Abstinence-Only: Does It Work?

Grok Headline matches for Abstinence-Only: Does It Work?

Abstinence? No thanks, we'll have sex

Abstinence? No thanks, we'll have sex 02/01/2005 10:02 PM
With everyone from George Bush to Hillary Clinton touting the wonder-working power of abstinence education, it might be nice to know whether such programs actually work. There's news out of Texas on that front: They don't.

100 reasons abstinence is doomed

100 reasons abstinence is doomed 01/25/2004 04:09 AM
Guideposts For Teens, an abstinence-promotion org, has posted a list of 100 things for teens to do instead of savagely shagging one another. It is a very, very lame list.

6. Play hide-and-seek in a cornfield... (if a body meet a body comin' through the rye)
9. Pray together. (Jesus Jesus Jesus, don't stop)
10. Do a crossword puzzle... (What's a four-letter word for -- oh, nevermind)
21. Watch your favorite Disney movie... (Dude, this is totally one of my major turn-ons)
34. Color eggs -- even if it isn't Easter... (yes, that's right, encourage them to fetishize the reproductive cells of chickens)
100. Wash your parent's cars. (Ohhhhh, soapy t-shirts)

Link (Thanks, justpat!)

U.S. defends abstinence policy

U.S. defends abstinence policy 07/15/2004 10:40 AM
Amid doubters -- and protesters -- at AIDS conference, Bush official seeks cooperation.

U.S. government's abstinence website
draws ire

U.S. government's abstinence website
draws ire 04/03/2005 01:19 PM
globetechnology.com Apr 3 2005 3:48PM GMT

Abstinence Stressed at AIDS Conference
(AP)

Abstinence Stressed at AIDS Conference
(AP) 07/12/2004 02:06 AM
AP - The Ugandan leader credited with slashing HIV rates in his country insisted Monday that condoms are not the ultimate solution to fighting the AIDS scourge, saying abstinence and loving relationships in marriage are even more crucial.

Government Abstinence Web Site Draws Ire
(AP)

Government Abstinence Web Site Draws Ire
(AP) 03/31/2005 05:45 PM
AP - How should you talk to your children about sex? A new government Web site gives parents advice on how to persuade their youngsters to avoid sex, that "abstinence is the healthiest choice." That's dictating values, say organizations ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to gay rights groups, and they want the site taken down.

Abstinence makes the heart grow colder

Abstinence makes the heart grow colder 06/05/2005 10:51 PM
Great account by David Corn of his Fox news confrontation with the Family Research Council, an Unchristian Wrong lobby group:...

On High-Tech Reproduction, Italy Will
Practice Abstinence

On High-Tech Reproduction, Italy Will
Practice Abstinence 03/06/2004 01:53 AM
Advances in reproductive technology seem always to take one step forward and two steps back.

Colin Powell reveals he teaches sexual
abstinence to girls

Colin Powell reveals he teaches sexual
abstinence to girls 11/18/2003 08:10 AM
At the sound of the word "Abstinence" .. here

news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=464467
track this site | 5 links

Abstinence v condom fight erupts at AIDS
meeting (Reuters)

Abstinence v condom fight erupts at AIDS
meeting (Reuters) 07/12/2004 04:18 AM
Reuters - The controversy over whether sexual abstinence, favoured by the Bush administration, or condoms are more effective in the fight against AIDS has erupted at a major conference.

Abstinence, Condom Controversy Erupts at
AIDS Meet (Reuters)

Abstinence, Condom Controversy Erupts at
AIDS Meet (Reuters) 07/12/2004 04:23 AM
Reuters - The controversy over whether sexual abstinence, favored by the Bush administration, or condoms are more effective in the fight against AIDS erupted at a major conference on Monday

Democrats Affiliated with Gephardt and
Kerry Broadcast New Ad Criticizing Dean.
Come On Guys, Don't Do Karl Rove's Work
Hatchet Work for Him. 12/13

Democrats Affiliated with Gephardt and
Kerry Broadcast New Ad Criticizing Dean.
Come On Guys, Don't Do Karl Rove's Work
Hatchet Work for Him. 12/13 12/14/2003 09:03 AM
fear-mongering attack ad .. Robert Gibbs .. Democrats

sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/12/ politics2015EST0748.DTL
track this site | 4 links

Johnston McLamb Honored Nationally as
One of the 50 Best Places to Work SHRM
and GPTW Name Top 50 “Best Small &
Medium Companies to Work for in America”

Johnston McLamb Honored Nationally as
One of the 50 Best Places to Work SHRM
and GPTW Name Top 50 “Best Small &
Medium Companies to Work for in America” 06/30/2004 03:11 AM
Johnston McLamb CASE Solutions, Inc. has been named among the top 50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America. The list was announced on June 28th before 12,000 human resource (HR) professionals at the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 56th Annual Conference & Exposition in New Orleans [PRWEB Jun 30, 2004]

Work-Life Balance Tilting Too Much
Towards Work

Work-Life Balance Tilting Too Much
Towards Work 11/14/2003 02:51 PM
One of the downsides to the fact that people can work whenever they want is that it's sometimes hard for people to stop working. According to a study done in Europe, many overly stressed out workers are asking their bosses to cut their hours and salary just to gain back some control over their lives. Meanwhile, many bosses in IT are increasingly worried that their staff is going to burn out. Of course, a lot of that could be solved if companies hired more people, but they still seem hesitant to do so.

"DARFUR UPDATE: I SYMPATHIZE WITH THESE
SENTIMENTS but it won't work: If the
Sudanese government can't or won't act,
and the threat of international
sanctions (the U.S. already has
sanctions in place) doesn't work, then
troops it must be. The ideal..."

"DARFUR UPDATE: I SYMPATHIZE WITH THESE
SENTIMENTS but it won't work: If the
Sudanese government can't or won't act,
and the threat of international
sanctions (the U.S. already has
sanctions in place) doesn't work, then
troops it must be. The ideal..." 07/05/2004 02:41 PM

Microsoft moving work to India: US
union: Microsoft is shifting high-level
work such as the next

Microsoft moving work to India: US
union: Microsoft is shifting high-level
work such as the next 07/31/2004 03:35 AM
NDTV Jul 31 2004 7:09AM GMT

"Do ads still work?"

"Do ads still work?" 03/24/2005 11:32 PM

Too Much Work

Too Much Work 03/11/2003 01:22 AM
today will be sixth straight day of work, and when it feels like I've been doing most of the work it's a long time between

Mac OS X -- When It Doesn't "Just Work"

Mac OS X -- When It Doesn't "Just Work" 06/22/2004 01:17 AM
I asked her to boot single user... Now that there's an actual operating system under the covers, people such as myself foolishly believe we can revive these machines with enough messing around. By Matt Evans (via MyAppleMenu)

Work work work

Work work work 03/13/2003 10:14 AM
Working late again. Getting pretty frustraded. The plan was, not to leave until I fixed this last &#¤!#" thing I'm...

What Happens If You Can't Work?

What Happens If You Can't Work? 03/28/2005 10:35 AM
Know what to look for in disability insurance.

Work, ICF

Work, ICF 08/23/2004 02:16 PM
I still have a job, BTW. Haven't figured out if I'm happy about that. I'm going to continue steadily working...

Work Day Off

Work Day Off 11/10/2003 11:39 PM
This weekend has been extended my boss decided that he would give everyone a extra day off which will make...

Bad Day at Work?

Bad Day at Work? 09/22/2004 01:50 PM
Well, things could be worse; check out David Morse’s epic struggle with the system. And those who fret about Microsoft’s chewing us all up with their ruthless efficiency may find their worries eased.

We can work it out

We can work it out 09/24/2004 05:45 PM

BBC commentator Bill Thompson, riffing on the ongoing dispute between Apple Computer and Apple Corps (the Beatles), has a suggestion:

In the days they set up Apple Corps they were radical hippies who challenged the establishment in many ways.

Wouldn't it be nice if they did the same thing now, and made the music available without rights management systems, under a non-commercial Creative Commons license that let others reuse their songs?

It would be a wonderful gesture to the future, recognising that the Fab Four only succeeded because they were inspired by those who came before, taking riffs and musical forms from others.

Maybe it'll never happen with the Beatles. However, today's radical musicians may wish to consider the message that wraps up Justin Cone's Building on the Past before selling out:

Creativity always builds on the past.
And you're building the past right now.
Share now.
Shape tomorrow.

fun at work.

fun at work. 12/11/2003 03:51 AM
Norbert's Online NES emulator and the Online Arcade game emulators.

They Work For You

They Work For You 06/06/2004 03:53 PM

Today is/was (you never can tell with these wretched time zone differences) NotCon 2004, London's premiere low-cost, informal, one-day technology conference. Friday's MiniNTK promised the unveiling of a new project from the people behind FaxYourMP and PublicWhip and sure enough, here it is: TheyWorkForYou.com.

TheyWorkForYou.com is the finest example of a political hack I've ever seen. It's basically an ultra-user-friendly front-end to the Hansard public record of all speeches and debates in the houses of commons, with each MP getting their own page complete with a summary of their recent performance and member's interests and a list of their recently recorded parliamentary appearances.

The community features are pretty impressive as well: you can add comments to any speech made in any debate, and there's also a user-populated glossary which is automatically linked in to the speech transcripts.

But with all that, the most useful feature is probably the most subtle: you can subscribe to an RSS feed of your MP's appearances, meaning you can keep track of everything they say on your behalf. It's simple, powerful and a perfect example of the political hacker ethic at work.

FC Now: Fun at Work

FC Now: Fun at Work 03/24/2005 05:03 PM
Yesterday morning I attended an industry event, "Breakfast with a Leader," to hear our CEO address the crowd. The biggest take-away presented by Russell Denson? His three priorities, in this order: Have fun, make sure your employees have fun, and...

How does 20q work?

How does 20q work? 07/02/2004 09:53 AM
20q.net is an online game of 20 questions that apparently starts off with no knowledge base. It learns from the interactions of the players. And it is pretty damn impressive. I'd like to know more about how it works, but I'm having trouble finding any explanations, and mail to the address given on the site is going unanswered. Anyone know of a place that discusses how it works? In particular, how does it come up with the questions? E.g., where does "Does it come in packs?" come from? TIA (no, not Total Information Awareness.)...

How We Work

How We Work 06/20/2004 04:02 PM
I thought readers might enjoy a window into how our development process has evolved. Running the overall development efficiently has always been one of the challenges at OSAF. Our first development manager, Michael Toy, decided he didn't like the commute to S.F. or the open source, non-profit genre as much...

Come work for EFF!

Come work for EFF! 06/22/2004 06:48 PM
EFF is hiring! EFF is the best employer I've ever had -- including myself, when I was self-employed, and the company I helped found -- and it's hiring a new Membership Coordinator: the person in charge of satisfying current members and increasing membership. If this sounds like you, apply!

The Membership Coordinator reports to the Director of Development and is a key part of EFF's fundraising team. The MC is responsible for managing all contact with EFF's 12,000+ members, helping to develop strategies to grow the membership, processing all donations to EFF, mailing regular "thank-yous"and renewal notices to donors, ensuring an efficient donation system, managing the donation pages of the website, and responding to any issues donors may have. The MC also manages all aspects of EFF's online shop, including order fulfillment. Additional responsibilities include various marketing projects, including oversight of the design and printing of t-shirts, hats, stickers, brochures, and other materials. The MC also attends a number of commercial conferences each year, managing the EFF booth presence and speaking informally with conference attendees.

Link

Work more or less

Work more or less 08/27/2004 01:51 PM
Add to this week's professional “secrets”, and scams to rube employers another idea of work: one person’s career can be your next hobby.

When PPC Just Does Not Work

When PPC Just Does Not Work 12/25/2002 06:43 PM
When PPC ROI is nonexistent.

It should just work

It should just work 01/17/2004 10:47 PM
Vendors will have to make utility computing much more accessible if they want to be successful, says IDC. That's ...

Will work for...

Will work for... 06/17/2005 04:19 PM
Willworkforawife.org He's been getting some play in the MSM, and he's easily as entertaining as Tom & Katie. He owns a bitchin' Corv ette.

Web Zen: No Work Zen

Web Zen: No Work Zen 08/10/2004 10:34 AM
london tube race | waste paper basket toss | unstoppable filing | crunchtime | super pet | bowman | pinball | hoverbumps | bubbles | don't let go | imagination
web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank).

work

work 08/15/2004 11:16 PM
Corporate culture is nothing more than the "crystallization of the stupidity of a group of people at a given moment", says Corinne Maier, the author of the slacker manifesto, "Bonjour Paresse". Better read this before clocking in Monday. (NYT)

How Finns work

How Finns work 01/16/2004 11:03 AM
I guess this tells something about the nature of Finns:

I was up uncharacteristically early this morning, and waiting for a tram with a bunch of other random people. The tram comes, and the driver can be clearly seen waving around, as if she had flies in her driving compartment - or as if she was simply mad. This is slightly worrying.

The tram stops, and the doors take a while to open. The driver looks at us and says "This tram will turn."

People stare at her, uncomprehending.

"This tram will TURN!" she says, sounding a bit angry this time. "There's another tram right behind us", she continues.

Nobody asks the obvious question "where will the tram turn and why there are then people in it and what the fuck do you mean by the whole thing anyway, lady", and everybody steps politely back and lets the tram go. Apparently a tram which turns is a very bad thing, and you are not to board one.

Comes the next tram, and people hop onto it. This tram follows the previous one very carefully for many minutes, until it turns out that the first one does not actually turn anywhere, but it goes straight from a crossing that it was supposed to take a right turn at. Regardless, I could've taken either route - both got me very close to where I was going anyway...

This is so highly confusing at 8 am.

These are the best places to work in IT

These are the best places to work in IT 02/10/2004 01:33 PM
Computer Weekly Feb 10 2004 5:22PM GMT
Grok Description matches for Abstinence-Only: Does It Work?
GrokA matches for Abstinence-Only: Does It Work?

Pros and cons of using C++ templates

Pros and cons of using C++ templates 07/08/2002 10:50 PM
CNET Jul 8 2002 10:13PM ET

FileVault Pros And Cons

FileVault Pros And Cons 10/29/2003 12:13 AM

Pros and Cons of the Internet

Pros and Cons of the Internet 01/27/2004 07:31 PM
I use Google Search exclusively now as well as Google’s features Image Search, Calculator and Groups. The Google calculator employing ...

Flash Web Design Pros and Cons

Flash Web Design Pros and Cons 02/19/2004 07:35 PM
Search Engine Constrains: Although large search engines like Google now have some Flash indexing capabilities, these are still very limited. ...

Credit Union Pros and Cons

Credit Union Pros and Cons 01/23/2004 02:23 PM
Credit unions deserve your consideration.

The Pros & Cons of Ethical Hacking

The Pros & Cons of Ethical Hacking 01/23/2004 06:31 PM
Internet.com Jan 23 2004 10:16PM GMT

Flash: The Pros, The Cons, and The
Solutions.

Flash: The Pros, The Cons, and The
Solutions. 07/17/2004 11:43 AM
For our fresh new Flash forum.

Python in the enterprise: Pros and cons

Python in the enterprise: Pros and cons 07/14/2002 11:29 PM
CNET Jul 14 2002 10:13PM ET

Pros and Cons of Firefox Critically
Evaluated?

Pros and Cons of Firefox Critically
Evaluated? 04/18/2005 04:22 PM

Open Source Alternatives: Pros and Cons

Open Source Alternatives: Pros and Cons 12/29/2004 11:54 AM
"IE has vulnerabilities that cannot be ignored, but with these vulnerabilities come fixes," notes Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox. "If you fix the browser enough, it becomes more secure. So whether one is more vulnerable or not we will only see over time."

Even as such open source software developers as Sun Microsystems and OpenOffice.org wax enthusiastic concerning enterprise deployments of their respective Microsoft Office alternatives, industry analysts are urging caution. Open source alternatives only make sense "when workers are doing really simple stuff and don't actually need all the functionality of a complex software suite, such as Microsoft Office, said Gartner research analyst Mark Driver. "But all too often a lot of the more complex documents don't convert, and there are times when 98 percent compatibility is just not good enough -- so you have to be careful," Driver told NewsFactor.

The pros and cons of MS Office System
2003

The pros and cons of MS Office System
2003 04/29/2004 01:39 PM
The concept of the "virtual office" has been a hallmark of discussion since the advent of the minicomputer, which brought computing out of the computer center and into the office. From the 1960s on, "office systems" was a common term used for tools which simply meant "systems for the office." IBM's Office System's division sold typewriters, dictation machines and word processors.

Free VoIP For All: Skype Pros and Cons

Free VoIP For All: Skype Pros and Cons 09/07/2004 02:00 PM

Direct and Related Links for 'Free VoIP For All: Skype Pros and Cons'

The New York Times gets its eyes on Skype, the most disruptive digital communication technology to become available in the last 12 months. Skype, which is free and works on PocketPCs, Windows PCs, Macs and Linux machines, offers the ability to have one-to-one or multi-party voice conference calls with outstanding sound quality….

Weigh pros, cons of buying a Dell vs.
Gateway PC

Weigh pros, cons of buying a Dell vs.
Gateway PC 07/19/2004 06:11 AM
San Francisco Chronicle Jul 19 2004 10:23AM GMT

Fred Langa Details The Pros and Cons Of
Firefox

Fred Langa Details The Pros and Cons Of
Firefox 04/19/2005 09:25 AM
Information Week Apr 19 2005 2:17PM GMT

"McSweeney's Internet Tendency: PROS AND
CONS OF JOHN KERRY'S TOP ..."

"McSweeney's Internet Tendency: PROS AND
CONS OF JOHN KERRY'S TOP ..." 05/30/2004 02:58 AM

Open Source Alternatives: Weighing the
Pros and Cons (NewsFactor)

Open Source Alternatives: Weighing the
Pros and Cons (NewsFactor) 12/29/2004 04:22 PM
NewsFactor - Even as such open source software developers as Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) and OpenOffice.org wax enthusiastic concerning enterprise deployments of their respective Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Office alternatives, industry analysts are urging caution.

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: PROS AND
CONS OF JOHN KERRY'S TOP TWENTY
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: PROS AND
CONS OF JOHN KERRY'S TOP TWENTY
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES 05/29/2004 06:07 PM
PROS AND CONS OF JOHN KERRY'S TOP TWENTY VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

mcsweeneys.net/2004/5/26moe.html
track this site | 2 links

Why The United States Just Doesn't Get
The United Nations

Why The United States Just Doesn't Get
The United Nations 06/22/2005 02:41 AM

For years I have been amazed as I’ve listened to people here in the United States demonstrate their complete ignorance of the purpose and tremendous value of the United Nations, even to the point of our country not paying dues to the organization. Ambassador to the United Nations havs often been viewed as second-class or B-level diplomatic job and with the current presidential perspective, the UN has become a troublesome entity and the appointment of…

Direct and Related Links for 'Why The United States Just Doesn’t Get The United Nations'

The United States, Backed By The
European Union, Japan And Canada, Has
Turned Back A Bid By Developing Nations
To Place The Internet Under The Control
Of The United Nations Or Its Member
Governments

The United States, Backed By The
European Union, Japan And Canada, Has
Turned Back A Bid By Developing Nations
To Place The Internet Under The Control
Of The United Nations Or Its Member
Governments 12/09/2003 03:48 AM
Washington Times .. second paragraph

washtimes.com/world/20031208-125717-6682r.htm
track this site | 5 links

A Map of Languages in the United States

A Map of Languages in the United States 06/22/2004 06:04 AM
A Map of Languages in the United States
http://www.mla.org/census_main

The MLA Language Map is intended for use by students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about the linguistic and cultural composition of the United States. The MLA Language Map uses data from the 2000 United States census to display the locations and numbers of speakers of thirty languages and seven groups of less commonly spoken languages in the United States. The Language Map illustrates the density of language speakers in zip codes and counties. The Data Center provides actual numbers and percentages of speakers.

The United States of Texas

The United States of Texas 06/24/2004 01:23 AM
Salon Jun 24 2004 5:21AM GMT

The United States Is In Deep Doo doo!

The United States Is In Deep Doo doo! 03/14/2003 05:07 PM
The United States Is In Deep Doo doo! In the end, there is no such thing as a free lunch. You cannot make money grow in value by shaking it back and forth from one bank to another. You cannot prosper a nation by doing each other's laundry, or filling out their government mandated and greatly obfuscated paperwork, or flinging stock certificates around which may have as little real worth as Federal Reserve Notes. To make money, to show a profit, you must make products that somebody else wants to buy, and sadly, that is a capability the United States has allowed to slip away in great measure.

People of the United States, why is
everyone yelling at you???

People of the United States, why is
everyone yelling at you??? 04/14/2005 06:53 PM
Beware! We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. The manifesto of the Unitarian Jihad.

Al Capone shouldn't represent the United
States

Al Capone shouldn't represent the United
States 03/19/2003 10:25 PM
Fareed Zakaria has a great article, The Arrogant Empire, in this week's Newsweek. Answers the questions, "why are all those foreigners against us?" and "how can they think that George Bush is a bigger threat than Saddam Hussein?" I learned a lot from reading it. Highly Recommended.. Some quotes: In fact, while the United States has the backing of a dozen or so governments, it has the support of a majority of the people in only one country in the world, Israel. If that is not isolation, then the word has no meaning.... the United States will spend as much next year on defense as the rest of the world put together (yes, all 191 countries... go back to 1945. When America had the world at its feet, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman chose not to create an American imperium, but to build a world of alliances and multilateral institutions. They formed the United Nations, the...

Vital Statistics of the United States

Vital Statistics of the United States 05/30/2004 07:49 AM
Vital Statistics of the United States (VSUS)
http:/ /www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/vsus/vsus.htm


Annual reports that present detailed vital statistics data, including natality, mortality, marriage and divorce. These reports are available for download or as bound volumes in many large public and university libraries. This has been added to Statistics Resources Subject Tracer Information Blog.

won't end the world's distrust of the
United States

won't end the world's distrust of the
United States 03/19/2003 10:46 PM
NYTimes - Krugman is worried about Things to Come .. Paul Krugman's current column .. Register at NYTimes.com .. for future d .. op-ed piece .. NY Times .. Click .. column .. more

track this site | 23 links

Historical Statistics of the United
States

Historical Statistics of the United
States 12/27/2004 06:52 AM
Historical Statistics of the United States
http://www.csep.ucr.edu/ HSUS/HSUS.html

The goal of the project is to produce an updated, expanded, and thoroughly revised edition in print and electronic formats of various historical statistics of the United States, to be collected from the Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition, Colonial Times to The Present (Cambridge University Press). The Historical Statistics of the United States was first published in 1949 by the Bureau of the Census with the advice and assistance of the Social Science Research Council. A second and much larger edition appeared in 1960 under the same auspices. The third edition, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Bicentennial Edition, was published by the Bureau in 1975 and was expanded to two volumes. In the year 2005 Cambridge University Press will publish the fourth, millennial, edition of this classic reference work. This has been added to Reference Resources Subject Tracer™ Information Blog.

Legal gay marriages in the United States

Legal gay marriages in the United States 05/17/2004 03:03 PM

Massachusetts has become the first state in the US to allow same-sex couples to get married. Whether it will last or be crushed under the weight of a Constitutional amendment I don't know, but it's bloody wonderful in the meantime:

Other towns and cities across the state were also prepared to wed large numbers of same-sex couples as the law came into force. The Supreme Court ruling upheld a decision by the state's highest court. It said that denying marriage licences to same-sex couples violated anti-discrimination laws.

The Massachusetts ruling has fuelled heated debate across the country - and the controversy has been particularly intense in an election year. In a statement, President Bush said he had called on the Congress "to pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and a woman as husband and wife. The need for that amendment is still urgent, and I repeat that call today." His rival John Kerry - who is a Massachusetts senator - is also opposed to same-sex marriages, but favours a more limited form of legal recognition.

I think the issue of gay marriage only started to matter to me when I realised that many of my gay friends actually wanted to get married. And on the day when a friend of mine showed me a marriage booking form online in San Francisco and I started looking for the section for gay people and there wasn't one - It was all the same form... That affected me too I think - to realise that while it was clearly an issue at the moment, the whole point of this battle was about completely collapsing that difference around relationships. That's a pretty cool goal...

Read the comments

Teraserver has the Entire United States
Mapped

Teraserver has the Entire United States
Mapped 12/12/2003 03:19 AM
I think this is way cool. I have always hoped that someday I would be able to buy high quality...

Even the president of the United States
sometimes must have to stand naked

Even the president of the United States
sometimes must have to stand naked 07/15/2004 01:55 AM

Two decades ago I had the odd and daunting experience of defending my undergraduate thesis, on several of Shakespeare's plays, before a panel of scholars. While hardly as rigorous as the real orals a PhD thesis is supposed to be subjected to, this encounter was part of what my department at Harvard required for graduation, and I faced it with some trepidation.

When I walked in, I was introduced to William Alfred, the playwright, poet and English professor. I hadn't studied with Alfred, and had no idea what to expect from the rumpled man. He broke the ice with a simple question: At the start of "King Lear," Cordelia refuses her royal father's demand for a profession of love. There's a foreign phrase that describes her act in legal terms -- what is it?

I'm not sure how many layers of my brain I had to dig through to find it, but somehow I retrieved the desired answer, the medieval label for an injury to the royal office: "Lese majeste!" Alfred's eyes twinkled; my response seemed to satisfy my interrogators' basic requirement of literacy, and from there, all went swimmingly. (Alfred, a brilliant and generous soul with whom, alas, I only had a handful of further conversations, died in 1999.)

Of all things, this distant recollection popped into my head after I finally caught up with Michael Moore's much-debated "Fahrenheit 9/11." Many words have already been flung across the political spectrum about the movie. I will limit my contributions to this one phrase: What Moore has, I think, accomplished, particularly in the movie's more coherent and better-assembled first half, is an outrageous and highly effective act of lese majeste.

George Bush campaigned as an informal man of the people, and he did not carry a very dignified bearing into the Oval Office. (Remember that strange boil on his face during the Florida recount?) But from 9/11 on, his team of handlers began to weave a cocoon of larger-than-life pomp around him. Partly, it was what the nation wanted; it was also smart political opportunism. It has, to be sure, frayed some since the Iraq war and its attendant scandals. The "Henry V"-style bullhorn at ground zero struck a chord with many Americans; the "Mission Accomplished" aircraft carrier stunt backfired.

But "Fahrenheit 9/11" methodically dismantles this president's carefully manicured dignity: It says to the viewer, "Pay attention to the man behind the curtain -- he's smaller than life." The movie's most indelible sequences are those that show our president as he really was in the face of the great crisis of 9/11: Not, as we were told by Showtime' s "DC 9/11," a stirring take-charge commander, but a passive photo-op participant who sat paralyzed for achingly long minutes of "My Pet Goat" rather than take the initiative to say "excuse me" to the class and leave the room.

My colleague Andrew O'Hehir drew a connection between Moore and Dario Fo, the Italian playwright/performer most famous for his assaults on the dignity of the papacy. To be sure, Moore has none of Fo's skills as a physical clown and only a fraction of his instincts as an entertainer; Fo is an artist, while Moore is chiefly a propagandist. Still, it's a good comparison: The two men share a willingness -- more than that, a ferocious determination -- to strip away the niceties of ceremony from powerful men so that we can see their misdeeds.

That refusal of deference is, after you get past all the various problems with "Fahrenheit 9/11" as documentary and as history, what counts. The TV networks (though they thought nothing of rummaging through the details of Bill Clinton's tawdry sexual escapades) have decided to protect Bush from unflattering images. It falls to Moore to dig up the footage of protesters pelting his inaugural limousine with eggs, and play it for us again.

By the end of "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore has flung his own messy indictment at the presidential portrait, and it won't be easily cleaned up. The filmmaker is deliberately, methodically, overflowingly disrespectful at a moment in our history when there's far too much respect in the land. When the throne holds an ignorant, incompetent, profligate pretender, lese majeste becomes a patriotic duty.

Abstinence-Only: Does It Work?

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: pros amd cons on establishing abstinence-only education in the united states