tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68467601171590108362024-02-02T02:17:48.664-08:00ALEXplores LAThe adventures of one accident, oddity-prone Southerner trying to navigate Los Angeles.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-12388773184638487432011-06-23T15:03:00.000-07:002011-06-23T15:06:32.274-07:00Analyzing 'Game of Thrones'I recently got into a long discussion with some former classmates over <i>Game of Thrones.</i> I like the books and I like the series. Both mediums provide a lot of space for analysis. (The books more so as they're all +1,000 pages.) And I'm cool with things changing from book to film. That's the nature of adaptation, and I love looking at the changes because they're very telling. I like the books, I have some critiques/issues. I like the show, I have some critiques/issues. I like them independent of one another and in comparison.<br />
<br />
But the one change I detest that the TV series made from the book is how Drogo and Dany's wedding night was portrayed. It skeeves me out to discuss which is better: the forced arranged marriage of a 13 year old with dubious consent or the forced marriage of an 18 year old with rape. (The moral ambiguity that Martin deals with is one of the things I like most about the novels.) So I'll just post some links to my favorite analysis/critiques of the series as a whole, but which concentrate most specifically on the Drogo/Dany change and how it does and incredible disservice to Dany, Drogo and the Dothraki as a whole.<br />
<br />
(These won't spoil you for things past Book 1, which you pretty much know if you've seen through the season finale.)<br />
<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2011/04/game-of-thrones-adaptation-women.html">Game of Thrones, Adaptation, Women</a> by Isaac Butler<br />
<li> <a href="http://www.overthinkingit.com/2011/05/10/game-of-thrones-feminism/">The Flattening of Westeros</a> by Stokes<br />
<li> <a href="http://www.racialicious.com/2011/04/19/can-i-just-watch-a-game-of-thrones-in-peace-brown-feminist-fan-rant/">Can I Just Watch A Game of Thrones in Peace?</a> by Latoya Peterson<br />
<li> <a href="http://hth.dreamwidth.org/72176.html">GoT; first pass: yes, but... wait, what?</a> by hth<br />
<li> <a href="http://mkpheartsnyc.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/my-feminist-response-to-game-of-thrones/">My feminist response to Game of Thrones</a> by mkpheartsnyc<br />
<li> <a href="http://www.overthinkingit.com/2011/04/27/game-of-thrones-narration-adaptation/">Don’t Believe Your Eyes: Game of Thrones, Narration, and Adaptation</a> by Matthew Wrather</ul><br />
<br />
ETA: I also can't tell you how many people have tried to convince me the TV show's version is 'better' and the rape 'makes more sense.' For the record, all of these people have been male.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-45939829339356902092011-06-06T15:36:00.000-07:002011-06-06T15:42:37.093-07:00Conversations At WorkSo sometimes I have to field the most ridiculous calls. People who think they can sneak past me, the Gatekeeper, and get to the Big Bosses. Rarely, they succeed (like the woman who told me she was calling from the National Library, for example; and she was, quite litterally, calling <i>from</i> the National Library). Most of the time, the conversations fail for obvious reasons:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><b>Caller</b>: Hi, Phil please.<br />
<i>A guy names Phillip has not worked here for over 2 years. No one who has ever called up for him has ever called him 'Phil.'</i><br />
<b>Me</b>: I think you have the wrong number.<br />
<b>Caller</b>: No I don't. This is [Company] International Film Distribution, isn't it?<br />
<i>There are 4 different companies with the same [Company] name, but different tail ends; they all do different things.</i><br />
<b>Me</b>: No, this is [Company] Film.<br />
<b>Caller</b>: Oh. Is there a Polish guy that works there?<br />
<i>No, no there is not.</i><br />
<b>Me</b>: No, there isn't.<br />
<b>Caller</b>: Yeah there is. John. John [Boss's last name, which is an Anglicized Polish last name from when his GREAT GRANDPARENTS immigrated.]<br />
<b>Me</b>: Well, yes, he does work here, but he isn't Polish...<br />
<b>Caller</b>: Great.<br />
<i>Silence</i>.<br />
<b>Me</b>: Can I help you?<br />
<b>Caller</b>: Can you put me through to him?<br />
<b>Me</b>: No. He's not here. May I take a message?<br />
<b>Caller</b>: No.<br />
<i>hangs up.</i></blockquote><br />
O.o Really? No, he never gave his name. Yes, he tried to act like he was buddy-buddy with both execs. Yes, he failed spectacularly at convincing me he actually knew either of them.<br />
<br />
I love my job, especially the moments that make me laugh.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-21314663495790332732011-01-06T10:11:00.000-08:002011-01-06T10:11:15.884-08:00This is Amazing.<object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/TonyPorter_2010W-medium.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/TonyPorter_2010W-embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=1031&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=tony_porter_a_call_to_men;year=2010;theme=master_storytellers;theme=celebrating_tedwomen;theme=new_on_ted_com;event=TEDWomen;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/TonyPorter_2010W-medium.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/TonyPorter_2010W-embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=1031&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=tony_porter_a_call_to_men;year=2010;theme=master_storytellers;theme=celebrating_tedwomen;theme=new_on_ted_com;event=TEDWomen;"></embed></object><br />
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Transcript below. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6846760117159010836#" name="ToggleMore">Read More...</a><span class="collapse"> <br />
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<blockquote>I grew up in New York City, between Harlem and the Bronx. Growing up as a boy, we was taught that men had to be tough, had to be strong, had to be courageous, dominating, no pain, no emotions, with the exception of anger, and definitely no fear. That men are in charge, which means women are not. That men lead, and you should just follow and just do what we say. That men are superior; women are inferior. That men are strong; women are weak. That women are of less value. Property of men. And objects, particularly sexual objects.<br />
<br />
I've later come to know that to be the collective socialization of men, better known as The Man Box. [shows graphic of box containing classic masculinity tropes] See, this Man Box has in it all the ingredients of how we define what it means to be a man. Now, I also want to say, without a doubt, there are some wonderful, wonderful, absolutely wonderful things about being a man—while at the same time there's some stuff that's just straight-up twisted. [laughter] And we really need to begin to challenge, look at, and really get in the process of deconstructing, redefining, what we come to know as manhood.<br />
<br />
This is my two at home—Kendall and Jade. [shows picture of two children, a girl and a boy] They're 11 and 12; Kendall's 15 months older than Jade, and there was a period of time, you know, when my wife, her name is Tammy, and I, we just got real busy, and whip bim bam boom, Kendall and Jade. [laughter] And when they were about 5 and 6, 4 and 5, you know, Jade could come to me, it didn't matter, come to me crying, you know, it didn't matter what she was crying about, she can get on my knee, she could snot my sleeve up, just cry, cry it out, Daddy got you, that's all that's important.<br />
<br />
Now, Kendall, on the other hand, and, like I said, he's only 15 months older than her, he come to me crying, it's like, soon as I would hear him cry, a clock would go off, you know; I would give the boy probably about 30 seconds. Which means by the time he got to me, I was already saying things like, "Why you crying? Hold your head up. Look at me. Explain to me what's wrong. Tell me what's wrong! I can't understand you while you crying!" And out of my own frustration, of my role and responsibility of building him up as a man, to fit into these guidelines and these structures that are defined in this Man Box, I would find myself saying things like, "Just go in your room! Just go on—go on in your room! Sit down, get yourself together, and come back and talk to me when you can talk to me like a"…what? [audience: "Like a man."] Like a man. And he's five. years. old.<br />
<br />
And, you know, as I grow in life, I would say to myself, "My god. What's wrong with me? What am I doing? Why would I do this?" And I think back, I think back to my father. [shows picture of his family] There was a time in my life when we had a very troubled experience in our family. My brother Henry, he died tragically when we was teenagers.<br />
<br />
We lived in New York City, as I said—we lived in the Bronx, at the time—and the burial was a place called Long Island—it was about two hours outside of the city—and as we were preparing to come back from the burial, you know, the cars stopped at the bathroom, you know, let folks take care of themselves, for the long ride back to the city, and the limousine empties out—my mother, my sisters, my aunties, they all get out, but my father and I stayed in the limousine. And no sooner than the women got out, he burst out crying. He didn't want to cry in front of me, but he knew he wasn't going to make it back to the city, and it was better me than allow himself to express these feelings and emotions in front of the women. And this is a man who, 10 minutes ago, had just put his teenage son in the ground—something I just can't even, I just can't even imagine.<br />
<br />
The thing that sticks with me the most is that he was apologizing to me for crying in front of me. And at the same time, he was also giving me props, lifting me up, for not crying.<br />
<br />
You know, I come to also look at this as this, this fear that we have as men, this fear that just have us paralyzed, holding us hostage to this Man Box.<br />
<br />
I can remember speaking to a 12-year-old boy, a football player, and I asked him, I said, "How would you feel if, in front of all the players, your coach told you, you were playing like a girl?" Now, I expected him to say something like, "I'd be sad; I'd be mad; I'd be angry," something like that. No, the boy said to me, the boy said to me, "It would destroy me."<br />
<br />
And I said to myself, "God, if it would destroy him to be called a girl, what are we then teaching him about girls?" [applause] <br />
<br />
It took me back to a time when I was about 12 years old—I grew up in tenement buildings, you know, in the inner city, and at this time, we're living in the Bronx—and in the building next to where I lived, there was a guy named Johnny. He was about 16 years old, and we were all about 12 years old, younger guys, and he was hanging out with all us younger guys, and this guy, he was up to a lot of no good; he was the kind of kid parents have to wonder, "What is this 16 year old boy doing with these 12 year old boys?" And he did spend a lot of time up to no good; he was a troubled kid, you know, his mother had died from a heroin overdose, he was being raised by his grandmother, his father wasn't on the set, his grandmother had two jobs, he was home alone a lot.<br />
<br />
Well, I gotta tell you, we young guys, we looked up to this dude, man. He was cool. He was fine—that's what the sisters said; he was fine, right? He was having sex. You know, we all looked up to him.<br />
<br />
So one day, I'm out in front of the house doing something, just playing around, doing something, I don't know what. He looks out his window, and he calls me upstairs. He said, "Hey Ant—" (they called me Anthony growing up as a kid) "—hey Anthony, come on upstairs." Johnny call; you go. So I run right upstairs. As he opens the door, he says to me, "Do you want some?" Now I immediately knew what he meant, because for me, growing up at that time, and our relationship with this Man Box, "Do you want some?" meant one of two things: Sex or drugs. And we weren't doing drugs.<br />
<br />
Now my box, my card, my Man Box Card was immediately in jeopardy. Two things: One, I never had sex. We don't talk about that, as men; you only tell your dearest, closest friends, sworn to secrecy for life the first time you had sex. For everybody else, we go around like we been having sex since we was two. There ain't no first time. [laughter] The other thing I couldn't tell him is that I didn't want any. You know, that's even worse. We supposed to be always on the prowl; women are objects, especially sexual objects. <br />
<br />
So anyway, I couldn't tell him any of that, so, like my mother would say, to make a long story short, I just simply said to Johnny, "Yes." He told me to go in his room. I go in his room; on his bed is a girl from the neighborhood named Sheila. She's 16 years old. She's nude. She is what I know today to be mentally ill, higher functioning at times; at others, we had a whole choice—words, you know, inappropriate names for her… [he drifts off; he looks pained]<br />
<br />
Anyway, Johnny had just gotten through having sex with her—well, he actually raped her, but he said he had sex with her, because while Sheila never said "no," she also never said "yes."<br />
<br />
So he was offering me the opportunity to do the same, so when I go in the room, I close the door—folks, I'm petrified. I stand with the back to the door, so Johnny can't bust in the room and see that I'm not doing anything, and I stand there long enough that I could have actually done something. So now I'm no longer trying to figure out what I'm gonna do; I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna get out of this room.<br />
<br />
So in my 12 years of wisdom, I zip my pants down, I walk out into the living room, and, lo and behold, while I was in the room with Sheila, Johnny was back at the window calling guys up. So now there's a living room full of guys, like, you know, like the waiting room at the doctor's office. And they ask me, "How was it?" And I said to them it was good. And I zip my pants up in front of them, and I head for the door.<br />
<br />
Now, I say this all with remorse, and I was feeling a tremendous amount of remorse at that time, but I was conflicted, because, while I was feeling remorse, I was excited, because I didn't get caught, but I knew I felt bad about what was happening. This fear of getting outside the Man Box totally enveloped me. It was way more important to me, about me and my Man Box Card, than about Sheila, and what was happening to her.<br />
<br />
See, collectively, we as men are taught to have less value in women, to view them as property and the objects of men. We see that as an equation that equals violence against women.<br />
<br />
[shows a graphic reading: "The Collective Socialization of Men: Less Value + Property + Objectification = Violence Against Women."]<br />
<br />
We as men, good men, the large majority of men, we operate on the foundation of this, this whole collective socialization. We kind of see ourselves as separate, but we're very much a part of it. You see, we have to come to understand that less value, property, and objectification is the foundation, and the violence can't happen without it. So we're very much a part of the solution, as well as the problem. The Centers for Disease Control says that men's violence against women is at epidemic proportions—it is the number one health concern for women in this country and abroad.<br />
<br />
So quickly, I'd just like to say, you know, this is the love of my life [shows picture of daughter]—my daughter, Jade. The world I envision for her, how do I want men to be acting and behaving—I need you on board. I need you with me. I need you working with me and me working with you on how we raise our sons and teach them to be men. That it's okay to not be dominating. That it's okay to have feelings and emotions. That it's okay to promote equality. That it's okay to have women that are just friends and that's it. That it's okay to be whole. <br />
<br />
That my liberation as a man is tied to your liberation as a woman. [applause]<br />
<br />
I remember asking a 9-year-old boy—I asked a 9-year-old boy, "What would life be like for you if you didn't have to adhere to this Man Box?" He said to me, "I would be free."<br />
<br />
Thank you, folks. [cheers and applause]</blockquote></span>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-73186898691607620302010-12-30T21:39:00.001-08:002010-12-30T21:39:46.028-08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“Today millions of young women who benefit from the struggles of their mothers and grandmothers and would not give up any of their rights don’t call themselves feminists because it’s not sexy. They believe feminism is dated. They have not looked around, they are not aware that today, in the 21st century, women still do two-thirds of the world labor and own less than one percent of the assets; girls are still sold into prostitution, premature marriage, and forced labor. In times of conflict, war, poverty, or religious fundamentalism, women and children are the first and most numerous victims. Women need all their courage today, as they needed it before.”<br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">- <em>Isabel Allende </em></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-31106877105099120972010-10-13T21:33:00.000-07:002010-10-13T21:35:35.978-07:00Browser Tips & TricksBrowsers are awesome. If you're still using Internet Explorer, stop. Get something better. Like Firefox, Opera, Safari, or Chrome. A rundown:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li><i>FireFox</i> has the most flexible and extensive add-ons of any of the browsers, including an add on that lets you download YouTube and other embedded videos. Anything you might want your browser to do? Most likely there is a FireFox add-on for you.<br />
</li>
<li><i>Chrome</i> is pretty sleek. I use it because it crashes less on my work PC and I just like the interface.<br />
</li>
<li><i>Safari</i> is nice, though I find it fairly limited in some respects. But this is mostly a personal preference thing.<br />
</li>
<li><i>Opera</i> is a fairly young browser that not too many people use, but it's also fun. Has all the major points (tabs, opening a brand new window) and is kind of like the cool thing to do. It would be the hipster browser.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Here are a few things you might not know your browser can do:<br />
<br />
<b>1/ Browser history</b> has gotten a lot of people in trouble, for various reasons. And sometimes, we just don't want people to know where we've been--like when I bought my imaginary significant other's birthday present and didn't want to leave tracks. But it looks a little suspicious if you always have a clean browser history, which is why most new browsers come with the option to temporarily turn off the history.<br />
<blockquote>Chrome has an "Incognito WIndow" (open under File --> New Incognito Window). </blockquote><blockquote>Safari turn on "Private Browsing" (Safari --> Private Browsing).</blockquote><blockquote>Firefox has "Private Browsing" (Tools --> Start Private Browsing). </blockquote>These functions are magnificent. USE THEM. And at the very least set your browser history to delete itself ever 2-3 days. At the very least.<br />
<br />
<br />
2/ For those that read a lot of websites with long articles or text, Safari has a great option called "<b>Reader</b>." It's under "View" and it gets rid of distracting font color, images, colors, etc and basically turns the website into an E-Book. IT. IS. WONDERFUL. (As far as I know, Safari is the only browser that does this.)<br />
<br />
<br />
3/ Opera, Safari, and Chrome all have <b>"most visited" start/new tab pages </b>that will list your top 6-12 visited sites for easy access. You can "pin" any site you want (i.e. even if you only visit it a couple of times, you can still get it to stay there), which is convenient.<br />
<br />
<br />
4/ For those heavily into on-line life (like me), keeping track of things can get difficult. Which is why I actually <b>have three different browsers on my computer</b>. One is basically for social media--twitter, facebook, linked in, etc, one is for the various blogs/new sites/media outlets I follow (Safari because of that 'reader function'), and one is for random other stuff. Or for if I get really, really angry at Chrome or Safari because they're both crashing for no reason what-so-ever.<br />
<br />
So there's your mini tutorial/crash course in online browsing. Questions?Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-3147791204838904052010-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:002010-09-30T13:46:32.776-07:002010 TV Round Up - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBk_XfHWbrZOEMIc_6zQYasMU77AldiJW5VDAlg2Y2ZhdB0uq-EZC1qhfKy-OfT6DIw-XHvsZKh2fbM9ABgQ2mc3UQ9EAw2Vq7_IyjN1mVWOr1aG6GX8JVdOJ1-lqsFEWYYbsw2wseGlO/s1600/indianhead640x480.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBk_XfHWbrZOEMIc_6zQYasMU77AldiJW5VDAlg2Y2ZhdB0uq-EZC1qhfKy-OfT6DIw-XHvsZKh2fbM9ABgQ2mc3UQ9EAw2Vq7_IyjN1mVWOr1aG6GX8JVdOJ1-lqsFEWYYbsw2wseGlO/s320/indianhead640x480.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Blue Bloods</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(CBS) - It's a decent cop show, but nothing we haven't seen before. Pretty good cast, I'll see where they take it for a few episodes.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Detroit 1-8-7</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> (ABC) - I like the main guy, but again, this is a decent cop show where we already have too many cop shows.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>The Event</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(NBC) - This is still boring and the writing is so lame.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>My Generation</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(ABC) - Ugh. I feel so pandered to. This is insultingly boring and filled with every single stock character you can think of.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em><br />
</em></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Nikita</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(CW) - This is actually okay. I'm surprised.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>No Ordinary Family</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(ABC) - I'll give it a few episodes to find its feet. I like both Julie Benz and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Michael Chiklis</span>.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Outlaw</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(NBC) - Ugh.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Outsourced</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(NBC) - Are you fucking kidding me? THIS should have been the first axe of the 2010 season.<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"></span></i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Terriers </i>(F/X) - This show is great. If you aren't watching it, you should be.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Undercovers</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(NBC) - I really want this to be great and do well, but it's been polished so much it's bland. Would have done better on USA and with two leads who have better chemistry together. (Separate, they're great actors. Together...they fall flat.)</span></li>
</ul><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Shows I haven't yet seen, predict I will dislike, but will eventually watch at least one episode of: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>S#*! My Dad Says</em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(CBS), </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>The Whole Truth</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(ABC), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>The Defenders</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(CBS), </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Hellcats</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">(CW).</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Very sad <i>Lone Star</i> got cancelled, it was one of the best of this year's batch.</span></span>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-76062002068187862902010-09-22T14:16:00.000-07:002010-09-22T14:16:32.537-07:002010 TV Round Up - Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmUMhQxSt8HxDTe_Ndb2G8oKdz9hEDbhuopuW03PlCcpCq0kteNByNz4SBzYrD4rfUcVeG0HJX8uVs3LhWSQmCZf3mfgDblv_kfeNOlkUZ8NTyMP0NrhcC32P9io9IUcn-v6Gl4KLOIf6/s1600/child-watching-television-silhouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmUMhQxSt8HxDTe_Ndb2G8oKdz9hEDbhuopuW03PlCcpCq0kteNByNz4SBzYrD4rfUcVeG0HJX8uVs3LhWSQmCZf3mfgDblv_kfeNOlkUZ8NTyMP0NrhcC32P9io9IUcn-v6Gl4KLOIf6/s320/child-watching-television-silhouette.jpg" /></a><br />
TV IS BACK!<br />
<br />
That means in addition to my old favorites returning (like <i>Chuck</i>!), it's time for the new shows to premiere! This makes my week incredibly hectic to get all my viewing in, but I've managed pretty well. Thank you DVR and internet.<br />
<br />
Here's the quick rundown of what I think of this season's new shows...or at least the ones that have air Sunday - Tuesday.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b>Boardwalk Empire</b> (HBO) - Awesome. Steve Buscemi is <i>so good</i>. They've done a marvelous job on the sets and the story. I'm looking forward to the rest of this season.<br />
<br />
<b>Chase </b>(NBC) - It's a cop show set in Texas. Nothing you haven't already seen before. (What's up with everyone being enamored of Texas? Is it the boots or the hats?)<br />
<br />
<b>The Event</b> (NBC) - Boring.<br />
<br />
<b>Mike & Molly</b> (CBS) - I could watch the 50% of the show that doesn't ask me to laugh <i>at</i> the characters for being fat. But I'm going to skip this after the requisite 3 episodes. Also, the laugh track drives me up the wall.<br />
<br />
<b>Hawaii Five-0</b> (CBS) - Surprisingly alright. I'll give it a few episodes to see if it makes the final rotation, but Grace Park is AWESOME. Alex O'Laughlin (the lead) is the least charismatic of the actors on that show, but his co-stars more than make up for that.<br />
<br />
<b>Raising Hope</b> (Fox) - Eh. It's a serialized version of <i>Raising Arizona</i> but sans Holly Hunter and Nick Cage. A few laughs, but doesn't come close to <i>Modern Family</i>, <i>Community</i>, <i>Parks & Rec</i>, or any other established comedy.<br />
<br />
<b>Running Wilde</b> (Fox) - Ouch. I think I laughed twice. Ouch. Bring back <i>Arrested Development</i>.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-44120634794924645912010-08-29T16:04:00.001-07:002010-08-29T19:59:59.111-07:00Live Blogging the Emmys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYKCkqdWx7mLRK11gZeAo4VXljvzDivw9OCszinonQMAaAdrWZKvxw90riLXH59Q1XIdWFTnEbR1l4FJQCM9Vx36I96uGLF7CT997J6K76frCJ97KhoeW-eqqww2bUq3us_HtVcgzjTZ/s1600/emmy_statue-797829.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYKCkqdWx7mLRK11gZeAo4VXljvzDivw9OCszinonQMAaAdrWZKvxw90riLXH59Q1XIdWFTnEbR1l4FJQCM9Vx36I96uGLF7CT997J6K76frCJ97KhoeW-eqqww2bUq3us_HtVcgzjTZ/s200/emmy_statue-797829.jpeg" width="161" /></a></div>This should be FUN. <br />
<br />
I'm primarily watching KTLA's preshow, though I occasionally jump to NBC's.<br />
<hr /><br />
3:50 - Aaron Paul (BREAKING BAD) deserves an Emmy. Actually, all of BREAKING BAD should get its own Emmy called the UNTOUCHABLE BAD ASS OF TELEVISION Emmy.<br />
<br />
3:54 - Terry O'Quinn & Michael Emmerson (LOST). That is all, bask in the awesome.<br />
<br />
3:58 - Sharon Gless (BURN NOTICE) is AWESOME. I can be her when I grow up?<br />
<br />
4:03 - Ew. Do not like Robin Antin of the Pussycat Dolls. Get off my screen. (Also, I do not care about AMERICAN IDOL. Bleh.)<br />
<br />
4:05 - "Snob appeal?" What about the fact that MAD MEN is utterly fantastic (though not as good as BREAKING BAD).<br />
<br />
4:05 - LOVE Judah Friedlander's (30 ROCK) hat: "Best Undressed."<br />
<br />
4:10 - "A pair and a spare" Sophia Varga, Steven Levitan (MODERN FAMILY) and his wife. Michael Emmerson, Terry O'Quinn and Carrie Preston (TRUE BLOOD and ME's wife) made a better 'pair and a spare.' Also, MODERN FAMILY should win over GLEE.<br />
<br />
4:15 - Ugh. To LL Cool J *and* NCIS: LA.<br />
<br />
4:17 - Connie Britton! (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) Great show, great actress.<br />
<br />
4:18 - John Goodman was <b><i>fantastic</i></b> on TREME. Great show.<br />
<br />
4:24 - FYI, I'm reading <i>Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</i> whilst ignoring my TV.<br />
<br />
4:30 - Patrick Stewart is a glorious man. (He's nominated for HAMLET.)<br />
<br />
4:46 - I really like Scott Bakula (MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE).<br />
<br />
4:59 - Jane Lynch (PARTY DOWN/GLEE) deserves an Emmy simply for being awesomecakes.<br />
<br />
4:59 - January Jones (MAD MEN), <i>WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!</i> D: D: D:<br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
5:02 - OMG SO JEALOUS THE GLEE KIDS GOT TO DO A SPOT WITH TINA FEY. But Jon Hamm + Betty White? GENIUS.<br />
<br />
5:06 - Kate Gosselin is harshing my Emmy vibe.<br />
<br />
5:06 - Guest comment: "all we need now is Colbert, and this would be perfection." True Story. Great opening number.<br />
<br />
5:08 - The obligatory CoCo reference. Took you long enough.<br />
<br />
5:09 - Are we going with a video game theme? Neat.<br />
<br />
5:11 - Again, Jon Hamm + Betty White = Genius.<br />
<br />
5:13 - YAY MODERN FAMILY! Stonestreet totes deserves it! Haha, I like the commentary. "...and a clown. Apparently these are the same job in Kansas."<br />
<br />
5:19 - Jim Parsons (BIG BANG THEORY) and Sophia Vergara (MODERN FAMILY) - wonderful!<br />
<br />
5:21 - YES MODERN FAMILY. YES. Looks like Julie Bowen may end up streaking Sunset after all...<br />
<br />
5:24 - Sir Dr. Stephen Colbert IS a National Treasure.<br />
<br />
5:25 - JANE LYNCH IS LOVE. One of the few GLEE Emmys I'm happy to see.<br />
<br />
5:32 - Sad they pushed the Guest emmys to the afternoon, but yay Betty White!<br />
<br />
5:35 - Meh GLEE (best directing for a comedy). Whatevs.<br />
<br />
5:36 - HA! Modern Family/Family Guy crossover FTW! Love Modern Family SO MUCH. It's actually increasing with these spots.<br />
<br />
5:38 - I want Jim Parsons (BIG BANG THEORY) to win Best Male Lead in a Comedy....<br />
<br />
5:39 - YES!<br />
<br />
5:44 - Edie Falco (NURSE JACKIE) for best Lead Actress in a Comedy. That was a surprise. She's a great actress though, terribly terrific.<br />
<br />
5:47 - I'm going to check out of the reality bit. Such crap, we should not be rewarding this 'genre.'<br />
<br />
5:58 - God this past season of DEXTER was amazing. John Lithgow was phenomenal.<br />
<br />
6:02 - "Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency" is my absolute favorite MAD MEN episode ever. I want it to win.<br />
<br />
6:02 - MAD MEN is so very, very good. Two extremely good contenders for episodes. Though I'm utterly shocked BREAKING BAD didn't even get a nomination because that show is <i>superbly</i> crafted.<br />
<br />
6:04 - FUCKING YES AARON PAUL for best supporting actor!!! BREAKING BAD FTW!<br />
<br />
6:11 - Wow Archie Penjabi! (Best Supporting Actress) I really like her in THE GOOD WIFE.<br />
<br />
6:13 - I have to go Bryan Cranston for Best Actor in a Drama...<br />
<br />
6:13 - FUCK YEAH BREAKING BAD! :D :D :D Bryan Cranston is a revelation as an actor. So very good, Mr. Walter White.<br />
<br />
6:22 - BREAKING BAD's Michelle MacLaren should win for directing. She is beyond amazing. Her landscapes are beyond reproach.<br />
<br />
6:22 - However, I cannot hate on DEXTER. But still, BREAKING BAD is better.<br />
<br />
6:33 - I have no real feelings on best actress in a drama series.<br />
<br />
6:35 - Stephen Colbert, still justifying South Carolina's continued existence.<br />
<br />
6:41 - The Tonys won an Emmy. This makes me giggle.<br />
<br />
6:48 - I do not find Ricky Gervias that funny--at least he's not doing his "I'm a fat man" shtick.<br />
<br />
6:52 - Daily Show v Colbert Report. Why is Celebrity Death Match no longer on?<br />
<br />
6:53 - Woo Daily Show!! Keep fighting the good fight, JStew!<br />
<br />
7:08 - What...just happened there? (RE: John Krasinski and January Jones) Worst presenters of the show??<br />
<br />
7:16 - David Strathairn beat Patrick Stewart for best actor in a mini-series? Captain Picard will sic Q on you!<br />
<br />
7:23 - BP, you are not getting me on your side. You can post as many ads as you want, but you BROKE THE OCEAN.<br />
<br />
7:30 - Glad to see TEMPLE GRANDIN getting recognition. We need more positive depictions of conditions like Autism. Too much stigma and misunderstanding still exists.<br />
<br />
7:36 - Alexander Skarsgaard over what's-his-name any day.<br />
<br />
7:37 - Yay Temple Grandin (best director for a mini-series.)<br />
<br />
7:39 - Al Pachino wins best male lead in a mini-series for YOU DON'T KNOW JACK. Cue resurgence of the "it's easier to portray a live person" debate.<br />
<br />
7:40 - Ha, Pachino just tried to distance himself from the whole "getting into the character's head" deal since his character performed mercy killings for terminally ill patients. Nice save, buddy.<br />
<br />
7:47 - No one is shocked THE PACIFIC won best "long form."<br />
<br />
7:49 - This award approved by TEMPLE Grandin and her awesome cowgirl outfit. (I mean this sincerely.)<br />
<br />
7:51 - COME ON BREAKING BAD.<br />
<br />
7:52 - I'm not surprised MAD MEN won (Best Drama Series). I love it. But BREAKING BAD is the better show.<br />
<br />
7:57 - YES! YES! A MILLION TIMES YES! Go Modern Family!! (Best Comedy Series)<br />
<br />
8:00 - On the dot! Not a bad broadcast. Props.Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-57009170540377854632010-07-11T14:20:00.000-07:002010-07-11T14:20:22.095-07:00How Lost Should Have EndedThis is WONDERFUL.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rrcF7dYADsw&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rrcF7dYADsw&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-5211971678017061702010-07-09T15:12:00.000-07:002010-07-09T15:12:42.127-07:00Lessons in Screenwriting: U R Doin' it WRONGThe point of prose in a script is to help lay the scene. It should create vivid images, impart new and useful information, keep the story rolling.<br />
<br />
It should. In theory.<br />
<br />
Let's examine a few common ways people fail in their prose.<br />
<br />
<b>I. Redundant redundancy is </b><i><b>redundant</b></i><b>.</b><br />
<blockquote>There is HUGE EXPLOSION as the lab explodes.</blockquote>Similarly, if you read a 4-sentence paragraph and the word 'dazzle' is used five times, you have a problem AND a poorly written book about sparkly vampires.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>II. Blatant racism is not okay.<br />
</b><br />
<blockquote>He tops off his tank and walks to pay the INDIAN cashier who’s really an Indian of the American persuasion.</blockquote><br />
Hollywood likes to pretend it's 'progressive' and 'forward thinking.' We like you to hide your racist, sexist, ageist thinking in the subtle details so we can all claim cluelessness later.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Now dressed as the Chicano gangbangers they are, they're wearing baggy pants, long black coats.</blockquote><br />
<b>III. Mexico is many things...<br />
</b><br />
<blockquote>Crossing the border, H and C crack open a couple beers and exchange a laugh as they drive their $70,000 automobile into the safe haven called Mexico.</blockquote><br />
...but it is not a safe haven. For anyone. Haven't you seen <i>Desperado</i> or <i>Kill Bill</i>? Also, it really messes with the flow of your story if you have your main characters driving from LA to Tijuana and back in like, 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>IV. NO.</b><br />
<blockquote>It’s the most spectacular powder sequence ever laid down on film and the most dangerous...<br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
Sylvia’s so stunningly beautiful she could give a clam a heart attack.</blockquote>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-12562989918947978352010-07-01T10:36:00.000-07:002010-07-01T17:09:23.250-07:00When "Science" Has an AgendaSo Angry.<br />
<br />
A Florida doctor is dosing pregnant women with an experimental (and non-FDA approved) hormone to prevent their daughters from becoming lesbians and--BONUS!--make sure they grow up into wives and mothers. You know, <i>proper</i> ladies who want to cook and clean and wait for their man to bring home the bacon. Because being a wife and a mother is the ultimate goal of every woman in the world. If you chose NOT to be a wife or mother, there is obviously something wrong with you. Also, lesbianism is bad. So we can blame childless lesbian spinsters on their parents because mom obviously didn't love her child enough to dose herself up with Dex in utero. And you know what else is bad? Not adhering to a gender binary.<br />
<br />
On the heels of the fuckery that is the doctor who is <a href="http://jezebel.com/5565895/cornell-surgeon-used-vibrator-to-stimulate-6+year+olds">shortening CAH people's clits</a> and then stimulating them with a vibrator to make sure they still work comes this, which is also an attempt to prevent ambiguous genitalia in children with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congenital_adrenal_hyperplasia">CAH</a> (Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia which is a condition that lowers the tolerance to estrogen and results in a 'masculinizing' of the genitals). So this doctor wants to do her patients a solid and make sure all female babies grow up to be appropriately 'girly' and well as making sure kids with CAH are "girly" outside <i>and</i> in. We're just going to ignore the fact that masculinity and femininity are both culturally dictated binaries and that <i>people are different,</i> not to mention what qualifies as a masculine or feminine activity changes. Like in the 1800s when a man proved his masculinity by decorating a house. My favorite comment:<br />
<blockquote>"It is enormously frustrating when scientists treat natural variation as a problem to be solved, and necessarily deny humans' capacity for ideological adaptation in order to sustain that pretense." </blockquote><a href="#" name="ToggleMore">Read More...</a><span class="collapse"><br />
<br />
This is all such bullshit science, and not just because Dex isn't FDA approved. <br />
<blockquote>“The challenge here is... to see what could be done to restore this baby to the normal female appearance which would be compatible with her parents presenting her as a girl, with her eventually becoming somebody’s wife, and having normal sexual development, and becoming a mother. And she has all the machinery for motherhood, and therefore nothing should stop that, if we can repair her surgically and help her psychologically to continue to grow and develop as a girl.”</blockquote><br />
Naturally, we're just assuming that the child in questions <i>wants</i> to be a girl or even wants a binary gender at all. We also seem to be avoiding the term 'intersex' in the articles I've read so far, which is a lovely way to continue making an invisible group of people more invisible. Props, media outlets.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>...the 2008 paper by Meyer-Bahlburg et al hints that variation in sexual orientation beyond the population of girls with CAH might also be partly explainable through prenatal androgen exposure. Such reasoning could lead to the pursuit of other “screening” and “treatment” methods for manipulating intrauterine environments.<br />
<br />
While everyone has been busy watching geneticists at the frontier of the brave new world, none of us seem to have noticed what some pediatricians are up to. Perhaps it is because so many people are fascinated by the idea of a “gay gene” that prenatal “lesbian hormones” have slipped past public scrutiny. In any case, we think Nimkarn and New’s “paradigm for prenatal diagnosis and treatment” suggests a reason why activists for gay and lesbian rights should be wary of believing that claims for the innateness of homosexuality will lead to liberation. (BioEthics Forum)</blockquote><br />
I think this has been done before. Experimenting on minorities/"undesirables" and then extrapolating out to the wider population.<br />
<br />
<b>The Readings:</b><br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://www.nxtbook.com/tristar/endo/day4_2010/index.php?startid=8#/8">The Announcement</a><br />
<br />
<li> What Causes Low Rates of Child-Bearing in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia? by H. F. L. Meyer-Bahlburg <a href="http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/84/6/1844">[the paper]</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote>“CAH women as a group have a lower interest than controls in getting married and performing the traditional child-care/housewife role. As children, they show an unusually low interest in engaging in maternal play with baby dolls, and their interest in caring for infants, the frequency of daydreams or fantasies of pregnancy and motherhood, or the expressed wish of experiencing pregnancy and having children of their own appear to be relatively low in all age groups.”</blockquote><br />
<li> Doctor Treating Pregnant Women With Experimental Drug To Prevent Lesbianism <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/06/29/doctor-treating-pregnant-women-with-experimental-drug-to-prevent-lesbianism">[Slog]</a><br />
<br />
<li> Preventing Homosexuality (and Uppity Women) in the Womb? <a href="http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=4754&blogid=140">[Bioethics Forum]</a><br />
<br />
<li> Pregnant Women Being Given Experimental Drug to Breed Girly Girls <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2010/06/30/pregnant-women-being-given-experimental-drug-to-breed-girly-girls/">[Strollerderby]</a><br />
<br />
<li> Awful Doc Drugs Pregnant Women To Make Their Babies More Girly <a href="http://jezebel.com/5577410/awful-doc-drugs-pregnant-women-to-make-their-babies-more-girly">[Jezebel]</a><br />
<br />
<li> A Prenatal Treatment Raises Questions of Medical Ethics <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1996453,00.html">[Time]</a><br />
<br />
<li> Clinical Practice Guideline on CAH Approved by the Society <a href="http://www.endo-society.org/advocacy/insider/ClinicalPracticeGuidelineonCAHApprovedbySociety.cfm">[Endo-Society]</a></ul></span>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-20469687285771519632010-06-30T12:33:00.000-07:002010-06-30T12:35:22.073-07:00:| I are UnimpressedThis does not bode well for the human race's continued existence.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Al* finally accepts that a woman can be sexually active and they start to make love again.</blockquote><br />
It's the <i>again </i>that really gets me.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*For the record, Al is not me. I fully accept </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">and </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">believe that women can be sexually active.</span></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-17827761576032705902010-06-25T08:44:00.000-07:002010-06-25T08:44:00.607-07:00I am actually EXCITED about a movie<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RkrRQ626oho&color1=0xd6d6d6&color2=0xf0f0f0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RkrRQ626oho&color1=0xd6d6d6&color2=0xf0f0f0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-86342047807513693582010-06-11T15:36:00.000-07:002010-06-11T15:36:27.102-07:00Cannibalism is Awesome<blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">Paul is eating Rita’s figure with his eyes.</div></blockquote>Om nom nom nom!Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-62243383624092397172010-06-08T11:43:00.000-07:002010-06-08T11:43:22.372-07:00South Carolina Politics....For those of you who care...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLGi_NPP9zCBkX-fBH_uY4Uvg8xMjbBrUyj6bw8Dfoq1oUQhY7Bwev0Vh-SqL_xiE2SVaqcTSVYMl6mm_obzgbKyXIZ5_tMmKKleUZzXu0axrrTVFOk76DnTdHPeh8nq62KIfOGMyyafR/s1600/291870237v1_480x480_Front_Color-White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLGi_NPP9zCBkX-fBH_uY4Uvg8xMjbBrUyj6bw8Dfoq1oUQhY7Bwev0Vh-SqL_xiE2SVaqcTSVYMl6mm_obzgbKyXIZ5_tMmKKleUZzXu0axrrTVFOk76DnTdHPeh8nq62KIfOGMyyafR/s400/291870237v1_480x480_Front_Color-White.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br />
<br />
For those of you who want <a href="http://www.gaffneyledger.com/news/2007-01-03/front_page/001.html">in on the joke</a>.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The incident was voted "Best Political Stunt in 2006" by readers of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Free Times.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
"We stayed out past midnight, and anyone who stays out past midnight knows that's when sex happens--sex with <i>ladies </i>in their <i>vaginas</i>." (Gay sex happens in the afternoon because they're scandalous like that.)<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="353" style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal arial; width: 360px;"><tbody>
<tr style="background-color: #e5e5e5;" valign="middle"><td style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Daily Show With Jon Stewart</a></td><td style="font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align: right;">Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 14px;" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-7-2010/thank-you--south-carolina---the-race-to-replace-disgrace" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Thank You, South Carolina - The Race to Replace Disgrace</a></td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: #353535; height: 14px;" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align: right; width: 360px;"><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/" style="color: #96deff; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.thedailyshow.com</a></td></tr>
<tr valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 0px;"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashvars="autoPlay=false" height="301" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:311738" style="display: block;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="360" wmode="window"></embed></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 18px;" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="100%" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr valign="middle"><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/" style="color: #333333; font: 10px arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Daily Show Full Episodes</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/" style="color: #333333; font: 10px arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Political Humor</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/videos/tag/Tea+Party" style="color: #333333; font: 10px arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tea Party</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-81548977436877775492010-06-03T16:36:00.000-07:002010-06-03T16:36:19.983-07:00Quotable ScriptsI want the men to weigh in on this one:<br />
<blockquote>Physical desire--the anti-gravitational aspiration of the male organ--comes to him, with a pang and a flurry.</blockquote>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-62242747633156602602010-05-20T11:49:00.000-07:002010-05-20T11:49:12.430-07:00Happy Freedom of Speech Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Qil9tc_jr69-hhEoB8bhqm9akdqAAXUQ9VhjRxjVs2LncwwchHKzIJEzTq5NRJp7K8zuAclJU8pEPKrNxbgvvBj04WiAWsIxGCxc7qsuYLJAPC_h6wZCPEDo5oxEkdkgycWaTG5p7GGE/s1600/DSC00323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Qil9tc_jr69-hhEoB8bhqm9akdqAAXUQ9VhjRxjVs2LncwwchHKzIJEzTq5NRJp7K8zuAclJU8pEPKrNxbgvvBj04WiAWsIxGCxc7qsuYLJAPC_h6wZCPEDo5oxEkdkgycWaTG5p7GGE/s640/DSC00323.JPG" width="571" /></a></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-72895173165409630402010-05-19T16:15:00.000-07:002010-06-03T16:37:00.942-07:00O RLY?<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst4C4c6sIVUOHKR8-CzGoutSWuCMs07lrITcaV7At29lTXMDcCKzoOXuf_e4yrjv328WsIqr2uzSy7oT0pc-5w4PwxppfJD0MHj4g57lzZohKuktOI21ibtPVPSMf_1QhuuYlpqH-rbQv/s1600/nickcagecrazyeyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst4C4c6sIVUOHKR8-CzGoutSWuCMs07lrITcaV7At29lTXMDcCKzoOXuf_e4yrjv328WsIqr2uzSy7oT0pc-5w4PwxppfJD0MHj4g57lzZohKuktOI21ibtPVPSMf_1QhuuYlpqH-rbQv/s320/nickcagecrazyeyes.jpg" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote>"I love all animals. I have a fascination with fish, birds, whales - sentient life - insects, reptiles. I actually choose the way I eat according to the way animals have sex. I think fish are very dignified with sex. So are birds. But pigs, not so much. So I don't eat pig meat or things like that. I eat fish and fowl." </blockquote><blockquote>- Nicolas Cage</blockquote><br />
I personally like how he threw 'sentient life' in there...Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-67309252700157055152010-05-17T11:33:00.000-07:002010-05-17T11:35:21.914-07:00Bad Lines from ScriptsIntroducing a new tag/section for my blog: WTFery, where I share with you the worst lines from some of the scripts I have to read. There are all real. Seriously.<br />
<br />
And our inaugural line is...<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Suddenly, Bradley relaxes and Rachel's mouth travels across his cheek and finds his mouth, like the celestial snail closing the great gate.</blockquote>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-56235257379419345902010-05-05T18:01:00.000-07:002010-05-05T18:01:41.823-07:00Getting a Handle on the Oil 'Spill'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ21hk35GJ52IZH3PvlB7pmlEWayyKixeNTeaasW3zNTG_XyJYGskZfIVRbgFOuK1mmuc5CaEimeXZy9QZWTKHUfJltba3899g4mKTjFBrdTjIDAQlu1EC4EAXyEaoIYZCJ40b7yUUIBq/s1600/In+Deep+Water+Can+We+Afford+To+Spill+Any+Oil.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJ21hk35GJ52IZH3PvlB7pmlEWayyKixeNTeaasW3zNTG_XyJYGskZfIVRbgFOuK1mmuc5CaEimeXZy9QZWTKHUfJltba3899g4mKTjFBrdTjIDAQlu1EC4EAXyEaoIYZCJ40b7yUUIBq/s640/In+Deep+Water+Can+We+Afford+To+Spill+Any+Oil.png" width="188" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Click to make bigger. Original <a href="http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/in-deep-water/">here</a>.</div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-88082110068576607002010-05-04T11:26:00.000-07:002010-05-04T11:26:58.386-07:00Reporting Matters: Rape CultureThere has been a lot of fail going on when it comes to reporting sexual assault and rape. Newspapers seem to dislike using the word rape. They like to substitute 'had sex with.' As in:<br />
<br />
"Police in New Jersey's capital say a 15-year-old sold her 7-year-old sister to have sex with as many as seven men and boys." "Have sex with" <a href="http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/Watch-Your-Language.html">implies consent.</a> It implies the <i>ability </i>to consent. Agency. Children cannot consent, they cannot 'have sex with.' Do not try and place me in collusion with a 7-year-old's rapist. And do not try and argue that "they didn't <i>mean</i> that, it was just poorly worded." Media outlets substitute rape with "had sex with" <i>all the time.</i> They also like to put rape in quotations too--<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/23/year-old-mexican-rape-victim-wants-baby/">this article's headline</a> used to read <b>11-Year-Old Mexican 'Rape' Victim Wants to Keep Baby.</b> Ignoring the byline, which states <i>Despite pressure from women's groups, the 11-year-old is enthusiastic about her impending motherhood, according to sources</i>, are we doubting that this girl was raped? Or is she a 10-year-old <a href="http://jezebel.com/">Jezebel </a>who seduced her stepfather with her womanly wiles? What, Dear Major News Media Outlet, were you trying to say here?<br />
<br />
A woman who was "vomiting and drifting in and out of consciousness" cannot have sex with anyone. And the boys who raped her never "put on condoms and took turns having sex with" anyone--they raped a woman. Who was dying of alcohol poisoning at the time. You read that correctly: two boys carried a woman with alcohol poisoning down some stairs, raped her, and then ran away when Mom came home. (For a full review of all the ways this particular article failed, I suggest reading <a href="http://thecurvature.com/2010/04/28/this-is-not-an-analysis-of-rape-culture-this-is-a-rant/">This is Not an Analysis of Rape Culture. This is a Rant.</a>)<br />
<br />
There are so many examples of this kind of 'reporting' that it was hard to just pick a few. There are no small number of people incensed about this wording. And it's not just limited to Media Outlets trying to place agency for the rape on the victim.<br />
<br />
Consider this question, posed by NPR's Frank de Ford:<br />
<blockquote>At a certain point, don't you just stop caring whether our athletes - who for some reason or other are always called "role models" - don't you just stop caring whether they behave? Don't you just want to say, "Let the thugs play"?<br />
<br />
OK, if they violate the statute law, fine, put them in the hoosegow. But really, otherwise, why are we expending so much angst worrying about the character of our well-muscled celebrities?</blockquote>No, Mr. de Ford. I do not want to call a rapist a thug and just let him play. I want him in jail, behind bars, with a giant red R on his chest that will be with him in the same way his actions will be with the woman he raped. I want you to stop saying he didn't "behave." Rape is not the same thing as throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery story or trashing a hotel room. Also, this isn't about your NFL-star's 'character.' This is about his actions. He raped a woman. That's against the law. It's not a character assassination, and I do very much care whether anyone rapes another person. And I will continue to care--well-muscled or not. Celebrity or next door neighbor.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent the kind of soft language to protect themselves from it, and it gets worse with every generation. For some reason, it keeps getting worse." -George Carlin</blockquote>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-82242581646588907952010-04-12T18:09:00.000-07:002010-04-12T18:09:17.418-07:00Two Movies Your Life is Incomplete Without...<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cP6eV1kiauE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cP6eV1kiauE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yy-9YLpC5uM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yy-9YLpC5uM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-74444246195068805042010-04-07T10:34:00.000-07:002010-04-07T10:34:46.602-07:00Cake v Pie: THE END<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiGSQsYgV9iZdum6PPEMQ2_w97cRkLjvHRKmgGGVv8tsouyTNr_YGjf4VYBBOkGQvGCk0aSmpcTg8JnMZIGWH6EHKGk27g7eet1E6GuSlWN8YRvSyyjfG9Qf2IbTFrOyJ4eTugKhSusQ3/s1600/Champion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiGSQsYgV9iZdum6PPEMQ2_w97cRkLjvHRKmgGGVv8tsouyTNr_YGjf4VYBBOkGQvGCk0aSmpcTg8JnMZIGWH6EHKGk27g7eet1E6GuSlWN8YRvSyyjfG9Qf2IbTFrOyJ4eTugKhSusQ3/s400/Champion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It was a long road and a tough battle, but in the end there could only be one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All hail and bow down to...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 16.0pt; font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CHEESECAKE</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">To the detractors: The Selection Committee maintains that a key ingredient in any Cheesecake is a crusty base. Moreover, it does not rise. Cakes, generally speaking, rise. But the crust factor is inarguable. Cheesecake is a Pie, and Pie wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shut your pie hole and quitcher complainin’, Koth, Pumpkin Pie sucks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you can learn to accept Pie, you can learn to accept peace. The war, my friends, is over.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">For now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;">http://jezebel.com/5496714/march-madness-the-cake-vs-pie-tournament</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: xx-small;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-23099640052559535392010-04-06T12:14:00.000-07:002010-04-06T12:14:31.462-07:00Cake v Pie: Your Conference Champs<div class="Section1"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">A moment of silence please. #1 pie seed, that giant of giants, Apple Pie suffered defeat at the fluffy-light hands of pie conference’s 2010 champion...<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cheesecake</span></b>. Fruit fans went home empty-handed. Says one stunned Apple supporter...“But it has <i><span style="font-style: italic;">cake</span></i> in the name!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Over in the cake conference, #4 German Chocolate Cake lost the conference to a pastry that is controversial at best, the unequalled, unparalleled and utterly delicious <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red Velvet</span></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">These are your conference champions, ladies and gentlemen, fairly determined as the best pie and cake, respectively, known to man. No hanging chads on these ballots. Tomorrow they will move forward for one last shot at glory. 32 competitors have come and gone, two remain — but there can only be one victor. It's <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cheesecake vs. Red Velvet</span></b>, and the winner takes all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">The pie/cake debate will end with this. Ready thyselves, and take to the battlefield.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;">RED VELVET CAKE<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">While all Red Velvet Cakes use food coloring, the Red Velvet cake is not, per the accusations of its detractors, merely a cake with food coloring. The cocoa is what makes it special, and the chemical reaction of its ingredients — buttermilk and vinegar in particular — bring out the red hues in the cocoa (the red anthocyanin, to be extract). The richness of Red Velvet's color is the sum of a union between science and aesthetics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Proponents of Red Velvet Cake thus justly argue that it is not, per the belief of its detractors, cake that merely features red food coloring. Rather, the red is steeped in patriotic history: When foods were rationed during World War II, beets were used to enhance the color of the cake. Red Velvet is the sweet tooth's battle against the Axis nations — it symbolizes the fight for good in the face of injustice, and is as patriotic as the red on any Allied flag. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">A VOTE FOR RED VELVET IS A VOTE AGAINST HTLER/JESSE JAMES.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</u></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;">CHEESECAKE<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Despite its name, cheesecake is a creamy pie — like a DNA test to determine paternity, the cheesecake's crusty base, that which holds it together, confirms it is a pie. It is a versatile creation, lending itself to a variety of preparations that can pleasantly occupy and challenge cooks while pleasing a wide swatch of palates. Cheesecakes can be baked or unbaked; they can be made with heavy cream or sour cream or, of course, a variety of cheeses, ranging from cottage cheese to cream cheese to ricotta or mascarpone or any other soft cheese product.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Much like Red Velvet, Cheesecake also has deep historical routes — the ancient Greek Aegimus is said to have authored what could be considered the first cheesecake cookbook; ancient Roman Cato the Elder included two recipes for religious use in his text on farming and agriculture. Cheesecake rests in the sweet spot that is ancient democracy; it is to dessert as Latin is to the romance languages.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6846760117159010836.post-56499761828636288292010-04-05T10:26:00.001-07:002010-04-05T10:27:40.682-07:00Cake v Pie: The Final Four!<div class="Section1"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">This weekend’s Pie v Cake matches featured tears, cheers, and upsets! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">#3 <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red Velvet Cake</span></b> left a trail of red all over the court as it took down #2 Ice Cream Cake by <i><span style="font-style: italic;">precisely</span></i> 200 votes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Even more shockingly, #4 <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">German Chocolate Cake</span></b> knocked out the #1 seed, Birthday Cake—also a squeaker, coming down to a matter of 250-odd votes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;"> Red Velvet and German Chocolate will ascend to the Final Four, guaranteeing that the championship match will not feature a #1 seed and demonstrating to us all that the universe is not set in stone. (And that Red Velvet is awesome in spite of all the naysayers that had it out in the first round. Koth.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Over in the Pie Conference, the pie-loving public was forced to look deep inside themselves and listen to their soul, making the tough decision to vote <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">#1 Apple</span></b> the winner over the nostalgic favorite #4 Pumpkin Pie. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">And in what was a less-close match (some might call it a massacre of epic proportions), <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">#2 Cheesecake</span></b> won over #3Key Lime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">And now, the Conference Finals — a conference champion will emerge from the field of its peers, and will move on to fight for the ultimate honor. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">This is...the<b><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Final Four</span></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">#3 Red Velvet Cake squares off against #4 German Chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">#1 Apple Pie looks deep into the eyes of #2 Cheesecake<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">The future is wide open.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Godspeed, sugary friends. It all comes down to this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div>Alhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10565788431432747725noreply@blogger.com0