New Bumper Sticker!

"God is more than you think."

It doesn't cover _all_ the bases, but it is a truism.

Fwd: Changing Culture - It's Sexy to be Sober

Greetings, all.

I _very_ rarely send out a mass mailing to my contact list, but I did want to ask for your support in an event I had a little to do with. The event is actually this evening and, while that may not give much time for you to plan attending, please consider the message below to see if this is an issue you can support in mind, body, and/or spirit.

Thanks for your time!

Sincerely,

Burton Lo

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Stu Weintraub <stu@weintraubmedia.com>
Date: Wed, May 28, 2008 at 10:40 PM

Friends and Colleagues:

 

I'm proud to be producing an event this Thursday evening (May 29th at 7pm) at Aubergine in the Gaslamp Quarter (click here for directions) that is sure to be a first-ever occasion, which we hope will make a positive impact on our culture.

 

Click here to view the video of me on Fox 6's San Diego Living describing the cause for which we are raising awareness and funds. It is a joy to be speaking out on issues and for an organization with a mission passionate to my core.

 

 

The event is billed as: SEXY-n-SOBER 2008 – "An Evening of Fashion and Unfermented Fun" to benefit The Sundt Memorial Foundation which sends FREE DVD's to EVERY SCHOOL IN THE U.S. using kids' positive role models such as Tony Hawk, encouraging school kids to pursue their "Natural Highs" in life and to stay clear of drugs and alcohol. When all other programs charge school districts money, and use ineffective messaging like "JUST SAY NO" Sundt has employed the same psychology known to work with positive-parenting techniques… Give them Positive Role Models in Life!!!

Tickets are available at the door for $40 cash at the door. We'll see you there tomorrow night!

 

Best regards,

 

Stu Weintraub

This message was sent from Stu Weintraub to blo@27.org. It was sent from: SexynSober.com, 3525 Del Mar Heights Rd #424, San Diego, CA 92130. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

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Choice: The Heart of the Matter (or Issue)?

(Just blabbing here, please don't mind me.)

There are some issues in dispute that seem bound by a simple premise -- whether the issue is a matter of choice.

This came up for me recently with the California Supreme Court's ruling on the ban of gay marriage being unconstitutional. I was wondering why this was such a polarized debate for people when I remembered how some people that I've spoken with simply believe that sexual orientation is a conscious choice rather than an natural attribute, like hair color or gender.

I think that when people accept that an issue is beyond a person's ability to choose, that there is less dispute. This doesn't always work, but I think it's crucial for people to understand each other.

Sometimes I try to exemplify the issue by proposing that a person imagine they have cancer. There's no absolute cure as of yet and the best a person can do is assume a positive attitude and pursue available treatments. While some achieve success, there's no guarantee that a person can "choose" to get over cancer.

I've spoken to people before about gay rights and many times people have simply assumed that being gay was a choice. I don't fully agree. I imagine that some people choose it, but I also believe that for many (most?) it is simply the way they are built, in the same way I'm male and Asian.

I try to apply this same thinking in matters of status, race, gender, etc... There are some things that can be affected by choice, but there are no guarantees. While many people have achieved amazing successes through hard work, discipline, and positive thinking (amongst other attributes), there are simply forces beyond human choice that affect outcomes.

My point is that I often feel sad at the lack of tolerance or compassion for people that get the short end of the stick in society. Prejudice sucks and I think it can be avoided.

Last thought: consider the people you know that have changed from being more accepting of people to less accepting, then compare that number with people changing from less to more. I think the second number would be larger and I imagine that comes from experience of the world trumping preconceptions from youth. I could be wrong.

What I learned at Novice School

[UPDATED: added times from measured runs]

Man, just sitting down for some pho for dinner after an amazing day of learning how to race. Ahhh. My legs are tired from walking so much, but aside from that, I had such a great day!

So, what'd I learn today? I learned a bunch of things including:

- autocross is NOT about pressing the throttle as hard as I physically can
- fast autocross times are typically contrary to getting my ya-ya's out
- steady is good
- smooth is good
- slowing down for slow corners is better than powering through them
- all things being equal, the shorter line is better
- my car is amazing!

I netted the second best time, beat only by Dave in his BSP RX-8. Before he did his time, I had first and second place. Not to toot my own horn, but I was smoking!

I have so much to be thankful to this new guy I met named Raijo. He was an incredible instructor and he gave me so much to work with and practice. I'm indebted to his patience, skill, and generosity of spirit.

Lastly, I swear, the community of autocrossers really kicks ass. All the instructors were volunteers and they were good spirited throughout and endlessly helpful. Thanks to all the volunteers.

The course was designed with three segments that we practiced one at a time in the first half of the day. We ran late, so the last segment was after lunch. After that (with a quick run for more gas for myself), the segments were connected together and we got to run the entire course in its entirety. Here are my times (in order):

- 78.823
- 77.071
- 77.681
- 77.746