Murderer Seeks Sex Change or will Commit Suicide

Obviously this makes me mad:

BOSTON — A man serving a life sentence for murdering his wife is asking a federal judge to order the state to pay for a sex-change operation, arguing that denying him the surgery amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

A psychiatrist testified Tuesday that he believes Robert Kosilek — who now goes by Michelle — will commit suicide if state corrections officials refuse to allow the surgery and Kosilek is unable to complete the transformation into a woman.

And wouldn't you know that the dateline is Boston, MA.

Here is the whole article.

Quotation of the Day

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
-- Andrew Carnegie

The Quintessential Mint Julep

With the 132 running of the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, I feel that it is my absolute duty as author of The Mint Julep, to write a post concerning that lovely libation that is the essence of Kentucky in May. Of course, I am talking about the Mint Julep. Just as I did on this day, one year ago, so too today will I include a letter, written from a Lieutenant in World War II, to a fellow comrade. The description of how to create this fine beverage is one worth reading in whole. Last year I only included a brief segment; however, for your benefit, the entire letter is found below. Please enjoy.

March 30, 1937

My dear General Connor,

Your letter requesting my formula for mixing mint juleps leaves me in the same position in which Captain Barber found himself when asked how he was able to carve the image of an elephant from a block of wood. He replied that it was a simple process consisting merely of whittling off the part that didn't look like an elephant.

The preparation of the quintessence of gentlemanly beverages can be described only in like terms. A mint julep is not the product of a FORMULA. It is a CEREMONY and must be performed by a gentleman possessing a true sense of the artistic, a deep reverence for the ingredients and a proper appreciation of the occasion. It is a rite that must not be entrusted to a novice, a statistician, nor a Yankee. It is a heritage of the old South, an emblem of hospitality and a vehicle in which noble minds can travel together upon the flower-strewn paths of happy and congenial thought.

So far as the mere mechanics of the operation are concerned, the procedure, stripped of its ceremonial embellishments, can be described as follows:

Go to a spring where cool, crystal-clear water bubbles from under a bank of dew-washed ferns. In a consecrated vessel, dip up a little water at the source. Follow the stream through its banks of green moss and wildflowers until it broadens and trickles through beds of mint growing in aromatic profusion and waving softly in the summer breezes. Gather the sweetest and most tender shoots and gently carry them home. Go to the sideboard and select a decanter of Kentucky Bourbon, distilled by a master hand, mellowed with age yet still vigorous and inspiring. An ancestral sugar bowl, a row of silver goblets, some spoons and some ice and you are ready to start.

In a canvas bag, pound twice as much ice as you think you will need. Make it fine as snow, keep it dry and do not allow it to degenerate into slush.

In each goblet, put a slightly heaping teaspoonful of granulated sugar, barely cover this with spring water and slightly bruise one mint leaf into this, leaving the spoon in the goblet. Then pour elixir from the decanter until the goblets are about one-fourth full. Fill the goblets with snowy ice, sprinkling in a small amount of sugar as you fill. Wipe the outsides of the goblets dry and embellish copiously with mint.

Then comes the important and delicate operation of frosting. By proper manipulation of the spoon, the ingredients are circulated and blended until Nature, wishing to take a further hand and add another of its beautiful phenomena, encrusts the whole in a glittering coat of white frost. Thus harmoniously blended by the deft touches of a skilled hand, you have a beverage eminently appropriate for honorable men and beautiful women.

When all is ready, assemble your guests on the porch or in the garden, where the aroma of the juleps will rise Heavenward and make the birds sing. Propose a worthy toast, raise the goblet to your lips, bury your nose in the mint, inhale a deep breath of its fragrance and sip the nectar of the gods.

Being overcome by thirst, I can write no further.

Sincerely,
S.B. Buckner, Jr.

Rumsfeld Heckled in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Anti-war protesters repeatedly interrupted Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld during a speech Thursday, and one of them, a former CIA analyst, accused him in a question-and-answer session of lying about prewar intelligence on Iraq.

So, there you have it. However, apparently Rummy held his own. Read about it here.

Zacarias Moussaoui's Sentence

A friend of mine had this to write, following the life sentence which was handed down to Zacarias Moussaoui yesterday afternoon.

What is this crap?

He was the ONLY one tried for the 9/11 bombings, and they gave him life in prison, whereby we (taxpayers) have to pay for him to stay alive in prison (he is only a young guy...age 37, like Dennis in Monty Python's Holy Grail), which by the way is absurd because he's not even a US citizen, he is a frenchman of Moroccan descent. Additionally, after they gave him life in prison instead of the death penalty, he pulled some bullshit:

"America, you lost. I won," he said Wednesday, clapping his hands as he was led out of the courtroom.

Now they are going to give him the opportunity to speak again publicly before he goes to jail: Zacarias Moussaoui will get one last chance to speak publicly Thursday before he is sent to a super-maximum security prison with little to no contact with the outside world for his role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Why will he get to speak publicly? They were worried about him being a martyr if he were killed, who knows what sort of Muslim rage he will incite when he is allowed to speak.

I hope the jurors felt like shit when he taunted them after his sentencing.

Then his mother blamed France and his race for his sentencing...he's lucky he's not on death row lady: Zacarias Moussaoui's mother on Thursday blamed France for not fighting harder for her son's case, and said his race and his color were partly to blame for the U.S. jury's decision to sentence him to life in prison over the Sept. 11 attacks.

I blame Virginia...the trial should have been held in Texas.

Nietzsche in Wall Street

This is an interesting article that a friend of mine wrote concerning Nietzsche's philosophy in the movie Wall Street. I found it fairly interesting. Enjoy.

The movie 'Wall Street' clearly demonstrates one of Nietzsche's more important ideas – the will to power. The main character in the movie, Bud Fox, starts out as an 'average-Joe' trader at a company in New York City, where he works cold-calling people, trying to get them to buy stocks. Fairly dissatisfied with the direction his job seems to be going, Fox calls big-shot investor, Gordon Gecko, fifty-nine days in a row, asking for a chance to set up a meeting. Finally Fox's persistence pays off and Gecko agrees to meet with him. It is at this meeting that Fox's will to power surfaces. When it appears that Gecko is about to end the meeting, Fox makes a desperate last-ditch attempt to win Gecko’s approval, and reveals a private piece of information concerning the airline for which his father works. He tells Gecko that a lawsuit in which the airline was involved, unbeknownst to anyone outside of the company, has been decided in a way favorable to the company's stocks. By 'inside trading' like this, Fox demonstrates that his will to power is stronger than his loyalty to his own father, as well as than his will to truth and honesty. This superiority of the will to power is a part of Nietzsche's philosophy, and an idea that is carried on throughout the movie.

Nietzsche argues that the will to power is the highest and most important aspect of the human personality. Throughout the movie, Bud Fox demonstrates the ability of the will to power to take over a person. Once Fox gets his initial taste of the power and the money he can gain through the illegal practice of inside trading, he can't stop trying for more and more, even to the point where he attempts to 'out-power' the most powerful of the powerful, Gordon Gecko. Working for Gecko, who believes and preaches that “greed is good...greed works,” Fox is surrounded by power-hungry businessmen, much like himself, all competing for the most powerful position. He increasingly becomes more and more dishonest as his will to power keeps growing.

If there was to exist a society based on Nietzsche's idea of the will to power, it would be a very unpleasant society filled with people similar to Bud Fox and Gordon Gecko. It would be 'every man for himself' in a struggle to become the most powerful – the Gordon Gecko of the society. There would be no place for morality or consideration of others. No one could be trusted as, like Bud Fox, people would lie, cheat, and exploit others in order to get ahead. Such a society clearly would not be desirable, as very little happiness can be derived from having nothing other than power and the things that come with it. 'Wall Street' put Nietzsche's philosophies into a real-life setting, demonstrating the way in which the will to power can destroy a person. While Nietzsche does have some valid points in his writings, the movie clearly demonstrates why and how his idea of the will to power could lead to a corrupt and evil society, as well as to the possible downfall of such a society. Bud Fox depicts this through his own personal downfall which ultimately leads to the receding of his will to power. The circle that Fox travels throughout the movie – from demonstrating little will to power, to maximum will to power, and back to having much less will to power – proves, through his experiences at each stage, that the will to power cannot be the basis of a wholesome or successful society.

Apologies

My apologies for not having posted anything in nearly a month. This April has been extremely busy for me, and this blog was not exactly on the front-burner. I hopefully will now have some more time to put up interesting articles, jokes, and other miscellaneous items.

Before I put anything of any substance up, here are some random things that I am excited about:

- The Kentucky Derby runs in 4 days - however, I don't see a strong contender to vie for the Triple Crown this year. Hopefully I am wrong about this.

- The Cincinnati Reds are leading the National League right now, behind the strong performance of Boston-acquired Bronson Arroyo. He is 5-0 and threw a complete game against the Cardinals last night.

- The Detroit Piston took a 3-1 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks last night.

- This is something I am unhappy about and does not relate to sports - The price of oil is probably going to continue to rise through the summer. Gas will remain high and probably get higher. We hate this.

What's the Deal with Mass?

Here is another example of government interference in the private lives of its citizens. The specific case deals with a bill just passed in Massachusetts (naturally) which requires all of its citizens to have some type of health insurance. This, to me, is really bothersome. It falls under the same category as states which require seat belts to be worn while driving motor vehicles. Everyone would probably agree that seatbelts are safe, and that health insurance is good, but for these things to be mandated upon the general public, really makes me mad. If I don't want insurance, why force me?

Dwight Gooden to Prison

Gooden, the youngest pitcher to win the Cy Young award (at age 20) has to go to jail for a year and a day because of his relapsing cocaine addiction. Too bad when successful people go to pot (or coke as the case may be)

Time

Do days seem to go by faster when we get older because as we live longer, each day is smaller relative to the total amount of days we have lived? That is, at 3 years old, each day is roughly 1/1,100 of the total days lived, while for a 30 year old, each day is roughly 1/11,000 of his total days. So, it would seem only natural that as days become a smaller percentage of one's life, the time will seem much smaller, and therefore pass by quicker.

Duke Lacrosse

As most of you probably know the Duke lacrosse team has suspended play for the rest of its season following allegations that a dancer at a team party was beaten, choked, and raped.

I have had several conversations regarding this situation at Duke and have encountered a few different opinions. At least two people (ironically women) have remarked that the lesson of this is not to become a professional dancer. They argue that these women unnecessarily put themselves in danger by engaging in a less than safe profession where they tempt testosterone filled groups of excited males. In their opinion, a result like what happened at Duke is not surprising and perhaps even expected. The women got what they were asking for, so to speak.

I see the point, to a degree, but tend not to agree. I assert that the culpability lies squarely on the shoulders of the offending males. The relationship between dancer and client is clearly understood, and there are certain boundaries (such as physical contact) which are in place to protect the woman. Consequently, when a man, or group of men as the case may be, breeches the contract, no matter how tempted and excited, they are clearly the guilty party.

In any case, hopefully this sad drama in Durham can be wrapped up quickly, and without further racial strife, so that the school can get back to its normal pattern of educating bright students.

Workoholics Anonymous

Instead of AA, this is WA, and the focus is to get compulsive workers to chill out and take it easy. Apparently working long hours is now some kind of disease which requires a 12 step process to cure. In the 1800s, immigrants who worked incessantly were rewarded for their tireless work effort by moving up the socio-economic latter. Now, when people work incredibly hard, they are babied by support groups.

Can a Fat Person Be Pretty?

That is, are being fat and being physically attractive mutually exclusive? This is a question which I have been considering for a little while, and I am genuinely interested in whether an overweight individual can be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

I assert that beauty begins in one's face. Whenever I look at an individual, I first notice their face, and use this as the first determinant of beauty. Closely following is the body type, shape, proportions, etc. So, using this methodology, it is conceivable that a fat person could have a pretty face...I think. But, perhaps their fatness would extend to their face, and that makes me wonder, can a fat face be pretty? I doubt it. But, assuming that the fatness does not extend to the face, then it is possible that a fat person could have a pretty face - nice eyes, lovely hair, etc. But, could the attractiveness of the face make up for the unattractiveness of the fat body? That is the main question that remains, and one I feel unable to answer.

I have tried very hard to think of fat people who are physically attractive, and have not yet been able to identify one. This leads me to conclude that fatness and physical beauty are not necessarily mutually exclusive; however, a pretty fat person certainly must be a rarity.

Guy Spends Spring Break in Wal-Mart

The title is slightly misleading. Skyler Bartels really only spent 41 hours of his break in a Wal-Mart in Des-Moines, Iowa. I don't get what his deal is...to prove you can live in a Wal-Mart. Its long been known that Wal-Marts sell everything that one needs to stay alive, and even more...but I guess this guy wanted to prove it. This behavior strikes me as something similar to what Morgan Spurlock did with Super Size Me. Obviously eating massive amounts of McDonalds is unhealthy, and equally obviously, people could live their whole lives in a Wal-Mart. I wish people would stop wasting their time doing ridiculous stunts that prove absolutely nothing.

UPDATE - Below is an excerpt from the Des Moines Register:

After Marc Hansen's Des Moines Register column turned up on the Drudge Report Web site Monday, Bartels was flooded with e-mail and phone calls. Some of the correspondence included requests for national media appearances and interviews.

First to get in touch was a representative from "The Late Show with David Letterman." If all went well in a half-hour phone interview Monday afternoon, Bartels was told, they'd fly him in this week to do the show.

Also trying to reach Bartels were producers from "Good Morning America," "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC, National Public Radio and a radio station in Ireland.

From WSJ's Daily Fix

Below is an excerpt from the Daily Fix, WSJ's daily sports column. The commentary on Nova guard Allan Ray's eye injury is at some points uncomfortable and at other points amusing...so enjoy. Also, this may be my last post for awhile. I am driving down to south Georgia tomorrow afternoon and will be there for a week and a half. I hope everyone enjoys March Madness, and whatever political controversies may come up while I am gone. And, if the notion strikes you, reread my last post - Will Percy's Mint Julep instructions, gather the necessary ingredients, and imbibe in that delicious concoction.

On Friday night Villanova's Allan Ray suffered a pretty terrifying injury: He got hit in the eye by Pittsburgh's Carl Krauser as the two scrambled for a loose ball, with Mr. Ray's eyeball winding up…well, the worry was that it had been dislodged.

Thankfully, Mr. Ray should be OK. In fact, he's been cleared to practice. (Though he should be forgiven if he'd prefer to spend the rest of his life hiding under a bed.) But his ordeal leads to a basic question, put rather bluntly by Slate's Daniel Engber: "My eyeball just fell out of its socket. What should I do?"

The Fix's reaction would be to immediately try to die, but failing that…well, if you're still around, here goes: "The treatment for globe luxation is pretty simple: Doctors apply some topical painkillers, hold back your lashes, and poke your eyeball into its socket by pressing on the white part with gloved fingers. (In some cases, they'll use a simple tool like a bent paperclip to shoehorn it back into place.)"

If you finished that quote without squealing in terror and drumming your heels on the floor, well, you are made of much tougher stuff than the Fix is.

- One more thing - The odds of Oral Roberts beating Memphis on Friday are 5 sextillion to 1. Gene Wojciechowski from ESPN shares some other incredibls odds.

The Mint Julep

William Alexander Percy gives this delicious description of how to make a Mint Julep, in his novel "Lanterns on the Levy." As March is passing us by, and Springtime appears to be nearly here, I found it appropriate to post this excerpt.

First, you needed excellent bourbon whiskey; rye or Scotch would not do at all. Then you put half an inch sugar in the bottom of the glass and merely dampened it with water. Next, very quickly-and here was the trick in the procedure-you crushed your ice, actually powdered it, preferably in a towel with a wooden mallet, so quickly that it remained dry, and, slipping two sprigs of fresh mint against the inside of the glass, you crammed the ice in right to the brim, packing it with your hand. Last, you filled the glass, which apparently had not room for anything else, with bourbon, the older the better, and grated a bit of nutmeg on the top. The glass immediately frosted and you settled back in your chair for half an hour of sedate cumulative bliss.

I have a rather large paper to write on this book, and after I complete it, I will be in the mood for perhaps several hours of "sedate cumulative bliss."

From the WSJ...

"The Simpsons" has introduced viewers young and old to political corruption, religious controversy and same-sex marriage debates. But it's safe to say that the Bill of Rights has had a greater impact on our history, if only because of its two-century head start. So it was troubling to learn last week of a survey that found 22% of Americans could name all five members of the Simpsons family, but just 0.1% were able to name all five freedoms granted under the First Amendment.

I'll be honest, I can name all the Simpsons and only could remember four of the five Amendments. If this were Sports Illustrated instead of the Wall Street Journal, the above stat would be placed under Signs of The Apocalypse.

Its...March!

And that means its time for some serious basketball. After a disapointing regular season, Kentucky is looking to set things right in the post-season. That began yesterday with a 71-57 victory over Ole Miss. In yesterday's New York Times, there was an article about Tubby Smith and the extraordinarily high expectations which come along with coaching at the University of Kentucky. Excerpt from the article, entitled, "For Kentucky's Smith, Good Just Isn't Good Enough" are below, as the NYT is a subscription site.

NASHVILLE, March 8 — Tubby Smith has been poked and ridiculed for the Kentucky men's basketball team's un-Kentucky-like performances this season. He has been called a subpar recruiter, and there have been suggestions throughout his state that he should start packing for a big payday as a head coach in the N.B.A.

But Smith, 54, has compiled a 238-69 record while winning a national championship and five Southeastern Conference titles as Kentucky's coach. His winning percentage in nine seasons (.775) is higher than the storied program's overall winning percentage (.766).

N.C.A.A. tournament bid, gauging the popularity of Smith among Kentucky's fans and fanatics can be difficult. A team with one of the most passionate fan bases in the country, Kentucky may be at a crossroads with Smith, the coach who brought a national title to Lexington in his first season, 1997-98. Smith has never received universal support among Kentucky's fans, despite his success. Many fans never reconciled the departure of Rick Pitino in 1997 and the notion that Smith, a disciple of Pitino's, would lead a program befitting a star.

Now the Wildcats (19-11) are playing in the opening round of the SEC tournament for the first time since 1979; they finished the regular season 9-7 and did not earn a first-round bye.

Kentucky is expected to make the N.C.A.A. tournament when the pairings are announced Sunday, but the fact that the Wildcats do not have a solid foothold in the field has prompted a storm of criticism of Smith on talk radio, blogs and chat rooms.

"None on me," Smith said when asked if the criticism had a wearing affect. "I have a lot of confidence in who I am and what I'm about."

UPDATE - Down 11 points with 6:15 to go in the game, Kentucky stage an incredible rally, going on a 21-3 run to end the game. Final score, UK 68 Alabama 61. The Cats face the Gamecocks of South Carolina at 1 eastern tomorrow.

Lent

Today is Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), meaning tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and as a result, the time of year when people give things up for Lent. We're gonna play a little game where people tell me either what you're giving up, or give me a suggestion of what I should give up for the Lent.

Have a happy Mardi Gras, everyone.

EDIT - The things I am considering giving up include desserts, soft drinks, hard liquor, potatoes, and excessive foul language.

Something Weird

According to this article, the couple above conceived, and the woman gave birth to these two twins. Both father and mother are of mixed race; however, one of their children is clearly black and one of their children is clearly white (even blond hair blue eyes). I am no master geneticist, so I am not entirely sure how this works, but it is safe to say that this is a really freak occurrence. The article lists the chances as a million to one, but its discussion of the science behind this was fairly generic.

Also, the mother is 19 and the husband is 17 and they are not married.