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Showing posts from December, 2007

Condoms should be everywhere, especially in school bathrooms

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions... It's statistically normal for kids to have sex from age 12. Does that make it desirable? Safe? Emotionally fulfilling? Irrelevant. No matter what we think of sex at 12, kids are still having it. Honestly, do you think that anything we do or say will stop it? If we know there are condoms in the ablution block, being dispensed for free (knowledge) does that mean we have to run out there and have sex (permissiveness). Or is permissiveness what it is - giving ourselves permission. Is sex voluntary for boys at 12? Is sex voluntary for girls at 12? Even if these two questions illustrate how you think about permissiveness - that for boys it's permission, and for girls it's coercion or sluttishness, they are still doing it. It doesn't matter what you think. It's irrelevant what you think. Should we return to a repressive Victorian society? If we never see breasts, it's titillating to see them when we do. If we see

You shouldn't have to come out to your parents

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions ... (Note: I use the word 'brand' in the James Dean/Rebel without a cause/Giant/Cowboys and cattle sense - the poke of fire that tells you which big boss you belong to.) My sister never had to brand herself. She never had to go to Mommy and Daddy and say, "You know Mom and Dad, I am a heterosexual." Consequently, I never felt like I had to go to Mommy and Daddy and say, "You know Mom and Dad, I am a homosexual." To Mommy and Daddy's credit, when it came to a physically abusive homosexual relationship, they kept their focus on the violence. That spoke volumes. Violence is worrisome. Nobody walks up to me and says, "Hello I am heterosexual". Why would I walk up to them and say, "Hello I am homosexual." Of course, if they say something to me like, "Gee guys would love to run their hands through your hair." I should be able to say, "Errh I would really prefer if girls wou

Tips to boost creativity

Churn Without Judgment . If you stress about the quality of work you are outputting, then the flow will be cut off. Writers block is a symptom of perfectionism. Churn first, judge later. Idea Breeding . Use past ideas to generate new ideas. I’ve written close to 500 articles in the past two years. If I ever get stuck, all I need to do is search through past articles. Almost always they leave unanswered questions that can be tackled with a new article. Creative Input . Feed your brain with books. I read about 50-70 books a year. The most creative people I know can read over a 100. By devouring knowledge you add to the variety of ideas you can produce. Be Patient . It can take awhile for your brain to get into the right flow. I can write 1500 words in an hour when I’m in the right mental state. But that state often requires waiting through twenty minutes where I type no more than a sentence. Take the time to accelerate your creative flow. Use Large Time Chunks . Since it takes time t