The word "nature" is an artificial construct.
Humans are animals, just like beavers and prairie dogs. But, we would never think to call a beaver dam or prairie dog town unnatural. Why do we call a human dam or human town unnatural, a.k.a. technological or civilized or whatever your favorite descriptive term is that humans use to try and forget that they are part of nature.
I am not espousing human "progress", quite the contrary. I think nature is the sum of the earth and everthing on it. Humans tend to excuse their mess by saying it's not part of nature. In doing this, a subconscious hierarchy is established. To follow this theory, due to the development of the human ego, it is implicit that human constructs are superior to nature. But, of course, this is a logical fallacy since humans are a part of nature.
To me, that means to truly be superior, humans must elevate all of nature. Do we still get to have cities and cars and computers? You betcha. But, we need to make sure that we are not breaking the system and if we are, to fix it.
I've always thought the real shame of humanity is to be intelligent enough to see the harm that we are creating, but not wise enough to stop it.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Weapons of Mass Destruction
I am very disturbed by the latest happenings in world politics, namely, North Korea's testing of a nuclear device. I find it disturbing on many levels.
I am disturbed that another nuclear weapon has been made, with rumors that N. Korea has enough plutonium for 9 bombs. We already have enough nuclear weaopns on the planet to completely eradicate all life and actually crack the planet into pieces. It just seems that the more weapons that are made, the higher the likelihood that they will be used.
I am disturbed that the United States foreign policy seems to be "Do the opposite of whatever we should do" when it comes to N. Korea. N. Korea wants to talk, the U.S. doesn't want to. S. Korea sets up multilateral talks a week before the nuclear testing and Secretary Rice decides to skip the meeting to spend an extra day in Kurdish held Iraq on her 'surprise' visit to Iraq, which causes the talks to be cancelled completely. Hadn't the President been saying that the only reason we were not in a discussion with N. Korea was because they needed to multilateral and not bilateral?
I am disturbed that a President can tell us to never forget September 11, 2001 and that we must be vigilant and fight terror throughout the world; AND yet, go to war on fabricated charges of Weapons of Mass Destruction, while not even talking with the emissaries of a power, whom he deemed part of the Axis of Evil, that openly admits that it has Weapons of Mass Destruntion asd is creating more. How can you forget, Mr. President?
I am disturbed that after six years in office, "the most powerful man in the free world" can still not pronounce the word "nuclear".
I am disturbed most of all by the fact that the vast majority of people don't seem to care at all. As election day quickly approaches, I know that 85% of eligible voters are not going to vote, and no matter how many phone calls I make, or emails I write, that this is not going to change. More people seem to care about Paris Hilton's latest sexploits than how or if the U.S. is going to deal with a man they have proclaimed a 'madman', who has become a madman with nuclear strike capability.
I am disturbed that another nuclear weapon has been made, with rumors that N. Korea has enough plutonium for 9 bombs. We already have enough nuclear weaopns on the planet to completely eradicate all life and actually crack the planet into pieces. It just seems that the more weapons that are made, the higher the likelihood that they will be used.
I am disturbed that the United States foreign policy seems to be "Do the opposite of whatever we should do" when it comes to N. Korea. N. Korea wants to talk, the U.S. doesn't want to. S. Korea sets up multilateral talks a week before the nuclear testing and Secretary Rice decides to skip the meeting to spend an extra day in Kurdish held Iraq on her 'surprise' visit to Iraq, which causes the talks to be cancelled completely. Hadn't the President been saying that the only reason we were not in a discussion with N. Korea was because they needed to multilateral and not bilateral?
I am disturbed that a President can tell us to never forget September 11, 2001 and that we must be vigilant and fight terror throughout the world; AND yet, go to war on fabricated charges of Weapons of Mass Destruction, while not even talking with the emissaries of a power, whom he deemed part of the Axis of Evil, that openly admits that it has Weapons of Mass Destruntion asd is creating more. How can you forget, Mr. President?
I am disturbed that after six years in office, "the most powerful man in the free world" can still not pronounce the word "nuclear".
I am disturbed most of all by the fact that the vast majority of people don't seem to care at all. As election day quickly approaches, I know that 85% of eligible voters are not going to vote, and no matter how many phone calls I make, or emails I write, that this is not going to change. More people seem to care about Paris Hilton's latest sexploits than how or if the U.S. is going to deal with a man they have proclaimed a 'madman', who has become a madman with nuclear strike capability.
Friday, September 29, 2006
No on 43
This evening, I listened to the City Club on OPB radio. The topic was ballot measure 43. This is the ballot measure that will require 15 to 17 year old girls who wish to have an abortion to get parental consent, or if they can't or won't do that, to get permission from a judge. To see the text of the ballot measure go here.
The proponents of the measure say it is to foster better child-parent relationships. They argue that it is not anti-abortion, it is anti-kids-doing-things-without-their-parents-knowing.
I'm not going to go into the opponent's arguments. They are very clearly laid out by people more informed and more eloquent than I. No on 43
Instead, I would like to explain why the flaws in the proponents arguments are enough to convince me to vote against 43. I will be refuting the points straight from the Yes on 43 website. Their first point is that Oregon is behind the times because it is one of only six states that have not passed a parental involvement law, and further more that the laws in other states have not been shown to be unconstitutional. Unconstitutional, to me, sounds like illegal. And behind the times, sounds like "everyone else is doing it", which by they way is stereotypically the kid's line, not the responsible parent's. So, there first reason becomes that Oregon should pass this law because everyone else is doing it and it's not illegal. You know, that is exactly what people told me about smoking when I was a teenager. "Come on, man. Everybody smokes and you're 18 now, so nobody can stop you." Well, not everybody smokes and it turns out it is legal to give yourself and other lung cancer. What is not mentioned, is that of the 44 states that already have some type of parental consent law, how many of those state's laws are like Oregon's proposal. Many states, 16 of them to be exact, do have parental consent laws. But, wait a minute, I thought it was all but 6? The other 28 states have parental notification laws, or another type of law, with multiple states having the laws on hold while the court system decides the constitutionality of the law. So, it doesn't look like everybody else is doing it, and it doesn't look like everybody else thinks it's not illegal.
The second point that Yes on 43 makes is that bypass protects victims of rape, incest and abuse. They state that "parental notification laws provide help to girls who have been victimized, rather than just allowing them to have an abortion in secret and returning to the abusive situation." Wow. So, let me get this right, if step-dad is molesting a girl and she goes to get an abortion because he has impregnated her, notifying him of this makes the problem go away? I had know idea it worked like that. I would have thought that he would be pissed off and the abuse would escalate.
The third argument is that girls don't talk about it with their parents. Enacting this law doesn't change that fact. The young woman can simply talk to a judge, and the parents still do not know. See above for why they may not want to talk to their parents about getting an abortion.
Fourth, that this is a traumatic and emotional time for the young woman, who may not have thought out all of the ramifications of her actions. That is true. It is also true if the woman in question is 25. Why do 25 year olds not need consent from one of their parents? Also, how does a certified letter coming in the mail, especially if the young woman has not told her parent(s) about the pregnancy, make the time any less traumatic or emotional. If the parent is angry, it may make it considerably more traumatic and emotional.
There are two further points I would like to make. The first is a response to the general mission statement by the proponents of ballot measure 43, that this is not about abortion, it is about communicating with children through a potentially difficult time. That sounds great, doesn't it? But, if that were really the reason for this ballot measure, why is the aim not to repeal the Oregon law that allows teens to be medically emancipated at the age of 15? Why is it only abortion and cancer treatments or treatments for sexually transmitted diseases? Why is it only girls and not boys?
The second and final issue of the evening, is about the methodology used by Yes on 43 in stating their statistical evidence. They are skewing the facts in their favor. Let me use an example from the Yes on 43 website, with all links provided so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. On the page entitled The Facts, They state that in 2004 there were 1957 abortions had by teen-agers. They provide a link to a document by DHS, which lists a breakdown by age. 51 abortions were had be girls under the age of 15. 1906 were had be girls aged 15 to 19. So, it may be true that there were 1957 abortions by teen-agers, but is implied that this resolution will effect that many. Right away, you can subtract the 51 by girls that were too young to do this without parental permission anyways, which leaves us with 1906. 18 and 19 year olds will not be effected by this law, so even assuming that each age in that group has equal numbers, we are now talking about 1163 teen-agers. 205 occurred out of state, so again adjusting for 18 and 19 year olds, we can subtract another 126 for a total of 1037 15 to 17 year olds who had abortion. This is just a little more than half of the number that they are implying. It doesn't mention anywhere in the document how many of the young women told their parents about it before going through with the procedure either. (Based on the fact that the next to age groups are considerably higher, I would guess that 18 and 19 year olds account for an even larger number than the one I've presented.) I really hate it when people treat me like I'm stupid. :D
The proponents of the measure say it is to foster better child-parent relationships. They argue that it is not anti-abortion, it is anti-kids-doing-things-without-their-parents-knowing.
I'm not going to go into the opponent's arguments. They are very clearly laid out by people more informed and more eloquent than I. No on 43
Instead, I would like to explain why the flaws in the proponents arguments are enough to convince me to vote against 43. I will be refuting the points straight from the Yes on 43 website. Their first point is that Oregon is behind the times because it is one of only six states that have not passed a parental involvement law, and further more that the laws in other states have not been shown to be unconstitutional. Unconstitutional, to me, sounds like illegal. And behind the times, sounds like "everyone else is doing it", which by they way is stereotypically the kid's line, not the responsible parent's. So, there first reason becomes that Oregon should pass this law because everyone else is doing it and it's not illegal. You know, that is exactly what people told me about smoking when I was a teenager. "Come on, man. Everybody smokes and you're 18 now, so nobody can stop you." Well, not everybody smokes and it turns out it is legal to give yourself and other lung cancer. What is not mentioned, is that of the 44 states that already have some type of parental consent law, how many of those state's laws are like Oregon's proposal. Many states, 16 of them to be exact, do have parental consent laws. But, wait a minute, I thought it was all but 6? The other 28 states have parental notification laws, or another type of law, with multiple states having the laws on hold while the court system decides the constitutionality of the law. So, it doesn't look like everybody else is doing it, and it doesn't look like everybody else thinks it's not illegal.
The second point that Yes on 43 makes is that bypass protects victims of rape, incest and abuse. They state that "parental notification laws provide help to girls who have been victimized, rather than just allowing them to have an abortion in secret and returning to the abusive situation." Wow. So, let me get this right, if step-dad is molesting a girl and she goes to get an abortion because he has impregnated her, notifying him of this makes the problem go away? I had know idea it worked like that. I would have thought that he would be pissed off and the abuse would escalate.
The third argument is that girls don't talk about it with their parents. Enacting this law doesn't change that fact. The young woman can simply talk to a judge, and the parents still do not know. See above for why they may not want to talk to their parents about getting an abortion.
Fourth, that this is a traumatic and emotional time for the young woman, who may not have thought out all of the ramifications of her actions. That is true. It is also true if the woman in question is 25. Why do 25 year olds not need consent from one of their parents? Also, how does a certified letter coming in the mail, especially if the young woman has not told her parent(s) about the pregnancy, make the time any less traumatic or emotional. If the parent is angry, it may make it considerably more traumatic and emotional.
There are two further points I would like to make. The first is a response to the general mission statement by the proponents of ballot measure 43, that this is not about abortion, it is about communicating with children through a potentially difficult time. That sounds great, doesn't it? But, if that were really the reason for this ballot measure, why is the aim not to repeal the Oregon law that allows teens to be medically emancipated at the age of 15? Why is it only abortion and cancer treatments or treatments for sexually transmitted diseases? Why is it only girls and not boys?
The second and final issue of the evening, is about the methodology used by Yes on 43 in stating their statistical evidence. They are skewing the facts in their favor. Let me use an example from the Yes on 43 website, with all links provided so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. On the page entitled The Facts, They state that in 2004 there were 1957 abortions had by teen-agers. They provide a link to a document by DHS, which lists a breakdown by age. 51 abortions were had be girls under the age of 15. 1906 were had be girls aged 15 to 19. So, it may be true that there were 1957 abortions by teen-agers, but is implied that this resolution will effect that many. Right away, you can subtract the 51 by girls that were too young to do this without parental permission anyways, which leaves us with 1906. 18 and 19 year olds will not be effected by this law, so even assuming that each age in that group has equal numbers, we are now talking about 1163 teen-agers. 205 occurred out of state, so again adjusting for 18 and 19 year olds, we can subtract another 126 for a total of 1037 15 to 17 year olds who had abortion. This is just a little more than half of the number that they are implying. It doesn't mention anywhere in the document how many of the young women told their parents about it before going through with the procedure either. (Based on the fact that the next to age groups are considerably higher, I would guess that 18 and 19 year olds account for an even larger number than the one I've presented.) I really hate it when people treat me like I'm stupid. :D
Friday, September 15, 2006
September's half gone
How can it be that we are already half-way through September? It's been a busy summer, maybe that has something to do with it.
I got married on July 23rd in an early afternoon ceremony in the sweltering 100 degree heat. Fortunately, I was dressed head-to-toe in wool. Did I mention that it was outside? :D It was fine, though. I had a great time, and only remember one or two moments where I was too warm. I recall that I had been in the get-up for over an hour before I started to perspire, and it was not until the receiving line that I started to sweat. Anyone that has known me for longer than a couple of days, knows that I am one sweaty (sw
t
) man. That's not a hyperbolic adjective in the title of this blog.
I just found a website of Oregon blogs. It has hundreds of Portland blog links and hundreds more from around the state. I am excited to start reading what others in Stumptown are writing.
I got married on July 23rd in an early afternoon ceremony in the sweltering 100 degree heat. Fortunately, I was dressed head-to-toe in wool. Did I mention that it was outside? :D It was fine, though. I had a great time, and only remember one or two moments where I was too warm. I recall that I had been in the get-up for over an hour before I started to perspire, and it was not until the receiving line that I started to sweat. Anyone that has known me for longer than a couple of days, knows that I am one sweaty (sw
t) man. That's not a hyperbolic adjective in the title of this blog.I just found a website of Oregon blogs. It has hundreds of Portland blog links and hundreds more from around the state. I am excited to start reading what others in Stumptown are writing.
Friday, June 09, 2006
restaurant review- Tabla
Yesterday, being Courtney's birthday provided us and a couple of friends with an opportunity to eat out. Courtney had been to Tabla once a long time ago and wanted to go back.
So, to Tabla we went.
The evening before Courtney and I had read several reviews for the restaurant. All of the reviews were favorable, but were a bit odd. All of the reviews were very defensive in tone and seemingly responding to some criticisms about the portion size and cost that we did not see anywhere.. Undaunted we made reservations for what would turn out to be a busy Thursday night.
The menu was a bit light on vegeatarian fare, offering only one or two items per section in each of the categories of appetizer, pasta and entree. Courtney still found excellent food in each, I am happy to report.
All four of us chose to have the three course meal at $24 per person. Tabla was certainly a bit spendier than a diner or fast food, but the quality was proportionally higher as well.
Our meal started with crustini with a lemon-thyme and pink peppercorn spread that was just a little bit too peppery. Fortunately, this was offset by the fact that it was complimentary.
We decided to get an olive sampler to start off the evening with our actual ordering. I am not a big fan of anything save the boring old canned black olives, so I can't really give it rave reviews, but my three companions were quite pleased with fare, all agreeing that the olives were good and of good quality.
I chose an organic mixed greens salad for my appetizer and was very pleased with the portion size. It was slightly larger than a starte salad you receive at most restaurants, but quite a bit tastier. The dressing was a tangy sweet vinaigrette with just the right amount applied. The salad was topped with chopped nuts and romano cheese, much to my satisfaction.
For the pasta course, I ordered the ravioli. Notice, there is no 's' on this. It was one large ravioli with a whole poached egg inside of it. It was flavored with peppercorns and topped with poppy seeds, that to me, looked like ground pepper and provided no additional taste.
The entree I received for my third course was spicey Italian sausage on a bed of chard and polenta. The polenta was cooked to perfection, being crisp but not hard to chew. The chard was good as well, but indistinguishable from kale of other greens. The sausage was delicious. It is nice to actually get something spicey, when it's advertised as spicey. So often, it seems that restaurants call something spicey, but mean 'hot'. While the sausage was hot, that was cetainly not the only spice.
We opted out of dessert. We all were full and Courtney couldn't even finish her entree. I'm not sure who thinks that the portion sizes are small, but I'm guessing that they are the type of folks that frequent the Old Country Buffet and Izzy's
The service was excellent throughout the whole meal. Our waiter paid just the right amount of attention to our needs, without hovering over the table.
The ambience was nice, though by the end of the meal when the restaurant was full, it was a bit loud and I had to ask others in my party to repeat themselves several times. The second half of the evening, the music played was Modest Mouse, which is always a good choice.
Overall, I would grade Tabla a B+. It was very good, but not the best food I had eaten. The price was a bit high, but all of us felt that it was worth it. It would have been nice if there had been a little bit less wait between courses, as the meal tiook us just about an hour and a half.
So, to Tabla we went.
The evening before Courtney and I had read several reviews for the restaurant. All of the reviews were favorable, but were a bit odd. All of the reviews were very defensive in tone and seemingly responding to some criticisms about the portion size and cost that we did not see anywhere.. Undaunted we made reservations for what would turn out to be a busy Thursday night.
The menu was a bit light on vegeatarian fare, offering only one or two items per section in each of the categories of appetizer, pasta and entree. Courtney still found excellent food in each, I am happy to report.
All four of us chose to have the three course meal at $24 per person. Tabla was certainly a bit spendier than a diner or fast food, but the quality was proportionally higher as well.
Our meal started with crustini with a lemon-thyme and pink peppercorn spread that was just a little bit too peppery. Fortunately, this was offset by the fact that it was complimentary.
We decided to get an olive sampler to start off the evening with our actual ordering. I am not a big fan of anything save the boring old canned black olives, so I can't really give it rave reviews, but my three companions were quite pleased with fare, all agreeing that the olives were good and of good quality.
I chose an organic mixed greens salad for my appetizer and was very pleased with the portion size. It was slightly larger than a starte salad you receive at most restaurants, but quite a bit tastier. The dressing was a tangy sweet vinaigrette with just the right amount applied. The salad was topped with chopped nuts and romano cheese, much to my satisfaction.
For the pasta course, I ordered the ravioli. Notice, there is no 's' on this. It was one large ravioli with a whole poached egg inside of it. It was flavored with peppercorns and topped with poppy seeds, that to me, looked like ground pepper and provided no additional taste.
The entree I received for my third course was spicey Italian sausage on a bed of chard and polenta. The polenta was cooked to perfection, being crisp but not hard to chew. The chard was good as well, but indistinguishable from kale of other greens. The sausage was delicious. It is nice to actually get something spicey, when it's advertised as spicey. So often, it seems that restaurants call something spicey, but mean 'hot'. While the sausage was hot, that was cetainly not the only spice.
We opted out of dessert. We all were full and Courtney couldn't even finish her entree. I'm not sure who thinks that the portion sizes are small, but I'm guessing that they are the type of folks that frequent the Old Country Buffet and Izzy's
The service was excellent throughout the whole meal. Our waiter paid just the right amount of attention to our needs, without hovering over the table.
The ambience was nice, though by the end of the meal when the restaurant was full, it was a bit loud and I had to ask others in my party to repeat themselves several times. The second half of the evening, the music played was Modest Mouse, which is always a good choice.
Overall, I would grade Tabla a B+. It was very good, but not the best food I had eaten. The price was a bit high, but all of us felt that it was worth it. It would have been nice if there had been a little bit less wait between courses, as the meal tiook us just about an hour and a half.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The Joys of Life
One of the great joys in life ias having a temporary disability. This is expecially true if there is no end in sight to the end of sight.. I dare someone to find a warmer feeling than fondly recalling when they could do something they loved to do, but knowing that they can't do it now, while on the third hand knowing tht they should bea ble to do it again at some indeterminent point in the future. Probably. How soothing it is to give up one's worldly goods, little by little to pay the bill collector's. I go to bed each night with a smile on my face, knowing that my insurance company can rest easy on what they caharge me alone. I have become familiar again with the joys of silence at the realization that if I hear a radio DJ make one more pun on a band's name I will throw my stereo through the window.
And finally, I can say how proud I am not to have become bitter about my lot in life, to not have become self-loathing like a lesser man would have. Why, most Americans would welcome an oppurtunity to take an extended vacation and sit at home doing nothing, nothing at all. Not watching television. Not listening ot the radio. Especially, not reading a book. Or a magazine without big pictures.
And finally, I can say how proud I am not to have become bitter about my lot in life, to not have become self-loathing like a lesser man would have. Why, most Americans would welcome an oppurtunity to take an extended vacation and sit at home doing nothing, nothing at all. Not watching television. Not listening ot the radio. Especially, not reading a book. Or a magazine without big pictures.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
The Big Day Feb. 15th, 2006
The is only one time in a person's life where they ask someone to marry them and it is something that they have never done before.
My big moment was yesterday. Yesterday was our six year anniversary, so it seemed like a good time. Truth be told, it was way past time. I should have asked the question a couple of years ago when we were in Venice. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda.
We started the evening off with dinner at Fratelli's, in the Pearl District. It was a wonderful as always. Both Courtney and I are big fans of authentic Italian cuisine. Good Italian cuisine. Fratelli's is the best in Portland, and probably the best outside of Italy itself. The portions are much smaller than American portions, where people seem to mistake more for better. Yet, we were still full. It was nice not to be stuffed.
after dinner, we went for a walk in the unseasonably warm Febraury night. We walked around the neighborhood, finding our way to Tanner Springs Park and eventually to Jamison Square. It was there in the moonlight that I got down on one knee and asked the love of my life to marry me. Was it a surprise to her? After six years together, I'm not sure I could surprise Courtney. This was something expected for years, so perhaps the timing was unexpected, but not the question.
I'm happy to report that she said, "yes".
My big moment was yesterday. Yesterday was our six year anniversary, so it seemed like a good time. Truth be told, it was way past time. I should have asked the question a couple of years ago when we were in Venice. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda.
We started the evening off with dinner at Fratelli's, in the Pearl District. It was a wonderful as always. Both Courtney and I are big fans of authentic Italian cuisine. Good Italian cuisine. Fratelli's is the best in Portland, and probably the best outside of Italy itself. The portions are much smaller than American portions, where people seem to mistake more for better. Yet, we were still full. It was nice not to be stuffed.
after dinner, we went for a walk in the unseasonably warm Febraury night. We walked around the neighborhood, finding our way to Tanner Springs Park and eventually to Jamison Square. It was there in the moonlight that I got down on one knee and asked the love of my life to marry me. Was it a surprise to her? After six years together, I'm not sure I could surprise Courtney. This was something expected for years, so perhaps the timing was unexpected, but not the question.
I'm happy to report that she said, "yes".
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
walking buddha gets the blues
I found out a few weeks ago that I have diabetes. A bit of a bummer, I must say. But, it's not the end of the world. It is the end of the way I used to live my life. Now, I must be aware of what I put inside of me, pills, food, etc. Plus, I've been diagnosed with neuropathy in my feet and advanced proliferative retinopathy in both eyes.
So, on December 15th of this last year, I had a procedure, called a pars plana vitrectomy done on my left eye. I'm still at home recovering and can kind of see out of the eye again and as soon as I can a little bit better, will be having the procedure done in the right eye.
I won't describe it, as it is a bit gross, I will just say that it is very invasive. If you want learn more, you can probably google it, or even email me and I'd be more than happy to let you know all the details. :)
So, on December 15th of this last year, I had a procedure, called a pars plana vitrectomy done on my left eye. I'm still at home recovering and can kind of see out of the eye again and as soon as I can a little bit better, will be having the procedure done in the right eye.
I won't describe it, as it is a bit gross, I will just say that it is very invasive. If you want learn more, you can probably google it, or even email me and I'd be more than happy to let you know all the details. :)
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