"Respect—not tolerance—must be our goal if we would diminish prejudice in our time. For tolerance is often but a gentle disguise for prejudice: the tolerant often behave as self-appointed connoisseurs of weaknesses in others, or self-appointed protectors of those whom they deem to be their inferiors. Psychologically, there is a strong resemblance between the stridently “tolerant” and the prejudiced. For while the one may descend to attacking whole groups of men and the other may rise to a passionate defense of them, both are equally indiscriminate in their attack or defense; and neither has any concern whatsoever for individual character." - Selma G. Hirsch", U.S. social scientist ,The Fears Men Live By, ch. 9, Harper & Brothers (1955).

There are an amazing number of passages in the Bible devoted to prostitutes. Warnings against hiring them, Jesus healing them in a variety of ways, metaphors likening God's people to them, etc.

As one who works deeply with technology I am daily confronted with pornography in various forms. I dare say there is no new technology that comes about anymore that isn't tainted by hints of pornography just around the corner. YouTube, Second Life, BitTorrent, are all potential gateways to getting it. I find it's pervasiveness depressing and exploitative. It is a flimsy paper replica of what God has blessed me with in my marriage, but is still something that I have to daily resist. I choose to resist it because I think it is poison to real life.

Anyway as I was musing on this on the bus ride in this morning it occured to me the way the term "adult film star" has come into common parlance. And as I thought about the teachings and actions of Jesus and reflected on technology and pornography I also came to the realization that "adult film star" is a pleasant sounding euphemism for prositute, "a person, typically a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment". When you frame pornography as prosititution and chasing after it as chasing after a prostitute, it brings the teachings of the Bible and modern life together in a somewhat stark way.

My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For the lips of an adult film star drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not. (paraphrased from Proverbs)

I am swamped by email. I have so much of it, that it is starting to become not very useful to people sending things to me. Honestly I think the alternative is to batch process stuff in meetings. Rather than emailing everyone everything, bring it to the meetings which we have anyway and present it, decide on it and act on it then.

To see how bad my personal problem is, I graphed the age of emails in my inbox. The histogram is on the left. I think what this suggests is that there are three types of emails. Quick questions which are answered in 1-2 days, slow questions which are answered in 16 days (or less) and things which I can't easily respond to by email and they therefore don't get answered for months.

After hearing Jimmy Carter speak I respect and admire him more than ever. As Chancellor Drake said he is an outstanding example of a man who acts from his values.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Education -- Jimmy Carter urges balanced U.S. position toward Israel during California campus stop
12:44 a.m. May 4, 2007
IRVINE – Former President Jimmy Carter urged students at a Southern California university with a history of strained relations between Jewish and Islamic groups to set differences aside and work together to find solutions. More

Pre-cookie monster eats a computer. Very funny if you are a geek. I am. It is.

Click on the image to watch the YouTube movie.