Mixed-emotion day

[silveradept]

Today was a mixed-blessing sort of day. Work was work, the bills were nasty, and I found out today that going in to the University's Health Service to deal with any illness of mine that might happen out of classes is a really fugging expensive mistake. I will be getting details about why this happened. I also have a particularly good idea now of why this country should adopt a social insurance program immediately. No wonder people complain about the uninsured being a drain - with the rates that are being charged, anyone who wasn't independently wealthy would be bankrupted by seeing their doctor regularly, and heaven help them if they should actually be sick.

Texas school district bans "grillz". The model photo in that article makes me scream "Why get such things? Do you know how ugly that looks?"

Something a bit cooler, though - tank-treads snowmobile. It's only a model, though. Here's a Popular science article about this treaded snowmobile.

Wondering what to do with all the Business Reply Envelopes you get? Try this packet - Overthrowing the office Culture. Just pictures, no words, and sent at the company's expense.

IT Godesses - Pinups of geeky girls. This is a good thing, I think.

File this in with the female genital mutilation practices - "breast ironing" - applying hot metal to the breasts to try to stop them from developing. Basically to stop the girls from looking pretty. Do they not trust the boys... or perhaps, do they not trust the girls that much that someone feels the need to take an iron to their breasts in hopes of making them less attractive? Makes no sense to me. If someone's going to be a beauty, then let them be a beauty. If they want to sleep around, too, so long as they do it responsibly and safely (which could be a problem in underdeveloped countries for various reasons), then let them. Even captives of the U.S. are finally getting Geneva Convention rights.

The most overpaid White House Staff - at least for this administration, according to perceptions by the left. Although, with someone on the judiciary saying the president is always right, and through the use of signing statements to expand the President's power, maybe those perceptions aren't too far off the mark.

This is a really cool article, but I have other things to do, so I'll not read it now. You should, though.

We knew it would be only a matter of time before Jesus became a marketing shill. Nice catch-phrase, though - King of Jews, King of Beers.

Handicapped signs that get the message across.

Lastly, encouragement for those of us who still haven't found our masterpieces. It's possible that the genius we have will manifest later on in life. Perhaps age or experience will give us a new way of looking at the problem to discern its truth.

Comments

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

I don't get the grillz thing either. at first I thought the photo was of diamond studded braces, which would be just as silly/stupid, but then i read and saw that it was something to adhere to your tooth. Eww.

Breast Ironing? Ow.

I thought you'd have written up your review of Play! :-P I was waiting for the names of things, though I still think Zelda and Kingdom Heart were my favourites.

[przxqgl.livejournal.com]

my parents (and, by extension, the schools that i went to) had very specific "no-gauging" rules, which i broke as soon as i was able to. my impression is that if they ban something that is popular to teenagers, that's what they're going to want to do even more than if they had just ignored it.

[jokermage.livejournal.com]

I seem to have failed to contribute anything meaningful to your report. I hope I can appease you with a humble offering before I go to bed.

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

I found it funny that the poll on the "grillz" was pretty much, "We think they look like shit, but no, they shouldn't be banned."

[2dlife.livejournal.com]

About the disablity parking signs: "If you're not disabled, your car soon will be" may be sufficient.

Also, the genius article despairs me. I'm definitely the conceptual type of thinker... and I'm getting on in years. My work of genius will never happen!

:(

C.

[silveradept]

Meh. I think you've still got plenty of time, especially with grad school ahead of you.

[drooling-ferret.livejournal.com]

Do they not trust the boys... or perhaps, do they not trust the girls that much that someone feels the need to take an iron to their breasts in hopes of making them less attractive?

The article you linked to specifically states that primary motivator for this practice is to try to reduce the likelihood of sexual harassment or assault. It does not appear to be about suppressing the sexuality of girls and women, but a back-asswards way of dealing with predatory men.

Makes no sense to me. If someone's going to be a beauty, then let them be a beauty. If they want to sleep around, too, so long as they do it responsibly and safely (which could be a problem in underdeveloped countries for various reasons), then let them.

While suppression of individual sexual expression/freedom is also a problem in many countries, I'd say the take-home point of the article is that fears of sexual violence are so high as to prompt mothers who feel powerless to confront potential predators to instead mutilate their own daughters.

[drooling-ferret.livejournal.com]

We knew it would be only a matter of time before Jesus became a marketing shill. Nice catch-phrase, though - King of Jews, King of Beers.

Wow... the article misquotes the sign, even though it includes a picture!

[silveradept]

You're right, but I catch a strong undercurrent of "just by being pretty, the girls are tempting the boys, who just can't help themselves. It's her fault for being the temptress she is" from there. I may be reading into it, though.

In both cases, though, if the threat is predators, it's still possible for women to teach girls how to resist them, generally. Unless there's still some rule on the books that says girls don't count wither as property or people, then there should be some way of exacting damages on assailants. Even if it is more like "you raped my daughter, now I'll kill you and take damages from your property." than the court system.

[drooling-ferret.livejournal.com]

You're right, but I catch a strong undercurrent of "just by being pretty, the girls are tempting the boys, who just can't help themselves. It's her fault for being the temptress she is" from there. I may be reading into it, though.

While I'm certain there's an element of that in their society (there certainly everywhere else I've seen), it didn't seem to be a sentiment expressed by or addressed in the article.

But yeah, once again, trying to end sexual violence by changing the girls... so ridiculous!

[silveradept]

Indeed. I wonder how much the violence would continue if the police caught someone committing the assault and castrated him.

[eleme.livejournal.com]

I hear you on the insurance thing. However, I have had the opposite experience, if you'd believe it. I didn't have insurance for probably a year and a half after getting married and going to UHS (as a student) and going to my clinic was cost effective. At my clinic, there is a sliding scale if you don't have insurance so it was very affordable. But now, with insurance, I will be paying much more. Kind of stinks. At least I'm covered if something big happens.

But yes, some sort of big health care available and affordable for everyone would solve so many problems.