I was oblivious to this piece of news, but I am sure most of you were aware that recently 3 people had to be rescued off of Mount Hood in Oregon. Fine, they got stuck in bad weather, fell off of a ledge, and were incapable of self-rescue.
But do we really need laws governing mountaineering? I am not objecting to carrying these so-called 'Mountain Locator Units', electronic homing devices that relay your position to anyone listening for it, besides rescuers, I suppose. (The name of the device is misleading; it is not for locating mountains, but rather for locating people who will presumably be on mountains.)
My problem is that people endorsing this bill are probably the same people pushing to have cell phone towers put up in the Adirondacks and Yosemite. There is no need for cell phone towers in state and federal parks. In fact, many people want to go to places like those because there are no cell phone towers.
People need to learn self-sufficiency and self-rescue, not rely on others to come rescue them. Sure, there will be incidents where it is necessary to have outsiders rescue you or your group. But this should be the exception, not the norm.
MLUs and cell phones aren't going to save everyone. I bet more people end up having accidents because they think, "Someone can always come get me." I just have horrible nightmares about families driving cross-country and going to Yellowstone (or Mount Hood in the summer) and bitching to park rangers, "What if something happened to us? Why don't you have cell phone towers everywhere so that we can call 911?" Um, because it's the wilderness?
Why don't we just require everyone who leaves a major metropolitan area to own a $3000 Iridium satellite phone and have a $300/month satellite phone plan? They are the size of regular cell phones, yet you can use them even at the North or South Pole. Let's also require that everyone also carry a GPS and MLU, for redundancy's sake. (Hey, their batteries might run out.) That way everyone will be safe because teams of rescuers will be able to come to their aid at any moment should they stub their toes or slip on ice and bruise their hips.
You do know that about as many people are lost/injured/killed by hiking every year as by climbing, right? Do these legislators know that? No. Climbing is an "extreme sport" so it must account for almost all of the wilderness injuries/deaths. (There is a journal titled "Accidents in North American Mountaineering" which anyone who goes into the woods should be familiar with. Many of the incidents posted are actually hiking incidents, and not what most would consider "mountaineering". If I get the chance I'll run the numbers.)
Certain people should just not be allowed in the wilderness, at all, ever. (This is no reflection of those on Mount Hood, but rather on the families driving through Yellowstone.)
Besides, we have enough laws governing everything anyway. Do we need more? Why not work to make our legislature/judicial system/whatever more efficient? Get rid of laws that are no longer meaningful or unnecessarily burden police/officials/whoever and citizens. Why is efficiency not a priority? Because legislators need job security?
End of rant.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Benefits of NYC
Now that I have bashed NYC and its "benefits" in the comments of my last post, I would like to talk about the coolest thing I have seen in NYC in years: The Jaded Assassin. TJA is a live action martial arts play. My cousin Nate emailed me and off we were to the Ohio Theatre on Wooster Street. (Way down town.)
Imagine a group of people who love martial arts movies, anime, and ass-kicking. They must've spent forever choreographing and practicing for this. Sure, when kicks miss, they miss by a mile, and everything is a step too slow to look real. But it is better than you could do without quitting your day job.
It was as cheesy and funny as any classic kung fu movie, and brilliantly executed on a low budget. These people are very creative.
For instance, there was one scene where the the hero and the villain were throwing shuriken (throwing stars) at each other, and catching them and throwing them back. How was this accomplished? Easy. The stage had a black background, some people were wearing all black suits, and they had short sticks with shuriken glued to the end. they ran back and forth twirling the sticks so the shruiken spun like pin-wheels and gave the (very weak) illusion that the stars were thrown and caught by the actors.
It was too funny. and there were many many scenes like this.
The story is centered around a woman named Soon-Jal who was raised to be the greatest warrior ever, and she delights in killing. In some ways, she reminds me of Hyunmi, except that Hyunmi is more vocal. (Soon-Jal has only about 4 lines of dialogue, otherwise she screams in rage, or the narrator speaks her lines for her.)
If you are anywhere within 100 miles of NYC, I recommend you buy tickets and see this show immediately. Tickets purchased through the website I linked above are $20 each (well worth it). Nate bought his tickets through Gold Star Events for $13.50 each, and apparently they have $5 tickets if you buy early enough. I would definitely see it again, so let me know if you want company.
Imagine a group of people who love martial arts movies, anime, and ass-kicking. They must've spent forever choreographing and practicing for this. Sure, when kicks miss, they miss by a mile, and everything is a step too slow to look real. But it is better than you could do without quitting your day job.
It was as cheesy and funny as any classic kung fu movie, and brilliantly executed on a low budget. These people are very creative.
For instance, there was one scene where the the hero and the villain were throwing shuriken (throwing stars) at each other, and catching them and throwing them back. How was this accomplished? Easy. The stage had a black background, some people were wearing all black suits, and they had short sticks with shuriken glued to the end. they ran back and forth twirling the sticks so the shruiken spun like pin-wheels and gave the (very weak) illusion that the stars were thrown and caught by the actors.
It was too funny. and there were many many scenes like this.
The story is centered around a woman named Soon-Jal who was raised to be the greatest warrior ever, and she delights in killing. In some ways, she reminds me of Hyunmi, except that Hyunmi is more vocal. (Soon-Jal has only about 4 lines of dialogue, otherwise she screams in rage, or the narrator speaks her lines for her.)
If you are anywhere within 100 miles of NYC, I recommend you buy tickets and see this show immediately. Tickets purchased through the website I linked above are $20 each (well worth it). Nate bought his tickets through Gold Star Events for $13.50 each, and apparently they have $5 tickets if you buy early enough. I would definitely see it again, so let me know if you want company.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
6 what?
There was a report the other day that crime on the New York City subway system is down to 6 felonies per day, from 17 in 1990-something. Are you kidding me? Not misdemeanors, or anything petty, but felonies. Felonies are things like assault, rape, murder, armed robbery, etc. Six per day? On the subway? I gotta move.
Or, as Mike might say, I gotta stop taking the subway.
Or, as Mike might say, I gotta stop taking the subway.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Falun Gong strikes back
Yilin was so disappointed and upset over the deceitful practices of the organizers of the Chinese New Year Spectacular (read my previous blog entry) that she wrote several emails and made some phone calls to Radio City Music Hall, NTDTV (one of the sponsors), and NY1 (the local news channel).
She got a reply from Radio City Music Hall that was such a brush-off it was almost insulting. They told her that they only rent the venue out, they aren't responsible for the manner in which events are promoted, they aren't responsible for ticket prices (I paid over $100 for our tickets) and they do not discriminate against potential renters for any reason. Clearly.
I am inclined to come up with a "show" that is offensive to the extreme. A show so intolerable that it would demand the ACLU come to my legal aid. I would rent out RCMH and truthfully advertise my show, as well as prominently display the name of their venue, making sure to put out all of the "prestige" they have. It would be interesting to see if they would rent it out to me, and how they would respond to having their name dragged through the mud. Or perhaps I should do so, but falsely advertise. Make it worse by having many people spend money that I would never refund.
Regardless, I state again that I will never go there for another event.
She received a response from NTDTV yesterday afternoon. It is just absurd. Very long, and very absurd. I won't print her email here, because I want you to read their email, and this post would be too long. Basically she told them that we were deceived, the event had nothing to do with the Chinese New Year, and that sitting in the audience she felt embarrassed to be Chinese. (She used some of the language from my blog post, to give you an idea of the tone.)
Here is their reply, in all of its misleading and patronizing glory:
Dear Yilin,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us about the Chinese New Year Spectacular and thank you for coming to our show.
It was a little surprise to receive your email requesting a refund. So far the show has received overwhelming positive responses from the audience. "Absolutely Gorgeous!" said Sachi Koto, former CNN news anchor. "I adored it! It was really a fabulous evening. I loved everything from beginning to end. It was an astonishing show!" said Patricia Neal, Best Actress of 1963 Academy Awards. "This is a really wonderful performance! I recommend everyone go out and get the tickets. Not only see it once, see it twice!" said Dr. Dan Miller, host of WVOX 1460AM. "There's charm, elegance, beauty. It's like a birthday cake for everybody. Everybody could celebrate, and instead of fighting with each other, we could have peace and beauty," said Rose Billings, a governor of the National Arts Club.
It seems your concern is about a discrepancy between the promotion and the content of the show. Yes, we did try to bill the show as a Chinese New Year show with lots of colorful dances and costumes, and we also said the show aims to revive Chinese traditional culture and values, and the culture of the Tang Dynasty in particular which is renowned for its diversity, tolerance, and divinity in Chinese history.
As you know, much of the Chinese culture and traditions have been destroyed in the political upheavals and campaigns that have gone on over the past century and still go on today. Communism, a Soviet import, is ideologically opposed to the three major philosophical/religious schools of Chinese civilization: the Buddhist School, Taoist School, and Confucianism, and now it has also chosen to violently suppress Falun Gong. All of these are benign, non-violent belief systems advocating Chinese traditional values like compassion, truthfulness, and tolerance. For the Chinese Communist Party, all such belief systems pose a threat. The suppression of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, as well as Christianity in the last century and the current suppression of Falun Gong are all a result of this kind of cultural and ideological conflict.
Maybe you think the show offers much more than what was contained in the promotional materials. We can say that any show is bound to have many unexpected elements - I believe this is one of the reasons we go to live performances, to take part in a different kind of experience and expand our horizons. We apologize if you were expecting dancing dragons and lions for Chinese New Year. Those are fun and the children love them, but we already featured them last year and chose a different artistic direction this time. In the future such type of performances may very well come back to our show as Chinese New Year Spectacular is an annual event and we produce a completely new show every year.
You raised the concern about the content involving Falun Gong in the show. In fact, as you may expect, the Chinese authorities are particularly irked by this subject matter because it is very much part of contemporary Chinese reality. However, what many people may not know is that the Chinese authorities enthusiastically endorsed Falun Gong before the suppression started in 1999 for it saved billions of dollars of "medical fees" of the government - according to an interview with a high-profile Chinese official by U.S. News & World Report. Even the Chinese Consulate in New York held classes then to teach Falun Gong to Chinese diplomats in New York area as part of their promotion of 5000 year Chinese civilization. Your concern becomes a concern today only because of the on-going suppression in China and the massive defamation campaign by China's communist propaganda machine - the very same machine that once highly praised Falun Gong.
At NTDTV we believe any performance that embraces Chinese traditional values only adds depth and value to our show as long as it meets high artistic standards. We stand by the performances with themes from Falun Gong, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Chinese legends for their relevant contents and artistry level. It is these kinds of beliefs, traditions and stories that define a culture and bring it to life and there is no way to separate them from the art and culture of a civilization. This show is not about any particular belief system or message. It is about re-discovering authentic Chinese traditional culture and values; it is about freedom of expression and belief; and it is about China - where China is headed, and what China is going to become. These are things that deeply affect the well-beings of not only the Chinese people, but every one of us in this world.
I would like to thank you again for attending our show and providing us with your valuable feedback. We will do our best to improve upon our show in the future, and welcome your participation in the exploration of traditional Chinese values and culture.
NTDTV
She got a reply from Radio City Music Hall that was such a brush-off it was almost insulting. They told her that they only rent the venue out, they aren't responsible for the manner in which events are promoted, they aren't responsible for ticket prices (I paid over $100 for our tickets) and they do not discriminate against potential renters for any reason. Clearly.
I am inclined to come up with a "show" that is offensive to the extreme. A show so intolerable that it would demand the ACLU come to my legal aid. I would rent out RCMH and truthfully advertise my show, as well as prominently display the name of their venue, making sure to put out all of the "prestige" they have. It would be interesting to see if they would rent it out to me, and how they would respond to having their name dragged through the mud. Or perhaps I should do so, but falsely advertise. Make it worse by having many people spend money that I would never refund.
Regardless, I state again that I will never go there for another event.
She received a response from NTDTV yesterday afternoon. It is just absurd. Very long, and very absurd. I won't print her email here, because I want you to read their email, and this post would be too long. Basically she told them that we were deceived, the event had nothing to do with the Chinese New Year, and that sitting in the audience she felt embarrassed to be Chinese. (She used some of the language from my blog post, to give you an idea of the tone.)
Here is their reply, in all of its misleading and patronizing glory:
Dear Yilin,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us about the Chinese New Year Spectacular and thank you for coming to our show.
It was a little surprise to receive your email requesting a refund. So far the show has received overwhelming positive responses from the audience. "Absolutely Gorgeous!" said Sachi Koto, former CNN news anchor. "I adored it! It was really a fabulous evening. I loved everything from beginning to end. It was an astonishing show!" said Patricia Neal, Best Actress of 1963 Academy Awards. "This is a really wonderful performance! I recommend everyone go out and get the tickets. Not only see it once, see it twice!" said Dr. Dan Miller, host of WVOX 1460AM. "There's charm, elegance, beauty. It's like a birthday cake for everybody. Everybody could celebrate, and instead of fighting with each other, we could have peace and beauty," said Rose Billings, a governor of the National Arts Club.
It seems your concern is about a discrepancy between the promotion and the content of the show. Yes, we did try to bill the show as a Chinese New Year show with lots of colorful dances and costumes, and we also said the show aims to revive Chinese traditional culture and values, and the culture of the Tang Dynasty in particular which is renowned for its diversity, tolerance, and divinity in Chinese history.
As you know, much of the Chinese culture and traditions have been destroyed in the political upheavals and campaigns that have gone on over the past century and still go on today. Communism, a Soviet import, is ideologically opposed to the three major philosophical/religious schools of Chinese civilization: the Buddhist School, Taoist School, and Confucianism, and now it has also chosen to violently suppress Falun Gong. All of these are benign, non-violent belief systems advocating Chinese traditional values like compassion, truthfulness, and tolerance. For the Chinese Communist Party, all such belief systems pose a threat. The suppression of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, as well as Christianity in the last century and the current suppression of Falun Gong are all a result of this kind of cultural and ideological conflict.
Maybe you think the show offers much more than what was contained in the promotional materials. We can say that any show is bound to have many unexpected elements - I believe this is one of the reasons we go to live performances, to take part in a different kind of experience and expand our horizons. We apologize if you were expecting dancing dragons and lions for Chinese New Year. Those are fun and the children love them, but we already featured them last year and chose a different artistic direction this time. In the future such type of performances may very well come back to our show as Chinese New Year Spectacular is an annual event and we produce a completely new show every year.
You raised the concern about the content involving Falun Gong in the show. In fact, as you may expect, the Chinese authorities are particularly irked by this subject matter because it is very much part of contemporary Chinese reality. However, what many people may not know is that the Chinese authorities enthusiastically endorsed Falun Gong before the suppression started in 1999 for it saved billions of dollars of "medical fees" of the government - according to an interview with a high-profile Chinese official by U.S. News & World Report. Even the Chinese Consulate in New York held classes then to teach Falun Gong to Chinese diplomats in New York area as part of their promotion of 5000 year Chinese civilization. Your concern becomes a concern today only because of the on-going suppression in China and the massive defamation campaign by China's communist propaganda machine - the very same machine that once highly praised Falun Gong.
At NTDTV we believe any performance that embraces Chinese traditional values only adds depth and value to our show as long as it meets high artistic standards. We stand by the performances with themes from Falun Gong, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Chinese legends for their relevant contents and artistry level. It is these kinds of beliefs, traditions and stories that define a culture and bring it to life and there is no way to separate them from the art and culture of a civilization. This show is not about any particular belief system or message. It is about re-discovering authentic Chinese traditional culture and values; it is about freedom of expression and belief; and it is about China - where China is headed, and what China is going to become. These are things that deeply affect the well-beings of not only the Chinese people, but every one of us in this world.
I would like to thank you again for attending our show and providing us with your valuable feedback. We will do our best to improve upon our show in the future, and welcome your participation in the exploration of traditional Chinese values and culture.
NTDTV
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Graduate?
My thesis committee meeting went... OK. Every time we have one of these meetings, there is a sheet of paper that has the committee's recommendations/thoughts/etc summed up and all of the committee member sign it. It gets filed... somewhere in some official office at Columbia. This time, my sheet only said "two months of experiments, three months of writing, then graduate." And that is that.
I was pushing to start writing now, experiments be damned. But I lost. On the other hand, it could be far worse than 2 months of experiments, and the end is in sight.
Now excuse me while I get back to work. I have to focus!
I was pushing to start writing now, experiments be damned. But I lost. On the other hand, it could be far worse than 2 months of experiments, and the end is in sight.
Now excuse me while I get back to work. I have to focus!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Committee Meeting: Update
It turns out that I was given an incorrect date, and that my committee meeting is actually on Tuesday the 20th. Wish me luck, as I have a lot to do this weekend...
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Weirdest Valentine's Day Ever
Well, last night was certainly bizarre and out of the ordinary.
My secret surprise for Yilin was to take her to a Chinese New Year's celebration/show at Radio City Music Hall (that same landmark venue which displayed the mediocre Christmas Spectacular). The event was organized by NTDTV (New Tang Dynasty Television), a Chinese TV channel, to celebrate the Chinese New Year (this weekend). I saw ads for this event on the subway and in newspapers, and it seemed like a big annual event that Chinese people go to.
So we went expecting... something traditional and Chinese. Yilin herself wasn't sure as to what this show would be, as apparently it isn't a normal thing. But we had certain expectations. Expectations which weren't really fulfilled.
Yes, there was singing and dancing, just like we thought there would be. But almost the entire thing was propaganda promoting Falun Gong (which I had barely heard of) and denouncing China's communist government. For those of you who don't know (I had to read the locked and controversial wikipedia article), Falun Gong is essentially a cult-movement in China that the government has banned and is oppressing through torture and other badness.
I say that Falun Gong is a cult, a label its practitioners would object to, but I believe it is. Anytime in this day and age when a man starts teaching an "ancient" and "secret" way to enlightenment, claims that he has developed supernatural powers through the way, tries to conceal his origin and identity, gives vague answers to questions addressing whether he is human or not, and claims to be the saviour of humankind, then he is a cult leader. This exactly describes the man who "revealed" the "ancient" and "secret" Way of Falun Gong in 1992.
I do believe, however, that they are harmless as they promote peace and understanding (like hippies, who are harmless). I certainly see no reason for the Communist Party of China to jail and torture them, except that they believe is something other than Communist China, I suppose.
The various ads for the show never mentioned Falun Gong, or religion, or anti-communism. They just mentioned all the famous Chinese performers who would be present and made the entire event sound like a celebration of pan-Asian identity and New Year's joy. Instead, it was morose and reflective, focusing on the abuses done to Falun Gong practitioners, and the joy of those who were "lost" and "discovered the Way" (Falun Gong). There was almost no happiness or glee (except when people died and went to Nirvana), and definitely nothing to do with the New Year at all.
There were many different dancing acts, interspersed with vocalists. The four solo vocalists each sang 2 songs, with 7 of the 8 songs being about the greatness of Falun Gong, and the other remaining song about the memory of those protestors in Tiananman Square who died. Most of the dances had something to do with Falun Gong. One was a "more historically accurate" account of Mulan, of Disney fame. (I didn't see the movie, so I can't say much about it, other than I didn't see the connection to Falun Gong, and the connections, when present, were not at all subtle.)
There was also one... bizarre act. A dance troupe performed a piece entitled "Rainbows". It started out with 8 men and 8 women on stage, each holding what appeared to be a bunched up ball of fabric in their hands. They began an organized, synchronized dance, when they unfurled the pieces of fabric to reveal: ribbons. One-foot wide, twelve-foot long ribbons. They were ribbon dancers.
At this point, Yilin and I were in complete shock. I became concerned that this show would be a bad influence on the kids in the audience. Not so much that they would run away and join Falun Gong, but that any little boys in the audience might think it is cool to become a ribbon dancer. (Hyunmi will share my fear on this one.)
The men had blue ribbons, and the women had pink ribbons. They all left the stage and two women came on dancing with rainbow-colored ribbons. They were obviously lesbians. I wish I could remember how the story ended, other than that in the end all of the dancers were on stage and only blue or pink ribbons were present. I wish I could remember because this morning I read that Falun Gong's founder has denounced homosexuality and says that homosexuals will become demons, unless they follow the way. I'd like to say that the rainbow dancers gave up their rainbow-colored ribbons for pink ones, but I can't be sure. I am sure, however, that men should not ribbon dance.
All in all, it was very weird. We saw a few people leaving early on in the show. Yilin was embarrassed to be Chinese, uncomfortable being there, and she felt deceived. She felt sorry for me that it wasn't what I expected, and that I was deceived (along with all the other non-Chinese people). There were questionnaires present, and Yilin filled out ours before the show. We left during the last act (supposedly the Chinese Pavaratti), and she added many comments to the questionnaires about how we felt we were lied to. She vowed to contact Radio City Music Hall to complain, particularly since tickets were not cheap.
We were not in a happy-go-lucky mood after that, and I can say that it was a horrible Valentine's Day date. (Company notwithstanding.) Naturally, after the disappointing Christmas Spectacular, and now this, we have decided never to go to Radio City Music Hall again for anything ever.
My secret surprise for Yilin was to take her to a Chinese New Year's celebration/show at Radio City Music Hall (that same landmark venue which displayed the mediocre Christmas Spectacular). The event was organized by NTDTV (New Tang Dynasty Television), a Chinese TV channel, to celebrate the Chinese New Year (this weekend). I saw ads for this event on the subway and in newspapers, and it seemed like a big annual event that Chinese people go to.
So we went expecting... something traditional and Chinese. Yilin herself wasn't sure as to what this show would be, as apparently it isn't a normal thing. But we had certain expectations. Expectations which weren't really fulfilled.
Yes, there was singing and dancing, just like we thought there would be. But almost the entire thing was propaganda promoting Falun Gong (which I had barely heard of) and denouncing China's communist government. For those of you who don't know (I had to read the locked and controversial wikipedia article), Falun Gong is essentially a cult-movement in China that the government has banned and is oppressing through torture and other badness.
I say that Falun Gong is a cult, a label its practitioners would object to, but I believe it is. Anytime in this day and age when a man starts teaching an "ancient" and "secret" way to enlightenment, claims that he has developed supernatural powers through the way, tries to conceal his origin and identity, gives vague answers to questions addressing whether he is human or not, and claims to be the saviour of humankind, then he is a cult leader. This exactly describes the man who "revealed" the "ancient" and "secret" Way of Falun Gong in 1992.
I do believe, however, that they are harmless as they promote peace and understanding (like hippies, who are harmless). I certainly see no reason for the Communist Party of China to jail and torture them, except that they believe is something other than Communist China, I suppose.
The various ads for the show never mentioned Falun Gong, or religion, or anti-communism. They just mentioned all the famous Chinese performers who would be present and made the entire event sound like a celebration of pan-Asian identity and New Year's joy. Instead, it was morose and reflective, focusing on the abuses done to Falun Gong practitioners, and the joy of those who were "lost" and "discovered the Way" (Falun Gong). There was almost no happiness or glee (except when people died and went to Nirvana), and definitely nothing to do with the New Year at all.
There were many different dancing acts, interspersed with vocalists. The four solo vocalists each sang 2 songs, with 7 of the 8 songs being about the greatness of Falun Gong, and the other remaining song about the memory of those protestors in Tiananman Square who died. Most of the dances had something to do with Falun Gong. One was a "more historically accurate" account of Mulan, of Disney fame. (I didn't see the movie, so I can't say much about it, other than I didn't see the connection to Falun Gong, and the connections, when present, were not at all subtle.)
There was also one... bizarre act. A dance troupe performed a piece entitled "Rainbows". It started out with 8 men and 8 women on stage, each holding what appeared to be a bunched up ball of fabric in their hands. They began an organized, synchronized dance, when they unfurled the pieces of fabric to reveal: ribbons. One-foot wide, twelve-foot long ribbons. They were ribbon dancers.
At this point, Yilin and I were in complete shock. I became concerned that this show would be a bad influence on the kids in the audience. Not so much that they would run away and join Falun Gong, but that any little boys in the audience might think it is cool to become a ribbon dancer. (Hyunmi will share my fear on this one.)
The men had blue ribbons, and the women had pink ribbons. They all left the stage and two women came on dancing with rainbow-colored ribbons. They were obviously lesbians. I wish I could remember how the story ended, other than that in the end all of the dancers were on stage and only blue or pink ribbons were present. I wish I could remember because this morning I read that Falun Gong's founder has denounced homosexuality and says that homosexuals will become demons, unless they follow the way. I'd like to say that the rainbow dancers gave up their rainbow-colored ribbons for pink ones, but I can't be sure. I am sure, however, that men should not ribbon dance.
All in all, it was very weird. We saw a few people leaving early on in the show. Yilin was embarrassed to be Chinese, uncomfortable being there, and she felt deceived. She felt sorry for me that it wasn't what I expected, and that I was deceived (along with all the other non-Chinese people). There were questionnaires present, and Yilin filled out ours before the show. We left during the last act (supposedly the Chinese Pavaratti), and she added many comments to the questionnaires about how we felt we were lied to. She vowed to contact Radio City Music Hall to complain, particularly since tickets were not cheap.
We were not in a happy-go-lucky mood after that, and I can say that it was a horrible Valentine's Day date. (Company notwithstanding.) Naturally, after the disappointing Christmas Spectacular, and now this, we have decided never to go to Radio City Music Hall again for anything ever.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy V-Day
Happy Valentine's Day. Go make your significant other feel appreciated.
I have a special surprise in store for Yilin tonight. All she knows is that I am meeting up with her after work and we are having an early dinner before we... Go see "Tarzan! The Musical!"
Hahaha! I lied! I know you are reading this Yilin, hoping to find out what the secret surprise is! Well, I won't tell!
I have a special surprise in store for Yilin tonight. All she knows is that I am meeting up with her after work and we are having an early dinner before we... Go see "Tarzan! The Musical!"
Hahaha! I lied! I know you are reading this Yilin, hoping to find out what the secret surprise is! Well, I won't tell!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Bad Science in Hollywood
There have been many many horrible representations of science and scientists in movies, but this one takes the cake. It is a movie entitled "Sunshine", and the awful plot is this: In 50 years time, our Sun will be dying. A small crew of people are sent on a space mission to re-ignite the Sun.
Do I look like an idiot? I have quite the imagination. I can suspend my disbelief when it comes to one-man armies, alien invasions, mutant superheroes, conspiracy theories, flying reindeer, intergalactic war, haunted houses, cars exploding from single gunshots, anything to do with black holes, and even magical boys with talking owls. I have even been known to suspend my disbelief long enough to watch the most implausible genre of acting ever: the musical. (The idea that everyone goes around singing and dancing all day long is ridiculous, to say the least.)
But if you are going to tell me that somehow the human race is capable of even affecting the Sun in anyway is preposterous. The sun is one enormous nuclear fusion reaction, converting 4.26 million tons of matter into energy each second. This is an equivalent amount of energy as exploding 9.15e10 megatons of TNT per second. That is scales of magnitude greater than all of the nuclear weapons on Earth combined. So I am to believe that 6 people are going to "re-ignite the sun"? With what? Their good looks? Wait, I bet it has something to do with their DNA (Hollywood's scientific-black-box-deus-ex-machina #1). Or maybe a black hole? (Hollywood's scientific-black-box-deus-ex-machina #2.) Please.
Hmm, if it has something to do with black holes, this might be the first time ever that I could not suspend my disbelief for such a thing. It probably has to do with the fact that the entire plot centers around is patently false: the Sun will not die within 50 years.
Do I look like an idiot? I have quite the imagination. I can suspend my disbelief when it comes to one-man armies, alien invasions, mutant superheroes, conspiracy theories, flying reindeer, intergalactic war, haunted houses, cars exploding from single gunshots, anything to do with black holes, and even magical boys with talking owls. I have even been known to suspend my disbelief long enough to watch the most implausible genre of acting ever: the musical. (The idea that everyone goes around singing and dancing all day long is ridiculous, to say the least.)
But if you are going to tell me that somehow the human race is capable of even affecting the Sun in anyway is preposterous. The sun is one enormous nuclear fusion reaction, converting 4.26 million tons of matter into energy each second. This is an equivalent amount of energy as exploding 9.15e10 megatons of TNT per second. That is scales of magnitude greater than all of the nuclear weapons on Earth combined. So I am to believe that 6 people are going to "re-ignite the sun"? With what? Their good looks? Wait, I bet it has something to do with their DNA (Hollywood's scientific-black-box-deus-ex-machina #1). Or maybe a black hole? (Hollywood's scientific-black-box-deus-ex-machina #2.) Please.
Hmm, if it has something to do with black holes, this might be the first time ever that I could not suspend my disbelief for such a thing. It probably has to do with the fact that the entire plot centers around is patently false: the Sun will not die within 50 years.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
It's about time...
My "Autumn" committee meeting was finally scheduled for February 23rd. Now I just have to tell them that I am graduating, write my thesis, and go! How simple!
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