This is the best account of the execution that I have read thus far.
Saddam: The death of a dictator [salon]
I know that for most it goes without saying, but I just think its really important to note that the crime Sadam was committed of was the killing of 148 people. ONE HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT. Not a negligible sum, though it is less than the number of Americans that George Bush killed in Iraq in the last two months. Of course in reality we all know Sadam killed hundreds of thousands, and tortured even more than that. But it really drives home the point of the salon article when you think that by the same logic with which he was found guilty, so too are Bush, Blair, and probably most American presidents of the last hundred years.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
pushing forward back
makes me so happy
Dairy cows join effort to corral greenhouse gases [east oregonian]
part of broader trend of kind of this retro form of modernization. not retro but like this back-looking moving forward.
eg, poor people been utilizing cow manure in india since forever
marriage of modern science which lends precision and efficiency
with "ancient" or somehow "natural" human practices
funny how when humans really started using science for practical things liek commerce etc it was such a perverse technology-obsessed usage. thinking like from the industrial revolution through to the 60's ... when a technology was introduced it totally replaced the traditional or folk practice. now i think we are finally seeing mroe and more instances of these two things working together.
Dairy cows join effort to corral greenhouse gases [east oregonian]
part of broader trend of kind of this retro form of modernization. not retro but like this back-looking moving forward.
eg, poor people been utilizing cow manure in india since forever
marriage of modern science which lends precision and efficiency
with "ancient" or somehow "natural" human practices
funny how when humans really started using science for practical things liek commerce etc it was such a perverse technology-obsessed usage. thinking like from the industrial revolution through to the 60's ... when a technology was introduced it totally replaced the traditional or folk practice. now i think we are finally seeing mroe and more instances of these two things working together.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
dispelling myths
santa and mushrooms? this article is of questionable veracity ... but it is fascinating even if only 10% true:
The psychedelic secrets of Santa Claus [cannabis culture]
about the princess obsession among girls in america
What’s Wrong With Cinderella? [nytimes]
article about pentecostalism on the rise:
Christianity reborn [economist]
whats fascinating to me here is how the article seems to show that mysticism is somehow an innate human quality ... as advanced as science is -- and even though it has explained some huge percentage of natural phenomena -- people still turn to these thoughts and feelings about evil spirits and the afterlife and such.
Had an interesting discussion with uday about how to reconcile this or if its possible ... should science explain religion? should science explain the human tendency toward spiritualizing the physical world? (see that recent article about the "religion gene") And if so won't there always be some backlash toward this? that seems to be what we are seeing now. science can explain away all of the mysterious, but won't this innate human quality then rear its head? causing people to talk about these irrational thoughts.
My belief is that psychology can explain alot of this. If there is a devil it is an evil tendency that exists within us all. if there is a god it is the loving ideal that we each hold in our heads. and if there is an afterlife it is in the minds and hearts of people that have known you, or loved you, or known your work or your life.
I think this explanation is really nice ... it touches on the human desire to be immortalized through work -- to build a bridge or a building or cure a disease or write a novel. And it also kind of turns religious dogma into like this contract. You want to be immortalized. So you believe in an afterlife. You believe your ancestors are in heaven. You induct your children into these same beliefs. And you thus guarantee that you will live on after your life in their hearts and minds.
The psychedelic secrets of Santa Claus [cannabis culture]
about the princess obsession among girls in america
What’s Wrong With Cinderella? [nytimes]
article about pentecostalism on the rise:
Christianity reborn [economist]
whats fascinating to me here is how the article seems to show that mysticism is somehow an innate human quality ... as advanced as science is -- and even though it has explained some huge percentage of natural phenomena -- people still turn to these thoughts and feelings about evil spirits and the afterlife and such.
Had an interesting discussion with uday about how to reconcile this or if its possible ... should science explain religion? should science explain the human tendency toward spiritualizing the physical world? (see that recent article about the "religion gene") And if so won't there always be some backlash toward this? that seems to be what we are seeing now. science can explain away all of the mysterious, but won't this innate human quality then rear its head? causing people to talk about these irrational thoughts.
My belief is that psychology can explain alot of this. If there is a devil it is an evil tendency that exists within us all. if there is a god it is the loving ideal that we each hold in our heads. and if there is an afterlife it is in the minds and hearts of people that have known you, or loved you, or known your work or your life.
I think this explanation is really nice ... it touches on the human desire to be immortalized through work -- to build a bridge or a building or cure a disease or write a novel. And it also kind of turns religious dogma into like this contract. You want to be immortalized. So you believe in an afterlife. You believe your ancestors are in heaven. You induct your children into these same beliefs. And you thus guarantee that you will live on after your life in their hearts and minds.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
¿oh you nintendidn't!
You have never before seen a video game sing the blues. This is tragicomedy at its finest. Video artist Ryan Kelley created an 8-bit rendering of the Rodney King beating:
8-bit rodney king beating [youtube]
Check it out and give it some stars. His other video is also amazing.
8-bit rodney king beating [youtube]
Check it out and give it some stars. His other video is also amazing.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
feminists, modern foot-binders, and avoiding SAD
today's trip through the Times
See what happens when those uppity femmes try to stake claims to the male arena? Demise of the species! Stay home ladies.
Neanderthal Women Joined Men in the Hunt [nytimes]
An article about an allegedly emerging practice of people with disabilities using PGD to pass those disabilities on to their children:
Wanting Babies Like Themselves, Some Parents Choose Genetic Defects [nytimes]
I would argue that this practice is analogous to Chinese foot-binding or certain Native American tribes that used straps and boards to flatten the foreheads of babies. But I like how Dr. Sanghavi drew a connection between this practice and our "increasingly globalized society where identity seems besieged and in need of aggressive preservation". I believe celebrity culture and Americans' passive acceptance of being inundated with corporate advertising will soon create a crisis of American identity and this is an early symptom -- people looking for a tribe in a stark cultural landscape.
Editorial on the "Good" War? an over-simplification in my mind ... although this does reiterate how the Iraq quagmire has occurred at the expense of Afghanistan -- but as a major boon to opium addicts the world over!
Losing the Good War [nytimes]
Winter is approaching in NYC ... my advice for powering through the winter blues? Well don't do heroin. Instead stay at home and do crossword puzzles -- or try to think up clever acronyms ... like "SAD". aww.
Getting a Grip on the Winter Blues [nytimes]
or, you could read this book of cool cartoons:
Anxiety, Illustrated [nytimes]
See what happens when those uppity femmes try to stake claims to the male arena? Demise of the species! Stay home ladies.
Neanderthal Women Joined Men in the Hunt [nytimes]
An article about an allegedly emerging practice of people with disabilities using PGD to pass those disabilities on to their children:
Wanting Babies Like Themselves, Some Parents Choose Genetic Defects [nytimes]
I would argue that this practice is analogous to Chinese foot-binding or certain Native American tribes that used straps and boards to flatten the foreheads of babies. But I like how Dr. Sanghavi drew a connection between this practice and our "increasingly globalized society where identity seems besieged and in need of aggressive preservation". I believe celebrity culture and Americans' passive acceptance of being inundated with corporate advertising will soon create a crisis of American identity and this is an early symptom -- people looking for a tribe in a stark cultural landscape.
Editorial on the "Good" War? an over-simplification in my mind ... although this does reiterate how the Iraq quagmire has occurred at the expense of Afghanistan -- but as a major boon to opium addicts the world over!
Losing the Good War [nytimes]
Winter is approaching in NYC ... my advice for powering through the winter blues? Well don't do heroin. Instead stay at home and do crossword puzzles -- or try to think up clever acronyms ... like "SAD". aww.
Getting a Grip on the Winter Blues [nytimes]
or, you could read this book of cool cartoons:
Anxiety, Illustrated [nytimes]
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Bush hears our prayers!
Bush doesn't believe the reports and briefings provided to him on Iraq, but he does believe that the nation's prayers will help us ... and that he can sense everyone praying for him. George if you can hear me, I'm praying that you resign immediately so at least a halfway competent person can take your place. amen.
Bush: I feel the power of prayers [salon]
Also, some admiral on the energy crisis ... in 1957. how prescient
Mystery Cassandra [salon]
Bush: I feel the power of prayers [salon]
Also, some admiral on the energy crisis ... in 1957. how prescient
Mystery Cassandra [salon]
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