Social Security vs. Terri Schiavo

SS: Ailing system which became a cause célèbre for conservative Repubicans
TS: Ailing woman who became a cause célèbre for conservative Republicans

SS: Condition diagnosed as “persistent negative cash flow”
TS: Condition diagnosed by doctors as “persistent vegetative state”

SS: Raises public profiles for former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and saving accounts
TS: Raises public profiles for former anti-abortion leader Randall Terry and feeding tubes

SS: Could be saved by major borrowing and massive benefit cuts
TS: Could be saved by major praying and massive violations of court orders

SS: Unable to speak for itself
TS: Thought to have said “AHHHHHH WAAAAAAA”

WINNER: In two tragic news events this year, the winner is the one that is left alone with dignity intact.

Santorum is a stinky mess

santorum (san-TOR-um) noun
The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.

The Night I Kissed Kiyoshi Kuromiya

I first met Kiyoshi Kuromiya around March or April 1995. I was a newbie to the Philadelphia gay community. I was a volunteer graphic designer for the AIDS Services in Asian Communities (ASIAC), which was about to be created. After a routine meeting one evening, I was hanging out in the gayborhood with a few other ASIAC volunteers. I figured I'd get to know the gayborhood and meet new people.

For some reason I can't recall, a few of us ended up walking a few blocks over to Kiyoshi Kuromiya's apartment. I think at the time, Kiyoshi was one of the board members of ASIAC. Kiyoshi was a hippie-looking skinny and somewhat tall Asian man in his 50's. I had seen him in passing several times but did not know him personally. To my surprise, Kiyoshi knew my name! He asked me a few questions to make some small talk and made me feel at ease. The other ASIAC volunteers had been to Kiyoshi's apartment quite a few times so they already made themselves a pot of coffee or tea.

The discussion eventually turned to politics related to AIDS, gays, and Asians. I hardly knew anything about these topics, so I was simply an observer. Kiyoshi was quite a story teller. He was opinionated, well-spoken, articulate, and most of all passonated. He was talking about legalizing marijuana for medical use, especially for people who were living with AIDS like he. Kiyoshi talked about providing sterile needles to drug users, teaching safe sex to prostitutes. He talked about working with goverments in Asia countries to create AIDS awareness and decriminalize homosexuality. He talked about ACT UP Philadelphia. A lot of the discussion went over my head. I thought his ideas were radical. I worried that he'd get arrested for possession of marijuana. I didn't say much during my two-hour time at Kiyoshi's apartment, but I learned a great deal.

Kiyoshi kissed everyone on the cheeks as we left.

I saw Kiyoshi in passing several more times during the next year.

Kiyoshi Kuromiya died of on May 10, 2000 due to complications from AIDS.

IED: single biggest killer of U.S. troops in Iraq

LA Times

"In this war, face-to-face combat is rare. It is a war of stealth and cunning and brutally effective means of shredding human tissue. The signature weapon is the IED, the improvised explosive device, a lethal fusion of ordinary combat munitions and the electronic signal of the ubiquitous cellphone. It is the single biggest killer of U.S. troops, 1,524 of whom have died so far."

China and Japan: strange bedfellows

The delicate relationship between the two Asian powers cannot be easily classified. Great read (while I'm taking a break from the Terri Schiavo's nonsense.

Man arrested in alleged Schiavo case murder plot

Something to do while you're not planning to bomb abortion clinics or bash gays.

Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances

I'm supporting "Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances" to undo civil liberty harm caused by the USA Patriot Acts. This group aims to curtail three key parts of the law passed after 9/11:
"sneak and peek" searches by federal agents without notifying the search subject
access to private records from institutions such as library and medical offices
broad definition of "terrorism" in pursuit of suspects

These provisions are set to expire by year's end, but President Bush currently wants Congress to extend their sunset date.

A Blow to the Rule of Law

New York Times Editorial

If you are in a "persistent vegetative state" and there is a dispute about whether to keep you alive, your case will probably go no further than state court - unless you are Terri Schiavo. President Bush signed legislation yesterday giving Ms. Schiavo's parents a personal right to sue in federal court. The new law tramples on the principle that this is "a nation of laws, not of men," and it guts the power of the states. When the commotion over this one tragic woman is over, Congress and the president will have done real damage to the founders' careful plan for American democracy.

Will someone give this nice guy a date?

Browsing the gay.com profiles is great free entertainment. I'd see mostly crazy, rauchy, or lame profiles. Rarely do I come across a well-written, articulate profile. Here's one:

"OK . . . well . . . I've come to this point in my life where the day to day stress of the world has started to take a back seat to the fact that I want to be happy. I'm slowly starting to see things fall into place as I near the 30 year mark. One of those things, is that finding somebody to grow with. I've found some great people along the way. I've found some not so great people along the way. No judgements on anybody. But, you get to a point when you know there's a fit, and when you can just tell that it's not. I'm on here because, like everyone else, we hope we'll find something that we don't already have. . . whatever that is. . ."

This is the cutest profile I've read this year. Will someone give this nice guy a date?

8 Miles in the Rain

Today was supposed to be my day off but I could not let a lesbian down, especially the one who will be my Jersey marathon partner. Eflynn followed up with her birth-day night talk and called me yesterday afternoon to make plans. I picked her up in Bella Vista and off we went running in a misty rain. I thought we were going to run five miles, but we ended up going 7.75 miles.
We started at Floyd Hall. Went to Falls Bridge. Crossed over to the other side (King Drive). Back to Kelly Drive, and back to Floyd Hall. We kept a good pace, which is slightly faster than I'd done the past two weeks. We didn't keep time, but I'd say that we averaged 9 minutes per mile on the way to the bridge, and 8.5 minutes per mile on the way back. We stayed together for the most part, taking turns to lead.
With about three quarters of a mile left, I saw a guy a quarter of a mile in front of us. My competitive nature kicked in, and I went all out. I passed my guy using my sprinting pace, which was around 6 or 6.5 miles a minute. I beat my guy by a quarter of a mile. To Eflynn's credit, she was only about 30 seconds behind me and easily beat the guy too.
I felt great.
I love Kelly Drive.
I'm voting for Jacob and me to move back to the city. The Powelton Village area makes sense for us. I know that area well, having lived there for five years. Jacob can walk to Penn while I cross the Spring Garden bridge and the back of the Art Museum to Kelly Drive.

iPod World, The End of Society?

Another insightful observation from my favorite gay Republican blogger.

"Get on a subway, and you're surrounded by a bunch of Stepford commuters, all sealed off from each other, staring into mid-space as if anaesthetized by technology. Don't ask, don't tell, don't over-hear, don't observe. Just tune in and tune out."

The Classified Ad Incident

It's been almost seven years since the "classified ad" incident that almost ruined The Triangle.

PENNSYLVANIA -- Staffers of the student newspaper at Drexel University in Philadelphia discovered copies of their newspaper, The Triangle, in a shredded heap piled five feet high outside the newsroom door.

The incident was in response to a controversial classified advertisement published in The Triangle on September 19. [1997]

The classified promoted the sale of "Children, 7 Africans, 14 Cubans and 8 Hispanics...Excellent condition, Love to work. Talented blow-job artists. Need to make room for winter time midgets' sale. Buy or lease. No credit? No Problem. Factory Authorized Rebates Leasing Available..."

The Triangle Editor Anh Dang offered his apologies on behalf of the newspaper in an editorial in the September 26 edition of the newspaper. In the article, he emphasized that the ad was overlooked in the editorial process and printed by mistake. He took responsibility but also pointed out the responsibility of those who placed the advertisement.

"Most of our classified advertisements are submitted by members of the Drexel community; as a service to Drexel we offer free advertising to Drexel students, faculty and staff. It is important that those who submit ads understand the significance of having their words published in a newspaper which is read by 7,000 people," Dang said in his article.

The newspaper does not know who placed the ad and has reported no further incidents since the classified advertisement issue was settled.

4 Weeks Til New Jersey Marathon

Four weeks left before the New Jersey Marathon, and that means one thing: tapering time!

Taper - Cutting back mileage before a race. Depending on the distance, runners usually begin tapering between one day and three weeks before a race. This helps you get peak performance from rested muscles on race day. Taper at Grateful Dead shows meant something completely different. (taken from nikerunning.com)

Milage count
December: 54.25 miles (longest run = 8.5 miles)
January: 89.61 miles (longest run = 12.5 miles)
February: 117.35 miles (longest run = 18 miles)
March: 120 miles [projected] (longest run = 22 miles)

Based on my training log, my marathon time will be between 4:15 and 4:30.

profile photo (2nd attempt) 

Fuck Y100; Jesus Saves

In the age of iPods, who gives a fuck about a stupid radio station? I am amused at the outcry of those who mourn the death of an alternative rock radio station. Clear and simple, the format did not generate enough cash for its owner, who replaced alt rock with R&B.

Maybe the Y100 fans after they stop crying should try to make their own playlists. This alternative rocks!

Jesus saves.

profile photo 

Like Baby on Pacifier

According to iTunes, my most frequently played artist is Mariah Carey. The top five are:

1. Never Too Far (love theme from "Glitter")
2. Endless Love (duet with Luther Vandross)
3. Whenever You Call (duet with Brian McKnight)
4. My Saving Grace
5. Hero

me (too) and Mariah
go back like baby on pacifier

I turn to Mariah to emerge myself in a magical world of unconditional love filled with rainbows, butterflies, charmbracelets, and music boxes. This is a world where one's perseverance and faith prevail despite undermining attempts by a group referred to as "They" or "Them".

I find it relaxing to listen to Mariah's incredible voice, which is sometimes referred to as the human dog whistle.

Her new album will be out in a month.

Can't wait.

Why I Won't Visit Vietnam

Every two years my parents go back to Vietnam. I'm interested in hearing their stories and share the news others. Undoubtedly, someone would ask me if or when I would return to visit my native land. This question is often met with an akward silence and a quick change of topic.
There are many good reasons why I should return:
- to see my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, and dozens of cousins
- to see my childhood friends and neighbors
- to see the country with a different perspective
- to see other parts of the country I hadn't been
- to enjoy inexpensive fine dining
- to shop & support the local economy

However, there are compelling reasons why I won't be booking a trip anytime soon:
- Personal reasons:
Homosexuality is a punishable crime. Homosexuals face blatant discriminations and are regularly victims of hate crimes.
I don't know how my relatives will act when they see me with Jacob.

- Political reasons
Vietnam, despite many attempts toward capitialism, is still a communist country. Its people are still politically oppressed. There is no such thing as freedom that I'm taking for granted in the US.

Logistics:
It's not like I can easily hop on an airplane and spend a few weeks in another country.

The hills are alive

Having already completed the longest practice run of 22 miles last Saturday, I'm facing the next marathon-training challenge: hills. I took advantange of a warm winter day to check out the Norristown Farm Park. I drove by the entrance to this park on my way to work everyday but never bothered to stop. It's not bad for Norristown. It has several trails among trees and farms. There are several tough hills which are more than sufficient for my training needs. I'll be sure to remember my favorite things during my hill climbing sessions.

First Reagan, now John Paul

I'm convinced that the Catholic pope has already died. His handlers are dragging his poor body everywhere until another Catholic scandal is squashed away. Just like Weekend at Bernie's.

Not Too Shabby, Says Scary Mary

It's time to give myself a pat on the back for what I've done last month

5K personal best (23 minutes 42 seconds) -- Feb 16, 2005
10K personal best (48 minutes 0 seconds) -- Feb 17, 2005
5-mile race personal best (39 minutes 50 seconds) -- Ambler Frostbite Feb 19, 2005 (placed 179th out of 449 finishers; 17th out of 31st for men between the age of 30 and 34)
Most miles run in one month (117.35 miles) -- Feb 2005

Basically I'm comfortable with my progress. Can't wait for the New Jersey Marathon!!!