Silver Adept (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
silveradept) wrote2008-06-24 12:05 am
silveradept) wrote2008-06-24 12:05 am
Back toward the routine - 23 June 2008
Wheee. Family safely home, me trying to get caught up on my sleeptime, and things will be settling back toward a routine until I celebrate another year in existence in a little while. Through the grad student years, I know that it felt like things weren’t doing too well. Things are better now than they were before, and some part of it was just getting through the schooling and finding that I am employable.
71 years is not long enough for us - George Carlin died on Sunday. Anyone who knows him for his various famous routines, including the Seven Words You [Still] Can’t Say on Television, or his role as a cardinal in Dogma, or as Rufus in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, realizes just how smart and funny he was. No dumb comedy for Carlin, unless he was making fun of dumb comedy. Harry Shearer pays tribute to Carlin, others reminisce about his best material, including a need to let children not be coddled, giving religion the respect it truly deserves (a big thbbbbpth), and other quotable Carlin items. Honoring his passing, 23 Apples of Eris promtoes him to Discordian Saint, which I’m sure will provide good material for the other residents in the lands beyond. After all, Carlin was going to get the Mark Twain Prize for humor later this year.
Internationally, the situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated to the point that the opposition MDC is pulling out of the runoff, citing increasing pressure by Zanu-PF thugs against voters in general and followers of the MDC. Having been frightened fo the possibility of being voted out of office, Robert Mugabe is now confirming that he has no taste for the ballot box, nor any wish to be seen as a democratically elected leader.
Moqtada al-Sadr&apo;s forces gave up the city of Amara without firing a shot, as the cleric reassembles a smaller force to fight with him and devotes the rest of his followers to peacefully resisting the current Iraqi government and United States forces.
The supposedly undiscovered tribe in Brazil has been known about for almost 100 years, it turns out, but the pictures were there to try and discourage loggers from destroying the area where some really undiscovered tribes might be. First rule of causes - you do not lie to your followers in any way that can be verifiably documented to be so. It tends to make your followers less inclined to believe anything else you say. That said, the photographer isn’t telling where said tribe really is, and is letting the government decide if and when they want contact.
In domestic news, a prominent climate change scientist wants the executives of oil companies put on trial for deliberately creating smoke and doubt on the issue of climate change in the same manner that tobacco companies cast doubt on the links between smoked tobacco and cancers.
A federal fingerprint database for noncriminals is still on its way to existence - anyone in the housing sector may be required to submit prints to the Feds, among other things in a 537-page housing bill. Some part here tells me that this should probably be broken up into smaller bills, just because it shouldn’t need 537 pages to describe one necessary thing for legislation.
Following up on previous matters, apparently there is not "pregnancy pact" officially, just a strange concordance of a lot of girls getting pregnant, more than usual, all about the same time, just the principal’s memory is foggy of where he heard there was a pact going on. Depite this, Margery Eagen decries the idea of out-of-wedlock babies and the mothers and movies that have made it out to not be so bad.
Also following on the schisms in the Anglican communion, an investigation is being launched into a marriage-like ceremony between two male priests. The United Kingdom Anglican community does not condone such things, even though they are legal in the United Kingdom. I guess it isn’t just the Episcopalians who are interested in getting same-sex unions blessed.
Getting into the opinion columns, Andrew Roberts believes that with time, Mr. Bush's presidency will be remembered fondly and with approval because of its solid handling of Iraq and protection of the nation from further attacks. While the second World War was being fought, Truman had pretty bad numbers. Roberts believes that with time, Bush’s bad numbers will also be seen as an anomaly of the times. That may be the case, but it will only be after the country is used to all the eroded civil liberties, permanent troop placements, and neverending nature of the War on a Concept. In other words, when Big Brother wins again, then people might start believing that the Bush War was for Peace.
George Will is perfectly okay with record numbers of people being incarcerated, as it apparently lowers the crime rate wherever the prison population is high, and all the data we’re seeing about minorities in prison more is because more minorities are reported as criminals, et cetera.
OpinionJournal believes Israel will strike at Iran to destroy its burgeoning nuclear capability, and that the West's attempts at diplomacy for too long is the reason why Israel will eventually strike.
Fouad Ajami thinks that the vaunted anti-American sentiment is mostly hype, considering how many people will curse America while applying for a visa to come here and stay. Thus paradox of loved and feared is a historical pattern for powerful nations, he said on Talk of the Nation today, and I suspect there are more than a few books and quips about what mix of the two is best for a ruler. He disputes that this is a new, W. Bush thing (with which I agree), and believes that liberals are heavily invested in trying to present the world as such.
Nina May finds conservatives considering Barack Obama to be blinded by Obama's personality, and Republicans trying very hard to be like the Democrats, and both parties happily sending America down the socialist path. Because of all this, she says people should write-in votes and the McCain campaign should wake up and go back to being Republicans.
In other candidate matters, Robert Novak endorses, and feels Senator McCain should take on, Rep. Ryan's plan for the economy, which will supposedly curb runaway spending on entitlements and permit those closer to the retirement age to have greater control over their federal retirement entitlement.
Oliver North is convinced that when Senator Obama visits Iraq and Afghanistan before the election, he will have to reverse his policy on troop withdrawals once he sees how the surge is working and victory is at hand. I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around a definition of victory that involves maintaining troop levels and possible adding more in. Isn’t the whole point of being victorious that you can draw down your troops and go home? The point that North really wants to make, though, is that even with such a decision flip, the mainstream media won’t take the Senator to task on it. If the media doesn’t, I suspect the Democratic and Obama-following base will. So I don’t really find North’s premises to be valid.
In technology, Oxytocin doses may help shy people become more social, by reducing stress and anxiety. Make me wonder if it can take a panic attack and knock it down to something resembling normal stress or take it out entirely. At the same time, I don’t really feel like shyness is something that needs medication, unless it’s the kind that turns into a xenophobia and affects one’s life, or panic attacks and such that interfere with normal life. If you’re shy or just don’t find enough interesting things about the people around you, you shouldn’t feel like you’re diseased. There was also some material about other possible effects of the drug, including its potential use as a more natural date-rape type item, to induce trust and arousal in the mark by the perpetrator.
Further tech - using modified measles to attack immune cells with cancer, improving solar cell power by manufacturing it nonuniform, A CT scanner that takes one pass and can show not only the organs, but how well they're working.
In art, Psychedelic music and film posters from the 70s by Tadanori Yokoo, with full color spreads, interesting backgrounds, and gravity-defying musicians. There’s also what looks to be long-exposure pictures taken to make pictures with light designs. Last, and probably the biggest time-suck of them all, is Roadside Architecture, chronicling all the interesting things you can see by the side of the road.
71 years is not long enough for us - George Carlin died on Sunday. Anyone who knows him for his various famous routines, including the Seven Words You [Still] Can’t Say on Television, or his role as a cardinal in Dogma, or as Rufus in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, realizes just how smart and funny he was. No dumb comedy for Carlin, unless he was making fun of dumb comedy. Harry Shearer pays tribute to Carlin, others reminisce about his best material, including a need to let children not be coddled, giving religion the respect it truly deserves (a big thbbbbpth), and other quotable Carlin items. Honoring his passing, 23 Apples of Eris promtoes him to Discordian Saint, which I’m sure will provide good material for the other residents in the lands beyond. After all, Carlin was going to get the Mark Twain Prize for humor later this year.
Internationally, the situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated to the point that the opposition MDC is pulling out of the runoff, citing increasing pressure by Zanu-PF thugs against voters in general and followers of the MDC. Having been frightened fo the possibility of being voted out of office, Robert Mugabe is now confirming that he has no taste for the ballot box, nor any wish to be seen as a democratically elected leader.
Moqtada al-Sadr&apo;s forces gave up the city of Amara without firing a shot, as the cleric reassembles a smaller force to fight with him and devotes the rest of his followers to peacefully resisting the current Iraqi government and United States forces.
The supposedly undiscovered tribe in Brazil has been known about for almost 100 years, it turns out, but the pictures were there to try and discourage loggers from destroying the area where some really undiscovered tribes might be. First rule of causes - you do not lie to your followers in any way that can be verifiably documented to be so. It tends to make your followers less inclined to believe anything else you say. That said, the photographer isn’t telling where said tribe really is, and is letting the government decide if and when they want contact.
In domestic news, a prominent climate change scientist wants the executives of oil companies put on trial for deliberately creating smoke and doubt on the issue of climate change in the same manner that tobacco companies cast doubt on the links between smoked tobacco and cancers.
A federal fingerprint database for noncriminals is still on its way to existence - anyone in the housing sector may be required to submit prints to the Feds, among other things in a 537-page housing bill. Some part here tells me that this should probably be broken up into smaller bills, just because it shouldn’t need 537 pages to describe one necessary thing for legislation.
Following up on previous matters, apparently there is not "pregnancy pact" officially, just a strange concordance of a lot of girls getting pregnant, more than usual, all about the same time, just the principal’s memory is foggy of where he heard there was a pact going on. Depite this, Margery Eagen decries the idea of out-of-wedlock babies and the mothers and movies that have made it out to not be so bad.
Also following on the schisms in the Anglican communion, an investigation is being launched into a marriage-like ceremony between two male priests. The United Kingdom Anglican community does not condone such things, even though they are legal in the United Kingdom. I guess it isn’t just the Episcopalians who are interested in getting same-sex unions blessed.
Getting into the opinion columns, Andrew Roberts believes that with time, Mr. Bush's presidency will be remembered fondly and with approval because of its solid handling of Iraq and protection of the nation from further attacks. While the second World War was being fought, Truman had pretty bad numbers. Roberts believes that with time, Bush’s bad numbers will also be seen as an anomaly of the times. That may be the case, but it will only be after the country is used to all the eroded civil liberties, permanent troop placements, and neverending nature of the War on a Concept. In other words, when Big Brother wins again, then people might start believing that the Bush War was for Peace.
George Will is perfectly okay with record numbers of people being incarcerated, as it apparently lowers the crime rate wherever the prison population is high, and all the data we’re seeing about minorities in prison more is because more minorities are reported as criminals, et cetera.
OpinionJournal believes Israel will strike at Iran to destroy its burgeoning nuclear capability, and that the West's attempts at diplomacy for too long is the reason why Israel will eventually strike.
Fouad Ajami thinks that the vaunted anti-American sentiment is mostly hype, considering how many people will curse America while applying for a visa to come here and stay. Thus paradox of loved and feared is a historical pattern for powerful nations, he said on Talk of the Nation today, and I suspect there are more than a few books and quips about what mix of the two is best for a ruler. He disputes that this is a new, W. Bush thing (with which I agree), and believes that liberals are heavily invested in trying to present the world as such.
Nina May finds conservatives considering Barack Obama to be blinded by Obama's personality, and Republicans trying very hard to be like the Democrats, and both parties happily sending America down the socialist path. Because of all this, she says people should write-in votes and the McCain campaign should wake up and go back to being Republicans.
In other candidate matters, Robert Novak endorses, and feels Senator McCain should take on, Rep. Ryan's plan for the economy, which will supposedly curb runaway spending on entitlements and permit those closer to the retirement age to have greater control over their federal retirement entitlement.
Oliver North is convinced that when Senator Obama visits Iraq and Afghanistan before the election, he will have to reverse his policy on troop withdrawals once he sees how the surge is working and victory is at hand. I guess I’m still trying to wrap my head around a definition of victory that involves maintaining troop levels and possible adding more in. Isn’t the whole point of being victorious that you can draw down your troops and go home? The point that North really wants to make, though, is that even with such a decision flip, the mainstream media won’t take the Senator to task on it. If the media doesn’t, I suspect the Democratic and Obama-following base will. So I don’t really find North’s premises to be valid.
In technology, Oxytocin doses may help shy people become more social, by reducing stress and anxiety. Make me wonder if it can take a panic attack and knock it down to something resembling normal stress or take it out entirely. At the same time, I don’t really feel like shyness is something that needs medication, unless it’s the kind that turns into a xenophobia and affects one’s life, or panic attacks and such that interfere with normal life. If you’re shy or just don’t find enough interesting things about the people around you, you shouldn’t feel like you’re diseased. There was also some material about other possible effects of the drug, including its potential use as a more natural date-rape type item, to induce trust and arousal in the mark by the perpetrator.
Further tech - using modified measles to attack immune cells with cancer, improving solar cell power by manufacturing it nonuniform, A CT scanner that takes one pass and can show not only the organs, but how well they're working.
In art, Psychedelic music and film posters from the 70s by Tadanori Yokoo, with full color spreads, interesting backgrounds, and gravity-defying musicians. There’s also what looks to be long-exposure pictures taken to make pictures with light designs. Last, and probably the biggest time-suck of them all, is Roadside Architecture, chronicling all the interesting things you can see by the side of the road.
Re: the tribe thing
Re: the tribe thing