Off Topic Rant

I just got home. Traffic was horrible. The proposal for my thesis remains a scattered jumble of ideas that don't seem to come together in the sentence I write.

Anyways, to get out of the monotony of thinking about Lacan this morning I browsed on over to digg.com and saw an entry for Best Colleges of 2008. I had to check where my school ranks and what chances I have of getting into a good PhD program.

Haha. I might as well discard my futile attempts at writing a thesis because there doesn't seem to be much hopes in the way of me getting into a good program and later a good job.

Here's some of the verbiage from the U.S. News & World Report website on how they breakdown their ranking system. See what you think about it.

Student selectivity (15 percent). A school's academic atmosphere is determined in part by the abilities and ambitions of the student body. We therefore factor in test scores of enrollees on the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT or Composite ACT score (50 percent of the selectivity score); the proportion of enrolled freshmen (for all national universities and liberal arts colleges) who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes and (for institutions in the universities-master's and baccalaureate colleges) the top 25 percent (40 percent); and the acceptance rate, or the ratio of students admitted to applicants (10 percent). The data are for the fall 2006 entering class. (source)

Can SAT and ACT scores really measure ambition? Wow! I had no idea!

So, any schools or employers who take this crap into consideration when looking at applicants can assume that any prospective students who previously attended a low ranking school will have less ability and less ambition than someone who attends a higher ranking school?

Hey, I can do that!

I'm supposed to be writing my thesis right now. There are over fifty library books sitting all over my floor and I need to sort through them between today and tomorrow. I much rather read stuff on the internet and catch up with all of the feeds I have neglected in the past weeks than tackle the gargantuan task of thesis writing that lays before me.

Anyways, in honor of useful and insightful procrastination here is another article from another great blog, Critical Miami, which relates both to my thesis in writing and Miami.

How, you ask--simple. This article exposes the elusive art of editing a la Miami Herald!

A little off topic...

This isn't about travel or things to do, but I just read a well-written article on Stuck On The Palmetto that I think everyone should read.

The article is not cheerful or uplifting--in fact, I hate thinking that such a thing is possible in this world.

Danger! Perpetual Road Construction

Well, as any true Miami native knows--it's not Miami unless the roadway you are driving on is under some kind of construction. The epidemic of constant roadway construction only seems to get worse and worse as the time goes on.

Here's an example of what happened to Tony and I returning home after a fun night out at a local restaurant this past Friday. We are driving north on LeJeune/8th Avenue when we hit some major traffic and come to a complete stop. We know there is heavy construction on LeJeune in front of MIA, but that's been the case for years. Nothing new. Well, we eventually see that LeJeune is closed to all through traffic. There were no signs warning us of the road closure up ahead and subsequently we are forced to reroute onto the 836, which is void of detour signs.

Ok...no biggie. We're natives. We know our way around. But what about tourists?

It was appalling that on a Friday night, whoever is in charge of deciding when construction gets done, would actually choose that time to close such a major thoroughfare.

It's ridiculous.

Well...we continue on our way and the exit off of the 836 that we wanted to take was also closed. Imagine that.

We had to drive all the way to the Palmetto Expressway and come back towards LeJeune via the NW 36th Street exit--which is sort of like driving in a "u" then cutting across the top part--a HUGE detour!

I'm not sure if these closures were announced ahead of time, but there still should have been plenty of signs giving drivers enough forewarning in order to allow them to decide on alternates. Instead, the lack of signs just dumped drivers on a highway with additional closures in the middle of the night. What a wonderful situation to find oneself in.

Oh...and it was raining!

My advice, get one of those GPS systems in your car, if you're a tourist--and even for people that live here that might not be a bad idea--or just be aware of different routes you can use to get to your destination.

Disturbing...

I was at the beach recently with Tony and we were just sitting and relaxing when all of a sudden I heard some loud screams and yells coming from the water. It was accompanied by violent splashing, so I looked up from my reading.

There was a group of guys (maybe five) playing with a soccer ball in the water, throwing it back and forth...but the screams were the result of one guy throwing the soccer ball at another guy. The ball hit him hard.

This scene repeated a few times about twenty feet in front of us. Then, it ended when one guy missed and the ball rolled far off down the shore coming to rest near a little girl making her way into the ocean. Luckily, the ball didn't hit anyone because he threw it with ferocious force

These guys were playing around, obviously--but why does their play have to involve violence and pain? How fun can that be? I don't want friends that try to hit me or attack me with soccer balls at the beach.

Anyways...this got me thinking...and I just came across a video on YouTube which disturbs me for much of the same reasons why watching those "friends" at the beach abuse each other with a soccer ball disturbs me.



Obviously, the guys in the video think what they are doing is funny, that they aren't hurting anyone, and even most of the comments on the video agree with the hilarity of the subject matter. But, any time I see violence (in any form) associated with fun or something funny--it just turns my stomach.

And to those that say that men are wired that way--pick up a copy of Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic by James Gilligan--it's more of a social/cultural problem than just a biological one.

Asses to Asses

Trying on jeans is annoying for women for various reasons. For me it's the fact that sizes come in the all too ambiguous 8, 10, 12 series--which really doesn't mean much. Guys, it seems, have it much easier with their pant, jeans, and even dress-shirt sizes measured in inches. Who whoulda thought?

Well, my rant on men's versus women's clothing sizes will have to wait for another day... right now it's nice to know that a store called Hub Clothing in Scottsdale has installed The Butt Cam with the belief that "[a] lot of people dread trying on jeans and so any more entertaining you can make it the better. A lot of people compare it to trying on bathing suits, you know something they just don't like to do, we're trying to make it painless," (Hub Clothing Partner Tom Simon).

Oh, yes. That's what I want! I want an unnatural view of my ass that no one will have unless they stick their nose up my crack. I'll be an informed consumer this way! Thanks, Tom Simon! Thanks for reinforcing that women's asses and how they look are the most important consideration women have when shopping for jeans.

But, of course, there's more to this story.... According to Tom Simon, he and his associates are "even thinking of doing a best of and putting it on DVD for the year, 'Best Butts of '08' or whatever, yeah."

Yeah...brilliant!

Full Article
Gizmodo Review

Sand is sand is sand...

Well...not really.

I've visited, spent the day at, and passed by many a beach in South Florida. I've never really found a beach that I've enjoyed completely. There's always been some feature or characteristic of the beach that kept me from enjoying my time there completely. For instance, the beach might have been too crowded, the shoreline was rocky, the waves were nonexistent--whatever--you get the idea.

Well, I recently visited a beach that I had heard of my whole life, but which I had never had the chance to visit. It is now my new favorite beach (maybe another day I will write about the beach this new favorite has replaced).

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne (otherwise known by the Hispanic community as "El Farito") is a wonderful place to spend the day with your family, with your significant other, or even alone.

It is listed in Frommer's as one of the Best Beaches and the TravelChannel website refers to it. There are loads of other web references about this park, most of them positive.

My favorite aspects of the park:

• beautiful sandy beaches
• not crowded (granted, weekdays in the early morning are the best time to visit...but most people will visit the free beaches nearby)
• sand dunes
• little or no shell shards or rocks to hurt your feet
• bike and nature trails
• lighthouse you can climb up
• snorkeling is possible
• nice little waves (not too big/not too small)
• lots of tables, benches, and gazebos available for rent
• affordable admission prices
• pets are allowed (in certain areas, not on the beach though)
• two places to get food

Also, one more thing that made me enjoy my time there, but probably won't matter to most people, is that the place reminded me so much of the beaches in St. Augustine, Florida where I felt very peaceful, removed from the hectic city-life, and I was surrounded by nature.

This is a great place to visit and I plan on going there often. I can't believe I've never been before. I suppose most people that go to the area opt for the free beaches which abound. That's what my family and I used to do, but thankfully, Tony and I like to try new things. So we checked this place out. We're planning to go back soon!

Here's the addy and the official webpage...
1200 S. Crandon Blvd.
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Phone: 305-361-5811

Remember though...if you're in Miami and want to visit, but forget the address or get lost (which happens to us locals) just ask for "El Farito." You'll get strange looks if you say "Bill Baggs".

(Picture taken from http://mpancier.blogspot.com/ who has a nice entry about the Hispanic ties to "El Farito" that I, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to participate in...give it a read.)

Because this world isn't complete without...

...Boob Pillows. Yup. I subscribe to gizmodo.com so I can read about the new gadgets, but it seems that I more often find things that piss me off.

*Sigh* First Pussy Feet, now Boob Pillows... Can some Japanese company make a joystick out of a penis, please? I mean, c'mon!

Oh, wait... there is a penis joystick--sort of.

Levitation

Not much to do with robots, unfortunately, but amazing nonetheless.

**Update** Apparently, this link is no longer working, and thanks to my very vague post here, I have no idea what this was about. Oh well...

Fem-text-astic

This is what gets my feminist taste-buds working!

A nice little collection of feminist writing available in full-text on the internet! Yey!

Thought I would share.

**UPDATE: Crap, this link is dead too. Curse you, changeable internet, and your unlinking ways!

Foot Fetish Anyone?

The SiFeet Pussy Foot is a silicone foot with a "fully functional and totally fuck-able silicone vagina" on the underside of the foot. While I wonder what the "fully functional" aspects of the vagina are, the fact that it is obviously "fuck-able" isn't the only thing that disturbs me--the feet are disembodied (in a crude manner) and bound together by a rope, hanging like a piece of meat.


But why am I surprised? Foot fetishes are behind Chinese Foot Binding. The objectification and fragmentation of female bodies through sexualization is the main reason why women are still seen and treated as disposable and consumable material objects.


Stockroom.com describes "[t]his silicone sex toy is also a convenient practice tool for preparing to get hot and kinky with actual feet." Well, maybe their customers should practice with these feet--and get intimate with the destructive history men's foot fetish has had on women throughout the centuries.

Mind Control

Follow this link for a few words and a very interesting video on the future of mind-controlled mechanical objects.

This, of course, is technological advancement at its height. It would make any geek wet his/her pants, but what are some of the implications of this new technology?

NeuroSky develops the gizmo that reads your emotions with different algorithms.

The idea of mappable emotions and the subsequent quantitative value that could be placed on them is one of my concerns. Turning something as organic as feelings into what may become our new analytic understanding of them may have some repercussions in the future of criminal investigations, perhaps. Maybe I'm wrong--or stretching this too far--but it was one of the first things that sprang into my mind as I watched the video. Can the technology they use to read and guage certain types of thoughts be applied to the rest of the vast array of human emotions? It may be possible to strap one of these nifty mind contraptions on someone and mathematically gauge someone's hatred or love of another person by showing them a picture of that person.

The idea of applying this technology for the physically impaired is wonderful, as Ologic would like to do in the future, but how will this technology limit exactly who can control certain objects? What if two people with the gizmo on their head, presumably, want to make the same object do two different things? Will one person's thoughts be more powerful than another?

And finally, my last thought about this new technology... The military may have vast applications for technology like this; but, in our gun-ho society it is also dangerous to apply, let's say, mind control capabilities on firearms. There would be no physical evidence left behind if something was fired in that manner.

I know that I'm pretty morbid and this technology is fairly new, but still, I think these things are worth thinking about.

Ugly Smile?

I'm at a loss for words about this... thankfully, it probably isn't going to catch on.

A Helping Hand

Better than the real thing?

A New Twist on Oral Sex

Technological advances in speech recognition make it possible for the robot to interpret direction of sound.

Sex Terminator

Robot sex - always worth mentioning!

Fem Bot

What's in a name...too bad I couldn't get that name from Blogger. Someone else has already registered it but has never used it or updated their blog. Oh well...bygones.

I'm going to use this blog to collect ideas, writings, pictures, and articles about robots and artificial intelligence.

Hialeah Cop-Out

I've been noticing a lot of Hialeah police out lately. They are pulling people over left and right. I figure it's the end of the month and all--they need to fulfill their speeding/traffic ticket quota for the month.

But just a word of caution: Tony brought me some Starbuck's coffee this morning and as he was waiting in line at the Miami Springs SB's he noticed a posting on the bulletin board about police being out and about like vultures on a feeding frenzy. This is supposed to last until August 5th or so. I'm mentioning this because anything on a Starbuck's community bulletin board is worth noting.

Also, mentioned on the bulletin board, according to Tony, is the doubling of speeding and infraction fines. I'm not sure how valid this claim is, I'm just passing along the info.

So, come to complete stops at all stop signs, don't take yellow lights (in case they turn red before you've cleared the intersection--it's a ticketable offense) and make sure you're wearing your seatbelt. If you get pulled over for one thing and they see you have another minor infraction, they will ticket you for both.

Side note: for all those who travel south down 7th Ave instead of LeJeune/8th Ave to avoid morning traffic, there is usually a motorcycle cop giving speeding tickets somewhere around 5th street. He hides out under a big, shady tree. Try to slow down, avoid the area, and flash warning lights to oncoming traffic if you see him.

I got a ticket a few months ago and I live a few blocks away...

Cameltoes and Moose Knuckles: The Battle Rages

Cameltoe

Ah, yes. We all know this term. It needs no definition, although the cameltoe article on Wikipedia.com (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameltoe) does a splendid job at delineating the term's definition and offering various physical causes that may play a part in the creation of a cameltoe.

Recently, I came across a YouTube video of an old song I often heard when I was younger, but
I've never seen the music video. The song, of course, is FannyPack's single “Cameltoe.”

It was interesting to watch the video and listen to the lyrics with a much more critical eye and ear. Female genitalia is not only being made fun of, but it is also categorized as disgusting and revolting. In the music video, people look disgusted and shocked at seeing a cameltoe, one man even throws up.

Personally, I don't think that the human body should ever be an object of shame or disgust. But, let's assume for a moment that this wish of mine is too much of an ideology. Then, are men also the subject of ridicule and humiliation when it comes to their reproductive organs? Let's ponder this for a moment.

What is the male equivalent of a cameltoe? Some sites argue that it is the term “bulge.” An obviously neutral term which carries with it no negative connotations. Other sites argue that it is the term “moose knuckle” and other slight variations of it. I'm sure that's going to catch on...

Ok, so let's take the term, bulge. If it was as negative as cameltoe I doubt baseball players or professional dancers would wear such enhancing protective gear in that area. I'm going to stray from the topic of cameltoes and moose knuckles a moment... Why is it that women have no equivalent protective wear for breasts or the genitalia in sports? I've gotten hit in the breast by a spiked volleyball and I almost passed out from the pain. It is probably dangerous too (I am no doctor, scientist, nor have I done studies...but do these studies even exist? Is anyone looking out for the welfare of female athletes?). Anyways...back on track now... showing off and having a prominent outline of the male genital area is definitely not a negative thing in our society. Men’s jeans even enhance that, giving the illusion of having a larger package than exists in reality by creating a nice little poofy pouch in the front area.

Now, I’m not someone who is wishing for men to be ashamed of their bodies—quite the contrary—I just wish the same standards existed for women.

I remember an incident that happened during my freshmen/sophomore year of high school (can’t remember when exactly)... we wore uniforms but some days we were allowed dress up days. On one of these dress up days I came to school with jeans and a white t-shirt with a smiley face on it. It was a baby-tee (was that what they were called?), which is generally a cotton t-shirt that is fitted to your body with small sleeves. Well, I’ve always had large breasts and there’s nothing I can do about them. I can’t stuff them into a tiny bra and hope they’ll shrink. They’re there. They are prominent. Get over it.

Well, I got called out for them. The president of the student council (a girl) and a teacher (a woman) both came up to me and said I was dressed inappropriately!!! I remember my face turning red. I felt ashamed and instantly put on the spot and insecure. I knew it was my white shirt. You could probably see the outline of my bra underneath and the t-shirt wasn’t loose so you could see my breasts pretty clearly. But, I was also not ready for a wet t-shirt contest or something. My conservative, Hispanic grandmother would never have let me walk out of the house if she thought I looked too hoochie or “inappropriate” for a catholic school.

This event embarrassed me, made me feel insecure and ashamed. I had to ask my grandmother, who worked at the bookstore to lend me a jacket so I could cover myself. Never mind this is Florida and it was hot. The student council president and the faculty member pointed out something that I wasn’t aware of that morning as I was getting dressed—the overt sexuality of female breasts and the shame society associates with sexuality.

If this incident would have happened to me today I would have been able to respond “appropriately” and asked them exactly what they wanted me to do with my breasts? Should I tape them down? Wear huge bulky sweaters (as many women ashamed of their bodies tend to do...as I often did in high school as a result of that incident)? Should I get a breast reduction? Should I be ashamed? Of course not. Damn them for ever making me feel that way.

What a backwards world we live in. Women with big breasts getting breast reductions...women with small breasts getting breast enlargements. Penis reductions—yeah right—not in this society.

Let’s return to the genital area once more and think back to our early childhood for a moment. If you are male do you remember an older relative pointing to your penis and remarking on the “cuteness” of it? Probably. If you are female, do you have any similar memories? Probably not. My memories are of family members always making sure I was covered up. Or if I was jumping around and sat down with my legs spread open, I would be told to close my legs. I’d obey automatically, without thinking of the “why” of the action. Pretty soon I was imitating women who crossed their legs.

It’s “ladylike” to cross your legs if you are a woman, but for me it’s always been damn uncomfortable. I get a red spot (I am very pale) on my calf when it has rested on my knee for a while. My leg falls asleep and sometimes my hip feel funky after a long sitting time with my legs crossed. This is social convention working here, this is probably not biological.

Another reason to cross our legs is the same reason we tend to do it as young girls—there are different standards and social mores surrounding genitalia that affect our behavior well into adulthood. As a result, we often transmit these ideologies to our own children without even knowing.

Men tend to sit with their legs spread far apart and women try to constrict their legs, crossing them or keeping their knees together, which requires some effort. The result—women take up less physical space than men. This must carry with it some psychological reinforcement about who is superior more important. In fact, at least my own personal experience supports this.

At a Cirque de Soliel show here in Miami, in a tent, with itty-bitty little seats squished together to fit the maximum number of people into the show area, I found myself between my huge boyfriend and a huge man who I did not know. I didn’t mind having my leg rub against my boyfriend’s, but I did mind having my leg rub against some stranger. I brought my legs closer together, I moved closer to my boyfriend—to no avail. I was forced to sit through the show feeling some other man’s leg against my own.

The problem with this is that I was the one moving, I was the one trying to take up less space. The man next to me, never batted an eyelash over the situation, nor did he try to bring his legs closer together. Yes, I am aware of the male genital area but I have never seen men walking down the street as if they were straddled on a horse or prepared to allow a semi-truck drive through their legs. Why do they insist on sitting like that then?

This blogger discusses the Hispanic male as the culprit behind this action, but really all males do it. It’s something they learn unconsciously. Women close their legs, men open theirs. Women are ashamed of their genital area, men are not. This is pure social convention and social mystification of sexuality.

Of course there are many reasons for this, but the constant hiding of female genitalia probably contributes to an overwhelming sense of shame about it. While little boys can run naked with people comment positively on their sexual parts of course they will grow up with a quite different understanding and relationship with their private parts than women do.

Even masturbation and self touching is something often associated with men rather than women. Men use their hands, women use dildos. The companies that produce dildos to help satisfy women sexually wouldn't make their hefty profits if more women just used their hands. Vaginal climax (the “mature” type of climax, according to Freud) is difficult—and some argue impossible—to reach without clitoral stimulation (Freud believed that climax is “immature” reinforcing the need of the male penis, or some phallic object to do the trick).

Think about gynecological examinations which women learn are something they need to do every year. We go see a virtual stranger, spread our legs, and allow that person (most often a man) look at, open up, and stick something into our vaginas. How many of those women who visit gynecologists ever look at themselves? Touch themselves? Have ever even tried? If this is offending you, disgusting you, don't worry—you are sharing the sentiments of most people in our culture.

Billie Swamp Safari

Yes, I know... Billie Swamp Safari isn't in Miami--it's actually a bit of a drive. But it's important for city folk to venture out into the countryside (which in Florida are the Everglades' swamps) and reconnect with nature and an alligator or two. Also, I just figure this blog will have lots more interesting content if I include things outside of the immediate Miami area, but within driving distance. There is only so much sand and concrete a girl can take.

Well, Billie Swamp Safari was a blast to visit. It's a great, unique way to spend the day: there are walking trails on a boardwalk over the water, airboat rides (the absolute funnest thing), swamp buggie rides (this would be great to get around Miami traffic!), shows, animal enclosures, and you can even spend a night in a Chickee for about $35 (I didn’t do that, but I plan to soon!). What's a Chickee? It's a raised platform hut with some cots. No air conditioning or running water here.

Other things I did that day... ate alligator (soooo yummy! Tastes like a mix between chicken and fish) and fed an ostrich (who bit my hand hard!).

The drive there is part of the fun because it's a great opportunity to see the everglades, not see any buildings, and breathe some fresh air. But here is a piece of advice: Do NOT speed through Clewiston, which is the Indian reservation where Billie Swamp Safari is located. Once you start to see houses, make sure to slow down to the appropriate speed limit. Tony and I got pulled over =(

There are a bunch of other things to do that I haven’t mentioned so for more details visit the official website: http://www.seminoletribe.com/safari

Here's the address:

Billie Swamp Safari
HC-61, Box 46
Clewiston, Florida 33440

But, that probably won't help you...they've got directions posted on their site.

Take Alligator Alley (I-75) from either Ft. Lauderdale or Naples to exit 49 (Mobile Service Plaza) then go north 19 miles to the park entrance.

Those 19 miles are the fun driving part!

Don't Give Me Moore Crap

Yes, I am going to see "Sicko". No, I haven't yet.

I have seen some clips from the film of a Cuban hospital that made my blood boil.

Supposedly, Moore went to Cuba and took with him some aid workers who were injured and supposedly asked the Cuban government to give them "the same care they give their own Cuban citizens [....] No more, no less. And that's what they did."

Yea. Great. And that proves what exactly?

I know I need to see the whole film first to see what this hospital looked like. But still, this sounds way too fishy for me because I know people, family members, friends, I have twenty-six years of listening to Cuban family and friends talking about Cuba, I know what's going on over there. I hear it every day. Things are not better over there than they are here.

Also, I saw a clip of Moore boasting about the price of medicine. How it was loads cheaper in Cuba than in the states. Yea. I bet they are. With Moore's salary, his American dollars, and his American citizenship, anything is available to him. The same is not true for the people that live there.

I wonder why in the time I worked in Walgreens I saw so many people buying medicine! food! clothes! to send back to their relatives in Cuba. There are companies that specialize in sending packages to Cuba! Ummm...why the demand if Cubans have it so good over there? If what Moore is saying is true about the low costs of medicine, why don't Cubans buy in bulk and send to their relatives here in the states, in Miami? Hmmm???

I'm sorry...but watching people that have absolutely no ties to Cuba talking about Cubans or the country or its politics like they know what the fuck they are talking about pisses the shit right out of me. They don't give a damn about the people in Cuba. Moore probably didn't leave the touristic part of Cuba to visit where the people live. He probably didn't realize that only the "clean" part of Cuba is reserved for the tourists, not if you actually live there. No, I don't think he noticed, he was probably too busy giving a shit about himself and the American's he took over there to make a stupid point. He should have grabbed a few random Cubans off the street and asked the hospitals to give THEM care.

Here is a link to Humberto Fontova's article about "Sicko". It's a good read, well worth the time.

Danger: Glossy Flyers Ahead

I'm a graduate student and I also teach. One thing I've noticed about the campus I work at is that it is absolutely littered with flyer advertisements. There's everything including the to-be-expected "looking for a roommate" and "selling my car". However, there is another type of flyer, a much more dangerous one.

These flyers are the glossy little cards that usually have a half or fully naked glistening woman in some sort of contorted animal-like position. It's a great attention grabber, obviously. It's also very affective to throw these glossy flyers down stair wells (which already happen to be quite slippery (add to that the scenario of the occasional Florida downpour)) or to lick the back of these tasty advertisements and slap them onto the back of bathroom stall doors or to the inside of elevator doors (something nice to look at in both occasions). It's also especially brilliant when the distributors of these flyers (who are mysteriously never seen in the act) leave one flyer on each and every desk inside of a classroom. It's just wonderful! They leave me some great teaching material.

Not only do I have to physically see these things at school where I both work and try to study as a student, but now they've infiltrated my Facebook account. The image below is a cut-and-paste from a side advertisement on a wall-to-wall conversation page on Facebook. It's lovely how the people at Facebook match up your zipcode to these ads (I wonder if people in small towns have Wet Wet Wednesdays). This was plastered (literally) right next to where I was typing. And I find it interesting how throughout many of these social websites there are options to “report” an image or a post that another user uploads, but not for advertisements that we really have no other choice but to look at. Quite interesting.

I know the image below is small and obviously a scan of one of the dreadful flyers I've mentioned before but the woman in the picture is clearly naked and covered in suds. I'm sure this would offend more than just a few people. Or maybe I'm wrong. Either way, if people (especially women) are just ignoring these images or see these images and shrug them off as unimportant, trivial, not allowing the images to affect them, it is still sad that these images are allowed regardless of the public's reaction. Though how many images of women covered in soap suds, degraded, and in submission can a person see without being affected, I am not sure, but I don't think it takes too many of these images to cause an imprint.

WET WET WEDNESDAYS



@ Club VIP
(on the corner of 79th and 7th ave)

18 to party
21 to swallow

FOR MORE INFO CALL
(yea...I'm not going to advertise for these idiots, sorry)

Cougars, Kittens, and Kelly--OH MY!

I originally posted this commentary on my Facebook and MySpace profiles, so it is not academic, researched, or even partially well-written. However, my lack of time compels me to include a post on this subject of "cougars" and hopefully when I have more time, I'll come back and expand on this post.

Ok...I need to take a time out and write something about these new (or are they old) terms for women. Kitten, I've heard before, but Cougar? WTF?

This morning [when I originally wrote this it was Tuesday 19 June 2007] while I getting dressed I turned the tv on and started watching Live with Regis and Kelly. I love/hate the show for various reasons that have to do with misogyny and sexism that I just am not going to get into now. Well, Kelly's husband, whatever his name is, he's a pretty-boy, is the host of a new show called The Age of Love (I think). It's another stupidly idiotic show about a bunch of women trying to get a guy. Oh my god, let me give them a freaking award for originality... Anyways, there are two groups of women on the show who seem to be fighting for some dork's affection. One group is of kittens (young women, in their 20s) and the other is called cougars (older women, over 40).

BTW, Kelly stupidly told a little anecdote about her husband calling her a cougar and acting all sad-like because she wasn't called a kitten. WTF? She's always acting so retarded on that show and now this? I mean--c'mon, I love shoes and nice outfits too, but that's not the extent of my brain. She should at least try to get a little more respect, especially from Regis who is a closeted misogynist.

Well, tonight, after getting home from school I thought I would flip on the TV, relax for an hour or so before I start working on the scary Spenser paper that's due Thursday. What do you think is on my freaking TV screen? Secret Lives of Women and tonight's episode is about cougars. Of course! Where did this stupid word come from? How could I have heard it twice in the same day?

Well, I shouldn't have to explain why this makes me so mad, if you know me, you know why I am pissed...

Now I don't care if an older woman dates a younger man, but why the fuck does society feel the need to label that? When men date younger women they are not called or labeled anything! I can't believe such stupidity and ignorance still prevails. You'll never see men being called anything similar... nor will you see a tv show that labels a group of men anything as stupidly retarded as kittens and cougars.

Panera, oh, my Panera Bread

My brand new favorite place to buy bread, eat a yummy pastry, and grab a cool coffee is Panera Bread. Unfortunately, the location is a bit out of the way, but we make a trek over to Doral to get our bread fix.

This place has it all! It’s like a Starbucks on steroids (or just a big helping of yeast). There’s also wireless internet and lots of tables, and PLUGS! Yes, laptops do need power—my biggest qualm with places boasting about wireless access is that there is usually no place to plug in. But, the most startling revelation for me, which I just noticed on their website is that their wireless is free! Yes, FREE! I didn’t notice that it was free when I went, since I didn’t take my laptop with me, but I saw others, and assumed that, like all the other places, you had to pay for it. Apparently, not! What a great feature!

I’d give you a sampling of their menu, but it is really varied. They have everything from panini’s to freshly made pizza to scones. You’ll just have to visit their website. They even serve a soufflé in the mornings, which I have not had the chance to eat because so many people get there early to eat them.

The service is great considering you walk up to a counter to order your food, bread, drink, or dessert. The place is also clean, which is very important to me. There are a lot of patrons at all times of the day chatting which makes for a pleasant environment and the décor is modern and inviting.

Now…about the bread. Oh, do I love my bread! The first day we went to Panera, we actually got a loaf for free because we wanted French bread and they were baking some at that moment. So, they gave us one of their cheese breads, sliced it for us, and gave it to us for free! WOW. Free food! Awesome!

The most recent bread we bought was their mountain bread, which was just beckoning me from their rack. It is by far the most scrumptious raised dough I’ve ever had. I just had the last slice today and it was still as fresh tasting as the first day.

This place has a lot to offer and is a great place for people who love cafés, but who are a little tired of the Starbucks scene. Bread aficionados need to go and take a look too.

I hope that Panera will open more convenient locations soon… I’m actually going to try and swing by tomorrow to pick up some bread for the week.

Here’s the addy:

Panera Bread
9717 Northwest 41st Street
Miami (Doral), FL 33178
(305) 406-3330 | phone

100% Natural

Last Friday, 15 June 2007, Tony and I decided to go out to eat. He suggests a place called 100% Natural at Dolphin Mall.

Supposedly, he read a review of the place which wrote that this restaurant was a great place to eat, so we decided to check it out. When we got there I realized that the place wasn’t a restaurant that you’d go to for dinner, it was more of a lunch-type place. But, we weren’t deterred so we went in to eat.

The atmosphere of the place is sort of like a tropical, beach side restaurant with lots of green paint and plants. The center of the restaurant has a tiki hut for the bar area which is pretty much open and visible to the patrons. The Formica tabletops have pictures of bamboo sticks or something that looks similar and instead of a drink or dessert flip book on your table, you have a flip book of health tips, which makes for interesting reading while you eat. Overall, it was clean, and the service was friendly, but nothing to go nuts over.

Now, for the important part—the food!

The best part of our night was the drinks. The restaurant has a huge selection of smoothies. I just asked the waiter to get me his favorite, but from the variety listed on the menu, it seems that you can’t go wrong in choosing a drink. Also, they are HUGE, so it’s sure to last the whole meal. Tony ordered the “California,” which is made of apple, lemon, orange, and pineapple. And I had the “Oasis.” The ingredients include apple, pineapple and strawberry.

For the appetizer, we decided to be daring and went for the “Nopal planchado,” which is grilled nopal (cactus) and panela cheese with a basil dressing and pita bread. Sounds yummy, right? Well, it is definitely an acquired taste, which in our short time in the restaurant, Tony never acquired. I enjoyed it a little more, but it’s definitely something I won’t be ordering again.

For the maincourse I ordered “Quesabrosas,” which I enjoyed immensely. The meal includes three whole-wheat tortillas with cheese, spinach, mushrooms, onion and a 100% natural salad with beans vinaigrette. This was really tasty! I am by no means a vegetarian, but the mushrooms were so meaty tasting that I almost forgot about the absence of meat in my meal.

Tony, on the other hand, didn’t enjoy his experience here at all. He ordered the
“Soy de pollo,” which is their soy hamburger made up of ground chicken breast, onion, garlic and parsley. I didn’t taste his dish, but it looked appetizing. He wasn’t happy with the taste, saying it was not seasoned.

Part of the reason I think we didn’t enjoy the place as much as we might have was because we went there for dinner, and it is really a great place for lunch during a hot day. They also have a breakfast menu, which we might go back and try one day.

I give them kudos for their philosophy, cleanliness, and unique menu.

Rumblings...

I haven't gone out anywhere new lately. I do have to post some reviews about a couple of restaurants that I've been to in the past couple of months. Hopefully, I'll get those posts up next week. I have two papers I am working on for school and I actually have plans to go out next weekend...so...until then, happy drinking, eating, adventuring!

Cuban dissident Luis Garcia Perez freed after 17 years

Here is the article from Taipei Times (original source here).

AP, HAVANA
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007, Page 7

Cuban dissident leader Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, who wrote a book about prison conditions on the island while behind bars, was freed after serving his full 17-year sentence, human-rights groups said.

Garcia Perez, widely known as "Antunez," was released on Sunday, the opposition human-rights group Bitacora Cubana said on Monday.

He was arrested for enemy propaganda and attempted sabotage in 1990. Pope John Paul II petitioned for his early release before his historic visit in 1998. Cuba freed 14 others as a goodwill gesture tied to the pope's visit, but left Garcia Perez in prison.

PRISON JOURNAL

While serving out his sentence he wrote Boitel Lives, a book about prison conditions that was published outside Cuba.

The book is named after Pedro Luis Boitel who died in 1972 in a Cuban prison after 53 days on hunger strike.

The Miami-based Cuban American National Foundation, a which represents anti-Castro exiles, congratulated Garcia Perez for his "consistency of principles."

While Garcia Perez got out, two other dissidents have been imprisoned this month after secret trials, according to a Havana-based rights group.

NEW TRIALS

A lawyer, Rolando Jimenez Posada, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for painting graffiti and distributing pamphlets with an anti-government message.

He was tried over the weekend without a defense attorney or family members present, and convicted of disrespect for authority and revealing state secrets, said Elizardo Sanchez, a spokesman for the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

Officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday about these cases.

Sanchez said Jimenez Posada was brought to Havana for the trial from Isla de la Juventud, where he has been jailed since his arrest in early 2003. It was unclear if the time already spent in jail would count toward the 12-year sentence.

According to Sanchez, Jimenez Posada's relatives say his request to represent himself in court was denied and that after he protested, he was not allowed to attend his own trial.

The rights commission also criticized the proceedings against journalist Oscar Sanchez Madan, who wrote about dissident groups and the hardships of island life.

He was arrested April 13 and tried in secret that day, the commission said. Found guilty of "social dangerousness," he was sentenced to four years in jail.

Vagina Dentata Materialized!

It's not just a male fear/fantasy anymore!

Here is the New York Times article "Anti-Rape Condom" by Christopher Shea. (See original source here.)

The vagina dentata - a vagina with literal or figurative teeth - is a potent trope in South Asian mythology, urban legend, Freudian rumination and speculative fiction (the novel "Snow Crash," by Neal Stephenson, for example). But it took a step toward reality this August with the unveiling of the Rapex, a female "condom" lined with rows of plastic spikes on its inner surface.

The Rapex is the brainchild of Sonette Ehlers, a retired blood technician in South Africa who was moved by the country's outlandish rape rate, which is among the highest in the world. The device is designed to be inserted any time a woman feels she is in danger of sexual assault. Its spikes are fashioned to end an assault immediately by affixing the Rapex to the assaulter's penis, but also to cause only superficial damage. The Rapex would create physical evidence of the attack as well and, as Ehlers laid out a course of events for reporters at a news conference, send the offender to a hospital, where he would be promptly arrested.

Ehlers estimates that each Rapex would cost 50 to 60 cents - a pricey proposition in Africa for a nonreusable item. On a Web site, www.rapestop.net, she answers other frequently asked questions: How is it inserted and removed? In each case, with an applicator. Do you hate men? No. Won't it get some users killed? Many rapists kill anyway; you stand a better chance against a temporarily disabled man. (On this last point, some may find Ehlers a little blithe about the prospect of an enraged rapist.) In a phone interview, she said that she has found the Rapex prototype to be more comfortable than a tampon. But Chantel Cooper, director of the Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust, remains unimpressed. The Rapex, she said in an e-mail message, sends the retrograde message "that women should be responsible for their own safety."

There are obvious problems with this device. Using this may give women a false sense of security. Men who rape are violent and rape is a violent act. Causing this type of injury to men will not debilitate them, they can still use their hands, arms, legs, body weight, etc. to hold women down and inflict even more vengeful violence onto them. The website's claim that it will give women a chance to get away is idiotic.

Also, this device will enable women to commit violent acts towards men. An unsuspecting boyfriend can be seriously injured by this device. Unfortunately, many women use rape in order to seek criminal charges against men. When false rape charges are brought against men, the only result is further invalidation of women whose real claims of rape are disbelieved and questioned. This putts them in danger and allows perpetrators to get away unpunished.

Are You Thorney?

Recently I filled out a survey for the American Family Association (AFA). A friend on MySpace posted the following bulletin:

The AFA (American Family Association) is expecting an overwhelming majority of respondents to say that they would be 'less likely' to do business with a company if they knew it supported the "homosexual agenda" - whatever that is. So far, they are getting the results they seek. Of course, they are only sending it where they will get the expected results. Let's change the outcome by completing the 1-question survey and sending it to everyone we know who is tired of this archaic and hateful way of thinking. Follow the link to take action on this important issue.

Well, needless to say I did. However, the APA took my e-mail address when I confirmed my vote (which goes against their philosophy) and just sent me a propaganda e-mail telling me to boycott Ford. However, that's not really what interests me... What does interest me is an advertisement (obviously from a company that they endorse and which financially supports the APA's political agenda). Here is the ad:

Mother's Day
May 13th
Whether it's a Crown of Thorns necklace or something else for Mom, Samaritan Arts has hundreds of Christian jewelry ideas. For that gift they will always remember...

What a beautiful, heartfelt idea. Let's give our mothers a crown of thorns to wear around their necks! Metaphorically it does represent the constant struggle, discrimination, and suffrage of working women with families and the blatant pressure placed on them by society and organizations like this one, which endorse the "nuclear" (see Jane Caputi for her discussion on this topic) family.

Seven Cuban dissidents freed

HAVANA - The Cuban government has released seven dissidents from prison, including a 42-year-old man who had been behind bars for 17 years, dissident sources said on Tuesday.

Six dissidents were released Tuesday after spending two years in prison for “public disorder,” ”posing a danger” and “insolence,” the sources said.

Their release came two days after another prominent dissident, Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, 42, was freed after spending 17 years and 37 days in prison on charges of “verbal enemy propaganda,” ”attempted sabotage” and failing to respect Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Perez, known as Antunez, was arrested for speaking out against Castro, who leads the Americas’ only one-party communist regime, on March 15, 1990.

Dissidents did not see the prisoners’ release as a goodwill gesture from the government, saying recent summary and secretive trials show that the government repression persists.

“We don’t see anything special in this,” Elizardo Sanchez, who leads the Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, told AFP.

“We are happy for (Perez’s) release, but he is coming into the streets of a country under a government that doesn’t respect any civil, political and economic rights,” Sanchez said.

“He has come out only to be exposed to an atmosphere of intolerance and political persecution,” he said.

While Cuba insists it hold no political prisoners, dissidents say almost 300 are behind bars.

Sanchez also announced the releases of Manuel Perez Soria, 55; Lazaro Alonso Roman, 32; and Emilio Leyva, 42.

Another dissident group, the outlawed National Coordinator for Past and Current Political Prisoners, said three other dissidents were released: Duylian Ramirez, Elio Chavez and Jose Diaz Silva. There ages were not immediately given.

One of the newly freed dissidents reiterated his opposition to Castro’s regime.

“I am an opponent of this government and my life is fully dedicated to this, because I am on the right side,” Perez Soria told AFP. “This country is screaming for economic, political and social changes.”

Original Link: Khaleej Times Online

Petition to Protest Gloria Estefan's new CD: 90 Millas

Apparently, Gloria Estefan is collaborating with Carlos Santana for her new CD. During the 2005 Oscars Santana appeared wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt, a very trendy fashion statement for uneducated and uncultured Americans. As a result, many Cuban Americans, the majority of Estefan's fan base, may be outraged by her decision to collaborate with a communist sympathizer.

In order to spread the news about this please visit the link below to read more about and sign the petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/05201902/petition.html

20 Images for 200 Years: Teacher Jailed for Possessing Child Pornography

The US Supreme Court refuses to hear an appeal by a teacher jailed for 200 years for possessing child porn.



read more | digg story

I find it amazing that in our society full of technological advances we still manage to do so many things that seem below our capabilities.

Rather than scapegoating, rather than upholding our societal honor, rather than crucifying one we should focus on the root cause of the dilemma: in this case, the websites hosting the child pornography, identifying the children in the images, and finding those who took them, financed them, and distributed them. The media is a dirty lens through which we see our society and ourselves. Big media buries the real issues while news stories like Ana Nicole Smith, which in reality is a private family issue dealing with a handful of people, takes precedence over situations that affect everyone.

This man's sentence is absurd, disproportionate to his crime, and a blatant failure of our justice system.

If hundreds of people associated with the recruiting of the underage children (who most likely did so violently, forcibly, illegally, and maliciously) were also associated with processing these pornographic images and subsequently profiting from their distribution on the internet, were making headlines for receiving 200-year sentences--I would not be so upset.

If our court system realized the flaws imbued in their rulings, such as assigning an arbitrary ten year sentence for every image (although there were reportedly thousands, and only 20 were used in determining a sentence), without taking into consideration that the real harm was done to those children before that man ever viewed those images--I would not be so upset.

If this court system did not hide behind the same curtain as the media, and use language to muddy the waters of truth, by using metaphors and doubletalk in order to hide the reality of events, such as saying a “200 year sentence” rather than saying “life”--I would not be so upset. The fatalistic ring of the world “life without parole” seems reserved for the most violent and hardened criminals and we need to use it sparingly lest its catchy ring lose its luster.

This man will spend his life behind bars because of images on child pornography on his computer. Keep in mind that the people who took those images, who host those images, who profit from those images and many of us who may have even seen those same images (viewing a 17 year old in a pornographic situation is considered child pornography) are not serving 200-year sentences. We should be thankful for that, for our justice system.

World Market

Tony and I had a few errands to run today. First, I went to sign the deposit contract for our pre-construction townhouse at Montclair in Miramar! Then we went to buy some turtle supplies at Petsmart in Pembroke Pines. That was when we noticed a new store next door and decided to check it out.

World Market
11960 Pines Boulevard Pembroke Pines, FL 33026

According to their website there are only five of these stores in Florida, and this one in Pembroke Pines is the only one in south Florida. Tony and I wanted to check it out for a few minutes and we ended up browsing and buying for the better part of an hour. Their furniture is very Pier1esque; however, their selection is not as broad. What this store gets props for is their pretty heavy line of imported foods and beverages. We bought some Hawaiian chips, canned Salmon pate, an English chocolate bar, another imported chocolate bar, and some cool garlic stuffed olives. Their selection of foods is fun and whimsical, like the Pez candies they have on stock, or the 3 liter extra virgin olive oil jug. Also, on hand is a huge selection of teas, coffees, and imported wines organized by country.

This is a really cool store that both of us hope is still around when we finally move into our house. We'd love to decorate it with items from this store, and fill our plates with the fun food selection.

Virgin Post

Here is a quick little blurb about this blog:

My boyfriend and I grew up in Miami and we've been to lots of places, and are always visiting new ones. For a long time I have been upset about living in Miami (I hate the traffic, sometimes rude people, never-ending construction, high-rises...the list goes on). But, lately I have grown a bit fonder of Miami (perhaps because I am probably going to live here for many years to come). So I plan to post little blurbs about places that I visit so I can keep a journal of good memories about Miami and share with others some cool places to visit.

**UPDATE: haha, this post has a ton of views. Pervs!