There is nothing like getting away, flushing out the system, surrounded by nature and good company. The men concluded this week that it all boils down to this question: If you believe that God exists, then you do not determine your own truth. If you don't believe he exists, then you are only honest if you become a nihilist.
Everything else in between is a compromise, a lack of courage at accepting the natural conclusion of your starting point.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Black and white Olympians
OK, so all the men in the 100m final were black. And all the swimmers in the finals of every race except the one medley relay were white.
The usual liberal argument is that black guys don't have any money, so they gravitate toward basketball and track where they spend all their time in the projects. They can't afford to go to the country club pool, so they don't.
I'm not your usual liberal. I think there are slightly different body types that go along with the different skin color. And, at the pinnacle of athletic performance, every little advantage counts.
The white swimmers have long torsos and short legs, and some bouyant baby fat. The black sprinters, long legs and no extra fat to weigh them down.
The usual liberal argument is that black guys don't have any money, so they gravitate toward basketball and track where they spend all their time in the projects. They can't afford to go to the country club pool, so they don't.
I'm not your usual liberal. I think there are slightly different body types that go along with the different skin color. And, at the pinnacle of athletic performance, every little advantage counts.
The white swimmers have long torsos and short legs, and some bouyant baby fat. The black sprinters, long legs and no extra fat to weigh them down.
Usain Bolt world record 9.68
The guy is impressive. But pulling up at the finish line while winning the gold and breaking the world record. What was that? It didn't seem very Olympian, even if he was just trying to have a fun time.
Safe, legal, and pervasive
This just in... the 2008 Democratic Party platform has been changed to drop the word "rare" from its abortion plank. Here's what it says now:
“The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.”
And they were trying to make room for pro-lifers under their big tent? Not very liberal of them.
Perhaps this is because in Hillary's New York, 72 of every 100 unborn babies are destroyed.
“The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.”
And they were trying to make room for pro-lifers under their big tent? Not very liberal of them.
Perhaps this is because in Hillary's New York, 72 of every 100 unborn babies are destroyed.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Working on vacation
One of the great things about consulting is you can work anywhere, anytime. If the family is staying in a hotel room someplace, I can get up an hour or two earlier, bill some time, and essentially pay for the day's room and board.
But that's the temptation, too, that never quite leaves you. Or me, at least. A big week of vacation coming up, and a looming book deadline. So tempting to crank out some chapters in the wee hours.
Am I liberated, or enslaved?
But that's the temptation, too, that never quite leaves you. Or me, at least. A big week of vacation coming up, and a looming book deadline. So tempting to crank out some chapters in the wee hours.
Am I liberated, or enslaved?
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Another way the Pill illiberates women
From the Times:
From The TimesAugust 13, 2008
The Pill may put you off smell of your man and ruin your relationshipMark Henderson, Science Editor
To millions of women it has been the great liberator over the past four decades, allowing them the freedom to control their fertility and their relationships. But the contraceptive Pill could also be responsible for skewing their hormones and attracting them to the “wrong” partner.
A study by British scientists suggests that taking the Pill can change a woman’s taste in men — to those who are genetically less compatible.
The research found that the Pill can alter the type of male scent that women find most attractive, which may in turn affect the kind of men they choose as partners. It suggests that the popular form of contraception — used by a quarter of British women aged between 16 and 50 — could have implications for fertility and relationship breakdowns.
The findings, from a team at the University of Liverpool, add to growing evidence that the hormones in the Pill influence the way that women assess male sexual attractiveness.
Times Archive 1965: The Pill
One need not take too seriously the suggestion that depression sometimes occurs because the Pill is too safe
Should my boyfriend be screened for sexual health?
I want to take my new beau to be screened, but he says it's unromantic. What should I do?
Background
Do I need protection during oral sex?
I'm embarrassed to have sex when I'm sober
Does size matter?
Sex Advice: Can a hot kitchen make me infertile?
A 15-year-old friend is pregnant after a drunken one-night stand
Related Links
Women will find theory smells distinctly off
Truly, madly, chemically in love
The Pill: it liberated a generation with little harm done
The Pill is thought to disrupt an instinctive mechanism that brings together people with complementary genes and immune systems. Such a couple, by passing on a wide-ranging set of immune system genes, increase their chances of having a healthy child that is not vulnerable to infection.
Couples with different genes are also less likely to experience fertility problems or miscarriages. Experts believe that women are naturally attracted to men with immune system genes different to their own because of their smell.
Commenting on the latest study, the researchers said that it could indicate that the Pill disrupts women’s ability to judge the genetic compatibility of men by means of their smell.
They said that this might not only impact on fertility and miscarriage risk, but could even contribute to the end of relationships as women who stop or start taking the Pill no longer find their boyfriend or husband so attractive.
Several previous studies have suggested that women tend to prefer the smell of men who are different from them in a cluster of genes called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which governs the immune system. Some of these studies have also found that this effect is not seen among Pill users.
The latest study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society, has now assessed the impact of Pill use in the same women, both before and after they began using oral contraception. A group of 97 women was tested, some of whom started taking the Pill during the course of the research. All had their MHC genes tested and were asked to sniff T-shirts worn in bed by men with different patterns of MHC genes.
Unlike some previous studies, the research did not find any preference for dissimilar MHC genes. However, when the women started taking the Pill their preferences shifted towards the scent of men with more similar genes to their own.
This suggests that Pill use has an effect on perceptions of scent attractiveness, even if there is no underlying female preference for similar or dissimilar MHC genes.
Craig Roberts, who led the study, said: “The results showed that the preferences of women who began using the Pill shifted towards men with genetically similar odours. Not only could MHC-similarity in couples lead to fertility problems, but it could ultimately lead to the breakdown of relationships when women stop using the Pill, as odour perception plays a significant role in maintaining attraction to partners.”
The research also found differences between women in relationships, who tended to prefer odours of men with different MHC genes, and single women, who tended to prefer the smell of MHC-similar men.
This could potentially indicate that if women are tempted to have an affair, they are more likely to choose a man with very different genes, to maximise the diversity of any offspring that they might have.
The scientists said that more work was needed to explain the way various studies have obtained different results on whether women naturally prefer men with different or similar MHC genes. They also cautioned that the importance of scent in human mating preferences remains uncertain.
The research backs up an earlier study of how women’s perceptions of partners can alter when taking the Pill. Psychologists from St Andrews and Stirling universities found that women on the Pill tend to prefer macho types with strong jaw lines and prominent cheekbones.
However, women who are not taking that form of contraception seem to be more likely to go for more sensitive types of men without traditionally masculine features.
A blessing - or a burden
“I sometimes think that being widowed is God’s way of telling you to come off the Pill” Victoria Wood
“No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother” Margaret Sanger, nurse and birth control activist
“The Pill, to a great degree, made possible the (hetero)sexual revolution. Yet those who developed oral contraceptives did not intend to promote what the majority of Americans at the time called promiscuity” Beth Bailey, historian
“The freedom that women were supposed to have found in the Sixties largely boiled down to easy contraception and abortion; things to make life easier for men, in fact” Julie Burchill, columnist
“In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self. This . . . destroys the gift of love in him or her” Mother Teresa
From The TimesAugust 13, 2008
The Pill may put you off smell of your man and ruin your relationshipMark Henderson, Science Editor
To millions of women it has been the great liberator over the past four decades, allowing them the freedom to control their fertility and their relationships. But the contraceptive Pill could also be responsible for skewing their hormones and attracting them to the “wrong” partner.
A study by British scientists suggests that taking the Pill can change a woman’s taste in men — to those who are genetically less compatible.
The research found that the Pill can alter the type of male scent that women find most attractive, which may in turn affect the kind of men they choose as partners. It suggests that the popular form of contraception — used by a quarter of British women aged between 16 and 50 — could have implications for fertility and relationship breakdowns.
The findings, from a team at the University of Liverpool, add to growing evidence that the hormones in the Pill influence the way that women assess male sexual attractiveness.
Times Archive 1965: The Pill
One need not take too seriously the suggestion that depression sometimes occurs because the Pill is too safe
Should my boyfriend be screened for sexual health?
I want to take my new beau to be screened, but he says it's unromantic. What should I do?
Background
Do I need protection during oral sex?
I'm embarrassed to have sex when I'm sober
Does size matter?
Sex Advice: Can a hot kitchen make me infertile?
A 15-year-old friend is pregnant after a drunken one-night stand
Related Links
Women will find theory smells distinctly off
Truly, madly, chemically in love
The Pill: it liberated a generation with little harm done
The Pill is thought to disrupt an instinctive mechanism that brings together people with complementary genes and immune systems. Such a couple, by passing on a wide-ranging set of immune system genes, increase their chances of having a healthy child that is not vulnerable to infection.
Couples with different genes are also less likely to experience fertility problems or miscarriages. Experts believe that women are naturally attracted to men with immune system genes different to their own because of their smell.
Commenting on the latest study, the researchers said that it could indicate that the Pill disrupts women’s ability to judge the genetic compatibility of men by means of their smell.
They said that this might not only impact on fertility and miscarriage risk, but could even contribute to the end of relationships as women who stop or start taking the Pill no longer find their boyfriend or husband so attractive.
Several previous studies have suggested that women tend to prefer the smell of men who are different from them in a cluster of genes called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which governs the immune system. Some of these studies have also found that this effect is not seen among Pill users.
The latest study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society, has now assessed the impact of Pill use in the same women, both before and after they began using oral contraception. A group of 97 women was tested, some of whom started taking the Pill during the course of the research. All had their MHC genes tested and were asked to sniff T-shirts worn in bed by men with different patterns of MHC genes.
Unlike some previous studies, the research did not find any preference for dissimilar MHC genes. However, when the women started taking the Pill their preferences shifted towards the scent of men with more similar genes to their own.
This suggests that Pill use has an effect on perceptions of scent attractiveness, even if there is no underlying female preference for similar or dissimilar MHC genes.
Craig Roberts, who led the study, said: “The results showed that the preferences of women who began using the Pill shifted towards men with genetically similar odours. Not only could MHC-similarity in couples lead to fertility problems, but it could ultimately lead to the breakdown of relationships when women stop using the Pill, as odour perception plays a significant role in maintaining attraction to partners.”
The research also found differences between women in relationships, who tended to prefer odours of men with different MHC genes, and single women, who tended to prefer the smell of MHC-similar men.
This could potentially indicate that if women are tempted to have an affair, they are more likely to choose a man with very different genes, to maximise the diversity of any offspring that they might have.
The scientists said that more work was needed to explain the way various studies have obtained different results on whether women naturally prefer men with different or similar MHC genes. They also cautioned that the importance of scent in human mating preferences remains uncertain.
The research backs up an earlier study of how women’s perceptions of partners can alter when taking the Pill. Psychologists from St Andrews and Stirling universities found that women on the Pill tend to prefer macho types with strong jaw lines and prominent cheekbones.
However, women who are not taking that form of contraception seem to be more likely to go for more sensitive types of men without traditionally masculine features.
A blessing - or a burden
“I sometimes think that being widowed is God’s way of telling you to come off the Pill” Victoria Wood
“No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother” Margaret Sanger, nurse and birth control activist
“The Pill, to a great degree, made possible the (hetero)sexual revolution. Yet those who developed oral contraceptives did not intend to promote what the majority of Americans at the time called promiscuity” Beth Bailey, historian
“The freedom that women were supposed to have found in the Sixties largely boiled down to easy contraception and abortion; things to make life easier for men, in fact” Julie Burchill, columnist
“In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self. This . . . destroys the gift of love in him or her” Mother Teresa
Saturday, August 9, 2008
NPR - liberal's voice
Apparently 99% of American journalists are for Obama, up from 95% for Kerry. This makes us liberals a little uncomfortable. Because the media, after all, is a public good, and it should be fair.
But deep down, this makes us a little smug, too. It reinforces our self perception that we are more enlightened.
I don't know if this is anywhere more exemplified than on NPR, or the BBC. You tune in, and it feels liberal. Thoughtful. Global.
There isn't any of the nationalistic, NASCAR, over-the-top statements you get on Limbaugh.
But deep down, this makes us a little smug, too. It reinforces our self perception that we are more enlightened.
I don't know if this is anywhere more exemplified than on NPR, or the BBC. You tune in, and it feels liberal. Thoughtful. Global.
There isn't any of the nationalistic, NASCAR, over-the-top statements you get on Limbaugh.
Liberal mecca: the farmer's market
I don't know why it is, but in whichever city I am, the farmer's market is a haven for liberals. Not that I ask anyone their political affiliation, but you can tell: gay couples, women without makeup, just the "no boundaries" feel of it. I get the same feel whenever I'm in a Whole Foods store, or the most high-end grocery store in an urban area.
Maybe this is why: for all of the athiests among us liberals, the religion of staying healthy and tending to the environment is our communal worship, our way of relating to each other.
Maybe this is why: for all of the athiests among us liberals, the religion of staying healthy and tending to the environment is our communal worship, our way of relating to each other.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The IT guy
I met a new client yesterday. I'd forgotten to pray about the first meeting, but out of habit, was seeking ways to relate, to connect. It turned out both our wives were having pregnancy-related difficulties. I wouldn't have found this out had I not shared my situation first. But, that broke the ice.
At the end of the meeting, when we were parting, going in opposite directions, at a safe distance, his last words to me were that he would pray for me.
I like that about IT guys.
At the end of the meeting, when we were parting, going in opposite directions, at a safe distance, his last words to me were that he would pray for me.
I like that about IT guys.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The abortionesses
Yesterday morning I attended a Mass at a new chapel overlooking an abortion clinic, one of the handful in town stationed conspicuously in black neighborhoods. Kneeling in the adoration room, the only thing between you and the entrance to the abortion facility forty feet away is the tabernacle and two corner windows. I felt a little dizzy.
Later that night was my high school reunion. I went with mixed intentions - in hopes of seeing people I'd lost touch with, and to see how other people turned out.
All of the girls from my old neighborhood were there. To the girl, they went to public schools, started having sex early, and before they were married, had had at least one abortion. One, who aborted in ninth grade, had left the Church, married, became a pro-life advocate, had kids, divorced, and remarried. Another married after two abortions, renewed her Catholic faith, had four kids, but intentionally stopped there. One, who had aborted twice, including her future Catholic husband's first child, caught him in an affair, and is on the path to divorce. Another married, had two kids, intentionally stopped, but is still married.
If only their parents were paying attention to how early they had gone so far off course.
Later that night was my high school reunion. I went with mixed intentions - in hopes of seeing people I'd lost touch with, and to see how other people turned out.
All of the girls from my old neighborhood were there. To the girl, they went to public schools, started having sex early, and before they were married, had had at least one abortion. One, who aborted in ninth grade, had left the Church, married, became a pro-life advocate, had kids, divorced, and remarried. Another married after two abortions, renewed her Catholic faith, had four kids, but intentionally stopped there. One, who had aborted twice, including her future Catholic husband's first child, caught him in an affair, and is on the path to divorce. Another married, had two kids, intentionally stopped, but is still married.
If only their parents were paying attention to how early they had gone so far off course.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Episcopals, the UN, and Catholics
I stopped in the Episcopal church's bookstore down the street from the UN. The Episcopal church has liberally and explicitly equated its current mission with the UN's Milennium Development Goals.
Says their bishop:
“But Episcopalians tend to be better educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.” Episcopalians, she said, aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children—indeed, “it’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.” Applauding her parents’ decision to leave the Catholic Church and become Episcopalians when she was nine, Bishop Schori added, “I think my parents were looking for a place where wrestling with questions was encouraged rather than discouraged.”
Says their bishop:
“But Episcopalians tend to be better educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.” Episcopalians, she said, aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children—indeed, “it’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.” Applauding her parents’ decision to leave the Catholic Church and become Episcopalians when she was nine, Bishop Schori added, “I think my parents were looking for a place where wrestling with questions was encouraged rather than discouraged.”
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