"On Good and Evil"

It is obvious to me
Who the good guys are in this one
And who the bad guys are.
The bad guys are the ones
Who say Israel is a stinking corpse,
And should be wiped off
The face of the earth.

That's not a good guy.

(Sarah Palin. To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)

More here.

'Cosmopolitan' Institute Completes Decades-Long Study On How To Please Your Man Email

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/cosmopolitan_institute_completes

Taking tree hugging to a whole new level

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/10tree.html?hp

Explaining the Sara Palin effect to snooty Europeans

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7600000/7600592.stm


"We fry things nobody ever considered friable - things like cupcakes, banana sandwiches and batter dipped artificial cheese…even pickles."

Avoiding high-fructose corn syrup makes you a racist

Just came across this ad, produced quietly by the Corn Refiners Association, in favor of high-fructose corn syrup. I was tempted to introduce it, with references to white guilt and the 3 AM ad, but I think it pretty much speaks for itself.



Here's a direct link to the second spot, which features a picnicking couple and a phallic dessert to help encourage you to down more sugary corn-derived swill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgXPt564Q

Onion News Network?! I'm in love.

Um, this is pitch-perfect. These people have the news personae down even better than The Daily Show, I think. Just awesome.

On the religiosity of Evolutionists

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/evolutionists_flock_to_darwin

Tour of Wasilla

I hate to say it, but this looks a little like my hometown. Except that we have nothing quite as flashy as the the Sports Complex in Mt Vernon, though we have Target AND BigK AND SuperWalmart. Plus, last time I went home, they had given the Dairy Queen a flashy remodel.

Economists: Selfish Bastards

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/economics_frank/frank.html

Here's a post I found on BoingBoing pointing to an older paper looking at whether the study of economics inhibits cooperation.

In the course of researching my next novel, I happened upon this old paper by Robert H. Frank, Thomas Gilovich, and Dennis T. Regan, "Does Studying Economics Inhibit Cooperation?" Its conclusions: Economics grad students are more likely to free ride than the general public. Economists are less generous than other academics in charitable giving. Economics undergrads are more likely to defect in prisoner's dilemma problems. Students are less likely to return found money after studying economics but not after studying another subject like astronomy. No wonder they call it "the dismal science."

A study by Gerald Marwell and Ruth Ames found that students of economics are indeed much more likely to free-ride in experiments that called for private contributions to public goods. Their basic experiment involved a group of subjects who were given an initial endowment of money, which they were to allocate between two accounts, one “public,” the other “private.” Money deposited in a subject's private account was returned dollar for dollar to the subject at the end of the experiment. Money deposited in the public account was first pooled, then multiplied by some factor greater than one, and then distributed equally among all subjects.

Under these circumstances, the socially optimal behavior is for each subject to put her entire endowment in the public account. But the individually most advantageous strategy is to put all of it in the private account. The self-interest model predicts that all subjects will follow the latter strategy. Most don't. Across eleven replications of the experiment, the average contribution to the public account was approximately 49 percent.

It was only in a twelfth replication with first-year graduate students in economics as subjects that Marwell and Ames obtained results more nearly consistent with the self-interest model. These subjects contributed an average of only 20 percent of their initial endowments to the public account, a figure significantly less than the corresponding figure for noneconomists (p.05).

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/04/economists-selfish-b.html

hilarious craigslist post

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/pet/824400966.html

Russia's Vladimir Putin saves TV crew from Siberian tiger

Russia's Putin Saves TV Crew From Siberian Tiger

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was feted by Russian media on Sunday for saving a television crew from an attack by a Siberian tiger in the wilds of the Far East.

Putin, taking a break from lambasting the West over Georgia, apparently saved the crew while on a trip to a national park to see how researchers monitor the tigers in the wild.

Just as Putin was arriving with a group of wildlife specialists to see a trapped Amur tiger, it escaped and ran towards a nearby camera crew, the country's main television station said. Putin quickly shot the beast and sedated it with a tranquilizer gun.

"Vladimir Putin not only managed to see the giant predator up close but also saved our television crew too," a presenter on Rossiya television said at the start of the main evening news.

The 55-year-old former KGB spy, who cultivated a macho image during his eight years as the Kremlin chief, was shown striding through the taiga in camouflage and desert boots before grappling with the feline foe.

He helped measure the Amur tiger's incisors before placing a satellite transmitter around the neck of the beast, which can weigh up to 1,000 lb and measure around ten feet from nose to the tip of the tail.

The Amur tiger, the world's biggest wild cat, has recently pounced back from the brink of extinction to hit its highest population level for at least 100 years, the WWF said last year.

Putin thanked Western researchers for being involved in programs to save the Amur tigers.

"First of all, we must thank our colleagues, Americans, European colleagues for being involved with this during a difficult time for Russia when no-one was paying any attention to this," Putin said.

Putin last year made it into glossy magazines across the world by donning combat trousers and baring his muscular torso for photographers while on a fishing trip in the Yenisei river.

Sensitive to a growing environmental movement in Russia, Putin as president redrew a planned oil pipeline route to avoid Lake Baikal and scrapped plans for an Olympic village near Sochi that could have damaged local flora and fauna.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080831/wl_nm/russia_putin_tiger_dc_1

"Bush Lets War Widow Punch His Arm Once" - The Onion

Bush Lets War Widow Punch His Arm Once

WASHINGTON—In an unprecedented gesture of apology, President Bush allowed widow Mary Holt, 32, to punch him once on the left arm Monday as retribution for the death of her husband, Marine Pfc. David Holt, who was killed in a 2007 roadside bomb explosion outside Fallujah. "President Bush cares very deeply about the families of our fallen heroes," said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, who later explained the stipulations of the punch, which included no monkey bubbles or taking a running start. "The president gladly would have let Mrs. Holt punch his favored right arm if it didn't still sting from when little Abigail Pritchard give him a five-second Indian burn for her grandmother being killed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina." After delivering the blow, Holt reportedly sustained massive internal hemorrhaging when five Secret Service agents tackled the grieving widow to the ground.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/bush_lets_war_widow_punch

"Snoop"

A priceless excerpt from the book Nicole and I have been reading, "Snoop"
From the maker of youjustgetme.com (we both have a new academic crush!)


"Narcissits are a fascinating group. Unlike many people with extreme personalities - those who are paranoid or excessively emotional and attention-seeking - narcissists often function well in positions of power and responsibility. My colleague Daniel Ames at Columbia University's School of Business allows his MBA students, all of whom are exceptionally high-functioning, to take various personality questionnaires, and he offers the students feedback on the scores. A few years back, one student got the maximum possible score on the narcissism test. Given that most people view narcissism negatively, Ames was concerned taht the feedback might some as a shock to the student. But he need not have worried. The student's high levels of narcissism swung into action to construe this troubling information in a positive light. Ames later overheard the student telling another, "I aced the narcissism test- I got every single question right".

Now I Call THAT Procrastination

Noresund bed frame: $149.
Skrova midbeam: Free with Noresund
Sultan Florvag Mattress: $149
Sultan Timan Pillowtop $49
Sultan Lade Slatted Bed Base $30

The whole $380 package for $125, a $30 cab ride and a $40 Zipcar rental... and a wild adventure in Dorchester.... priceless.

Yes, I booked the car for the wrong day. The closet available Zipcar to Brighton was in Dorchester. We'd just been saying that we needed to try out new neighborhoods...

Shawn Johnson

Haha, I love d listed.

http://www.dlisted.com/node/28015

Pure Brilliance-- Thank you, Jon Stewart!

Does anyone else remember Sweet Valley Twins?

http://thedairiburger.wordpress.com/

Sugar

I guess as stress rises we are all hitting the sugar.
I made an orgasmic crème brûlée. There are two more in the fridge. If anyone wants come by after 9:30 when i get back from the gym (where I am going to pay for my sins)

death

Work...impossible....

Must...go eat birthday frosting from the can in the fridge...

Dudes, I am becoming PATHETIC. Someone help me procrastinate in a way that keeps me from the frosting can, please!

A research project to envy

This is super fun-- psychologists doing research to find out how accurately people's impressions of you match your own impressions of yourself. You judge random people based on their profiles, or invite your friends to evaluate you. All identifiers get stripped off, then they'll use it for publication purposes. Really interesting, plus a GREAT way to waste time: You Just Get Me.

Also ingenious: you can buy the graphical representation of your personality printed on a t-shirt, and the proceeds will fund their research. Now that's a business plan!

Guy looking for intellectual ass!

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ers/813115713.html

Bust out your dictionary!

Italian priest to hold nun beauty pageant

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7581039.stm
style="">"An Italian priest says he is organising the world's first beauty pageant for nuns to erase a stereotype of them as being old and dour"
DIRTY ITALIANS!!!

I'm in love

With Arnold's Sandwich Thins. Oh, perfect cross between a pita and a roll! You have replaced every other shitty bread substitute in my life. Substantial enough to not feel gypped! Just the right amount of springy goodness without giving me a carb hangover! Arnold, you are my hero!

On unrootedness

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/weekinreview/24powe.html?pagewanted=1&ref=weekinreview


“Unrootedness is, and always has been, part and parcel of being American,” Arnold Rampersad, a professor at Stanford University and biographer of Ralph Ellison and Hughes, said in an e-mail message. “It is the flip side of perhaps the defining aspect of Americanness, the capacity of its citizens to reinvent themselves.”

Elaborate Sunday Dinner

Much more fun than working: a cooking project. I got a slow cooker from Walgreen's (on sale for $5.99 w/ rebate!), and decided to embark. Tonight's feast:

Pulled beer-braised pork w/ bbq sauce
Sweet Corn Cake (reduced the fat to less than half by substituting creamed corn)
Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
Bud Lite w/ Lime
And Friendly's Watermelon Roll for dessert!

If anyone wants to join me, the pork should be done around 7:30. You're totally welcome to!

Namibia

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=80fb2db70489c34e5289369d52b6e846c918e32e

spent an hour procrastinating on Google Earth after watching this video. Of note are:

Swakopmund:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swakopmund
Crazy germanic colonial settlement!
Interesting facts
- In October 2000 an agreement was signed between the Namibian and People's Republic of China governments to build a satellite tracking station at Swakopmund
- Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie was born here

Sossusvlei
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sossusvlei
Amazing sand dunes!


Quiver Trees:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_dichotoma

The Namib Desert
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namib_Desert

The Kalahari Desert:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalahari_Desert

When in graduate school...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7210610/

"CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Lauren Willig’s academic adviser laughed when she told him why she enrolled in Harvard’s graduate history program: to write a historically accurate romance novel"

Here's a Few Entertaining Animated .GIFs

1. Oh Snap!
2. Al Sharpton in the Matrix
3. The Hypnotic Hasselhoff
4. LOLCats Galore!
5. P Diddy Calls Bjork on the Telephone
6. Studying For Generals
7. He-Man Gets Off on Some Familiar Faces
8. Grover Gets Down!
9. Just Dance.
10. Backflip and Nunchakus
    
    

Craigslist. Yes indeed.

I have posted.

Guy Attempts to Eat Michael Phelps Daily Breakfast in Under 5 Minutes

Major League Eater Crazy Legs Conti attempts to consume Michael Phelps' breakfast in less than five minutes -- Three pancakes, three french toasts, three fried egg sandwiches, a bowl of grits, an omelet and two cups of coffee.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Tom Giesler - My Anatomy

Creative anatomy drawings from artist Tom Giesler:

why???

I have the illness. Repeat, I have the illness.

Tips on conquering it much appreciated.

P.S. I had a dream last night that I accidentally made my flashcards on things I read in "US Weekly" instead of on the generals articles!

Corrections to Last Month's Letters to Penthouse Forum

CORRECTIONS TO LAST
MONTH'S LETTERS TO
PENTHOUSE FORUM.
BY DAVID COPPER

http://mcsweeneys.net/2008/7/28copper.html

- - - -

In the letter "Laying Late-Night Cable," it was misstated that "Shelly became immediately aroused at the sight of my rock-hard member straining to be free from my jeans." In truth, Shelly's initial demeanor would be best described as visibly uncomfortable and leery. She did not achieve a state of arousal until learning—after several awkward drinks—that performing fellatio would result in a free month of HBO and Starz.

- - - -

In the letter "Three-Way Freeway," it was implied that "Diana" begged for the opportunity to participate in sexual relations with her roommate and her roommate's boyfriend after accidentally walking in on their "sweaty, all-night lovemaking session." In actual fact, "Diana" was not aware of her participation in the "love sandwich" until she regained consciousness later that evening.

- - - -

In the letter "Calling Dr. Love," it was suggested that the letter writer's "throbbing member was purple with pulsating lust" until if found release in "the warm, wet mouth of an off-duty nurse in a hospital supply closet." The actual cause of said member's throbbing and discolored state was an unfortunate softball-related accident that landed him the in the hospital's emergency room. He is currently recovering from his injuries while facing harassment charges from several nurses and staff janitors.

- - - -

In the letter "And Wifey Makes Three," the letter writer stated: "My wife was eager to engage in a threesome with me and our incredibly hot 19-year-old babysitter." The sentence should read: "My wife was disgusted, repulsed, and, in every imaginable way, opposed to the thought of engaging in a threesome with me and our incredibly hot 19-year-old babysitter." Nor did the wife "wildly undulate" while seated on the face of the babysitter, or "moan in unending pleasure" as she watched her "superstud" of a husband give the babysitter "a good seeing-to." The letter writer also doesn't fight crime on the weekends from the confines of a secret underground lair.

- - - -

In the letter "Rent Payments," the letter writer described his landlady as having "the flawlessly tanned and toned body of a much younger woman" and "full, pouty lips that promised—and later delivered—satisfaction." The landlady, in fact, does not exist. Nor does the letter writer possess "an impressive love-tool that all the ladies crave." He did, however, totally make out with this one girl once and they were so going to do it, until his mom came home. Really.

- - - -

Penthouse Forum regrets these errors.

Femal Hysteria - Origins of the Vibrator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria

Patients diagnosed with female hysteria would sometimes undergo "pelvic massage" — manual stimulation of the woman's genitals by the doctor to "hysterical paroxysm", which is now recognized as orgasm

Rachael P. Maines, author of The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction, has observed that such cases were quite profitable for physicians, since the patients were at no risk of death but needed constant treatment. The only problem was that physicians did not enjoy the tedious task of vaginal massage (generally referred to as 'pelvic massage'): The technique was difficult for a physician to master and could take hours to achieve "hysterical paroxysm." Referral to midwives, which had been common practice, meant a loss of business for the physician.^[1]

A solution was the invention of massage devices, which shortened treatment from hours to minutes, removing the need for midwives and increasing a physician’s treatment capacity. Already at the turn of the century, hydrotherapy devices were available at Bath, and by the mid-19th century, they were popular at many high-profile bathing resorts across Europe and in America. By 1870, a clockwork-driven vibrator was available for physicians. In 1873, the first electromechanical vibrator was used at an asylum in France for the treatment of hysteria.

While physicians of the period acknowledged that the disorder stemmed from sexual dissatisfaction, they seemed unaware of or unwilling to admit the sexual purposes of the devices used to treat it. In fact, the introduction of the speculum was far more controversial than that of the vibrator,^[1] perhaps because of its phallic nature.

A 1918 Sears, Roebuck and Co. ad with several models of vibrators.

By the turn of the century, the spread of home electricity brought the vibrator to the consumer market. The appeal of cheaper treatment in the privacy of one’s own home understandably made the vibrator a popular early home appliance. In fact, the electric home vibrator was on the market before many other home appliance ’essentials’: nine years before the electric vacuum cleaner and 10 years before the electric iron.^[1] A page from a Sears catalog of home electrical appliances from 1918 includes a portable vibrator with attachments, billed as ”Very useful and satisfactory for home service.”

A Morning in the Life

The morning started off well... awake at 9:00 and ready to start the day!
Before beginning work, of course, I had a few tasks to take care of:

• Dishes (lots of them)
  
• Read about how to make French Press Coffee (CoffeeGeek.com is obsessively wonderful). Despite the fact that I have expensive and delicious Murky Coffee I brought back from DC, lament that my grinder is apparently actually a "product pretending to be a grinder," meaning I am sure to get a sludgy, awful cup of press coffee. Apparently I didn't do my research. Do said research. Stop lamenting, because the recommended Bodum burr grinder, is $129 on Amazon.com, while my Hamilton Beach Custom Grind cost $19.99. Remember that I am a grad student, not a fancy pants professional, and sometimes the life of the mind requires sacrifices. Make the coffee. Enjoy it for its perfect location at the intersection of taste and thrift.
  
• While enjoying said coffee, watch Joe Biden's old appearance on The Daily Show in honor of his choice as VP.
  
• Take the test in Stuff White People Like to determine my degree of whiteness. Despite the fact that I am simultaneously enjoying coffee (#1) and The Daily Show (#35), I only turn up 44% white. Can't decide whether to be happy or sad about this.
  
• Write this post.

So much accomplished in a mere hour and a half. Maybe now it's time to work? Or to clean my room!

Wikipedia on Procrastination

Procrastination is a type of behaviour which is characterised by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. ^[1]

For an individual, procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and the disapproval of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments. These combined feelings can promote further procrastination. While it is normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.

The word itself comes from the Latin word procrastinatus: pro- (forward) and crastinus (of tomorrow). The term's first known appearance was in Edward Hall's Chronicle (The union of the two noble and illustre famelies of Lancestre and Yorke), first published sometime before 1548.^[2] The sermon reflected procrastination's connection at the time to task avoidance or delay, volition or will, and sin.

W.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEyJ2kdaaTQ

I went to the cinema to see Pineapple express yesterday and this trailer came on during the previews.

You watch the first 30 seconds of it, see this young cad, and think to yourself...lord not another movie about some goodlooking loser who goes around whoring, drinking, gambling....until the penny drops and you figure out it's W. Then your jaw drops!

I can't believe Oliver Stone is making this movie!