Wonderful Endistant

From an old Russian (Soviet) movie.



I hear voices from the Wonderful Endistant,
Morning voices coming from the silver dew.
I hear voices, and the calling road is twisting
In my head, like in my childhood, carousel;

Oh, Wonderful Endistant,
Do not be so insistent,
Do not be so insistent,
So harsh do not be.
Away from pure existent
To Wonderful Endistant,
To Wonderful Endistant
A path is calling me.

I hear voices from the Wonderful Endistant.
They are calling me to not a heaven's land.
I hear voices, they are asking very strictly
Of today, what for tomorrow I have planned;

Oh, Wonderful Endistant,
Do not be so insistent,
Do not be so insistent,
So harsh do not be.
Away from pure existent
To Wonderful Endistant,
To Wonderful Endistant
A path is calling me.

I swear I will be much cleaner and much kinder;
That in danger, I will never leave a friend.
I hear voices and I hurry to their calling
Down a path without a footstep in the sand;

Oh, Wonderful Endistant,
Do not be so insistent,
Do not be so insistent,
So harsh do not be.
Away from pure existent
To Wonderful Endistant,
To Wonderful Endistant
A path is calling me.

Opinion: in regard to Not-a-Prom supporting third-party non-profit organizations

Today I was yet again struck by a difference of views, felt like I was alone in my opinion, and walked out of the RC for the first time since last May. I'm sorry if I was a jerk and wish to convey only that those in charge of the RC's Not-a-Prom reconsider their proposed plans: in light of moral considerations and the lasting impact of these plans on the RC's image, as well as on integrity of the RC community.

I'm talking about the plan to use part of the Not-a-Prom (annual student-run RC dance party) money to make a contribution to a non-profit organization of the students' choosing. I do not object to making a contribution to a NPO with a good cause. I do not object to altruism... in fact, I'm all for altruism, figuratively speaking. But I feel like the decision to vote for a single organization to donate to was taken light-heartedly. The following quote is from an e-mail that I recieved this March 10th:

We’ve decided to turn Not-a-Prom into a fundraiser this year. This means that a percentage of your ticket price will be donated, and there will be an opportunity to donate something extra (or donate but not attend, if you wish). At the event, you will have the opportunity to vote on where to donate the money.

I immediately thought: this seems wrong, but quickly forgot about it. Only today at the RC did I realize the need to address the issue.

Here is what I mean: a few students in the RC were discussing potential NPOs, and Planned Parenthood was briefly mentioned. Planned Parenthood is a pro-abortion organization and was discarded as a possible choice out of consideration for conservative students at the RC. And rightfully so. Imagine that you were pro-life and the pro-choice majority at the Not-a-Prom voted to donate the profits to Planned Parenthood. You would have as much reason to object as when a few of your tax dollars were at stake during the health care debate.

So, out of consideration for conservative students, Planned Parenthood was quickly dropped from discussion, and a unanimous decision was made to consider only non-controversial NPOs. There will no longer be serious opposition to any option on the table. Good, right?

No, not good. I strongly feel that, even if everyone in the RC agrees is willing to support a particular NPO, the following question must be answered before a donation is made:

Why is a group closely related to the RC supporting __X__?

Take the Red Cross, for example. Supporting the Red Cross seems like a good non-controversial cause. But no, it isn't non-controversial. No organization you may support will be non-controversial. Thus, by donating, you are supporting whatever cause you donate to. In fact, it you donate to X, you technically indirectly support anything that X does with your money. And whatever you support, is it what the RC stands for?

What does the RC stand for? I have frequented the RC lounge for two years. The lounge is a place for everyone, regardless of views. Some people study more, some less; some people are liberal, some are conservative; some people regard certain things as justifiable, others do not. On occasion we debate these questions, and I sometimes join the discussion, not supporting a side, but instead providing constructive arguments for both. Regardless, everyone's opinions are welcome. Everyone is welcome. It is not easy for me, then, to witness a decision that may disrupt this networking, a decision that people seem to agree with, but that nevertheless upsets what I feel the RC stands for.

Not everyone is welcome anymore when certain sides are supported, no matter how innocent they may sound. Not everyone is welcome when an RC group decides to aggregate money from people and donate it to a single organization. And not everyone will feel welcome after the RC stops being what it is now and becomes a big fundraiser for whatever people want to raise funds. That's not the RC as I know it. That's just not smart.

It is with this that I plead to the administrative body of the Not-a-Prom and other groups in a similar situation. Do not make the mistake made by so many. Do not ask individuals to donate to an unknown organization. Do not pick any sides. Do not support any cause beside the causes that are directly related to what the RC is. Leave the Red Cross and Haiti to support by individuals.

What is the RC?

Shuttle from Hungary

After packing through what would be my night (around 11:30pm to 3:30am), I expected that I would be done with talking in Hungarian. I was wrong. At about 4:00am, my phone rings.

- [illegible Hungarian informing me that my shuttle has arrived]

- Umm, do you speak English?

- Nem értem.

- Umm, ok, öt perc.

- Nem tudok várni.

- Ok... megyek.

The driver, of course, spoke English and could well understand me. And when he told me that he was waiting for me 20 minutes with two passengers, I took it as nothing more than a throw of blame. It's the usual trick: if I'm going to yell at you, I will make it as bad as possible. I'm going to wait as long as I can, I'm going to talk to you in a language that you don't understand... oh, you do understand. Oh well. What he couldn't do was drive away: worrying, angering, and yelling are stimulating, and therefore more enjoyable than any protocol.

I could have yelled back at him, but I was tired. His viewpoint was apparently that I should wait outside for an indeterminate amount of time (since he never called to confirm the time) at 3am in -15 C.

You are probably thinking: of course it's my fault. Sorry. There was no reason why he would wait 20 minutes before picking up his cell phone, except to yell at me. There was no reason why he would expect me outside in the first place. He hasn't confirmed the call, and I was in fact waiting for him to announce that he was at the door, or better, on his way. No, it's just what we are cultured to do: stand witness and count every minute that the driver be late, and nail him in case he doesn't show up, or shows up at the wrong time. I was there and my friend was there; we saw everything and heard everything.

Tossed lecture notes

Number theorist E. Kowalski supposedly found 40 pages of typewritten lecture notes on 3-manifold topology. He posted the first page on his blog, and it has quickly been reposted on the blog Low Dimensional Topology. (I'm subscribed to both.)

I thought I'd spread the news just for fun, and because my math-themed blog needs some math once in a while.