Blog

Been putting blogging to the backburner for a variety of reasons – been running around tending to family things, a summer course in Negotiations, alumni events, and a lack of really gripping reading material (besides still shaking my head about Deep Throat revealing his identity).

Finally been inspired to blog, as I’ve now found interesting reading, and as far as interesting reading material goes: Slate.com presents a funny entry from David Plotz, its deputy editor, who has been pursuing a story about Nobel Prize winners who donate their sperm. Plotz’s two year project has culminated in a book, so Slate has some excerpts (the original Slate entries were also terrific, by the way, and Slate has links to them), with this particular excerpt – “The Genius Factory: My Short and Scary Career as a Sperm Donor” – wherein Plotz notes, among other things:

After talking to donors from the Nobel sperm bank, I remained puzzled about why they had bothered with such a peculiar and burdensome enterprise. That’s when I realized that I needed to donate sperm, too. Not because I wanted to, quite the contrary. I already had two children, which seemed more than enough on most days. My lack of desire to donate is why I felt obliged to do it. No matter how often donors explained their rationale to me, sperm donation befuddled me. Why had the repository donors subjected themselves to such inconvenience and embarrassment? Why had they been willing to father children—dozens in some cases—that they could never know? What was donating like? I had to find out for myself.

I dutifully informed my wife about my plan. “No way,” Hanna said. I argued that it was all in the name of research. She was unimpressed. I promised that I would stop the sperm bank before it could sell my sperm. She didn’t believe the bank would make such a deal. I swore that there was no chance they would use my sperm. I begged, which was not a pretty sight. She relented. [….]

Uh hmm. Sure Plotz. 😉 Thumbs up for good reading.

The local PBS is doing its usual pledge drive, and it showed “Journey of Man.” Curiously interesting stuff, wherein Dr. Spencer Wells, geneticist (an admitted blond, European-ancestored gentleman), attempts to show, via DNA, the descent of (hu)man from the cradle of civilization in Africa and migrating and evolving (a brave journey indeed) all over the world (except Antarctica). Dr. Wells posits that race is fictitious, since ultimately, everyone is related to each other. It’s a fascinating documentary (inconsistently cut by pledge drive moments), although you kind of wonder why does Dr. Wells insist on pushing the science when the Navajo Native Americans noted that their own origin stories highlighted the ideas of migration and creation. Watching Dr. Wells interact with the Navajo made me wonder: as much as I’m fascinated by the science, I’m curious by the history – what remnants of ancient humanity remains in our language and ideas (via “myth” or literature or folk stories or traditions and customs), which may or may not support what the science says about human evolution? Have we truly forgotten our past, such that DNA is the only remnants (considering the lack of archeological evidence)? Or maybe history and sociology can still figure something (well, my knowledge of ancient history is spotty, so maybe there are studies out there). I guess Dr. Wells, considering his expertise, can only focus on so much. Nonetheless, fascinating stuff.

And, on an entirely superficial note, the good doctor has an uncanny resemblance to the British actor Colin Firth. Hmm…

Why are they bothering to release John Kerry’s college transcripts now? Anyway, it doesn’t seem that bad – so he had a lousy freshman year and slowly improved. So did George W. Bush. I read somewhere during the 2000 election that even Al Gore didn’t have a stellar transcript from Harvard. I think only Bill Bradley or Bill Clinton might have had lovely looking transcripts (well, they did become Rhodes scholars). I thought our real concern should be how they do their jobs, not necessarily how they did in school…

I watched the 2nd half of “The Ring” on ABC last night. Creepy movie, wherein Aussie actress Naomi Watts tries to figure out how this video tape kills people and prevent herself and her own weird little boy from being victims – an American remake of the (reputedly – not like I’ve seen it) creepier Japanese original movie. “The Ring” reminded me why I usually don’t watch horror movies.

The passing of NYC’s own Anne Bancroft. She and Mel Brooks had quite a marriage, and she had quite a career (more than just “Mrs. Robinson” – but it certainly made her an icon).

Pardon if I go AWOL again. By the way, has YC returned to Asia? Got around to enjoying the sultry NYC metro area weather? Ah, did we even have spring??….

Long time no blog. The revolutionary change in the household is the Time Warner DVR. This combines the better of New York’s 2 cable companies with digital recording. They’ve even solved the problem of what to do if there are 2 shows head-to-head – 2 tuners that can both record at the same time. While this maximizes the value of cable, it is guaranteed to kill any remaining free time that I might have.

P & I are adjusting to life together. Did a whole lot of grocery shopping that should keep us. We had the plumbing fixed — the water flow wasn’t right. YC came by the house to relive one of our marathon chat fests, going until 3 in the morning. He returned back to Taipei on Sunday. We’re going to have to try to do it again via Skype.

I’m travelling to Chicago for another conference on Wednesday. More blogging opportunities, but I have to fix my wireless internet on my laptop.

NY Times’ “How did house bands become a Filipino export?”: yes, it’s true. I saw it myself at YC’s wedding hotel in Ipoh.

Andersen Reversal: P’s sister used to work for Arthur Andersen before she was laid off post-9/11. It’s unlikely she’s going to get back the last 3 years; will prosecutors go for the do-over?

Didn’t win Mega Millions last night. My mom had a premonition to look out for the number 42, so I played it. P’s and I’s sushi bill turned out to be $42, and our supermarket shopping totaled $41.22. Not exactly the link to $92 million.

YC is still MIA. His mom was going to be discharged today. He was supposed to meet up with me on Monday, but it didn’t happen. I also lost his phone number when I switched my phone from AT&T to Cingular, which wiped out my voice mail and call logs. Anyhoo, I’ll wait to hear back from him.

So… good to hear that YC’s mom’s doing ok.

So… the secret on “Deep Throat” is out, now that the old Washington Post duo Woodward and Bernstein confirmed that ex-FBI deupty Mark Felt was their source. Disappointing that the mystery’s over, and the thought that Felt decided to finally come “out of the closet” (so to speak) for alleged monetary reasons left a poor taste in my mouth:

Felt had expressed reservations in the past about revealing his identity, and about whether his actions were appropriate for an FBI man, his grandson said.

According to the [Vanity Fair] article, Felt once told his son, Mark Jr., that he did not believe being Deep Throat “was anything to be proud of. … You (should) not leak information to anyone.”

His family members thought otherwise, and persuaded him to talk about his role in the Watergate scandal, saying he deserves to receive accolades before his death. His daughter, Joan, argued that he could “make enough money to pay some bills, like the debt I’ve run up for the children’s education.”

“As he recently told my mother, ‘I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he’s a hero’,” Jones [Felt’s grandson] said.

Maybe Felt’s daughter felt that money might have been a good reason to make the revelation, maybe his family (and maybe even Felt himself) felt he deserved accolades, but I kind of feel that a mystery ought to remain a mystery. Knowing who Deep Throat is changes things, doesn’t it?

So… fascinating profile of David Brancaccio, the guy who takes over for Bill Moyers on “Now”:

Mr. Brancaccio has been associated with the program since the fall of 2003, when it was known as “Now with Bill Moyers.” With Mr. Moyers’s retirement in December, the show’s name was changed to reflect its founder’s departure, and Mr. Brancaccio was promoted from co-anchor to sole anchor.

But those were not the only changes. Because of financing issues, the show was cut from an hour to 30 minutes, and once a month the show features all interviews, which are less expensive to produce than heavily reported pieces from the field.

“I’m agnostic on the change from an hour to half an hour, but one beautiful thing has happened as a result,” Mr. Brancaccio said. “Even now, six months into the change, we are getting cascades of e-mails complaining about the shorter show. But that means that nobody is complaining about me – we’re not getting those letters that say, ‘You’re no Bill Moyers.’ ”

When and if that charge is made, Mr. Brancaccio is fully prepared to concede its truth.

“Bill was a lightning rod because his life experience allowed him to put things together in a way that my life experience, which is shorter and different, doesn’t,” he said. “I was not the deputy director of the Peace Corps. I did not work for Lyndon Johnson. Oh, and here’s something else: I am not a Baptist minister. I’m the product of two parents from Brooklyn, one who was Jewish and grew up in Coney Island, and the other an Italian from Gravesend. And no matter how you add those up, you don’t get Baptist.”

Hehehe. You’re right, Brancaccio – Coney Island Jew plus Gravesend Italian does not equal Texan Baptist. And, I do miss Now’s one hour format. I feel a half-hour format’s a little restraining, locking me in to that one storyline (well, I also miss the Texan Baptist Moyers, but oh well).

So it goes…

Take a moment to think about those who sacrificed or served for this country this weekend.

The men and women in uniform have been in town for Fleet Week. Salute them for their service. And, well, I must say, those men in uniform are definitely cute. But, it’s getting to that point where looking at them is making me feel old, because some of them are just kids and well, I’m not. Eh. 😉

“Green Acres”‘s Eddie Albert passed away. Green Acres was before my time, but Albert’s one of those memorable character actors. He wasn’t a lawyer, but he played one on tv.

Can’t find an article right now, but Frank Gorshin, who played the Riddler on the old Batman TV series, passed away two weeks ago. Great character actor too (having recently played George Burns the comedian on Broadway).

Ken Jennings finally lost in the recent Super Tournament of Champions on “Jeopardy.” But, at least he was a good winner, writing “Go Brad” in his final answer. Brad Rutter won, and apparently he did so with Jennings’ strategy of beating-everyone-to-the-buzzer tactic (and have the right answer).

I’m still behind on “Alias” episodes, but I skipped the ones I missed and jumped right into the final two – wow. Massively scary and crazy season finale – and enough to make me want to choke that J.J. Abrams (the creator/mastermind of Alias) for having again thrown another idiotic cliffhanger. Argh.

And, “House” – ah, this has got to be my favorite tv show this year! The last two episodes were hilarious. And, Hugh Laurie is a great actor, making Dr. House a man we love to hate and love. A man in pain, who just has to be always right, even if we wish he was wrong (and there was the one time he was wrong). Sela Ward plays his ex Stacy the last two episodes – she and he are such great actors, convincingly playing exes who still obviously love each other even if the tragedies of life will never let them be together. I’m so looking forward to next season! And, so good – FOX is showing House reruns this summer! Cool!

I’m on this Ewan MacGregor kick – I watched the “Big Fish” movie on DVD. Billy Crudup plays Will, a guy trying to get through to his dad, Albert Finney playing the elderly Edward Bloom, who is dying of cancer. Edward, you see, tells tall tales of his youth (wherein McGregor plays young Edward in flashbacks) – but Will is no longer a kid to accept the bull – except maybe some of the stories aren’t bull. McGregor plays the role so well, and so does Finney. Thumbs up.

So it goes. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.