Plum Blossom

Elevatorgate

2011-07-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

If you have not notice, there has been much discussion over something that happened to Rebecca Watson in a skeptical conference in Dublin. A guy asked Ms. Watson for coffee in an elevator at 4 AM and was turned down, and Ms. Watson asked men to not put women in such uncomfortable positions. Doesn’t seem like much. Guys get turned down all the time, right?
Well, it is more than that really. You have to remember the social contexts that this all happened in. Unfortunately, men have not made women’s lives very easy in our society. We tell our boys that it is appropriate to be aggressive – to be the go-getter and get the ladies. We are told we need to be fierce and intimidating because that is what our modern ideal of men details. It is all about virility and getting laid. And if you cannot get laid you become the butt of comedy. Unfortunately this backfires when it comes to our interactions with women. Women are told that they are to be subservient, docile, and forever vestal. Well you can see what happens next. Men feel the “need” to force sex out of women, and it gets nasty. Even in our developed “civilized” world, 1 in 6 women are sexually assaulted. This is complicated by the fact that we call women “accusers” of rape and often we say “they deserve it” because of the way they acted or dress. They are made the criminals despite the fact that they are the victims. And that is the sad fact of our culture.
Okay, well men get assaulted too, right? Yes. Duh. But how often does one hear that a guy was “asking for it” because of the way he dressed or how flirty he was that night. In fact, how often does guy get sexually assaulted? Most guys (baring hate-crimes obviously) are assaulted because they have resources available to the mugger. Women can be assaulted because they are women. It is a guy’s privilege. We aren’t victims because we are guys – despite all the paranoia of a Femi-Nazi conspiracy against us. And we have a lot of privilege in this situation. Here, if we were on an elevator with a creeper we have these privileges:
• We don’t have to worry if that guy will rape us. We’re going to assume coffee actually means coffee and not something else. This is due to the fact that we don’t have to be cognizant of it as it rarely, if ever, happens to us. Women don’t have this privilege, not even here in “first world”.
• Due to our Western culturing to be aggressive, we are more likely to fight back if the guy did try something.
• The other guy will probably be more intimidated by us as guys. Despite movements forward, our culture still tells us that women are weaker.
• If the guy successfully assaults us, we won’t be blamed for acting slutty or anything like that. While you are tempted to use the popular parable of a rich looking guy being responsible for his own mugging because he shouldn’t be dressed like that in a ghetto neighborhood consider these things: when is anyone ever deserving to have their rights violate? Is a slutty girl more deserving of it than prime-n-proper Mary Sue? Does she not have the same basic rights to human dignity as the rest of us? Also the circumstances are different. The rich guy is being mugged for his resources; the “slut” is being raped because she’s a woman. Finally that scenario is unlikely because of a lot class privilege that I won’t get into right now.
Hopefully you understood that. But you’re probably still thinking. “But what if all he wanted is a coffee?” The answer is “How the [expletive] is she supposed to know that?” The matter of fact is that we men are all potential rapists. In technical terms we are Schrödinger’s rapists. They cannot tell which one of us is “the Nice Guy” or which one is the assailant. [Expletive] even I, a gay guy, am a Schrödinger’s rapist. I am “straight acting” and enough of a dude where women may see me as a threat. But I am not mad about it. Considering the context of the situation, it is reasonable. It was a potentially dangerous situation. I understand that, given our societies problem, a woman has every right to view me as a potential rapist. And if you are a nice guy, you shouldn’t be made either.
We really are the one to blame for this. We’ve given many women no reason to trust us. Our culture makes us out to be monsters for women. And we perpetuate it. We try to be the “bros” and the Tucker Max of our society. We assume things about women that we shouldn’t. We make them feel inferior or foolish with says like “dumb bitch”. We make them feel unwelcome when all we do is wank about ourselves. Even now, when all Ms. Watson try to do is explain that men at skeptical conferences make women uncomfortable by objectifying as potential sex dolls, we tell women to shut up. Even Richard Dawkins try to shut her up by saying her issue was trivial compare to women in other parts of the world. (And it is quite ironic too given our culture and the recent GOP legislation is effectively making it just as bad for women here as it is anywhere.) We cannot even give women space to talk. That’s how intrusive men come off as.
If you are really a nice guy, then consider this. Women owe nothing to us as a class. Don’t think that being a nice guy gets you a pass to do or say whatever to women. In fact, insisting that women listen to you, or that you are entitled to her time whether she wants it or not is a hallmark of a Nice Guy™. Being a Nice Guy™ is essentially being an entitled dick. A Nice Guy™ is not a nice guy. So this is from a dude to other dudes: If a woman says your being a creepy, listen to her. And don’t be a [expletive referring to male genitals] about it.
If you want, you can read Greta Christina’s take on the situation.

Art History Cat understands the finer points of art

2011-04-06T02:18:00.001-07:00

Art for sale

2011-03-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yeah! It's my first artwork that I've put up for sale!

Water color and pencil

"Coccinellidae"

Available at Redbubble.

Recent things that I've been working

2011-03-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Drawing

2011-02-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a few drawing and sketches lately. They're nothing great but it pleases me I guess. I always have the hardest time ading color to anything. I can work well coloring different shades of grass, but I can't seem to get flowers right. I have the most trouble in trying to work with a back ground. Anyways here is a sketch.

Ayutthaya

11" x 7" pencil on paper

Transphobia and video games

2011-01-30T23:16:00.000-08:00

In general, our society is still very transphobic. There's elements of it that lingers in the LGBT community, because all to often people don't want to remember the T part. Video games are no different. More often then not, it reflects the gender normativity of our society that often portrays androgynous or abigious people negatively. I can't claim to know much about the transgendered experience, but I try my best to understand their posistion. (And don't get me wrong. I love the RE series yo. But I can love them and critique them at the same time.)

In Resident Evil Code: Veronica and Resident Evil Dead Aim, transgendered people are portrayed as in the stereotype of being obsessive (which is why they changed their gender), vain, and untrustworthy. Alfred for RE CV is the obsessive part. He's crazy and obsessed with becoming what he's not (his sister). The idea that transgendered people are what they are "not" has been used to justify the vilification of them. Morpheus is also an obsessive who transform into a female like creature in order to obtain beauty, which is another stereotype of transgendered people (that they are always trying to be beautiful). Sometimes, transgender chose to change their sex because they are trying to become what they truly believe they should be. They're not doing it to become what they are not, because to them they are that way.

Yes I know I haven't been on

2011-01-30T23:10:00.001-08:00

So here's a hot guy to keep you interested.

But why should we?

2010-12-30T00:20:00.000-08:00

Joe. My. God has posted on the subject of gay culture fading away to a more heteronormative view of the world. As noted by the author of the quote, some LGBT people sees this as a fair trade-off. I say "oh fuck no!"

I understand where people would say that the assimilation of LGBT culture into the mainstream culture is a good thing. We have been fighting for our rights to be viewed as normal people and normal citizens. We want to show people that we are harmless and productive members of society. Most of us are!

But that doesn't mean we should lose our culture. The very thought makes me think of all the forced assimilation that Native Americans went through. Or the Aborigines. Or Asian Americans. Native Americans were force into a European imposed hegemony. They lost traditional culture. Where one culture was more egalitarian in their treatment of sexes and gender, the hegemony made sure they reflected their ideals about sex and gender. This is what worries me about the assimilation of LGBT culture into the mainstream; The will lose something that could be valuable later on. Furthermore, it implies a superiority of one culture and one group over another. Asian Americans were seen as "model minorities" because they assimilated faster and fitted into the the Western ideals of how proper people should act. If LGBT culture were to do the same, it would be like admitting that the fundies are culture is better. As I've put in my Southeast Asian culture class, we are internalizing the colonialism, making the struggle for autonomy all for naught.

Mind you that I'm not cultural relativist. Practice that are detrimental to society as a whole should be done away with ("honor" killings, burning witches, headhunting, institutionalized sexism, and things like that.) Still, I don't see how being a diva or dressing in fabulous colours make you a determent to society. In the end I think we should not seek to erase LGBT culture for a normative view. Instead it should be a piece of the picture like a part of a grand mosaic. So be productive, be normal, but be a flaming diva if you want to be too.

Haegeum

2010-12-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

Ethnography

2010-12-11T22:03:00.001-08:00

Here is a modern Apache person. The reason I chose this photo is because I want to question our perception of indigenous people. In our society, we tend to look at indigenous people as archaic and outside of time. This is false. Indigenous people are, in fact, contemporay people.

Here is another indigenous group, the Ainu:

Random Model: Joel

2010-12-11T21:58:00.001-08:00

Random Model: Hugh Plummer

2010-12-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

Gisaeng and Geisha: Then and now

2010-12-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Notice that modern portayals of Geisha and Gisaeng tends to emmulate western notions of orientalism and the hyper-feminization of Asian women.

Random Model: Nick Youngquest

2010-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not dead

2010-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just hella busy. I've been doing school relate stuff and haven't had the time or the will to update regularly. I've also started doing Native American beadworks.

Balloons

2010-10-11T01:41:00.000-07:00

I've been playing Pokémon Platinum. One of the pokémon is a ghost creature called Drifloon. It's supposed to be a balloon animal of some sort.

Balloons were originally made to be instruments of science, where one could research weather patterns. It's still used to some extant but it's being phased out due to more efficient methods. Balloons have since been used for transportation, decoration, entertainment and even medicine. There are now even balloon art, which is a form of non-permanent sculpture.

Balloons are made out of a number of materials ranging from rubber to polycholorprene. Balloons are popular with children, and is ubiquitous with celebrations. They do, however, pose many problems. Airborne balloons can easily become pollutants as the material they are made off are not easily degradable. They pose a danger to wildlife. For children, balloons are suitable only for a certain age range due to choking hazards.

Ube macapuno cake

2010-10-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup ube (purple yam), cooked and finely grated
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup corn syrup
7 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
7 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup white sugar
6 drops red food color
6 drops blue food coloring
1 (12 ounce) jar macapuno (coconut preserves)

1 cup evaporated milk, chilled
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 drop violet food coloring

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line bottoms of 3 - 9 inch pans with parchment paper, but do not grease. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
Place grated ube in a large bowl. Mix together 3/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla; gradually blend into ube until smooth. Blend in corn syrup, egg yolks, and oil. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; set aside. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, then red and blue food coloring, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center of cake bounces back when lightly tapped. Invert pans on a wire rack and let cool upside down. When cool, run a knife around the edges to loosen cake from pans. Fill between layers with coconut preserves, then frost top and sides with butter icing.
To make Butter Icing: Combine evaporated milk and 3/4 cup sugar. set aside. Cream butter until light and fluffy; gradually add sugar mixture, and continue beating to desired spreading consistency. Add food color, one drop at a time until desired tint is achieved.

large

2010-10-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

Archäologie

2010-10-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Dvaravati was an ethnic Mon kingdom occupying what is now much of central Thailand.

Random Model: Stephen Bamber

2010-10-04T02:10:00.000-07:00

Stars

2010-10-04T02:02:00.000-07:00

You know, people make these look so easy. After all, it's just one strip of paper being folded repeatedly and then crushed in the end.

Whenever I make them, 2 out of 5 end up perfect looking while the rest look like a wad paper ball.

I thought about it, and these objects wouldn't survive the archaeological records. At least not here, where there is enough moisture to destroy them. If we were a culture without writing, our knowledge of how to make origami would have to be transmitted orally, and it would join the ranks of the so-called "folk art". (It's a loaded term because of the association of class.)

Now living in a technologically advance society, we can easily access information on how to make these little stars.

I use these as sentimental gifts. It's perfect for little decorative things. Of course, some times the paper can be expensive.

Archäologie

2010-10-04T01:52:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's easy to assume that a large tomb is a that of a king or a male ruler. Because of our current culture, we tend to associate the ruling class with men. It's all part of our blindness to the privileges we give to masculinity. However, through out history, men did not have the monopoly on power.
The Silla Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms period of Korea, was one of the countries vying for supremacy on the Korean peninsula. It's was largely thought that the tombs left behind by Silla was of male rulers. However one of the tomb has been argue to be a female co-ruler based on historical accounts as well as the images and goods left in the tombs.
The assumption that the tombs of the rulers were all male is an example of how our ideology can bias archaeology. We assumed that the Silla rulers were all men because we falsely correlated power with masculinity.

Archäologie Lagen

2010-10-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Miruksa was the largest Buddhist temple of the Baekje Kingdom (one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea)

Random Model: Ivan Scannel

2010-10-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for the season finally

2010-09-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've been following Dong Yi for awhile. It's been building up for me (even though at this point most people lose interests because the main character, Choi Dong Yi, is no longer a struggling maid). Perhaps that has something to do with my fascination with political intrigue.

Dunce Vs. Dunce

2010-09-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of pointing out "schism" because it's a double edge sword. If you can point out the right's schism then they can point out the left's schism. No movement is monolithic. Still, it's refreshing to see idiots making an ass out of themselves in thinking the right supports them. Attention hog and authoritarian Michael Lucas got to an argument with Ann Coulter (a person who doesn't need my introduction). Lucas is generally right wing, supporting various conservative politicians. He has a great cognitive dissonance in thinking that the right is somehow gay friendly (like all Homosexual Conservative). I have no sympathy for him and treat him as a horrid enemy of social rights. Well it turns out he and Coulter don't agree and it turns into a shout fight with both sides huffing and puffing without substance. It's funny because Homocons don't seem to grasp the concept that the American right doesn't want them there. They are outsiders in the conservative movement.

Anyways, Lucas should stay with what he's good at (which is directing and producing high budget porn) and keep his simple little mind out of politics.

Random Model: Henry Seroeyen

2010-09-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

He's thinking what many liberals are thinking

2010-09-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the world's most famous Obama poster, says he has given up on the president's ability to make progressive change. He's not the only one, as many liberals have harshly criticized president Obama's policy of bending to the design of the Republican. PZ Myers have noted that Obama is moving too slowly for us.

Obama position how has always been that of the Democratic party. In order to maintain voters, the Democratic party allows the GOP to do whatever they want, which ironically cause them to lose voters.

Archäologie

2010-09-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Kleider erhaltet dürftig en die Archäologie, aber wir haben die viele Darstellung.

Boxer

2010-09-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

This is so cool

2010-09-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

Scientists has observed the transition of a species of skink from being egg laying to giving live birth. Evolution in action!

Random Model: Michael Fitt

2010-09-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

Already?

2010-09-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

Is the USB flash drive already being replaced? Currently it's the best memory storage system out there for the common folks. Of course it has it's limitations. This has prompted companies to research and develop new storage system that will no doubt out shine the flash drive. Currently they are looking into Resistive Random Access Memory or RRAM and they are making head way into developing it for the market.

I have four personal flash drives: an 8 GB, a 4 GB, a 2 GB, 250 MB. This is actually pretty slow and pretty low on memory. But remember how much have changed? It use to be the floppy drive some eons ago in the 90's. Those drives couldn't hold a video file, but they were the best at their time. Now everyone has a personal note book, PCs are ultra fast and inexpensive, and flash drives are in the double digits in memory. I must be ages old because my PC still has a floppy drive. Technology makes you feel old, doesn't it? :P

Two more dead by bullying

2010-09-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

FoF, FRC, and NOM must be proud since they are the forces behind stopping anti-bullying laws aimed at protecting minors. They say that these laws promote the "gay agenda" to children. What they really want is for the right to torment and harass gay and social outcast children as much as they want. This way they can coerce children to follow their religious ideals of the "norm". It's working as bullying of gay teens has been on the rise. Now they have two more bodies to show for their efforts. Bigots must be proud.

Random Model: Sean Sullivan

2010-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Archäologie

2010-09-12T23:39:00.001-07:00

A Goryeo period celadon plate.

Scruffy

2010-09-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

It's football season

2010-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Not that it means anything to me in particular. I prefer to play the sport than I do watching it.

Today

2010-09-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

9-11 (okay not exactly but I already hit the submit button)

Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948)

World Trade Center, 1997

Gelatin silver print; 61 x 50.8 cm (24 x 20 in.)

Let us remember the fallen. Let us also remember the price of fanaticism. Finally, let us remember who we are: A nation built on the struggle to accept diversity.

Random Model: Robert

2010-09-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

Ich zustimme

2010-09-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Von Queer.de

Der Genital- heißt zwar auch Schambereich, aber eigentlich gibt es überhaupt keinen Grund, sich für irgendetwas zu schämen. Vor allem nicht, wenn man Veränderungen wahrnimmt, die nicht sein sollten.

Klar, das allerwichtigste Instrument zum Schutz vor sexuell übertragbaren Krankheiten ist das Kondom. Doch um sich einen Tripper zu holen, braucht man sich nur mal im Dampfraum von jemanden einen blasen lassen.

Wenn es passiert ist und man sich irgendetwas "eingefangen" hat, ohne genau zu wissen, was es ist, sollte man nicht zögern, einen Arzt aufzusuchen. Denn anders als bei einer Erkältung oder Kopfschmerzen verschwinden zwar mitunter die Symptome nach einiger Zeit von allein, doch die Krankheit ist damit noch lange nicht verschwunden. Die unbehandelte Syphilis führt nach Jahren zu schweren körperlichen Schäden.

Wir sollen nicht beschämt über unseren Genital sein. Wir sollen nicht beschämt über den Beischlaf sein. Wir sollen er schützen. Das Kondom ist die bestene Idee, aber wenn man es nicht hat, soll man der Arzt oft sehen.

Adoption Equality for New South Wales

2010-09-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

From DNA Magazine

The NSW government has passed the bill being debated this week, allowing same-sex couples the right to adopt. The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby has welcomed the decision, saying it is the removal of the final piece of direct discrimination on a state level aimed at gay couples. The Act now makes all couples, regardless of sexual orientation, eligible to adopt a child

Es is nur ein Kuss

2010-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Mark Dean Brown und Björn Czepan hatten eine Aufregung gemacht. Wie? Sie küssen und es war in eine Zeitung. Leute soll entsetzt nicht sein. Es is nur ein Kuss.

DADT ruled unconstitutional

2010-09-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Oh look, those GOProud losers are actually good for something for once. A judge has ruled that Don't Ask Don't Tell violates the 1st Amendment.

EDIT: Okay not GOProud but Log Cabin. Still asinine in my eyes. Apparently GOProud doesn't agree with using the judicial process.

Random Model: JP Calderon

2010-09-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's resolved. I'm going to go into modeling by the time I'm 22 years old. I'm going to work my hardest.

Random Model: Nick Ayler

2010-09-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Off to bed

2010-09-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

I wish it were with this cowboy. :P

Cities I've Visted Pt.1

2010-09-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

I use to go to Diamond Bar every so often for Chinese food. I've since found other places to supplement that.

Many of my friends live in Alhambra, so it would have been very hard not to have been there once.

My friends and I would often meet in Rowland Hights to eat Dim Sum and seafood.

I go to West Hollywood ever year as a participant of the AIDS walk. Next year, I plan to attend Pride there.

Well, I technically can't visit Riverside since I live in Riverside. There are, however, many great places in Riverside.

For later:
Upland, CA
San Bernardino, CA
Colton, CA
Dana Point, CA
San Bernardino National Forest, CA
Victorville, CA
Beaumont, CA
West Covina, CA
Baldwin Park, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Long Beach, CA
Newport, CA
Huntington Beach, CA
Santa Anna, CA
Anaheim, CA
Fullerton, CA
Chino, CA
Westminster, CA
Carona, CA
Norco, CA
Taipei, Taiwan
Phnom Phen, Cambodia
Battambong, Cambodia
Siem Riep, Cambodia
Sihanokville, Cambodia
Kampong Chan, Cambodia
Kampong Cham, Cambodia
Las Vegas, NV

Hidden

2010-09-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Random Model: Porter Wescott

2010-09-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Ugh...

2010-09-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

Focus on the Family (aka Focus on the Patriarchy) is promoting an abstinence only policy in Yunnan, China. Why on earth would the government of Yunnan allow that? The abstinence only policy is failing in the United States, badly. It's failing in Africa, badly and resulting in STD being spread rapidly. I only hope that the students sees this for what it really is: an attempt at hegemony from American Evangelicals who cares nothing for the well being of other. If they truly cared, they'd promote safe sex. Safe sex is proven to reduce STD and unwanted pregnancy.

This whole abstinence only policy stems from heavy misogyny. How? Fundamental Christians believe the only use for sex is to make the woman pregnant. If some one is having safe sex, it means that they are having it to enjoy it. They cannot stand for that. They cannot stand the idea that a woman can enjoy sex, or take control of their own body. The loath at the fact that a woman can use their body for something other than child rearing.

I hope there is a day when the lies and evil of Focus on the Family is expose to the world. I certainly will do my best to do so.

Ethnography

2010-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Random Model: Todd Sanfield

2010-09-01T13:40:00.001-07:00

Alex O'loughlin

2010-08-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Still not finish

2010-08-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

My lack of update is due to my watching Korean dramas. They take forever to finish. Normally I try to avoid Asian dramas in general but I have a thing for watching historical drama or historical fiction, so as long as the plot is fesible. I've been watching Dong Yi, a drama set in the Joseon period about the consort to King Sukjong. Before that I had watch Jumong, which I really didn't like that much. I also watched Dae Jang Geum. I've watch numerous Chinese historical dramas. I can't remember their names. I generally don't watch any dramas that take place in the 19th and 20th centuries. I've seen a few historical Thai drama. I tend to disfavor the TV drama over the movie dramas because Thai movies are more willing to explore the lives of royalties in more depth and more criticism. I rarely watch any Khmer historical drama partly due to the lousy acting.

Archäologie

2010-08-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Bust of a female figure.

Late Jomon period Japan. 1000-300 BCE

Random Model: Peter

2010-08-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ethnography

2010-08-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

This editions of Ethnography, I'm going to focus on the negotiation of group identity.

First let's start off with a Korean dance called Buchaechum (부채춤). Buchaechum has become very synonymous with various Korean celebrations ranging from Buddha's birthday to simple Church days. Buchaechum is a kinda of iconic of Korean culture (esepecially in it's design, make-up, and hanbok), so it is use to represent Korea in a universal way.

Next is Jeruselam Pride. Pride has always been been representing the LGBT culture in the most fabulous fasion possible through the body of the participants, the colors, and the music. But for Jeruselam's Pride, there is an added emphasis on the role of the secular Jewish community in promoting LGBT people as part of their own identity.

Food is always a way to declare one's ethnic identity, and therefore ethnic enclaves will have their food stuff served and readily availiable. Here is a sample of some of the food one can find in Little Phnom Penh in Long Beach, California. Long Beach is one of the biggest Khmer-American community.

The Cahuilla, like many other Native American tribes, seek to find a lost identity by riviving old arts and costoms.

Okay, so what

2010-08-26T14:10:00.001-07:00

You may have heard that former head of the RNC Ken Mehlman has come out as gay. The man was responsible for pushing strong anti-homosexual policy, curtailing our rights. Even now, he continues to financially support anti-gay politicians.

Joe.my.god brought up an interesting point of forgiveness. Can Ken Mehlman gain the forgiveness of the LGBT community? No. Just because he's gay doesn't mean he's absolved of his transgression. He's yet to produce any reason for us to forgive him.

Forgiveness requires that that the person has sincerely apologized for his wrongs. That doesn't come easy. We will have to see if he has truly seen if he's wrong.

Then after forgiveness, he must also show that he's willing to fixing the things he's damage. He needs to go out there, and denounce homophobia through working for LGBT rights.

I have extreme doubts whether he'll ever give a reasons for us to forgive him. Which is sad really. I'm the type of person who'd love to forgive another. But for all that he's done, he must earn that forgiveness.

Green

2010-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Halayang Ube: Ito ay isang Filipino pagkain

2010-08-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

1 kilo ng Ube ugat (kilograms of purple yam)

1 tasa ng gatas ebaporada (cup of evaporated milk)

2 tasa ng gatas lumapot (cup of condense milk)

1 / 2 tasa ng mantikilya o margarina (cup of butter or margarine)

1 / 2 kutsarita ng banilya (teaspoon of vanilla)

On a pot, boil the unpeeled ube yam in water and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel and finely grate the ube yam. Heat a big wok in medium heat. Melt butter or margarine, add the condensed milk and vanilla flavoring. Mix well. Add the 1 kilo grated ube yam, Adjust the heat to low Keep on mixing the ingredients for about 30 minutes or until sticky and a bit dry (but still moist). Add the evaporated milk and continue to mix for another 15 minutes. Let cool and place on a large platter. Refrigerate before serving the halayang ube.

On TV

2010-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Dong Yi

Set during the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon dynasty, the story focuses on Dong Yi, a water maid who gains the trust of Queen Inhyeon and later the favour of the king when he is moved by her prayers for the health of the Queen during the court disputes caused by Jang Hee Bin. Dong Yi becomes a concubine with the rank of sook-bin and bears a son who will later become the 21st king of Joseon, Yeongjo

Cowboy!

2010-08-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Rommegrør: Det er en norsk oppskrift

2010-08-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

1 liter tykk krem (thick cream)

1.25 kopp mel (flour)

2 kopper melk (milk)

1 kopp sukker (sugar)

1 spiseskje med jordet kanel (tablespoon of ground cinnamon)

Pour cream into a heavy saucepan and heat until it starts to boil. Sift in 3/4 cup of the flour and whip with a wire whisk. Keep beating after the 3/4 cup of flour is all in, until the butter starts to come out of the cream. Then remove from the heat. Take a ladle and take off the butter, and put it in another bowl. Keep stirring until all the butter comes out. Put the milk in another kettle and heat to boiling. Sift 1/2 cup flour into the milk while beating. Continue beating until mixture is thick like pudding. Remove it from the heat, add it to the cream mixture, and beat with a wire whisk until smooth and well blended. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Smooth out the top and sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on top. Pour the butter you saved over the top. Serve warm.

Andrew Christian

2010-08-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

More People are Becoming Tolerant of Gay Marriages

2010-08-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

As Towleroad reports:

Every state, except Utah, has shown an increase in their toleration of gay marriage. Of course that doesn't mean that everyone is going to vote for it. As it was for the Prop 8 elections, many people feel no need to vote on equal marriage because they do not see how it directly effect them. We need to show to the general public that gay marriage isn't a threat to family, that it actually benefit more than just gay people, and that it's a civil rights cause.

In Memory

2010-08-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

At 12:35 am, my cat Akita "Jane" lost her life to cancer.

Jordgubbskräm: Det är ett svenskt recept!

2010-08-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Jordgubbskräm:

2-3 koppar jordgubbar (cups of strawberries)

2 koppar vatten (cups of water)

1/3-1/2 kopp socker (cup of sugar)

2 1/2 matsked majsstärkelse (tablespoon of cornstarch)

Combine the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan. Mix a little of the water with the cornstarch to make a thin paste. Put the paste in the saucepan. Add the rest of the water to the saucepan, and stir. Bring it to a boil while stirring constantly. Put it in a serving bowl and let it stand. It maybe served hot or cold.

Idiot of the Day

2010-08-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

German Edition!

Ein Sprecher der katholischen Kirche in Mexiko hat behauptet, die Homo-Ehe sei schlimmer als der Drogenhandel im Land, der in den letzten sechs Jahren mindestens 28.000 Menschen das Leben gekostet hat.

Wie die Zeitung "El Universal" meldet, erklärte Hugo Valdemar, dass er die Öffnung der Ehe in Mexiko-Stadt als Angriff auf die katholische Kirche versteht. "[Mexiko-Stadt-Bürgermeister] Marcelo Ebrard und seine Partei, die PRD, wollen uns vernichten", ist sich Valdemar sicher. Ebrard führte vor wenigen Monaten die Gleichbehandlung im Eherecht in der Hauptstadt ein (queer.de berichtete). Seither muss er sich gegen Angriffe aus der katholischen Kirche wehren. Zuletzt verklagte er einen Kardinal, der ihn der Korruption bezichtigt hatte (queer.de berichtete).

Oh ja, die zwei liebevoll Menschen in einer einvernehmliche Ehe is schlechter als eine 28.000 Morde (Sarkasmus). Hugo Valdemar und der katholischen Kirche sind Arschgeigen und Lügner. Die Homo-Ehe schmerzt niemand. Sieh auf Spanien, Kanada, Argentinien, Schweden, Norwegen, Island, den Niederlanden, Belgien, Portugal und Südafrika. Die Folge Der Homo-Ehe ist nur Homo-Ehe.

I'm Gay Because. . .

2010-08-20T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not gay 'cause I have nice shirts
I wear plain t's most of the time
I'm not gay 'cause I know how to flirt
I'm too lost in that head of mine

I'm not gay 'cause I'm a muscle hunk
I'm really just the average type
I'm not gay 'cause I'm a twinky funk
I don't go for all the big hypes

I'm not gay 'cause I like bright colours
Too much would mess with my plain eyes
I'm not gay 'cause I like hip decor
My room looks like a big pigsty

I'm not gay 'cause I was abused
My family was fairly nice
I'm not gay 'cause I was misused
I had a fairly decent life

I'm not gay 'cause I hate your God
I don't care in what you believe
I'm not gay 'cause I'm Satan's pod
Your dogma ain't gonna hold me

I'm not gay 'cause I'm now confused
I am sure it's just been like that
I'm not gay 'cause I'm ill or bruised
I'm healthy as a well fed cat

I'm not gay 'cause I want more rights
But my rights should be given still
I'm not gay 'cause I want to fight
I'm not doing this for the thrill

I'm not gay for these other reason
The reason is plain natural
Ain't just a change of the season
Science says this is factual

I am gay because I like men
My phallus springs when I see one
It's something that I just can't bend
With guys is where I'll have the "fun"

I'm gay and I'm happy that way
I've no need to get feelings jammed
I will be glad if you would say
That you'll accept me as I am.

This is becoming an epidemic

2010-08-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

More Cambodians are facing attacks with acid. The number of these incidences seems to be raising, though that could be due to increase media attention on the subject. There has been suggestions to restrict access to dangerous acid, but many of them are also necessary for industry. The government also plan to increase punishment for attacks. This will probably not help in that; the police force is inept anyways, it will result in more overcrowded prison, and it doesn't take down the core issue of violence in general.

Red is the New Green

2010-08-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Scientific America reports:

Researchers may have found a new form of chlorophyll, the pigment that plants, algae
and cyanobacteria use to obtain energy from light through photosynthesis.
Preliminary findings published August 19 in Science suggest that the newly
discovered molecule, dubbed chlorophyll f, has a distinct chemical composition
when compared with the four known forms of chlorophyll and can absorb more
near-infrared light than is typical for the photosynthetic pigments. Chlorophyll
f, which was extracted from cultures of cyanobacteria and other oxygenic
microorganisms, may allow certain photosynthetic life forms to harvest energy
from wavelengths of light that many of their competitors cannot use.
"This is
the most red-shifted chlorophyll we have found in nature," says Min
Chen, a biologist at The University of Sydney in Australia and lead author
of the study. "That means that organisms that have this chlorophyll inside can
extend their photosynthetic range for maximum use of solar energy."

Update

2010-08-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been "busy". Well writing up contracts and proof reading them is busy work. So here's teddy bear for you.

They're Still There

2010-08-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ever noticed, when going to a museum, how past culture are presented? Usually it's just by the extraordinary physical remains they leave behind. Stuff like pottery, sculpture, and architecture. In older museums, it really brings out the idea the the culture and/or people are gone. Well, it's wrong. They're still here. It's just that culture has changed, just like any culture, but they are still here and they can track back their current culture to the old one.

The Greeks:

When we talk about the Greek, we get ideas of gods and goddesses, fantastic stories, wars, and romance. We're told that it's an ancient time, when culture was at it's zenith. The Greeks however, are not some dead people that only the old story speaks about. Since the time of Antiquity, Greek culture has changed greatly going from Christianizing to domination by the Turks, to modernization. This has resulted in a rich new culture for the modern Greeks.

(Pic: Kostas Martakis is a Greek pop singer and model. Like the rest of Europe, Greece has adapted to pop-culture.)

The Khmers:

Visions of the Khmers either bring out the splendid images of Angkor or the genocide under Pol Pot. For some people, it's hard believe that the current Khmers were then ones who built Angkor. French explorer Henri Mouhot even deny that the agrarian Khmers could do it. But the historical and ethnographic evidence shows that it is the modern Khmers who made Angkor. They're not some lost civilization. They're still there.

(Pic: Pich Sophea is a pop icon in Cambodia. Cambodia has made strong efforts to prove to the international community that it is capable of bringing modernity to it's culture.)

The Thais:

What the Age of Imperialism has brought us is an Image of a rugged and exotic Siam filled with people that were so removed from modernity and western civilization. And with the way Thailand is advertised by travel agencies, it still looks like it's the exotic place. But such images denies the Thais their modernity. Modern Thailand has grown fast economically, resulting in ever increasing technological and global awareness by modern Thai peoples.

(Pic: Top Chaiwat is a Thai actor and model. Here we see a fashion show. Thailand has since become an important place of cultural exchange and development.)

The Mayans:

Old scientists have always wondered about the fate of the Mayans. Their temples were abandon and it seems the civilization has collapse. But the Mayans continue to exist. Their modern civilization is fraught with the effort of their ethnic groups to obtain rights and awareness in the international community.

(Pic: Rigoberta Menchú is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who dedicated here career to advancing rights for the K'iche' Mayans of Guatemala. Mayans suffer from invisibility and harassment, such as the one they faced under the CIA funded Contra.)

Right Wing's Idea of "Protecting" Marriages

2010-08-17T14:51:00.001-07:00

Models Galore!

2010-08-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Radoslav

Brent

Ryan

Allen

Ricky

Was Lucy a Butcher?

2010-08-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

New bones found suggest that tool use has started 800000 years earlier than we had thought.

Early human ancestors may have been using tools about 800,000 years earlier
than thought, according to a new study based on newfound bone
evidence—prehistoric leftovers linked to the famed "Lucy"
fossil's species.
The discovery suggests, to at least one scientist, that
tool use may extend as far back as five million years ago, to the last common
ancestor of chimps and humans.

The stuff of your nightmares

2010-08-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

And probably found in your backyard

You Lose

2010-08-16T19:19:00.001-07:00

Weep bigots:

Aussiebum!

2010-08-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Fires Continue in Russia

2010-08-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Tagesschau:

Behörden erklärten, einige Brände befänden sich in schwer zugänglichen
Gebieten. Besonders gefährdet sind nach Angaben des Ministeriums die zentralen
Regionen Nischni Nowgorod und Rjasan. Katastrophenschutzminister Sergej Schoigu
erklärte aber, die Lage habe sich verbessert. Es stehe noch eine Fläche von
56.000 Hektar in Flammen. Das seien 10.000 Hektar weniger als am Freitag.
Bereits am Donnerstag hatten die Einsatzkräfte von einer leichten Entspannung
gesprochen. Allerdings stellte sich die Lage dann am Freitag wieder schlimmer
dar.

Random Model: Gustavo Moraes

2010-08-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Color of the Ocean

2010-08-14T19:34:00.001-07:00

New research suggest that the color of the ocean may deflect hurricane:

Led by oceanographer Anand Gnanadesikan, the study used computer
simulations to look for links between ocean color and strong tropical
cyclones—called hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern
Pacific and known as typhoons in the northwestern Pacific. "Our group develops
climate models," said Gnanadesikan, of the U.S. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in
Princeton New Jersey. "One of my jobs is to try to make those more realistic.
"One way to make the models more realistic is to look more closely at
little-studied variables, such as ocean color.
In the North Pacific the
predominant color is green, thanks to an abundance of minute, chlorophyll-packed
plants called phytoplankton. By absorbing sunlight, the floating plants help
keep the ocean surface relatively warm. When there are fewer of them, the sun's
heat concentrates deeper down.

Vanity

2010-08-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

I love to post pictures of hot guys. Of course, these are most certainly my preferences and my perception of hotness. And it is most certainly not the only thing I look for in a person. Good looks can take you as far as arousal. There are plenty of hot guys I wouldn't even give a second thought, or even spit on if I ever saw this person (a certain evangelical football player comes to mind *cough*tibow*cough*).

To Be Honest, I Don't Trust Any Of You.

2010-08-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

The current ruling party of Cambodia, is indeed a sellout party. They've only shown time and time again that they care more for corporate. interest than they do the interest of the people. Money flows into the system, but where is the money for environmental protection, health care, welfare and education? Needless to say, something is fucked up in Cambodia's Parliament. They've done little to stop environmental degradation, corporate exploitation, and exploitation of underprivileged citizens.

But Nationalists are no better. What Nationalist wants is nothing but fascism, feed through a populist ideal. They could really give a shit about improving the lives and environment of Cambodia. Look at all their rhetoric: They're either about returning to a glory day, waging war, or something that amounts to an ethnic cleansing. Sorry, but the "glory days" are gone. Cambodia needs to move on. Culture changes and the Khmer culture is no exception. (You think it hasn't? You've clearly haven't paid attention to the last 2000 years.) Khmer people should be proud of their culture, for sure, but what one generation wanted is not going to be what the next generation wants. War waging is pointless. Unless it's for defensive purposes, it's nothing more than a show of bravado that will lead to pointless deaths and lost of finances. Not to mention that Cambodia would lose face in the international community. All the anti-Vietnamese and anti-Thai rhetoric is nothing but unadulterated racism. It's just the same type of racism we see here in the United States against Latino immigrants: scapegoating and ethnocentrism. People migrate. People move. It's been like that in Cambodia for eons. Even during the Angkor period, there were massive amounts of people of different ethnic groups coming in and out. Sure, Vietnam has done a lot of fucked up things to Cambodia, and their current policy is just as invasive to Cambodia's national sovereignty, but this doesn't call for banning all immigration or killing them off. As for Thailand, well we all know they have issues right now. Thailand, like most of the world, suffers from the grand delusion of Nationalism feed by it's government to advert attention from the real problem. Khmer Nationalist, Viet Nationalist, Thai Nationalist and American Teabaggers all look the same to me: a bunch of ignorant gobshits who refuse to identify the real problems. You all yap like toy dogs who don't know that you're all privileged losers.

The real problem for Cambodia is internal. Cambodia need to reform it's economic policies, regulate corporations, increase production without infringing on the rights of hill tribes or degrading the environment further. Cambodia needs to focus on the education of it's people instead of stupid nationalist rhetoric. All these things the current government are failing. They fail and they fail hard. But honestly the nationalists don't help.

Get Married and Be Happy!

2010-08-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

The stay on prop 8 has been lifted. Don't worry haters, you can whine and lament about it. You can hate us still. Just you can't dictate our rights. Why? Well how would you feel if a majority took away your rights? See? I say let the wedding bells ring. Lets throw away the idea that marriage is for the sole benefit of a patriarchal society and bring out the idea of marriage being a social union between two consensual adults. (I know, I know, bigots don't give a rat's ass about consent.)

This huants me every summer

2010-08-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ethnography

2010-08-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Students of the University of California, Riverside took part in a peaceful protest against unfair fee hikes and budget cuts. Look hard enough and you'll find me (or not, avoided the cameras.) We marched from the main campus to the downtown districts. (Good thing public transportation was there, I was soooo not in the mood to walk back.)

Shoppers in Hillcrest San Diego.

Lao American girls attend at a Wat.

Indonesian youths participate in a rock band.

Is the Indochinese Tiger Gone from Cambodia?

2010-08-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

The Indochinese Tiger, one of the subspecies of the tiger, is feared to be extinct in Cambodia. It hasn't been spotted for three years. There are some areas that it could still be in. Environmental protection in Cambodia started relatively late in comparison to it's neighbor Thailand. Cambodia also faces illegal logging and the introduction of mining to it's economy. In the past, tigers and leopards were numerous. The public generally didn't notice their well being. Nowadays, all subspecies of tigers are facing dangers. In the last 200 years, humans have caused the extinction of 3 subspecies of tigers: the Bali tiger, the Javanese tiger, and the Caspian tiger. The South Chinese tiger is the most critically endangered of all the tigers, but things do not bode well for the Bengal, Siberian, Indochinese, Malay, and Sumatran tigers either.

But why should we care? Here's some reasons:

1. The predatory species is important in an ecosystem. They help maintain population balance.

2. Empathy is a good reason. After all, we are the ones responsible for their death. If it were an act of nature, it would be different.

3. Diversity of life is just one of those good things you want to have.

4. When a species goes extinct, it could very well indicate something else is wrong in an ecosystem. This in turn could impact humans.

Random Model: Tyler

2010-08-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Social Security Inequality

2010-08-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

Thank You For Your Call from Shawn Nee / discarted on Vimeo.

Firefighter

2010-08-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Illegale Medikamente in Nord-Apotheken

2010-08-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Früher ging es meist nur um Viagra, doch heute wird fast alles gefälscht: Antibiotika, Schmerzmittel oder auch Krebsmedikamente. Nach Recherchen des NDR Wirtschafts- und Verbrauchermagazins Markt werden gefälschte Medikamente nicht
mehr nur im Internet vertrieben, sondern sind mittlerweile bundesweit in rund 100 Apotheken verkauft worden. In Norddeutschland ermitteln unter anderem die Staatsanwaltschaften Hamburg, Celle, Verden, Kiel und Braunschweig. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Braunschweig hat bereits Anklage gegen einen Apotheker erhoben. Allein er soll Medikamente mit einem Volumen von 1,675 Millionen zu Unrecht abgerechnet haben.

Mehr hier

Random Model: Jan Sourek

2010-08-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Green Flash

2010-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

I want ice cream!

2010-08-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

The Gay Gene Thing

2010-08-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Talk to a homosexual, a bisexual, or a transexual and they will tell you "it's not a choice". My dick doesn't erect for the opposite sex (Sorry ladies, lol), and no amount of ex-gay therapy is going to change that (since being ex-gay is demonstrably bullshit). It's something we were born with and knew about. Even in my time in the closet and in denial, I couldn't deny the fact that I've been "like that" and will always be "like that".

Talk to a bigot and they will tell you it's a choice, an ugly lifestyle, and spout a few verse from a man-made holy book. They can't let it be a innate thing, because then it takes away their control, and it's always about control with their crowd.

Now talk to science. Unfortunately for bigots, science tends lean towards the gay side. Not that bigots care what science have to say, mind you. The evidence is there, though. Increasingly, scientific studies are showing that homosexuality has a strong genetic factor.

Though, it's not understood how or why. Genetic studies are still making it's way in completing the picture of a lot of other human traits. We still, for example, have conflicts over why OCA2, one of the genes responsible for light skin pigmentation and albinism's, was selected. Though we have evidence that it was strongly selected in some population and developed as a result of genetic drift in other populations. The genetic components of homosexuality (in males, at least though it could very well be the case for females as well) is revealed be inheritable matralinially. In fact, it appears that male homosexuality may increase reproductive fitness in females and possibly inherited through the X chromosome. However, genes are not islands. Some traits are influenced by both genes and the environment. Some genes code for more than one trait or function. Some traits or functions are covered by more than one gene. All these will influence the study of the genetic component of Homosexuality. Drawing back from OCA2, it's expression changes from area to area. It's also not the only gene to code for light skin: SLC45A2 and MC1R also covers skin pigmentation as well as other necessary functions. Further study is needed to understand these things. But the evidence that it exist is there. And one thing is clear: it's being selected for.

Why is it being selected?

It's hard to say. One of the theory is that homosexual individuals will increase the reproductive fitness of siblings. A sibling's child is actually very closely related to the individual in terms of genetics. They're pretty much almost like you're own child. This theory is called the gay uncle/aunt theory. It could also be due to the fact that being gay doesn't actually affect reproductive fitness, because a human homosexual individual still can sexually reproduce. Another aspect is that it maybe a social community development. In the same way females ant and bee workers are not sexual reproductive but important aspect in keeping their species functional, homosexual individuals may have the same function. In many animals, homosexual individual can and do adopt children and provide care for other members of their species. Homosexuality may also be selected for because the genes involve may code for something else. APO-E is a gene that is necessary for catabolism but also have strong links to Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is then selected for. Since Alzheimer's doesn't affect the fitness of the individual during their reproductive life, it isn't a hindrance.

What are the implications?

DNA Magazine's issue 121 published an article entitled "The Science of Sexuality" and posed a question that provoked me to write this pieces:

"What happens if a specific gene or biological trigger is identified as being
responsible for same-sex attraction? Could that mean there'll be a 'cure'? Will
some zealot try to eradicate homosexuality?"

The answer is yes, zealots will try. Zealots have tried. They have tried with stuff like eugenics. They've tried with race, with class, and recently against lesbians. But it won't work. As I've stated before, it's likely that these gene has more than one function . There fore any attempt and shutting them off will result in shutting off an necessary function. More over, we can't do it for ethical reasons. If we can shut off homosexuality, then we can shut off a whole lot of other traits. We'd be eliminating the natural diversity of the of the human genome. We should pride our self on being different. We shouldn't strive to make the human race look and act like clones. We're humans. Homosexuals are humans with a different variable on sexual attraction. As long as our relations remain consensual (somethings fundamentalist can't seem to fathom), we're harming no one.

Edit: I'm also a fan of being different. People can chose the life that they want to chose as long as they do not harm other people or infringe on other people's rights. That's right fundies, you can believe whatever the fuck you want as long as you don't infringe on other people's rights.

Iemmola, F., & Ciani, AC. (2009). New Evidence of Genetic Factors Influencing Sexual Orientation in Men: Female Fecundity Increase in the Maternal Line. Archives of Sexual Behaviors. 33(3), DOI: 10.1007/s10508-008-9381-6

Edwards, M., Bigham, A., Tan, JZ, Li, SL., Gozdzik, A., Ross, K., Jin, L., & Parra EJ. (2010) Association of the OCA2 Polymorphism His615Arg with Melanin Content in East Asian Populations: Further Evidence of Convergent Evolution of Skin Pigmentation. PLoS Genetics, 6(3), e1000867

Johanson, HC., Chen, W., Wicking, C., & Sturm, RA. (2010) Inheritance of a novel mutated allele of the OCA2 gene associated with high incidence of oculocutaneous albinism in a Polynesian community. International Journal of Cancer, 125(4), 909-917

Mengel, J., Wong, TH., Morling, N., Rees, JL., & Jackson, IJ. (2009). Genetic determinants of hair and eye colours in the Scottish and Danish populations. BMC Genetics, 2009, 10, doi:10.1186/1471-2156-10-88

Bailey, JM., Pillard, RC., Dawood, K., Miller, MB., Farrer, LA., Trivedi, S. & Murphy, RL. (1999) A family history study of male sexual orientation using three independent samples. Behavior Genetics. 29, 79–86

Random Model: Leandro Okabe

2010-08-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

To counter

2010-08-06T16:12:00.001-07:00

A Javanese Rhino. I dream of the day when Cambodians and Thai Kids can see these animals in the wild again. They, too, face poaching as well as encroachment from development.

It's a sick world

2010-08-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

South Africa's reserve last Rhino is killed for her horn.

More than likely her horn is being used for alternative medicine. FUCK ALT MEDs.