ego t.r.i.p.p.i.n.g.

2004-04-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Fool's Day
Hey folks,
Sorry about my lack of inane posts on this blog. I am well aware that 1-3 people actually read my observations on misc. things that go on in my life, only to turn to my more high-minded blogging compatriots. I will probably be discontinuing this blog in the near future to pursue serious side projects that I have lined up, such as some upcoming freelance work with Drug Policy Alliance. I have also decided to spend my time engaged in some more personal writing (perhaps appearing in the form of another blog, with the URL undisclosed and my settings kept anonymous...but if you can search the net as well as I can, I am sure you'll stumble upon my commentaries on suburban cultural stagnation, my thoughts on psychotropic drugs and nostalgic looks back to my days as a hardcore debauchee). My recent visit to A2 (my first as an alum...woohoo) granted me an amazing perspective change, and I realized whatever I have ever published on "ego tripping" is pure shite. So yeah, I think I'll be moving on. Stay tuned for a drug (war) blog...at least then I can compete with my hardcore journo friends in some area of expertise. I'll be covering the national NORML conference in April for DPA NJ, journaling privately and perhaps taking on a freelance gig for some hoighty-toighty "Princeton Living" magazine, in the meantime occasionally going on my signature drug binges, balanced out, of course, by green teas and yoga, for I am now anally health-conscious yuppie, lest you forget (please do not take the effort to point out the obvious contradictions in my sentence structures. Ah, so much more to say, but I am already under the influence of certain things and wish to save my personal thoughts for my little black book. Take it easy, everyone...I'll be web-published again soon enough.

Love,
Le Mango

2004-03-16T07:53:00.000-05:00

Unionized
I just became an official member of the Communications Workers of America (Local 1096, baby). Yep, Factiva's white-collar "information workers" are unionized, which I think is great. Really, though, none of this affects me; I just think its cool to say I'm part of a union. Oh yeah, but it allows me to enjoy the benefits of my uber-progressive oh-so-European 35-hour work week. I don't foresee any imminent A2-style "stick it to the Man" strikes...we're all shiny, happy news geeks here.

2004-03-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

"Thank you to the people of New Jersey"
-Sopranos creator David Chase.

Tonight inspired a very rare arousal of television excitement as my favorite show made its season premiere. I have very little to say about the show other than the claim that it is unequivocally the highest quality piece of programming that exists within an otherwise unstimulating telecrap lineup. That, and it's probably one of the only things that makes me damn proud to a Jerseyan. Haven't seen the show? Other than being somewhat of a loser, you're missing out on the greatest dramas portrayed on cable TV. That, and the Sopranos offers perhaps the most accurate vision of the NJ's natives and notable locales. Yeah, we hardcore.

2004-03-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

Bush Re-election ads: Simply disgusting.
Two ads refer to the hijacked airliner attacks that killed about 3,000 as the Bush campaign seeks to present him as a leader. One ad shows World Trade Center ruins behind an American flag. Another shows firefighters removing the flag-draped remains of a victim.

With Republicans holding their political convention in New York in late August, victims said they hope Bush does not make it worse by speaking at the site now known as Ground Zero, which many view as sacred.

Where's the reverence?

2004-03-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

Therapeutic rolling
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has approved the use of MDMA in a major trauma study sponsored by MAPS. This historic event comes as a major victory for serious supporters of the empathogen's potential psychiatric applications.

"The DEA's move marks a historic turn for a drug that has long been both venerated and vilified.

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is popular among casual drug users for its reputed capacity to engender feelings of love, trust and compassion. The government classifies it with LSD and heroin as a drug with no known medical use and high potential for abuse.

Although the study's approval is by no means a federal endorsement of uncontrolled use, it will give ecstasy's proponents their first legitimate opportunity to prove the drug can offer medical benefits."

2004-02-26T13:26:00.000-05:00

Salutations to all the Mrs. Robinsons
I just joined the Dow Jones Health Club--requisite, of course, for becoming a successful and well-rounded yuppie. In an effort to improve my personal health (I've enjoyed quite an "interesting" lifestyle for the last four years), I've constructed a new fitness schedule: Tu/Th--"lessons in flexibility," (read ahead) alternated with erging--the most beneficial type of self-torture--on M/W/F. I'm pretty out of shape from debauching myself on a fairly regular basis, but I'm pretty much the youngest guy in the locker room, and am therefore a superman (except in the eyes of those snooty execs who gaze disapprovingly at my tattoo...they can just enjoy their upcoming cardiac arrests).

I've enrolled in a biweekly yoga class--the said flexibility lessons--offered right in the basement of my building during lunch hours. I experimented with yoga on my last Factiva tour of duty...on days that I got it right (which was fairly infrequently), I enjoyed afternoons filled with an almost unreal sense of tranquility (sort of like a lucid form of being high on some pleasantly mild psychedelic). But what I really enjoyed about the class was being virtually the only male in a room filled with very classy, exquisitely older women...let the seduction begin...ole!

Ooh, caught blogging at work...everyone's chill as hell, though...should probably stop anyway...

2004-02-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

A lucrative and very annoying Ash Wednesday
The frenzy over Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is driving me nuts, but I just wanted to put my opinion out there: everyone shut the fuck up. Until today, I had very little to say on the "issue"...I'm a very undevout Catholic and frankly couldn't care less about the actual film. But then the Lenten season officially commences (in the great American tradition of shameless capitalism, a scheme is born to exploit it), and the real shitstorm begins. Now, if my extremely devout grandmother--whom I love very much--were to ask me to take her to it (which she won't because 1. she dislikes contemporary movies, 2. she has quite enough "faith," thank you very much and 3. images of gore make her ill), I would comply without protest. But I probably won't end up seeing the movie. I will admit, though, that I'm rather curious to see how a sterile Sunday school tale (that's how I knew it) was transformed into a multi-million dollar bloodfest.

I'm also curious to know how watching this particular piece of cinematography will edify the spiritual foundations of Christians, and how complaining incessantly about the film will bring about any sort of solution to the problem of anti-Semitism. One should approach matters of religion/juicy morsels of media hype with extreme neutrality (this rarely happens)...perhaps Jews should go see the film to ascertain the precise level of cultural bias while Christians stay home to read about the benefits of a non-dogmatic system of morality. OK, that's all I'm going to write about this...the internet is already awash with inane analyses of how the "Passion" is such a big deal (one of the only sensible articles coming from Tikkun--an authentically progressive feel-good source of Jewish commentary). For Lent, I plan to give up discussing the movie any further. (Aramaic? That's so damn pretentious...)

2004-02-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

Fascists
In international election news, India's far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that the nation's electoral process will take place as soon as April. Last month's decision to hold the general elections at an earlier time came as a huge disappointment to opposition parties, and is being criticized as an act of "unprincipled opportunism." By staging staggered elections starting in April, the party hopes to capitalize on the popularity it has garnered in the last few months. The hijacking of these elections is typical of the BJP's amoral political behavior. Currently holding the majority of India's parlaimentary seats, the BJP has secured the support of much of India's predominantly Hindu population by appealing to ultra-nationalistic sentiment. Since the 1980s, this corrupt institution has engineered riots, fixed local elections and stripped the liberties of all non-Hindus. This year's elections are projected to be the largest in the world, with over 600 million voters deciding India's fate for the next five years. If the BJP retains the majority, there is sure to be a steady increase of anti-Muslim violence and heightened tension with Pakistan over Kashmir.

The BJP and its right-wing allies practice what I perceive to be the most repugnant form of conservatism possible; it practices its Klan-esque policies at the state level, and its rabid members preach only hate. Think the Republicans are bad? They are...but the BJP makes the Grand Old Party look like the Sesame Street gang.

For those unversed in contemporary Indian nationalism, I offer this excellent primer, which you can compare to a pompous (and false) account of the BJP's nationalistic policy. I plan to write more about the BJP as more electoral developments come to light...I really hate these assholes.

2004-02-23T11:57:00.000-05:00

Lessons learned from 2000
I will normally eschew discussions of domestic politics on this web log, but I simply could not resist touching upon the news of Nader's decision to run for president.

Ralph,
What are you doing, buddy? In 2000, you were like the Jim Morrison of the presidential race, and I, as a highly impressionable college kid, was proud to idealistically vote Green. You had the fire, you made me proud to be a liberal, and you made my heart bleed. I loved everything that came out of your mouth; unlike the other charlatans, you didn't spew rhetoric and you avoided the bullshit. Hell, you evenly openly opposed the drug war, and that's when I became certain that you were my man. For you, I cast the first vote I was legally allowed to make; I pulled for you to get your 5% and I defended myself against overzealous Dems.

Then George and his thugs took their win and went nuts with it...no one was prepared for the PATRIOT Act and all that other jive. Hey, it wasn't your fault, Ralphie; I'll stick by that. Florida just couldn't get its act together. But this time around, the situation's more critical...the Bush Machine has to go. You're unorganized this year; there's nothing for you to win. Let's just be honest here: you're stroking your ego a little bit. I mean, you are a sweet dude and all, but you're just not playing fair here.

C'mon, why don't you just step down? How about you and me take on a different crew? We'll stick it to Johnny W. and get reefer decriminalized. You're too good for the presidential gig...usually you have to be a sellout to win that post. Politics on the Hill is poo anyway; you don't want to become a crooked bore like the rest of them. Look, there's no easy way to tell you this, and it really breaks my heart to do so, but I'm going to have to be pragmatic (you know how much I hate that word) this year...I still love you and I really dig your style, but you can't have my vote this time. Sorry, old pal.

Yours,
N

P.S. Hit me up if you wanna do a J sometime.

2004-02-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

Flashbacks
This afternoon, I paid a visit to one of Princeton's little-known historical gems--a tiny, walled graveyard situated in the middle of an large old field. My last visit was almost five years ago with a dear friend, and I had been anxious to revisit the site since returning home to the area. The significance of the place lies in its age; many of the stones date back to the Revolutionary War, a few even going back the 1600s! Today, the graveyard is unkempt and overrun by brambles, this appearance only adding to an air of historic sanctity. Few people seem to know about its existence owing mainly to its discreet location out of view of a nearby main road. My return to the little cemetery was necessary for me to find some redemptive value in an area otherwise devoid of novelty or excitement. After being re-acquainted with such a precious window on local and regional history, I feel a bit better about living in this town.

2004-02-20T12:03:00.000-05:00

Your state of mind
"Brain research indicates that people are hard-wired for empathy, and that faith affects the experience of their own agony and that of others."

Newly public studies indicate that individuals have the power to manipulate level of pleasure/pain through belief alone. A fascinating article from the Los Angeles Times explains the new findings of UCLA, Princeton and University of Michigan research teams.

2004-02-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

On putting a tradition to sleep
I'm rather upset about the management desk's decision to discontinue The Michigan Daily's "Jeopardy" spoof issue. For those who know not what I refer to, Jeopardy is the annual seniors' goodbye tradition involving the production of a paper with fabricated news, followed by a roast of fellow writers done in Jeopardy format. The event was created to recognize and celebrate the end-of-January transition between incoming and outgoing editors.

News of the tradition's termination bothers me because it indicates the growth of an already exaggerated level of political correctness on campus. It is true: the Jeopardy issue is perenially filled with crude and immature humor. The articles are written by inebriated students--generally offbeat, but innocent jabs at various student groups, campus figures and unpopular trends. Without fail, these stories somehow generate an obscene amount of resentment over that weekend (the edition is always printed on a Friday), and several complaints are filed by the following Monday.

Critics of the Daily fail to recognize that the spoof symbolizes something significant to each graduating class of seniors-- it is the sole opportunity to forget about the constraints of propriety and it offers chance to end one's career in student journalism on a lighthearted and memorable note. Daily staffers are not professionals, yet for some reason, are expected to perform as so. And no, the Jeopardy edition is not an example of journalistic excellence, but it means a lot to its authors, and it's just one time during the entire year that the Daily is not one of the finest college papers in the nation.

The hoopla over all of this "controversy" demonstrates only that people in Ann Arbor can be fucking self-righteously PC over anything. The daily's audience is, and always has been, an unappeasable lot. I participated in the tradition known as Jeopardy, and I was lucky to be afforded the experience. To the silly letter-writers who missed the joke of it all, demanded "professionalism" or whose sensibilities were offended: that issue of the paper was for us, not you. And to M-Desk: you shouldn't have been so scared of the University's population of squares; they're just thick-headed, whining bastards and ultimately mean nothing. It's your loss, though.

2004-02-18T23:28:00.000-05:00

How to sue the government
From drugpolicy.org:
The Drug Policy Alliance and other major drug policy reform groups have joined together to file a lawsuit against the U.S. government and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for censoring the free speech of drug policy reformers. The Alliance and its partners announced the suit today before a full house of local and national media at the National Press Club.

For logic, look north:
In sharp contrast to the US, the Canadian government seems to be considering a more progressive attitude towards soft drugs. A federal marijuana decriminalization bill was reintroduced to the House of Commons last week, proposing that possession of less 15 grams of marijuana should result in a minor fine, but not jail time. The bill was originally introduced during the 2003 legislative session. Read more about it.

Canadians: not puritan, not paranoid...nice folks who don't fuck their fellow citizens over.

2004-02-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

Caffeine makes my pee smell weird
In an effort to acclimatize myself to ungodly waking hours, I chugged a cup of Lucifer's brew, only to find myself sweating, shaking and blathering to my co-workers liked a coked up fool. Note to self: Lay off the Colombian...see how it affects me.

Anyhoo, I'm still wired, on my lunch break and in a conversational mood, so I thought I'd write a little more about what exactly it is I do here at Factiva (the ambiguous web site offers very few clues). My official title is "Content Creation Specialist," cleverly worded to disguise the position's true connotation--internet junky/editorial flunky. Along with other content group members (ex-journos and librarians) in Princeton, London, Barcelona and Singapore (I think I'm in the wrong town), I'm basically in charge of trolling an internal wire in search of relevant (mainly business-related) news, then republishing it for clients.

It's cool because I basically get to decide which news to post (thereby manipulating searches), and I can enjoy fleeting power trips from time to time. I also have to do a lot of coding (HTML), so stories can be easy found with precise search strings; this is the geeky part of the job. My position essentially entails a nice mix of information technology and journalism...for all of you Daily people, I am basically acting in a similar capacity to a U-WIRE editor, just for massive, evil companies instead of the college press. Another one of my duties is to aid in the publishing of daily newsletters...my news topics? Tobacco and beer! They sure know how to pick the assignments for me. It gets better: my bosses have given pharmaceuticals to me as my main research focus. This is deliciously ironic in light of my recreational interest in the topic. It must be a sign...

The really nice part about the job, though, is how much I learn on a daily basis. I am literally bombarded with thousands of stories per day, and have no choice but to pay attention to what is going on the world in near real-time. I'm also becoming even more proficient with web searches, enabling me to nearly anything on the internet. During my last stint at Factiva, I actually managed to buy certain products normally only available on the black market. Anyone in the market for some Stinger missles?

I hope I haven't bored anyone to death with the job talk; I don't mean to belabor the point. It's just that all of this time on my hands (reminder: I live in suburban N.J.) affords me opportunities to go sort of nuts with my writing. I promise to write about fun stuff in the future.

2004-02-17T21:48:00.000-05:00

Daniel Pearl
According to a Reuters article, Pakistani authorities have apprehended a man suspected of being involved with the kidnapping and vicious killing of Wall Street Journal reporter and Princeton native Daniel Pearl. Pearl was murdered just months before I started working at the DJ campus two summers ago. His death is still mourned here, and has been perhaps the most striking reminder of the dangers journalists face in recent past.

2004-02-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

Young Suburban Professional
Employed at last! Today was my first working day at Factiva, a five year-old knowledge management company and news provider jointly owned by Dow Jones and Reuters. I was an intern here during the summer of 2002 (my "summer of trouble" for those of you who know me well), and I'm quite happy to be back.

I work in Factiva's editorial department as a sort of researcher/copy-editor for Factiva's subscription wire service. Its search engine currently crawls over 9,000 news sources (which include everything from Al Jazeera to The Michigan Daily) across the world, and its information database rivals that of Lexis Nexis. Overall, Factiva is a pretty sweet place to name as one's employer. The environment is extremely casual and I work with super-chill, warm, friendly people (upon my return, I was greeted with hugs...not the typically cold cubicle-culture reception one would expect from a company of its size...I do, however, sit in a cubicle). Factiva HQ came to central New Jersey after the massive, post-Sept. 11 exodus of businesses from Manhattan...the company is situated on a picturesque campus in the "Princeton-metro" area, and its offices lie next door to those of The Wall Street Journal. The close proximity of the Dow Jones-owned WSJ allows me and a thousand other Factiva/Reuters/DJ employees free daily access to this very pricey publication. This is very exciting because the Journal is, without a doubt, the most suberbly crafted newspaper in the nation (the NYT is shite), despite the unfortunate fact that it caters largely to corporate whores. I work for a corporation now (yikes!), but I am not a whore. I swear.