The Definite Article

"That which does not kill you makes you stronger."

What bitter irony it was, then, that a cancerous brain tumour ended her life at 25.

I finally have my Internet back. The bastards at BT, who suck so bad that no metaphor is appropriate, have set a new standard for suckiness. Replacing Royal Plastics, they are the suckiest.

My sister Rachael shows up today, if all has gone well! I'll find out in an hour or so when she either shows up or I stand around in the airport waiting like a chump for soemone who will never arrive.

I'm pretty excited about my sister visiting; Rachael's never been out of the country before, so it's doubly cool! All of the rest of the siblings have lived abroad for a while (and Mara and I still are!) Rachael and I never did those sisterly things when we were kids, like play with Barbies and braid each other's hair. I blame this on three things:

1. I was in college by the time Rachael was 10.
2. I had hair too short to braid and Rachael had hair too tangled to braid. And trying to get her to brush it was a major trauma for my mother, who is a fearsome and capable woman, so I was too daunted to even try.
3. I did play with Barbies, just differently from everyone else! Heh heh!

This time around, we'll make butter (as per Rachael's request, provided the fridge gets fixed!) and see shows and go to the castle, and watch street theater and go to the movies and talk about stuff and probably she'll sleep alot as well.

Anyway, her flight arrives in an hour, so that should be way cool!

Also, Ange is coming for a visit! I haven't seen Ange in a long time; the last real visit of any length was two years ago, almost to the day. It'll be great to see Ange, too.

Angela (picture somewhere earlier in the blog) has been my friend for a long time, long enough to know all the weird quirks I've got and is still my friend anyway, which is proof that she really means it!

Posted by Nate at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, sometimes you just need to kick back and laugh.

These guys over at Chick Tracts have provided all the humor you need.

There's dozens of them, but this one is my favorite!

As if this could happen.

Posted by Nate at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

I was over at Three Legged Duck, Violetta's articulate blog, and she posted a link to a Haaretz article about genetic counselors in Israel.

It is immoral to practice a policy of applied eugenics. That this is culturally endemic, as Ms. Yael Hashiloni-Dolev posits, rather than officially state sponsored makes it more insidious, not less so; a custom has a better chance of becoming protected by the state than a policy that is state sponsored has of fostering enculturation of that policy.

Also aborting foeti based on penis size is no less tyrannical than matching breeding partners based on an Aryan ideal. It's chilling that Israel has genetic counselors at all, let alone that these counselors recommend abortions for cosmetic reasons.

Ethically, the idea that abortions should be performed for cosmetic reasons is founded in the idea that aesthetic ideals translate into inherent value. There's no difference between advocating the abortion of foeti that will develop into women with, say, small breasts or men with small penes and advocating the abortion of foeti that are brunette. Or will be duskier than their compatriots. Or will have large noses and prominent chins. Or any other aesthetic criteria.

If Israelis are going to abort foeti that will develop into women with small breasts, this value system asks, why not sterilise women who have small breasts now?

Ms. Hashiloni-Dolev later conflates the disfigured with the disabled - how long is it until someone makes a sufficiently articulate argument that primary and secondary sexual characteristics outside of a certain acceptable range qualify as disability? Or dark skin? Or a deviated nasal septum?

After all, if a small penis is considered sufficiently debilitating to consider an abortion, then it's sufficiently debilitating a "disorder" to justify state action on it's behalf now, to prevent its spread. Again, maybe sterilisation. Or maybe specific laws to prevent such men from breeding. Maybe we can put them in special camps, for the protection of the rest of the Jewish race.

Genetic counseling and applied eugenics is a slippery slope. If Israelis accept that aesthetics forms a basis for relative value and abort healthy pregnancies for cosmetic features, then the value judgements that this makes about people with the same cosmetic features is horrifying. It is tantamount to telling them they don't have a right to live.

Posted by Nate at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)