8 kinds of bloggers. I don't seem to fit in any of the pigeonholes, but you guys tell me if I'm wrong.
In today's Metro David Brudnoy answers the perennial question: "Libertarians. Do they just wanna sell heroin to schoolchildren, or what?"
Libertarians believe in citizens' freedom
Libertarian Carla Howell, who came within 1 point of besting the GOP senatorial candidate against Ted Kennedy in 2000, is now running for governor. Libertarian Michael Cloud is the only candidate running against John Kerry for the Senate this year. Libertarian-sponsored ballot item No. 1 would end the state income tax; currently 27 percent of prospective voters favor this.
Yet few people understand Libertarianism. Except for Libertarianism, all ideologies, including authoritarianisms (communism, fascism, assorted zealot movements), believe that forcing people to behave their way is virtuous. Liberals and conservatives believe people are competent to make many, but not all, decisions for themselves. (E.g., liberals believe people should have "choice" about abortion, but not about whom to hire or fire or where, if anywhere, to smoke; conservatives believe people should be free to run their companies as they wish but not make or see the movies or TV shows or write or read the books or behave sexually in ways conservatives disfavor.)
Libertarians believe consistently in the citizens' right to do as they wish with their own lives and with consenting others, but not to aggress, physically, against others. Libertarians favor small government, not no government. Unlike liberals, Libertarians believe people are capable of making economic and personal decisions for themselves. Unlike conservatives, libertarians believe that people should be free in their economic lives and in their personal lives. Libertarians are "liberal" in the 19th century sense both words derive from Latin "liber" (free) and share with conservatives the belief that economics are best governed by free choice, by Adam Smith's "invisible hand," not by government's all-too-visible oppressive fist.
Libertarians differ on capital punishment and abortion (prudential and ethical matters); on gun control (even purist Libertarians don't champion the right to own firearms with biological, chemical, or nuclear capability); on the precise extent to which government may regulate commerce, air traffic, highway construction and speeds; and many other matters. Libertarians are not monolithic about many areas of importance, just as liberals and conservatives aren't.
All Libertarians believe small government is best, that the liberal-conservative "war on drugs" is disastrous, that schooling is a parental responsibility, though when governments run schools, people should be free to choose where their kids go and not be force-bused. Libertarians believe all citizens have equal rights; e.g. to marry, travel, choose occupations, practice religion or not: These are for individual choice, not government regulation. Libertarians support defensive wars, but not wars of aggression, and libertarians support everyone's right to claim group identity but not the absurd idea that America, a uni-cultural nation, should obsess about "diversity" and grant benefits on the basis of such separatist or hyphenated identities.
Sensible Libertarians believe that in the real world only a gradual approach, not drastic action, can achieve the desired goals. Libertarians recognize that hard cases make bad law and that endless fretting about unusual circumstances, trying to undermine the Libertarian ethos, is just diversion from the central question: How free ought citizens to be? Libertarians answer, unequivocally: very.
David Brudnoy is a Boston University journalism teacher, WBZ Radio talk host, and Community Newspaper Company film cntic. Views expressed are not necessarily those of Boston Metro.
Misocapnist (Noun)
Pronunciation: [mi-sah-'kæp-nist ]
Definition 1: A smoke-hater.
Usage 1: The word has only rarely been used in the past but perhaps its time has come. The extreme opposite of "smoker," who is presumably a smoke-lover, is not captured in "non-smoker." A non-smoker merely eschews smoking; a misocapnist is someone who despises and fights it. The hatred itself of smoke is "misocapny."
Suggested Usage: At last, smokers, a name for your adversary, "All the managerial misocapnists have decided to make the building smoke-free." But the implication is broader than merely tobacco smoke, "My misocapnist neighbor calls the police every time I try to burn leaves in my yard."
Etymology: Greek misos "hatred" + kapnos "smoke." "Miso-" is also found in misogynist "woman-hater," misanthrope "person-hater," misandrist "man-hater," misarchist "government hater," misopolemicist "war-hater," misopedist "child-hater," misocynist "dog-hater," misogrammatist "hater of letters or learning," misogamist "marriage-hater"—to mention the tip of the iceberg. Of course, the native English compounds work just as well.
yourDictionary.com
Harry Hay died October 24 at age 90. He really started it all. I saw him once at a Boston Gay Pride rally…in the 80s, I think. San Francisco Chronical article here. Here's the LA Times obituary. Gay by the time he was age 11, he was introduced to Communism by Will Geer in 1935. He formed Mattachine in 1951. "When the Mattachines met for discussions, members brought a 'cover' girl, a female friend or relative. It was against the law in California for gay men to meet in groups."
Weird dates. This article is dated 9/22/2002 and says Harry Hay died "last Thursday" so I thought he had had died on 9/19. These comments from Rev. Troy Perry are dated October 25, but are in a press release dated July 30, 2002!
Weird dates. This article is dated 9/22/2002 and says Harry Hay died "last Thursday" so I thought he had had died on 9/19. These comments from Rev. Troy Perry are dated October 25, but are in a press release dated July 30, 2002!
Speaking of weird dates, how come nobody ever mentioned that Harry Potter and I share birthdays??
The Sony DRU-500A, the first (I think) DVD burner to support ALL formats. Also burns CDs. $300-$350.
19 year old Eagle Scout Darrell Lambert "has earned 37 merit badges, been a quartermaster and three-time senior patrol leader, and now he's an assistant Scoutmaster and a field leader in training as part of the Search and Rescue Program. In his senior year in high school, he racked up more than 1,000 hours of community service." And now they are going to kick him out of Scouts because he's an atheist.
Slashdot vents its blog-envy. I know at least one of my readers will like this:
I hate the word blog and all its derivatives, they deserve it for promoting this pop-culter-esque net phenomenon. Either you run a news site, a discussion site, a community, a personal journal or something along those lines. Blog is a stupid term someone made up to sound cool.
Todd Levin's racist aunt's view of the 50 states. For example:
- "Is that right? Does Virginia really need two states? These people are meshugena"
- Maine: "Let the Goyem have it, if they like the cold weather so much"
- As for the other New England states: "it was requested that these states be removed from the map altogether because, according to my racist aunt, they were simply 'too confusing, all bunched together like that.' She pointed out that, even added together (in size) they didn't equal Pennsylvania."
I was provided a PDF of a study published in 2000 in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism entitled "Pharmacokinetics of Transdermal Testosterone Gel in Hypogonadal Men: Application of Gel at One Site Versus Four Sites: A General Clinical Research Center Study" Their conclusion was statistically inconclusive, but that's not what interests me. The interesting bits were where they said:
After first application of T gel to one site, serum T levels rose rapidly to range within 30 min [my emphasis]. The levels continued to slowly rise throughout the day to 4.2-fold of Cbaseline at 24 h. Application of T gel to four sites produced the same serum T profile.I had been thinking this stuff might take weeks to get me up to normal testosterone levels, but according to this study I should have gotten there on the first day and have stayed there since. Now I want to find a study of how long it takes for a body to respond with full vigor to the new level of testosterone.
…
Subsequently, serum T levels before daily gel application measured on the 3rd and 5th days were not different from the concentrations at 24 h after T gel application on the 1st day.
…
After stopping gel application, serum T concentrations fell and by 48 h after the last T gel application were 40-50% of the levels attained at 24 h after the 7th dose. After 2 additional days (day 11), the serum T levels fell to below the normal range and were not statistically different from Cbaseline.
Oldversion.com is a site where you can get old versions of software. You know, those versions that worked before they got all glunked up. Windows only. Right now they've got old versions of:
- ACDSee
- Acrobat Reader
- Ad-aware
- America Online
- AOL Instant Messenger
- BulletProof FTP
- CompuServe
- CuteMX
- DC++
- DirectX
- Eudora
- GetRight
- GoZilla
- ICQ
- Internet Explorer
- Juno
- LimeWire
- mIRC
- Morpheus
- MSN Messenger
- MusicMatch Jukebox
- Napster
- Opera
- PowerArchiver
- QuickTime
- RealPlayer
- Scour Exchange
- Winamp
- Windows Media Player
- WinMX
- WinRAR
- WinZip
- Yahoo Messenger
- ZoneAlarm
From Eflower:
Castaways Travel is pleased to announce new groundbreaking events for nudist and naturists.
FIRST EVER NUDE AIRLINE FLIGHT & NUDE WEEK AT THE EL DORADO RESORT & SPA
Castaways Travel is pleased to announce an historic first in the nude travel industry... A NUDE AIRLINE FLIGHT and FIRST EVER NUDE WEEK at the El Dorado Resort & Spa in Mexico.
Yep, you read it right: a FLY NUDE, NUDE airline flight to Mexico....non-stop from Miami to Cancun, round trip. This will be a first for the passengers, a first for the airline, a first for Cancun and Mexico and a first for the resort. Scheduled for the week of May 3 - 10, 2003
Only 170 passengers can be accommodated on the charter flight so HURRY if you want to be a permanent part of NUDE history! The NUDE FLIGHT will also include a welcome packet and souvenirs for this history-making event.
More information on the NUDE FLIGHT & NUDE WEEK can be found on the Castaways Travel website at: <http://www.castawaystravel.com/eldoradors/eldoradors-main.htm>
Reservations or inquiries about pricing and availabilty from your local can be made on Castaways Travel online quote / reservation form at: <http://www.castawaystravel.com/quotes02.htm>
If you individually, or a group from your club or organization are interested in participating in this historic NUDE FLIGHT or NUDE WEEK at the El Dorado, contact Castaways Travel for arrangements. Castaways Travel can be contacted by email at: info@castawaystravel.com or by phone at: 1-800-470-2020.
If you think you have something to say about the Pacific Coast Bike Route, especially in Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, then go here and fill out a survey for the Natural Resources Services of RCAA for the Humboldt County Association of Governments. It's in the form of a PDF that you have to print so you can actually write on it and then send to them via postal mail. Before you get all snippy about this low level of tech, remember this is for a BIKE route. Bikers should be able to appreciate a slower process.
To those earlier expenses for getting the prescription for Androgel add another $1095 from Morgentaler's office. It seems every time anyone glanced my way they would add at least another hundred to the bill. This could get expensive!
Correction: yesterday I got the name of that Yahoo Group wrong. It is Hypogonadism2. Thanks to Brian for reading and actually following the links!
The Starland Retreat on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert is a new clothing optional gay retreat. You have to go to some depth in their website before you find that essential info. Naturism and gayness, I mean.
Hooker and his horse off their pedestal. Hooker was Major General Joseph Hooker and took command of the Army of the Potomac after Burnside.
Many Army of the Potomac's officers came to resent Hooker, Dan Butterfield, and Dan Sickles turning the headquarters of the army into a bordello after Hooker assumed command of the army. The term "hooker" was coined to describe the prostitutes that reputably [sic] followed the army when he was in command.
Some grave markers for the season:
Pedophilia caused by a tumor?!?! Sounds wacky, but Newscientist.com is usually fairly reliable, and here you can read it on BBC too.
Radioactive cats! This is amazing! (From the Boston Globe):
Man fined over radioactive cat waste
By Associated Press, 10/25/2002
WHITMAN - A man who ignored a veterinarian's order to flush his cat's radioactive waste down the toilet was hit with a $2,800 bill. And Bill Jenness said he's happy to pay it.
"I don't feel I was mistreated," Jenness told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy. "It's my cat, my responsibility, and I did not abide by the directions I was given."
Jenness's cat, Mitzi, an 11-year-old shorthair, was treated with an injection of radioiodine after developing hyperthyroidism.
The treatment makes the cat radioactive for weeks, so special care is required, including limiting snuggling time, keeping the cat away from children and pregnant women, and using protective gloves when flushing the cat litter.
Jenness said he decided to throw the litter in the trash after the waste had hardened into abnormally large clumps.
"I was afraid of my septic system being clogged," he said.
Mitzi's mess was discovered at an incinerator in Rochester when alarms detected radioactivity. Workers traced the waste to Jenness after finding mail with his name on it nearby.
The radiation treatment by Radiocat in Waltham and cost of disposing of the waste totaled about $5,000. Jenness said it was worth it because Mitzi is doing well.
Radiocat's Web site says radiation from a radioiodine shot is probably less than a person receives on a long plane flight.
But Thomas Burnett, a Whitman public works commissioner, said any radiation in trash is too much.
This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 10/25/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
Boston Metro. The worst newspaper in town finally announces its website, the worst in town.
Sign up to receive oh-fishul gummint e-mails about the state of the Big Dig. For you taxpayers who don't live in the Boston area, you might as well sign up for this, as it represents the only Big Dig dollars that will be sent out of the region.
Actual quotes heard at an STD clinic in Minnesota. Interesting. For example, "Can't you put the swab in further?"
Since I've mentioned some of the expenses involved with getting that prescription for Androgel, I want to follow through and list them all:
- Lab fee for the ultrasound equipment and that sharp-looking Republican who assisted at my prostate biopsy: $500
- Pathologists bill for saying "Hell no, that ain't cancer!": $1650. (That was almost as startling as the sample-taking itself.)
- Adding 1.5 inches to the length my penis and growing a full chest of thick, curly hair in only 10 days? Priceless!
Praise from a happy 6-month user via the Hypogonadism2 Yahoo Group:
I am happy to report that I have lost 18lbs (down to 232), having extraordinary muscle growth, growing sideburns, hair on upper legs and abs. Very little brain fog, tons of motivation, less frustration, more hopeful... My libido is just insane, 20 minute morning wood.
First amendment freedoms pretty shaky in Boston. See this Phoenix editorial.
Machine/Ramrod is probably the most popular gay bar in Boston now, but it's straight-owned. If I say much more I'll probably get a letter from their lawyers.
Machine/Ramrod is probably the most popular gay bar in Boston now, but it's straight-owned. If I say much more I'll probably get a letter from their lawyers.
Here they are, 106 photos of the Zakim Bridge walk a couple of weeks ago. The photos are late, yes, but underbudget!
Front page of today's Globe, an article about Carla Howell, the Libertarian candidate for governor and (surprise!) a descendant of Myles Standish. If that article is unavailable, here's a copy.
Here's the Bay Windows article about Carla Howell.
Here's the Bay Windows article about Carla Howell.
4 gigabytes on a 3 cm optical disc. Erasable. Blue laser technology. Available in a couple of years, blank discs will be cheap and the drive will cost £70, but they expect it to come down. Those guys at Philips. What will they think of next?
"It will never be the same," said Sophie Sliva, who has lived on Main Street for 53 years, as she sat on her windowed porch, watching the traffic run past her house. "At night, it's pretty noisy. ... Yesterday, I was sitting in the den and I heard a big bang. I think it was an accident."
Drug dealers? No, it's Krispy Kreme destroying our nation.
Drug dealers? No, it's Krispy Kreme destroying our nation.
A much nicer, calmer website about testosterone deficiency. Pointed out by a friend, I believe this site is provided by the makers of Androgel. ALL HAIL ANDROGEL!
An Anti-Idiotarian Manifesto which includes:
- WE REJECT the idiotarianism of the Left -- the moral blindness that refuses to recognize that free markets, individual liberty, and experimental science have made the West a fundamentally better place than any culture in which jihad, 'honor killings', and female genital mutilation are daily practices approved by a stultifying religion.
- WE REJECT the idiotarianism of the Right -- whether it manifests as head-in-the-sand isolationism or as a Christian religious chauvinism and bigotry that all but mirrors the Islamo-fascist fanaticism of our self-declared enemies.
MacWorld will come back to Boston in 2004. Will Ron's Log be hosting a hospitality suite? I think not, but if you have one, I might be gracious enough to drop by and visit.
But hold your horses, it seems Apple itself doesn't like the idea and may just stay home and sulk.
But hold your horses, it seems Apple itself doesn't like the idea and may just stay home and sulk.
Yahoo has corrected that tantalizing map of Davenport, Iowa. I guess you're happy you've got Ron's Log to capture those important bits of the internet as they float to the top like pond scum.
This country has always been the refuge of the oppressed from every land—exiles for conscience sake—and in the spirit of the founders of our Government we condemn the oppression practised by the Russian Government upon its Lutheran and Jewish subjects, and we call upon our National Government, in the interest of justice and humanity, by all just and proper means, to use its prompt and best efforts to bring about a cessation of these cruel persecutions in the dominions of the Czar and to secure to the oppressed equal rights.That's from the 1892 Platform of the Democratic party. Other platforms of the Democrats (since 1840), the Republicans (since 1856) and other parties can be found here.
We tender our profound and earnest sympathy to those lovers of freedom who are struggling for home rule and the great cause of local self-government in Ireland.
We heartily approve all legitimate efforts to prevent the United States from being used as the dumping ground for the known criminals and professional paupers of Europe; and we demand the rigid enforcement of the laws against Chinese immigration and the importation of foreign workmen under contract, to degrade American labor and lessen its wages; but we condemn and denounce any and all attempts to restrict the immigration of the industrious and worthy of foreign lands.
From the Whig platform of 1848:
3. Resolved, That General Taylor, in saying that, had he voted in 1844, he would have voted the Whig ticket, gives us the assurance—and no better is needed from a consistent and truth-speaking man—that his heart was with us at the crisis of our political destiny, when Henry Clay was our candidate and when not only Whig principles were well defined and clearly asserted, but Whig measures depended on success. The heart that was with us then is with us now, and we have a soldier's word of honor, and a life of public and private virtue, as the security.
"I mean he's in a log, he's stuck, and that made me think of those pecan logs that you'd get at the roadside Stuckey's stand," she said.
Mummified coon hound, preserved by the resin of a hollow chestnut oak in Georgia since the 1960s, is given the name "Stuckie." Suggestions for the name came from north Florida, so our respect for Georgians remains intact.
Mummified coon hound, preserved by the resin of a hollow chestnut oak in Georgia since the 1960s, is given the name "Stuckie." Suggestions for the name came from north Florida, so our respect for Georgians remains intact.
Boston Herald article about Phil Saviano, who recently resigned from SNAP. If that article disappears, here's a copy.
Jonas Carney, a professional bike racer, writes in VeloNews:
CARNEY'S GUIDE TO AIRPORT ETHICS
1. WASH YOUR FREAKING HANDS.
I know you think your genitals and urine are perfectly clean and I'm not saying they are not. I'm just saying that generally, other people don't want to come into contact with them.
2. TRY TO BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE OTHER HUMANS ON THIS PLANET.
Other people need to find out what gate to go to. So don't stand in front of the departure screen and chat with your family about whether you should eat at Sbarro or just pick up a snack atthe Grove. I'll decide for you. Everybody knows that Sbarro's pizza looks good but tastes like cardboard, so go spend $10 on a bag of dried mangos at the Grove.
3. DON'T ALWAYS ASSUME THAT YOUR LUGGAGE WILL COME OUT OF THE CAROUSEL FIRST.
The chances of this are slim. Probably around 1-in-200 depending on the number of people on your plane. Turn off your "screw everybody else, I'm in a hurry, and I'm more important than all these people" attitude for a couple of seconds and step back five feet. Your bag will come out when it comes out. You being an inconsiderate asshole isn't going to make it magically appear earlier.
A family in Buenos Aires photographs itself every year on June 17, and has been doing this since 1976. This is great stuff. Here they are in 1984 and 2002:
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My brother took a panoramic photo of Tiananmen Square and Mao's Tomb, but I stitched it together, so I get to link it here. Two big photos (424 kb and 659 kb) which are identical, except one is pre- and the other post-Photoshop.
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Maybe this is what the Acela should have been. No electric lines required, jet engine technology. Same speed as an Acela, but lighter and faster acceleration.
I thought we were well overdue for some news on the Breda cars… We certainly need more vehicles, but those Bredas…yuck! They do seem to be fabulous for those in wheelchairs or with strollers or shopping carts, but for those of us just traveling with four usable limbs they are a bitch: fewer seats, seats in bizarre positions, walking the length of the car involves two flights of stairs, and those goofballs who sit on the stairs so you can't get by at all.
Attention Quad Citians and those in the area! We need someone on the ground to go out in Davenport, Iowa, and find out if Buttlickin Ave and Fagdaddy St are really so close to 1500 Clay St. Somebody's been goofin' on Yahoo maps databases, I suspect. Just in case Yahoo pulls this, here's the link to a screen capture. Mapblast also shows Buttlickin' Ave (gif here). Mapquest, too! (Mapquest gif)
The face of vegetarianism:
A man puts packing hooks through his cheek in Phuket province, 690 kilometers (428 miles) southwest of Bangkok, Thailand, to celebrate the annual Vegetarian Festival Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002. Every year around early October devout Buddhists in the overseas Chinese community celebrate the nine-day festival, during which some perform acts of self-mortification including body-piercing, although such acts are not part of mainstream Buddhist faith. (AP Photo/Kiti Tungkul)This past weekend I ate a little beef so that I could skip the cheek-piercing celebrations with a clear conscience.
Coming very soon: Naqoyqatsi (frequently misspelled as "Naquoyqatsi"). Music by Philip Glass, cinematography by Godfrey Regio. Yes, obviously, the third and final bit in the Qatsi trilogy.
One site that efficiently babelizes your written word by passing it through ten translations. In other words: A place of the total, this one efficiently its written word when condurlo with 10 translations of babelizes.
Deer suicide. Bungee jumping without a bungee.
Ron's Log receives its very first official press release. That makes us feel so grownup and professional.
New England Chapter of SNAP Announces Leadership Change
BOSTON. MA, October 15, 2002 -- The New England Chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) announced today the resignation of Regional Director Phil Saviano, effective October 15, 2002. It also announced the appointment of two Regional Coordinators, William Gately of Plymouth and Ann Hagan Webb of Wellesley, who will now take over the duties of running the New England chapter.
Phil Saviano first began speaking out about the issue of clergy sexual abuse, and reaching out to victims, in December 1992. Inspired by the courage of Frank Fitzpatrick and other victims of Fr. James Porter, he generated national headlines with his story of childhood abuse at the hands of Worcester Diocese priest David Holley. In 1993, seeking access to Fr. Holley's personnel records, Mr. Saviano filed one of the very first sexual abuse lawsuits against the Catholic Church in Massachusetts. In 1996, he settled the suit for a mere $12,500, but refused to agree to any legal restrictions on his ability to speak about his abuse and what he had learned about church policy through the lawsuit. Then, in April 1997, he formalized his ministry to other victims by founding the New England Chapter of SNAP, a national organization whose leader, David Clohessy, had provided crucial support and guidance to Phil in the previous years.
"The events of this past year, when the issue of clergy sexual abuse finally got the attention it deserves, have been immensely gratifying. On a personal level, I've seen the fulfillment of one of my greatest dreams," said Mr. Saviano. "Yet as the demands of my volunteer work with SNAP have mushroomed, there has been a significant impact on my personal life and my ability to pursue my career. Fortunately, there are now many other people just as committed to the cause as I am. They want a chance to be more involved and to make a difference. Thus, after so many years, it's time for me to step aside and let some new voices be heard."
Saviano's resignation includes his position as Regional Director, his position on the SNAP Board of Directors and his position as web master for the site www.survivorsnetwork.org
Bill Gately & Ann Hagan Webb, both victims of abuse by Catholic priests, bring to SNAP important professional training in the field of mental health. Bill Gately is a mental health counselor who works with grief and significant loss. Ann Hagan Webb is a licensed psychologist in private practice for 20 years. One of her specialties is counseling survivors of childhood trauma. She has been president of the South Shore Coalition of Independent Therapists since 1987. Both Mr. Gately and Dr. Hagan Webb are dedicated to the welfare of survivors and committed to the recovery of survivors and their families from the damage done by sexual abuse.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, commonly known as SNAP, is a non-profit support and advocacy group composed of and providing services to victims of clergy sexual abuse. Founded in Chicago in 1990, SNAP has been run on the dedication of volunteers who wanted to stop sexual abuse of children and help adult victims heal. SNAP has grown rapidly this past year, and now holds local support groups in over 30 chapters across the United States and Canada. In fulfilling its goal of educating parishioners and the general public, its members and local leaders have frequently appeared on local, national and international media outlets. People of all faiths are welcome to seek strength and guidance from SNAP and attend its support group meetings.
Peeball. Be the man!
PC Magazine's Editors' Choice for "Innovative PCs: Consumer Desktops": the iMac! [cries and gasps of offended astonishment fill the hall]
The designer of the telephone keypad has died:
BALTIMORE -- Alphonse Chapanis, a co-founder of ergonomics, died Oct. 4. He was 85.
Chapanis was a longtime Johns Hopkins University professor.
One of Chapanis' most notable projects was the development of the keypad for push-button telephones. The final configuration has remained the industry standard, even with the miniaturization of phones brought on by mobile technology.
While in the Army, he began developing the field of ergonomics, a branch of engineering that considers product and workplace design from the physical point of view of the user.
Assigned to investigate a string of mysterious runway crashes of B-17 bombers, he discovered that poor cockpit design was causing the accidents.
The bomber's instrument panel had identical side-by-side toggles, one to control the flaps and the other to operate the landing gear. Weary pilots sometimes flipped the wrong toggle during landing, retracting the wheels and causing a crash.
Chapanis joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins in 1946. Three years later, he and two colleagues at the university, Wendell Garner and Clifford Morgan, published the first ergonomics textbook: "Applied Experimental Psychology: Human Factors in Engineering Design."
Chapanis was also a consultant on the development of teleconferencing and voice mail, and he helped improve oil exploration techniques and commercial shipping operations.
hobbledehoy \HAH-bul-dee-hoy\, noun: An awkward, gawky young fellow.
For early on, girls become aware — as much from their fathers' anguished bellows of "You're not going out dressed like that, Miss" as from the buffoonish reactions of the spotty hobbledehoys at the end-of-term disco — of the power of clothes to seduce.
—Jane Shilling, "Soft-centred punk," Times (London), October 27, 2000
His memories, even only reveries, of incomparable women, made me feel like a hulking hobbledehoy.
—Edith Anderson, Love in Exile
When Cole and Bryant each arrived in 1825 (Bryant from New England, Cole from old England via Ohio and Pennsylvania), New York still fit James Fenimore Cooper's description as a "hobbledehoy metropolis, a rag fair sort of a place."
—Tobin Harshaw, "Artists and Writers in a New World," New York Times, November 19, 2000
The origin of hobbledehoy is unknown, though it perhaps derives from hobble, from the awkward movements of a clumsy adolescent.
from www.dictionary.com
Check out these specs:
- TV: Watch television on a brilliant 15.1" digital LCD monitor with remote control
- Audio: Play music from hi-fi speakers and download MP3s or play radio from the Internet
- Internet: Full functionality for e-mailing or web surfing
- Photo Album: Take pictures with a built-in digital camera, then save or e-mail them
- Messages: Instantly leave messages for family in text (via keyboard or electronic pen), video, or audio
- Calendar: Keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and after school activities
- Cooking: Organize favorite recipes or surf for new ones on the Internet
- Management: Self-diagnostics detects and informs you of malfunctioning components
- Weight: 356 lbs.
The blood in the urine seems to have completely stopped, but it's a different story for semen. Right after the biopsy it was a brilliant red horror show. Now it's a thick brown goo, so I guess we're just cleaning out old gunk, not fresh bleeding.
The few legitimate naturist yahoogroups that I know of. Please let me know of more.:
- GNI-Talk, chat group for Gay Naturists International
- GNI-, the unofficial GNI group (yes, the trailing hyphen is part of the name)
- GNI-Official, the official one
- CMEN, an unofficial group for California Men Enjoying Naturism
- CMENInfo, the official group
- LakeMead, near Las Vegas
- Male_Nudist, for gay and bi men
- PSMSN, Palm Springs for gay and bi men
- Tecopa-Hot-Springs, a unique natural hot spring in a California state park near Las Vegas, Nevada
- EFlower, for the northeast US
For those of you searching for sample photos from the Kodak DCS Pro 14N (the one with a gazillion pixels), here is a semi-official word from Kodak:
We currently have no samples as the camera is still in development however the web site [presumably that's www.kodak.com] would be the first place to look when they do become available. Thank youHere is the official Kodak site for the 14N itself.
If you should have any other questions, please be sure to revisit our site (http://www.kodak.com/go/professional) as we are continually adding information to enhance our support. Additionally, you can also phone your regional call center in the US at (800) 235-6325. Our representatives are available to speak with you Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Regards,
Andre Lusk
Kodak Professional Digital
Kodak Information and Technical Support
It's open season on the Roman Catholic church. While it lasts, here's an Onion article.
Drug Tsar lies. Why am I not surprised?
And as for its responsibility for traffic accidents, how do we get that number "20%?" Are police doing post-accident blood testing on all drivers? I've never heard of it. Maybe they are, but I would think such a program would have created a bit of a brouhaha.
"We know that marijuana is the single largest source of dependency," Walters, head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told a group of about 150 senior citizens and children Wednesday. "We know that it is responsible for 20 percent of accidents on the road today."I'm guessing that "single largest source of dependency" means something like "more people are dependent on this than any other drug." Very hard to believe, unless you don't count alcohol or nicotine as drugs. Or caffeine, for that matter.
And as for its responsibility for traffic accidents, how do we get that number "20%?" Are police doing post-accident blood testing on all drivers? I've never heard of it. Maybe they are, but I would think such a program would have created a bit of a brouhaha.
If you tire of reading about my testicles, you can check out the Bryan, Illinois, turkey testicle festival.
Gongoozler (Noun)
Pronunciation: ['gahng-guz-lê(r)]
Definition 1: An idle on-looker, a kibbitzer; someone who stares protractedly at anything.
Usage 1: Today's word has been around since the turn of the century but gained currency only around 1970 among Britain's canal travelers. It was used prominently in L. C. T. Rolt's novel about canal life, 'Narrow Boat' published in 1944. Gongoozlers gongoozle, of course, and their occupation is known up and down the canals as "gongoozling."
Suggested Usage: No need to quarantine this dandy expression to the canals; use it any time friends drop over: "Don't just stand their gongoozling, grab a paintbrush and join in the fun!" And why not call the gongoozlers at the football game what they are? Away at college? Gongoozling the guys and gals at sporting events is a sporting event itself.
Etymology: The origin of this word is uncertain but it may have originated in Lincolnshire as gawn "stare vacantly or curiously" + gooze "stare aimlessly, gape.' It is possibly related to the Southeastern US word goozle "uvula," that little punching bag hanging from the top of your throat which is visible when the mouth is agape.
yourDictionary.com
Even as I write, fresh testosterone surges throughout my re-masculinizing body. "No cancer," Morgentaler says, so they might as well give me testosterone. Androgel 1%, to be specific. Look, here's the scrip itself,
and here's a packet of it.
Looks like the cost is about $166 for 30 days worth, but the insurance company is picking up most of that. Dr. Morgentaler showed me the results of the overnight Rigiscan monitor. It was pretty obvious when the erections occur. The little slug line suddenly juts right up! Obviously designed by a man. The first night I had three periods of erection. He says they look for a period where both the tip and the base monitor lines go above a certain line on the graph. On that first night I had an erection "above the line" for about an hour! Wish I'd recorded my dreams. The second night I had a lot more erections, but none that stayed up an entire hour. Conclusion is that the plumbing works when I don't think about it.
and here's a packet of it.
Looks like the cost is about $166 for 30 days worth, but the insurance company is picking up most of that. Dr. Morgentaler showed me the results of the overnight Rigiscan monitor. It was pretty obvious when the erections occur. The little slug line suddenly juts right up! Obviously designed by a man. The first night I had three periods of erection. He says they look for a period where both the tip and the base monitor lines go above a certain line on the graph. On that first night I had an erection "above the line" for about an hour! Wish I'd recorded my dreams. The second night I had a lot more erections, but none that stayed up an entire hour. Conclusion is that the plumbing works when I don't think about it.
In a thinly veiled attempt to foil the search engines, the Globe misspells "Libertarian" in one of its articles about last night's debate among the gubernatorial candidates. Me, I was stunned midway when it dawned on me that we have 4 women running against 1 man. It's like we're 80% as feminist as Hawaii, right? Here's another Globe article where they get the spelling correct. In this Herald article they don't have too much to say about the 3 non-Demopublicans.
Boston College (just across the street from Archbishop Law's mansion): is it homophobic or not? I understand that over the years the gay men's community there has expanded beyond the confines of the 3rd floor men's room in Gasson Hall.
For the cook who has everything. Or there's this thing. The description leaves out a little bit of essential info. Do you boil it? Microwave it? Just wait for it to set and cure?
Iowa Cubs owner Michael Gartner has some ideas for the airlines. Among them:
- You must pay me $10 for every minute a flight is late for any reason other than bad weather.
- You must deduct $25 if I check just one bag, $50 if I check no bags. (Or let me sell "bag rights" -- the way builders sell air rights and factories sell pollution rights -- to the guy behind me with the three bags.)
- You must pay me $100 if a flight is canceled for any reason other than bad weather and I have to take another flight the same day. Turnabout is fair play. (Also, the payment must be doubled if you use the word "equipment" as a synonym for airplane -- as in, "The equipment was late in arriving from Milwaukee this morning.")
- You must pay me $10 for every minute beyond 15 that it takes for my baggage to appear on the carousel -- and $20 for every minute beyond 30.
While you wait for my Zakim photos (I got the film back today already!), I've posted about 100 photos that I took around the SF Bay area when I was out there in July. There are people, places, things, panoramas and nightshots! Do it!
I got a DVD tonight from Netflix that was supposed to be Querelle. Imagine my surprise when I opened the envelope to find American Graffiti! Better yet, imagine that nuclear family out there getting ready to settle down with popcorn for a warm, loving evening together enjoying a great old family film only to suddenly find themselves ogling Brad Davis' tight sailor pants and sweaty chest. Mmmmm!
Whaddaya know. Yesterday's traffic at Ron's Log broke the previous record set September 5. The main draw seems to be my link to that ridiculous (I say now) bit of news that the sun will soon explode. But we still get the time-tested searches for Trev Broudy and Melanotan. Morgentaler and that whole testosterone issue have started to draw a few searchers, too.
ferocious toilet research going on in Japan:
some civil libertarians are having nightmares about "smart toilets" running amok, e-mailing highly personal information hither and yon. There are also Big Brother nightmares about master computers monitoring millions of bowel movements, checking around the clock to see who is constipated, who is not eating his peas and who is drinking too much.
Sometimes those on-line translators can be a big help!
Here's more behind that story. I'm amazed that the original story got past 3 editors (so that's 4 pairs of collegiate eyeballs when you count the reporter herself) and not a single one of them knew enough about Spanish or Romance languages or even basic cultural facts to detect this farce.
Their excuse seems to be that the original source "looked official." They're nuts! The subheading for Pinoylife.com is "Now with more flavor and no added preservatives." The article about Filipino American history month includes (besides "The Big Ass Spanish Boat" remark)…
Here's more behind that story. I'm amazed that the original story got past 3 editors (so that's 4 pairs of collegiate eyeballs when you count the reporter herself) and not a single one of them knew enough about Spanish or Romance languages or even basic cultural facts to detect this farce.
Their excuse seems to be that the original source "looked official." They're nuts! The subheading for Pinoylife.com is "Now with more flavor and no added preservatives." The article about Filipino American history month includes (besides "The Big Ass Spanish Boat" remark)…
- Making Jack O' Lanterns out of Corned Beef and/or Spam
- Putting a fried lumpia under your pillow in the hopes of getting a visit from the Carlos Bulosan fairy
- Turn on the Christmas lights in October
- Decorate the house with asparagus
- Conduct a belly flop contest and have all proceeds go to a charity in Vicki Manalo Draves' honor
- Find a Spaniard and boss him or her around for 333 minutes (That's one minute for every year of Spanish rule)
- Throw a party where the ratio of men to women is 15 to 2
Refinements at Google. I've noticed changes affecting Ron's Log (improvements, I think). My deep contacts inside the Google hive tell me that, as usual, the weather in Mountain View is lovely, lunch is great, highway traffic's been a bit heavy. and hope to see you next summer! You can say you heard it here first.
Maybe it's a good thing, this lust for Krispy Kreme donuts. It will hasten the deaths of those who have terribly misprioritized their lives.
The MBTA used to have a really sucky website. It would take an average of 57 clicks to find something like a schedule. Now they have a new website. It might suck less, but who wants to hear about that. Let's go find the sucking.
They now include actual photos of [some of] the stations. But, guess what? They suck!
But if they're going to try to document some of the history or interesting quirks of the system, they have to get a better camera with a decent flash, a tripod, someone with a good eye, and some basic graphic editing software.
They now include actual photos of [some of] the stations. But, guess what? They suck!
- The photo of the Hynes Auditorium/ICA station shows the back entrance which is closed most of the time.
- The photos of Kenmore are certainly accurate, but couldn't they have, like, borrowed a tripod for the interior shot? Look at that blur! (We won't even talk about contrast or saturation).
- In the Copley photo they blanked out what was probably a Pepsi or Coke logo on that truck (I'm not complaining).
- If you manage to find the Arlington station and there is a power failure, this is what you might almost see downstairs.
- Same for Government Center where the Green Line has simply gone missing.
- And also at Haymarket where the Orange Line is missing.
- Photo quality improves at North Station, but this picture is from years ago and the only landmark visible (Boston Garden) is long gone. And the Orange line is missing, again.
- Check out this Science Park station photo. Are they trying to pressure someone for more funding for better access?
But if they're going to try to document some of the history or interesting quirks of the system, they have to get a better camera with a decent flash, a tripod, someone with a good eye, and some basic graphic editing software.
- Check out the Harvard photo. Much better! Looks like it was scanned from a slide.
- Mattapan. Very nice, but no landmark.
- Be terrified by the Downtown Crossing photos.
- Oh yeah, at a glance anyone can tell this is Wonderland.
Out for a lunchtime walk I found traffic near the Tip O'Neill federal building at a complete stop in all directions. Behind the building tons of blue lights were flashing, cops were everywhere. My first fear was some terrorist action or terrible accident. But no! It was just the elephants for the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus out for a walk. For this they locked up a major connector for a good 10 minutes.
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Temporarily zapping surveillance cameras. NY Times story here. And the paper itself, right here.
Some guy Stephen W. Stanton expends an entire column describing this thing he calls "Southpark" Republicans, who are simply the libertarian wing of the Republican Party, but I guess he just never heard of libertarians, even though he did mention Ayn Rand.
Carla Howell, the Libertarian Party candidate for Massachusetts governor, will be included in the candidate debate on Wednesday evening, October 9, at 10:15 PM on channel 56 in Boston.
One of my favorite common misspellings:
ROCKVILLE, Md. (October 7, 2002 9:15 a.m. EDT) - Maryland police and FBI agents were pouring over maps and putting together a psychological profile to hunt down a killer and decode the apparent connection behind last week's sniper deaths of six people.I think they'd do better to spend more time poring.
Globe article on yesterday's walk on the Zakim.
Globe photos of activities on the Zakim this past weekend.
Globe photos of activities on the Zakim this past weekend.
My brother is in China right now and has sent these very nice photos taken in Beijing. Here's a small sample:
Technology to allow the transfer of data through handshakes, door knobs and furniture. The article fails to mention genital connections or the transmission of viruses. Never have sex without a condom and a firewall!
A professional reviews the Canon D60:
What about a comparison with both 35mm film and medium format? I'm afraid that film has definitively lost the battle. The 1Ds's full-frame 11MP CMOS sensor produces a 32MB file — as big as a typical scan. But this file is sharper and more noise free than any scan I have ever seen, including drum scans. There simply isn't a contest any longer.Leaving 35 mm behind, he goes on to say it is nearly as good as medium format
Holy Jesus! San Francisco TV station KRON broadcasts a live picture of a man's penis! Oh, the humanity!
In praise of homosexuality. This site purports to be a spot where you can vent anonymously about your significant other. But go look. It is all (100%) women complaining about their (male) husbands. It's all trivial, and all of the women seem to be utterly powerless in the face of this big boy they have married themselves to.
Girls, do what any self-respecting gay man would do: go out and get drunk and bring home a trick. Then things will get sorted out.
Girls, do what any self-respecting gay man would do: go out and get drunk and bring home a trick. Then things will get sorted out.
For those curious about such things, that initial visit with Dr. Morgentaler cost $300.
Next year's AIDS LifeCycle will be June 8-14 (ah, the classic AIDS Ride week!). Registration is open. Go, be free, work hard!
Finally! Ron's Log presents…
The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
They say a million people walked it today. I got there a little before 12. The lines were huge, but seemed to move at an adequate speed. I was on the bridge in less than half an hour, I'd guess. Along the way the state police profiled me TWICE! First I got the full inspection: open bag, empty pockets, wand and free prostate biopsy. The second time I was holding my cell phone in one hand and the Minolta Dimage X in the other. The officer pulling people over had selected too many at once, so there was nothing to do but stand. I think I could have walked away and they wouldn't have noticed. Then an officer "offered" to inspect my bag while it still hung on my back. I gave him consent and turned my back on him, while I continued to fiddle with the phone. I probably should've shaved before I went.
Took tons of pics, of course, including about 1½ rolls of Kodachrome film! Yessirree! It's been quite awhile since I used the old Pentax K1000, but it has a huge wide angle lens that I can't duplicate with the digital (yet). A couple of times I held the Pentax up like the Minolta and looked for the digital display on the back, momentarily confused.
It's gonna take me a day or two to work through the photos, so until then just these two:
The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
They say a million people walked it today. I got there a little before 12. The lines were huge, but seemed to move at an adequate speed. I was on the bridge in less than half an hour, I'd guess. Along the way the state police profiled me TWICE! First I got the full inspection: open bag, empty pockets, wand and free prostate biopsy. The second time I was holding my cell phone in one hand and the Minolta Dimage X in the other. The officer pulling people over had selected too many at once, so there was nothing to do but stand. I think I could have walked away and they wouldn't have noticed. Then an officer "offered" to inspect my bag while it still hung on my back. I gave him consent and turned my back on him, while I continued to fiddle with the phone. I probably should've shaved before I went.
Took tons of pics, of course, including about 1½ rolls of Kodachrome film! Yessirree! It's been quite awhile since I used the old Pentax K1000, but it has a huge wide angle lens that I can't duplicate with the digital (yet). A couple of times I held the Pentax up like the Minolta and looked for the digital display on the back, momentarily confused.
It's gonna take me a day or two to work through the photos, so until then just these two:
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For all of you fabulous (really, you are fabulous!) people coming here to look for more on Trev Broudy here are two recent stories from the L.A. Times. This is all I've got, honest. I'm in Boston, not West Hollywood.
In town this weekend: Bush, Gore, Eastwood, Springsteen, Billy Joel, Fishburne, Sarandon, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts, Sting and, of course everyone's friend, Kevin Bacon. And me too. I'm in town all weekend.
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Don't forget it's open for pedestrians on Sunday, October 6, starting at 11:00 AM.
Dutch astrophysicist Dr. Piers Van der Meer, predicts that the sun will soon explode. I don't give this a lot of credibility, but if he's right I don't want to waste any time trying to play catch up in Ron's Log.
NY Times article about the two new super megapixel professional cameras from Kodak and Canon.
"You'll find the quality of images from this new camera to exceed that of 35-millimeter at all print sizes," said David Sparer, a Canon U.S.A. spokesman.More modestly…
Dr. Mehra of Kodak said because color film was made of layers of light-sensitive coatings, it could not match the resolution, or detail-capturing ability, of Kodak's new camera. "It diffuses the image," he said of film. But he added that film still outperformed the digital camera in areas like color accuracy and tolerance for improper exposure settings.
Father and teenage son make pot brownies together, gramma wraps 'em up. It was that bitch mom who narked. Like she'll ever be invited to the party again.
The Chicago El from a Seattle point of view:
Once the monorail is built, the mayor of Seattle--and the rest of us--will finally be able to tell off drivers who complain about streets congested with other peoples' cars. "Hey, asshole," we'll be able to say, "if you don't like how long your commute is, get the FUCK out of your car and ride the fucking monorail."
That's worth $1.7 billion right there.
crepuscular \krih-PUSS-kyuh-ler\ (adjective)
1 : of, relating to, or resembling twilight : dim
2 : active in the twilight
Example sentence:
In the crepuscular light of the shuttered room, it took several seconds for Manuel to make out the identity of the dim figure sitting at the table.
The early Romans had two words for "twilight." "Crepusculum" was favored by Roman writers for the half-light of evening, just after the sun sets; it is a diminutive formation based on their word for "dark," which is "creper." "Diluculum" was reserved for morning twilight, just before the sun rises — it is related to "lucidus," meaning "bright." We didn't embrace either of these Latin nouns as substitutes for our Middle English "twilight," but we did form the adjective "crepuscular" in the 17th century. At first, it only meant "dim" or "indistinct," often used in a figurative sense. In the 1820s, we added its special zoological sense, describing animals who are most active at twilight.
Merriam-Webster
1 : of, relating to, or resembling twilight : dim
2 : active in the twilight
Example sentence:
In the crepuscular light of the shuttered room, it took several seconds for Manuel to make out the identity of the dim figure sitting at the table.
The early Romans had two words for "twilight." "Crepusculum" was favored by Roman writers for the half-light of evening, just after the sun sets; it is a diminutive formation based on their word for "dark," which is "creper." "Diluculum" was reserved for morning twilight, just before the sun rises — it is related to "lucidus," meaning "bright." We didn't embrace either of these Latin nouns as substitutes for our Middle English "twilight," but we did form the adjective "crepuscular" in the 17th century. At first, it only meant "dim" or "indistinct," often used in a figurative sense. In the 1820s, we added its special zoological sense, describing animals who are most active at twilight.
Merriam-Webster
Still peeing a bit of blood today, but mostly not.
Prostate biopsy [TMI WARNING!]
Went in to my urologist, Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, this morning for my first ever prostate biopsy. He, the lying fuck, told me I would feel "three pinches," but that was about 3 weeks ago. Maybe the protocol has changed since then. Dr. Morgentaler was ably assisted by a sharp-looking man, stiff blonde flat top haircut, tight gleamingly white shirt, stiff collar with American flag pin securely affixed thereto. He didn't even give me a second to empty my pockets. (When you get your biopsy, men, I suggest you present yourself with your keys and money already secured in a bag or zippered pockets, as I did). On the table. Pants down. Roll over on your left. Then Morgentaler made his appearance to shake my hand, which I guess is sort of a symbolic kiss. The device was "introduced" (as they like to say). That was nothing, of course. It couldn't have been bigger around than my little finger, and it only penetrates to about the second knuckle. It's when it was revealed to me that they had "introduced" a cattle prod in there and planned to use it liberally on one of my most sensitive spots that I began to fret.
The three "pinches" became about a dozen once they realized I wasn't going to either run away or jerk around and kick them. I've met guys like them before. The first few samples are taken from some less sensitive part, I guess, but eventually they worked around to a spot that sent a jolt up my spine and right out my urethra. I've met a couple of men who might actually like this sort of thing. I, however, was broken out in a sweat, with occasional vocal ejaculations. Dr. Morgentaler and sidekick Cruella tried to reassure me, but I think they were under the impression that it was the penetration that bothered me most. I'd guess neither of them have ever been sampled this way.
I was going to describe the process as feeling something like dental work inside my ass, but this ended much faster than any dental work I've ever had done — and during dental work you can at least stare into the dentist's eyes.
After they withdrew the "device" I got to lie there for maybe 10 minutes to cool down and recover, while making small talk with Cruella as he packed up my samples in an expensive-looking array of glass sample tubes. The ultrasound device near me was obviously not the sadistic culprit that I had just known so well. Cruella pointed out the bit of machinery they had used. I couldn't see it all that well, but the parts I saw were obviously too large to have been inside me without general anesthesia. So I can't tell you just how they do it.
Once they were sure I wasn't going to faint right there, they let me go. I felt good enough to walk home (from Brookline Village), but "that sensation in [my] pelvis" (as Dr. Morgentaler described it) was just like I had been fucked really good, but without any, uh, anal stretching. Guys (presumably mostly straight) who've never poked a zucchini or nuthin' up there would find themselves flooded with some possibly confusing sensations.
As for precautions, I took one antibiotic and one prescription painkiller before I went in for the procedure, and I take them again tomorrow morning.
Bleeding is the normal aftereffect and nothing more. They told me I'd have bloody urine, stool and semen off and on for several days or longer. So far I can attest to the truth of two-thirds of that warning. I'm pissing blood and blood clots! That was a surprise, never having had anything solid come out that route before. It's not painful, but more like getting out a really big booger. Cruella advised me to drink a lot of water to keep this all washed out. Bowel movements look like they do on mornings when I include a raw beet in my juicing…but I haven't juiced any beets for a couple of days.
"Why the prostate biopsy?" you should be asking. Is one of our most treasured organs being threatened with the big C? No, hardly. To answer that requires WTMI [Way Too Much Information]:
Testosterone
"The main concern is someone who has a history of prostate cancer, says Dr. Morgentaler. 'The relationship between hormones and prostate cancer is complex, but testosterone can act as a food for the cancer. We evaluate the prostate as well as possible before prescribing the treatment, sometimes even doing biopsies of the prostate when necessary,' he says." That's from CBS News.
Sometime in the last year or so I happened to notice during a quiet moment of self-absorption that my left testicle seemed to have become smaller. Now this particular left testicle had been a real prize pumpkin, drawing compliments from more than a few friendly men. But I didn't worry. I thought maybe I was just mistaken, or maybe I was just dehydrated or something (I mean, who knows really?). But over the next few months I noticed it again and again. Finally, in May this year I had enough presence of mind to remember do a search for info about it on the web…not about my left testicle specifically, but about shrinking testicles in general. I'm not so vain to really concern myself about the size of my testicles, and fertility is not an issue for me; but I worried it might be a sign of some pathology.
So I searched, and that search (thank you Google) quickly led me to hypogonadism, which term covers everything to do deal with underactive testicles (or ovaries), from a teenager's messed up puberty to an adult man's testosterone insufficiency. I came to a site that listed these symptoms and signs of hypgonadism:
The solution for hypogonadism? Testosterone! They had my attention now, you betcha baby. Yessirree! Several of my HIV positive friends get testosterone therapy and I've wanted to give it a good solid try for years, but I'm not so wacky as to experiment with stuff that would enhance all of those things which are inherent to maleness: heart disease, prostate cancer, aggression, male pattern baldness without good medical supervision. Well, I mean, not so wacky, except for a little bit some time back, of which we will say no more.
In a nonce, I had myself into the Fenway Clinic where I discussed these issues with good ol' Jerry Feuer, PA. He was kind enough to say he thought my balls looked plenty big, but he's nice like that — and there is a persistent rumor that he is actually straight. He did the responsible thing and gave me a physical to rule out all the much more likely causes of my debilitation (diabetes, for example). He also did a free testosterone test.
Everything turned up stellar. I am, despite appearances, just brimming with health. But the free testosterone was in the low-normal range, so he referred me over to Dr. Morgentaler saying "He's very busy, but he's the man you want." I could hear his eyebrows arch even as he spoke the words that I might need hormone replacement therapy.
Busy indeed. In the first few days of June, the earliest appointment I could get with Dr. Morgentaler was on 9/11/2002. No, really, not a joke. What a thing. And a 3-month wait on top of it all.
I did a bit more research on low testosterone levels. I found out there's an overall testosterone level and a free testosterone level. It's free testosterone that does all those masculine things. You need to know both to begin to get an idea of what's going on. Your testicles churn out that power juice, giving you an overall testosterone level. Then some of it gets bound up doing something else. Who knows where? All those testosterone molecules are just like little men, busy going out and doing their own thing, rather than doing me the masculine good that they should be doing.
If you have a low overall level of testosterone, then you know you're just not making the stuff, so you look for possible causes of that. If, OTOH, you've got gallons of testosterone, but very little free testosterone, then it's all getting bound up somewhere and you look for different causes.
I am no slave to the AMA nor the FDA. I decided to spend the 3 months experimenting with herbs and nutrients that promise to boost free testosterone levels. First on the list was, of course, DHEA which is readily available. Then I added "horny goat weed." Honest. I had never heard of horny goat weed until I rolled my bike in West Hollywood at the end of the LifeCyle ride. There on Santa Monica just a block past San Vicente is a huge billboard advertising the stuff. And what an ad! It's features a Bruce Weber-esque photo of three men lounging in nothing more than their Calvin briefs in what looks like the area just outside a sauna. They are all languid, sober-faced and gorgeous. Touching is hinted at. There's a big photo of the bottle of the product, and on the other side of that a really small picture of a man and woman embracing — like just in case a man with a hetereosexual facade drove through West Hollywood with more money than meat in his pants. I'm so sorry I didn't photograph that sign, although I did consider it.
Once I got home to Boston I looked up horny goat weed on the web and found it described as an old Chinese herb used as a general male tonic. Traditional herbalist sites describe it that way, I mean. Newer, more commercial American websites emphasized horny goat weed's supposed ability to increase testosterone and to enliven the libido. A quick walk across the street to Bread & Circus and I had a bottle of it.
And then there is nettle root. I emphasize root. Nettle leaf or weed is easy to find. The upper parts of the plant are said to benefit the prostate. But the root is said to increase free testosterone by binding up with those things that testosterone itself binds up with, thereby leaving more testosterone to float around your system. Nettle root is harder to find. I finally ended up ordering it from here (and the service was excellent, I must mention).
The results of DHEA, horny goat weed and nettle root? Good, I'd say. Productive. Nothing overwhelming, but a small improvement on all fronts. I try to make liberal allowance for placebo effect. Over the 2½ months I was taking them I would normally expect any placebo effect to diminish — but we are talking about an area ripe for a huge placebo effect. The only objective measure I had at hand was the size of my left testicle, and that sure didn't change. Long term dangers of consuming these three self-prescribed items? Completely unknown.
I terminated these three supplements in late August, so they could be clearing from my system before I got to see Dr. Morgentaler. Also in August a friend had sent me an article from The New Yorker [I profusely thank my friends who actually subscribe to The New Yorker and forward me articles from it]. The article was about testosterone replacement therapy. At least a good third of it was all about Dr. Morgentaler. He, it seems, is the drug industry's point man for testosterone. It's flag bearer, it's drum major. Abraham Morgentaler is to testosterone replacement therapy what Abraham Lincoln was to the Union. Morgentaler, big Harvard/Beth Israel urologist, is out there telling men they don't have to settle for a gray life. I read the New Yorker article excitedly, wondering how much of his bill my health insurance might cover.
September 11 comes, and while most of you were observing silent moments and remembering the dead, I was sitting in an examining room awaiting the arrival of Dr. Morgentaler. On the wall is a photo of a hockey player in full horizontal flight 4 feet above the ice. It's autographed "To Dr. Abe… Keep it up — Bobby Orr" Eh, maybe it says "good luck." Not sure. I'll check next time. But it's definitely Bobby Orr, and for some you we will spell it out: Bobby Orr is an extremely famous hockey player who was a member of the Boston Bruins.
The doctor comes in and I go through my list of complaints and show him the free testosterone numbers from Jerry Feuer. I drop my pants and he instantly exclaims, "There's your problem!" He pointed out the varicocele that hovers above and around my left testicle. (A varicocele is a varicose vein). A varicocele brings more blood in and around the testicle, warming it up, which we know is bad for fertility, but also lowers testosterone production.
Naturally, he also spin around for a prostate exam (and it was one of the most satisfying I've ever had). He announced that the right side of my prostate was a bit firm and as my age is getting in the neighborhood of 50, he wanted to biopsy it. So that's why the biopsy. But I am a bit surprised to find that friends who are older than me with irregular prostates (mine is smooth, they all say), high PSA, and a history of prostate cancer in their families are not getting biopsied.
Morgentaler said I presented a classic case of testosterone insufficiency (yes, those weeks of rehearsing my symptoms paid off!). But of course tests were in order, besides the biopsy. Blood was taken, and an appointment was scheduled for a week later with nurse Kevin.
At that visit with nurse Kevin I saw the results of the blood work. PSA was fine. Free testosterone was, as before, low-normal. But so was overall testosterone. Now right here I'd like to interrupt and wonder why the free testosterone level performed by Beth Israel's labs cost only about one-third as much as the one I had from Fenway Clinic who uses that lab over in Central Square. Is there some pricing/marketing thing I don't know about, where a hospital lab can cut a lot of costs for its own doctors?
Nurse Kevin also revealed to me that my luteinizing hormone is below normal. Luteinizing hormone (which we now refer to as simply "LH") is produced by the pituitary and signals the body to make testes (or ovaries) and testosterone. This, then, seems to be the root cause, not my varicocele. Stuff I found on the web says that the doctor should order an MRI to have a look at my pituitary, but that the solution still remains testosterone.
Nurse Kevin then proceeded with some other tests: taking my pulse in my penis (apparently he found one), measuring the blood pressure in my penis (using a more gentle cuff than is used on the arm), and measuring my ability to sense vibration in my penis. That was a bit frustrating. I think the conclusion is that if you ran a diesel bus over my penis I might feel it — if there were an earthquake at the same time.
And then nurse Kevin demonstrated for me (on me) the proper use of the "Rigiscan tumescence and rigidity monitor." This thing came in an excessively large case to carry it home in. Two nights in a row I was to attach those loops to one of Brighton's most famous citizens and run it. I did too. It was not as distracting as I had feared. The loops do slowly pulse, but considering it was lighter than a diesel truck I was not distracted. The distracting part is the guts of the system, which is about as big and heavy as one of those old electric adding machines that bookkeepers use (used?). This thing like a big bandage velcros around one thigh (and I hope they have bigger sizes for the seriously obese, because this one just barely reached around my mighty right piston). The electronic recording box goes into a pocket on this thing. During the night the red battery light turned on and off occasionally. That was the most distracting thing about it, and nurse Kevin hadn't warned me on that. The thing eats up two 9-volt batteries a night.
Okay, I think that brings you up to date. A week from today I go back in to Dr. Morgentaler where he is supposed to tell me I have no trace of anything cancerous and here's your prescription for a vat of testosterone gel and, oh by the way, thanks to nurse Kevin's good work a Viagra prescription so you can put the testosterone to really good use, right? I will let you know how it goes.
A few links:
Went in to my urologist, Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, this morning for my first ever prostate biopsy. He, the lying fuck, told me I would feel "three pinches," but that was about 3 weeks ago. Maybe the protocol has changed since then. Dr. Morgentaler was ably assisted by a sharp-looking man, stiff blonde flat top haircut, tight gleamingly white shirt, stiff collar with American flag pin securely affixed thereto. He didn't even give me a second to empty my pockets. (When you get your biopsy, men, I suggest you present yourself with your keys and money already secured in a bag or zippered pockets, as I did). On the table. Pants down. Roll over on your left. Then Morgentaler made his appearance to shake my hand, which I guess is sort of a symbolic kiss. The device was "introduced" (as they like to say). That was nothing, of course. It couldn't have been bigger around than my little finger, and it only penetrates to about the second knuckle. It's when it was revealed to me that they had "introduced" a cattle prod in there and planned to use it liberally on one of my most sensitive spots that I began to fret.
The three "pinches" became about a dozen once they realized I wasn't going to either run away or jerk around and kick them. I've met guys like them before. The first few samples are taken from some less sensitive part, I guess, but eventually they worked around to a spot that sent a jolt up my spine and right out my urethra. I've met a couple of men who might actually like this sort of thing. I, however, was broken out in a sweat, with occasional vocal ejaculations. Dr. Morgentaler and sidekick Cruella tried to reassure me, but I think they were under the impression that it was the penetration that bothered me most. I'd guess neither of them have ever been sampled this way.
I was going to describe the process as feeling something like dental work inside my ass, but this ended much faster than any dental work I've ever had done — and during dental work you can at least stare into the dentist's eyes.
After they withdrew the "device" I got to lie there for maybe 10 minutes to cool down and recover, while making small talk with Cruella as he packed up my samples in an expensive-looking array of glass sample tubes. The ultrasound device near me was obviously not the sadistic culprit that I had just known so well. Cruella pointed out the bit of machinery they had used. I couldn't see it all that well, but the parts I saw were obviously too large to have been inside me without general anesthesia. So I can't tell you just how they do it.
Once they were sure I wasn't going to faint right there, they let me go. I felt good enough to walk home (from Brookline Village), but "that sensation in [my] pelvis" (as Dr. Morgentaler described it) was just like I had been fucked really good, but without any, uh, anal stretching. Guys (presumably mostly straight) who've never poked a zucchini or nuthin' up there would find themselves flooded with some possibly confusing sensations.
As for precautions, I took one antibiotic and one prescription painkiller before I went in for the procedure, and I take them again tomorrow morning.
Bleeding is the normal aftereffect and nothing more. They told me I'd have bloody urine, stool and semen off and on for several days or longer. So far I can attest to the truth of two-thirds of that warning. I'm pissing blood and blood clots! That was a surprise, never having had anything solid come out that route before. It's not painful, but more like getting out a really big booger. Cruella advised me to drink a lot of water to keep this all washed out. Bowel movements look like they do on mornings when I include a raw beet in my juicing…but I haven't juiced any beets for a couple of days.
"Why the prostate biopsy?" you should be asking. Is one of our most treasured organs being threatened with the big C? No, hardly. To answer that requires WTMI [Way Too Much Information]:
Testosterone
"The main concern is someone who has a history of prostate cancer, says Dr. Morgentaler. 'The relationship between hormones and prostate cancer is complex, but testosterone can act as a food for the cancer. We evaluate the prostate as well as possible before prescribing the treatment, sometimes even doing biopsies of the prostate when necessary,' he says." That's from CBS News.
Sometime in the last year or so I happened to notice during a quiet moment of self-absorption that my left testicle seemed to have become smaller. Now this particular left testicle had been a real prize pumpkin, drawing compliments from more than a few friendly men. But I didn't worry. I thought maybe I was just mistaken, or maybe I was just dehydrated or something (I mean, who knows really?). But over the next few months I noticed it again and again. Finally, in May this year I had enough presence of mind to remember do a search for info about it on the web…not about my left testicle specifically, but about shrinking testicles in general. I'm not so vain to really concern myself about the size of my testicles, and fertility is not an issue for me; but I worried it might be a sign of some pathology.
So I searched, and that search (thank you Google) quickly led me to hypogonadism, which term covers everything to do deal with underactive testicles (or ovaries), from a teenager's messed up puberty to an adult man's testosterone insufficiency. I came to a site that listed these symptoms and signs of hypgonadism:
- fatigue
- lethargy
- depression
- impotence
- loss of libido
- muscular weakness
- decreased shaving frequency [I think this would be more accurately phrased as "decreased beard growth"]
- Increased breast tissue (gynaecomastia)
- reduced size of testicles
The solution for hypogonadism? Testosterone! They had my attention now, you betcha baby. Yessirree! Several of my HIV positive friends get testosterone therapy and I've wanted to give it a good solid try for years, but I'm not so wacky as to experiment with stuff that would enhance all of those things which are inherent to maleness: heart disease, prostate cancer, aggression, male pattern baldness without good medical supervision. Well, I mean, not so wacky, except for a little bit some time back, of which we will say no more.
In a nonce, I had myself into the Fenway Clinic where I discussed these issues with good ol' Jerry Feuer, PA. He was kind enough to say he thought my balls looked plenty big, but he's nice like that — and there is a persistent rumor that he is actually straight. He did the responsible thing and gave me a physical to rule out all the much more likely causes of my debilitation (diabetes, for example). He also did a free testosterone test.
Everything turned up stellar. I am, despite appearances, just brimming with health. But the free testosterone was in the low-normal range, so he referred me over to Dr. Morgentaler saying "He's very busy, but he's the man you want." I could hear his eyebrows arch even as he spoke the words that I might need hormone replacement therapy.
Busy indeed. In the first few days of June, the earliest appointment I could get with Dr. Morgentaler was on 9/11/2002. No, really, not a joke. What a thing. And a 3-month wait on top of it all.
I did a bit more research on low testosterone levels. I found out there's an overall testosterone level and a free testosterone level. It's free testosterone that does all those masculine things. You need to know both to begin to get an idea of what's going on. Your testicles churn out that power juice, giving you an overall testosterone level. Then some of it gets bound up doing something else. Who knows where? All those testosterone molecules are just like little men, busy going out and doing their own thing, rather than doing me the masculine good that they should be doing.
If you have a low overall level of testosterone, then you know you're just not making the stuff, so you look for possible causes of that. If, OTOH, you've got gallons of testosterone, but very little free testosterone, then it's all getting bound up somewhere and you look for different causes.
I am no slave to the AMA nor the FDA. I decided to spend the 3 months experimenting with herbs and nutrients that promise to boost free testosterone levels. First on the list was, of course, DHEA which is readily available. Then I added "horny goat weed." Honest. I had never heard of horny goat weed until I rolled my bike in West Hollywood at the end of the LifeCyle ride. There on Santa Monica just a block past San Vicente is a huge billboard advertising the stuff. And what an ad! It's features a Bruce Weber-esque photo of three men lounging in nothing more than their Calvin briefs in what looks like the area just outside a sauna. They are all languid, sober-faced and gorgeous. Touching is hinted at. There's a big photo of the bottle of the product, and on the other side of that a really small picture of a man and woman embracing — like just in case a man with a hetereosexual facade drove through West Hollywood with more money than meat in his pants. I'm so sorry I didn't photograph that sign, although I did consider it.
Once I got home to Boston I looked up horny goat weed on the web and found it described as an old Chinese herb used as a general male tonic. Traditional herbalist sites describe it that way, I mean. Newer, more commercial American websites emphasized horny goat weed's supposed ability to increase testosterone and to enliven the libido. A quick walk across the street to Bread & Circus and I had a bottle of it.
And then there is nettle root. I emphasize root. Nettle leaf or weed is easy to find. The upper parts of the plant are said to benefit the prostate. But the root is said to increase free testosterone by binding up with those things that testosterone itself binds up with, thereby leaving more testosterone to float around your system. Nettle root is harder to find. I finally ended up ordering it from here (and the service was excellent, I must mention).
The results of DHEA, horny goat weed and nettle root? Good, I'd say. Productive. Nothing overwhelming, but a small improvement on all fronts. I try to make liberal allowance for placebo effect. Over the 2½ months I was taking them I would normally expect any placebo effect to diminish — but we are talking about an area ripe for a huge placebo effect. The only objective measure I had at hand was the size of my left testicle, and that sure didn't change. Long term dangers of consuming these three self-prescribed items? Completely unknown.
I terminated these three supplements in late August, so they could be clearing from my system before I got to see Dr. Morgentaler. Also in August a friend had sent me an article from The New Yorker [I profusely thank my friends who actually subscribe to The New Yorker and forward me articles from it]. The article was about testosterone replacement therapy. At least a good third of it was all about Dr. Morgentaler. He, it seems, is the drug industry's point man for testosterone. It's flag bearer, it's drum major. Abraham Morgentaler is to testosterone replacement therapy what Abraham Lincoln was to the Union. Morgentaler, big Harvard/Beth Israel urologist, is out there telling men they don't have to settle for a gray life. I read the New Yorker article excitedly, wondering how much of his bill my health insurance might cover.
September 11 comes, and while most of you were observing silent moments and remembering the dead, I was sitting in an examining room awaiting the arrival of Dr. Morgentaler. On the wall is a photo of a hockey player in full horizontal flight 4 feet above the ice. It's autographed "To Dr. Abe… Keep it up — Bobby Orr" Eh, maybe it says "good luck." Not sure. I'll check next time. But it's definitely Bobby Orr, and for some you we will spell it out: Bobby Orr is an extremely famous hockey player who was a member of the Boston Bruins.
The doctor comes in and I go through my list of complaints and show him the free testosterone numbers from Jerry Feuer. I drop my pants and he instantly exclaims, "There's your problem!" He pointed out the varicocele that hovers above and around my left testicle. (A varicocele is a varicose vein). A varicocele brings more blood in and around the testicle, warming it up, which we know is bad for fertility, but also lowers testosterone production.
Naturally, he also spin around for a prostate exam (and it was one of the most satisfying I've ever had). He announced that the right side of my prostate was a bit firm and as my age is getting in the neighborhood of 50, he wanted to biopsy it. So that's why the biopsy. But I am a bit surprised to find that friends who are older than me with irregular prostates (mine is smooth, they all say), high PSA, and a history of prostate cancer in their families are not getting biopsied.
Morgentaler said I presented a classic case of testosterone insufficiency (yes, those weeks of rehearsing my symptoms paid off!). But of course tests were in order, besides the biopsy. Blood was taken, and an appointment was scheduled for a week later with nurse Kevin.
At that visit with nurse Kevin I saw the results of the blood work. PSA was fine. Free testosterone was, as before, low-normal. But so was overall testosterone. Now right here I'd like to interrupt and wonder why the free testosterone level performed by Beth Israel's labs cost only about one-third as much as the one I had from Fenway Clinic who uses that lab over in Central Square. Is there some pricing/marketing thing I don't know about, where a hospital lab can cut a lot of costs for its own doctors?
Nurse Kevin also revealed to me that my luteinizing hormone is below normal. Luteinizing hormone (which we now refer to as simply "LH") is produced by the pituitary and signals the body to make testes (or ovaries) and testosterone. This, then, seems to be the root cause, not my varicocele. Stuff I found on the web says that the doctor should order an MRI to have a look at my pituitary, but that the solution still remains testosterone.
Nurse Kevin then proceeded with some other tests: taking my pulse in my penis (apparently he found one), measuring the blood pressure in my penis (using a more gentle cuff than is used on the arm), and measuring my ability to sense vibration in my penis. That was a bit frustrating. I think the conclusion is that if you ran a diesel bus over my penis I might feel it — if there were an earthquake at the same time.
 The Rigiscan tumescence and rigidity monitor |
 |
A few links:
- Morgentaler's book, The Male Body
- CBS News article about Morgentaler and andropause
- Long list of hypogonadism links
- There's a Yahoo Group for hypogonadism! (Requires logging in with your adult Yahoo ID).
Libertarianism. Not only does it mean freedom, self-respect and lower taxes, but also a 7½ cock! This is Chris Fox, escort, who is running for supervisor in district 8 in [duh, where else?] San Francisco.
50 pounds of silly putty dropped 5 stories. Photographic evidence.
Much to my surprise, "Trev Broudy" rocketed to the number one search engine key word that brought people to Ron's Log. It was much more effective than "fetish." "Pallotta" is in fifth place, followed by "Paul Shanley" and "priest," then "teamworks" and "bankruptcy."
One of those insecure wireless video cameras broadcast live video of a man beating his 15 year old foster son. The neighbors taped it and turned it over to police. Story here.
This is the entire news item from Durham County, North Carolina:
Boy, 12, faces sex assault charge
A 12-year-old Durham boy was arrested Saturday on a charge of sexual assaulting a man at gunpoint, police said.
The victim told police he was taking out trash on Wiggins Street about 12:57 a.m. when the boy put a gun to the mans head and demanded oral sex.
Hartford Police Chief couldn't find the entrance to a school building! And you're gonna tell me he doesn't carry a cell phone either?
 > |
In San Mateo: High school Satanism club prompts parental outrage. "'I was completely appalled. I'm a Christian and I love God,' said Whattam, who is member of the school's Christian Club." But Protest of school Satanic club a flop
Shortwave receiver in a PC. Whoda thunk it?
For your entertainment: Postmodern urban legends
Some still insist there is no conspiracy…
[cue spooky music]
[cue spooky music]
GILFORD, N.H.I found that in the Globe on Friday the 27th. They neglect to mention that the plane crash was on Wednesday the 25th, and that they have not yet recovered the body of the flight instructor, Emerson. [cue paranoid music]
Professor, instructor killed in crash
A law professor who was a key interviewer for the commission that investigated President John F. Kennedy's assassination, was killed with his flight instructor when their twin-engine plane crashed in Lake Winnipesaukee. Wesley J. Liebeler, 71, was counsel to the Warren Commission, which investigated the 1963 assassination. He was a professor at George Mason University in Virginia, and had homes in Newfane, Vt., and Malibu, Calif. Liebeler researched and wrote the part of the Warren Commission report that focused on Lee Harvey Oswald's biography, said David Lifton, author of "Best Evidence", a 1981 book critical of the report. Also killed was Alan Emerson, 58, a well-known instructor.
David Brudnoy in The Metro:
All hopefuls should take part in debates
Golly, we learned oodles during Tuesday night's brief encounter in Springfield, mainly that not being an "insider" (not actually being involved with government?) qualifies one to be governor. We're promised more of the same, ogling the two leading candidates, programmed down to Mitt Romney's elegantly understated tie and Shannon 0'Brien's fetching necklace. Some might say we've encountered the total plausible range of ideas held by our next governor.
Lincoln and Douglas may have stood in the boiling sun for hours several times in their 1858 debates, with no snotty journalists and fresh-scrubbed student questioners tossing softballs, but Tuesday's two-person rush to secure our judgment was one helluva informative thing, you betcha.
Or was it? Missing were the voices of other candidates who survived the grueling process of getting enough signatures to be on November's ballot. Libertarian Carla Howell got a letter from Worcester Polytechnic inviting her to next week's "debate," her appearance touted on the college's Web site, though whether the college had authority to invite her is problematic. She also believed that one TV sponsor, WGBH, had invited her too, though "Greater Boston" managing editor John Carroll demonstrated to me that she had been invited to his and Emily Rooney's show, not to the Oct. 2 debate.
Still, Howell has the right instinct: The TV and Boston Globe consortium who've concocted the next events should, in fairness, include all candidates, not just the Big Two, who inhabit a risk-averse zone, never venturing into unchartered waters, inadvertently saying anything controversial.
How did this TV-newspaper consortium en? And how did the Herald, planning its own debate Oct. 29, fail to notice the ballot's five gubernatorial names? The answer leaps to mind: major media see only major candidates as worthy of inclusion, just as they wouldn't even deign to report the results of September's Green and Libertarian primary totals. Down the memory hole: has anyone seen George Orwell?
The channels 2,4,5,7, NECN and Boston Globe consortium voted to exclude all but the Democrat and Republican. Carroll, of WGBH (2), informed Metro: "I'm not responsible to tell how I voted. The consortium speaks with one voice.' Oh? The Globe broke rank on Tuesday and revealed its vote to include all candidates; the Globe's Eileen McNamara urged the same in yesterday's column.
No TV station has forthrightly indicated its vote for packaged, big-guy debates fearful of coming off like bullies, guys? rather than for truly inclusive events. Hmm, they let all five Democrat candidates debate, even when Steve Grossman polled so abysmally as to be incapable of winning the nomination. And in 2000, all seven Republican presidential contenders, including the certifiable lunatic Alan Keyes, were allowed by TVs honchos to debate.
But now TV fears to provide a half-dozen two- or three-hour encounters with all five candidates participating. They've decided that since only the Republican or Democrat can win, voters shouldn't be able to consider alternatives. Gee, how did Ross Perot entice 20 million voters in 1992? Oh, right, he was allowed into the debates. One thing's certain: No minor party will ever become successful. Consider the Republican Party, founded in 1854. Whatever happened to it?
David Brudnoy is a Boston University journalism teacher, WBZ Radio talk host, and Community Newspaper Company's film critic.
Beijing photo blog. Some pretty good stuff here!
Optical illusion. I express my dubiety.
Stupidity meets physical reality. This is too good!
Initial superficial review of Lindows 2.0 and its alliance with AOL in a $199 PC at Wal-Mart. AOL has the money, motivation and market position to stick it to Microsoft. The Lindows PC might be just the tool they need to do it.
"Best of the Internet" as determined by Michigan librarians.
Cleaning off the old magazine shelf, items from a May 1998 issue of PC Magazine:
- Intel announces a new chip: the Celeron
- You could get a Gateway desktop PC with a 333 MHz Pentium II for $2500 that featured a 6.4 GB HD and 64 MB RAM, but no CD burner
- John Dvorak predicted the coming digital camera boom and passed on this bit of advice: "Make sure the cameras use removable media." Okay, John!
pilgarlic \pil-GAR-lik\ (noun)
1 : a bald head b : a bald-headed man
2 : a man looked upon with humorous contempt or mock pity
Example sentence: "An estimated 40 million American males boast the pilgarlic look, and nobody knows how many pretenders have discovered that bald is beautiful." (Dennis Wagner, The Phoenix Gazette, May 29, 1993)
Tastes change. If baldness has gained acceptance and even admiration, so too has garlic become a roundly popular culinary addition. We no longer equate baldness with negative personality traits, or speak contemptuously of "garlic-eaters." But after someone in the 16th century first likened a bald head to peeled garlic, "pilgarlic" was used (rather baldly, one might say) in uncomplimentary ways — "poor pilgarlic" was a phrase often employed. "Pil" was short for "pilled," which was (and still is) British dialect for "peeled." If the term "pilgarlic" is used derisively now, it doesn't necessarily refer to a bald person. In fact, in more recent times, perhaps the "pil" reminds some of "pill," a word for someone who is disagreeable or tiresome.
from www.Merriam-Webster.com
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Archos Jukebox Multimedia 20 combines USB 1.1, USB 2.0 and Firewire in a 20 GB hard drive device with video display and audio output. It also features SmartMedia and CompactFlash adapters. List price $420.
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More on the Kodak Pro DCS-14n here. The Kodak can record to two different formats of memory cards simultaneously! It automatically senses whether the shot should be portrait or landscape (gawd I wish that was on cheap cameras!).
Photokina site here.
Find Photokina news here.
More detailed Photokina news here.
At Photokina Minolta announces the Dimage Xi with 3.2 MP! Besides 50% more pixels (compared to my X) it adds user selectable ISO (ASA) settings and spot focus.
For those of you who are just about to go to B&H Photo and buy me that Canon Powershot G2 that's on my wish list, Canon announced the G3 at Photokina. I've decided that's the camera I can't live without. Let's hope they have it in the US before Christmas!
Good article in USAToday about Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and American business people today. If that article disappears, here's a copy.
The Museum of Sex opens in New York September 28. Dual membership starts at $62. Apparently they don't offer a single membership! I guess, they're waiting for a sponsor for the Onanism Wing before they allow singles.
Ya know, they just might actually tear down that Central Artery! I think these two photos show the area they are talking about.
The red star on this map shows the general location.
The red star on this map shows the general location.
My apologies to any readers who thought I might have anything interesting to say over the weekend. A friend of mine has had a health emergency and I've been sitting with him in the hospital. I've let him know that in future he is to coordinate his health needs with the reading needs of Ron's Log fans.
But I did manage to update my photo up there on the right (as I write). This new one was taken by Evert (probably my only Amsterdam reader) in Pennsylvania last month.
But I did manage to update my photo up there on the right (as I write). This new one was taken by Evert (probably my only Amsterdam reader) in Pennsylvania last month.
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