The answer must depend on one's tolerance for moistness (with apologies for the word). Cupcakes are dry. Donuts are fatty and delicious. Incidentally, there aren't many locations around anymore but spudnuts (donuts made with potato flour) are pretty darn good.

Cupcakes win, obviously. For they are tiny cakes, and usually covered in buttercream frosting. Mmmm, buttercream frosting.

We don't have any neighborhood email list that I know of. But we have neighbors who check in on people, and who apparently take great amusement in telling the pretending-to-be-tough-hoodlums that I'm a witch and can curse them. Which, okay? It makes the p-t-b-t-hs be very polite to me when I walk by them at the park.

I do loves me some buttercream frosting. But you don't need cake for that.

I just realized that I only do jam for PB&J. I'll use jelly in a pinch but I only buy jam.

The thought of Jilli cursing anyone is kind of funny.

I've moved from VM to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. And I'm trying to write.

Why we don't have cupcakes in Israel? I feel deprived, especially after tasted them. Yes, I can try and make them myself, but it's not like I can go to the cupcake store and buy some. And Cupcakes are kiddna categorized as "immediate fun", not as "OK, I might want to have them tomorrow, let's bake today".

Congrats on food and house and weight, Buffistas.

I am wondering if I should just budget some money to go to these people.

I say no, because:

I give directly to homeless shelters and food pantries.

Well, personally, I don't donate to homeless shelters and food pantries, but volunteer in an NGO for social justice an equality here. And I know the situation you're writing about very well, too. Point is, I'm looking for the best way possible to help, but I won't be able to help if I'm broke. And I think the solution needs to come from the government, or some-who-ever-that-might-be that's looking at the big picture, because almost no one can fund all of the homeless people in his town. And you'll just keep on giving. And to remind you, you're already paying taxes, and I think the taxes should also cover this subject.

ION.

As a geek, I live in a close supervision state of mind with my RSS, the interwebs, technology, art, and all those cool things.
As a student, the paper I'll probably write for my Anthropology of Violence class will deal with technology and the way people give meanings to it. And I'm reading lots of cool things, but they all pretty much comes up (and I'm generalizing here) with "technology changes us", meaning that our essence as human being changes when we interact with technology. Some claims technology makes us more human. Which is nice, but...

I understand this to a point, but I still find it hard to believe that people 300 years ago were that different. They might have thought about other things and had other standards, but they way people are putting this into text, is like reading about mutations of humanity.

Maybe it's an idea I'll have to get used to, but I find it hard to - not to understand, but feel - that we're that different. Because if I'm saying that a person is more human today than he was, say, 500 years ago, or 8000 years ago, and that's because of technology, then it's a very short ride from saying "rich people from 1st world countries are more human than poor people from 3rd world countries".

Shir, my feeling is that there's always been technology of a kind -- for instance, flint knapping is damn hard to do, and has to be learned/taught, and you have to be able to =make the tools= in the first place. That's "tech" right there, and we 21stCenturians generally don't see it, because all we see is a bunch of rocks hitting other rocks.

I think the main difference is that there are less layers of production between a person and their technology in a "primitive" society. I barely understand how an electric motor works, and I would have a hell of a time trying to recreate one from scratch, especially if I had to do it from raw materials.

We think "primitive" people are foolish to believe in magic, but, damn if I don't accept stuff like electric light bulbs, LCD monitors and cellphones without even questioning how they work, and believe in what they do on a level that's not much like "it's magic."

And to remind you, you're already paying taxes, and I think the taxes should also cover this subject.

I agree. But, sadly, the last administration seemed to feel that private giving should be used, rather than a government-based safety net. And the end result of that is getting hit up for money at the bus stop. If the end result involved poor people going door to door in rich neighborhoods, the private giving theory might have died out sooner. Personally, I think that's part of the thought processes behind new upscale neighborhoods without sidewalks.

Still, to digress, there's a type of ad that comes on tv around here that really pisses me off. It's for stores that give money back to local schools so teachers don't have to buy their students' school supplies out of the teachers' own money. I just want to scream at the tv, "Why the hell do teachers have to buy pens for their students in the first place? Why aren't our taxes paying for that?" But no, there's a reason NC's unofficial motto is, "Better roads to bigger jails," and it ain't because the schools get so much money that they hold bake sales for the road crews.

I just saw this article about a teacher who got a local pizzeria to donate paper for his class, in exchange for the pizzeria printing an ad at the bottom of each sheet. [link]

I just have to go back for a minute to say that good cupcakes are not dry.

I have been out every night this week, and I am tired! But my boss suckered me into going to some reception tonight. I just want to come home after work. But no. Also, I have a doctor's appointment this morning. Good times.

bon bon:

Spudnuts Donuts 10244 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324

But I'm sure you knew that!

I can't decide who would win because donuts are more street, they seem tougher. Plus deepfried in oil which makes 'em have a tough skin.

Cupcakes, though, have a liner as reinforcement. Almost like a kevlar vest.

If there was a fight between the two, tough to say who would win.

I just have to go back for a minute to say that good cupcakes are not dry.

Also, WORD.