debate - debate

It's been brought to my attention that some comments on this blog have recently been removed by their authors.

I was surprised initially, but now I'm suspecting it may have to do with my 'outing' this blog on facebook. What happened was, a friend asked for suggestions of Vancouver blogs for a project, and, honestly, I didn't really think through all the possible consequences of posting this blog on his wall. Consequences which apparently include making the lively and educational debate on the previous post's comments page read like an existentialist monologue (see garfield-garlfield), which, although deeply amusing in its own way, defeats the purpose.

I guess I do regret it a little, because maybe it means that future comments may not be as deep as I like them to be when I make provocative posts. But that's also why I wanted to keep this a public forum. Because as soon as I start privatizing, chances are I'll be excluding those who disagree fundamentally with my views, and I like having my mind changed once in a while.

So, what's done is done. I'm not going to privatize this blog. In fact, it's never been private; nothing has changed, it's always been accessible to everyone who stumbles upon it, so ... let normalcy resume.

no, canada!

Looks like those crazy evolutionists in the US are going to have to find another refuge.

"Science Minister won't Confirm Belief in Evolution"

Anne McIlroy
Globe and Mail
March 17, 2009

Canada's science minister, the man at the centre of the controversy over federal funding cuts to researchers, won't say if he believes in evolution.

"I'm not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don't think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate," Gary Goodyear, the federal Minister of State for Science and Technology, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

[................... ]

Brian Alters, founder and director of the Evolution Education Research Centre at McGill University in Montreal, was shocked by the minister's comments.

Evolution is a scientific fact, Dr. Alters said, and the foundation of modern biology, genetics and paleontology. It is taught at universities and accepted by many of the world's major religions, he said.

"It is the same as asking the gentleman, 'Do you believe the world is flat?' and he doesn't answer on religious grounds," said Dr. Alters.

Read counter opinion from the National Post

the virginity auction: insight from the housing market collapse

Q: Is it okay for Natalie Dylan to auction off her virginity to a bidder of her choosing?

"I’m a 22-year-old woman who recently earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies, and soon I’ll be entering a Masters Degree program in Marriage and Family Therapy. During the time in between, in addition to my regular 9-to-5, I’ve been exploring my upcoming thesis project: the value of virginity. To be more specific, I’ve put my own virginity up for auction on the Moonlight Bunny Ranch website, and I recently received my highest bid so far: a cool $3.8 million....."

[Read more here ... she's pretty articulate.]
Watch her on Tyra Banks' show (be prepared to hate Tyra Banks even more):




A: In my opinion, yes.

In economic terms, female virginity is society's longest-surviving price bubble - in layman's terms: one gigantic cherry that keeps on growing but just won't pop. Someday, in a fairer, future era, a solid chunk of society will question whether there is actually that much more value to a woman's chastity than a man's, and decide that there probably shouldn't be. Or too many women will follow Natalie's example, creating a surplus and driving down value. Either way, female virginity markets are bound to crash like it's 2008, and then eventually recover to more realistic values - values that are, for example, far above zero but low enough that an inopportune loss of which doesn't incite murder.

The way I feel about Natalie capitalizing on the female virginity price bubble when the market's still hot (to the degree of $3.8 million, apparently) is the same way I feel about abortion, devout religiousness, and raw broccoli: I'll defend to the death anyone's rights to choose them, but none for me, thanks.

Funny thing is, some critics of Natalie's morals are the same ones whose borderline-sexist morals and sensationalization of female virginity over male virginity create the societal fixation on the former, allowing self-capitalization to be a viable option for females but not males (generally speaking ... I know there are male prostitutes, but that's not about virginity: no guy to my knowledge has garnered bids of $3.8 million for his cherry). Look in the mirror, people! We have no one but ourselves to blame.

make-a-flake

This site is highly addictive. This is my third attempt, it takes awhile to get used to the scissors.

lol --> "Please help us keep the snowflakes clean. Report offensive snowflakes when you click the snowflake."

the true meaning of halloween

In The Know: Has Halloween Become Overcommercialized?

no balloon, no party

www.mymomisafob.com
A collection of mostly emails from fob (re: fresh off the boat) moms to their english-speaking kids. Most of them are funny and cute. Because of my struggles learning how to speak french, I'm mostly sympathetic to a lot of their mistakes, and email is unforgivingly permanent. I think my parents made a smart move by making us converse only in Vietnamese with them.

Sometimes people send in photos of their moms wearing fobby things, which is funny but kind of mean (but funny!).


www.mymomisafob.com

Hi! Sandra,

yesterday a girl call Sophia from Nottingham gave me a ring. She wanted touch you,so I gave your email address. ok! take care.

Love Mum xxx

-------------------------------

you still virgin? you know…….no balloon, no party ok? ok

-------------------------------

Dear Children:

Attached the medical report. I know these article in Chinese you might not understand at all. The key thing is ” do not drink or eat the ice cold staff. Special for your breakfast, When you wake up and your body, stomach still does not warm up and function appropriate yet, and you give the cold food, it will cause the stomach muscle clamp. (Just like you get up from warm bed you jump in swim pool your body can not stand it.)

Gradually fail function and hurt your health in silence.

Having a warm health breakfast is very important for your health. Everybody seems knowing it but does not do it, special for your young generation. If you do not have good eating habit now then all kind health problems will appear early than your age

Doctor grandpa, he worked very hard for his life but he always ate right and enjoyed his food, slowly his pace not rushed and scooped food into his mouth.

Hope you guys could change your eating habits. Eating on time with health food, avoid cold staff, slowly and enjoy your food enjoy your life.

Love you all, Mom

------------------------------------

unrequited career-love: the saga continues

So today I actually turned down a job offer. This latest red herring began about 3 weeks ago, when I went to a career fair and was asked by representatives of a well-known insurance company, who shall not be named, whether I wanted to come for an informational interview about a job position called "financial adviser". Having not had an interview in 5 years, I said yes ma'am, because things are more exciting when they occur once every half-decade.

After doing some research, I found out that 'financial adviser' amounted to selling insurance of different types. Nothing wrong with that, except for the part where it had nothing to do with anything I was remotely interested in or good at. Still, I would be based in R-town, and also I was lured by the prospect of making a 6 figure income (5 figure as an economist, ain't nothing wrong with that either!). Surely I would be able to afford an SLR digital camera and maybe even a legitimate monthly bus pass, and that would keep me complacent and mobile for awhile. So I went into the interview with an open mind that harboured but two deal-breaker conditions: 1. that I not have to go to people's houses to make sales; 2. that it not be based entirely on commission (economists are naturally very risk averse; hence 1 and 2).

After a very long, informative chat and completing a very long personality assessment exam, it was pretty clear that this wasn't my sort of thing, although the lady who interviewed me was super nice. It was entirely based on commission and I would most definitely have to make deals at private residences, which is pretty creepy and would entail me buying a car before I can afford to get a hybrid (when are they going to start making Jeep Liberty hybrids anyway?). But somehow, the results on my personality assessment exam came back positive anyway (I have financial-adviser personality disorder - what can I say, I'm good at multiple choice questions), and the lady phoned me back to congratulate me and to set a second interview. I had to tell her that I was interested in pursuing other career goals, although it sounded rather foolish to my ears, since those other career goals didn't seem to be pursuing me as lustily, or at all, for that matter. Such is the nature of unrequited career-love: blinding and hopelessly optimistic. How long can this beggar realistically hope to be a chooser?

All is not lost, however. I did score a Starbucks card of an indeterminate amount of >= $5 for taking the personality assessment quiz, so all is actually well, maybe only because of all those awesome little text messages I've been getting from someone today. They make me feel as though my presently unfruitful life may serve some purpose, if only as a vessel through which random thoughtful gestures are registered and cherished. All is well indeed.


Those headlights are the cutest things.