Seen at the Rock Wall

We merited a route!

Wrapping it up.

I was leaving the Loj for the last time (until I return to get my stuff out of storage) and had the idea to scan and post all the paper crap we had on our fridge - since nothing defines a house like the fridge ornaments. And other paper crap posted here and there.

Our recycling guidelines got pretty beat up:

Based on the SCUM manifesto, posted at a point where all we did was make batches of beer bread:

Daily inspiration:

More words of wisdom, from FDR this time:

Schedule for Prof dinners:

Our faucets were trouble:

The infamous bread recipe:

Loj on the Seat (bathroom reading):

More reminders:
And that's all for now...

Graduateddddd!

We graduated! And someone should post a picture of us in our beauteous gowns, no?

Congrats gals. It's been a fantastic year, highs and los and all the in betweens.

Happy Mothers Day!

Mom, I know you're reading this - consider it my card. Happy Moms Day to all the Lojmoms.

pithy enough?

I'm done!

A watch that doesn't tell time?

I was listening to Wait wait don't tell me on NPR, and apparently this watch company came out with a new watch that sold out in 48 hours, but the watch doesn't even tell time. It tells you whether it is day or night.... I can't even begin to comment on how ridiculous this is, so just check it out http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2008/04/25/the-300000-watch-that-doesnt-tell-time/

Hope everyone is doing well with finals, it feels weird to be done!

Notes from Underground

Popping my head out from under a pile of work to be done to report on the State of the Loj during Finals Week:

- Fair Trade Bananas are here! Bananas are historically a source of guilt for us Loj types, being problematic in both carbon footprint and human rights concerns. However, with a huge box of just-ripened, relatively guilt-free bananas left over from the Fair Trade Study Break sitting on the dining room table, we can indulge to our hearts' content. My panda colleague made a killer smoothie with some yesterday.

- The invention of a new game! Horsing around last night led to a new pastime, which came to be called BagBook. The rules are simple. Double up a plastic grocery bag and tie a simple knot, forming a small projectile. Then, using books, DVD cases, plaques for being the best house, etc., volley the bag from person to person. If it lands in the banana box, the bananas score a point. You have no idea how fun/funny this was last night.

- We won! See above.

Michael Pollan on the Revolutionary Act of Gardening

I think this guy's great. I've read a couple of his books (Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food). He's a contributor to the New York Times Magazine. This recent article, though very simple and certainly not as revolutionary as the title may suggest, obviously speaks to my heart. (I particularly like what he has written about being virtuous...) Hope it speaks to yours:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Happiness

Overall, I think I give myself an 88.
During SPW I would give myself a 95 plus homemade kahlua.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/science/22conv.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&sq=Happiness&st=nyt&scp=4&oref=slogin

Just read my email...

I've bought the tickets and have forwarded the e-ticket to you. I also purchased some carbon offsets, so you can feel green!

mom

Thesis Party Weekend

Earth Day

One of my new favorite blogs, WOC PhD, made a really thought-provoking Earth Day post today - about the continuing destruction of rainforests (and people's lives) in the Democratic Republic of Congo:

Instead of the traditional post on Earth Day where I highlight all the things we can or are doing to make the world better, I am writing about one the environmental disasters we are doing very little about. [...] This Earth Day, think glocally and do your part to not only reduce your own carbon footprint but also to stand in solidarity with people who are being routinely exploited physically and sexually so that corporations can exploit them economically.

Go check out the rest for more thoughts and ways to take action...

The Dalai Lama is speaking today...

Pthathalatatehahtales...

ie. Why you may have seen Liz J. walking around the Loj eating pasta shells and sauce out of jars lately. How does she do it without getting sauce on her knuckles as she digs for that last shell at the botom of the jar?? The world may never know.

NYT confirmed it, Liz J. is only "(possibly)" crazy or neurotic. My vote is she is NOT. She is, afterall, platypus-like in demeanor (say some of our cohorts at the Loj.) I think she is some kind of semi-aquatic, nocturnal fuzzball. who knows. checkitout.

Recently seen around the Loj...

Yeah that's not creepy.

Overheard @ Loj

Carful of Colgate males to unidentified females on sidewalk:

Go get a pedicure!

Inebriated suitor, after sucking face with the girl of his dreams for about 5 minutes, several yards away from where we were schmoozing on the front porch:

When did you get so pretty?

Aww!

Also bonus overheard at C Store:

I hate that they're trying to make bottled water go away! Those bitches.

The mysterious happenings of yestereve

I'll let you assess for yourself.



Though I'll admit that general consensus has it that things didn't look like this at least at 1:30 am last night...

Starring: the Loj

A little piece of video art I made months ago for class, featuring my wonderful housey house...

Googlegangers

I love it when I find a copy of the NY Times lying around, still mostly intact. Following such an occaison last week I enjoyed reading this article, Names That Match Forge a Bond on the Internet. The bit about how people might be predisposed to like people with similar names was particularly interesting.

Googleganger: A person who shares your name. Their records are mixed in with your own when you Google yourself. The term is a combination of "Google" and "Doppelganger."

Who hasn't searched for their own name on Google? Nobody. Unfortunately, I do not (yet) have a googleganger. Has anyone else found a good one?

10 Worst Hiking Songs

Top ten worst songs to have stuck in your head while hiking, from the National Geographic Adventure Blog:

10. “We Built This City,” by Starship
9. “Achy Breaky Heart,” by Billy Ray Cyrus
8. “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega
7. “Whoomp! There It Is,” by Tag Team
6. “Who Let the Dogs Out,” by Baha Men
5. “Copacabana,” by Barry Manilow
4. “Ants Go Marching,” by artist unknown
3. “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” by Tony Orlando
2. “My Sharona,” by The Knack
1. “My Humps,” by Black Eyed Peas

I think it's worse if you only know one line of the song. Did reading that list just get one stuck in your head?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

to be a geologist.

It turns out a human brain fresh out of college runs for about $80,000 a year, if it comes equipped with a degree in the earth sciences and no qualms about mining the planet to pieces!

This article elucidates one facet of the demand: Hunters Comb Globe for Hot Metal

It makes one wonder, where are all the hippie geologists? I can only think that they're busy sitting in cafes at Stanford with wrist seismometers drinking kambucha with Cameron Diaz, or taking strikes and dips somewhere in the Rio Grande rift post-rainbow gathering.

A harsh reality for a naive tree-hugger, but an important consideration nonetheless?

You Guys! Cameron Diaz is drinking Kombucha!

Just like US!


Except we brew it ourselves, and it's sunny where we are.

TV is back

For TV fans - a bit different from the typical Loj posts, but I guess that could be my force on this blog. Wahoo, get excited, because this week television shows are finally making a comeback from the writers' strike! In celebration, I encourage you all to watch 30 Rock if you don't already - a funny and quite cutting edge comedy for standard television. Hopefully this clip will convince...

More links

Survival Blog - worried about surviving the effects of the human-instigated fifth mass extinction in the history of the planet (the first one caused by a single species)? Tips abound, some more useful than others.
Treehugger - "Tastemaker of the green aesthetic." Tips for the slightly more casual earth-lover. Debatable: is this a worthy aim or another indication of why we got here in the first place (unwillingness to make major lifestyle changes)? Your reaction to "a place where you can discover how to maintain or improve your quality of life while reducing your harmful impact on the earth" may vary. Either way, this blog is showing up all over Top 25/50/etc. Best Blog lists everywhere...
Jezebel - if, like me, you enjoy sass, pop culture, and other guilty pleasures, this will be your new obsession. It's a trashy magazine without the weight-based value judgments, and updates constantly! Laugh! Get angry!

Dirtbag Diaries

The Dirtbag Diaries is one of my favorite podcasts. You can listen to it on the website (sometimes there are photo enhanced versions) or subscribe on iTunes. I can't figure out how to write a complete and accurate description of the podcast, but it usually features interviews with outdoor athletes/adventurers or stories about expeditions, meaningful outdoor experiences, or sometimes accidents. I figured some of you granola-smugglers might like it.

Fair warning: the most recent episode, The Golden Hour, is not for the faint of heart - it includes a graphic description of a 200 ft. climbing fall.

John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes

Ha! Found here.

Music = Useful

Two internet music tools I've come across.

Songza
Listen to "any song or band!" Well, not quite, even though that's what they say. Still, they have a ton of stuff and it's so much quicker than youtube for when you just *have* to hear Wagon Wheel sans iTunes.

Muxtape
So addictive. Make an online mixtape! Upload up to 12 songs in a visually simple interface. Share with your friends. Make a study mix. Make a romantical mix for your secret crush. Make a Jug music mix and have a dance party anywhere there's Internet Explorer. DJ your radio show off of it. Et cetera. Here's mine.

Make new friends, but keep the old

I feel this requires no commentary.

Just a little word about commodity fetishism

There are no "good" companies. When confronted with that statement, fellow students invariably bring up one of two companies to attempt a rebuttal - Apple or Google, both using bright colors and simple logos, both positioning themselves as tools for hipper, smarter, more eco, and less evil people. That doesn't mean it's true.

For a better take on this tired old rant, see Gawker's inspired diatribe , "Apple Fetishists: Grow Up," which inspired me to post this before breakfast (ugh!). As for Google, you can probably google up their various offenses, just like you can't do in China.

Your favorite propagandists [Karl Rove included] love the sleek design and friendly usability of Apple products. Crypto-fascists—they're just like us! Which brings us to this plea: can we please, please end the tiresome trope of Apple having any sort of hip sensibility?

Apple itself is a gigantic technology manufacturing company. Which means they're killing the planet! Computers, computer chips, computer batteries, cell phones—all are made of poison. And all end up in landfills. Apple will recycle your old computer, btw, if you promise to buy a new one, from them. (Our boss doesn't care for this line of criticism against the technology industry, pointing out that they've reduced paper usage, but paper is made from wood pulp, not mercury.) But Al Gore's on the board! And they had some sort of corporate initiative with the word "green" in its name. Just like G.E.!

[...]

We're just sick of people thinking that because some marketing firm lackey introduced his boss to Feist, or because Apple hired a designer who's heard of Bauhaus, that that makes them a more creative, liberal, or hip company than, say, Dell. At least Dell doesn't condescend to us.

Your Moment of Zen

So disturbing. So... cute.

Thought this was a great Op Ed piece

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/opinion/26welch.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

John McCain appears to have been bought off in recent months. This piece is insight into where he might take this country's government and people based on his record in the senate and in some of his more recent speeches and past books. Looks like all he did was drop his individualism long enough to get religions and start to see the Bush regime in a more positive light.

Get ready people. You want another quasi-dictator, because his name's John McCain and he has a damn good chance of winning the nomination to be president.

Links for the curious and eclectic mind

Here are a few random nuggets from this (thus far) relaxing and not all-too-productive break at Colgate, for those who are also attempting to wage relaxing and not-too-productive breaks while curbing boredom.

Obama confronts racial division in US

These are things that need to be said on a national scale, and I hope these issues will not just be brought up in response to radical people like his pastor. (And on that matter, I understand the responses Obama's pastor's comments have inflamed but I think it's absurd to equate Obama's views with those of his pastor.) The fact that Obama has so eloquently used this situation to gently point out the racial divide in America is yet another reason I support him. I really do think it is time for PC bs to go, or we're only going to be stuck at a sad stalemate in race relations that could deteriorate into much worse (and arguably is for some).

Huaorani people - Wikipedia article

Aside from eating, hanging out with friends (St. Patrick's Day was particularly festive), doing laundry, and taking extravagant jogs on the ski hill, I've been reading a lot about the Huaorani nation of Ecuador; really, really interesting indigenous tribe numbering somewhere between 1300-2000 people, who have faced a host of threats to their well-being like oil interests, illegal logging and tourism, etc. The article above provides an okay overview that's not too skewed in any direction, so far as I can tell, but I'm not sure how they are doing at present. It seems tourism has really expanded in their territory (eg. huaorani.com is about an "eco-lodge") but not necessarily in a beneficial way.

The coolest thing I've seen in awhile

From an e-mail forward my mom sent me: "This is a prank on a 'grand' scale. Over 200 people gathered at Grand Central Station in New York to pull off a 'frozen in place' act. The onlooking travelers who weren't part of the act were mystified as to what was going on. Can you imagine??!!!" Inspires the human imagination, to say the least.

Housey House Dinner

We had a fabulous house dinner last night with the future Loj residents and some Hamilton Whole Foods people. Thanks so much to the organizers, cooks, and dishwashers! Hip hip!

I'm not sure how it went in the dining room, but the living room contingent had grand old time sharing bar stories, farm plans, celtic music info, and discussing public figures like Sptizer, Sen. Clinton, Brittney Spears and Michael Jackson. ALE's rawhide drums and our airplane project were big hits.

Speaking of primitivism

Due to a tip from Penguin Ducky, I spent the morning making rawhide drums with the Native American Student Association, which involved scraping hair and membranes off of pre-soaked hides, stretching them over frames, punching holes and lacing. Definitely gave me a new perspective on my own skin. The guy teaching the class is big into the primitive side of things, looking to master skills from pre-Columbian America - drums, hunting with longbows, building a longhouse, starting fires with sticks, the whole gamut. He took a really respectful approach to the whole process... it was a 180 from the profe dinner on Wednesday, with two very culturally savvy types. They look to the future, he looks to the past, and I think both parties are on to something.

Either way, with this and the airplane building, it's nice to do some tangible work, as opposed to the more scholastically ethereal (papers, blogging).

Humans and technology

I just wanted to take a quick moment to reflect on this past Wednesday's professor dinner. We had two new media art professors over, and it was really interesting to hear their perspectives. It was a brief dinner; I lingered for maybe an hour, yet their thoughts on human technology have really transformed my thinking. I had never heard anyone explain so eloquently the way that humanity is entwined with technology. We are different from most species in regard to our technology - at least indisputably in the extent to which we use it and rely on it for survival. Technology is our evolutionary adaptation, and I'd never even thought of it that way. "Back to nature" and primitivism sound so appealing to my deep ecology heart, and yet it was a reality check to hear from people that had been there and come to appreciate the reality of 'modern' technology. For all its faults, technology is the reason our species is around, and it does important good for our comfort and health - even the advanced technology. While there are obvious downsides to technology, and simplicity is a beutiful thing, we as humans are integrally related with technology. Our evolution (not in the specific biological, but in a broader sense) is intricately linked with the evolution of our techology - for better or worse. It's an obvious point that I feel I often try to deny deep down.

Also, I downloaded the Into the Wild score last night and it's really excellent. Perhaps the highlight of the movie. I'd recommend it.

Er...

A tree necklace?!


Oh my god. Can't believe I never thought of this myself, it is so obvious!

So much is given. So little is asked.

When was the last time your favorite tree demanded anything from you? Attention? Conversation? Compliments?

Surprise that oak, that maple, that honey locust. Drape a gleaming stainless
steel necklace around your precious. Fitted on indestructible marine line,
finished with marine hardware. Lasts forever.

Because if your favorite... something doesn't demand attention from you, it needs and wants a necklace. I dunno, applying cheesy jewelry commercial rhetoric to trees is somehow bizarre.

Plus who knows what it does to the tree.

BUT they do look kinda cool...

Jobs

You know you're applying for a cool job when the interviewer asks if you are comfortable with large wildlife and shotgun training. Then she says she will try to get back to you by next Friday, but it might be difficult because next week is the Iditarod.

For the political types among us

The city of Obama in Japan has adopted Senator Barack Obama:

It all started a couple of years ago, after the city heard from local reporters that the senator, upon arriving in Japan, joked with Japanese customs officials that he was from Obama, Fukui Prefecture.

True or not, the story prompted Mayor Toshio Murakami to send the candidate a long thank-you letter in January 2007, explaining the history of the city and saying Obama's comments, in jest or not, "helped advertise our city."

Included in the letter was a gift of high-quality chopsticks made in Obama.

The best thing out of this story was this picture of a souvenir bean paste cake:

Delicious.

New Addition to the House

After welcoming a baby mouse to the house (saved from the jaws of death ie a frat house's shenanigans), it unfortunately expired. Rest in peace, little mousie! The next addition is fortunately not alive. It is a piece of an airplane built by LJ, honorary Loj member DH, and yours truly, under the auspices of Build to Fly, the nonprofit airplane-building venture headed by Brett Zefting, the assistant director of Outdoor Ed.

Full disclosure: this is not actually a piece of an airplane, it is a learning project we had to build before we moved on to actual airplane parts. My overarching goal - to put a clock in the bottom lightening hole and maybe a picture or barackobameter in the top one - accounts for any imperfections. Wrong size rivet? That's ok, I'm not gonna fly this baby, it's gonna sit on the mantel and tell time.

Flights of insanity

Eco-Scandal! AA Plane Flies 5 Passengers From US To London

"It is estimated that each passenger produced 43 tons of CO2 – consuming enough fuel to carry a Ford Mondeo around the world five times.

Operating the near empty flight is estimated as having cost American about £30,000. But a spokesman said it had no alternative."

for the raccoon

I can has green chiles?

Finally I return from a 10-day excursion to those most notable of places whose abbreviated names end in "ex". While my heart will linger still in the wonderful newness of the Texas hills and the New Mexico desert, it's back right here where it belongs. Even as the future of my graduate education remains unclear, the present is undeniably real. (But come to think of it, after 10 days of truancy, the present is in desperate need of some semblance of a work ethic. Stay tuned for further updates!)

Green as a Thistle

My favorite environmetally-themed blog, Green as a Thistle, just finished up. A Canadian journalist/blogger spent a year making one environmentally responsible change in her lifestyle every day. She switched to natural products, and even gave up her car and unplugged her fridge. The last post is worth reading, as well as the "loving it" page.

http://greenasathistle.com/

P.S. I just blogged about a blog. Metablogging?

Huh.

It has been a rarity in modern political life: a wide-open race for the nomination of both parties. But whatever happens from here on out, this campaign will always be remembered for the emergence of the first serious woman candidate for president: Barack Obama.

Obama is a female candidate for president in the same way that Bill Clinton was the first black president.

Check it out

Radio Lab-Great Radio Show

I just listened to a great episode of my favorite radio show yesterday and I thought I would share it with you because I think most of the people in the house will really like the show too. http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/

There is a great episode about laughter and it has a story about this case in Tanzania in 1962, when this one girl starts laughing at a school and it soon spreads throughout the school and villages. They try and get the girls to stop laughing, but they turn violent. They have to close down 2 schools and everything. They still don't know what the cause is.

Also, believe it or not they believe that rats as well as humans laugh. They did experiments with tickling rats and they make squeeky noises that one scientist is calling laughing!! Anyways, its an interesting show, all the episodes are pretty good, so check it out!

Today's Advances in Scientific Knowledge

Not to seem preoccupied with dirty hair, but apparently "Greasy hair makes for clean air."

How? By absorbing ozone, which "can cause respiratory problems and has been associated with increased mortality." Huh!

You know who had greasy hair? This guy:

Colgate's facebook stats

Top Books
1. Harry Potter
2. Catcher In The Rye
3. The Great Gatsby
4. 1984
5. Pride And Prejudice
6. Angels And Demons
7. To Kill A Mockingbird
8. The Da Vinci Code
9. Lord Of The Rings

Top Movies
1. Wedding Crashers
2. Fight Club
3. Boondock Saints
4. Old School
5. Love Actually
6. Pulp Fiction
7. Garden State
8. Anchorman
9. Office Space
10. Gladiator

Top Music
1. Jack Johnson
2. Coldplay
3. The Beatles
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Counting Crows
6. Radiohead
7. Sublime
8. Led Zeppelin
9. U2
10. Billy Joel

Thank you 1950s!

Your new favorite bands, and mine

So within the last week I caught two great concerts - Flogging Molly and Super Furry Animals. However, the best thing about these shows was discovering some excellent bands were opening, as I never would have discovered them otherwise. So I decided to share the wealth...


Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band is a stomping three-piece band (the Rev on guitar, his wife Breezy on washboard, and his brother on drums and pickle bucket) that played the rawest, strongest blues I've ever heard live.
Jeffrey Lewis is a quirky, witty singer-songwriter-comic artist. Anyone who can open a set with a weird little song about ramen noodles is fine by me.
The Mighty Stef is Stefan Murphy out of Dublin and his band, who play vaguely nautical rock with a lot of stomp and heart.

Noble Humanitarian Efforts

Because I know some of us are inclined toward the "socially responsible living" component of our of housing "ethos," I thought, if you haven't already jumped on the bandwagon, I introduce you to a new way to participate in the movement against Mr. Bush's War. This movement encourages you to express your "Empathy through excrement. Brotherhood through bowel movement. Utopia through undulating butt pythons." Poop for Peace. It's just so damn practical. Because afterall, "Poop For Peace Day is not about protest or partisanship or politics. Poop For Peace Day is about acknowledging the fundamental basis of shared humanity: black or white, liberal or conservative, Christian or Muslim or Jew, we are all united in struggle against the tyranny of the bowel."

"So go to the bathroom and drop a grumper for your fellow man. And then come back here and proclaim it to the world."

Enjoy!

http://www.poopreport.com/index.html

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Banff Banff Banff. Roses & thorns style.

Roses:

• Chris Sharma. Miguel, his amigo. Ande, his rose-colored-glasses-wearing older brother figure. The guy in Venezuela who was bored and had only: a mirror with which to watch his beard grow and several sudoku.


• "Ba! Tsaa! Arrrghhh! Weeeeee!"
  
• The animated film with a grumpy badger. (Click to see a clip!)
  
• Oldschool cross country ski footage


• Kite-snowboarding is ok I guess


• "Balance," a ski movie that is apparently non-Googlable, but go ahead and try!


• Listing of sponsors in British accent
  
• This:

Thorns:

• Personal anecdotes.


• Self-absorbed subjects: Ryan Leech, mountain biker, expounding on the evils of logging and how that's like when he falls off the bike; Speedfliers


• Unicycling... more YouTube than big screen


• Not winning door prizes once again.
  

Good news for us dirty hippie types

Apparently, it is now acceptable and encouraged in mainstream fashion circles to make a lifestyle change of sorts: not washing one's hair, or, at the very least, washing it infrequently.

The "trend" has extended all the way to the southern hemisphere: Sydney radio host Richard Glover is encouraging his listeners to give up any sorta cleansing when it comes to their heads. 86% of people who have participated in the experiment claim that their hair looks the same, if not better, than when they regularly wash it. Says Glover: "We're tired of feeling like cogs in the machinery of consumption. There's this feeling of liberation to be able to say no to an entire aisle of the supermarket."

Fight the power! Did you know that "rinse and repeat" is a lie?! Check it out. It was necessary in the 50s, when people greased up their hair - have you seen the Fonz? These days, it's more of a ploy because 1) shampooing twice means using it up twice as fast and buying more sooner and 2) shampooing twice means your hair will be dry, necessitating more products!

Oh. Don't assume from the tone of this post that everyone in the Loj is totally filthy all the time with hair looking like oiled kelp - far from it. However, a lot of us have done enough "backpacking weeks," "finals = no shower no sleep weeks," and/or "can't find shampoo weeks" (being only human after all) that skipping a more than a day of hairwashing isn't so scary.

Successful/hott women who did not wash their hair every day: Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Queen Elizabeth I, Marilyn Monroe, Delilah, Calamity Jane, Amelia Earhart, Helen of Troy.

The Cool List

Coolest thing so far this week: starting to build a Sonex education/student project with Bravo Zulu's Build to Fly program. It is kind of like a cross-section of a wing, but AE will be turning it into some sort of clock and barakobometer holder. It would look nice on a mantle. I'm looking forward to more fly-cutting of lightning holes next week.

Close second: Teleskiing (tele-falling-down) at Toggenburg.

Panda Politics

I would think that if a panda had a ballot, it would vote for Barack Obama.

Word of the Day

Barakobameter (noun)
Like a barometer, but different. Related to the Democratic presidential candidate. Not sure exactly what it measures.

As AE said, all political jokes are hilary-arious.

The Loj's Hidden Treasures: Part II/X

Whilst my housemates watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (?), I blog about strange objects that have found their way into our house. Such is life.

Part II: The Translucent Plastic 1:12 Scale Rocking Chair




Description: Rocking chair, translucent plastic, approximately 1:12 scale. Approximately .4 lbs, 10" tall, 7x7" wide, Apparently #314 Made in USA on the "Regaline (R)" brand. Whatever that is.

Found: On coffee table in TV room enclosed porch. Contents: none, except my complete and utter confusion.

Analysis: Another one to confound the readership. My housemates told me to blog about it, and so I did. It looks like maybe it is intended to hold large square candles, or perhaps a small plant? I think it has a few potential alternate uses, though, such as a bizarre salsa dish, or rubberband holder. Not sure. When I close my eyes, I don't see this thing in action, I just see it sitting either at a garage sale or on a shelf in a Wal-Mart somewhere along with 300 identical copies that have likewise never been purchased. The faux-wood texture is a nice touch. I somehow feel like this must be associated with Allison, but I have no evidence to substantiate that other than her sly grin, yard sale saaviness, and completion of trip to Hackett's (nee Wisebuys) today.

This reminds me of two people in the house. Okay, four.

moar humorous pics

Most 'n' Least Loj: Part I of ?

Q: What food is the least Loj?

A: Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick! (What is this? Why is there chocolate in it??)



Q: What food is the most Loj?

A: Root Vegetables!!!


Suggestions for the next Most 'n' Least are welcome...

Daily Modicum of Cuteness!

This cat belongs to CB's family, where ST and I went for dinner last night. They live in the erstwhile house of Molly and Josh, the former directors of Colgate Outdoor Ed, who built it with their own hands while expecting a child.

Anyway, back to the cat. His name is Sammy. C's mom was wondering why he was so uppity and assumed that the counter was his territory. ST postulated that it might be because he lives in a basket that sits up there. Is anything cuter than a cat in a basket? No? I agree.

Sixth Annual Green Summit

Yesterday we held the Sixth Annual (ish - but maybe the seventh actual) Green Summit! Coordinated fabulously by MM with NS, LJ, DH, RS, and me, with AE, KG, and LW attending, too!, it brought about 80 students, faculty, staff, and community members together. (Including the new owners of the organic farm north of town, Common Thread Community Farm. Its owners are fantastic!
Check them out on localharvest.org, which is an excellent resource.) For three hours we ate good food, connected, and most importantly, formed action plans to make campus greener.

Initiatives include:

educating Colgate students on the STOP-NYRI movement to prevent 140-ft tall powerlines running all the way from Canada to New York City through our area

first-year environmental education

reducing bottled water on campus

getting downtown businesses to stop using styrofoam, planting trees on the ski hill to sequester CO2

improving recycling efforts on campus, reducing the amount of computer-printer waste

holding the Energy Olympics in dorms again

getting more Fair Trade coffee on campus

making on-campus travel more eco-friendly.

Afterward we held a delicious dinner at the house, which seemed to inspire more conversation and connection amongst folks. Let's hope we can hold the momentum. Here's to the future success of the initiatives and action by Earth Day!

a site I like

http://www.organicconsumers.org/

it's not just about consuming organic.

Happy Valentine's Day

Anyone want to discuss the commercialization of this Holiday? Not me.

In response to the earlier coffee mug post, I may have some insight. It was on the free bench at work over winter break. It was so weird I knew I had to take it and bring it to the Loj. Still no idea who those guys are, but instead of Navy dudes, I would guess they are Food Science people at Cornell Ag. School. Probably making ice cream.

Wanda Fuller

How Sticky Is Membership on Facebook? Just Try Breaking Free
By MARIA ASPAN
Published: February 11, 2008
Are you a member of Facebook.com? You may have a lifetime contract.

Screengrab of the Facebook group "How to permanently delete your facebook account" founded by Magnus Wallin, a 26-year-old patent examiner in Stockholm.

Some users have discovered that it is nearly impossible to remove themselves entirely from Facebook, setting off a fresh round of concern over the popular social network’s use of personal data.

While the Web site offers users the option to deactivate their accounts, Facebook servers keep copies of the information in those accounts indefinitely. Indeed, many users who have contacted Facebook to request that their accounts be deleted have not succeeded in erasing their records from the network.

“It’s like the Hotel California,” said Nipon Das, 34, a director at a biotechnology consulting firm in Manhattan, who tried unsuccessfully to delete his account this fall. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

It took Mr. Das about two months and several e-mail exchanges with Facebook’s customer service representatives to erase most of his information from the site, which finally occurred after he sent an e-mail threatening legal action. But even after that, a reporter was able to find Mr. Das’s empty profile on Facebook and successfully sent him an e-mail message through the network.

In response to difficulties faced by ex-Facebook members, a cottage industry of unofficial help pages devoted to escaping Facebook has sprung up online — both outside and inside the network.

“I thought it was kind of strange that they save your information without telling you in a really clear way,” said Magnus Wallin, a 26-year-old patent examiner in Stockholm who founded a Facebook group, “How to permanently delete your facebook account.” The group has almost 4,300 members and is steadily growing.

The technological hurdles set by Facebook have a business rationale: they allow ex-Facebookers who choose to return the ability to resurrect their accounts effortlessly. According to an e-mail message from Amy Sezak, a spokeswoman for Facebook, “Deactivated accounts mean that a user can reactivate at any time and their information will be available again just as they left it.”

But it also means that disenchanted users cannot disappear from the site without leaving footprints. Facebook’s terms of use state that “you may remove your user content from the site at any time,” but also that “you acknowledge that the company may retain archived copies of your user content.”

Its privacy policy says that after someone deactivates an account, “removed information may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time.”

Facebook’s Web site does not inform departing users that they must delete information from their account in order to close it fully — meaning that they may unwittingly leave anything from e-mail addresses to credit card numbers sitting on Facebook servers.

Only people who contact Facebook’s customer service department are informed that they must painstakingly delete, line by line, all of the profile information, “wall” messages and group memberships they may have created within Facebook.

“Users can also have their account completely removed by deleting all of the data associated with their account and then deactivating it,” Ms. Sezak said in her message. “Users can then write to Facebook to request their account be deleted and their e-mail will be completely erased from the database.”

But even users who try to delete every piece of information they have ever written, sent or received via the network have found their efforts to permanently leave stymied. Other social networking sites like MySpace and Friendster, as well as online dating sites like eHarmony.com, may require departing users to confirm their wishes several times — but in the end they offer a delete option.

“Most sites, even online dating sites, will give you an option to wipe your slate clean,” Mr. Das said.

Mr. Das, who joined Facebook on a whim after receiving invitations from friends, tried to leave after realizing that most of his co-workers were also on the site. “I work in a small office,” he said. “The last thing I want is people going on there and checking out my private life.”

“I did not want to be on it after junior associates at work whom I have to manage saw my stuff,” he added.

Facebook’s quiet archiving of information from deactivated accounts has increased concerns about the network’s potential abuse of private data, especially in the wake of its fumbled Beacon advertising feature.

That application, which tracks and publishes the items bought by Facebook members on outside Web sites, was introduced in November without a transparent, one-step opt-out feature. After a public backlash, including more than 50,000 Facebook users’ signatures on a MoveOn.org protest petition, Facebook executives apologized and allowed such an opt-out option on the program.

Tensions remain between making a profit and alienating Facebook’s users, who the company says total about 64 million worldwide (MySpace has an estimated 110 million monthly active users).

The network is still trying to find a way to monetize its popularity, mostly by allowing marketers access to its wealth of demographic and behavioral information. The retention of old accounts on Facebook’s servers seems like another effort to hold onto — and provide its ad partners with — as much demographic information as possible.

“The thing they offer advertisers is that they can connect to groups of people. I can see why they wouldn’t want to throw away anyone’s information, but there’s a conflict with privacy,” said Alan Burlison, 46, a British software engineer who succeeded in deleting his account only after he complained in the British press, to the country’s Information Commissioner’s Office and to the TRUSTe organization, an online privacy network that has certified Facebook.

Mr. Burlison’s complaint spurred the Information Commissioner’s Office, a privacy watchdog organization, to investigate Facebook’s data-protection practices, the BBC reported last month. In response, Facebook issued a statement saying that its policy was in “full compliance with U.K. data protection law.”

A spokeswoman for TRUSTe, which is based in San Francisco, said its account deletion process was “inconvenient,” but that Facebook was “being responsive to us and they currently meet our requirements.”

“I kept getting the same answer and really felt that I was being given the runaround,” Mr. Burlison said of Facebook’s customer service representatives. “It was quite obvious that no amount of prodding from me on a personal level was going to make a difference.”

Only after he sent a link to the video of his interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News to the customer service representatives — and Facebook executives — was his account finally deleted.

Steven Mansour, 28, a Canadian online community developer, spent two weeks in July trying to fully delete his account from Facebook. He later wrote a blog entry — including e-mail messages, diagrams and many exclamations of frustration — in a post entitled “2504 Steps to closing your Facebook account” (www.stevenmansour.com).

Mr. Mansour, who said he is “really skeptical of social networking sites,” decided to leave after a few months on Facebook. “I was getting tired of always getting alerts and e-mails,” he said. “I found it very invasive.”

“It’s part of a much bigger picture of social networking sites on the Internet harvesting private data, whether for marketing or for more sinister purposes,” he said. His post, which wound up on the link-aggregator Digg.com, has been viewed more than 87,000 times, Mr. Mansour said, adding that the traffic was so high it crashed his server.

And his post became the touchstone for Mr. Wallin, who was inspired to create his group, “How to permanently delete your Facebook account,” after joining, leaving and then rejoining Facebook, only to find that all of his information from his first account was still available.

“I wanted the information to be available inside Facebook for all the users who wanted to leave, and quite a few people have found it just by using internal search,” said Mr. Wallin. Facebook has never contacted Mr. Wallin about the group.

Mr. Wallin said he has heard through members that some people have successfully used his steps to leave Facebook. But he is not yet ready to leave himself.

“I don’t want to leave yet; I actually find it really convenient,” he said. “But someday when I want to leave, I want it to be simple.”

Studies on agro-fuel and Global Warming

I know most of you are more than up on this (I even discussed it with a couple of you) but here's a link to two studies that show a connection between agro-fuels and Global warming

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1151861v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=20&hits=20&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=Searchinger&andorexacttitle=or&andorexacttitleabs=or&andorexactfulltext=or&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&fdate=7/1/1880&tdate=2/29/2008&resourcetype=HWCIT

The Loj's Hidden Treasures: Part I/X

So, a.l.e. and I were talking, or more specifically, I was inquiring about a random object found in our house, and it came up that we should commence a series of sorts on the mysterious and tantalizing things to be found in this household. So, one per week (at the minimum), here goes. I apologize in advance for the photo quality. Take it as part of the digital ambience.

Part I: The Coffee Mug Personalized with Random Old Candid Photo



Description: White ceramic coffee mug with photo of two men in blue uniform, one with white flat hat and large spoon in mouth; color seems to indicate photo from the late 50s to early 70s. Approximately .75 lbs, 5" tall, 3.5" diameter, sturdy handle.

Found: In use in the kitchen. Contents: unknown residue.

Analysis: I'm not sure what this is, besides a coffee mug, but it looks like one of those personalized ones you can have made of family photos. I'm well intrigued. The image seems to be of two navymen ? perhaps, since they're in uniform. One has a white hat on similar to a cook's and the other seems to be stirring a ginormous pot, so I imagine they're cooks on a navyboat. I've ne'er seen this before, so perhaps it belongs to one of our housemates who just recently brought it downstairs. An image of an uncle, grandfather, or father? The one to the right has the same hair as my structural geology professor. Perhaps it's a conspiracy.

How To Deal

Catharsis (n): the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

Today several of us experienced catharsis in different ways. One took a nap. One made pancakes. My weather-related gloom was dispelled by sitting in front of a borrowed HappyLite for a few hours. When the housemate that loaned me the Lite came back from a thesis meeting glum, we went and dumped dry ice into Taylor Lake. If that's not a "certain kind of art," what is?

If you've ever wondered what would happen if you dumped dry ice into Taylor Lake: it sinks to the bottom and bubbles persistently. If you try to pick it up through the bag, you will burn yourself. And if someone you know comes by, they will not be as excited about your adventure as you are. But that's ok, because it's your catharsis.

Sincerely,
a raccoon.

Power Animals

On Monday evening a few of us had rousing a discussion about power animals, while lounging in our enclosed porch. Not everyone is satisfied yet, but here's what we've come up with so far. Suggestions welcome.

AE - raccoon (collects shiny things)
KG - turtle (it's obvious)
ST - panda (chill, contemplative, vegetarian)
RS - llama (this one is contended)
LW - blue-footed booby
MMy - deer (or sandpiper)
MMi - black bear
LJ - platypus
CB - red squirrel (it's obvious, sorry you are not a stealthy predatory cat)
NS - i forget, was it an owl?
AS - undetermined

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that even though you may have recognizeable physical manifestations of your power animal, your friends can't truly pick your power animal for you. You must discover your own power animal, which usually occurs in a dream or vision. Also note that your power animal can change over your lifetime in response to your spiritual needs.

power animal descriptions

lessons on meeting your power animal

70 Broad

Mary emailed this description of our house out last night, but it's too good not to post here as well.

This section is my favorite:

The Loj House is a community of 12 residents. There are five double rooms and two singles in the house. It has a thriving border program that offers non-residents the opportunity to participate in the food co-op and join the house for dinners.

The living room, dining room and kitchen create a warm and inviting atmosphere. ... There is a piano in the living room and a TV/VCR in the enclosed porch.

[Edit] Maybe we lost the encolsed porch because it was unsatisfied with the food co-op and crossed the border?

Also, remember how we almost made a short video about the house? The videos that were actually submitted are here. I haven't watched any of them yet, but I doubt they'll be as good as Move This Rock.

Two Events Response

Hi all! Haven't posted anything yet, so here goes. This is an excerpt from something I wrote for the CORE class Rachel and I are in. We had to go to two campus events and discuss how it relates to the theme of the course: The Relational Selve (ie. how we percieve ourselves, our relationships, and what role our perception of morality and ethic of care plays into them) Very wishy washy. Anyway, I responded to the Focus the Nation speeches at the final dinner. (I tried, but failed, to incorporate "yeastie beasties." Don't take it too seriously, I had to tweak it to address the questions of the course, but take a look.

The two events I went to were similar in theme and very relevant to our course. Today, the human relationship with the, "environment," or non-human world, is a hot topic in light of a wealth of social, political, and economic problems that often manifest themselves in environmental toxicity, degradation, and disaster. I think about my relationship to the world outside human relationships (because I think that’s really what we mean when we talk about the “natural world”) all the time. I change my ideas about how I should behave almost on a daily basis because this relationship is extraordinarily complex, and challenges traditional notions of morality, because humans tend to conceive of non-human relationships as secondary to human ones.
One event I attended was the Focus the Nation Day Dinner and closing discussion. The audience that remained after eating consisted mostly of a smattering of students already involved in the issue of climate change awareness on campus. There were three speeches that night. The first was Rob Sobleman, President of the Student Government Association. The second was a member of Hamilton Board of Trustees, and the third was the president of Colgate Democrats. Rob Sobleman, although admittedly not as "up" on the issue at hand than some audience members, was an obvious choice as a speaker because he represents the primary vehicle for dialog between administration and student body. The Hamilton Trustee member was the only “politician” to come and enter into the conversation, which had been conceived as one among “administrators” with the political empowerment to enact change and students. The last speaker discussed the role of young people in the coming presidential election. She argued that the election process represented a perfect avenue for us to express our desire for action on the part of politicians to address global warming.
Something struck me about the nature of the three speeches. Interestingly enough, in spite of traditional notions of liberal youth versus conservative adulthood, the students were those advocating the use of traditional avenues within an existing structure as a way to enact change. Though they were both excellent speakers, their talks were largely unemotional and matter of fact despite the gravity of the problem. The trustee member, however, though admittedly not as gifted a speaker as the two student leaders, spoke evocatively if not eloquently. He implored us as students to demand change in university policy, action, and habit. He stressed that we should be fighting (as opposed to working—my insinuation) to bring about change. My thoughts on the difference in tone and suggested avenues for change are related to our course material. I think the crux lies in a difference in two generations’ perceptions of self and the way in which they should relate to the society or the institutions within a society in which we live.
The trustee member is of another generation: a sixty-eighter whose concept of change and the relationship of youth and authority is different than that of the younger generation. When he was a student, students perceived being young as a powerful position from which real and meaningful change could and should be enacted. The rationale was that they as students lacked the cemented bonds to the socio-economic structure upon which most adults are completely dependent upon and/or wedded to. (In this definition I include family, full-time job, home and other major possessions as well as the government-ordained responsibilities that go along with such ownership etc.) In fact, this ethos is related to our course because there existed an element of moral responsibility towards, or at least moral aversion to, the actions and ideology of the system to which they were not yet wedded or committed. The way we as students today, or so it seems to me, perceive ourselves in this still very similar socio-economic construct in the U.S. is very different.
As for Rob Sobleman, although his speech was unemotional and simply outlined to steps we as students and he as a stuedent representative might take through the University’s avenues of discourse and change, Sobleman’s speech as one of “our” own, seemed to “hit home” much more than the Hamilton Trustee member’s. He outlined the ways in which we could definitively act in order to enact change in a practical way for a practical reason: climate change and the moral responsibility many of us associate with its mitigation. The same holds true for the President of Colgate Democrats.
I think this difference is what lies at the heart of the audience's under-reaction that night at the Focus the Nation dinner to the words of a sixty-eighter who thought he understood his audience. Students of this generation are threatened in a different way than sixty-eighters. Whereas that older generation sought to stay out of war, prevent entrapment in a society the conventions and strictures of which they did not agree, or enact what they saw a positive social change, our generation, though these problems are as relevant today as they were then, seeks integration. We, as privileged college students and as a result of the lack of a draft, don’t need to worry about being forced into the military to put our lives on the line for a cause with which we may or may not agree; though it seems those who do agree would be less likely to do so if their lives were threatened. We are in the perfect position to enact social change to address the problems the solving of which we see as a moral imperative. We too have our share of our own uncertainties, but these are largely based on our ability to find an acceptable place within the system (which we seem to take for granted as static or at least not worth the risk to change) in which we can insert ourselves. Once we are ensconced, we seem to believe, wedded, we feel our uncertainties will disappear and we will be better equipped to solve the problems at hand. The older generation seemed to feel a level of immorality in that path. What has changed, I believe, is inextricably linked to a difference in our conception of morality and responsibility. We are driven by self-preservation, for some reason, before our sense of morality.

Art + Sustainability =

Here are a few websites addressing questions of environmental sustainability in a new media art type of way, brought to my attention at this weekend's symposium Environmental Art and New Media Technologies: Imagining Sustainable Futures:

Superfund 365 - Spotlights one of the USA's most industrially polluted sites, one a day, for a year
Ooz - Zoo backwards. Exploring human/animal interactions
Arctic Listening Post - Real and potential arctic climate change - watch Rising North.
FutureFarmers - Victory Gardens, Lunchbox Laboratories. Get inspired.

One of the 'umbles

Stumble Upon

I like it. You might too.

Why I Support Senator Obama for Election '08

Before I get into my opinion, I should say that I think it's crucial that everyone independently assesses the facts for themselves before coming to a decision. I'm trying my best to appeal to logic, but obviously that logic is, on the basis of evolutionary reality, interwoven with my own emotional context. So I highly recommend you check out the biased and unbiased sources for yourself:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com
http://www.barackobama.com
http://www.factcheck.org


Opinon. While I'm not extremely informed on the nuances of either campaign platform, I feel comfortable saying that Obama and Clinton's priorities, as presented in their campaign platforms, are nearly the same. Both have fairly aggressive (and actually, quite similar) environmental policies specifically geared to curbing carbon emissions and energy dependency. Both advocate ending the Iraq war and expanding diplomacy with other nations (ie. Iran). Both advocate similar "opt-in" universal health care policies. Both recognize the need to boost our faltering educational system. And I'm not crazy in thinking the two candidates are reading from a similar page ideologically. According to factcheck.org, "the two candidates vote with Democrats more than 90 percent of the time and [have] voted with each other 94 percent of the time."

Thus I don't base my support of Obama on specific issues so much as the overarching needs of this country and what I perceive each candidate can provide. Some would argue that this country needs someone to bring it back to the middle after Bush's reign, someone experienced who can roll into office ready to patch up what he trucked up, but I disagree that experience is a boon for this nation. The last first-term senator from Illinois didn't do so badly, now did he? I'm not saying that Obama is necessarily going to usher in the sort of new age for our nation that Lincoln did, but I'm saying it's possible, as history shows, that inexperienced politicians can do great things and experienced ones can blow it bigtime. (See picture.)

I am of the opinion that experience has tempered Clinton's passion and desire for real change. We need change on two levels. First, we need progressive national policy change to enable our country to undo the damage it's done internationally and enable Americans to live healthier, more peaceful, more satisfied (and more responsible) lives. I think that both Clinton or Obama are capable of bringing about this sort of change and indeed both have a similar agenda for doing so. Second, and perhaps most importantly, we need to reclaim this nation for the people and by the people. I'm talking about the sort of change in office that invigorates people on an individual level. What sort of change is it to have our country run by the same two families for 24 (possibly 28 years?) It reeks of everything our political system isn't supposed to be about. We're not living in a democracy, at least not one that most people bother utilizing or paying attention to through local levels of government, where true democracy actually works. On the national level we're a meritocracy, where the only real merits are wealth and familial political fame.

Contrasted with Clinton, Obama has the potential to bring the change I speak of. We need a president with the vitality and passion to bring people together and more or less heal some of the deep divisions in this nation. Over 600,000 Americans (myself included) have made personal donations to his campaign (bloomberg.com) . Indeed, he is building one of the strongest grassroots networks of presidential supporters our nation has seen. According to Bloomberg.com he's raised $7.1 million in just two days in response to Hillary's announcement that she has loaned her campaign $5 million. As another stark example, in January Clinton raised $13 million. According to Bloomberg.com, "Obama, by contrast, collected $32 million, the most ever raised by a Democrat in January of an election year, $28 million of which was raised in online donations." This offers a strong preliminary indication that he has an incredible power to involve the average person.

I should note that my support of Obama doesn't diminish the respect I have for Clinton's candidacy. I do believe that she's an incredibly saavy, intelligent, and passionate (and odds are, like most of us, feeling) person, and that the expectations on her as a woman have been many and uniquely hard. But nevertheless, aside from her work with the health care system, I feel she does not bring a unique or fresh perspective to Washington. She's a woman, but she's rich, she's white, and she's not particularly concerned with overturning the status quo of meritocracy. I suppose, on a personal note, I do tend to underestimate the oppression of women, and the enormity of Clinton's campaign success. Yet that is not a substantial reason in itself to vote for her, just as it is not a substantial reason to vote for a candidate because he is biracial and the child of a Kenyan immigrant (as much as I feel his election would substantially bump our credibility in the world.) If I vote for Clinton, it will be for superficial reasons. I want my vote to mean more than that. Whether that means voting for Clinton or Obama, I hope everyone else does, too. That's why I support Barack Obama.

Tonight's Debate

My favorite question from the Democratic debate tonight (directed to Senator Clinton):

"You have claimed that your presidency would bring real change to America. I am 38 years old, and I have never had an opportunity to vote in a presidential election in which a Bush or a Clinton wasn't on the ticket. How can you be an agent of change, when we have had the same two families running Washington for the last 30 years?"

Zing!

I don't dislike Hillary as much as some, simply because she is fairly graceful in the unenviable position of trying to run for president without being seen first and foremost as a woman. Doesn't mean I'm voting for her, but I respect her. I would love to hear my housemates' opinions on the way the elections are shaping up...

Also. Spotted in the audience: Pierce Brosnan, lookin' hot.

Also also. My housemate came in, slightly intoxicated, saw Senator Obama on the screen, and ran over and patted his face. Someone is a fan.

Election Commentary

So I read an article in the New York Times about the primaries that asked the question what was going to happen to the black female vote? As Allison more bluntly put it all black women must be asking themselves "Do I vote with for my skin or for my vagina?" Clearly, a tough decision! But it makes me think about the poor white Democratic male voters who just don't have anyone like them to vote for in the election, unless they pick the falling behind John Edwards. While I do think that it is great to see candidates who aren't the typical white male, we must ask ourselves if this really is as much progress as one would think? They still are all representative of the upperclass and besides that the media's focused attention on what will happen to the "black vote" or the "women vote" and now the conflict over how black women will vote just goes to show that we still cannot get beyond appearances in society. Why does personality or identity matter so much for presidential elections? True it is important to have dynamic leaders with personality, but don't we also need to think about what their visions or goals are instead of just their racial or gender identity. True race and gender do matter in society, but when will we as a society begin to see that identities are complex and composed of so much more than race or gender. We need to look at class, sexual identity, age, and so many other nuanced elements that intersect to make issues so much deeper than just black and white or male and female.

Words of Wisdom: Steve Martin Edition

Steve has a message for us and I think it's indispensable. Enjoy. Feel free to share your own words of wisdom and advice.

Loj Fashion

The Loj - not devoid of a good fashion sense while saving the world. Some of you might have seen me carrying a giant brown bag around the house lately... a sweet Christmas gift from the 'rents. Best part is, completely void of any animal by-products. Check out Matt & Nat online, especially their promotional collection, which sells their bags 40 percent off.

www.mattandnat.com

Focus the Nation

Mrs. Frazzle's hit the nail on the head. The Loj is truly a snazzy place.

I thought I'd take a moment to blog first about one of the most exciting things coming up for the Loj ladies: Focus the Nation! Taking place January 31, 2008, it's a nation-wide "teach-in" on global warming solutions for America. The ultimate goal is to unite people across the country in political activism and awareness. It is a great feeling to be part of something big - and maybe this is a baby step toward the sort of unity that humankind could someday achieve? Kind of makes me nostalgic for Star Trek. (Actually, I just wanted an excuse to post a picture of Captain Picard on a blog.) Some of us have been working on Focus the Nation initiatives for a long time, and all of us will no doubt take part in some way that day, so it should be pretty exciting.

Events will kick off Wednesday night with a free screening and discussion of the 11th Hour at the Hamilton Theater at 7.pm and a live streaming of the 2% solution at 8.pm in Persson Hall. There will be panels all the next day, from 8:30-11:10.am and 1:20-5:30.pm on a variety of topics, from climate change and social justice to coastal communities, political activism and climate change, and local food options for Colgate. There'll also be a gallery tour before lunch, free vegetarian lunch from noon-1, and an opening and artists' talk on the Canary Project at 4.pm. There'll also be communal vegetarian dinner from 5:30-7:30.pm, with closing remarks and discussion with students and local politicians, and another free screening of the 11th hour at the Hamilton Theater that evening. The excellent band Tally Hall will close this exciting series of global warming awareness events on Friday night, opened by Colgate's own Earthman Embassy.

The full schedule should be posted soon here. Keep an eye out!



After that we head up to the excellent 'daks for a weekend of outdoor appreciation OE-style. Can't wait.

Well that's all for me-

Looking forward to posting my next installment, aka What's in my Loj cupboard?, Part I of XI: a self-investigation of mystery, wonder, and tastiness