A.O. Scott's review of The Da Vinci Code film appears in today's Times:
A Code that Takes Longer to Watch than Read

I couldn't care less about the film, but the review is almost inconceivably hilarious.

There's an interesting take on organ donation in the Op-Ed section of today's New York Times:
Death's Waiting List - New York Times

This is obviously a sensitive topic for me (my Dad had a kidney transplant about 10 years ago, and is currently on the waiting list for a new one), and so my gut feeling tells me that I should be behind the author of this article 100%. However this is a touchy subject, and gets down to some very serious questions about what is and isn't moral. Should people get paid for their organs?

I don't think so. Living people shouldn't give up organs (they may need later) for some easy money. It sets a bad precedent, and could certainly have a major medical impact on the lower classes who would be far more likely to opt into such a practice. And it doesn't do anything to address the need for organs that can only be harvested from the dead.

One thing I've learned here at Microsoft: people rarely change the default behavior. The practice of "presumed consent," which this article reports as being very popular in Europe, is a much more attractive model to me. People should have to actively specify that they do not want to donate their organs when they die; otherwise, it should be taken as a given that they are available (Of course, I think it should be mandatory to donate organs . . . but I guess that gets into some religious and moral questions as well . . .). How many people who would be willing to give them up simply forget to fill out a card or never take the time to sign the back of their Driver's License?

Of course, that gets to the topic of people who are not organ donors for various reasons, be it laziness or religious conviction. To them I say: "sign the fucking card." There is no reason not to be an organ donor. There are good people all over this country desperate for kidneys, hearts, livers, and lungs. You can help these people at absolutely no cost to yourself just by checking a little box on a piece of paper. If you are reading this and are not signed up: sign up. If you are reading this and you are signed up: find someone who's not signed up and sign them up. It is the absolute right things to do.

Today at work, my boss called me into his office. I was not fired, surprisingly enough, I was promoted. I'm not trying to brag; I am just excited. This is, of course my first promotion (since it's my first job). So spirits are pretty high right now in 40/4047 (my office here on MS' campus). Best of all: Megan is still in town for a few more hours, so we can go out tonight and celebrate at one of my favorite spots in Seattle.

Ironically, my excitement over this occurrence may have effectively nullified any chance of me getting work done for the rest of the day. C'est la vie.

Comment posted by emmy suzuki harris
at 5/16/2006 11:38:00 PM
Congrats!!!!!!

Megan was supposed to be here 2 hours ago. Instead, she's on plane somewhere over the midwest.

Fucking Continental airlines. This just further proves my point that one should I always fly JetBlue.

Comment posted by emmy suzuki harris
at 5/13/2006 7:05:00 PM
Yeah JetBlue!!! Screw Continental! Boo!!!!

From The Times:
Qwest's Refusal of N.S.A. Query is Explained - New York Times

From the article:
[Qwest's then CEO,] Mr. Nacchio, learned that no warrant had been granted and that there was a "disinclination on the part of the authorities to use any legal process," said the lawyer, Herbert J. Stern. As a result, the statement said, Mr. Nacchio concluded that "the requests violated the privacy requirements of the Telecommunications Act."

Apparently, "it's against the law" isn't good enough to stop the Bush administration, but it is good enough to stop one of the nations 5 largest telecommunications companies.

Bush, on the other hand, seems to think that as long as it's people the government thinks are in Al Qaeda, warrants aren't needed. He's just about ready to hold up those phone records and say, "I have here in my hand a list of 57 people that were known as being members of Al Qaeda."

The Op-Ed page of today's Times put it well when they said, "If the administration finds the current procedures for getting court approval of wiretaps too restrictive, [they should get Congress to change them]." That's how democracy works. President Bush is not a king. His administration is not above the law.

As for conservatives: It is time, once again, to rethink your backing of President Bush (which you reaffirmed yesterday by passing a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans). If President Clinton deserved to be impeached for getting is knob polished, perhaps President Bush deserves some sort of justice for deliberately breaking the law and intruding on the private lives of millions of innocent Americans.

Time to go change my wireless plan over to Qwest . . .

Comment posted by Steve
at 5/13/2006 8:14:00 PM
I agree with everything you said, but you do realize that Joseph Nacchio has been indicted by the SEC on various sorts of fraud. This man is no saint either, perhaps further proving your point about Bush.

--Steve

Megan's coming to visit tomorrow, and I can't wait to see her. We've seen eachother quite a bit lately, but it doesn't seem to keep me from missing her. Somehow despite all of the visits, the nine months we've spent on opposite coasts is decidedly cumulative. I can't wait for her to move out here.

I'm going to try and hit the hay.

I discovered this article on mlb.com today:
Helton diagnosis brings relief

From the article:
"Concern turned to relief Tuesday when Todd Helton's stomach discomfort was diagnosed as acute terminal (end of the small intestine) ileitis, which is essentially an inflammation of the small intestine."

I don't know about you, but when I hear that someone has a disease with the word "terminal" in the name, I don't usually breathe a sigh of relief. Is it just me or is that really poor naming?

The Times website has a summary of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush:
Iranian's Letter to Bush Emerges - New York Times

Ahmadinejad uses the interesting tactic of calling out Bush for the myriad things he has done wrong in the past 6 years (and there are many of them), from extraordinary rendition and torture to the administration's failure to hold its own members accountable for mistakes, Ahmadinejad accuses Bush of ignoring his "Christian Values."

I'm not Bush fan. And the policies that Ahmadinejad calls out are all things that I find detestable. But Ahmadinejad is the cruel dictator of a country where civil rights don't exist. He condones the killing of innocent people, denies the holocaust ever occurred, and would rather make nuclear weapons than feed his own people. He has no right to attack Bush's record; next to him, Bush is a saint.

Amadinejad's letter is akin to the tactics used with some success by Venezualan President Hugo Chavez. Both seek to divert attention from their own failures by placing attention on the globally visible mistakes made by our own beloved theocrat, George W. Bush. And, like Chavez, Amadinejad is probably seeking some sympathy from those on America's left-wing who, blinded by their opposition to Bush, think that their enemy's enemy is their friend. Well Amadinejad: we're not that stupid (or at least, I'm not that stupid; I can't speak for Ciny Sheehan).

Iran's government today represents all that is wrong with Islamic extremism. Iran is an impoverished country with little infrastructure to support the future of its citizens and a government more concerned with what goes on thousands of miles away than within its own borders. This letter, focused on past grievances and American politics, does nothing to address the currently escalating situation in the Middle East and instead furthers the viewpoint that Iran is run by a dangerous and irrational tyrant.

I, for one, can't wait until Iran has the bomb.

Comment posted by Josh
at 5/10/2006 6:15:00 PM
It is clear that my statement about wanting them to have the bomb was sarcastic, right?

Comment posted by Steve
at 5/10/2006 6:13:00 PM
"I, for one, can't wait until Iran has the bomb."

Why, so we can invade that country too? Cool, glad we're in agreement.

Comment posted by Josh
at 5/10/2006 12:31:00 PM
Reuben,
You make some good points, and I agree that my view is a little one-sided (we're all guilty of that some times).

However: Elections, no matter how fairly executed, do not a democracy make. True democracy requires freedoms that are not available to Iranians. You need only look at the state of women's rights in that country to know what I'm talking about.

The main point I was trying to make is that foreign leader's are now distracting from their own shortcomings and scoring points by attacking Bush. This is Bush's fault! He is made himself a target through terrible policies, and now other countries are using that against him. But just because Chavez and Ahmadinejad and whoever else criticize Bush, that doesn't absolve them of their own mistakes.

Comment posted by Reuben Grinberg
at 5/10/2006 12:16:00 PM
You say that Ahmadinejad is a cruel dictator that condones the killing of innocent people and "would rather make nuclear weapons than feed his own people."

It seems misleading to call him a dictator and a tyrant. He was elected last year. Although he has said some really stupid things, he hasn't done anything terrible (yet), excluding the whole nuclear issue.

When we don't like the product of democracy (Ahmadinejad in Iran, Hamas in Palestine, etc...) we suddenly ignore the call of "democracy everywhere!"

I don't like Ahmadinejad; he is clearly nuts. However, I think that him and Bush came out of the same mold. Bush has said and done really stupid things, endangering this country and killing countless innocent people (take your pick of Iraq, Africa, and New Orleans) both by overt acts and negligence. Similarly, he has done some good things, but a criminal can't wash away the blood on his hands by pointing to the good deeds he has done.

Bush and Ahmadinejad are both crazy.

Tonight, I was among the smallest crowd in the history of SafeCo Field (16,102, though if felt like a lot less), and bore witness to the Mariners' 6-3 comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After being stood up by two friends (you know who you are), I ended up going alone, which was a bit of a bummer.

I really can't wait for Megan, Bobby, and all of my other Yalie friends to move out here and keep me company. I've made some friends here, and those friendships are growing, but life is so much easier when you have a base of people to spend time with. I think my worklife will improve as well; I've been feeling very unmotivated lately and am not really sure why.

Well, at least the Mariners actually won tonight! This was the first game I was at this year where they actually played some good baseball: two hit and runs late in the game were smoothly executed, and they were able to generate some timely hitting with men in scoring position. The bullpen looked good too . . .

From today's paper:
Bush Names C.I.A. Pick Over Objections - New York Times

Has there ever been a decision that "objections" or "concerns" or "a blatant disregard for competency" have stopped Bush from making? He is, after all, the decider.

So far, there has not been any accountability for the bad decisions Bush has made; Congress lets him get away with anything and everything. Perhaps this time, there will actually be a valid confirmation battle without the (utterly ridiculous) argument that Congress should just approve any candidate the President wants.

I'm so fed up. I can't wait for 2008 when Bill Frist takes over.

Friday night Steve, Jeff, and I headed up to Ballard to the beach at Golden Gardens park. It's a really cool place: despite being a public beach, you can BBQ and have bonfires right on the sand!

As part of the expedition, I finally (I've been waiting a long time) got my first Weber Grill. It fills me with nostalgia for those bygone college days, with Frank grilling dogs on the roof of Davenport college.

I'm hoping to head back up there next weekend, and I suspect that I'll be there a lot this summer (if I have my way). The Shelby has a little patio with a gas grill, but there's nothing quite like cooking with real charcoal!

As I learned last time I was home, my brother has become a real grilling expert. It's going to take a lot of practice if I'm too surpass him.

The Times has a great article today about the Red Sox catching situation:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/sports/baseball/01knuckle.html

The slumping Red Sox have decided to reverse an earlier trade and get back veteran knuckleball-handler Doug Mirabelli. While that's ostensibly the "news" part of the article, the real interesting part is the discussion of what it's like to catch the knuckleball. Former Yankees' catcher John Flaherty indicates that avoiding that job was a key element in his decision to retire, and there's a great graphic with some fun statistics.

Perhaps most interesting of all is Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield's view of the situation: "If a catcher has difficulty, that is a sign to Wakefield that he has a good knuckleball."