# 01 Oct 2004, 10:15AM: Zombie Kings:
Watched the presidential debate -- substantial and interesting, if nerve-wracking. I paced the whole time. Certainly a viewer could clearly see the differences between the two candidates. Bush promises to continue doing what he's been doing, and Kerry articulately points out what we could do differently.
Then I saw Shaun of the Dead with Joe. Zombies! Since I've never seen a zombie movie before - in fact, the only other horror movie I've ever seen is The Blair Witch Project - I missed a bunch of the in-jokes, but I enjoyed it and laughed. Best bits: the two or three highly absurd sight/sound gags.
# 04 Oct 2004, 06:20PM: Blah:
While talking with my mother, I asked whether maturity is just another word for giving up. She said no, that it is about self-control, and said other things and somehow I wasn't listening.
"Trying - Not Sure - Please Don't Make It So Hard - You're ripping me off guys!" That's a composite of some subject lines from help requests to Salon Premium.
# 05 Oct 2004, 01:58PM GMT+5:30: Erudition:
Sometimes I wonder what a Camille Paglia presidential run would look like, but Lyndon LaRouche saves me the imaginatory effort.
I highly recommend Mary Roach's funny and enlightening Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Not to be confused with Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man by Susan Faludi. My bookmark for Stiff: a World Vegetarian Day postcard.
# 06 Oct 2004, 08:56AM: Full Faith and Debit:
Last night, I didn't watch the entire Cheney-Edwards debate. However, I did see the bit where Edwards claimed that we don't need the "Defense of Marriage" Amendment, since no state has to recognize a same-sex marriage made in another state. Leonard and I looked at each other and said, "Huh? Full faith and credit!" But we had forgotten about the public policy exception.
# 06 Oct 2004, 09:49AM: Dot-Com Shocker:
Someone spelled "unsubscribe" correctly!
# 07 Oct 2004, 04:34PM: I Can't Explain Why It's Spooky:
Leonard and I saw the hits-too-close-to-home Napoleon Dynamite last night at the spooky UA Stonestown Twin. Maybe now I should call Leonard "Alexander TNT" or "Stalin Nitroglycerin."
# 07 Oct 2004, 06:45PM: This Will Hurt:
If you are healthy, and you aren't the caretaker for a baby or a sickly older person (etc.), then please don't get the flu shot, because there is a shortage this year. Or unless you are selfish! Argh. Is that harsh? The article profiles healthy youngish people who know there's a shortage, who know that healthy people need the vaccine less than children and the elderly (a healthy person who catches the flu might fall ill for a week; kids and old people die). And they take it anyway. How can that not be recklessly selfish?
I am pretty mad at Chiron, and at the market failure in general. There are some commodities that we can leave to the market, which gets supplies to demanders in the aggregate and in the long run. It is all right if there is a short-term shortage of Beanie Babies; I don't care if a five-year-old loses out one Christmas in the name of efficiency or profit. And then there are services that the government distributes to make sure they get distributed systematically and fairly. Some people believe that the only legitimate role of government is to protect its citizens from each other and from invaders. But our government has taken on a larger role. ( "... in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...") The police and military defend us, yes, and public schools teach us, parks provide space for recreation, the FCC licenses the privilege of using public airwaves, and so on.
Should health care in general be one of those services? If not, what about this specific commodity of vaccination against deadly diseases? Several biotech companies used to provide the shot for the US market; this year it was two, now one. Should we diversify our vendor list? Should we keep closer tabs on contamination in vaccine factories through government regulation and inspection? Should we make sure our vaccine providers make the vaccines in the US, where we can watch them better? (The offending Chiron plant is in England.) Should we specifically tailor tort reform to encourage vaccine manufacturers?
Should we be leaving this to private companies at all? Epidemics are national emergencies; if feasible, should the CDC make the vaccine itself instead of depending on businesses? (Analogy: sending the National Guard to fill sandbags, preventing a flood.) "[W]e haven't yet discovered a better form of social organisation than private property for solving several important classes of optimisation problem"; is this one of them?
Last year's shortage and this year's debacle-in-progress have me joining lawmakers in pondering what we need to do for next winter and all the winters thereafter. Epidemics affect everyone; shouldn't we avoid them like the plague?
A healthy 30-year-old refuses to talk to the Chronicle about why she's standing in line for the flu shot at Walgreens. I want to tax more or divert taxes from other projects to make sure Claire, Ada, Joel, Frances, Shweta, Rosalie, and my other friends and relations get a fair shot against the flu. Who's being selfish?
# 08 Oct 2004, 09:20AM: Could Be Yemen:
KSZU has highly entertaining program descriptions. Note the nine hours of Indian music spread among three different shows every week.
I have the live streams of KSZU, KUSF, and KSCU in my mp3 player bookmarks. I have to switch more often than I'd like - I can't stand college DJ patter.
Title comes from a Jon Stewart bit that is still cracking me up hours later.
# 08 Oct 2004, 09:52AM: "First trip to the ER?" asked the paramedic.:
If you do not already read One Good Thing (a.k.a. Buggydoo), allow me to point to this sweet, sad, funny, fantastic story.
# 08 Oct 2004, 01:51PM: "Why would I write my own epitaph?":
In yet more Jon Stewart worship, an Amazon interview about the new Daily Show book.
# 08 Oct 2004, 04:21PM: Escapist or Papist?:
I've been having vivid dreams for the past two weeks. All I remember of last night's: the Pope was in there.
# 14 Oct 2004, 02:59PM GMT+5:30: Worldview Correspondence:
Yesterday I engaged a Christian evangelist (I'm assuming Protestant) on Market Street in conversation. He said that the Bible is literally true, that theories of evolution cannot explain the complexity of the human body, that people who were born and died before Jesus but didn't have a chance to hear about the Gospel went to hell, and that all the good works in the world won't save a nonbeliever. I didn't get a chance to ask for his theodicy. Also recently Susie, Kristen, Joe, Frances, and John have been very helpful in explaining bits of LDS theology and practice to me. Thank you all!
Evidently I am also obsessed with Catholicism. First I read all of James Morrow, now this: The Archbishop of Denver (which to Leonard sounds like the title of a novel) shows us the entire transcript of his interview with a New York Times reporter. Interesting bits:
-
"Abortion is more accepted than ever before. A lot of young Catholics are born into a world where they know nothing but abortion...." Spot the unintentional joke!
- Abortion v. deaths in wartime: not a question of utilitarianism.
And you can never justify it [abortion]. You can sometimes justify going to war. You may think that the Iraq war is horrible, but there may be sometimes when you can justify [going to war]. It doesn't have the same moral weight. And, it's not calculating 40 million abortions against 40,000 deaths in Iraq. That's not how you do the calculus. The calculus is on the intrinsic act itself. You know, and abortion is never, ever, ever right.
I can understand that stance now: if you believe in the possibility of just wars, and you aren't a pacifist like John Dear, then you can consider abortion a more fundamental problem than poverty, pollution, etc. I'm not sure about whether the death penalty is a "fundamental" problem, though. I'd imagine more abortions than executions take place in the US every year [Update: Seth tells me I'm right
], but the Archbishop denied utilitarianism, so that's not the answer.
- Even if you've been a lay Catholic your whole life and have thrown yourself into Church life, your opinions on Church policy mean nothing. I really think the Archbishop here is saying "I don't care what lay Catholics think; the clergy decide Church doctrine and that's that." Given that he believes in Papal infallibility, I suppose I should not be surprised. The most lenience he gives laity: "we haven't done a good job in the Catholic Church of helping people understand the consequences of their moral decisions. You can't take every position in the world and be a Catholic." Obedience, sin followed by confession, excommunication, conversion to some Protestant denomination - take your pick! (Contrast Jimmy Breslin, who wants to be a Protestant but call himself a Catholic.)
- Voting as cooperation in the candidate's policies.
The standing is that if you know someone is going to do evil and you participate in that in some way, you are responsible. So it's not ... "if you vote this way, should you go to confession?" The question is, "if you vote this way, are you cooperating in evil?" Now, if you know you are cooperating in evil, should you go to confession? The answer is yes.
I wonder about the Church's policies on paying taxes to governments that perpetrate evil, or buying products from pro-choice businessowners, and so on all the way to shunning evildoers.
In Dogma, Kevin Smith's mouthpieces say many funny things about religion, specifically Catholicism. If I recall correctly, one says the doctrine of papal infallibility is what got them all into the current mess. Certainly I find it hard to believe that something supernatural happens to a guy once he becomes Pope and everything he says and does from then on is unquestionably right.
[Update: Thank you, Seth and Zed, for pointing out to me that this is an exaggeration. More information on Wikipedia and at a Catholic Encyclopedia - you pick your authority! More accurately,
...the Roman pontiff when he speaks ex cathedra, that is when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the Divine assistance promised to him in Blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility...
As Leonard put it, the Pope can put on an infallibility hat. Still hard to swallow.
]
But then again, I find many bits in Christian theology as a whole hard to believe, which is why that preacher on Market isn't having much luck with me.
Filed under:
Taxes Religion
# 15 Oct 2004, 07:37PM: The Vaccine:
A company in Emeryville has a factory in Liverpool that makes a mistake. So half the US's supply of flu vaccine becomes unusable. The sick and the elderly across the US stand in line for suddenly scarce shots. And then back near San Francisco, a 79-year-old artist stands in that line for hours, then faints from the heat and dies.
# 15 Oct 2004, 07:39PM GMT+5:30: Want More Profane Rants?:
I bought America: The Book by the writers of The Daily Show. It is a jewel. It actually disturbs Leonard to hear my cynical laugh several times per minute while reading that thing. A sample from the audiobook.
Filed under:
Comedy Reading
# 18 Oct 2004, 05:17PM: More Jon Stewart Obsessiveness:
A Jon Stewart quotes page.
The news is the currency of The Daily Show. I can't write a show on Jan. 4 and run it on Jan. 11. You've got to write it on Jan. 11.
Sitting around with funny people, banging out jokes and creating a television show. I have no hobbies, no outside interests. I'm fine with spending 14 hours a day putting a show together with tape and string.
Joe and I wondered how the Daily Show does it - polished AND current political humor. One answer: several writers dedicate several hours per day to writing 7-10 minutes of material four times per week. Another answer: practice, practice, practice. When you have to pump it out anew each day, and you can't fall back on repeating a practiced set of characters and jokes, your craft gets fantastic.
# 19 Oct 2004, 09:32AM: Sarah Said It Was An Adlerian Slip:
I'd had to deal with this customer before. He was having an inexplicable and chronic problem and we talked often. He talked over me, interrupted me, misunderstood me, but always thanked me profusely for my help. Today I accidentally called him "Dad."
# 20 Oct 2004, 07:07PM: Come With?:
I'm going to both Will Franken shows this week.
# 20 Oct 2004, 08:10PM: Lesson For Today!:
Some things you can put off, and that will have some psychological consequences. Example: not writing the great American novel just yet. Some things you can procrastinate only with social, hygenic, and other such risks. Example: washing dishes. Then there are the health procrastinations, such as doctor appointments. And then there are the LIFE-AND-DEATH and LEGAL and BANKING procrastinations. DON'T DO that last set. That's my advice.
# 26 Oct 2004, 10:10AM: Yes, It's In The Tenderloin:
C.W. Nevius's personal essay handwringing in the Chronicle will find its way into the wringing hands of many a high school student. Great dark humor in the ending.
Tonight I watch Will Franken at 50 Mason.
# 26 Oct 2004, 03:30PM: I Will Never Learn This:
"I've spent a lot of my life trying to become better and better at what I DO. Somehow I thought my achievements might attract love. This has always been my fantasy. It's a crazy fantasy because I'm not good enough to do anything worthy of love. I don't think anyone can DO anything that would make him worthy of love.
Love is a gift and cannot be earned. It can only be given."
I gnash my teeth about justice sometimes. I don't get what I deserve, he gets more than he deserves, and so on. Life isn't fair. That's what our parents tell us and they're right both ways. Sometimes I get these wonderful gifts of love that are far more than I deserve and I find that very hard to accept. I keep asking "why." Well, love and deserving don't go together. It's a type mismatch. It's like trying to eat a verb. Life isn't fair.
# 27 Oct 2004, 08:48AM: Yet Another Kinship Between My Heritage And LDS:
BoingBoing points me to directions to merge fashion with modesty. My personal answer is to dress like a man and not care about fashion. Pants, button-down or tee shirt, done. I guess you need a skirt if it's hot and shorts are too immodest for your taste. But I'm glad these tips exist and I do use those layering techniques with white shirts to keep bras from showing.
Is it really that tough to find high-rise jeans? Maybe it's just that I shop for clothes about once a year and always go to thrift/vintage/charity shops. Clothes made for old people suit me fine.
Sari as prom dress! Good thinking with the black tee. All dresses that reveal midriff in public make me uncomfortable. This goes double for saris because I can't help thinking I should be using just a tiny fraction of the yards of fabric (which I'm pleating, folding, wrapping, and pulling, always unsatisfactorily) to cover my midsection. I gotta recommend a salwar kameez, a.k.a. pyjama juba (where English gets the word "pajama"). The big old tunic can be a dress in itself, or you can add the drawstring pants and optional sash. No pockets, but you are used to that, being a woman. Gaudy or simple embroidery and patterns - sure to make a splash at your next for-some-reason-I'm-dressing-up gathering!
# 27 Oct 2004, 09:12AM: No One Cares If You Smoke In A Bar In The Tenderloin:
Last night I tried to watch Will Franken perform at 50 Mason. I did arrive a bit late, after schmoozing with my Salon colleague Jeff, and saw the ever-friendly Mike Spiegelman, as well as a fella named Louie who evidently saw me perform a bunch of times back when I did the Squelch nights. But, since almost no one came, the venue decided to cancel the show. Instead, Will caught the end of the Red Sox victory over the Cardinals, and Will's friends (including Mike Capozzola and Dan Piraro) and I embarked on a short-lived "find someplace to do a set" that could have been a timeless picaresque. But no. I wish I'd gotten to see all these people longer.
I had to Google "Don Quixote is" to remember the word "picaresque."
# 27 Oct 2004, 04:23PM: Customer Service Lessons:
If you are yelling profanity at the email on your screen because the customer has the audacity to suggest a deficiency in your website's help infrastructure, take a break away from the computer.
# 28 Oct 2004, 12:23PM: Even Better Than Usual:
Websnark today discourses on the different purposes of his different journals and the permanent records we create for ourselves.
# 29 Oct 2004, 11:47AM: Votes Count When We Count The Votes:
Last year we lost and this year we didn't even enter; the person who usually does these sorts of things was out. This year I'm betting the folk-guitar "Vote for John Kerry" song will stick in many heads and the Kerry-o'lantern will win the prize.
# 31 Oct 2004, 08:56PM GMT+5:30: An Ad For Canadian Schooling:
If you ever visit my putative homepage, and you're viewing the page with graphics turned on, you'll see a bit of Russian at the bottom. "Ya mogu yest steklo; eto menya ne vredit," it says. This is a rare lie on my part. It means, "I can eat glass; it doesn't hurt me." A stray thought by some bored Internetter led to the I Can Eat Glass Project web fad, an attempt to translate this phrase into as many languages as possible and publish the results.
Another phrase of this sort is "my hovercraft is full of eels", deriving from a Monty Python sketch about a really bad Hungarian-English phrasebook. Today, whilst reading the really fun Gordon Korman book Son of the Mob [2]: Hollywood Hustle, a line jumped out at me:
...isn't the most romantic place in the world. But this is Willow. She could raise your heart rate in a hovercraft full of eels. She almost makes me forget that...
And a few pages later:
Maybe in Dad's mind, he can lie and tell the truth at the same time, just the way light can simultaneously be both a wave and a particle.
Gordon, you keep surprising me.
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