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2006-02-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

Folk Marxism

2006-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

This theory really helps me to understand "liberal" ideology better than anything I've ever read before.

Arnold Kling TCS article
WSJ:Best of the Web

Any thoughts on this Justin?

Repeating History's Mistake

2006-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what the people who allowed Hitler to rise to power were thinking? When they listened to news reports on the radio or read newspaper accounts of things that were taking place in Europe, what was going through their minds. Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but I wonder what it would be like to go back in time to the mid-1930s and talk to people on the street about Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan. Maybe I'm just being overly dramatic here but when I read articles like this one and this one, I wonder if maybe I'm not one of those people who tells themselves that everything is ok, when the writing is starting to appear on the wall. I want to believe as much as the next guy in the "moderate" Muslims, but is that the same thing that people said about the "moderate" Germans. Is the election of Hamas in 2006 any different than the election of the National Socialist Party in 1933?

I mean seriously, am I crazy to be worried about this?

Microchip in your Razor

2006-02-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

I think the R&D people at Gilette have too much time on their hands:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BUW8WM/102-7978845-5047356

Here's the product description:
-Backside of the cartridge features a Precision Trimmer for side-burns and hard-to-reach areas
-Power handle features on-board microchip that optimizes the razor's performance in and out of the shower
-Breakthrough five-blade shaving surface on the front of the cartridge
-Flexible comfort guard carefully follows the contours of the face
-Enhanced indicator Lubrastrip signals when it's time to change the blade

Funny site

2006-02-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/index.htm

Not that we have flame wars in our comments (or any comments for that matter) but this is hilarious.

A Letter to Secretary Rice

2006-02-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Secretary Rice,
I would just like to say that I am very disappointed and discouraged by the following statements made by State Department Spokesperson Justin Higgins.

"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the beliefs of Muslims," State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said when queried about the furore sparked by the cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper.

"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility," Higgins told AFP.

"Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable. We call for tolerance and respect for all communities and for their religious beliefs and practices."

These comments indicate to me a stunning misunderstanding of this situation and send an alarming message about the US support for the freedom of speech and the press around the globe. These cartoons were solicited precisely to show that free expression in Europe was being suppressed by the threat of violence and terror at the hands of radical Islamic militants. Their response to the publishing of the cartoons is evident throughout Europe and the Mid-East, where rather than a tolerant response they are calling for bombings and beheadings. Even if the cartoons were in poor taste, they were certainly not intended to "incite religious hatred".

The recent controversy surrounding a political cartoon in the Washington Post and the dignified response by the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as an example of how civilized societies respond to the actions of the free press. Condoning, or at least not strongly condemning, the rhetoric and actions of the radical Islamic militants while failing to show support for the fundamental rights of the peoples of Denmark and other European countries is in my estimation a poor response.

It is my hope that the US can play an active role in encouraging tolerance, but more importantly in demonstrating the importance of freedom of speech even in the face of disapproval. Otherwise where do we draw the line? I shudder to think what kind of place America and the rest of the Free World would be if our governments imposed limits on our press or other institutions in the name of religious tolerance.

I hope that the US Dept of State does a better job in the future of promoting the ideals that so many Americans, both past and present, fight and die for both at home and abroad.

Sincerely,
Tremain E. Wheatley

Boycott the Infidels!

2006-02-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

For what it's worth, I would just like to voice my support for this worthy cause.

Surely the West must be punished for it's insolence and the grievous injuries that Islam has suffered at the hands of Danish doodlers. D'oh.

Umm...yeah. Seriously people, WTF?

I mean, these Danish cartoonists are real creative geniuses if you ask me. Who would ever think to associate Mohammed (and Islam) with terrorism? I wonder what their inspiration was. Those crazy Danes!

I think this blogger has the right idea.
Check out his whole blog, it's pretty solid.

This news report says it all:

"The Muslim Council of Britain said its reaction to the BBC's decision to broadcast [the controversial cartoons] would "depend on the context".

A spokesman said: "It depends on whether they're broadcast to illustrate the story about the row developing, or, in the same way as the European newspapers have published, to gloat about freedom. (I don't even know what gloating about freedom means. Should we be embarrased by freedom? Is choosing to exercise that freedom somehow a bad thing?)

"We recognise that the newspapers have full freedom. However, we hope that they would be able to show restraint when it comes to these images because of the enormous hurt it would cause to Muslims."

Cry me a freaking river. Here's a tip: Don't read the comics section of a European newspaper. Then your feelings won't be hurt. When Danish cartoonists start killing Muslims for their beliefs, then we can talk.

Does the Muslim Council of Britain understand the enormous hurt that is caused when people blow up subway trains in the name of Allah? How about you start condemning the violence and killing that is perpetrated in the name of Mohammed before you start whining about us drawing pictures of him.

Some advice for American Idol wannabees

2006-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

I love watching the early rounds of American Idol where they travel around major cities and tens of thousands of people audition to make it on the show. This is mostly for the entertainment value of watching people who are absolutely terrible but nonetheless so amusing. It dawned on me after watching a few of these shows that either American Idol attracts some of the most self-deluded people in America to its auditions or most of these contestants don't have honest people in their lives.

So here's a couple simple tips that may help people when considering whether or not to audition for next year's show.

1) Find a few people you know won't lie to you, sing for them and ask them for their honest feedback. They may not be a recording studio talent scout but chances are they will be able to tell you if you sound like a cat being beat with a baseball bat.
2) If you still want to go forward with auditioning, by all means go ahead. If you know you can't sing, but you are going to do something funny or weird or try to be the next William Hung, by all means go ahead. You're the reason I watch the show. Maybe you'll make it on TV. But for goodness sake, don't bitch and moan and complain and cry when Simon tells you that you suck, because you do.
3) If you are overweight by more than 40 pounds, get on a diet now and maybe you'll be ready for next year's show. Granted Ruben was a big boy, so the rule applies less to guys than girls, but take one look at major recording stars and it's pretty plain to see that being fat ain't really that popular. If you love being big and beautiful, you're probably pursuing the wrong line of work.
4) Ditto if you're ugly. There's not much you can do about this one, but let's be honest we live in a pretty shallow country and if you look like you fell face first off the back of a pickup truck you're probably not going to get too far once the voting starts.

Are you a closet bigot?

2006-02-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how scientific this really is, but it's worth wasting a few minutes of your life doing.

Implicit Association Test

By some "smart" fellows up at a little university in Cambridge, MA

I did 2 so far and here are my results:
1) I associate careers with men, and family with women - umm yeah definitely
2) I'm not biased against blacks or whites (i.e. I don't associate negative or positive emotions with one or the other more) - umm yeah, also pretty true

I'll update with some of my other preferences when I'm done with those tests.

Random Musings

2006-01-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get the feeling that you're surrounded by incompetent morons? It's moments like this that make me want to follow Justin's way of thinking and go live in a cave on some deserted island. Reading the blogs and newspapers, talking to my colleagues, thinking about the future...all of these things inevitably lead me to a depressing conclusion: We're all screwed.

It gets me to thinking about the meaning of life. I mean, why are we here on this planet? What is the point of it all. Would definitely love to hear your thoughts on this question.

I haven't started reading books like "Don't Jump" or anything, so don't get the wrong idea, I just wonder what all this is about. The daily grind, the pursuit of wealth, happiness, love, etc. Is it possible that life has no meaning, that it is chaos unleashed and you just wander through it making the best of what you've got? I guess I'm in a kind of philosophical sort of mood and need to embark on a kind of pilgrimage in search of answers to these questions. Any suggestions on books/authors that touch on these topics.

There's probably more to this thinking but I don't really have the time or energy to write it all down. Maybe I'll write part 2 later.

Quote I like

2006-01-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hateful, blasphemous, prejudiced, vulgar, rude, or ignorant remarks are the music of a free society, and the relentless patter of idiots is how we know we're in one. - Daniel Gilbert, Harvard psychologist

Funny Quote

2006-01-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

"There's nothing going on in the world that couldn't be made 10 times worse by having the US government involved, 50 times worse by having Europe involved, or 100 times worse by having the UN involved."
-The Opinionated Bastard

Body Work

2005-12-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

yo,

im thinking about (80% sure) getting a tattoo. I have a couple of ideas but in general terms its probably going to be an image along with a word or phrase (most likely in arabic). I hesitate to put up a more specific description but i may send you bros either a paint file or something like that before i get it done. Trey, did u get any ink done down here? Is there a place you would reccommend? ive heard that the place near modern music is alright.

Chicken or egg?

2005-12-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

Recently ive become interested in the question of whether or not language shapes thought or vice versa. http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6303 this article thinks that language shapes thought somewhat and this article http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/07.22/21-think.html thinks that thought and language have a different relationship. What do you guys think. I tend to support the idea that language shapes thought to some extent but im not sure. I keep wondering about someone like hellen keller. She has to be an interesting case to someone who finds this idea intriguing.

Funny list

2005-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/lists/18ShyraLatiolais.html

Check this out - my favorite is "The Ideal Husband (not meant ironically)."

Postsecret

2005-12-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Hey, here's the site for the postcards where you send in your secrets:
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Another interesting site

2005-11-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

In light of a brief discussion about Atlas Shrugged last night, here's another interesting blog to check out:
http://www.janegalt.net/

My Time for Sale

2005-11-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

I’ve decided to embark on a type of social experiment/market research project as a path to starting my own business. I plan to start with craigslist and branch out from there, depending on if I get any interest.

Check out the post for more details:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/crs/114265121.html

THC Ministry

2005-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

THC Ministry
Smoke Religously
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THC_Ministry

THC Ministry believes that "cultivation and enjoyment of cannabis sacrament is a fundamental human right provided by God and protected by the Constitution." It states cannabis is the original sacrament of Hebrew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist, Rasta and more, and fulfills the prophesies to 'feed all our hungers'. It believes cannabis to be one of the main ingredients in the original Anointing Oil, as described in The Holy Bible.

http://www.thc-ministry.org/

Marijuana and its health(y) effects

2005-11-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

This post is sort of by request...The info is interesting, worth the read. Might take a couple of reads before it sticks...

Marijuana and brain cell growth
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=54893

However, while long-term administration of higher doses worked to reduce anxiety and depression, lower doses did not appear to have the same effect, the researchers added.
Zhang and his associates credit cannabinoid-linked neurogenesis with the apparent mood shifts seen in the animals.
The hippocampus area of the brain where the neuronal growth occurred is key to the regulation of stress and other mood disorders, Zhang's team point out. This region is also important to the control of cognitive processes such as learning and memory.
Among the common addictive??? drugs, marijuana alone appears able to promote neurogenesis when used over time and in the right dosage, the researchers say. In contrast, prior research has demonstrated that chronic administration of cocaine, opiates, alcohol and nicotine inhibits brain cell growth.
"If our results can be confirmed in humans, we should anticipate the chronic use of marijuana as a medical treatment for anxiety and depression," Zhang said.

Pot NOT a major Cancer Risk
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051026/hl_nm/pot_cancer_dc;_ylt=AkXL2G_fXuUldw28L9XSB9Gs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-
THC, however, does not appear to act this way in the respiratory tract -- though, in the brain, where there are cannabinoid receptors, it may have the beneficial effect of protecting cells from death when they are damaged from an injury or stroke, according to Melamede.

WORST NEWS EVER!

2005-11-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

Arrested Development is being canceled:
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/va/20051111/113172195800.html

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? It is the funniest show ever. I guess those Fox guys are too chicken to put a decent comedy on the air. Caw cuh caw cuh caw. My only hope is that someone like HBO saves it.

New Extreme Sport?

2005-11-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

Apparently this is all some publicity stunt by the DWF. Matches to be televised by HBO PPV.
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/2005/1102/2211612.html

Ownership in Government: Part I

2005-11-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

After reading yet another post from Instapundit about Pork Barrel Spending I am convinced that what this country suffers from is a lack of a sense of ownership in our government. I suspect that most people feel like they have no say in what our government does or that their vote doesn't matter. I say this is only true if you allow yourself to believe that. I know people who dedicate hours a day to tracking the ups and downs of the stock market, but don't know the first thing about one entity in which they are no doubt heavily invested...the US government.

Without getting into too much detail here, what I am proposing is an Ownership Challenge. Make it your goal to talk to at least one person every day (or even start small, one person a week) about issues related to the government. Even if it is something as small as who their elected officials are or what they think of filibustering Supreme Court nominees. The idea is to get people to understand that the government does affect them and that each and every one of them is a stockholder in the world's largest corporation. And most exciting of all, they get to choose a new CEO and other senior executives every 4 years!

I'm of the opinion that once people begin to develop a sense of ownership, it will make them want to participate more and educate themselves more about issues. Like the old quote says, "No one washes a rental car."

Jarheads review

2005-11-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

http://weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/006/301tzvqx.asp

Here's a review of Jarheads - It sounds decent; at least it's not rabidly anti-american or filled with bizarre conspiracies.

Does anyone remember the last unabashedly patriotic movie? Why don't they make movies like Top Gun or Rambo anymore? I never saw Black Hawk Down, how was that? I guess Independence Day was patriotic, but it's not always easy to be nuanced about alien invaders and wonder about their motivations. It's probably our decadent human culture and the fact that we caused their poverty.
I would love to see a movie where Americans aren't the bad guys, and the world is more black and white. I know the situation is more complicated than that, but I go to movies to be entertained and feel good, not to have a lesson in geopolitics forced down my throat.

Mandatory Reading

2005-11-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

Despite my illusions otherwise I am not the most eloquent of writers and although I have big plans to someday write a book or publish a series of essays laying out my grand philosophies, for now I will settle on directing all you readers out there to a website that I believe comes remarkably close to describing my outlook on the world.

http://www.ejectejecteject.com

So Much for Black Unity

2005-11-02T05:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20051101-104932-4054r.htm

Upon first glance this really made me angry, but after thinking about it for a little while it just made me sad. African-Americans get up in arms at the slightest hint of racism uttered by the mouth of a white person, but feel justified in calling a fellow African American an Uncle Tom and a slave. Just makes me sad really.

Greatest Cartoon Ever

2005-10-28T02:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/10/24/reclusive.cartoonist.ap/index.html

Even after all these years, it's amazing how great Calvin and Hobbes was. I really need to get some of the books - it's something you pass on to your children.

Evil Olsen Twins

2005-10-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Eventually there's going to be a 'scandal' when one of them gets a taste for the dark meat. You know what they say...Once you go black, you never go back.
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1231684&page=1

It takes more than a botched carjacking to keep me down

2005-10-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Some great quotes from Cam'ron in this article.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/24/camron.shooting.ap/index.html

What are you guys reading right now?

2005-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

I just finished rereading Snow Crash...its such a good book. I also just finished Eragon, the first book by Chrisopher Paolini, and Bekah is checking the second one out of the school library for me. It was good but I could tell it was written by a 15 year old. Im looking for another fantasy or sci-fi book to read...you guys read any good ones lately?

Conspiracy Corner

2005-10-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get away with never paying taxes...and its all because of this man.
The Tax Man
San Jose resident Joe Banister hasn’t paid his taxes since 1999 - the year he threw away a promising career to devote his life to a higher cause: defeating the IRS.

http://www.thewavemag.com/printarticle.php?articleid=24785

Heres another conspiracy theory to think about/ laugh at.

This guy says that the Russians created hurricane katrina. and knowing that is half the battle GI JOE.
http://www.weatherwars.info/katrina.htm

Final piece of conspiracy to digest...

I no longer believe the story we were given about 9/11. The comparisons between 9/11 and Pearl harbor are interesting alone but there are a lot of questions about how the towers came down...and why they came down.
"To explain the unanticipated free-fall collapses of the twin towers at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, mainstream experts (also see The American Professional Constructor, October 2004, pp. 12–18) offer a three-stage argument: 1) an airplane impact weakened each structure, 2) an intense fire thermally weakened structural components that may have suffered damage to fireproofing materials, causing buckling failures, which, in turn, 3) allowed the upper floors to pancake onto the floors below.
Many will nod their head, OK, that does it and go back to watching the NBA finals or whatever, but I find this theory just about as satisfying as the fantastic conspiracy theory that "19 young Arabs acting at the behest of Islamist extremists headquartered in distant Afghanistan" caused 9/11."

http://www.lewrockwell.com/reynolds/reynolds12.html

and now back to our regularly scheduled programming

Freaking Hilarious

2005-10-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.aboyandhiscomputer.com/show.php?ItemID=2204

Fractal Democracy?

2005-10-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a great post - http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1129770065.shtml

The basic idea is that certain systems are too complex to be managed by a blueprint and are better suited to be guided by a basic set of rules. I completely agree - human societies, particularly economies, cannot be guided by a central system. It amazes me that anyone who has taken basic economics could possibly think a planned economy could possible be more efficient than a market economy. (Perhaps the greatest efficiency should not be the goal of an economy, but if you do want efficiency, you have to have a free market.)

Random thought

2005-10-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

That new burger "king" is bizarre. Does anyone like those commercials? They creep me out.