It takes more resolve to declare yourself a conscientous objector than it does to train, go to war, and possibly come back from war.  While I do not approve of Jashinkski’s actions, it is amazing to me that she held her ground and did not let them frighten her into submission.

I have never approved of those who volunteer for military service and upon realizing that being shipped overseas for combat is inevitable, they find God, or suddenly become peace-lovers, or otherwise change their character or actions to somehow being “better” people.

Especially in time of war.

When the news broke that the 101st would be shipped out in 1990, several fellow soldiers who I routinely saw drunk out in the clubs and whoring around with girls of ill-repute suddenly became peace loving chapel attendees on Sundays.  Of course, this was only because if you were at chapel you didn’t have to stand watch.

It is more reprehensible falsely profess belief in God than it is to be an atheist.  I’d rather fight with someone who was a non-believer that you could count on when the chips were down, than to have to rely on someone who was a battlefield convert and decided to let God sort it out.

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Rest in peace Lloyd Bentsen.

I was a wee lad, but I remember the “You’re no Jack Kennedy” quote. Watching the ‘88 VP debate between Dan Quayle and Bentsen is still a vivid memory. Sure my parents had to explain what the fuss was about, but it is burned into my memory.

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I just began reading the book “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene as suggested by E and Nikki.  I’ve really enjoyed it so far and it’s allowed me to get my head around some aspects of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity that I’ve understood only fleetingly before.  I’m still early in the book (I read many books at the same time and very slowly) and already I’ve had a really revelatory moment and I’d like to share that with everybody.

As we all know time moves more slowly the faster we move.  This has been experimentally proven and has been something I’ve always just accepted but never understood.  In his book Brian Greene does an exceptional job of explaining this phenomenon…  and it goes a little something like this, hit it:

There are three physical dimensions (up-down, left-right and forward-back).  Time represents a fourth dimension, for example if I want to meet you somewhere not only do I have to tell you where (physically) but also when (where in time).  Of course we all know what speed we travel through our physical universe 75 mph is common on a highway, but Einstein said we are also moving at a particular speed through time and that speed is the speed of light (I don’t think there is experimental evidence for this but there may be).  So as I sit here typing this and as you sit there reading this we are shooting from second to second at the speed of light.  Einstein also told us that nothing can move faster than the speed of light (there is experimental evidence for this) which means that as we sit zipping through time we are traveling at maximum speed.  If we get our heads back into our more easily understood three dimensions we know that moving in one particular dimension (left-right) at five miles an hour gives us a speed of…  five miles per hour.  If we start moving in another direction at five miles per hour (forward-back) we have to add both speeds together to get our total speed which would be ten miles an hour.  Since time is a dimension as are our other directions we need to consider the speed at which we travel in that direction (forward through time) and add that to the speed at which we are traveling through the other dimensions.  So now we’re moving five miles per hour in one dimension (left-right) and we’re moving at the speed of light in another dimension (through time).  To calculate how fast we’re moving we’d need to add the two speeds together which gives us the speed of light plus 5 miles per hour.  Here’s the rub:  We can’t move any faster than the speed of light (there is experimental evidence for this) so there is no way to add that 5 miles per hour to it.  Therefore we have to slow down a little bit from our light speed travel through time, thus we move the speed of light minus five miles per hour through time, or we could say that we are moving through time more slowly than someone not moving five miles per hour.  Of course the faster we go the more we need to subtract from our speed of travel through time all the way up to moving at the speed of light in which case we would have to subtract the speed of light from our travel through time which would mean that we would cease traveling through time and for us moving that fast time would stop.

That’s the big thing that I’ve learned from this book so far.  I’m curious to know if any more sciencey-minded people than me find this to be a solid characterization of what occurs.  Also, I’d like to know if there is any experimental evidence for the speed in which we move through time or if that’s something Einstein deduced and we just accept.

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There’s a new craze sweeping the reading world…romantica. These aren’t your mother’s romance novels. They’re romance novels with a naughty twist, namely numerous and explicit sex scenes. The language is straightforward, with none of the usual romance novel euphemisms for body parts. You won’t find any “pearl”, or “flower” or “manhood” here-it’s cunt and cock in these books, with no apologies. And it’s not just plain-old vanilla sex either. Ellora’s Cave, one of the most popular romantica publishers, has these genres and themes listed, among others: Capture/Bondage, Menage a Trois or More, Gay/Lesbian and Ruebenesque. But unlike erotica, which generally consists of short stories that are often just porn, romantica novels are full-length, with attention paid as closely to plot and characterization as it is to the sex.

At the moment, romantica is mostly available online. Ellora’s Cave does publish some of their books, but the large majority of publishers use e-books. I don’t know if this due to the hesitancy of bookstores or book buyers. I’ve heard a few stories from people who work at bookstores that their managers, corporation, etc., don’t like the idea of having them for sale. Outright porn is fine, apparently, because it can be placed in the “sex and relationships” section, but something the hovers in a gray area between fiction and romance is a little too…risky. I personally think it has something to do with the fact that it isn’t “okay” for women to enjoy reading about sex. But my thoughts on our patriarchal society and it’s disdain for sexually liberated women are best left for another post. Needless to say, it doesn’t seem to matter how the books are presented, because people are definitely buying.

I am such a person.

Imagine this scenario: you pick up a romance novel. You’re honest with yourself-you’re not expecting Pulitzer Prize-winning work here. You’re just looking for an easy read, something nice to slip into like flannel pajamas. But the romances you’ve read in the past are so…dated. It’d be nice to read a story where the heroine wasn’t a complete idiot, who spends half her time quivering over how Lord Cucumberinhispants brushes against her sleeve while they dine with 95 other couples. And for once, OH GOD FOR ONCE, it would be nice to read a book where the heroine wasn’t an innocent and naïve virgin, or a widow whose husband was evil or abusive or gay or an evil, abusive gay. That’s where romantica comes in. It’s refreshing. It’s blunt. It’s fun in a way that traditional romance novels aren’t.

There are some really fabulous authors out there, one of which I’ll recommend for you. I also have these books, so if anyone wants to borrow one, let me know.

My favorite author is Shelly Laurenston. I love her writing. She writes about shape shifters (werewolves, vampires, dragons, tigers….just think of an animal and someone’s written a book about it, I guarantee it), which is super popular right now in the romance novel world. But the best part about her books are the main female characters. They’re awesome and ass-kicking, and they always always always have great female friends.

Here’s a little excerpt from Pack Challenge:

It was Angelina’s innocent “I had so much fun tonight” while they were driving home that Sara couldn’t take the pressure anymore.

“I’M A WHORE!” she screeched.

Miki hit the brakes of the white pickup, causing the vehicle to fishtail. It stopped in the middle of the deserted highway.

The three friends sat in the vehicle, not moving, not speaking. They stared out at the big star-filled Texas sky.

Miki, her hands still gripping the steering wheel, glanced over at Sara. “You’re not wearing any underwear, are you?“

Sara let out a strangled squeal and buried her hand in her hands.

Angelina and Miki burst out laughing.

“Bitches”, Sara muttered.

Shelly’s books Pack Challenge, Go Fetch! and Here Kitty, Kitty! are three in a series and I love each one of them. I also love To Challenge A Dragon, which has a sequel coming out May 16^th. Seriously. Read these.

I think everyone who has ever loved romance novels but found themselves looking for something…more, should check out romantica.

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On Friday I attended a project from The FlowerShop Project at the Bryant-Lake Bowl. It was “Attack of the Atomic Trash Monster’s Bride.” It was also a UMM-Morris Young Alumni event. I guess that means if you have grey hair…you can’t come. Then again…I did notice some aging mopheads among the attendees. (Not just soon-to-be-retired Chancellor Schuman). Of course, there were those who didn’t have natural hair color - you know who you are. All in all, it was an eventful night. The Chancellor gave us an update on UMM-Morris wind power and biomass research.

They had two fun previews before the play itself started. I initially thought it was going to be a bunch of skits, but it turns out it was a tribute to Ed Wood and other Directors of that era. It was a great time really. I strongly encourage all 8&5ers to make an effort to check out the show. And bring friends! It was not just a blast seeing this, it was an atomic blast!! (or maybe that was the drinking afterward at the FSP compound on Aldrich)! The play itself was very entertaining - and not just because Jamie Gappa chose E as his target on which to nearly vomit as part of his recurring stage exits. I was secretly hoping E was a plant in the audience and that Gappa would hurl Kool-Aid or something on him. That would have been awesome…but slightly messy. Especially since I was sitting right next to E.

The stage props were very clever and watching the transitions between scenes was as exciting as the play itself.

You can’t go wrong spending your hard-earned dollars seeing this play - and if you want someone to go with…give me a call! I may not make every show but I will see it at least one more time.

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For years the Right-Wing spin machine has force-fed the American public about the “liberal media conspiracy”. This has spawned careers, websites, and millions of dollars to the neocon political spin doctors.

Really though, the only conspiracy in the media is over what kind of sensationalisim sells the most advertising dollars.

Case in point: Last week a reporter from KSTP contacted the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis inquiring about condo conversions - or something. They had previously done some work with Legal Aid on a story in New Brighton. Legal Aid was more than happy to discuss condo conversions in Minneapolis. When KSTP broke the story, they actually went with a condo sales are down due to recent murders in Minneapolis angle. With a “most buyers understand the risks of living downtown” quote from Realtor Joe thrown in for good measure.

Friggin’ Yellow Journalism. There is no media conspiracy. They all just make up stories to sell more ads.

The only way to make them stop is to turn off your TV.

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The May 4 edition of the StarTribune reports that eighty Montanans have received posthumous pardons.  They were incarcerated and convicted for saying things like, “this is just a rich man’s war” during WW1.  So while I detest the current regime running our country and find their actions reprehensible, at least they are not jailing people for disagreeing with them.

There - that is the one good thig I will ever say about the current Administration.

This Administration has recently been ducking how long we will remain in Iraq.  They hint at troop withdrawal and defer military judgements to the commanders on the ground.  Well, I guess ten years is as good a timeframe as any.

General McCaffrey (Ret) authored a memo detailing many aspects of the current situation in Iraq and offers insight as to what we should and should not be doing.

Suffice to say, the memo was written with a soldier’s perspective and was realistic when making suggestions about the future of the Gulf.  I particularly find it interesting that his assesment of Iran is to “bankrupt and isolate the Iranians as we did the Soviet Union and create a stronger Gulf Alliance…”  It seems odd to me that if a retired Army General can see that there are better ways to do things than through military action, then why can’t the President?

I wish the American people could have a special “no confidence” election for the Office of the President of the United States and force him out of office.

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Happy May Day all. To celebrate Alex and I commented on another lovely press conference by Mr. Scott Mcclellan. It’s the 3 year anniversary of Bush declaring major combat operations in Iraq are over and Scott avoids a question about it… surprise, surprise.

We Digress, May Day!

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Kaavya Viswanathan cheated.

Is competition to get into an Ivy-League school fierce? Yes. Should it be? Maybe…but maybe not. This teen “prodigy” who signed her book deal for over six figures now is being dragged through the mud for publishing plaigerized work.

I believe she should be punished severely.

She should get tossed out of Harvard. If Harvard cared at all about academic integrity and ethics, they would expel her.

But I also think that her Publisher should be punished. In their zeal for profiteering, they rushed to market a book by an unknown.

How did she even land a book deal? I find it hard to believe that she randomly landed a book deal for over six-figures. I doubt she went and bought Writer’s Market 2005 and sent off letters and samples and just got lucky.

It’s too bad. Now book publishers will be less likely to take risks on young, unkown authors. All they really needed to do was proof-read her book before rushing it to market.

Now, everyone loses.

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