Strong women want more than just the fight. Strong women carry a fragile longing in their hearts. They hear the tender melody of love. A melody which is so gentle that it can even appear to be kitschy. They hold pictures of flowing veils, as delicate as spiders’ webs, and of tender caresses deep in their soul.

consoling to hear that strong women face almost exactly the same issues as strong men..

Gregor quotes Maja Storch

As always, Gregor provokes thought. Here, he quotes a very interesting article about women who run with the wolves aka tigresses. As a man, I’ve been both the aloof wolf and the sheepish boy-next-door. Both have pros and cons, but in the end, both suck.

The wolf has quantity, but little quality … at least not in depth of relationships. Always on the prowl, he never stays in one place long enough to form attachments. Other hearts may break, but not his … never his.

The sheep’s lot is not much better. He can pretend moral superiority because he does not prey on women. Rather than prowling, he waits for the woman to discover the warmth he has to offer. However, as he is not actively engaged in the search, his chances for success are greatly reduced.

Ultimately, both approaches are about maintaining the appearance of emotional safety. However, in protecting the well, both wolf and sheep let it run dry. As I said, both suck.

So, what is the tiger to do? Simple … stay in the forest, neither hiding nor hunting. Be selective. Do not waste time. Ignore both simple, pointless dalliances and long, drawn out attempts to salvage doomed relationships.

Rather, engage and get to know as many tigresses as you can. Sure, you will take your scars and you should wear them with pride. Eventually, you’ll find a tigress who knows there is no weakness in submitting to love. And, she’ll know that this submission needn’t mean she lose herself either.

When you find this mythical tigress, hold on to her without letting yourself go. It is the only way she will stay around.

Sound simple? It shouldn’t. It is damn hard. But then, not worth having comes easy or free.

The Dixie Chicks have taken a big hit lately for exercising their basic right to express themselves. To me, they’re terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech. For them to be banished wholesale from radio stations, and even entire radio networks, for speaking out is un-American.

The pressure coming from the government and big business to enforce conformity of thought concerning the war and politics goes against everything that this country is about - namely freedom. Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create freedom in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home.

I don’t know what happens next, but I do want to add my voice to those who think that the Dixie Chicks are getting a raw deal, and an un-American one to boot. I send them my support.

Bruce Springsteen

As always, the Boss. Why someone has not named him this country’s Poet Laureate yet, I cannot imagine. Incidentally, I share much the same opinon.

After 8 months as Xaraya/Project X and well over a year under another name before that, Team Xaraya has released our first public beta. Lots of folks have worked very hard to make this project happen and special “nods of the head” go to PMC members John Cox, Marcel vander Boom and Gregor Rothfuss as well as BlockLayout guru Marty Vance. While the official press release is not yet available on the website, you can read the announcement from the lists by clicking the link below.

The Cincinnati Bengals opened their first minicamp under coach Marvin Lewis with one notable absence Friday - their record-setting running back.

< SNIP >

Dillon was upset that his no-show was getting publicized.

“They should look up ‘voluntary’ in the dictionary,” Dillon said. “I volunteered to be with my family this weekend and if anybody there thinks anything is more important than my people, they better talk to me. If it’s mandatory, I’m there.”

ESPN.com

Grow up Corey! I have mad respect for your skills (and they are Jim Brown-like) but it is time to let go of the rest of the Jim Brown persona.

You get paid to play a game. You work hard and I give you credit you for that. But you also get paid well and have big chunks of vacation called an “off-season”. The people who come to see you play do not.

Any other year, I might even by your “my family is most important” argument. But, this is not any other year. Coach Lewis is here and he is turning things around, at least that is how it seems to most folks here.

You say you want to lead and you want to win … that is why you wanted out in the past. Here is your chance to put up or shut up. Just don’t whine about it and expect much sympathy.

You know, I think this has to my favorite picture of the G-Man. Taken straight from his adventures in Thailand, the flower behind the ear and the blonde streaks are a nice, if effeminate, touch.

The hysteria over P2P has gotten out of hand. While protecting copyright is a worthwhile endeavor, suing college students will not get artists a penny more in royalties. Conscripting cash-strapped universities to act as muscle for the entertainment industries is absurd. Putting entire universities under constant surveillance is simply unacceptable.

There is a better way.The problem is not P2P file sharing. In fact, file sharing is a remarkable innovation that has enabled a worldwide community of music fans to build the greatest library of recorded music in the history of the world.

The problem is that artists are not getting paid. It is time to address the problem.

Fred von Lohmann
- New music rules are needed -
The Daily Princetonian

So says Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. von Lohmann has an interesting take on the P2P vs. Artist’s Rights debate, and I like the way he thinks.