not quite what i thought from the headline; this phenomenon is generally explained by dirt on the lense.

but, i'm actually entirely down with alien contact as a naturalistic explanation for a large proportion of the bible. stuff like elijah flying to heaven in a chariot, for example. really, this whole sky god thing altogether.

i've seen footage of humans in helicopters approaching herds of elephants, descending and performing medical care on them and then flying off. elephants are very, very smart animals. they perform rituals around their burials, which only humans (and neanderthals) are known to do. really, they may not be that far from where we were when we came up with religion. and, it's very interesting to me to wonder what they're thinking as they're experiencing this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wySFvmvr6Mg

the bathroom scare mongering is particularly ridiculous for the reason that the vast majority of us take androgen reducers that leave us chemically castrated. it's kind of the point. i'll volunteer some information: i haven't had an erection in five years. i couldn't assault somebody if i wanted to [and, of course i don't, but....].

that said, this is a subtle issue and you'll find less uniformity on it than you might think. i'm going to share my logic, because it's sort of ironic.

public washrooms are inherently gross places that most women prefer to avoid. squatting in public is just a "yuck" thing. so, if you ask around, you'll hear a common opinion amongst women: when forced to deal with public washrooms, i wish i could stand to urinate. now, as it happens to be, i have the ability to stand to urinate. no woman would ignore this, when faced with the obstacle of a public toilet.

but, i consider it rather disrespectful to walk into a woman's washroom and urinate standing up. this question of "passing" is sort of silly; if somebody is looking at me closely, they're going to pull out the adam's apple, at the least. it's not a function of my projection so much as it is a function of others' perception. i can't control that. i can fix a percentage, a likelihood. but, it's inevitable that some percentage of cis women are going to notice, and consequently inevitable that i'm going to be "outed". to me, the more important question is that i'm following conventions when i'm in there, out of respect for the security and comfort of others. that means no peeing standing up in the women's washroom, or, put another way, that i will squat when i decide to use the female facilities.

often, though, the idea is not appealing. i've walked into the women's washroom, got a good look at it and walked out into the men's room. but, this is something any woman would do if they only could! and, i generally default to the men's room, even if i'm wearing a skirt, as a result of it.

that's a different logic. don't generalize this and apply it. rather, the point is we're individuals and generalizing is dangerous.

as others have pointed out, my preferred solution would be one bathroom stalls.

ironically, again, i'm more likely to bite my tongue and squat when i'm in a more conservative setting, and don't want to confuse people or get into an argument.

ok, i get it - this is a self-reflection, and he's asking where his talent is, when he needs it. deep.

weird. i don't remember this part of grease. either that, or travolta seems to have had a lot of surgery, and lost a lot of weight.

there should be a rule in the music industry that men are not allowed to write lyrics for little girls to sing. what a terrible song...

it's maybe a gruesome analysis, but gaza needs to take a closer look at it's tactics. the narrative is often defined by this idea of targeting innocent civilians, and as much as it is true, it's only half true. worse, this iron dome system has rendered the rockets useless. any logic of resistance is no longer logic, but entirely irrational.

these tactics would be more useful in the west bank, where there is active colonization. but, gaza is not being colonized, and all evidence suggests that israel does not wish to colonize it.

the best thing thing that palestine can do at this point is neutralize the israeli excuse. and, it is an excuse. but it holds sway.

i'm not going to condemn the resistance. i understand why it seems necessary, but the situation on the ground has rendered it illogical and counter-productive. and i know that muslim palestinian culture is not comparable to hindu indian pacifism. but, their best tactic at this point is non-violent resistance.

and, israel is correct in stating that they will be slaughtered until they come to terms with that.

that may mean sitting on their hands while israel blows up hospitals. a hard pill to swallow. but the rockets are worse than useless - they fuck up the narrative.