Howdy,
You may remember a recent post where I complained about what American's know about Asia. Well, the saga continues in a very embarrassing and oddly amusing way!
This terrible professor whom I have complained about before started class a little differently today, and I really appreciated it. We got into little groups and we had to talk discuss what we knew about Thailand. We would right down our little factoids and share them with the class.
Well, the groups didn't know much about Thailand at all. A few knew that Bangkok is the capital and a few more knew that it was in South Eat Asia. But man, did I have a fact to send shivers down their spine!
"Thailand performs the most sex-change operations in the world!" I said aloud with an enthusiasm for trivia that was interpreted as creepy beyond words. The pleasant 'pleased to meet ch'ya" smiles altered with eyes widening. But the creepiness had just begun!
"And do you know which country performs the second most?" I added with crescendoing enthusiasm. I turned and looked into the eyes of some poor group-mate and in terror she shook her head to my rhetorical question.
"Iran! Can you believe it!" Their smiles resembled an evicerated gut, all smiles, all terror. But I was too excited that I got to share this piece of information which I believe proves how contradictory and surreal existence upon this dog earth is.
I was only too excited to share this with the rest of the class. A little part of me is glad I also didn't get to talk about the under-age sex trade in Thailand which the class was woefully ignorant.
Trivia isn't just for Jeopardy, it is also a loaded gun with which to shoot yourself.
James's Journal
My Podcast Link
10/22/2007 14:17 #41749
The Two Things I know About AsiaCategory: school
10/21/2007 14:37 #41736
CraigslistCategory: sex
The post by the lovely (e:twisted) reminded me of some hip and happening changes to the craigslist personal ads. Check out their Misc. Romance section.
That is right, craigslist is no longer limited to a two man party. M4W W4W M4M is yesterday's flavor. Now you can search for WW4M WW4W MW4MW, or my personal favorite M4MM. Someday they will have M4M^9. That will be a horrific mess to mop up.
So, if you ever are looking for multiple lovin', Craigslist is the place to go. Sadly, like most parts of our participation in Craigslist, Buffalo does not seem to have caught on yet. The new categories are mostly empty and the original categories are still littered with the same "hey, I am at the airport hotel, want a blow job" that has been posted every three days for a year and a half.
The machine is much better, but the product is still lame.
Anyway, I hope this new feature makes someone's evening eventually. Now, if you will excuse me, my domestic activities require me to do something unspeakable to (e:Jim).
That is right, craigslist is no longer limited to a two man party. M4W W4W M4M is yesterday's flavor. Now you can search for WW4M WW4W MW4MW, or my personal favorite M4MM. Someday they will have M4M^9. That will be a horrific mess to mop up.
So, if you ever are looking for multiple lovin', Craigslist is the place to go. Sadly, like most parts of our participation in Craigslist, Buffalo does not seem to have caught on yet. The new categories are mostly empty and the original categories are still littered with the same "hey, I am at the airport hotel, want a blow job" that has been posted every three days for a year and a half.
The machine is much better, but the product is still lame.
Anyway, I hope this new feature makes someone's evening eventually. Now, if you will excuse me, my domestic activities require me to do something unspeakable to (e:Jim).
jbeatty - 10/21/07 23:12
Do most people use craigslist solely for hookups? I found my last apartment there and the travel forum is pretty good too.
Do most people use craigslist solely for hookups? I found my last apartment there and the travel forum is pretty good too.
twisted - 10/21/07 21:11
perhaps that is "survival of the fittest" these days. In which case, I'm doomed.
ps -- Awesome new estrip banners!!! I hear (e:Jim) had something to do with them . . .
perhaps that is "survival of the fittest" these days. In which case, I'm doomed.
ps -- Awesome new estrip banners!!! I hear (e:Jim) had something to do with them . . .
james - 10/21/07 20:57
Twisted: my head is still spinning thinking about it myself. Can you imagine when they have numbers greater than 3?
MW4MMW and MMMM4w or TTTTT4TFM. The latter of which has to be so strange for the average frat boy that his dense head explodes.
Twisted: my head is still spinning thinking about it myself. Can you imagine when they have numbers greater than 3?
MW4MMW and MMMM4w or TTTTT4TFM. The latter of which has to be so strange for the average frat boy that his dense head explodes.
james - 10/21/07 20:55
felly: he does look lovable. Like, not sexy lovable, but squeeze and hug lovable... though, the man who enabled countless hookups has to have picked up some bedroom savvy along the way.
felly: he does look lovable. Like, not sexy lovable, but squeeze and hug lovable... though, the man who enabled countless hookups has to have picked up some bedroom savvy along the way.
twisted - 10/21/07 19:43
don't 4get about T4M M4T T4MW and MW4T. God, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
don't 4get about T4M M4T T4MW and MW4T. God, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
fellyconnelly - 10/21/07 15:53
craig from craigslist was on the colbert report the other day... he was really a cute and awkward guy and a self proclaimed geek... he made me feel good about spending time on craigslist..
craig from craigslist was on the colbert report the other day... he was really a cute and awkward guy and a self proclaimed geek... he made me feel good about spending time on craigslist..
10/19/2007 23:39 #41721
The Golden Age of Men's MagazinesWelcome to the Golden Age of Men's magazines!
Sometime during the 50's and 60's, before the sexual revolution, sexual desire was that secret thing inside of you: somewhere in between sin and scat was the horrible inirtia of sex in the masculine mind. And where did this energy go? Why, into the exciting world of Men's magazines!
Why just look at this.
Ms. Johnson, take a note wont you.
Man, I can't even sleep with socks on let alone a buttoned to the neck three piece suit.
What kept men up late at night? Taking phone calls and dictating notes?
Yes, the silent scourge of drink. After a long day of being cooped up in the house with no TV worth watching and not being able to read (I think it was illegal for women to learn how to read in the 50's) that liquor cabinet would look damn good to me to.
Ah yes, that familiar release. One could fully explore their fetish for wide hipped, no intestined, dismembered women in the guise of sexy negligé adverts. It is tough for a guy who fawns over idealized body shapes a women could only possess with the aid of a colostomy bag.
But then, when we make cages/receptacles for other people, don't we also make them for ourselves?
Man, this is hot! A better chastity belt couldn't have been fashioned from iron. Ladies, make sure your man doesn't have the sexual freedom to talk to his secretary in bed or whack off to limbless gals again! Inflatable butt plug not included.
Sometime during the 50's and 60's, before the sexual revolution, sexual desire was that secret thing inside of you: somewhere in between sin and scat was the horrible inirtia of sex in the masculine mind. And where did this energy go? Why, into the exciting world of Men's magazines!
Why just look at this.
Ms. Johnson, take a note wont you.
Man, I can't even sleep with socks on let alone a buttoned to the neck three piece suit.
What kept men up late at night? Taking phone calls and dictating notes?
Yes, the silent scourge of drink. After a long day of being cooped up in the house with no TV worth watching and not being able to read (I think it was illegal for women to learn how to read in the 50's) that liquor cabinet would look damn good to me to.
Ah yes, that familiar release. One could fully explore their fetish for wide hipped, no intestined, dismembered women in the guise of sexy negligé adverts. It is tough for a guy who fawns over idealized body shapes a women could only possess with the aid of a colostomy bag.
But then, when we make cages/receptacles for other people, don't we also make them for ourselves?
Man, this is hot! A better chastity belt couldn't have been fashioned from iron. Ladies, make sure your man doesn't have the sexual freedom to talk to his secretary in bed or whack off to limbless gals again! Inflatable butt plug not included.
tinypliny - 10/20/07 14:33
" It is tough for a guy who fawns over idealized body shapes a women could only possess with the aid of a colostomy bag."
Hahaha
" It is tough for a guy who fawns over idealized body shapes a women could only possess with the aid of a colostomy bag."
Hahaha
james - 10/20/07 14:12
Jbeaty: to my knowledge all returns were donated to sumo wrestlers still in internment camps
Felly: The chevalier is all disapointment. From an uncomfortable paunch to the slurpy 'boing' of it popping out. Ick
Peter: Oh ya, it is a man's world with sexy wife in bed, sexy secretary at your side and a phone sex operator standing by.
Lauren: The intestines were removed and turned into the straps holding on the "stay-free" looking model.
Jbeaty: to my knowledge all returns were donated to sumo wrestlers still in internment camps
Felly: The chevalier is all disapointment. From an uncomfortable paunch to the slurpy 'boing' of it popping out. Ick
Peter: Oh ya, it is a man's world with sexy wife in bed, sexy secretary at your side and a phone sex operator standing by.
Lauren: The intestines were removed and turned into the straps holding on the "stay-free" looking model.
lauren - 10/20/07 12:31
Ewww did anyone else see those waists?! That is not humanly possible without a fair amount of torture.
Ewww did anyone else see those waists?! That is not humanly possible without a fair amount of torture.
metalpeter - 10/20/07 11:15
I love that picture if I'm saying it right there is so much subtext in it. First of all the wife is fast asleep as the well dressed man is working with the seceratry who is a lot hotter then the wife and is showing off her body. The guy could just slide right out and they could go to a Jazz Club together. Or maybe I'm just reading into it to much. That being said I didn't know they made a male version of a corset. Corsets are so hot even when just worn on the outside of clothes. It isn't even all about the shape it is also how they look and the leather and what they do to the boobs. Ok I'll stop there and just say interesting post.
I love that picture if I'm saying it right there is so much subtext in it. First of all the wife is fast asleep as the well dressed man is working with the seceratry who is a lot hotter then the wife and is showing off her body. The guy could just slide right out and they could go to a Jazz Club together. Or maybe I'm just reading into it to much. That being said I didn't know they made a male version of a corset. Corsets are so hot even when just worn on the outside of clothes. It isn't even all about the shape it is also how they look and the leather and what they do to the boobs. Ok I'll stop there and just say interesting post.
fellyconnelly - 10/20/07 10:39
oh wow... i'm a bit hot and bothered after this post... oh the sexy sexy ladies with their girdled and internally damaged insides!
seriously - am i the only one who thinks about how dissapointed someone is going to be when that chevalier comes off and the 'bulging bay window' comes flyin at them?
oh wow... i'm a bit hot and bothered after this post... oh the sexy sexy ladies with their girdled and internally damaged insides!
seriously - am i the only one who thinks about how dissapointed someone is going to be when that chevalier comes off and the 'bulging bay window' comes flyin at them?
jbeatty - 10/20/07 10:31
What scares me most about the chevalier is there is a free trial offer. So what did they do with all the returns?
What scares me most about the chevalier is there is a free trial offer. So what did they do with all the returns?
10/18/2007 11:34 #41700
Two Things Americans Love About AsiaHi,
I am in two classes that deal with Asia this semester. They are both my least favorite classes too. Not because I don't like Asia. Nope, I really like Chinese history, Japanese lit. and Korean pet-names for children: Dun Teggie (which translates to 'shit pig'). But man, these classes are bad.
I have noticed over the semester that American's love two things about Asia: 1) The Dalai Lama 2) Singapore. These are two things I don't much care for.
Free Tibet bumper stickers litter the cars of every university parking lot. Americans love Tibet, though they don't know very much about it. We imagine a peaceful land that finds injustice and disparity abhorrent. We ignore that it is a brutal, feudal society which exists to support their god-emperor. Peasants are horribly oppressed, they are Serfs.
The Dalai Lama has raised thousands of dollars for Tibetan seperatists. Ya, that means guns and bombs and stuff. He gives men like Richard Gere and Stephen Segal titles of spiritual nobility because they give lots of money.
Man, can't wait to go back to that in a free Tibet (which, by the way, has been a part of China for hundreds of years). I mean, ya, they have a right to self-determination and all. But an independent Quebec should be higher on our list than a backwards and violent Tibet.
Then there is Singapore. It is so CLEAN! Have you seen how clean it is? Singapore is one clean city! You would think these people have never been to Canada or Sweden by the way they gawk at Singapore's cleanliness.
Did you know that you can spend time in jail for possessing gum in Singapore? Did you know that poppy seeds are illegal? Did you know that the government recently made it illegal to rent apartments to same sex couples?
Singapore has the highest per capita rate of capital punishment in the world. Ya, they leave China and Iran in the dust. The murder rate is relativly low. Most executions are given to drug offenders. 22 grams of coke will get you murdered by the state.
Singapore is a police state. But it is so CLEAN!
AH! I mean, look this shit up on a wiki. It's not like the information is hard to find people.
I am in two classes that deal with Asia this semester. They are both my least favorite classes too. Not because I don't like Asia. Nope, I really like Chinese history, Japanese lit. and Korean pet-names for children: Dun Teggie (which translates to 'shit pig'). But man, these classes are bad.
I have noticed over the semester that American's love two things about Asia: 1) The Dalai Lama 2) Singapore. These are two things I don't much care for.
Free Tibet bumper stickers litter the cars of every university parking lot. Americans love Tibet, though they don't know very much about it. We imagine a peaceful land that finds injustice and disparity abhorrent. We ignore that it is a brutal, feudal society which exists to support their god-emperor. Peasants are horribly oppressed, they are Serfs.
The Dalai Lama has raised thousands of dollars for Tibetan seperatists. Ya, that means guns and bombs and stuff. He gives men like Richard Gere and Stephen Segal titles of spiritual nobility because they give lots of money.
Man, can't wait to go back to that in a free Tibet (which, by the way, has been a part of China for hundreds of years). I mean, ya, they have a right to self-determination and all. But an independent Quebec should be higher on our list than a backwards and violent Tibet.
Then there is Singapore. It is so CLEAN! Have you seen how clean it is? Singapore is one clean city! You would think these people have never been to Canada or Sweden by the way they gawk at Singapore's cleanliness.
Did you know that you can spend time in jail for possessing gum in Singapore? Did you know that poppy seeds are illegal? Did you know that the government recently made it illegal to rent apartments to same sex couples?
Singapore has the highest per capita rate of capital punishment in the world. Ya, they leave China and Iran in the dust. The murder rate is relativly low. Most executions are given to drug offenders. 22 grams of coke will get you murdered by the state.
Singapore is a police state. But it is so CLEAN!
AH! I mean, look this shit up on a wiki. It's not like the information is hard to find people.
james - 10/19/07 21:44
Pliny, will you marry me?
I hadn't even thought of Dalei-G's effect on India! Thank you so much for enlightening me ^_^
Pliny, will you marry me?
I hadn't even thought of Dalei-G's effect on India! Thank you so much for enlightening me ^_^
tinypliny - 10/19/07 21:41
Interesting discussion. Here's something else to add to the mix. The "Dalai Lama" was given political asylum by India in 1959 and he lives in a palatial house in Delhi when he is not jetsetting round the world. As an Indian, and as a Delhite, I not only resent him, but also this absurd and totally unwise decision.
A major chunk of India's GDP goes into stockpiling against Pakistan and China. There is constant friction at the two frontiers. Lives are lost, money and resources are unecessarily wasted every year. I think the friction with China is almost 90% due to the ridiculous Dalai Lama situation. Not only is he a drain on Delhi's resources (because of all the black-cat security and diplomatic carriageway blocks), he is a drain on my country's economy. He is one of a million reasons why India's public sector health spending is about 0.5% and India comes 172nd among the 175 nations which spend any amount of money for public health. He is one of the main reasons why China is constantly at loggerheads with India.
What worsens my opinion of the whole situation is that, as an individual, I think he is as medieval and insular as Mother Teresa was. Steeped in obsequiousness to the rich and powerful, bloated in their egos, pedantic in their outlook and indescribably non-progressive in their attitudes, I am not sure what the hell my country saw in them to grant them so much power and influence.
Of course, there are conspiracy theorists everywhere. One favourite conspiracy theory is that the Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, bargained with Eisenhower for nuclear power/ knowledge swap in exchange for granting the greedy lama, political asylum. I could easily believe this of Nehru - who was largely responsible for bringing the establishment of modern science to India, however, I am not sure I can actually take the step of believing that he dealt with the US at the height of the cold war, when we were best friends with Russia. He may have been very aggressive and ambitious as a leader, but double crossing Russia, dealing with US for nuclear power and antagonizing China was too much calculated masked cunning, even for him.
Interesting discussion. Here's something else to add to the mix. The "Dalai Lama" was given political asylum by India in 1959 and he lives in a palatial house in Delhi when he is not jetsetting round the world. As an Indian, and as a Delhite, I not only resent him, but also this absurd and totally unwise decision.
A major chunk of India's GDP goes into stockpiling against Pakistan and China. There is constant friction at the two frontiers. Lives are lost, money and resources are unecessarily wasted every year. I think the friction with China is almost 90% due to the ridiculous Dalai Lama situation. Not only is he a drain on Delhi's resources (because of all the black-cat security and diplomatic carriageway blocks), he is a drain on my country's economy. He is one of a million reasons why India's public sector health spending is about 0.5% and India comes 172nd among the 175 nations which spend any amount of money for public health. He is one of the main reasons why China is constantly at loggerheads with India.
What worsens my opinion of the whole situation is that, as an individual, I think he is as medieval and insular as Mother Teresa was. Steeped in obsequiousness to the rich and powerful, bloated in their egos, pedantic in their outlook and indescribably non-progressive in their attitudes, I am not sure what the hell my country saw in them to grant them so much power and influence.
Of course, there are conspiracy theorists everywhere. One favourite conspiracy theory is that the Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, bargained with Eisenhower for nuclear power/ knowledge swap in exchange for granting the greedy lama, political asylum. I could easily believe this of Nehru - who was largely responsible for bringing the establishment of modern science to India, however, I am not sure I can actually take the step of believing that he dealt with the US at the height of the cold war, when we were best friends with Russia. He may have been very aggressive and ambitious as a leader, but double crossing Russia, dealing with US for nuclear power and antagonizing China was too much calculated masked cunning, even for him.
james - 10/19/07 14:01
It only takes 22 grams of coke to get hung. Which is ridiculous.
Also, you cannot get a single poppy seed in the country because you could potentially turn it into heoin. Ridiculous!
But that is a hilarious joke to play on your nervous friend.
It only takes 22 grams of coke to get hung. Which is ridiculous.
Also, you cannot get a single poppy seed in the country because you could potentially turn it into heoin. Ridiculous!
But that is a hilarious joke to play on your nervous friend.
jbeatty - 10/19/07 09:36
All over the guidebooks/websites I read before I went to Malaysia had little blurbs about not bringing any sort of drugs to that country because they would put you to death. I think I made my travel companion a bit nervous on the plane ride when I kept making references to breaking out the party bong the moment we landed.
All over the guidebooks/websites I read before I went to Malaysia had little blurbs about not bringing any sort of drugs to that country because they would put you to death. I think I made my travel companion a bit nervous on the plane ride when I kept making references to breaking out the party bong the moment we landed.
metalpeter - 10/18/07 19:01
So Never been to Asia but that being said there are some things to like about it that no one said.
1) The Cool gadgets
2) The old Ancient buildings
3) The new super modern buildings
4) The women
5) Anime (what ever kind you are into)
6) Karate Movies
7) gorgeous country sides
That is all I can think of right now. In terms of a free tibet, I don't know enough about it to really say anything other then that it seems like the people may really want to be free.
So Never been to Asia but that being said there are some things to like about it that no one said.
1) The Cool gadgets
2) The old Ancient buildings
3) The new super modern buildings
4) The women
5) Anime (what ever kind you are into)
6) Karate Movies
7) gorgeous country sides
That is all I can think of right now. In terms of a free tibet, I don't know enough about it to really say anything other then that it seems like the people may really want to be free.
james - 10/18/07 14:48
ya, before this I thought you were as dull as dry toast.
No ^_^ It just took me this long to say it.
ya, before this I thought you were as dull as dry toast.
No ^_^ It just took me this long to say it.
janelle - 10/18/07 14:36
It took you this long to figure out I'm an interesting person? I'm shocked!
It took you this long to figure out I'm an interesting person? I'm shocked!
james - 10/18/07 14:33
Janelle, you are one interesting person. Next social occasion we should chat (slur in my case) together.
Janelle, you are one interesting person. Next social occasion we should chat (slur in my case) together.
james - 10/18/07 14:29
HA! It would be funny that China would bring increased religious oppression considering the mass killings of the Cultural Revolution.
I need to ask around about sources on what actual Tibetans think because they are such a minority population in a nation where journalists are heavily censored and jailed (I think China jails more journalists per capita than any other nation.)
HA! It would be funny that China would bring increased religious oppression considering the mass killings of the Cultural Revolution.
I need to ask around about sources on what actual Tibetans think because they are such a minority population in a nation where journalists are heavily censored and jailed (I think China jails more journalists per capita than any other nation.)
janelle - 10/18/07 14:28
To add something light to the conversation, what I personally like about Asia is the different way of thinking in Vietnam exemplified by the phrase, "Same, same, but different!".
Ask a Vietnamese person...
Does A=only A?
Yes, they reply
Does B=only B?
Yes, they reply.
So can A=B?
Yes, they reply.
I love the way they can hold two contradictory ideas without the need for resolution. I mentioned this in a post I recently made on (e:jim)'s blog.
To add something light to the conversation, what I personally like about Asia is the different way of thinking in Vietnam exemplified by the phrase, "Same, same, but different!".
Ask a Vietnamese person...
Does A=only A?
Yes, they reply
Does B=only B?
Yes, they reply.
So can A=B?
Yes, they reply.
I love the way they can hold two contradictory ideas without the need for resolution. I mentioned this in a post I recently made on (e:jim)'s blog.
janelle - 10/18/07 14:24
I agree. Liberals in particular (very unfortunately) have a "head over heels in love" approach to too many issues with no substantial basis or rationale. Tibet is most definitely one of them.
That would be an interesting story indeed, what the non-monks in Tibet think about the modernization brought by China that decreased religious oppression. My brother knew someone from Ethiopia who talked about the difficulties in acknowledging the positive changes (largely infrastructural changes) that Italy brought to the country without condoning its oppression of the Ethiopian people.
I agree. Liberals in particular (very unfortunately) have a "head over heels in love" approach to too many issues with no substantial basis or rationale. Tibet is most definitely one of them.
That would be an interesting story indeed, what the non-monks in Tibet think about the modernization brought by China that decreased religious oppression. My brother knew someone from Ethiopia who talked about the difficulties in acknowledging the positive changes (largely infrastructural changes) that Italy brought to the country without condoning its oppression of the Ethiopian people.
james - 10/18/07 14:15
Janelle:
I mentioned that I think Tibet has the right to self-determination. If they want independence I hope they get it. I also hope that they modernize and don't go back to their old system of government.
Tibet was a tributary state to China for hundreds of years, as was most of East Asia. Tibet was formally annexed in the 17th century. The second and fifth Dalai Lama's got their authority to rule directly from the emperor of China. So, I would say that the connection to China is much stronger than other tributary states. But again, this isn't definitive grounds for Tibet's eternal status as a province of big momma China.
What I don't like about the West's love for the Free-Tibet movement is that it is couched in the leadership and legitimization of the Dalai Lama. Support for a free, democratic Tibet though would be sweet.
Also, China has done much to modernize Tibet. Lasha has gone from an oversized shrine to the Dalai Lama to an actual city with industry and jobs. I wonder what the feelings of non-monk Tibetans are towards the Chinese state, despite the repression and dickheadery.
Vietnam isn't a nation I know a great deal about. But China has supported various dynasties in Vietnam throughout the years in an attempt to maintain the tributary relationship. It is the same model they used in all neighboring states with the exception of Tibet and Steppe peoples whom they conquered in the 17th century and fully integrated into the empire.
My complaint in this post was that Americans are woefully ignorant of what life in Tibet was/is like for common people and blindly support a represive regime in exile. But you raise a lot of really good questions.
Janelle:
I mentioned that I think Tibet has the right to self-determination. If they want independence I hope they get it. I also hope that they modernize and don't go back to their old system of government.
Tibet was a tributary state to China for hundreds of years, as was most of East Asia. Tibet was formally annexed in the 17th century. The second and fifth Dalai Lama's got their authority to rule directly from the emperor of China. So, I would say that the connection to China is much stronger than other tributary states. But again, this isn't definitive grounds for Tibet's eternal status as a province of big momma China.
What I don't like about the West's love for the Free-Tibet movement is that it is couched in the leadership and legitimization of the Dalai Lama. Support for a free, democratic Tibet though would be sweet.
Also, China has done much to modernize Tibet. Lasha has gone from an oversized shrine to the Dalai Lama to an actual city with industry and jobs. I wonder what the feelings of non-monk Tibetans are towards the Chinese state, despite the repression and dickheadery.
Vietnam isn't a nation I know a great deal about. But China has supported various dynasties in Vietnam throughout the years in an attempt to maintain the tributary relationship. It is the same model they used in all neighboring states with the exception of Tibet and Steppe peoples whom they conquered in the 17th century and fully integrated into the empire.
My complaint in this post was that Americans are woefully ignorant of what life in Tibet was/is like for common people and blindly support a represive regime in exile. But you raise a lot of really good questions.
james - 10/18/07 12:43
Why people should love Asia:
1) Half the people on the planet live there
2) The novel was invented in Japan
3) tanka and haiku poetry
4) Chinese poetry was immensely influential on the beats, notably Allen Ginsburg
5) The religious texts of India are some of the best written mythology on the planet
6) the food, the food, the food
7) Korean soap operas are hilarious
8) most things you own were made there
9) Asians have a bunch of synchratic religions. Which makes them a real interesting model to study.
10) China has changed more in the last 50 years than it has in the last 5,000 years. That is very interesting.
see, a top ten of things I like. Take that (e:drew)!
Why people should love Asia:
1) Half the people on the planet live there
2) The novel was invented in Japan
3) tanka and haiku poetry
4) Chinese poetry was immensely influential on the beats, notably Allen Ginsburg
5) The religious texts of India are some of the best written mythology on the planet
6) the food, the food, the food
7) Korean soap operas are hilarious
8) most things you own were made there
9) Asians have a bunch of synchratic religions. Which makes them a real interesting model to study.
10) China has changed more in the last 50 years than it has in the last 5,000 years. That is very interesting.
see, a top ten of things I like. Take that (e:drew)!
janelle - 10/18/07 12:43
The fact that Tibet is historically a "backwards", feudal society that exists to support its God-emperor is not a substantial argument against freeing Tibet from China.
Could it be possible that while Tibet may be united in fighting China, the country might splinter once free from China and find itself with many different views on how to run the country some of which might lead it away from being a feudal society? Tibet borders Nepal and shares a common culture, doesn't it? Is it possible that Nepalese Maoists have influenced Tibetan politics? These are sincere questions, not rhetorical questions. Maybe you know since you're studying Asian history right now or can find out.
The argument that Tibet should remain part of China because it has been part of China for hundreds of years makes for interesting discussion. My understanding of the history (and again, correct me since you're studying the material right now) is that Tibet paid tribute to China and China allowed Tibet to rule itself. That's a pretty tenuous connection.
China having existed for such a long time has a very broad historical perspective, I should think. While in Vietnam we learned that at one time, China ruled what is now Vietnam for around two centuries (14th and 15th centuries is what I remember, do you know?). Vietnamese threw off Chinese rule and established the country of Vietnam. From that time on, China has made various military forays into Vietnam and has argued that Vietnam is a "renegade territory" up through the mid 1900s. Does that sounds familiar or what? So, if the Tibet situation has similarities to Vietnam, then I would be hard pressed to consider Tibet as part of China.
The fact that Tibet is historically a "backwards", feudal society that exists to support its God-emperor is not a substantial argument against freeing Tibet from China.
Could it be possible that while Tibet may be united in fighting China, the country might splinter once free from China and find itself with many different views on how to run the country some of which might lead it away from being a feudal society? Tibet borders Nepal and shares a common culture, doesn't it? Is it possible that Nepalese Maoists have influenced Tibetan politics? These are sincere questions, not rhetorical questions. Maybe you know since you're studying Asian history right now or can find out.
The argument that Tibet should remain part of China because it has been part of China for hundreds of years makes for interesting discussion. My understanding of the history (and again, correct me since you're studying the material right now) is that Tibet paid tribute to China and China allowed Tibet to rule itself. That's a pretty tenuous connection.
China having existed for such a long time has a very broad historical perspective, I should think. While in Vietnam we learned that at one time, China ruled what is now Vietnam for around two centuries (14th and 15th centuries is what I remember, do you know?). Vietnamese threw off Chinese rule and established the country of Vietnam. From that time on, China has made various military forays into Vietnam and has argued that Vietnam is a "renegade territory" up through the mid 1900s. Does that sounds familiar or what? So, if the Tibet situation has similarities to Vietnam, then I would be hard pressed to consider Tibet as part of China.
jason - 10/18/07 12:15
What should people like about Asia? Do you have any faves?
What should people like about Asia? Do you have any faves?
10/16/2007 21:01 #41680
Why I Don't Like Rachel Ray(e:Joshua) has been talking about cooking. Well, (e:Jbeaty) has been talking about cooking a lot and (e:Joshua) brought it up. But it made me think about why I don't like Rachel Ray.
The thing about her is, she makes meals in twenty minutes. They are simple foods that everyday Americans would love to eat. Nothing fancy, no ingredient they can't get in a regular grocery store, nothing difficult to pronounce. Her set is like her food, simple and a bit nostalgic with a retro fridge and not a scrap of stainless steal in site. It would evoke grandmas kitchen where you brought in some eggs from the hen house.
And yet this whole air is betrayed by the window. Grandmas farm kitchen is apparently in a high rise in Manhattan, with the visible skyline of that city etched out between those yellow country curtains. This is the lie she serves up, that the everyday, the humdrum, is somehow extra ordinary and classy.
There is pleasure in the regular home cooked meal. A meal so simple anyone could make it. And that is the charm of Rachel Ray, anyone really can make it. Her recipes litter the grocery store aisles on packages of triscuts, miracle whip, ketchup. It is food that anyone with a passing interest in cooking can make. It is a pat on the back to the mediocre and the store bought.
Rachel Ray is not edifying. We learn, essentially, nothing from her. Julia Child took America into culinary worlds we had not yet imagined! French cooking with serious technique became fashionable, dethroning jell-o molds and aspic. Now, ecen greasy spoon diners will serve a sandwitch au ju. Her effect on America's palate is immeasurable.
On the other hand, Ray sends us into a bit of a time warp. With Julia we realized the importance of technique, with Ray we trade that for ready made. Rachel Ray is making the meat and potato meals of days of yore in an age where eating bears the scientific name gastronomique.
A celebration of the everyday isn't really a good use of time, but man can it get you sponsorships.
The thing about her is, she makes meals in twenty minutes. They are simple foods that everyday Americans would love to eat. Nothing fancy, no ingredient they can't get in a regular grocery store, nothing difficult to pronounce. Her set is like her food, simple and a bit nostalgic with a retro fridge and not a scrap of stainless steal in site. It would evoke grandmas kitchen where you brought in some eggs from the hen house.
And yet this whole air is betrayed by the window. Grandmas farm kitchen is apparently in a high rise in Manhattan, with the visible skyline of that city etched out between those yellow country curtains. This is the lie she serves up, that the everyday, the humdrum, is somehow extra ordinary and classy.
There is pleasure in the regular home cooked meal. A meal so simple anyone could make it. And that is the charm of Rachel Ray, anyone really can make it. Her recipes litter the grocery store aisles on packages of triscuts, miracle whip, ketchup. It is food that anyone with a passing interest in cooking can make. It is a pat on the back to the mediocre and the store bought.
Rachel Ray is not edifying. We learn, essentially, nothing from her. Julia Child took America into culinary worlds we had not yet imagined! French cooking with serious technique became fashionable, dethroning jell-o molds and aspic. Now, ecen greasy spoon diners will serve a sandwitch au ju. Her effect on America's palate is immeasurable.
On the other hand, Ray sends us into a bit of a time warp. With Julia we realized the importance of technique, with Ray we trade that for ready made. Rachel Ray is making the meat and potato meals of days of yore in an age where eating bears the scientific name gastronomique.
A celebration of the everyday isn't really a good use of time, but man can it get you sponsorships.
libertad - 09/23/10 11:28
Yum-O kids! Just a couple of turns around the pan with the EVOO. Barf!
Yum-O kids! Just a couple of turns around the pan with the EVOO. Barf!
tinypliny - 10/17/07 23:43
I didn't know who this character was till this minute. Woe. Now her hideous perenially smiling face is stuck in my head thanks to a miscalculated google image search.
What's with her and that Julia Roberts person. They have waaayy too inhumanly wide smiles.
Ick.
I didn't know who this character was till this minute. Woe. Now her hideous perenially smiling face is stuck in my head thanks to a miscalculated google image search.
What's with her and that Julia Roberts person. They have waaayy too inhumanly wide smiles.
Ick.
joshua - 10/17/07 14:25
Giada is full of shit - I'll never believe that she actually eats what she cooks. Theres a phony!
I harbor secret milf feelings for Sandra Lee.
Giada is full of shit - I'll never believe that she actually eats what she cooks. Theres a phony!
I harbor secret milf feelings for Sandra Lee.
mrmike - 10/17/07 12:03
Ya'all making me hungry
Ya'all making me hungry
jenks - 10/17/07 11:52
Ok, the only thing I really know about RR is "EVOO". And that she has a pit bull. I've never seen her show.
And while I agree with James and jbeatty- I also don't think a friendly 'cooking for dummies' type show is such a bad thing... Ok, so it's a 20 minute recipe with easy ingredients that anyone can make. If it's that instead of feeding your kids hamburger helper- I'm all for it.
My brother in law hates Giada De Laurentiis with a PASSION. His usual phrase is "oooooh! I want to kick her teeth in!"
And it's hysterical to hear my mom get all riled up about "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" and her 'tablescapes'. (have to admit I've never seen that show but it sounds horrendous.)
the point buried in there is- there's something out there for everyone. But most stupid americans can't handle much more than rachel-style, so we're inundated.
Ok, the only thing I really know about RR is "EVOO". And that she has a pit bull. I've never seen her show.
And while I agree with James and jbeatty- I also don't think a friendly 'cooking for dummies' type show is such a bad thing... Ok, so it's a 20 minute recipe with easy ingredients that anyone can make. If it's that instead of feeding your kids hamburger helper- I'm all for it.
My brother in law hates Giada De Laurentiis with a PASSION. His usual phrase is "oooooh! I want to kick her teeth in!"
And it's hysterical to hear my mom get all riled up about "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" and her 'tablescapes'. (have to admit I've never seen that show but it sounds horrendous.)
the point buried in there is- there's something out there for everyone. But most stupid americans can't handle much more than rachel-style, so we're inundated.
joshua - 10/17/07 09:35
Scalliwags!
Scalliwags!
mrdt - 10/16/07 23:19
From a 15 veteran cook/chef Rachel Ray scares me. I couldn't agree with you more. Real cooks know she can't hold a knife and most of the food she produces on her show comes from culinary grads that perfect the recipe in a lab.
Stop with that fake laugh for fuck's sake.
From a 15 veteran cook/chef Rachel Ray scares me. I couldn't agree with you more. Real cooks know she can't hold a knife and most of the food she produces on her show comes from culinary grads that perfect the recipe in a lab.
Stop with that fake laugh for fuck's sake.
mike - 10/16/07 23:02
I love Rachel Ray. Ok I don't watch her but in theory I love her. What's wrong with simple! It's what I'm all about! Like who has time to make really coplicated meals! Not I! Oh wait i don't cook any meals. I do feel that way about fashion shows though, they should be truly outrageous and unruly and not practical!
I love Rachel Ray. Ok I don't watch her but in theory I love her. What's wrong with simple! It's what I'm all about! Like who has time to make really coplicated meals! Not I! Oh wait i don't cook any meals. I do feel that way about fashion shows though, they should be truly outrageous and unruly and not practical!
jbeatty - 10/16/07 22:41
Well put, I couldn't agree more. Besides her irritatingly cute persona her entire gig is against everything I enjoy about cooking. To dumb it down for the masses is fine, but I truly want no part of it. She is nothing more than a slightly attractive spokesperson for way too many products, who also happens to cook. I would much rather read, or watch an actual chef who is showing me something I have never even imagined existed. Cooking and eating is about discovery. For me its learning about other cultures though what they eat, sometimes even how and why they eat it. Her show and approach lack this. She is the "celebrity chef" run amok. It all started with Emeril who I don't doubt knows what the fuck he is doing. But the image he presents on his live show just annoys the shit out of me. Rachael Ray is this times ten, in addition to to being a hack.
Well put, I couldn't agree more. Besides her irritatingly cute persona her entire gig is against everything I enjoy about cooking. To dumb it down for the masses is fine, but I truly want no part of it. She is nothing more than a slightly attractive spokesperson for way too many products, who also happens to cook. I would much rather read, or watch an actual chef who is showing me something I have never even imagined existed. Cooking and eating is about discovery. For me its learning about other cultures though what they eat, sometimes even how and why they eat it. Her show and approach lack this. She is the "celebrity chef" run amok. It all started with Emeril who I don't doubt knows what the fuck he is doing. But the image he presents on his live show just annoys the shit out of me. Rachael Ray is this times ten, in addition to to being a hack.
jason - 10/16/07 22:13
But (e:james) not all of us can cook. I would love to know how to make that stuff (e:jbeatty) showed us, but I just don't think I have the technique to make it work. Sometimes it has to be easy. I'll never woo the ladies making Chicken and Stars. Ask Josh, in High School he cooked a meal that I took credit for on Valentine's Day. Plus Gordon Ramsay always preaches that shit, keep it simple, although I'm sure he uses techniques I know nothing about yet.
But (e:james) not all of us can cook. I would love to know how to make that stuff (e:jbeatty) showed us, but I just don't think I have the technique to make it work. Sometimes it has to be easy. I'll never woo the ladies making Chicken and Stars. Ask Josh, in High School he cooked a meal that I took credit for on Valentine's Day. Plus Gordon Ramsay always preaches that shit, keep it simple, although I'm sure he uses techniques I know nothing about yet.
joshua - 10/16/07 22:07
We like the same girl!
We like the same girl!
fellyconnelly - 10/16/07 22:06
yeah and that weird mouth of hers!
down with rachel ray!
even if she did look damn good in that maxim spread!
yeah and that weird mouth of hers!
down with rachel ray!
even if she did look damn good in that maxim spread!
joshua - 10/16/07 22:04
No, don't say it! I'm pretending that I didn't read any of this.
No, don't say it! I'm pretending that I didn't read any of this.
Didn't know all this either...
From what I say on a documentary type program one of the reasons Thailand is the number one place for sex changes is that the have good Doctors and for the price of the operation in the US you can fly to Thailand have a vacation and get the surgery done and come home. From what I remember they don't require you to live as women before the operation. The other thing I know about Thailand is that some of the women you try to pick up some places are Transexuals and are in a certain district, they are also known as "Thai Lady Boys". Hey if that is your thing there is nothing wrong with that at all, as long as you know that is what you are getting.
Oh ya, the food was mentioned.
Strangely though, I haven't had any good Thai food in the area. If anyone knows a place I would love to hear about it.
I know next to nothing about Transgender folk. So I am not a great source of information outside of trivia.
But from what little I have read surgeries are performed in these other nations more is because they are more accepting societies of Transgender people. American doctors would refuse to do the surgery because they see it as unnecessary and violating "do no harm". Which is odd considering American doctors perform male circumcisions willy nilly.
A lot of surgeries are also performed in Brazil and Finland.... to add to the heap of trivia.
I don't know where the US ranks but if I had to guess it would be behind Canada. I only base this guess on the one person I know who had a vaginoplasty done went to Montreal because it was much cheaper.
I've used trivia to shoot myself, too. I knew about the sex trade. And the good food. Did anyone else mention how good Thai food is? Didn't no about the sex-change stuff. Where does the US rank? I figured we would be up there, but apparently, we aren't in the top 2. I guess its because surgery is so much more expensive here (and sex change probably isn't covered by most insurance).