WASH. MAN PLEADS IN CAMBODIA SEX CASE: The first person prosecuted under a law protecting children overseas from sex crimes by U.S. citizens has pleaded guilty to having sexual contact with boys in Cambodia, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Michael Lewis Clark was arrested last June in Cambodia and was indicted last September in Seattle. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to two federal charges of engaging in and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.
Clark was charged under the Protect Act of 2003, signed into law last spring and best known for encouraging states to set up Amber Alert systems to help track down missing children. The provision of the law under which Clark was charged makes it a crime for any U.S. citizen to travel abroad for the purpose of sex tourism involving children.
Court documents said Clark flew to Cambodia from Seattle and engaged in sexual contact with two boys, about 10 and 13 years old.
The Cambodian National Police arrested Clark in Phnom Penh, accusing him of "debauchery involving illicit sexual conduct" with the boys, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The Cambodian authorities later dropped the charge, which allowed Clark to be indicted in the United States.
Prosecutors said in papers filed in federal court that Clark has spent a considerable amount of time in Cambodia over the last five years and may have molested as many as 50 boys aged 10 to 18. He most recently flew from Washington state to southeast Asia last May.
The complaint said Clark acknowledged he has been a pedophile since 1996 and that he usually paid the Cambodian boys $2 each for sex.
Clark faces a potential maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
link
Via How Appealing.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
OLIGARCH-WATCH: Tons of good stuff here.
Ad for "Touching Evil" has the tagline, "What didn't kill him made him stranger." Hilarious. Possibly my new motto.
Fun with Metrodrunks: The one: "Jesus Christ! Would you..."
The other, interrupting: "Don't say 'Jesus Christ.' Say Mel Gibson."
The one: "Mel Gibson! would you look at that..."
And... "So I think to myself: What if I crush and muddle this caffeine pill with Pernod?"
Ad for "Touching Evil" has the tagline, "What didn't kill him made him stranger." Hilarious. Possibly my new motto.
Fun with Metrodrunks: The one: "Jesus Christ! Would you..."
The other, interrupting: "Don't say 'Jesus Christ.' Say Mel Gibson."
The one: "Mel Gibson! would you look at that..."
And... "So I think to myself: What if I crush and muddle this caffeine pill with Pernod?"
BEAUTIFUL: "One thing I do try to do is end with the Our Father. Sometimes they say it with me, sometimes they don't. I try to pull them both up on my lap and hold them close while I say it. I'm hoping that in years to come, when they say the prayer on their own, they'll remember the feeling of being held close by their father, which is, of course, what I hope we all might feel when saying our prayers." more
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
DEEPLY SHALLOW: Just a note: The "Deep Thoughts" below are, indeed, from "Saturday Night Live." While The Rat is one of the funniest people I know (funny strange, funny ha-ha, it's all good) she did not personally craft these thoughts.
I really like this description of the blog: "Also, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, there's a certain plane crash quality to Eve's blog that keeps me coming back...."
Oh, and I flensed some of the more egregious overwriting from the most recent installment of "Getting Fired." This section does have to be pretty hothouse, but let's just say I didn't need to use phrases like (shudder) "obsidian gaze." That's just sick and wrong. It's better now.
I really like this description of the blog: "Also, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, there's a certain plane crash quality to Eve's blog that keeps me coming back...."
Oh, and I flensed some of the more egregious overwriting from the most recent installment of "Getting Fired." This section does have to be pretty hothouse, but let's just say I didn't need to use phrases like (shudder) "obsidian gaze." That's just sick and wrong. It's better now.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
YOU SIT AND YOU WONDER WHETHER IT'S GONNA BE SYNDICATED... I finally got an Atom feed. I don't even rightly know what that is, but you can find it here. Please tell me if I've messed it up somehow, since, as I say, I have no clue what this is. But people kept asking when I was gonna get one.
In other "shiny new toys!" developments, I've added a PayPal button. Use it wisely.
(Real blogging soon--and I mean it this time!)
In other "shiny new toys!" developments, I've added a PayPal button. Use it wisely.
(Real blogging soon--and I mean it this time!)
DEEP THOUGHTS: Ratty sent me a vast list of 'em. She pointed out that most of them were metaphors for her life, for my life, or for same-sex marriage. (Sometimes, of course, I worry that my life is just one big metaphor for same-sex marriage.) Here are some samples; judge for yourself.
My life: Sometimes the beauty of the world is so overwhelming, I just want to throw back my head and gargle. Just gargle and gargle, and I don't care who hears me, because I am beautiful.
What is it about a beautiful sunny afternoon, with the birds singing and the wind rustling through the leaves, that makes you want to get drunk? And after you're real drunk, maybe go down to the public park and stagger around and ask people for money, and then lie down and go to sleep.
The first thing was, I learned to forgive myself. Then I told myself, "Go ahead and do whatever you want, it's okay by me."
Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff.
If I was the head of a country that lost a war, and I had to sign a peace
treaty, just as I was signing I'd glance over the treaty and then suddenly
act surprised. "Wait a minute! I thought we won!"
Let's be honest: isn't a lot of what we call tap-dancing really just nerves?
The other day I got out my can opener and was opening a can of worms when I thought, "What am I doing?!"
I'm telling you, just attach a big parachute to the plane itself! Is anyone listening to me?!
I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo!, I'd have all my money back.
Isn't it funny how one minute life can be such a struggle, and the next minute you're just driving real fast, swerving back and forth across the road?
The tiger can't change his spots. No, wait, he did! Good for him!
I don't say that the bird is "good" or the bat is "bad." But I will say this: at least the bird is less nude.
Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it, little friend.
Before a mad scientist goes mad, there's probably a time when he's only partially mad. And this is the time when he's going to throw his best parties.
If the Vikings were around today, they would probably be amazed at how much glow-in-the-dark stuff we have, and how we take so much of it for granted.
Perhaps, if I am very lucky, the feeble efforts of my lifetime will someday be noticed, and maybe, in some small way, they will be acknowledged as the greatest works of genius ever created by Man.
Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait. Not me, you.
If you're a blacksmith, probably the proudest day of your life is when you get your first anvil. How innocent you are, little blacksmith.
If a kid ever asks you how Santa Claus can live forever, I think a good answer is that he drinks blood.
It's funny how two simple words, "I promise," will stall people for a while.
SSM: If you're ever on an airplane that's crashing, see if you can't organize a quick thing of group sex, because come on, you squares.
Instead of a bicycle built for two, what about no kinds of bicycles at all for anybody, anymore? There, are you happy now?
If you're an ant, and you're walking along across the top of a cup of pudding, you probably have no idea that the only thing between you and disaster is the strength of that pudding skin.
I think a new, different kind of bowling should be "carpet bowling." It's just like regular bowling, only the lanes are carpet instead of wood. I don't know why we should do this, but my God, we've got to try something!
My life: Sometimes the beauty of the world is so overwhelming, I just want to throw back my head and gargle. Just gargle and gargle, and I don't care who hears me, because I am beautiful.
What is it about a beautiful sunny afternoon, with the birds singing and the wind rustling through the leaves, that makes you want to get drunk? And after you're real drunk, maybe go down to the public park and stagger around and ask people for money, and then lie down and go to sleep.
The first thing was, I learned to forgive myself. Then I told myself, "Go ahead and do whatever you want, it's okay by me."
Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff.
If I was the head of a country that lost a war, and I had to sign a peace
treaty, just as I was signing I'd glance over the treaty and then suddenly
act surprised. "Wait a minute! I thought we won!"
Let's be honest: isn't a lot of what we call tap-dancing really just nerves?
The other day I got out my can opener and was opening a can of worms when I thought, "What am I doing?!"
I'm telling you, just attach a big parachute to the plane itself! Is anyone listening to me?!
I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo!, I'd have all my money back.
Isn't it funny how one minute life can be such a struggle, and the next minute you're just driving real fast, swerving back and forth across the road?
The tiger can't change his spots. No, wait, he did! Good for him!
I don't say that the bird is "good" or the bat is "bad." But I will say this: at least the bird is less nude.
Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it, little friend.
Before a mad scientist goes mad, there's probably a time when he's only partially mad. And this is the time when he's going to throw his best parties.
If the Vikings were around today, they would probably be amazed at how much glow-in-the-dark stuff we have, and how we take so much of it for granted.
Perhaps, if I am very lucky, the feeble efforts of my lifetime will someday be noticed, and maybe, in some small way, they will be acknowledged as the greatest works of genius ever created by Man.
Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait. Not me, you.
If you're a blacksmith, probably the proudest day of your life is when you get your first anvil. How innocent you are, little blacksmith.
If a kid ever asks you how Santa Claus can live forever, I think a good answer is that he drinks blood.
It's funny how two simple words, "I promise," will stall people for a while.
SSM: If you're ever on an airplane that's crashing, see if you can't organize a quick thing of group sex, because come on, you squares.
Instead of a bicycle built for two, what about no kinds of bicycles at all for anybody, anymore? There, are you happy now?
If you're an ant, and you're walking along across the top of a cup of pudding, you probably have no idea that the only thing between you and disaster is the strength of that pudding skin.
I think a new, different kind of bowling should be "carpet bowling." It's just like regular bowling, only the lanes are carpet instead of wood. I don't know why we should do this, but my God, we've got to try something!
SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE: So I've recently sampled two sci-fi/horror works: the first volume of Junji Ito's killer-fish manga Gyo, and the '60s French b&w film "Eyes without a Face." Both were effectively creepy, but neither really captivated me.
Gyo begins with an intriguing sequence between a young couple on vacation at Okinawa. The girlfriend is repelled by the boyfriend's bad breath; they fight about money, and she complains of the worsening smell. But the smell turns out to emanate not from the boyfriend, but from these utterly creepy fish on insectlike stilts.
These walking fish (and squid and sharks and manta rays) are severely spooky. They're the kind of blunt, blank-faced horror image that seems to be Ito's specialty. Perhaps the most effective and frightening thing about Gyo is the sound effects. That's a tough trick to pull off in a comic, but Ito manages it: Every scene has an eerie shaaaaaaaa, a deceptively quiet plish plish plish, or a hideous gashunk. The fonts (not quite the right word since the sound effects are drawn, not typeset) add to the menace.
But the rest of the comic--everything that isn't the walking fish--really didn't work for me. The relationship between Kaori and Tadashi gets exactly no development (unlike the characters' relationships in Ito's killer-spiral manga Uzumaki). And whereas the killer spirals in Uzumaki seemed to have too many meanings and resonances--a scary and intellectually exciting approach--the walking fish don't really seem to mean much at all.
"Eyes without a Face" has a much more coherent underlying intellectual picture. It's about the terrible things we'll do for those we love; it's about how the scientific quest for an end to suffering can lead to human sacrifice and a loss of personal identity. I'm really attracted to both those themes. Plus the movie has a lot of very haunting images: the face mask, the operating room, the pearl necklace, the masked girl comforting the dogs, the masked girl releasing the doves, the car traveling through the woods.
My problem with "Eyes" is the same as one of my problems with Gyo: I really don't respond to narrative horror unless there's a strong element of characterization. This is sort of like how I find it very hard to follow music unless there's a human voice. It's the reason I love The Shining (the book), which relies on characterization for its horror (the slow revelation of Jack Torrance's secrets and his descent into evil), but was left cold by "The Shining" (the movie), which relies on imagery for its horror. People who don't have this need for characterization in their horror should definitely check out "Eyes," though, as I expect they'll get much more from it than I did.
Gyo begins with an intriguing sequence between a young couple on vacation at Okinawa. The girlfriend is repelled by the boyfriend's bad breath; they fight about money, and she complains of the worsening smell. But the smell turns out to emanate not from the boyfriend, but from these utterly creepy fish on insectlike stilts.
These walking fish (and squid and sharks and manta rays) are severely spooky. They're the kind of blunt, blank-faced horror image that seems to be Ito's specialty. Perhaps the most effective and frightening thing about Gyo is the sound effects. That's a tough trick to pull off in a comic, but Ito manages it: Every scene has an eerie shaaaaaaaa, a deceptively quiet plish plish plish, or a hideous gashunk. The fonts (not quite the right word since the sound effects are drawn, not typeset) add to the menace.
But the rest of the comic--everything that isn't the walking fish--really didn't work for me. The relationship between Kaori and Tadashi gets exactly no development (unlike the characters' relationships in Ito's killer-spiral manga Uzumaki). And whereas the killer spirals in Uzumaki seemed to have too many meanings and resonances--a scary and intellectually exciting approach--the walking fish don't really seem to mean much at all.
"Eyes without a Face" has a much more coherent underlying intellectual picture. It's about the terrible things we'll do for those we love; it's about how the scientific quest for an end to suffering can lead to human sacrifice and a loss of personal identity. I'm really attracted to both those themes. Plus the movie has a lot of very haunting images: the face mask, the operating room, the pearl necklace, the masked girl comforting the dogs, the masked girl releasing the doves, the car traveling through the woods.
My problem with "Eyes" is the same as one of my problems with Gyo: I really don't respond to narrative horror unless there's a strong element of characterization. This is sort of like how I find it very hard to follow music unless there's a human voice. It's the reason I love The Shining (the book), which relies on characterization for its horror (the slow revelation of Jack Torrance's secrets and his descent into evil), but was left cold by "The Shining" (the movie), which relies on imagery for its horror. People who don't have this need for characterization in their horror should definitely check out "Eyes," though, as I expect they'll get much more from it than I did.
I'VE BEEN MESSIN' WITH THE BLOGROLL, ALL THE LIVELONG DAYYYYYYY.... Two additions: Diotima, who posts primarily on feminism and its discontents, and law-blog-god How Appealing. I also fixed some bad links, and finally updated my archives list.
INTERNATIONAL JEWISH CONSPIRACY. Hee! Includes "Are You a Giant Lizard? You'd Be Surprised!"
Via Cacciaguida.
Via Cacciaguida.
"GETTING FIRED": "YOU MUST BE HERE FOR THE MACHINE." The latest installment of my short story's rough draft. This is probably the height of the story's weirdness. It's pretty creeptastic. B&w film homage continues as our hero watches two members of his profession get... beautified. Read the story so far starting here (recommended), or just read the most recent installment here.
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE: TWO VIEWS OF MARRIAGE. Me at MarriageDebate. Not an argument, more an introduction or framework. Also, sometime this morning there will be a new question of the week: Does history matter? Plus the usual news-and-opinion smorgasbord (orgasbord, orgasbord).
CLINTON AND IRAQ: WMDs, sanctions, lying to the public, and trusting defectors. Start here, then go here, then here (comments too), then here. All are very much worth your time. I am way too tired to pull together coherent commentary, though.
Also: "The Bush administration's assertion that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had ties to al Qaeda -- one of the administration's central arguments for a preemptive war -- appears to have been based on even less solid intelligence than the administration's claims that Iraq had hidden stocks of chemical and biological weapons." Almost entirely written from anonymous sourcing, so you know; but there's a lot of stuff of interest here.
Also: "The Bush administration's assertion that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had ties to al Qaeda -- one of the administration's central arguments for a preemptive war -- appears to have been based on even less solid intelligence than the administration's claims that Iraq had hidden stocks of chemical and biological weapons." Almost entirely written from anonymous sourcing, so you know; but there's a lot of stuff of interest here.
I will watch the blog from Venus (for science!)...
Cacciaguida: "Die Frau Ohne Schatten"--the secret is out....
Unqualified Offerings: Homeschooling and socialization. Me on ditto.
Johnny Cash reads the New Testament. Via Relapsed Catholic.
India's Muslims are oppressed. Why aren't they angry? I don't know enough about the situation to say whether this assessment is accurate, but it is interesting.
And last: "Now he's the author of 'Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things,' a book that shows readers how to turn lemons into batteries, transform milk into plastic and create a 'power ring' capable of triggering homemade magnetic switches.
"One of the book's most impressive improvisations is cobbling together a working radio from a penny, a toilet paper tube, a piece of cardboard, a twist-tie, three paper clips and 25 feet of telephone cord." Via When Will the Hurting Stop?.
Cacciaguida: "Die Frau Ohne Schatten"--the secret is out....
Unqualified Offerings: Homeschooling and socialization. Me on ditto.
Johnny Cash reads the New Testament. Via Relapsed Catholic.
India's Muslims are oppressed. Why aren't they angry? I don't know enough about the situation to say whether this assessment is accurate, but it is interesting.
And last: "Now he's the author of 'Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things,' a book that shows readers how to turn lemons into batteries, transform milk into plastic and create a 'power ring' capable of triggering homemade magnetic switches.
"One of the book's most impressive improvisations is cobbling together a working radio from a penny, a toilet paper tube, a piece of cardboard, a twist-tie, three paper clips and 25 feet of telephone cord." Via When Will the Hurting Stop?.
HOOKUP CULTURE: I must not have been clear in my post about Elizabeth Marquardt's presentation on the college "hookup" scene. Lawrence Krubner read me as arguing that hookups are in some important way analogous to date rape; what I was actually trying to say is the much more limited point that the hookup "script"--get drunk and keep communication minimal--makes date rape much more likely.
More Krubner soonish....
More Krubner soonish....
LOL. Obligatory disclaimer: I have not seen "The Passion" and don't especially plan to. But I thought this exchange was a hilarious commentary on how oblique and intuitive the creative process often is to the artist. You can train yourself--you have to train--but the point of that training is to shape your instincts and intuitions, because very often you make the artistic choices and figure out the reasons why later, if at all. (Barbara discusses this more eloquently if you follow the link below.)
The minister was not happy with me. He waited a few cold seconds of silence and then talked past me to Mel. "And that scene with the ugly baby. What was that?"
Mel said, "I dunno. I just thought it was really creepy. Didn't you think it was creepy?"
Minister guy: "But what is it supposed to mean?"
Me: "Satan brought a friend. He wanted to share it with a friend."
Mel laughed. "Yeah, he brought a friend!"
Minister guy persisted with exasperation, "But WHERE did you get that from?"
In other words, "You DIDN'T get it in the Bible, because I KNOW the Bible."
Mel, at this point was getting just as exasperated, "I dunno. I guess I just pulled it out of my ass."
more
The minister was not happy with me. He waited a few cold seconds of silence and then talked past me to Mel. "And that scene with the ugly baby. What was that?"
Mel said, "I dunno. I just thought it was really creepy. Didn't you think it was creepy?"
Minister guy: "But what is it supposed to mean?"
Me: "Satan brought a friend. He wanted to share it with a friend."
Mel laughed. "Yeah, he brought a friend!"
Minister guy persisted with exasperation, "But WHERE did you get that from?"
In other words, "You DIDN'T get it in the Bible, because I KNOW the Bible."
Mel, at this point was getting just as exasperated, "I dunno. I guess I just pulled it out of my ass."
more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)