Sad about the nerds, but it was coming. They weren't even much hurrying, as far as I could tell.

I liked (gasp) the frat boys more this week, and even Lake and Michelle. I still can't bear Fran and whoosit. I really wish they weren't so far up in the pack.

Kind of a boring ep though, overall.

I like Michelle more and more. I still hate Lake -- what a jackass!

How Lazy Mole-Rats Serve Their Queen.

So excellent!

TAR: When Phil started explaining the popular Italian game of Kayak-Polo, I was phoning a friend so when I answered I was laughing and laughing. . .

TOP Chef: I really love the "Quickfire" challenges.

So East coasters, should I tivo Bones and watch TAR in real time, or vice versa?

Stupid Comics: [link]

Lana and Superboy get fat! Giant-headed creatures try to make Lex good! I am Curious (Black)!

I bought this hoping it'd be a porno film like its namesake, but no dice. Instead Supes helps a sister out by turning Lois black for a day so she can have the black experience.

Oh my....

I agree with Jars that change has to come from within the society. We can offer pressure to change and support and whatever is needed, but we can't step in and force it to happen. Otherwise it smacks too much of the Neocon's worldview of "We know what is right for you and we're going to make you do it" and we all see how well THAT worked out.

There have been times, in human history, where the actions one group of people has been perpetrating upon a second group of people is so horrific, that if outsiders had sat around and waited for the change to come from within the society in question, the second group of people would have been extinct.

Now, maybe you don't think FGM in particular is either severe enough or clear cut enough to justify outside intervention, but if that's what you were trying to get at, I think a different approach might be in order.

Waiting to get involved when it is a "society" that needs to change inside...A philosophy like that doesn't bear out when we look at what sort of outside action we feel is both lawful and Right, where mini-societies are concerned. For example, consider the family as sort of a microcosm of a society. It has its leaders, its location, an economic system, laws, customs, and some presumption of sovereignty over its own citizens.

If, in Famiy X, the parents were abusing the children, you can't tell me you would say, "We can offer pressure to change and support and whatever is needed, but we can't step in and force them to stop abusing their children. It would be Neoconish of us to bust in there, and stop the child abuse." Yet every day, acts of physical abuse and torture with lifelong consequences are being perpetrated on young females in societies that practice FGM.

And although I too, hate Neocon philosophy, it's naive to make it sound like buttinskiism is either always bad, or that it originated with the Neocons. Power groups have been imposing their will on other groups (from large groups like societies, all the way down to something small, like a problem between two individuals) throughout the course of human history--and sometimes, even because of moral convictions that such and such is wrong--and this is something we support, in that we believe in police departments and social service agencies. Buttinskiism and imposing of will is so not original to the Neocons. In fact, I'm not sure history will even decide they were particularly effective.

I haven't seen Bones yet -- so you know my choice, but I couldn't tell you if it was the right one.

This was a very peaceful episode of TAR. No shakeups of any kind. I guess that's what happens when nobody gets hopelessly lost or stuck at a challenge. Poor nerds!

I REALLY want to play kayak polo! What fun.

Thanks Sumi. Tivo was set to record TAR, so I guess I'll stick with that. Especially since I already read the TAR whitefont.