Monday, December 11, 2006

Monday's Music of the Moment

Stars

In acknowledgement of finals time, and the need for simple easy to follow rhymes that you can sort of still follow while memorizing the "important" stuff, I'll throw this band out there. I like the sound, the instrumental parts (when you can hear them), and most of the messages that the songs are trying (I think?) to get across; though the second album Set Yourself on Fire is infinitely better then the first (though that's usually the case, isn't it?).
It must be stated for the record, however, I'm desperately looking for some quality emo-like band that doesn't have a song devoted to some broken love affair. Is love and all that jazz important? Sure. Does it need to be in ninety percent of the songs out there? No.
Soft Revolution
And a dream inside our heads
And after changing everything
They couldn't tell we couldn't sing...
And that changes everything

Friday, December 08, 2006

The feminist lurking inside of me

Is more upsetting things happening, or is everything just upsetting me more?

I finished up my philosophy class today; an intro class to logic, something that filled my schedule at 8am three days a week, that I never really had to study for or try real hard because of previous classes taken already addressing the material. It was boring in some parts, in terms of how often the same concept was explained, especially days before tests, and what not, but altogether a pretty easy run. Until today's final.

The last question was detailing how 'Pete' doesn't like to be treated as a child, so therefore he shouldn't treat his wife like one. So I'm going along underlining the premises, as per the directions, and otherwise answering the questions, thinking there are probably a dozen more reasons why this dude shouldn't treat his wife like a child, I come up to the last part: write a counterexample that illustrates a situation where this would not be the case.

Immediately, I shockingly(especially having just diagrammed various other reasons to myself why this would be the case) can't think of anything. Then, as I'm trying just to finish up the test, and tell myself there are plenty of times where I've taken the other side of the argument, and a measly four point question where I do just that, shouldn't be any type of problem for me; I decide that I really don't want to. I don't want to spend any time trying to think up a situation where it would be okay for a guy to treat his wife like a child, because it's not okay. Maybe I'm thinking about this way too much, or not putting the question in context or something; but I feel like that act would always intrinsically be offensive and sexist. And furthermore, (because let's face it, if I'm taking it this far, I might as well go all the way) thirty people thinking about a situation where it would be okay to treat a wife as a child is probably a bad idea. So, just getting more upset really, I just wrote that (not that I didn't want to do the question, though if I hadn't spent the time fuming I probably could have wrote a lot about that too) and that the correct answer is there is no logical example where this would be permissible. And I probably got it wrong, but I feel like the question was wrong also.

Monday, December 04, 2006

I love NYC, and... yes, I think it loves me

This post is extremely delayed in coming, but the semester ending and having to do essentially "make-up" shifts for work (ie, apparently taking one weekend off a month means you have to be able to work everyone else's shift that can't make it for the next five weeks) has left me extremely busy.

But---the Baruch debate tournament was a giant success for everyone (okay! the two active Buffalo debaters!!) on the UB Debate team, and even most of Rochester's team as well. Even more then the technically successful front (I haven't ever made it to semi-finals...), I just had so much fun. Genuine, all out fun. Something that I really had lost, especially last year, and am still brimming with excitement about, even now, weeks latter. I love the stuff we're talking about, cutting our own evidence, and even, not carrying around tubs (though it does pose a slight problem-one expando can only hold so many crazy liberal vegan bumper stickers...).

And to top the debate portion off-we were in New York City, and a half a mile from the nearest all veg place, and so after the last round I googled the nearest place and set off. I went to Curly's Vegetarian Lunch (http://www.curlyslunch.com/)- and was shell shocked with all of my dining options. Seriously, I forgot what it was like to have legitimate dining options. I get excited when I see hummus on a menu so this... was almost to much to take it. The waitress was clearly annoyed with how long I was taking, but I was determined in my fight not to be rushed. Even with the extra time, I think I made a rash decision and ordered the BBQ seitan meal specifically because it had three vegan hush puppies. Oh, they were well worth it though-the only sad thing is I really forget how I don't really eat meals so much anymore, but rather munch on stuff every other hour. Some carrots here, nuts two hours latter, a banana, then some cous-cous. So of course, after I ate the hush puppies I was depressingly full (even though I had thought I had pre-gamed a bit and not ate anything during the last debate), and only nibbled on the wild rice, chili, and the main course. That did not stop me from ordering some cake and taking everything to go and eating it during the rest of the time in the city (as a side note-chili should not be packaged in with anything--it just turns it the whole meal into a big spicy bean mess--a delicious mess; but a mess).

Even with my solitary adventure that filled my vegan tummy up like it hasn't seen in awhile, I was able to make it to the arranged meeting spot fifteen minutes early (which I neurotically view as on time). And then feel incredibly stupid and akward when the bus came twenty minutes latter and no one else had showed up. As the bus driver opened the door and asked me where everyone was (because I would totally be the one that would posess the info where the entire Rochester folk were), it dawned on me what sort of complete dork I was. Here everyone's out partying in the city after a hard but successful day of de-bates, then there is me; holding my vegan cake and Angela Davis book at the pick up location ten minutes early. What is even maybe a bigger testimate is the fact I still think the entire time was well spent. C'est la vie.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Naked Juice is... safe


http://www.nakedjuice.com/

While wandering Tops the other day, I found some ridiculously overpriced, but otherwise completely tasty looking bottles of juice proudly declaring themselves free from extra sugar and otherwise unnatural-ness. They only have about five ingredients per bottle, and the only shaddy-ness was the dreaded natural flavors; so I sent them my concerned polite e-mail inquiring whether natural was just fancy talk for animal.

They replied with unusual speed and interest in my question, but I think the funny part is instead of just saying, ''nope, no animal proteins in anything ('cept predictably enough the Protein Zone one)''--they told me it was safe. Aww--safe. I feel like someone has hugged me. I suppose I can even get over the temporary weird feeling of consuming something named Naked Juice for this.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

A campaign I can believe in

I get side tracked whenever I do debate work. Seriously sidetracked. An impossibly smart freshman turned up to cut cards with me today (which I won't, won't, won't keep calling him the New Kid), and I ended up not actually using the computer I was in front of, but talking to him about the topic, and all sorts of debate-ish things--but not actually work, at all. So I still haven't even decided which case I would really like to do, but shockingly just thinking pessimistically about reasons it should stay the same. Go neg.

My class was only thirty minutes, because apparently our teacher is the chief of staff for Marc Coppola, and has readily admitted to us that keeping his job after September 12th is more important then class. Mark one up for honesty, at least. This meant I could go to the library and restart my task of researching and working for debate. So in one of my articles, that was trying to talk about abortion, it mentioned off handedly the Unity08 party. Which I remembered hearing about again only in passing, and decided this was a worthy side track to wander to.

I'm oddly into and for it. While I was (am?) reasonably satisfied with being a democrat, maybe especially so as I was for once in a type of situation where I am not in an abnormally large minority; I really like Unity's stance on politics in general, and on more issues then I ever found in the dem camp. I think it will give me a much more optimistic point of view over the whole procedure, instead of negatively just always thinking that government is corrupt and it does a lot of shady shit, and that it is always going to be that way. Perhaps too optimistic, but I think it will work out. I wish they would bump gun control and gay rights up a little bit in terms of what they view as priorities, but I also think a lot of issues are important.

http://www.unity08.com/

So, to sum everything up for everybody I guess; don't be surprised if you get an email demanding you sign up for the campaign. Hey, I got a free bumper sticker for it.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Make-up for moi?

This probably pales drastically to what people normally find exciting in life; but it's seriously the best I've managed to do in between waitressing shifts that are very long, but extremely successful on the money front. After hearing enough good things about Zuzu Luxe cosmetics to warrant me buying them, I decided to go ahead and take the plunge and try to get back into the attempting to look attractive thing. I have to say, and this is from a former Clinique junkie, that I am quite impressed. They've got all these little samples that are only a buck a piece, so you can find the right color and so forth (and have massive fun playing with a half a dozen eye shadow colors), and run in the reasonable range of what I'm willing to pay in terms of vegan make-up. The only downside I could find is that they don't have any nailpolish, which has probably been what I've been pining for the most.

I celebrated all this with chopping off all my hair, apparently dropping 15 pounds from walking two miles to and from work every day, and insisting on wearing ridiculously oversized sunglass on the way to work to feel even more super-swank. Fan-tastic.

Know what's on your face!!:::
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/dictionary.asp?TYPE=MAIN

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Stereo-typed vegan

Maybe I'm just still moderately bummed out from attending the vegan potluck three hours ago, and feeling like it was one of my worst experiences eating out; or maybe this article is legitimately bad. Seriously though, I was not prepared for the social awkward moment at an event I hadn't even anticipated as being awkward. And maybe that's my problem too; I just need to assume every place that I eat in public is some sort of battle ground where no food is safe. But I really thought it was a friendly, good break from studying event that would not cause me any anxiety (and the need to further procrastinate on my thirty page paper due tomorrow). Not someplace where I would get made fun of for my "obsessiveness" when I looked at the bag the bread originally came in and found out it had honey.

It's not even that I mind that there are things at an event that I can't eat--quite the contrary. I get legitimately excited when I find out there is even one choice that I can eat at a public event, because that means I don't have to go to the back pack for my next meal. I don't expect people to think of every diet that could possibly exist; it's a choice I made, and in no way should it really effect the way the people I associate with choose to live their life. I'm just saying, if you call something vegan--it should actually be that. And I think a group calling itself by that name should really be my best shot at understanding this philosophy; and yet I was so disappointed. I have experience with people insulting my veganism--just not with members of that group, I guess.

Apparently there's some unwritten rule that when you go out to eat, all rules are off; and you should just hope for a vegan meal because you can never be sure what you're going to get. I really don't think it has to be that way at all. I think that you shouldn't just compromise what you believe in because the people sitting around you may look at you funny if you order only a drink, and smile and only participate in the conversation.

Either way it is, my being upset or the article; this blog really hasn't seen me in my "crazy hippy-tree hugging, ingredient checking" vegan mode (that we all just know every vegan has), that I think it's really entitled too. I just hate, and I think a lot of people do, to be tight cast into a role that I don't fit into; but other people think I fit into because they have previous ideas about what a word means. And I really hate negative stereo types for veganism; especially made by people who claim to have all the knowledge, because they tried it once for a couple of weeks; and so therefore, must know everything about the subject.

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/04/26/going-vegan-traveling-while-vegan/

At first, I was really pretty excited about reading this little blip of an article. Veganism while traveling?? That says me all over. I was strangely drawn into anything that the author had to write about. But my difficulty with what was written, despite my intense want to like it, started fairly early.

One: I seriously raise my eyebrow at anyone trying to tell me how impossible it was to find vegan food in Portland, Oregon. I know for a fact it's one of the top five rated veg cities in the United States. You are doing something wrong if you can't find vegan food there.

Two: An offhand comment of how they were prepared for the worst though, because they had brought an apple and bag of pretzels--which obviously can sustain a family for the entire weekend. Do I pack for "the worst"? No shit. Between my paranoia about other people making my food "behind my back" (aka the scary non-veg friendly kitchen), my traveling every other weekend with being on about a thirty dollar a month food budget, and my general distaste for what a big group of people call good vegan food, which I call moodily, "the gross looking stuff with lots of onions and spicy things that's are going to make my mouth hurt"--packing food is like packing my toothbrush. (Which, as a small foot note, I have recently realized is not all that automatic with people; numerously finding myself in a room where there are three other girls, but everyone is asking me for toothpaste--but just to clear up any misunderstandings--I view toothpaste packing as one of the very first things to be put in the bag. Especially seeing as most travel related trips I go to revolve around a lot of speaking.) But I am entirely realistic in my packing, or so I like to believe, and it is not uncommon for half of my luggage to actually be an assortment of food that meets normal nutritional needs. And while I might not be a nutritionist, I do know that an apple and some pretzels even for one person, is not going to get anyone very far. Talking like it would, is just asinine, and any writer trying to give a perspective of what vegans go through when they're traveling, should not further the stereo-types that veganism is synonymous with eating disorder.

Three: Sort of off the last point, but; the obscene reliance on one food, and that one food being a meat substitute. Let's not even get into the discussion of how gardenburger products aren't vegan--lets pretend it's another product that actually is. (Though personally, I love propping up soy substitutes not actually designed for people who don't include meat in their diet, but for people who have realized that eating seven steaks a week sort of raises your cholesterol; or people who like saying now and then,"hey look everyone--I'm eating a vegetarian meal, like it's some exotic delicacy that they don't eat a third of the time, and just never think about it.) Acting like your vegan life would have ended, had it not been for a pre-packaged Kellogg's product is so ridiculously narrow minded, and has no basis in actual fact- but with how other people think vegans live. Honestly? The only soy substitute I've had all month is tofu and soy milk, and if I didn't have that, I would be cooking with a few more pounds of lentils, beans, nuts, and water and wouldn't even think twice. Fake meat really isn't a big turn on, when I know what it's trying to imitate.

Four: Totally unnecessary comments about how you long for a steak. It doesn't even make sense logically. Who exactly is your target audience? (Damn, probably the same people who buy Morningstar to make themselves feel good). I find it hard to believe many meat eating people saw an article about vegan traveling and thought, "holly shit; this was exactly what I was looking for and want to spend my valuable online time reading!". On the other hand, I think a number of people generally interested in veg*nism might have clicked on it to read it. Making comments like this about how hard it is to be vegan for a month, are worse then not putting out any article on it. Without articles that try and give you the facts they've discovered about something they've essentially stuck their big toe into the ocean with, a lot less negative press would be circulating.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

To nuke or not to nuke?? Apparently it's a question...

I saw some of this circulating yesterday, but I was too much in WTF mode to say anything productive and just vent disparagingly about the newest news update.

from:
http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=36124
"one option still on the table is the use of tactical nuclear weapons to ensure
the destruction of well-protected Iranian nuclear facilities. "

This takes eye for an eye justice to new levels. Shit, they have nuclear facilities; how do we get rid of them? I know-- we'll use our nuclear missiles on them. This sounds so counter intuitive and utterly ridiculous, even for this government, that I have to take it with a little skepticism.

Too many people are coming out and saying that this isn't an option they are pursuing, for me to start adding this to my daily worries. Even if it was something they were considering, they aren't going to be dropping any nukes any time soon with about a million statements saying using them would be, ahem... "nuts" (oh Mr. Straw, you're such a tricky linguist).

from:
http://http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/10/hersh.access/index.html?section=cnn_latest


"BLITZER: So your sources have concluded basically that the diplomatic
option as it's going forward is not necessarily going to work?
HERSH: That's the fear. The fear is that we're back to the pre-Iraqi invasion game when we went through the U.N. exercise. The fear is that the White House, there's
some people in the White House who aren't really, no matter what happens
diplomatically, they don't believe Iran's going to give up its ambitions."
Ironic that the word fear appears in every sentence of his answer? I think not. I think this a huge part of the problem. On top of the possible threat of nuclear weapons and the histaria that creates, we have the man who has been the front runner of these reports, adding more baggage to the claim. I feel like all he is saying is: In case you didn't get the message--be afraid. Not only is your government contemplating nukes but some of them want to use them.

Obviously I'm anti this administration. To an obscene degree. Even when I try to say to myself, hey it's not that bad; I find myself being proved wrong. But to say that there are people in the White House who want, and who will, use nuclear weapons on Iran regardless of what Iran does is ridiculous. Even the worst person in the administration, has the knowledge of what sort of public backlash using nukes would create, and they would not create this frivously. If for nothing else, nobody wants bad press, and this would be the epitome of that.

I really had a decent amount of respect for Seymour Hersh's writing and reporting abilities, but these types of answers bother me to no end. I don't think it is helpful at all to start making comparisons between past events and what is happening now, similarly to how I don't think it's cool that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being compared to Hitler (http://www.todayonline.com/articles/111736.asp). No two events are the same and when we start mixing the two different events we start changing what is happening presently. There can not be two Hitlers, and we cannot recreate the political environment pre-Iraqi invasion.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Texas, revisited

CEDA nats finished up late Wednesday evening; and by late I mean judging clocked in at about one thirty in the morning, and now the debate season is officially over. I was momentarily depressed by all this, no more cutting relation and Sudan updates; but an e-mail by a kid who has been debating for four years have picked my spirits back up. I realize I have received several e-mails to this effect, but this one really sounded promising.

Texas was great again, though the tournament bailed on providing lunches which made my budget unhappy. I had a few decent veggie stirfrys though, along with a trip to a huge natural food store. This thing was huge (see attached picture) and had things I had never even heard of. I got some tofu spring rolls and peanut sauce, and it seriously was one of the best things I have had in awhile. Even without the peanut sauce-- so that just shows you how good it was. I wish our store was that all encompassing.


The outrounds contained some of the best debates I have ever watched, and I'm glad my flows and I didn't miss a moment of it. I enjoyed hearing some of the best debaters in the nation hash out arguments, and I even enjoyed being beaten by a few of them. Generally, they were really nice about it and didn't try to spread us. We just had good debates. Chuck Norris and zombies ended up taking us down in round seven which was extremely unfortunate; especially because I knew about the zombie DA and still didn't make a block to it. Looking back on it I really could have said some pretty clever things. I just should have attacked game theory though. I wasn't really thinking that straight, with our record and The Jeff swirling about in my mind.

The hotel was awesome and Iskra and I got a room to ourselves, as we were the only womyn who went. Which has to be weighed as an unfortunate thing, even with the coolness of only two people in one room. So many people from Rochester came, but only one female? Iskra put it all to bad timing and coincidences, but I guess I'm more cynical or paranoid, or something along that lines; because I really don't think it can all be written off by that. Even the final judging panel only had two females. Heavy sigh.

I should probably look into doing all the work I missed over the last week....

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Busted in Indiana

In a semi remarkable turn of circumstances, the University at Buffalo failed to advance to nationals. Now I find this marginally hilarious, seeing how this was the very first year that 'A' team has placed in the top ten during invitationals, and they even placed first in the last two. Then at nationals they don't pull through? Amazing.

I was generally dissatisfied with my liquor store owner persona, but there was a reasonable amount of amusement in the reversed Nathenson criminal profile role. Mainly, just watching the other teams reaction when they found out, and getting crossed, because no body understood it. They kept looking for places to impeach me, and failed miserably. Our little 'C' team managed to pull a very good show, and it ended up being our best tournament all around. (That's supposed to be how UB rolls, I'm not quite sure what 'A' team was up to...)

They attempted to give us food, which ended up to be a disaster, surprisingly. I would have been more satisfied if they didn't try and give us food at all. Then I wouldn't have to fume over the plastic orange go they smeared all over a perfectly good mushroom sandwich that I couldn't have eaten. The whole bag lunch just made me eat so many potato chips (which I never eat, and now I know why) and apples that I nearly got sick. I certainly felt queasy the rest of the day.

Lessons learned Indiana: Salt, oil, soda, and acidy fruit do not sit well together; and karma exists.

Monday, February 20, 2006

The Honesty Box

Monday's Music of the Moment::: The Honesty Box

In an unusual turn of circumstances, I like the instrumental songs almost as much as the ones with lyrics for this band. My favorite has got to be Cloudburt Forever and I've been doing my homework to it for the last few hours. The lyric construction is simple enough to get caught in your head for hours, and http://www.pahardcore.com has quickly become one of my top five webpages, as I get to make playlists and hear songs for no money whatsoever. The only down side is they have about two songs for every band. Well, beggars can't be choosers...

Point of no return

You pushed to hard, I’m about to break
There’s only so much I can take
There was a time, I’d let it go
Because the highs outweighed the lows

But now it seems, those days are gone
Tell me where did we go wrong?
You will take, no blame at all
Right always comes before a fall

I can’t go on
There’s nothing left
I cannot take another step
You’re on your own
You’ve got to learn
That there’s a point
of no return

Thursday, February 16, 2006

I heart Binghamton

Buffalo debate has always had some crazy times at Binghamton, and even though I was literally the only one from our team representing; it was still amazing. I got to judge for my first time ever, which proved very enjoyable. I hadn't even realized how much fun this could be-- and I got money for it! The best of both worlds. I even got to be on the panel for the final novice debate, which was quite intense. I also didn't realize Bard took their clothes off, which made that another first for me. Nobody yelled at me afterwards about any of my decisions, and I even got this crazy "judging award", so hopefully that's a good sign.

Better still, I had about four rounds off or so, and so have a good number of varsity debates flowed and ready to be looked at to make blocks. I have definitely been slacking on the debate, and focusing on the school part this week, but I figure I have some time over the weekend to muddle together some random cards. Everyone is running topicality is biopolitical. I tried finding stuff on it, but so far, I've hit a cement wall. I'm thinking I could just type up a bunch of analyticals about it anyways. As long as I convince Jeff, or my imaginary partner, to stick to one good one per round, I don't really see it being much of an issue.

The food situation was crazy there as well. The first day everything was vegan, and they even tossed in a dinner of pitas and falafel. There were also these chocolate bars with nuts that I ended up eating three of. Absolutely delicious.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Bush denies genocide in Sudan

It really shouldn't surprise me any more; but I can't help it.

As violence still displaces Daruris, US decides genocide no longer exist, Eric Reeves ; Feb 4, 2006
http://sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=13913


I literally had to read this article twice in order to fully comprehend. Bush is seriously trying to deny that a genocide is happening in Sudan? They already admitted one was happening.

I am however, happy the first article I found talking about it was by Eric Reeves, who definitely rocks and made this unbelievable statement sit a little better with me. He details how horrendous this denial is and has quality lines like:::

"No amount of expediency on the part of the Bush administration can diminish these realities, or their clear delineation by the language of the Genocide Convention."

Where will that leave Sudan now? Effectually nothing was being done in the status quo, when the US was recognizing that the situation was a genocide. How long is this really going to continue before substantial action is taken?



Monday, February 06, 2006

OneWordSolution


Monday's music of the moment:::

I've been hopelessly addicted to OneWordSolution as of late. Even though they are far more liberal then what I'm used to listening to (yea okay, this from the girl who can sing a good number of quality David Rovic songs verbatim), I still am finding it more amusing then I probably should. It has a fairly decent beat, although I think it would be ten times more effective if they would slow down on the lyrics. Either way, it definitely goes into the pile of CDs I would by if I had money.

Wasteland
In the distribution of the wealth there's no equality
With a fair share seeming to be a fantasy
Still everybody's looking for the diamond ring
While the fruits of out labor go to feed the king
Everybody's ready for a break in the rain
And everybody's tired from the weight of the chain
It only takes one spark to ignite the flame
For the voice of the people is the power of change.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Fish as... art?

For my Chinese class we were instructed that we had to visit the museum in the Center for the Arts and write about their China wall display. No problem, I was all over it.

I wandered down there Thursday afternoon and began transcribing random stuff into my notebook about each display to use for my paper latter on. Some of the displays were fairly cool, and I was pleasantly enjoying myself as I dully tried to deduce why I couldn't just be an art major and play with paint all day long.

There was a bed in the corner of the room, and eventually I moseyed over there to investigate. On top of the bed it had a clear mattress with an oxygen tank hooked up to it. Huddled at the top were about three dozen goldfish, all trying to get oxygen from the thin stream being poorly run through. What was even more disturbing, was the paragraph that was describing the exhibit to us uninspired students who can't see art through this medium. It talked all about how the artist had been trying desperately to "get it right" for years, as he forgot frivolous items like oxygen and food and other mundane things. So hundreds of fish died at the sake of his masterpiece.

This is the most disgusting disregard for life as I have ever seen. How does one elucidate to themselves that wasting fish is a legitimate detriment for the sake of expressing their creativity?? On the accompanying paragraph it concluded how daring this was, and such a bold statement. When I got home, I looked it up. This isn't some daring new form of unknown expression; it has been done, tried, expressed, and copied for over a decade. Another moron has the same exact wonderful imaginative thing you do. What creativity and ingenious does that give you?? None. You have the same thing that a person would have if they stole a Van Goug from a museum and brought it to a copier machine. What inspiration. If only we all could evolve to that level.

http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2003/0606/local/stories/08local.htm

At least one got shut down. I would totally be on this, but the last day was friday. So at least it's all gone anyways.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/STYLE/arts/02/15/goldfish.ap/

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Gorillas for class

I'm in a mildly excited state because for one of my classes I get to watch gorillas all semester long. And while I am slightly against the whole caging wild animals in thing/zoo situation, I do feel like Buffalo zoo has taken lots of steps to try and make it a good place. Bah, that sentence still sounds very wrong. Cage is still bad and the only thing I can comfort myself in is that I won't be giving them any money, so at least I'm not financing them. Maybe by observing the zoo for so long and being able to see where and how the keepers interact with them, will make me realize that its not such a bad place. Yea, and maybe if I take a tour of a slaughter house I'll find that humane as well. Insert a heavy sigh here. I'm constantly being attacked with things that are bad, but I cannot change. There is no other option if I want to graduate, and am I really supporting the zoo if I'm not giving them anything? Does my mere presence there really symbolize something and make me a hypocrite??


Dancing Bears of India

The people gathered round, to see the bear perform his dance.
He didn't have a choice you see, he didn't stand a chance.
His muzzle had been pierced with a red hot iron bar.
His owner would make sure he didn't wander very far.

He was captured as a baby with just this thing in mind.
His mother she was slaughtered and her cub was left behind.
He was taken to the city in a cage with iron bars.
He was lonely and was frightened of all the trucks and cars.

They left him in a little cage, tied with a rope and chain.
Then, they made him dance all day out in the sun and rain
They tugged hard on the rope, that was threaded through his nose.
They poked him with a big thick stick, to dance up on his toes.

They pulled his canine teeth out, he couldn't eat his natural food.
They tried to feed him other things but it wasn't any good.
He got sick with malnutrition and was left to die in pain.
The people that would do these things must really be insane.

Copyright © 2003 by Maureen Flynn-Smith. All Rights Reserved May be used in unchanged form by avowed Animal Rightists if accompanied by this copyright message.


There are only four females there so I'm doing my paper on the difference between their interaction in the zoo verses the typical female/female relationship and interaction when there is a male present. I'm fairly certain this should keep me relatively entertained throughout the next couple of months. I wish I had a car for moments like these. The bus is really going to get on my nerves after awhile.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

2006 China threat kon

So in my quest to find new relation cards, I find a threat kon one instead. A much more satisfying and exciting phenomenon.

http://www.asianewsnet.net/level3_template1.php?l3sec=8&news_id=51203

It's not the best card in the world, it just says that the way to turn China into a threat is to cast it as one. There is a cute line at the end where it states that China shouldn't be viewed as a threat but as a chance. Awww. I like it. It has really no depth to it though, but I'm super excited it is from 2006. It will take about a half of a second to read, so there really is no harm in throwing it in and smiling to myself as I read 2006.

I even made this little header for it, because I've been cutting a bunch of Sudan cards, that has these little snowflakes on it saying Buffalo. I'm such a dork.

Maybe this will give me the motivation to run it in round again. I didn't run it once the whole Texas Swing, so two tournaments in a row with no threat. Didn't think it was possible. I'm going to rush off to class then type up a few summaries for it...

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Speeding and Raleigh in the Carolinas

Back in Buffalo at last. I never thought I would actually be happy to be home; but there it is. And in true Buffalo fashion it started snowing today. Can't get that down south.

NC ended up going surprisingly smoothly. All my worries about the 24 hour driving experience within 3 days were quite unfounded- I just read and slept the hole time. There was a scary, heart stopping minute where it seemed I was going to be in Jeff's van, but I made it out.

I camped out in the back, back seat so I got a full row to myself to jump and roll around in. I also only spent $5.40 the whole trip, which is something I think I should be commended on. It was basically all on drinks. Damn hydration-if it wasn't for that...

3 out of the 4 vans also managed to get speeding tickets. Now the real riot is that 2 of those three got it from the same police officer. He basically laughed at us the whole time. After he gave out the ticket he grins at Madelyn and goes, "Any more of y'all comming through? Got me one of these SUNY Buff-alo vans 10 minutes ago."

The trials were held in small classrooms, some of them without tables, and only one judge per room. That messed up the whole thing, making only 4 ballots and 2 chances at placing. I wasn't for it at all. We lost all of them by 2 or 3 and I know we would have grabbed at least one or two ballots had there been another judge in the room. A team ended up winning the whole thing, while B and C had a race for ... last place evidently. I did fairly decently for having to play not one, but 2 new parts.

The best part was the last night when our room decided to go the 45 minute drive to Raleigh. We went to this ultra snazzy jazz restaurant with a live band and cozy coaches and candles. I can't vouch for the food, as I wasn't about to make vegan anything on the fried flesh menu, but I have it on 5 accounts it was fantastic. The ice tea goes on record as the best ever as well.

Classes now seem really dull compared to gallivanting around in the south.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Texas = Spanos and Mexican

We actually did it; the UB Policy debate team managed to fly itself down to Texas, and back again with minimal difficulty. The flight down was rough, much delays and bad lazy airport workers making our connection from Chicago to Texas almost much longer then planned. Despite the mass amounts of tape and care that went into packing my 48.5 and 47 pound tubs, they tumbled into Fort Lauderdale four hours after Jeff and I did, with various amounts of cracks and weird bruises which probably effected their whole performance at the Texas Swing. Yesss, I'll blame our losses on the airports of the United States.

We were leeches to the grand and wonderful University of Rochester once again, and they put us up in some pretty swanky hotels that blow our previous accommodations out of the water. Anyone remember the 'Knight Motel' in Ohio??? Oh good shady times. We're lucky a stray bullet didn't hit us.

There was certainly no stray bullets zooming around these hotels, with beds I had to jump to get into, Starbucks coffee, two showerheads, and a phone next to the toilet. Whoa, they think of everything. And cable TV. I want it sooo bad. I got to watch what all the cool kids watch all last week. It's amazing what fun a TV can be when it had more then 1 and a half channels. I'm also very pro to this thing called a "hospitality suite", which is stocked with literally every liquid you could possibly desire, no questions asked.

I managed to fail totally at the whole taking pictures thing, and my camera that was given to me over break lays still in my bookbag unwrapped. It of course, continues the problem with film and gelatin, but as I am way to poor to buy a digital camera, and as of yet, each one has been given to me, I can't be totally evil, right?Or is it? Oh dear, I'm a goner. All I wanted was some southern memories. It doesn't even matter though, because I was way too distracted with cutting down cards, making blocks, debating, and TV to process that I had no pictures. So all my pictures I will have to, once again, leech off of Rochester. And Katie has them up already! Score! Why do I always have a backpack on? I think it might be connected to me....

The first tournament was in Denton, and went down without much troubles. We lost a few rough ones, but there was this magical time between Denton and Dallas that blocks were made and cards appeared. It was like having a redo. A redo where we won the same amount of rounds we did the tournament before without the blocks and extra cards. Honestly? Only we could pull that one off. Dallas, which was named "fear and loathing", ended up living up to it's name when pairings went crazy, out rounds didn't have tables to flow on, and judges vote on arguments in cross x... or rather, because of this alternate use situation, on stuff that went down during the other teams prep time...

Everyone who was negative had apparently lost all their folders, and ended up having to go with this community argument that must have been handed out to everyone at the tournament but us, called Spanos. I'm not really pro it at all, the only satisfaction I got was in Dallas when we finally beat it. It took us a tournament though. A very long tournament of trying to run some sort of threat kon/otherization/Orientalism combination of answers that made us forget to pound the case outweighs cards that we've memorized by now. We are suuuch failures. Everyone down there also had a weird affiliation to Mexican foods and at least one car went to one every night. I don't trust Texas' beans. There was this mushroom and spinach masterpiece though that is tied for first with a stir-fry place that had tofu and totally rocked.

It was also confirmed that nobody in Dallas reads. It took an amazing time to try and find a bookstore, and was only accomplished with very sketchy directions Jeff had badgered out from a poor gas station attendant that probably never saw him coming.

All and all, it was an amazing time, and although my ears still haven't popped from the plane and so I can't hear, I'm unbelievably ecstatic about the time down there and can't wait to take home the next tournament we manage to muddle over to. And I really can't wait to drive to North Carolina in 12 hours, a place where my plane landed 16 hours ago in for a lay-over. If I had money- I would so be in a hotel next to the airport in North Carolina already waiting for mock trial to drive all the way down. But unfortunately, I'm broke, and apparently going to have to be bottled up in a van in the very near future with two new parts I just found out about. Fan-tastic.