The other night Danny and I watched a hilariously awful version of 'Robin Hood' starring a young Uma Thurman. It was legitimately one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time, but I had to keep watching to get to the end. It seemed like the script was written by an English undergrad student who was interested in the Anglo-Saxon conflicts and ( Read more... )

Thank you to everyone who helped answer my question. Matt, your cartoons and Pete, your no-nonsense answer were enough to help me understand a little bit better. As you can tell, I was having a way hard time seeing any justification for Israel's response, and now I, at least, have a bit of perspective. Thank you ( Read more... )

Please help me...I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or cause any problems here, but I am having a really hard time figuring out this Israel-Lebanon thing. What I don't understand is how we can advocate the killing of hundreds of Lebanese civilians as retaliation for the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. Now, Bush said that Israel has a right ( Read more... )

It always amazes me how different someone becomes when you talk to them in their A language (formerly known as the "mother tongue", as an amateur linguist I have learned how inappropriate this term can be). The man who seemed kind of shy and unassuming as he said "Clean? Carpet?" suddenly becomes a whole new guy, smiling and joking and flirting ( ( Read more... )

Reading an article about the ever-more-possible war in Somalia, which ended with this quotation:

"Hawa Eybeled, a Baidoa resident and businesswoman, who had 15 children but lost 8 to war and disease, is frightened about what lies ahead.

“What is it they say? When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.”"

Why is so much of the world grass?

Okay, I just started The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell. While the story and context for this following paragraph are incredibly interesting, I have no desire to ruin any part of the book for you, should you desire to read it. But I had to share this next paragraph, which I just read and found to be quite insightful, both in and out of context ( Read more... )

I was just going through the marriage announcement on NYTimes.com, and found out that Honor got married to Rusty! (amazing how much of the memory survives through our blatant attempts to kill it, I'm pretty sure his name was Rusty...) It's weird to see someone's name you know on a website...I wish I knew how to get in touch with her, though I know ( Read more... )

The major difference between those who have and those who have not is not material possessions. It is not education, or intelligence, or work ethic. It is far more simple and far more complex than that ( Read more... )

The waves of loathing and self-hatred are far from the first signs of depression, but they certainly verify its presence. Logic has no place in the mind that is overcome by depression; good advice, even your own, has no impact on the raging monster that attacks your ego and tears your confidence to shreds. Trying to explain does little good, unless ( Read more... )

I read this earlier today and I can't get it out of my head. This article has changed something fundamental, flipped some switch. I am so ashamed of everything I complain about. I can't imagine living like these women, not only living through attacks like these but living with the physical reminders in the form of colostomy bags or infertility or a ( Read more... )