I know. Yogi Bhajan said the same thing. All these guys spin the same load of crap. Your point is well taken, though: If it weren't for starry-eyed Americans worshiping the ground these guys walk on and lowering their boundaries/defenses, there would be fewer abuses of any kind. But then again, none of these…

Who would have thought that a self-appointed guru could be such a douche. Surprise!

Who would have thought that a self-appointed guru could be such a douche. Surprise!

“Congratulations! Unclear why you did that but you’re one of few people who could waste that much time doing it!”

Personally, I've always thought that Doctor Who's "issues" with sex/gender and race are a little deeper than the title character, and gender or racial tokenism at the top doesn't necessarily imply a sea-change in any of those larger/deeper structures. When I look at the characters of Madam Vastra and Jenny Flint, for…

The current crop of Republican politicians are so stupid and/or dangerous (dangerously stupid?) that I've grown nostalgic for Bush Sr.

Agreed. There's a shit-load of hostility toward even the most mellow atheists. People who don't think so are still lucky enough to live in the Northeast or West Coast. Where I live (Kentucky, please don't laugh), I don't think that there's a bigger personal failing in the eyes of others than having no religion.

Agreed. The way it's presented is a wee bit Orientalist. 剩女 isn't always pejorative, although it has been used that way by party institutions. The problem is exacerbated by growing gender inequality. However, my main argument is that women and men in many countries, including Western countries, face similar kinds of…

There are definitely a few bullshit government studies out of the PRC that ratchet up the pressure on young people—both men and women—to marry sooner than later. However, it's possible that it's just backlash to the new normal. Shanghai civil affairs bureau (which registers weddings) statistics say the average age of…

Wait! I thought that's what I got for taking out the trash. Shit...

The point of any public health intervention (at least according to my wife, who is a public health research administrator) is to reach a specific, targeted audience, much like an advertiser. The lines were probably tested with focus groups in a pilot test supported by some grant, and these are the ones that had the…

It's the way of their people.

Would you say that there is a difference of degree? Based on the genocide of Native Americans by whites of European decent, one might see the adoption of a child of the former group by a person of the latter to be an (unintended) extension of this cultural extermination. But does the adoption of an Egyptian or Chinese…

I fucking love Taiwan. Can't wait to go back this fall!

I get that certain movies and characters are iconic and transcend any single film, director, or actor (e.g., Superman and Godzilla). But Highlander? Robocop? Carrie? Hey, instead of remaking a classic (or camp classic), why not show an ounce of creativity and make a new fucking movie?

My family shows dogs and we've been at venues where poisoning, letting dogs out of kennels (who inevitably wind up getting hit by a car), dog-napping, and other crimes have been performed in the name of "animal rights." Not saying this is an example of such crimes, and maybe Cruz just ate the wrong thing, but to claim…