|
|
|
If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend jumping out of a plane (particularly if you have a parachute).
This past weekend, I took my first jump as part of a friend's bachelor party, and it was exhilarating to say the least. Of course, as with most people's first jumps, it was a tandem, so I was strapped to an instructor and basically didn't have to do a whole lot except follow some very straightforward instructions.
In short, it's a good time - loath as I am to recommend a potentially dangerous course of action, I really suggest you at least try it!This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
|
Parents bash ban on birthday goodies
Policy will affect more than just birthday treats
I love my "home" state of New Jersey, and the town of Scotch Plains. This is why I get very sad when it makes the news for something totally and completely ridiculous.
It's not that this policy is inherently bad - to be honest, I don't know enough about the actual proposal to make a judgment. However, the fact that it's making the news in such a ridiculous way suggests a total boneheadedness about the effort that, I'm afraid to say, seems almost laughably predictable.
I know at least some of the people working on this, and - as Dubya likes to say - they're "good folks." But, merits of the policy aside, this is a PR disaster for the district.
I'll have to consult my sources (yes! I have insider sources!) for the real scoop... maybe there's some part of this that makes it all make sense.
On the upside - possibly spurred by the embarassment, or maybe just as a coincidence, the Board and the teachers' union finally reached a contract (the teachers have been working without one for a year).This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
Wednesday, June 7th, 2006
|
|
|
The Online Laws of Love
Dahlia Lithwick wonders (and then explains) why there aren't more laws to govern Internet dating fraud. The answer, in short, is that plain-ol' fraud laws tend to already cover most circumstances of the truly abusive - and simple dishonesty, while distasteful, is also hardly unique to Internet dating:
Most online dating services agree that most of their consumers are savvy enough to understand the rules, which aren't really all that different from the rules you'd have used at Studio 54 in 1975: Don't give out your last name or phone number, and assume that anyone who mentions their trust fund or diamond mine is a liar.
This topic is actually rather apropos, as I will be recording a guest appearance on The Mep Report later today that may (may!) talk about online dating.This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
|
Virginity pledgers often dishonest about past
No, really?
There's more to this than just schadenfreude, though:
"If those who deny their sexual pasts perceive their new history as correct, they will underestimate the sexually transmitted disease risk stemming from their prepledge sexual behavior," [the researcher] adds.
In other words, virginity pledges can often be actively harmful, because they incentivize and encourage people to form inaccurate perceptions of their sexual activity - which, as the above quote indicates, can cause them to be less responsible in their future sexual behavior than they would be sans pledge (i.e. "I don't need a condom, baby... you're the only one I've been with... in God's eyes.").This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
Wednesday, May 31st, 2006
|
|
|
Announcing IE7+
Showing once again their complete disregard for what's actually happening in the web development world, Microsoft has decided on pretty much the worst possible name for the Vista version of Internet Explorer 7: "IE7+". The "plus" version will have "Vista-only features like Protected Mode, Parental Controls, and improved Network Diagnostics." Okay, whatever, great. But don't they realize (or care) that plenty of websites, documents and other points of reference use "+" as shorthand for "and any version after"?
A Google search for "IE6+" returns about 364,000 results (MSN search was useless because even with quotes, it ignored the plus and just showed results for "IE6").
A few commenters on the blog entry announcing the name noted the confusion and inconvenience. The response so far: "eh, whatever, it's not that big a deal." Well, no, in the grand scheme of things it surely isn't. But it's annoying as fuck, and will undoubtedly cause confusion that is quite unnecessary.This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
|
So, I have (had) this credit card that gave me 5% cash back on gas/groceries, and 1% cash back on all other purchases. Over the years, I've gotten a decent amount of money back, and so was rather displeased when I received a letter informing me that effective next month, the card is being "discontinued for business reasons." In other words, they basically realized it's too good a deal.
Two (and a half) points:
1) What the fuck, yo? My card doesn't expire until 2009. I understand that there's no legal obligation for them to grant me credit if it's not in their interest, but it's a reasonable assumption that once a card is issued, it's valid until the expiration date. Otherwise, what's the point of the motherfucking expiration date? At any rate, having been burned once, I'm that much less likely to get a credit card from Citibank again (and let me tell you - I'm totally the kind of customer credit issuers want...)
2) So, does anyone know of a good cashback card? I'm far too lazy to bother with deciphering points and miles and all that crap. I'm happy with just getting cash back every once in a while - nice and simple. Everything I've seen has been worse (which does, I suppose, suggest why the card is being discontinued - the perfidy of changing the rules mid-game notwithstanding).
2.5) When the fuck did I become this "adult" person with things like "credit", to say nothing of opinions on the merits of various credit rewards programs?This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
|
Now that things are official with my "real" job, I can announce here that this summer I will be the Assistant Director of the Junior Statesmen Summer School at Georgetown University.
I will be taking a temporary leave from EK (basically 6 weeks, plus some vacation time) to pursue this one-time opportunity; come August, I'll be back to my normal job (and back to Boston!)
June 12 - August 6, however, I'll be in Washington, DC doing the JSA thing. Mainly, my job will be training and supervising the RA staff (a stretch, isn't it?) I don't know how much free time I'll have, but I'm sure I'll make some if I like you enough. So, if you'll be in DC this summer, drop me a line - particularly if I haven't seen you in a while!This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
|
Abbas stuns Hamas with talk of referendum
Wow. This is ballsy, and brilliant.
For a while now, the big dilemma in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the lack of a legitimized national consensus. Most analysts and pollsters believe that the majority of Palestinians want a two-state solution; yet, Hamas, with its promises of Israel's destruction, resoundingly won the last election. The interesting thing is, no one really knows whether Hamas won because of their radical stance vis-a-vis Israel, or despite it. They've been a leading provider of stability and social services, so their victory provided a muddy mandate at best to the radicals.
No matter how you slice it, a referendum will lead to progress.
In the worst-case scenario, the referendum fails, and at least the world has some clarity (as opposed to the status quo, where a radical prime minister and a moderate president are representing a population of largely unknown sentiments).
If the referendum succeeds, however, one of two things will happen. Either the Hamas government will stick to their policy of non-recognition, setting up a confrontation with legitimately expressed democratic sentiment, or - more likely, I think - they will use the referendum results as cover to moderate their position (if it's the will of the people, then it's not giving in to Western pressure). Either way, a successful referendum means a reasonable Palestinian position for negotiations with Israel - negotiations that, though they will doubtless be tough, may yet yield a fair and equitable two-state solution.This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
Wednesday, May 24th, 2006
|
|
|
School District to Monitor Student Blogs
I agree with the superintendent that the privacy argument is bunk: if it's out on a public blog, it's not "private." That said, I'm not sure that some information being "public" is reason enough for the school to hold students accountable for it. If it has some relevance to school actions, sure (like a kid threatening another kid or teacher). If it's serious enough to raise questions about students' safety, sure. But kids talking about getting drunk at a house party, or whatever else, hardly seems like the province of school officials... the police, maybe, if you want to stretch it - but hardly school officials.This is a cross-post of my blog. Click here for the real version, or to comment.
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
k2g2's journal