Excuse me, Paul, I'm having a problem with this... this credo.

This article about chemical castration is alarming.  We're becoming a society ruled by fear and popularity, slander and slogans.  I think it is telling that we're granting increased rights to animals, we're infinitely concerned with the environment, and yet it is completely within the bounds of acceptable thought to say "I don't think you can call such individuals – such creatures – human beings. I don't think you can talk about human rights in such a case," as the Polish PM did.  I see how we are no longer open to rational reasoning.  Perhaps that's unfair and we've never been all that open to honest debate.  But it scares me that a decision made in anger, with a populist bent and a dash of reversibility, is garnering legitimacy.  Maybe this is the wrong place to write this, but where do we find rehabilitation in forcible (if temporary) castration?  

I get it.  I'm antipedophile, too.  But there is something science fiction, something dystopic and wrong about consciously shutting off a person's natural functions as a punishment.  Yes, they're wrong.  Yes, they're guilty of heinous crimes.  Deal with it some other way.  Even the report says it isn't 100%.  

Thanks to my friend in law school in Seattle for that article.

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On a remarkably brighter note, I got my first postcard from Julia, my conversation partner last year, today.  It's from Singapore, since that's where she lives now and is doing Asian-Whiz Kid-Biological research there at the National University of Singapore (really really good Ph.D research school).

It's a sweet postcard, and I was happy to receive it.

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I'm becoming increasingly aware of my current boss's inability to be a responsible communicator.  I've called her and left messages twice this week about scheduling.  I'm sure I shouldn't complain about that in public, but it is not very considerate.

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The mood on campus is somber as of late, but life is going on as before.  I noticed that there weren't many people in the caf at lunch today, but I imagine that will return to normal before long, too.

T