Scary.

I'm pretty upset about the growing level of conservatism in Michigan right now. The current numbers show that Virg Bernero (the more liberal, Democratic candidate) is behind Republican Rick Snyder (who I admittedly don't know that much about) in the Michigan governor's race, and living in Holland is enough to make me think that the whole state is turning into some anti-liberal, homophobic, religious haven. I take solace in the fact, though, that we still have places like Ann Arbor.

However, Andrew Shervall, an assistant in the Michigan Attorney General's office, has taken it upon himself to crusade against the University of Michigan (located in Ann Arbor) and its new student body president - a gay student by the name of Chris Armstrong.

Check out this video outlining the story and then check out Shervall's blog (link below).





One comment on this video: Shervall mentions co-ed housing as "a radical redefinition of gender norms". I loathe gender norms. I have a lot to say on this topic. More later.
Shervall's blog can be found at: http://chris-armstrong-watch.blogspot.com/
Some highlights:

•  "Exclusive" photos from a party that got broken up by the police (He probably took them himself. Creeeeepy.)
•  Screenshots from Armstrong's friends' and supporters' facebook pages, in an attempt to discredit them as being homosexuals, liars, Bible-bashers, law-breakers, underage drinkers, and all kinds of "scandalous" things.
•  Obsessively stalking Armstrong's facebook and noting when anything has been changed or deleted, saying how Armstrong is clearly trying to "cover up secrets". Right. Maybe he just doesn't want to give you more fuel for your crusade?

Funny enough, Michigan's Attorney General, Mike Cox, has been a huge proponent of keeping the public safe from internet predators and reducing cyber-bullying. Hmm.

UPDATE: the blog has been made private. Also, click the link for a piece on Andrew Shervall from last night's Daily Show http://bit.ly/bnLd71

Testes!

Today's fun fact is brought to you by the 34th issue of Cabinet Magazine, "A quarterly of art and culture".

The English word test comes from the Latin word testis, which means "witness". Makes sense, right? If you're taking a test, you're a witness to your knowledge.

Well, what about the word "testicle"? It also comes from testis, which happens to be the singular form of testes. So what's the relationship between witnesses and testes? Funny enough, throughout the centuries, witnesses of oaths in many cultures got pretty familiar with each others' testicles. It was common to grasp another man's genitalia while swearing an oath, making a promise, or giving testimony (see what I did there?) in court. The swearer of the oath was effectively saying "you can cut off my balls if I'm lying". Jake, who let me borrow this magazine after using it for his art class, suggested that this was also symbolic of cursing or punishing future generations for the lies of the speaker.

This happens numerous times in the Bible. In Genesis, a servant places his hand "under the thigh" of his master, Abraham, to swear an oath. Later in the same book, Joseph is also said to place his hand under Jacob's "thigh".



"When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,'"
- Genesis 47:29, NIV 

Anyway, I thought this was pretty exciting. Er...interesting. And I wanted to share. Because I knew you all would love to learn about testicles etymology today!

goodness.

Oh my goodness. I forgot about one of my favorite clapping songs last time. This song is incredibly captivating (at least I think so) and I can't believe I forgot to mention it!
Radical Face - Welcome Home

Aquí está otra canción fantástico que tiene aplausos de manos, y no lo recordó hasta la vez mas reciente que yo lo oí en la radio!
Mute Math - Spotlight
Not sure why i wrote that in Spanish.... moving on.

Here's another fun song that was just mentioned to me for its hand clapping:
They Might Be Giants - Twisting

Here's some more goodness, in the form of food. I'm sad I didn't get a picture of it for the blog entry, though it wasn't really that much to look at. Instead, I can give you a picture of what my kitchen would've looked like, had I waited just a little bit longer to remember to pay attention to the oil that was on the stove behind me:


Grease fire! woohoo! They can devastate a kitchen in minutes, and can't be put out with water.
Anyway, here's the recipe (as best as I can remember) for my "italian omelet".

• Saute chopped shallots, onions, and avocado in italian spices and olive oil; remove from pan.
• Add garlic and more olive oil; later add chicken breast and pesto to pan; cook through
• Remove chicken from pan; cook spinach in microwave, then add to remaining oil and heat in pan
• In new pan, scramble eggs and milk; add chicken and spinach and cook as omelet; add mozzarella cheese

Note: Short as it is, this blog entry has been saved as a draft for a couple of weeks, and I finally got around to finishing it tonight. I've been rather busy - finishing work, taking summer finals, starting school full-time again... sucks that I've been neglecting this blog, but I've gotta do what I've gotta do.