killer monk, although it has no monks.

“phantasmagorical cocktail of inventions” and “a pot-pourri of lies”? Sounds like a good description for organized religion. Colour me cynical :)

Source: The Times

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